A robust Quality Infrastructure (QI) system, covering metrology, standardization, accreditation, conformity assessment and market surveillance, helps countries improve product and service quality, reduce technical risks, and enable market access. In the Palestinian Territories, work on QI takes place in a fragile, conflict‑affected environment, where heightened insecurity and severe restrictions can disrupt mobility, market access and public service delivery. The appraisal therefore focused on how strengthening QI can make a tangible, near-to-medium term contribution to resilience and socio‑economic development, and how it can lay foundations for the country’s future development rather than being a purely technocratic exercise.

A central part of the assignment was to identify those sectors that are particularly critical under current conditions and where better QI services would have the highest leverage. Drawing on existing QI diagnostics and additional partner consultations, the appraisal confirmed that the energy sector, in particular photovoltaic (PV) and energy efficiency, is a structural backbone for socio‑economic development in the Palestinian Territories. High energy costs and the importance of decentralised energy supply mean that the quality, safety and performance of PV systems and energy efficiency measures directly affect households, businesses and public institutions. At the same time, metrology, testing and other QI services for the energy sector are still underdeveloped, with significant gaps in calibration and testing services and in the availability of relevant standards and technical guidance.

Ferdinand Consultants supported PTB by leading the appraisal mission and working closely with the PTB project team and Palestinian partners to update the project outline and sharpen the project focus. Our team prepared and led interviews with existing and potential partners, facilitated the discussions on how to update outputs and indicators, and translated the jointly agreed direction into an updated impact matrix and a formal change proposal for BMZ.

Our contribution combined mission delivery with concrete improvements to the project design.

“Ferdinand Consultants combined strong QI and photovoltaic sector knowledge with excellent facilitation. Niels and Michael guided a structured partner dialogue in a fragile, fast-changing context. They synthesized diverse inputs into an updated impact matrix and change proposal. Communication was smooth throughout, and their flexibility and responsiveness made a big difference to the success of the process.”
-Madeleine Martin, Project Coordinator, Palestinian Territories, PTB (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt).

What we delivered:

Appraisal mission leadership, including preparation and facilitation of interviews with existing and potential partners.

Structured partner dialogue to agree, together with PTB and Palestinian counterparts, how to update the project outline, outputs and indicators.

Sector prioritisation to sharpen the project focus, identifying PV and energy efficiency as a priority area given its relevance for socio‑economic development and the potential contribution of QI.

An updated impact matrix, developed in close collaboration with the PTB project team, integrating the agreed changes into a coherent and measurable results logic.

A BMZ-compliant change proposal, drafted from the appraisal findings and finalised in close coordination with PTB.

What changed in the project as a result (outcome-oriented design improvements):

Strong system-wide governance focus, sharpening coordination and strategic steering of the national QI system and advancing the pathway for the National Quality Policy implementation plan.

Outcome-oriented indicators, better capturing demonstrable progress and capability gains among both providers and users of QI services.

A sectoral deepening on PV and energy efficiency as an additional component, creating a structured interface between energy-sector actors and QI institutions to align standards and services with practical sector needs. This includes targeted exchange formats between QI and energy stakeholders, the preparation of energy‑related standards for integration into the national system, and the systematic linkage of identified sector needs to metrology and other QI service development.

Building on existing QI diagnostics and partner consultation, Ferdinand Consultants led the appraisal process that enabled PTB and Palestinian counterparts to agree and formalise a revised project design for the next implementation phase – one that explicitly responds to the current fragile context while positioning QI as a critical enabler of the Palestinian Territories’ future socio‑economic development.

With the nation’s goal of achieving 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030—including 280 GW from solar—effective energy storage solutions are essential for managing power generation and ensuring a stable energy supply.

BESS provides a range of benefits for integrating renewable energy, such as improving grid stability, enabling peak load management, enhancing the profitability of renewable energy investments, reducing renewable energy curtailment, supporting decentralised energy solutions, and providing fast-response operating reserves.

To support the development of quality infrastructure (QI) services for BESS, our team designed and co-facilitated a multi-stakeholder engagement initiative entitled “Improving Quality Infrastructure for Battery Energy Storage Systems”. This initiative aimed to identify the QI services required by the battery sector to ensure the sustainability, safety, and quality of BESS as well as to meet buyer expectations.

The process was carried out using the Calidena methodology, a participatory approach designed to strengthen QI in value chains through stakeholder collaboration. It involved interviews and meetings with QI institutions and sector organisations, along with background research and mapping of the BESS value chain to identify areas with the highest demand for QI services.

A two-day, in-person stakeholder workshop was conducted in India, where participants collaboratively assessed existing gaps and demands in QI services. The workshop also focussed on identifying priority areas for the development or expansion of QI services. In addition to strengthening specific QI services, the process also aimed to foster greater cooperation and coordination among national and international organisations.

The process culminated in the formulation of an action plan outlining subsequent activities and identifying organisations to be involved in the implementation phase. The implemented activities will support the improvement of laboratory testing facilities, address requirements for the End of Life management of BESS and close existing gaps in supporting standards and technical regulations in India.

The initiative was conducted on behalf of the German Metrology Institute, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

To overcome the existing challenges and to increase circularity, quality infrastructure (QI) services are required. Quality infrastructure is the system comprising the organisations, policies and regulatory framework required to support and enhance the quality and sustainability of a value chain. Quality infrastructure services to support circularity include, for example, the accreditation of laboratories used for testing the purity of recycled materials and the safety of modules for reuse, and the development of standards that are fit-for-purpose and internationally recognised.

Following on from a successful online preparatory workshop, in June 2024 our team facilitated a multi-stakeholder workshop in India with the aim of improving the QI services related to circularity in PV systems. To prepare the process, our team organised meetings and interviews with QI organisations and our partner organisation, the National Physical Laboratory of India (CSIR-NPL). Additionally, we researched relevant background information, and mapped the value chain.

Stakeholders from public and private organisations were identified and invited to collaborate. We asked international experts from German recycling and reuse startup companies, Solar Materials and Better Sol, to present the quality requirements and their methodologies. We also invited the Chief of Global Standards at Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI), to describe the Sustainable Electronics Reuse & Recycling (R2) Standard.

Our team designed and facilitated a two day face-to-face workshop in New Delhi as part of a Calidena process, which included a visit to the CSIR-NPL laboratory to see first-hand their research in PV recycling. This collaboration resulted in the identification of gaps, definition of measures for improvement, and initiated a follow-up committee to guide implementation of the measures. An action plan is being developed to create the basis for a one-year follow up by the key stakeholders. The implemented activities will contribute to increasing awareness about the need for circularity in PV systems, improve the collaboration amongst key stakeholders and foster the QI services required.

The process was conducted on behalf of the German Metrology Institute, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), and funded by German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Our team was mandated to support PTB in developing its strategy for international cooperation with Asia. We began the process with a strategic analysis, identifying the most relevant development trends in the region. By matching these trends with national policies of Asian countries, along with the priorities of the Germany´s international cooperation and relevant areas for Quality Infrastructure development , we identified topics to be considered in PTB´s Asia strategy.

Niels Ferdinand advised the PTB team while it was internally developing and finalizing its strategy. He is currently supporting the implementation of PTB’s strategic action plan.

The strategy helps PTB´s International Cooperation group focus on the most relevant topics and sectors, build the necessary capacities and develop the partnerships required for future projects.

To overcome the existing challenges and to fulfil the requirements of international markets, quality infrastructure (QI) services are required. Quality infrastructure is the system comprising the organisations, policies and regulatory framework required to support and enhance the quality and sustainability of a value chain. The QI for organic cotton includes services such as accreditation of laboratories used for product testing, identification of standards that are fit-for-purpose and internationally recognised, and systems to ensure traceability of the final product.

Following on from a successful process in Ethiopia in 2022, in November 2023 our team facilitated a multi-stakeholder workshop in Egypt with the aim of improving the QI services in the organic cotton value chain.

To prepare the process, our team organised meetings and interviews with Quality Infrastructure organisations and our partner organisation, the Cotton Egypt Association (CEA), researched relevant background information, and mapped the value chain.

Stakeholders from public and private organisations were identified and invited to collaborate. We invited representatives from the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) to present the requirements for GOTS certification, the Egyptian National Institute of Standards (NIS) to describe the network of QI services that currently exist in Egypt, and Heinz Zeller from Hugo Boss to discuss the quality criteria required by international buyers.

Our team designed and facilitated two online, half-day workshops as part of a Calidena process, which resulted in identification of gaps, definition of cross-industry measures for improvement, and initiated a follow-up committee to guide implementation of the measures.

The pioneer process resulted in an action plan, which creates the basis for a one-year follow-up by the key stakeholders. The implemented activities will contribute to an increased competitiveness of organic Egyptian cotton on the international market.

This Calidena process was conducted on behalf of the German Metrology Institute, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), and funded by German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).