Find out how different organisations around the world are using the life-cycle costs approach.
Published on: 01/02/2013
This study: "Information scan on WASH unit costs and financial planning and budgeting of the Water and Sanitation Sector in Uganda" presents an overview of the income and expenditure flows in the Ugandan rural water and sanitation sector, with a special focus on sustainability. Gaps can be identified through a better understanding of income and expenditure flows, reporting flows, funding instruments, budgeting and planning tools and the areas of intervention of the different entities. The study uses the life-cycle costs approach to specifically focus on post-construction costs, and also to discuss potential benefits of adopting the approach in Uganda
29 Nov 12
This article provides insight into how the Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI) used the life-cycle costs approach while collecting household sanitation and hygiene data to support their study on productive and conventional on-site sanitation in Rwanda. Vera van der Grift (IRC) interviewed Nelson Ekane (SEI) to learn about their use of life-cycle costing and their future plans for the approach.
29 Nov 12
IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre is developing an innovative app with a new grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The vision for the WASHCost Calculator is that WASH sector practitioners use life-cycle costs information to adapt their plans and achieve water and sanitation services that last for generations. Users without expert knowledge about the life-cycle costs approach will be able to run a sustainability check to strengthen delivery of water and sanitation services, make use of reliable life-cycle cost information, and understand the benefits of the life-cycle costs approach. The prototype of the WASHCost Calculator has garnered interest and feedback from a wide range of users across Africa, Latin America and Asia.
29 Nov 12
Vera van der Grift interviewed Eric Stowe from Splash on how his organisation is using the life-cycle costs approach for cost modelling of their programmes in Asia. Eric explains how he and colleagues have slightly tweaked the language to make 'capital maintenance expenditures' understandable for everyone.
27 Nov 12
Millennium Water Alliance (MWA) is a champion of the life-cycle costs approach. They, along with partners, are applying the approach in Ethiopia, Kenya, and parts of Latin America to improve monitoring and evaluation of their WASH programmes. IRC's WASHCost discussed with Susan Dundon of MWA and learned how the organisation is gathering evidence to show how the life-cycle costs approach works or doesn't work in reality.
26 Nov 12
Engineers Without Borders-Canada (EWB-Canada) is working with Malawian districts to budget for WASH services using concepts of the life-cycle costs approach. Local WASH actors are now speaking in terms of capital expenditures, capital replacement, and operational expenditures in order to plan and acquire funding for indefinite operation and maintenance of services. Vera van der Grift, IRC Information Officer, discussed with Mike Kang of EWB-Canada how his organisation is applying the life-cycle costs in Malawi, and EWB-Canada's plans for working in the WASH sector in the the next five to six years. Download the interview article here.
19 Oct 12
As a first step to introduce the life-cycle cost approach in Uganda, the Fontes Foundation Uganda with support from IRC, analysed how the Uganda rural WASH sector is financed. The new proposal for implementing the life-cycle costs approach, highlights the current and complex financing system of the WASH sector in Uganda. The document indicates that a number of tools for improving planning and budgeting are in place, but these are not always used to their full capacity—applying the life-cycle costs approach can help resolve financing issues linked to WASH service delivery.
19 Oct 12
Vera van der Grift, IRC Information Officer gives examples of how the life-cycle costs approach has been taken up by global level actors. From international donors to regional lending banks, WASH sector actors are thinking about the importance of financing asset management and capital replacement in order to support sustainable service delivery of services.
