The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Bottleneck Analysis Tool (WASH BAT) is designed to enable the formulation of costed and prioritized Action Plans to remove the bottlenecks that constrain the WASH sector and hinder the delivery of sustainable WASH services. While the tool was created by UNICEF, it is an unbranded tool which is intended to be used by different stakeholders for the sector at large. It provides a step-by-step methodology for key stakeholders in the WASH sector to collaboratively identify and propose solutions for the problems afflicting the WASH sector through a structured discussion. The tool is designed for governments to lead the process, guided by trained moderators and facilitators, to reach a broad consensus on the major fundable activities to remove priority bottlenecks that inhibit sector progress, and integrate them into their systems as well as partner plans.
Throughout the development of the WASH BAT, key stakeholders were consulted to improve the tool design and process of implementation, leading to the current design of the tool (version 2.0), which includes an online component found at https//:washbat.org. This review is the latest attempt to learn from prior experience including obtaining stakeholder feedback, with the goal of fine-tuning the tool. Drawing on experience from all WASH BAT exercises carried out from mid-2016 until March 2020, the study assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the WASH BAT in achieving its aims. It therefore covers the rationale for using the WASH BAT based on both need and demand, the preparation and implementation of the workshops, and the outputs and outcomes associated with the WASH BAT. This is the first comprehensive review of the revised WASH BAT since 2016, and its recommendations focus on how the tool design and implementation can be improved.
The study combines a quantitative and qualitative approach, reviewing final reports and other outputs from WASH BAT exercises, and collecting information through questionnaires to UNICEF country offices as well as in-depth interviews with stakeholders from six countries (Bangladesh, Bolivia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Pakistan).
New York, 2020. , p. 79