Terms of Reference for the Recruitment of an Experienced Animator to Develop Animated Educational Videos on Non-revenue Water (NRW) and Market-based Sanitation (MBS) at Water For People-(Deadline 10 October, 2025)

Terms of Reference for the Recruitment of an Experienced Animator to Develop Animated Educational Videos on Non-Revenue Water (NRW) and Market-Based Sanitation (MBS)

1.Background and context 

Water For People is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that works with people and partners to develop innovative and long-lasting solutions to global water, sanitation, and hygiene problems. The organization strives to improve, experiment with promising new ideas, and leverage resources to multiply its impact.

Water For People has secured funds from the US Government to finance the Isoko y’Ubuzima Project, which is a five-year Rwanda Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) activity. The activity is being executed by a consortium led by Water For People and includes IRC, CARE International, VEI, and a local partner, African Evangelistic Enterprise (AEE), in Rwanda. The project operates in 10 districts, namely, Rwamagana, Kayonza, Ngoma, Kirehe, Nyagatare, Ruhango, Nyanza, Nyamagabe, Ngororero, and Nyabihu.

The overall goal of the Isoko y’Ubuzima project is to improve access to and utilization of safe, sustainable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services. This will be achieved through three interrelated and mutually reinforcing strategic objectives (SO):

SO1.Improving Decentralized WASH Governance

SO2. Improving Rural Drinking Water Services

SO3. Improving Rural Sanitation and Handwashing Services and Products.

Among the project’s flagship technical interventions are:

• Non-Revenue Water (NRW) Reduction, implemented through the technical expertise of VEI
• Market-Based Sanitation (MBS), implemented through the technical expertise of CARE

Both are complex, technical concepts critical to the project’s outcomes and broader WASH systems development in Rwanda. Due to their sophistication, simplifying and localizing these concepts for a broader audience, including community actors, local implementers, and government partners, is vital.

Based on this background, Water For People seeks to recruit an experienced motion graphics designer/animator to develop two animated videos that would simplify the concepts of NRW reduction and MBS approaches, and would allow their sustainable dissemination across multiple platforms for training, community mobilization, partner engagements, and reinforce ownership and sustainability of WASH systems.

II. Objective of the Assignment

The objective is to engage an experienced motion graphics designer/animator with expertise in motion graphics and educational content development to produce two high-quality animated videos (1–1.5 minutes each), simplifying and localizing the concepts of NRW reduction and MBS approaches.

The videos will:

• Simplify technical concepts into clear, engaging narratives.
• Reflect the Isoko y’Ubuzima experience in Rwanda.
• Reinforce ownership and sustainability of WASH systems.
• Enhance understanding and engagement through the use of animated storytelling that reflects practical experience and evidence.
• Create lasting educational content that supports global learning and capacity-building efforts.
• Facilitate the scale-up initiatives and sustain MBS and NRW efforts

III.Scope of Work

• The consultant is expected to deliver two short, well-narrated English narrated – with Kinyarwanda subtitles animated videos (1-1.5 minutes each), one for NRW and one for MBS, based on the Isoko y’Ubuzima experience in Rwanda.
• The videos are based on an agreed script delivered by Isoko y’Ubuzima
• Branding. The NRW & MBS videos will be branded following the approved Isoko y’Ubuzima branding and marking plan. The videos can be developed and delivered in a style and brand that can build on existing WASH Systems Academy animations, but are not branded as WASH Systems Academy animations, for the purpose of wider dissemination beyond the WASH Systems Academy.
• The two videos will be delivered in English and will have voice-over and subtitles in Kinyarwanda.
• The consultant will take care of all sound design and mastering.

IV. Out of scope

• Script development is out of scope for the consultant. Responsibility lies with the project team. The consultant will provide guidance.
• Voice-over recording is out of scope for the consultant. The recording is locally arranged by the project team and will be based on the agreed script. The consultant will provide guidance.
• Subtitles and their proofing are delivered by the project team.
• The consultant is not responsible for the dissemination of the outputs.

V. Deliverables

The animator will provide:

• Two animated videos (1–1.5 minutes each):
  • NRW video narrated in English with Kinyarwanda subtitles
  • MBS video narrated in English with Kinyarwanda subtitles
• Videos delivered in multiple formats (HD for projection, compressed for online use).
• Versions without subtitles and bumpers ( intro/outro) for future use
• Final sound design and mastering.

• Timelines

The total assignment duration is 25 calendar days, starting from the contract signing.

Key milestones:

• Day 14: Animation production and first drafts submitted
• Day 25: Final products

(Exact dates to be confirmed during contracting).

VII. Required Qualifications and Experience

The consultant (individual or firm) should demonstrate:

• Proven international experience in animation, motion graphics, or educational video production.
• Proven experience in producing animations for global platforms
• Strong portfolio of previous animated videos, preferably in the development, education, or technical training sectors.
• Ability to communicate complex concepts simply and engagingly.
• Experience in producing multilingual animations with voice-over and subtitles.
• Familiarity with WASH, development, or technical systems strengthening topics is an advantage.
• Excellent project management, creativity, and adherence to deadlines.

Note: Bidders with animated videos generated with the support of AI will disqualify the bidders

VIII. Reporting and Supervision

• During the project, the consultant will report directly to Petra Brussee (brussee@ircwash.org) and Marc Jaffrey (jaffrey@ircwash.org)
• For contractual issues, the consultant reports to Denyse Tuyishime (tdenyse@waterforpeople.org)

IX. Assignment Location

The consultancy will be home-based with virtual coordination. No in-country travel is foreseen.

• Contracting Authority

Water For People will be responsible for contracting the animator on behalf of the Isoko y’Ubuzima consortium.

X. Application Requirements and Details 

Interested candidates should submit:

• A technical proposal outlining approach, methodology, and work plan.
• A financial proposal/quotation with a detailed budget.
• Portfolio of relevant previous work (links to at least 3 internationally exposed WASH-related samples of animated video).

XI. Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Technical Proposal (100 points)

1. Understanding of the assignment, Methodology and Workplan (40 points)

• Work plan, feasibility, and adherence to timelines (10 points)2. Relevant Experience and Qualifications (60 points)
• Creativity and ability to simplify complex technical concepts through animation (15 points)
• Understanding of the assignment and clarity of proposed approach/methodology (15 points)
• Proven experience in developing animations/motion graphics for educational or development purposes (25 points)
• Quality and relevance of portfolio, including international exposure (20 points)
• Experience in producing multilingual content (voice-over and subtitles) and familiarity with WASH or development topics (15 points)
• Financial Proposal 

Following the technical evaluation, the financial proposals of successful bidders will be assessed, and the cost effectiveness and value for money will be considered.

Note: The financial proposals must be in Rwandan Francs (RWF).

The selected bidder will be contractually required to comply with Water For People’s Vendor Code of
Conduct https://www.waterforpeople.org/Vendor-Code-of-Conduct and will be required to deliver a Conflict-of-Interest Certificate before execution of the contract. The Conflict-of-Interest Certificate requires the disclosure of any potential or actual conflicts of interest with Water For People employees or their relatives, including past, current, or proposed business transactions, employment or offers of employment, or certain gifts or entertainment. Water For People will evaluate any disclosures of conflicts of interest; if Water For People determines it cannot waive or mitigate the conflict of interest, it will result in the disqualification of the selected proposer.

XIII. COPYRIGHTS

 Copyright of all material on the assignment will be retained by Water For People in Rwanda.

XIV. RIGHTS RESERVED

Water For People reserves the right to cancel the entire procurement process without incurring any liability whatsoever.

Water For People reserves the right to amend any segment of the RFP before the announcement of selected candidates.

Water For People also reserves the right to remove one or more of the services from consideration for this contract should the evaluation show that it is in WFP’s best interest to do so.

Water For People also may, at its discretion, issue a separate contract for any service or group of services included in this RFP. Water For People may negotiate a compensation package and additional provisions to the contract awarded under this RFP.

Water For People reserves the right to debrief the applicants after the completion of the process due to the expected high volume of applications to avoid the compromise of the process.

XIII. How to apply

Proposals must be submitted electronically to: rwprocurement@waterforpeople.org with the following subject: Isoko y’UbuzimaNRW & MBS Animated Videos production

Deadline for submission: October 10th, 2025. Late applications will not be accepted.

Done in Kigali on September 24th, 2025,

Eugene DUSINGIZUMUREMYI

Country Director

Water For People Rwanda

Annex

Non-Revenue Water

NRW refers to water that is produced but not billed due to several reasons, such as leakages, tank overflow, theft, billing and revenue collection inefficiencies, data handling errors, and metering inaccuracies. Before the Isoko y’Ubuzima project interventions, water supply private operators in rural areas lacked systems and the capacity to monitor these losses. VEI, under the Isoko y’Ubuzima, introduced the District Metered Areas (DMAs) approach supported with interventions such as training sessions on various concepts of NRW reduction and management, installation of hydraulic equipment to ensure optimum operation of the water schemes, bill list analysis, leakage mapping and reporting, pressure management, house-to-house surveys, improved metering, developing 5-year strategic plans for NRW reduction, and task forces to monitor implementation of NRW reduction activities in every district. As a result, varying degrees of NRW reduction have been achieved at the project’s pilot sites.

Market-Based Sanitation

MBS addresses the sanitation access gap by building demand and strengthening the supply chain and enabling environment through increasing access to finance, District leadership, and community-based behavior change and private sector engagement. CARE’s intervention MBS strategy has three pillars, which are further broken down into 5 components. Pillar 1: Enabling environment: Increasing access to finance and District leadership to support and facilitate MBS efforts. Pillar 2: Demand creation and activation: Sanitation and hygiene promotion to create demand and behavior change. Pilla 3: Strengthening the supply chain to improve access to sanitation and hygiene products closer to the community. The strategy, which has been approved and validated by the Rwanda Health Communication Center (RHCC) Technical Working Group, has been implemented in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health. The strategy serves as a foundational framework for leading the implementation of the objective to improve sanitation, so far successfully facilitating 73,735 people to have access to basic latrines in 10 Districts. Notably, the CARE’s use of the DQ Sales approach has significantly boosted the sanitation product uptake.