Procurement Department

Hiring a Consultancy firm to undertake detailed design study and supervision for…

The Government of Rwanda has received financing from the International Development Association (IDA) toward the cost of the Commercialization and De-risking for Agricultural Transformation (CDAT) Project and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services of Hiring a Consultancy firm to undertake detailed design study of Gatuna marshland. The Terms of Reference (TOR) related to this assignment are attached to this request for expressions of interest. The Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) / Commercialization and De-risking for Agricultural Transformation (CDAT) Project now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the above Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. Expression of Interest (EOI) will include: core business and years in business, relevant experience, technical and managerial capability of the firm. To be able to submit an expression of interest, International and National consulting firms who are not registered in E-procurement system, are advised to register themselves through www.umucyo.gov.rw N.B.: Submission of expression of interest via other channels than Umucyo E-Procurement System shall not be considered. In case of Joint-Venture, only the lead firm must submit the Expression of Interest, otherwise the EOI will be rejected. The shortlisting criteria are: The firm should have at least ten (10) years of general experience in Consultancy Services with specific references proven by certificates of good completion and signed contracts in water resources engineering and irrigated command area. The shortlist will contain five (5) to eight (8) firms. The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” Fourth Edition September, 2023 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications, but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the criteria set out in the Request for Proposals. Expressions of interest must be delivered through e-procurement system on www.umucyo.gov.rw by the time indicated in the system. TERMS OF REFERENCE FORFEASIBILITY AND DETAIL DESIGN STUDY FOR GATUNA IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE PROJECT (167Ha) LOCATED IN GICUMBI DISTRICT • PROJECT BACKGROUND The World Bank approved $300 million in financing under the International Development Association’s (IDA’s) grant, credit, and Scale Up Window to help the Government of Rwanda increase the use of irrigation and commercialization among producers and agribusiness firms in supported value chains, and to increase access to agricultural finance. The Commercialization and De-Risking for Agricultural Transformation Project (CDAT) will support the Government to provide services and create an enabling environment for the private actors throughout the agricultural value chain. It will finance public investments in the seeds sector, develop and rehabilitate irrigation systems on over 17,600 ha, provide accompanying land husbandry development on about 11,000 ha in surrounding water catchment areas to increase productivity and promote climate smart agriculture. The project will also support commercialization by helping farmers’ access markets and availing matching grants for investments in mechanization, post-harvest infrastructure and processing equipment. A CDAT challenge fund will invest in particularly innovative solutions for the sector that can be brought to scale. The project is nationwide and is foreseen to directly benefit at least 235,000 households, including women and youth. In partnership with financial institutions, the Commercialization and De-Risking for Agricultural Transformation Project will seek to enhance access to affordable financial services and products in the agricultural sector by providing short and long-term financing and reducing risks and challenges faced by agricultural value chains through strengthening market linkages and scaling up agriculture insurance. One of the projects being considered for implementation by CDAT is the development of the lower part of Mulindi marshland located near Gatuna in Gicumbi District. A Feasibility Study is required to consider alternatives for developing this marshland, and if reasonable alternatives are found a Detail Design study is then needed to support implementation of the project. • OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT Rwanda’s economy relies heavily on agriculture as a sector contributing around 30% to the GDP. Nearly 70% of the rural population is employed in agriculture. The Government of Rwanda in its national policies clearly indicates agriculture as a vehicle for economic growth. The National Strategy of Transformation and PSTA IV emphasize agriculture development as a means to achieve the goal of poverty reduction and ensuring food security. The goal of the project is to develop financially sustainable irrigation and drainage services, and increase farmers’ agricultural revenue in the project area. The overall objective of the study is to undertake Feasibility and Detail Design studies to develop flood control, drainage, and irrigation for about 167 ha of the Mulindi marshland near Gatuna. The study must meet the World Bank project appraisal requirements and should consider multipurpose development opportunities and ensure they are technically feasible, economically and financially viable, socially acceptable and environmentally sustainable. The specific objectives of the assignment are to carry out relevant technical investigations and studies comprising of water resources (hydrologic and hydro-geologic) assessment, socio-economic assessment, agricultural soils and agronomic studies, topographical surveys, geotechnical investigations, hydraulic studies and design, and undertake feasibility and detail design studies for developing flood control and drainage of the Gatuna marshland. Similarly, the studies will determine the needs/demands and the potential for multipurpose infrastructure development. The study will be carried out in two phases; feasibility and detail design. The feasibility study will select, examine, and rank various alternatives for flood control, irrigation and drainage. If the feasibility study results in alternatives that seem reasonable to the Client, then the Consultant will proceed with the detail design study. The feasibility study will examine three or four alternatives and provide design drawings, cost estimates, and economic analyses sufficiently accurate to enable decisions to be made on project viability. In addition, the definition of the project components, organizational arrangements and procedures will be detailed enough to permit the executing agencies to use the study as guidance on project implementation. • SCOPE OF THE STUDY • • General The study will entail feasibility and detail design studies that include preparation of designs, cost estimates, and implementation arrangements for the finally agreed development alternative for irrigation, flood control, drainage, and watershed management associated with the project. The feasibility and detail studies will comprise analyses related to: (a) basin-wide water resources (qualitative and quantitative), (b) drainage and flood management, (c) watershed management plan, (d) topographic survey, (e) geologic and geotechnical investigations, (f) soils and agronomy, (g) cropping patterns, (h) overall agricultural potential and support services including market and value chain development for maximum land resource use (i) land tenure, (j) environmental and social analyses, (k) institutional analysis, (l) water management and operation and maintenance, and (m) economic and financial analysis in close consultation with farmer communities and other stakeholders. This project must adhere with international best practice, policies/guidelines and safeguards. The Consultant shall define in consultation with the Client and other stakeholders the scope of the project options, assess the practicability of the development, and provide the basis for decision making on the choice of design options. The Consultant shall define the benefits (direct and indirect) and costs, and determine financial feasibility, economic justification and cost recovery. The Consultant will adopt participatory approaches to ensure the optimal involvement of stakeholders from national to community levels, during the study. In planning and scheduling of the tasks, the Consultant should note that not all tasks will be conducted in linear fashion and the Consultant should propose a schedule on how the tasks can be scheduled to meet the objectives of the assignment and for optimal linkage/sequencing. Gatuna - General Location • • Project Description The Gatuna flooded area is located adjacent to the Uganda border in the downstream part of the Mulindi marshland in the valley between Cyumba and Kaniga Sectors of Gicumbi District in the Northern Province. Approximately 167 ha or marshland that stretches about 2.7 km is frequently flooded, severely impacting the production of this fertile area. Considering the rainfall pattern of the area and the current main crop which is tea in the valley, irrigation is not needed as much as drainage, but once it is realized that irrigation is needed during the dry season, the existing streams have high base flows which may be enough to fulfill irrigation requireme