Water For People Seeks a New Parent for FLOW

June 27, 2011
By Ned Breslin

Read the press release

The RFI is now closed.  For more questions, contact us at FLOW@waterforpeople.org.

Interested in taking FLOW to the next level? Watch the video below for a message on this important transition from Ned Breslin, Water For People CEO. Then see our Request For Information below. Please submit your proposal by September 30, 2011.

Purpose of RFI Process

Water For People is interested in exploring options to create a vehicle to evolve their successful Field Level Operations Watch (FLOW) platform and secure funding so that FLOW can be easily used at a reasonably low cost by a wide range of water and non-water sector players over the long term. This RFI is intended to define a range of possible options as they relate to the structure and makeup of a long-term home for FLOW. A key outcome of this process is to find an organization or collaborative that can sustain the core mission of advancing monitoring and evaluating (M&E) tools within and across multiple sectors.

Background

FLOW was created based on the philosophy that Water For People’s work is not done when a project is implemented and that projects must be monitored to ensure that Water For People is replicating and growing their successes and honoring their commitment to the communities where they work.

For Water For People, FLOW broadcasts instant reports about whether our water and sanitation projects are working or failing, injecting a whole new level of transparency, efficiency, and accountability to our work. Water For People and the FLOW platform operate in a low cost and highly scalable manner.

To date, 40-50k FLOW surveys have been completed across 14 countries. FLOW has met and surpassed our original objectives and has the ability to meet the needs of many other development sector organizations. It clearly strikes a chord in the larger development community and the demand within NGOs and developing governments has been substantial.

FLOW Overview

FLOW is a distributed multi-modal professional data collection platform utilizing commodity Android handsets, SMS and web entry that feeds a comprehensive, cloud-based GIS-aware data analysis and mapping platform. FLOW consists of two major components: the client application and the server.

Statement of Opportunity

We are looking for a new vehicle to evolve FLOW with whom we can collaborate to scale and support the operations of FLOW and expand its reach to any organization or government seeking to use this technology. We need help to develop and support a scalable infrastructure and system to facilitate technical and non-technical capacity building, interoperability, systems documentation covering the platform operations, and to distribute and support a basic version of FLOW to interested governments and organizations, including upwards of 100 water and non-water sector organizations that have separately requested support for FLOW.

Social Value

FLOW has incredible social value, as it is helping to significantly improve the human condition by providing equality through clean water. Its monitoring is giving individuals, communities, nonprofits and governments a chance to survive, thrive and take control of their own destiny. FLOW has the potential to serve as a global inspiration and model for further innovation.

Economic and Operational Value

The global spend on WASH expenditures is in the billions of dollars annually with IT and monitoring costs between 5-20% in annual expenditures.

The FLOW platform answers critical IT needs but requires supporting services such as initial and ongoing engineering development, bug fixing, training, documentation, mobile phone deployment, bandwidth, translation and customer service are all critical to the success and scaling of FLOW. We have estimated the cost to set-up and support the nearly 100 organizations who have requested FLOW over the last year to be $1.5mm-4mm.

Qualifications: Ideal Vehicle to Evolve FLOW

In light of this huge and growing demand, this organization should have appropriate and scalable technological capabilities as well as a dedication to accelerating the advancement of data monitoring through an (ideally) open platform scaled on a global basis.

Goals or Values that are important that we see in a potential organization or collaborative:

1. Lower the cost and burden of implementing monitoring tools
2. Provide non-proprietary data and tools
3. Develop free or low-cost software
4. Arrange training and support that meets the needs of NGOs and developing governments
5. Administer technical expertise to assist these entities to make data-driven decisions
6. Minimize typical venture-based funding cycle distractions
7. Provide a home for researchers and technologists to work on these problems outside the traditional corporate structure of a technology company
8. Build relevant M&E tools for the development sector that are aligned with their specific needs and/or challenges
9. Grow expertise in M&E technical capacity that can be shared by NGOs and governments
10. Be envisioned that it will become a clearinghouse for M&E data and a source of tools
11. Demonstrate core IT expertise and commit to sustaining professional technologists who job it is to build and support these tools
12. Have adequate scale and scope to support the global application, roll-out, and maintenance of M&E tools across a continuum of customers

Possible Organization Structures:

1. Social Venture
2. Purely Non-profit
3. Non-profit with a for-profit arm
4. Investment
5. Acquisition

Negotiable Items:

1. Licensing model with Water For People
2. Service Level Agreement

Non-Negotiable Items:

1. FLOW must remain a tool for monitoring
2. Water For People must have a seat at the decision-making table (e.g. Board Seat, Advisory Group, etc.)
3. By-line (or the equivalent) in dashboards crediting Water For People
4. A free and open version of FLOW must be made available

We welcome all suggested scenarios for a new vehicle to evolve the FLOW platform.

Ultimately, the new home must exist independent of Water For People and in the long term not rely on Water For People to on-board new partners or support other organizations in their use and customization of FLOW.

Information Requested

Interested? Please submit a statement of interest with the following information:

1. Organizational mission, vision and values
2. Management team profiles (including Board)
3. Reasons for interest in acquiring FLOW and working with Water For People
4. Business model and financial snapshot (e.g. 990)
5. Commitment to the water and sanitation sector
6. Brief description of past experiences in acquiring technology from other organizations (could be ad hoc, joint venture, M&A)
7. Relevant expertise with Internet-based technology projects, particularly knowledge of Google Maps/Google Earth, Google App Engine and mobile Android devices with open source development activities
8. Resources and partnerships available to dedicate to this project

Evaluation Criteria

Finalists will be contacted based on an evaluation of their capabilities and creative ideas. Emphasis will be placed on:

• Financial strength
• Scalable technical and operational expertise (if taking it on in-house)
• Understanding of the water sector and organizational commitment to innovating for the public good
• Proven ability to partner with diverse and high profile global organizations; cultural fit with WFP
• Resources and sustainability
• Demonstrated aptitude for experimentation and innovation

Process & Term

The RFI is expected to last until September 30, 2011. During this time, we will be accepting proposals and endeavoring to respond in a timely manner. We expect to make a final decision on an acquiring entity by November 2011.

Please submit your proposal (no page limit; prefer .PDF or .PPT format) or any questions about the RFI to FLOW@waterforpeople.org.

What do you think?

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