Consulting Services for Implementation of Resettlement Plans — Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project

GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRM SELECTION)

Sierra Leone

Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project (RUSLP)

Grant No.: D8420-SL

Project Id: P168608

Issue date: 2nd June 2025

Assignment Title: Consulting Services for Implementation of Resettlement Plans (RPs) developed for the Upgrade of Neighborhood Communities under RUSLP

Reference No.: SL-MoF-492941-CS-LCS

• Project Background

In recent years, Sierra Leone has suffered several natural disasters including the Ebola outbreak of 2014/2015 and the mudslide in Freetown in August 2017. The almost yearly flooding in several parts of the country results in tragic loss of lives and destruction of properties. The Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL), in its Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP), committed to build institutional capacity to respond to natural disasters and strengthen the resilience of urban communities, sustain decentralization, and improve service delivery. In response to the Government’s commitment, the World Bank is supporting the effort to improve disaster risk management, urban resilience and service delivery by funding the Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project (RUSLP) that will be implemented in Western Area and selected secondary cities of Sierra Leone.

The Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project (RUSLP) is designed to address comprehensively, the multisectoral urban development challenges and disaster risks of the country, with the aim for livable, safe, financially sustainable, and productive urban centers. The project is linked to at least three Clusters (3, 4 and 7) of the MTNDP and is also aligned with the Freetown City Council’s (FCC) strategy to “Transform Freetown”

The RUSLP will directly benefit from the lessons learnt, and build upon the gains made, under the Bank funded Freetown Emergency Recovery Project (FERP). The FERP supported safeguarding of the disaster zone of the August 2017 mudslide at Mortormeh, rebuilding critical public infrastructure in the affected area, and strengthening the country’s institutional capacity for disaster risk management and emergency response. It will also work in synergy with another active Bank-funded project, the Sierra Leone Resilient Urban Mobility Project (SLIRUMP) which is anchored in the Ministry of Transport and Aviation.

The project development objective of the RUSLP is to improve integrated urban management, service delivery, and disaster emergency management in Western Area and secondary cities of Sierra Leone. The RUSLP has the following components:

Component 1: Institutional and Capacity Development in Integrated Urban Management

Subcomponent 1a: Strengthening Integrated Urban Planning and Spatial Data Infrastructure

Subcomponent 1b: Upgrading Urban Property Tax Administration and System

Component 2: Resilient Municipal Infrastructure Investment and Urban Greening

Subcomponent 2a: Neighborhood Upgrading and Greening in Freetown

Subcomponent 2b: Solid Waste Management Upgrading in Freetown and Secondary Cities

Subcomponent 2c: Market Upgrading in Select Secondary Cities

Component 3: Emergency Management Institutional and Capacity Development

Subcomponent 3a: Strengthening Emergency Preparedness and Response Systems

Subcomponent 3b: Contingent Emergency Response Component

Component 4: Project Management

The Neighborhood upgrade subproject (Subcomponent 2a), within which this assignment falls, aims to support the comprehensive upgrading and flood risk mitigation in selected underserved neighbourhoods in Freetown: Coconut Farm, Moyiba, and Rokupa communities. The selection of these three settlements is based on the following criteria: (a) settlement size and population density; (b) level of hazard risk; (c) contribution to a drainage catchment area improvement; (d) minimal demolition and resettlement; and (e) alignment with other government infrastructure programs.

This subcomponent is designed to promote better integration of these neighbourhoods into the urban fabric and ensure that all the infrastructure investments improve mobility and access to basic services to excluded groups such as persons with disabilities, the elderly, children and women.

The investment menu includes drains, access roads, walkways, footbridges, water supply and sanitation, public spaces, local markets, and light-emitting diode (LED) street lighting. This subcomponent will also include capacity building and institutional strengthening to enhance the performance and suitability of the infrastructure and services provided. A catchment-based approach would be applied for integrated flood risk reduction of drainage catchment areas where the selected communities are located.

The interventions will be designed and implemented in a participatory manner, leveraging existing programs and services and maximizing local livelihood opportunities through labor-intensive works for job creation and economic recovery in the wake of COVID-19. The project will finance the detailed designs, construction supervision, and safeguards instruments to support the preparation and implementation of the upgrading investment. These infrastructure investments will be designed to climate- and disaster-resilient standards. Further, low-impact investments (such as energy-efficient street lighting and use of locally sourced materials) and low-carbon construction designs will be prioritized to reduce GHG emissions.

The implementation of this project will warrant the physical and/or economic displacement of various residents and business people within the settlements. The World Bank's requirements for addressing physical and economic displacement are outlined in its Environmental and Social Standard 5 (ESS5): Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use, and Involuntary Resettlement. This requirement demands the project to ensure that all people affected by the construction of facilities under the project are safely relocated and/or compensated before construction starts. A resettlement Plan has been developed to achieve the successful implementation of the resettlement plan and a Livelihood Restoration Plan (LRP) of the PAPs. The objective of this assignment is to implement this plan to help ensure that displacement impacts are mitigated and that affected persons are supported in rebuilding their lives and livelihoods.

• Objectives of the Assignment

The objective of the assignment is to support the PMU, FCC and relevant government agencies to implement the RAP in a socially responsible, timely, and compliant manner, ensuring affected persons receive compensation, livelihood restoration, and other entitlements as outlined in the RAP.

The Consultant will be responsible for ensuring the timely, appropriate, and comprehensive execution of the RPs in full compliance with relevant national laws, the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework (ESF), specifically Environmental and Social Standard 5 (ESS5), and the provisions of the project’s Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) and associated Resettlement Plans.

The Consultant will closely work with the FCC, the PMU, supervising consultants, and respective government agencies, responsible for land acquisition, resettlement, and compensation in the targeted neighbourhoods.

The tasks of the consultant will include stakeholder engagement and public disclosure of the RP and its contents; facilitation of land acquisition, disbursements, collection of compensation assistance, and resettlement; and awareness raising of the grievance redress mechanism (GRM) and assistance with the filing of grievances received from PAPs.

• Scope of the Assignment

It is expected that under this assignment, the following specific objectives drawn for the resettlement operation shall be achieved:

• The consultant should understand the contents of the RPs developed for Neighborhood Upgrade Project and familiarize themselves with all affected areas, assets, and PAPs.

• Should carry out all activities/assignments necessary for effective implementation of the RPs in close collaboration with teams allocated by the PMU, FCC, and the competent national and local government authorities and local authorities such as the Ministry of Lands Housing and Country Planning, the Ministry of Local Government, and The National Development Induced Resettlement Programme.

• Preparation of a stakeholder management process based on the RP stakeholder engagement plan and execution of public and PAP consultation meetings to prepare all stakeholders on the RP implementation commencement, ensuring the public and PAP understanding of all procedures and issues pertaining to the RP implementation, based on RUSLP’s Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP).

• Propose correction of any justified misalignment to the PMU and FCC and resettlement committees that may be found in the field with RP procedures and the area of coverage of the project.

• Update the RP to ensure that all information is current and relevant. This will include but not be limited to verification of PAPs census, asset inventory and entitlements and preparation of PAP signoff based on the RP.

• Provide full information to the PAPs on the RP policy, provisions, and approach to asset acquisition (where applicable) and timeframe for implementation, roles, and responsibilities of implementing agencies and grievance redress mechanism.

• Detailed implementation planning, including team setup, schedules, tasks, and responsibilities, logistics as well as development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) (e.g., assisted self-build program, household sign-off, livelihood restoration program).

• Individual PAP’s sign-off, based on agreed sign-off templates and in conjunction with in depth consultations regarding compensation options for physical displacement.

• Oversee that due process as required by the RP is followed and documented accordingly.

• Undertake Livelihood Restoratio