Development of Standard Asset Register and Asset Management Policy at RTI International - 5 Openings

RTI International is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to conducting innovative, multidisciplinary research that improves the human condition. With a worldwide staff of more than 5,000 people, RTI offers innovative research and development and multidisciplinary services.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Development of Standard Asset Register and Asset Management Policy

Locations: Abia, Delta, Imo, Niger and Taraba
LOE: 30 days

Background
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Effective Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Services (E-WASH) program seeks to improve urban water and sanitation service delivery by strengthening the governance, financial and technical viability of five state water boards (SWBs) in Nigeria. E-WASH will work toward achieving the following mutually reinforcing objectives:

• Creating professionally managed and commercially oriented SWBs.
• Improving the financial and operational viability of SWBs.
• Strengthening policy, institutional and regulatory frameworks for improved WASH services (including establishing accountability mechanisms).
• Building national and state WASH advocacy, coordination, and communications for reform.

The activity is part of USAID’s wider efforts to build closer coordination with the Government of Nigeria (GoN), including the Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR), select SWBs, and allied stakeholders, to advance broad-based economic growth and resilience through improved WASH services in urban areas. Interventions will be targeted in 5 states selected based on criteria but where there is commitment from the state government leadership and show a willingness to embrace enduring reforms to improve water service delivery. The five states are Abia, Delta, Imo, Niger and Taraba.

Objectives of the Assignment:

• This assignment seeks to develop standard asset Register and Asset Management Policy for each of the 5 SWBs in Abia, Delta, Imo, Niger and Taraba States.
• Information like the cost, location, age, description, condition of the assets etc. will be captured in an electronic form.
• Existing Asset record will be migrated to Electronic register. The SWB personnel will be trained on asset management to enhance their capacity to manage the infrastructure at their disposal.

Scope of the Assignment:

• The Asset of the of the E-WASH SWBs are spread over entire state land scape. Most of these assets are in dilapidated condition with little or no information about their condition.
• The aim of this assignment is to develop an asset management policy and Asset Register for the Utilities.
• All the fixed assets of the SWB and their present condition and worth will be captured in an electronic register to aid inventory management and logistics.
• SWB staffs will be trained on asset management to improve their capacity to manage the infrastructures at their disposal.

Type of Assets:

• Main Water Works
• Mini Water Works
• Transmission Network
• Electrical Installations
• Distribution Installation
• Land
• Industrial
• Commercial and administrative buildings
• Laboratories
• Workshops
• Computer Software and Hardware
• Vehicles
• Communication Equipment etc.

Specific Tasks
The STTA will among other things do the following:

• Develop Asset Management Policy for the SWB.
• Develop Electronic Asset Register adopting user friendly application package
• Capture the fixed asset of the Utility in the Asset Register
• Migrate records on the existing Assets of the utility to the new register
• Train at least 15 SWB staff on Asset Management and Updating Asset Register.
• Develop task specific asset management training to be undertaken by the utilities

Deliverables:

• Inception report
• 1st Interim report detailing -Training material on Utility Asset Management, Template for capturing records on Asset
• 2nd Interim report detailing -Training report (at least 15 SWBs staff) trained on asset management
• Asset Management Policy
• Draft final Report
• Final Report

Working Arrangements:

• The STTA will undertake part of the assignment from his/her office and the USAID E-WASH Offices located in Abuja and in designated states where the E-WASH Program is being implemented.
• He/she will work closely with the Utility Technical Advisor (UTA), Utility Technical Specialist and the General Manager of the 5 SWBs i.e. Abia, Delta, Imo, Niger and Taraba States.
• USAID E-WASH and the SWBs will provide all available data for the STTA including supporting staff who have institutional memories and knowledge of the SWBs fixed assets. However, in case of data gaps, the Consultant is expected to fill such gaps in close collaboration with the SWBs.

Level o Effort:

• We reckon that this assignment will be for 30 days. The first week will be applied for arrangement and development of Work plan for the assignment, outline description of the way the service is intended to be undertaken, time schedule for the execution of specific assignment and outline of all reports.
• The following week will be applied for classroom/workshop mode of training on Inventory and Asset Management. 4 weeks will be used for collating information on existing asset and populating the asset register.

Qualifications

• A minimum of master’s degree holder in Management Accountancy, Certified Public Accountancy, Business Administration, Financial Management or any other directly relevant qualification.
• Not less than 10 years cognate experience as an accountant or financial controller, with qualification  Knowledge of international accounting standards is essential.

Skills and Abilities:

• Extremely strong organizational and prioritization skill with strong ability to adaptively manage to objectives, resolve issues and escalate as necessary.
• Strategic thinker with proven ability to link event objectives to specific prioritized work-plan
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, including the ability to work collaboratively and establish strong working relationships with key colleagues
• Self-starter, able to think creatively and work independently
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced work environment and carry out multiple activities and projects with competing deadlines
• Excellent oral and written English language communication skills
• Willingness to travel domestically in Nigeria if necessary.

Payment Schedule

• We offer a highly competitive remuneration.
• Requests for payment shall be tied to deliverables as indicated above.

Note: Payment is subject to approval/acceptance of Deliverables

Application Closing Date
27th March, 2020.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV and Application Letter as one single word document to: [email protected] using the "Job Title" as the subject of the email.

Note

• On the subject line of your e-mail, you should only put the e-mail subject line as indicated above (no other text should be on this subject line)
• Consultants are encouraged to apply as soon as they see this advert.
• Only shortlisted candidates will receive an invitation for negotiations.
• Women are strongly encouraged to apply.