Principles for sustainable services

A conceptual tool for improving sustainability

Based on a wide range of experience and learning over many years, Triple-S has identified three core strategies for achieving sustainable rural water services at scale and, under these, eight principles describing the essential conditions that need to be put in place.

The Triple-S Principles Framework can be used in various ways:

  • As a guidance tool to inspire a holistic approach to identifying solutions.
  • As an analytical tool for the sector to identify what’s working and what’s not.
  • As a planning tool to improve coherency among individual initiatives
Pillars Principles Application of principles
Service delivery approach Policy, legislation and institutional roles are clarified for commonly agreed on service delivery models
  • Service delivery models (involving both infrastructure and management arrangements) and expected service levels for point source and networks are clear
  • Institutional roles and responsibilities are established and  authority to act is granted, including asset owenership
Financing for full life-cycle costs are effectively covered through an agreed upon combination of tariffs, taxes and transfers
  • Full life-cycle costs should be understood at all levels
  • Full life-cycle costs of service delivery reflected through a combination of tariffs, taxes and transfers
  • An improved balance between capital investment and all other recurrent and capital maintenance costs
Planning aims for full coverage and accounts for the different stages of the life-cycle of the service and is based on participatory processes
  • Transparent and inclusive planning, involving consumers at different stages in the life-cycle of the service (including technology selection)
  • Planning based on life-cycles and involve asset management; where possible seeking to maximise economies of scale
  • Planning always with the aim of full coverage and to be directed by clear national policy and prioritisation
Transparency and accountability mechanisms are in place between consumers, service providers and independent oversight bodies over the quality and sustainability of services provided
  • Accountability mechanisms should be in place for stakeholders, including customers having access to information and being able to hold service providers to account,
  • Monitoring and regulatory instruments should be in place to ensure accountability against an agreed set of indicators; indicators should focus on outcomes rather than outputs.

 

Learning and self-sustaining capacity

 Capacity (awareness, skills, resources, and access to support) exists within the sector for stakeholders to fulfil their functions, as defined in the service delivery model
  • Consumers should be aware of their roles, rights and obligations.
  • Skills, resources (including supply chains) and information should be available for good water governance, including long-term support to service providers and service authorities.
  • Capacity should be strengthened at all levels
  • Leadership should be provided at a national level
 The sector has the ability to learn and innovate on the basis of knowledge sharing, reflection and  analysis
  • Mechanisms should be in place for learning from performance monitoring and sharing with peers.
  • There should be a learning culture and adequate resources made available for monitoring, information gathering, research and innovation (including technology and management arrangements)
Harmonisation and alignment Sector investment and support is harmonised and aligned with national priorities and policies
  • All stakeholders should operate within commonly agreed national guidelines and service delivery models
  • Development partners should harmonise approaches and align with national priorities and frameworks
Actions of stakeholders are coordinated at different levels with commonly recognised platforms and fora
  • Coordination should be done for information sharing, effective planning and creating economies of scale
  • Funding flows and policies in the sector should be coordinated at national and international level