The Western Balkans Project (WBP) is an initiative of the Utility of the Future-Center of Excellence, designed to support water and sanitation utilities in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, with implementation of the UoF Program, and provide additional mentoring and capacity building. The WBP will guide the transformation process in up to 50 utilities in the region starting with an in-depth analysis of the utility value chain, short term improvement plan based on main opportunities, and long-term strategic plan. Additionally, through a competitive mechanism, the WBP will provide additional support to up to 10 selected utilities for implementing short-term improvement projects/measures, and/or technical guidance to draft a comprehensive business and investment plan. The WBP will be supported by a team of advisors balancing local knowledge with international experience to feed the discussions around the most relevant issues for utilities in the region. Register for our Western Balkans Community
In 2024, the WBP will begin providing support to an initial group of up to 15 utilities (“Group 1”) with the implementation of the UoF Program, mentoring and capacity building; and in-depth support to up to 5 selected utilities from the group.
Utility support under the WBP Group 1 (First group of up to 15 utilities)
The main activities to be carried out for the first group of 15 utilities of the WBP are as follows:
A. Implementation Utility of the Future Program (UoF)
- Utility assessment and definition short-term action plan: Analyze the utility, identify room for improvement and define a short-term action plan together with the utility team.
- 100-day action plan: Implementation of the short-term action plan, and participation in learning activities.
- 5-year strategic plan: Development of the new strategic framework.
B. 1-Year Mentoring Program
- Mentoring planning and strategy: Setting-up or strengthening the planning department and process.
- Tailored mentoring: Technical advice on specialized areas tailored to the needs and priorities of each utility.
Additional in-depth support to up to 5 selected utilities
Based on the level of commitment and performance improvement during the UoF Program implementation, up to 5 utilities will be selected for in-depth support.
C. In-depth capacity building and support in key improvement project development
- Support to develop on key improvement project up to USD 500,000: Support one key project identified as a priority during the UoF Program implementation.
- Additional technical support: Technical advice to develop a 5-year business and investment plan, and technical and economical assessment of potential solutions for an infrastructure project.
General Considerations:
§ Eligibility: To be eligible for this support under the WBP, the utility applicant must:
- Be in one of the municipalities/cities of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia
- Be directly responsible by mandate for the provision of water and/or sanitation service in the municipality/city.
§ Registration: World Bank accepts only one registration per utility for this first groups of 15 utilities (Group 1). Utilities that are not selected as part of the Group 1, may apply again in the Group 2 in 2025-2026.
§ Focal point: the utility should designate one person in charge / point of contact for the pre-registration and application process.
§ Duration: Planned duration for the support under the WBP may not be lower than 4 months nor exceed 16 months.
§ Modality: Support under the WBP will be hybrid, with virtual and in-situ activities.
§ Data and Information: The information shared by the utility will be used for the evaluation and selection process of the Utilities and will be handled only by the evaluation team. Information will be managed under the bank's policy.
Application Timeline:
PHASE 1 - Pre-registration
For pre-registration, utilities that are interested in being part of the WBP and want to receive more information to continue the process shall provide basic information, including designation of a focal point. The deadline for pre-registration is March 25, 2024.
Pre-registration must be done through a utility focal point at the following link available from March 1 to March 25 Pre-Registration Form. The following information will be requested:
§ Name of the water and/or sanitation utility
§ Country, city/municipality
§ Total population in the service area
§ Total number of customers
§ Focal point contact details
§ Brief description of current external support receiving by the utility
§ Main objective/incentive to be part of the WBP.
PHASE 2 - Application
Utilities that completed the pre-registration will receive an email with and Application Form and instruction for submission and following steps. The form should be completed in the local language. The deadline for application is April 19, 2024. The form should be completed in the local language. The application form will request additional information from the utility such as:
§ Short essay of interest in being part of the WBP, including a short description of main present and future challenges of the utility, examples of utility performance improvement efforts in the past 5 years, and utility team/staff that would be part of the WBP.
§ Basic information about the utility: geographic scope / served population, types of services provided (water and/or wastewater), human resources, key infrastructure in operation, available financial and commercial data, or performance indicators.
§ Detailed description of the scope and time horizon of the current external support received by the utility (donations, technical assistance, among others).
§ Commitment of the utility to participate in the WBP activities.
PHASE 3 – Selection Process
Selection First Group of 15 utilities
Once the applications are received, an Evaluation Committee will select up to 15 utilities that will be part of the WBP Group 1. It is expected that the process will be repeated for a second group of utilities (Group B) in 2025-2026. The Evaluation Committee will review each application to analyze:
§ Relevance to WBP Objectives: How the utility is aligned with the objectives of the WBP, and the commitment to participate for the duration of the project, even if it is not selected among the 5 finalists.
§ Improvement efforts with utility’ own resources and means: Utility has demonstrated with simple examples its efforts to improve administrative or operational processes in the following areas: commercial, finance, HR, planning, or technical operations.
§ External support: (financial or technical assistance) Utility has external support that covers fully or partially the scope of the WBP and reduces the potential impact of the UoF program.
Selection Short-list of up to 5 utilities
The 100-day action plan will be the baseline to define short list of up to 5 utilities. Even though each utility will have a specific action plan customized to their opportunities, 100-day action plan will be the basis for evaluating the change achieved, the impact generated and commitment level by each utility. The Evaluation Committee will review the performance of the utility during the 100-day action plan, in aspects such as:
§ Completion 100-day action plan: Percentage of completion of actions of the 100-day plan.
§ Achievement of established targets: Level of achievement based on target set before starting 100-day action plan (i.e., number of process/policies updated, number of process improved/updated, % of key files uploaded in a secure cloud platform
§ Utility leadership: Evidence of leadership support, staff engagement, and resource allocation dedicated to improvement efforts.
§ Level of Participation: Level of attendance at training workshops, follow-up sessions, participation in knowledge-sharing networks, and proactive engagement in improvement initiatives
§ Feedback from stakeholders: feedback received from internal and external stakeholders related to the project.
Utility staff participation
Although the level of utility staff participation and effort may vary, a table with an approximation by activity is described below. The utility should set up a team with at least one focal point for each area of analysis: commercial, finance, operations (water and sanitation), human resources and planning.
| Activity | Utility staff involved | Level of effort utility staff (Approx.) |
1 | Utility assessment | Staff for all areas | High (8 hours in one week) |
2 | 100-day action plan | Staff for all areas | Medium (2-4 hours per week for 3 months) |
3 | Processes review | Staff for specific areas | Low (2 hours session for 3 days) |
4 | 5-year strategic plan | Staff for all areas | High (8 hours 1 to 2 days) |
5 | Optimization opportunities | Staff for specific areas | Medium (4 hours session for 2 weeks) |
6 | Mentoring and guidance in planning process | Staff from planning area | Medium (2-4 hours per week for 6 months) |
7 | Mentoring and guidance in specialized areas | Staff for specific areas | Low (2 hours per week for 12 months) |
8 | Support to develop one key improvement project | Staff for specific areas | Medium (2-4 hours per week for 12 months) |
9 | Business and Investment Plan | Staff from planning area | Medium (2-4 hours per week for 3 months) |
10 | Technical inputs to develop prefeasibility studies | Staff from technical operations (water and-or sanitation) | Medium (2-4 hours per week for 3 months) |
Additional Considerations
§ Personal Information: Utility of the Future Center of Excellence and the Western Balkans Project adheres to the provisions of the World Bank’s Data Privacy Policy.
§ By joining the WBP, utility agrees that the World Bank has the right to make publicly available the names of the utility selected to be part of the WBP for informational or awareness purposes.
§ Participation in the Western Balkans Project: The registration process does not guarantee participation in the program and does not represent any liability for the World Bank or its partners.
§ Except where prohibited, participation in the WBP constitutes utilities’ consent to the World Bank’s use of the utility's name, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions and/or hometown and state for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without payment or consideration.
