Everything you need to know
HOW DOES IBNET WORK?
The purpose of benchmarking is to search and identify “best practice”. Collection of data is not benchmarking, but is a necessary step to conduct benchmarking. In many countries, the lack of data prevents benchmarking as the data to do so is either unavailable or of insufficient quality to ensure any meaningful comparison of data.
In 1996, in view of the importance of the availability of comparable data on utility performance, the World Bank started an initiative that would enable water and sanitation professionals with an interest in utility performance to compare data by working on reducing the key barriers to benchmarking through (i) agreement on a standard set of indicators; (ii) the use of a standard set of definitions; and (iii) a route to sharing results. The first product of the Initiative was the preparation of a Benchmarking IBNET Start-up Kit that can be used by practitioners to start the benchmarking process.
In the next phase of the development of IBNET, the focus lies on the development of a global database – with comparable data – for use of water sector stakeholders (utilities, regulators, policymakers, funding agencies, academia and consultants) that is free to access and use. The website will not only contain a large database that tries to represent the different regions of the world facilitating benchmarking between utilities, but also other resources ( tools, publications, useful links, glossary) that can be useful for utility managers starting the benchmarking process, and other stakeholders needing more background on the process of benchmarking in the water and sanitation sector.
The idea behind IBNET is that benchmarking must start as a local initiative. Only when there is local demand¹ for benchmarking, local ownership will ensure the sustainability over time. To generate the benefits of improved performance, benchmarking will have to become institutionalized in the organization as one-off benchmarking efforts tend to have little long-term impact.
The datasets are managed through “dataset owners”. These “dataset owners” can include regulatory agencies, water supply and sewerage associations, performance monitoring units, or citizen groups, whereas the international financial institutions can help by compiling and presenting comparative performance information² . The “dataset owner” collects and compiles data annually, preferably in IBNET format, which is checked to ensure a basic minimum quality. The “central coordinator” conducts quality checks on the data received by the “dataset owners”, while also being responsible for updating the central datasets once new information from “dataset owners” is being received.
A typical dataset or node in IBNET includes not only the data for a set of utilities of a specific country, but also a minimum set of “performance indicators” that presents a first analysis of the data, at the country or utility level. In addition, to understand the performance in the country’s sector context, the database also includes a sector background, and contact information of a data provider.
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¹ Local demand can refer to demand from individual utilities, or through a national initiative originating from organizations such as a utility regulator or water and sanitation association).
² For instance, the Asian Development Bank has published a comprehensive assessment of utility performance in its Second Water Utilities Data Book.
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