How to Evaluate or

Appraise Septage
Management Projects
By: Dave Robbins,
BeSecure

Objecti
ve
Reviewers should strive to
provide:

Consistent, fair and objective reviews

Technical accuracy
Timely service
Useful feedback and suggestions for
program improvement
Accessibility treat applicants like
customers
Hint: Be prepared! Reviewers performance
High level of credibility in decision making
will be subject to periodic audits and
evaluations.

How to
evaluate
projects

Make use of resources

including:
Checklists

Toolkits
Case studies
Pre-application meetings
Formal application presentations

Hint: Document all applicant

contacts, findings and decisions

Coming soon from USAID (Summer,

2015)

Technical
Pitfalls
Over-reliance on technical
assertions by the applicant.
Reviewers should request:
Design reports that are fully documented
Case studies and examples of successful
applications
especially for proprietary equipment
Documentation for waste strength and
volume
Warranties for process equipment
Effluent quality guarantees by equipment
Never assume the information is
provider
correct
just because it is presented in
or engineer

Technical
Pitfalls

Social
Pitfalls
Failure to verify social
acceptability. Reviewers
should
Letters request:
of support for projects from
stakeholders,
LGU, WD and regional officials
Documentation of stakeholder
involvement
Reports from public hearings and
meetings

LGU Appraisal of Social

Soundness. Fair distribution of
benefits and burdens

Financial
Pitfalls
Failure to verify financial
viability. Reviewers should
verify:
Documented cost for COPEX and OPEX
Tariff and rate study (affordability)
Projections that reflect inflation,
community growth
Reuse and resource recovery options fully
explored
What happens to the collected money
(tariffs)?
Ring fencing and
transparency

Performing
Financial review

Compare CAPEX and OPEX estimates against

cost curves
Have all potential sources of funding been
identified:
- Internal Revenue Allotment
- Donor grants or low interest loans
- Tariffs and user fees
- Landbank, commercial banks
- Government cost share
Have private sector opportunities been
explored?
- Public Private Partnerships
- Build, Operate, Transfer
Revenue projections based on tariffs

Financial
Pitfalls

Projections

Current septage tariff per cubic

meter of water

2.5Pesos

Average monthly cost per residential user

45Pesos

Average monthly cost per commercial user

Community Growth Rate residential

5%

Community Growth Rate Commercial/Institutional

2%

Adjusted overall growth rate

3.8%

Annual Inflation rate

5%

Daily flow at year 0

9cubic meters

Year 1

Number of homes
Number of
commercial/institutional
Daily flow (cubic meters per
day)

100Pesos

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

6,300

6,615

6,946

7,293

7,658

8,041

8,443

8,865

9,308

9,773

700

714

728

743

758

773

788

804

820

837

10

10

11

11

11

12

12

13

13

Aspects of good septage

management plans
Programmatic aspect
Project is consistent with Sustainable Sanitation Plan
There is support from LGU, WD, regional officials
There is collaboration with private sector
There are no opportunities for combining programs
The treatment site is appropriate for the intended
use?
The site was selected through public consultation
The financial and business models are viable
The collection system is viable
The technology package is feasible
There is a local ordinance to support the program
The program will be promoted over the long term