Software projects – check for standards, approvals, permits and licences
Consider all needed standards, approvals, permits and licences in the implementation plan
Required standards, approvals, permits and licences are official documents that give you the authorization or guidance to carry out your intended project. For each type of projects different laws, regulations and specifications or standards apply. These need to be identified early on and considered during the project implementation.
Purpose and link to IQC
Identifying the required standards, approvals, permits and licences, obtaining them and keeping record is compulsory. Breaches of such legal requirements may jeopardize the permission to implement a project or its acceptance by the government and donor. Compliance on the other hand can help to avoid conflicts with public authorities, sanctions and provides for quality of the service, ensuring safety and to meeting users expectations. In the case of infrastructure projects certain technical design standards are a pre-requisite to obtain permits and approvals for construction works (WHO 2008).
Implementing organizations should ideally be facilitators of processes, not service providers. However, they should take responsibility to make sure that all required standards, approvals, permits and licences are obtained, also because breaches can affect their own reputation.
How to
1. Identify all required standards, approvals, permits and licences
Start out by checking which standards have been agreed in your contract with the project funder. For further information contact the local government for advice. Discuss with them which standards, approvals, permits and licences you need to comply with for your type of project. The following table provides examples of different types of standards, approvals, permits and licences that may be required for software projects (e.g. capacity building, coordination, awareness raising…). The overview is based in the requirements in Kenya, which may deviate in other countries.
| Examples from Kenya for standards, approvals, permits and licences required for software projects | |||
| Basic documentation required | |||
| Minutes from your meeting with the target group (see Info sheet “Exit strategy & creating project ownership”) | |||
| Map showing the area of intervention, location of all authorizations or permits currently held by the applicant relevant to the project | |||
| Standards | |||
| Drinking water guidelines (example from Kenya can be found here) | |||
| Water service regulations (example from Kenya can be found here) | |||
| Water resources management regulations (example from Kenya can be found here) | |||
| Public health regulations (example from Kenya can be found here) | |||
| Non revenue water standards (example from Kenya can be found here) | |||
| Human rights to water and sanitation (example from Kenya can be found here) | |||
| Approvals, permits and licences | Who needs to get it? | Issuing authority | Comments |
| Licence for Small Scale Water Service Provider | Community committee | Local Water Service Provider | By a “small scale service provision agreement” |
| Approval for your Curricula | Implementing organization | Kenya Water Institute (KeWI) | |
2. Take corrective measures where required to ensure your project planning complies with all required standards
3. Update the table in the template with the information about the new project planning.
4. Get the approvals, permits and licences that are still needed
Establish who needs to get each of the required documents and which authority needs to be contacted. Inform the responsible entity (CSO, Contractor or Community/School Committee) about its obligations and make sure each project stakeholder obtains the required standards, approvals, permits and licences.
5. Keep records
Both, the project owner and the implementing organization should keep records and copies of all the approvals, permits and licences of the project and be able to produce them if requested.
Template
References & Further Readings
- Water Act 2002. Kenya.
- 2002. Model Water Services Regulations. Kenya
- 2006. The water resources management rules.
- 2009. The Human Right to Water and Sanitation.