Quarterly Newsletter Saafconsult B.V. Newsletter December 2013 Contents: Introduction | Projects & Pipeline | Photos |
Introduction This is the last newsletter of SaafConsult for 2013. We look back on a successful year with exciting projects and many new assignments in multiple countries. We hope to keep up the good work in 2014 and we will keep you posted!
Projects and Pipeline SAM Registration We are happy to announce that we are now active in the U.S. federal government’s System for Award Management (SAM). SAM is the Official U.S. Government system that consolidates the capabilities of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS. Users of SAM include contracting officials, grant-makers, contractors, and the public. SAM combines federal procurement systems and the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance into one new system. Uzbekistan In the first week of December, Dr. Irfan Khan was in Uzbekistan for the Land Improvement Project, a project for the Asian Development Bank and conducted in cooperation with NSCE. Dr. Khan attended the ADB Review Mission meetings, visited the field operations in selected provinces for the quick situation analysis purposes, and worked closely with RRA and ADB specialists towards finding an optimal modality for the continuation of services.
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Photo’s by: Heleen Saaf van der Beek Sabrina Doetjes
Quarterly Newsletter Saafconsult B.V. Newsletter December 2013 South Asia Early December Ele Jan attended a workshop for the South Asian Water Governance Programme funded by the British DfID. The main objective of the workshop was to work with Civil Society Organisations to develop the modalities for a Civil Society Fund for transboundary water governance for the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra river basins. The workshop was held in Dhulikhel, Kathmandu, Nepal and was a great opportunity to meet old friends and colleagues from Pakistan and India. SaafConsult provided technical inputs on transboundary water governance, the political economy of water in the South Asia region and practical implementation of water governance paradigms. International Water Week Amsterdam Sabrina Doetjes went to the International Water Week in Amsterdam as a representative of SaafConsult. The conference took place over the course of two days during which keynotes, sessions and workshops covered the multifaceted challenges and opportunities of integrated water solutions. The four main themes /tracks of the conference included: Technology for optimizing the urban water cycle; Urban Delta Technology, Planning and Management; Integrated urba\n water management; and Industrial-Municipal water use solutions. Papers were presented in the sessions and workshops were convened together with leading water organizations and formed the heart of the International Water Week Conference. Ethiopia SaafConsult won the Final Performance Evaluation of Water hygiene sanitation Transformation for Enhanced Resiliency in Ethiopia. This is a USAID financed evaluation and will start in January.
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Quarterly Newsletter Saafconsult B.V. Newsletter December 2013 Jordan After our consultancy assignment to prepare the EOI for ‘Investment opportunities in renewable energy in Jordan’ for Terra Sola Jordan for Renewable Energy (TSJ), SaafConsult B.V. signed a retainer agreement with Shamsuna Ventures W.L.L, the mother company of TSJ. SaafConsult will provide support services on demand for development of renewable projects in Jordan. TSJ and Shamsuna Ventures are part of the Terra Nex group. This group provides project management services to Institutional European Investors by developing renewable energy projects in the Middle East for direct investments. Terra Nex is specialized in developing and financing Solar Power Projects in the MENA-region. It maintains solid partnerships with institutional investors in Europe and industries in the renewable energy sectors. Strong local networks to key decision makers are leveraged to identify and design attractive renewable energy projects in the MENA-region. Iraq We have been shortlisted for the project: ‘Provision of Consultancy Services for Proposed Water Project in Iraq’. This is a UNON (United Nations Office Nairobi) project that focuses on the city of Najaf in Iraq. The Water Directorate of the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works in Najaf has requested assistance in preparing a detailed study of the water services in their area. Jordan Loay Hidmi, SaafConsult Water and Sanitation Director, was retained to work as a Short term Environmental Engineer on the USAID Community Engagement Project. The project is implemented by Global Communities (formerly Cooperative Housing Foundation, CHF), along with the local Sub-Grant recipient, Al Jidara.
Quarterly Newsletter Saafconsult B.V. Newsletter December 2013 SaafConsult in the Israeli press with Loay Hidmi! Dr. Loay Hidmi represented SaafConsult as panelist during the WATEC conference which was held in Tel Aviv in October this year. About WATEC WATEC presented a perfect opportunity to hear from and meet a range of growing water, energy & environment companies seeking a combination of partners, investment and professional services. This year’s conference emphasized the technologies that can serve as the key to a much more efficient exploitation of natural resources (Water, Soil, Energy & Materials). Bringing together Israeli & international business executives, political decisions makers and leading researches, WATEC 2013 has been a showcase for the most advanced technologies and solutions from around the world. A few days after the conference the article below was published with input from Dr. Loay Hidmi. Panelist Dr. Loay Hidmi, director of water supply and sanitation at Jordanian firm SaafConsult, emphasized how crucial it is to upgrade water technologies and to do so in the form of regional collaboration. “Everyone understands what water means,” Hidmi said. “It’s simple, it’s vital, it’s important. That’s why it provides for us an excellent forum on which to start communication.” Please find the link to the whole article HERE
Quarterly Newsletter Saafconsult B.V. Newsletter December 2013
Ele Jan Saaf was in Nepal for a workshop for the design of a Regional Civil Society Strategy and Fund for the South Asia Water Governance Programme (SAWGP).
Sabrina Doetjes during the International Water Week in Amsterdam (source: www.internationalwaterweek.com)
Loay Hidmi represented SaafConsult during the WATEC Conference in Tel Aviv in October 2013.
SaafConsult wishes you a Happy New Year!