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In simple terms, the The definition of a service is the art to translate a research outputs or development activity into elaborate a standard workflow in order to that produce a desired result output at a fixed price. The price is determined on the basis of the prices of the local economy. The product of this activity is Services definition produces a so called service template. It is used for the provision of standardized standardised routine services for out-scaling. In the process research desired outputs and development activities are transformed into products, which are negotiable in the real economy. Thus, the result of an investment for their dissemination is calculablebecomes predictable in terms of scope and scale.
Services templates are designed by experts in exchange with involved service providers according to the steps below. Templates are documented on the AfricaRice wiki.
Step 1- Conception
The definition of a new service template usually starts with a brainstorming exercise for gathering ideas by screening research outputs, routine procedures and best practice that might be interesting for out-scaling. Simplicity and the evaluation of demand by looking at the potential benefits for beneficiaries and service providers and are keyServices are usually part of a project that requires different outputs to achieve a desired result / to reach a specific goal. Most outputs of a project can be produced by a corresponding service. It is recommended to list the various services that are required to complete the project and to outline a corresponding budget before starting with the definition of a particular service.Simplicity, evaluation of demand and the estimation of potential benefits are key factors of success.
Step 2 - General description of service
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Name of the service: The name should indicate the product that is delivered to the final beneficiary.Acronym: A max. 4 letter acronym of the service.
Justification / Problem statement: Information that justifies the investment. It describes the problem that the service addresses in the context of the goal of the action / project.
Objective / Purpose: Explaining how the service will contribute to the solution of the problem.
Outputs / Products: List of measurable and tangible results (e.g. products & services ) that are delivered to the requesterbeneficiary.
Beneficiaries / Expected Outcomes: List of primary and secondary beneficiaries with a corresponding list of expected outcomes.
RequesterBeneficiary: Denomination of the person (this might be an individual or an organisation) entitled to make a request, to whom the service will be delivered and who will evaluate the productbenefit form the service.
Selection criteria: Description of the criteria for the identification of the persons who are entitled to make a requesta beneficiary.
Price: The price of the service
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Services consist of a set of subsequent tasks that are organised in a work-flow towards a specific output. They usually require the involvement of various agents with complementary professional and social skills. Each task includes one or several activities that are carried out by a single agent without having to interact with another agent. It is recommended to start from the end and to think of the last task first in order to keep a clear focus on the result.
Step 4 - Definition of tasks
All tasks are defined according to the following structure:
Title: The acronym of the service plus the task number followed by a hyphen and a A simple name of the task indicating the main activity.
Activities and instructions: Description of the activities that have to be carried out by a task manager.Task Agent in order to complete the task. It comprises the description of the methodology, rules and regulation, which have to be observed.
DeliverableResult: This is a list of the products that must result from the task in quantitative and qualitative terms.
Source of verification: For each product the proof and source of verification on the internet task a source and the modalities to verify the completion of the task must be indicated.
Task manager: The person or organization agent: Specification of the type of person(s) or organisation(s) that carries out the task. For each task In includes the description of the required professional and social skills must be defined.
ExpensesExpenditures: Detailed quantification of resources that are required on average to carry out the task (e.g. working hours, material, consumables, transport, …).. The different cost item are classified according in the following categories: transport, stationary, travel, casual labour, small equipment, communication and miscellaneous. For each cost item it will be indicated if the costs are covered by the project or by third parties. Cost items are grouped by those that are paid for by the project and those that are covered by third party contributions (in-kind) (see also 2.7 pricing of services below).
Honorarium: The amount that is paid to the Task Agent once he has completed the taskIn kind contributions: In some cases partners involved in the action might make an in kind contribution to assure the completion of a task. This is important for reasons of transparency, for acknowledging contributions of partners and to avoid hidden costs that might need to be considered in further scaling.
Duration: Time during which the task must be completed.
Step 5 - Elaborate instructions
Description It is the description of the methodology, rules and regulation, which have to be observed, during the execution of the various tasks in order to get a the desired result.
Step 6 - Forms
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Pricing is done in negotiation with concerned service providers / task agents.
Basically a price of a task service is determined by adding up all expenditures for goods and services that are required to carry out the task various tasks and the honorarium of the service providerinvolved Task Agents.
Pricing of services is carried out in four steps:
1. Gather local prices: A list is elaborated with the prices of all goods and services that are required to carry out the activities. It is an open list that is extended and up-dated according to need.
2. Pricing of a task: The price of a task is equal to the estimated expenditures for the resources that are required to carry out the task plus the honorarium of the involved Task Agent.
It starts with the estimation of the expenditures for resources that are required on average to complete a task by indicating the number of units for each of the required goods and services. The estimated quantities are multiplied with the corresponding prices and added in order to compute the price for expenditures.
Third party contributions: In some cases partners involved in service delivery might make an in kind contribution to assure the completion of a task (e.g. work time, office space). For reasons of transparency and reporting purposes their contribution must be acknowledged and if possible quantified (estimated) in order to avoid hidden costs that might need to be considered during subsequent scaling.
Example:
Cost Group | Cost category | Cost items | Covered by | Unit | Unit cost | Quantity | Effective Cost (project) | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Expenditures | Transport | Local transport | Project | km | 0.15 | 10 | 1,50 | 1,50 |
Stationary | Paper | Project | sheet | 0.02 | 10 | 0,20 | 0,20 | |
Casual labor | Farmer | Project | fee | 3.05 | 1 | 3,05 | 3.05 | |
Communication | Phone calls | Project | min | 0.10 | 10 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
Honorarium | Honorarium | Field agent | day | 15.24 | 0.5 | 7.62 | 7.62 | |
Third party contribution | Honorarium | Supervision by INRAB | ITRAC | day | 38.11 | 0.25 | 9.53 | |
Miscellaneous | Office space | ITRAC | day | 5.00 | 0.25 | 1.25 | ||
Total | 12,37 | 23.15 |
3. Define payment schedule: Since many service providers are poor, three cases scenarios are distinguished:
Case 1 - Tasks Scenario 1 –Expenditures for a service are below 50€: The total amount is paid upon delivery. All activities are pre-financed by the service providerTask Agents.
Case 2 - Tasks Scenario 2 – Expenditures are equal or above 50€: An advanced payment is made for the expenditures and the rest is paid upon delivery. At most the advance is equal to total cost of a task minus the honorariumexpenditures. In all cases the honorarium is only paid upon delivery.
Case 3 - Several services in a short intervalScenario 3 – Expenditures for a batch of services are equal or above 50€: In some cases several services need to be delivered in less than a month time. In such cases the tasks manager is paid upon the delivery of these short period. For this purpose the National Service Coordinator can define batches of services. In this situation the price cost for project expenditures of the tasks is multiplied by the number of services that need to be delivered in the given period. If the total amount of expenditures exceeds 50€ he will receive an advanced payment according to the rule described in case scenario 2.
4. Pricing of a service: The price of a service is the sum of the prices for the tasks.
Step 8 - Quality management
For all tasks quality criteria and control procedures are defined. It includes Quality control criteria and procedures should be straight forward and objective. It might include procedures for the payment of a premium to encourage the delivery of high quality services. Quality control criteria and procedures should be straight forward and objective.
Step 9 - Optimisation
Work-flows are optimised in an iterative and participatory process with the aim to improve the effectiveness and cost efficiency.
