“Crossing over”: appropriate private sector principles, to operate more reliable public sector water services
Private sector institutions utilise many different business methods, some of which canselectively be adapted for use by organisations outside the private sector, to the benefitof their service delivery responsibilities. But the best of the appropriate practices fromthe private sector have often “not crossed over”.The Water Research Commission (WRC) of South Africa, working in collaboration withthe Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), finds that the concept offranchising, so successfully used by the private sector to deliver many goods andservices, if applied to water services operation and maintenance, could alleviate andaddress many challenges in the management of water services. At the same time,franchising could provide an ideal stimulus to support the development of localenterprises, all within the municipal service delivery environment.Franchisee water service providers, dependent for their livelihood on the success oftheir business, would have a strong incentive to perform, and would also enjoy thebenefit of the franchisor’s expert guidance and quality assurance. Some areas forpotential franchising include meter management, billing, plumbing, pressuremanagement, sewer maintenance, and wastewater treatment processes.The help from the franchisor would be of particular value to water services authorities ata distance from the major urban centres. Few of these authorities can afford to employcompetent qualified staff, and often non-compliance with the laid down performancestandards is a direct consequence of this lack. Significant improvements would soon beseen if the generally under-qualified and under-resourced water services staff couldhave this ongoing support, mentoring and quality control — or if the authority couldenter into partnerships with small local enterprises or NGOs which would, throughfranchising, enjoy the necessary ongoing support, mentoring and quality control, andwould have quick access to expert assistance when they needed it.
Year of publication: |
2008
|
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Authors: | Wall, K |
Subject: | Franchising | Water services | Water management |
Saved in:
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