o   Department: Sustainable Development – Urban Development & Circular Economy

o   Location: Remote, with regular field missions in Ghana

o   Type of contract: Service Contract – Individual Consultant

o   Contract duration: 18 months (intermittent – “expertise perlée”)

o   Sector: Water Supply, Public Services, Urban Development

As part of the Sustainable Cities Phase 1 project, and more specifically under Component 5 “Access to Water and Recreational areas”, Expertise France seeks to recruit a Water Access Advisor and Urban Expert to provide high-level technical guidance, quality control, and strategic guidance for the design, implementation, and supervision of small-scale water access investments in target cities of the Northern part of Ghana (Tamale, Yendi, Nalerigu, Damongo), and in some cases, to integrate recreational spaces within the scope.

The Expert will work remotely, with regular field missions to Ghana for technical supervision, coordination meetings, and capacity-building activities. The position’s purpose is to ensure that all water access investments are technically sound, sustainable, and compliant with national standards and donor requirements.

The assignment aims to support the Project in its role of providing technical and operational assistance for the preparation and implementation of small-scale urban water-access investments in vulnerable and underserved neighborhoods. This includes supporting the rehabilitation of existing facilities and the development of new systems—such as standpipes and mechanized boreholes feeding local distribution points—implemented in alignment with sector plans and in close coordination with the two public water utilities (GWCL and CWSA) and the Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies (MMAs). A central component of the assignment is the provision of technical assistance for the preparation, design and implementation of communal water-point installations, including:

·       reviewing, challenging and validating the technical proposals submitted by GWCL and CWSA;

• confirming design assumptions, sizing parameters and technical feasibility;
• ensuring oversight and quality assurance of contractors during construction;
• integrating urban-planning considerations, density constraints and network-expansion requirements.
• ensuring that water-access interventions are fully adapted to the surrounding public space, including, when relevant, the improvement of public areas to make them more inclusive, safe, and socially supportive, so that water points become integrated, functional, and community-enhancing urban spaces.

1.          Technical assistance for Engineering, feasibility and investment preparation

The Consultant will support Expertise France (EF) and the local partners (MMAs, GWCL, CWSA) in preparing technically robust and context-appropriate water-access investments. This includes:

o   Technical review and feasibility analysis

·       Review, challenge and validate all technical proposals and design options submitted by GWCL and CWSA.

·       Verify design assumptions, engineering parameters, sizing, and feasibility of proposed solutions.

·       Identify appropriate technical options for dense and vulnerable urban environments, considering water scarcity, existing infrastructure, and future expansion needs.

·       Propose adjustments or alternative solutions where necessary to ensure technical robustness, sustainability and value for money.

o   Verification and quality control of technical and procurement documentation

·     Support EF in reviewing preliminary studies and detailed design documents prepared by GWCL, CWSA, ensuring alignment with national and sectoral standards, technical requirements and the investment envelope.

·     Conduct quality-assurance checks on execution drawings, technical specifications, bills of quantities and implementation schedules, ensuring completeness, internal consistency and technical soundness.

·     Verify the integration of environmental and social recommendations following international standards (including ESIA mitigation measures, where applicable) in all design and implementation documents.

·     Review technical procurement documentation prepared for the recruitment of works contractors and other subcontracted service providers, including technical specifications, Employer’s Requirements, evaluation criteria, and any site-specific clauses.

·     Support EF in the review and validation of procurement documents prepared for the recruitment of works contractors and other subcontracted service providers, ensuring coherence, technical soundness and risk-mitigation adequacy.

o   Bid Evaluation and Award Support

·     Provide technical assistance during procurement and evaluation of offers, including compliance checks, technical analysis of bids, market price benchmarking, and cost-realism assessment of contractor quotations.

2.          Support for quality control during work implementation

o   Support for the quality control of deliverables produced by GWCL and CWSA during works implementation

The Consultant shall support EF in the quality control of all technical and operational deliverables produced by GWCL and CWSA during works implementation, including:

·     Reviewing work plans and construction schedules

·     Verifying material specifications, inspection reports, testing results and any technical notes or adjustments issued during implementation

·     Assessing the consistency of all deliverables with:

-      Validated design documentation;

-      Applicable technical standards and approved methodologies;

-      Environmental and social safeguards (including ESIA mitigation measures, where applicable).

·     Identifying and flagging discrepancies, risks, non-conformities or emerging issues to EF

·     Ensuring that site-safety measures are adequately implemented, including the protection of residents living or circulating near the construction areas, and compliance with health and safety requirements for workers.

·     Providing clear technical advice and recommendations for corrective actions, mitigation measures or adjustments

·     Supporting EF in assessing the technical soundness, feasibility and implications of any design modifications or implementation changes proposed by GWCL or CWSA.

3.          Integration of urban-planning, recreational-space and site-layout considerations

When appropriate, the Consultant will integrate urban planning and public-space considerations into the design and siting of water-access infrastructure. Tasks include:

·     Urban-planning interfaces

-      Analyse density patterns, land-use constraints, right-of-way conditions, and future urban growth areas.

-      Ensure consistency with local spatial plans, SDFs and recreational-space strategies.

·     Recreational and multi-use public-space integration

-      Assess opportunities to co-locate water points within or adjacent to recreational or community-use spaces.

-      Evaluate comfort, safety, visibility, accessibility, shading and user-flow patterns.

·     Resilient and inclusive site-layout optimisation

-      Optimise layouts to improve climate resilience, minimise conflicts with circulation, and enhance inclusion for vulnerable users.

-      Propose spatial improvements enhancing the social and environmental value of the sites.

·     Design of multifunctional, climate-resilient micro-spaces

-      Recommend simple, low-cost enhancements (shading structures, seating, drainage, green elements) that strengthen the value and sustainability of water points as community assets.

4.          Support for testing and commissioning phase

·     Assisting EF in conducting on-site inspections and functionality tests prior to commissioning.

·     Reviewing and validating results of testing and performance checks carried out by GWCL, CWSA or contractors.

·     Reviewing as-built drawings and ensuring their consistency with validated designs and any approved changes implemented during construction.

·     Verifying completeness and quality of handover documentation, including operation and maintenance manuals, asset registers and warranties.