Hiring a consultancy firm for design Review of Warufu 20 m high earth fill dam and 3,000ha irrigation system

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES -– FIRMS SELECTION)

COUNTRY: Rwanda

NAME OF PROJECT: Commercialization and De-risking for Agricultural

Transformation (CDAT) Project

Credit A No: 7084-RW, Credit B No: 7085-RW and Grant No: E017-RW

Assignment Title: Hiring a consultancy firm for design Review of Warufu 20 m high earth fill dam and 3,000ha irrigation system.

Reference No: RW-RAB-527660-CS-QCBS

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 for hiring a consultancy firm for design Review of Warufu 20 m high earth fill dam and 3,000ha irrigation system.

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.

The shortlisting criteria are:

• General experience of at least 15 years in the design of large dams and pressurized irrigation schemes;
• Specific experience proven by certificates of good completion and contracts in design of large dam (Embankment) and appurtenant structures, diversion weirs and pressurized irrigation mainly center pivots. 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 REFERENCES FOR

DESIGN REVALIDATION AND UPDATE OF WARUFU DAM AND IRRIGATION NETWORK (3,000 HA COMMAND AREA)

LOCATED IN GATSIBO AND NYAGATARE DISTRICTS

• 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 irrigation, commercialization, and access to finance and insurance for farmers and other value chain actors in Rwanda’s agricultural sector.

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 actor 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 to markets and availing matching grants for investments in mechanization, post-harvest infrastructure and processing equipment. An innovation 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. This can be achieved by providing long-term financing, reducing risks and challenges faced by agricultural value chains through strengthening market linkages and scaling up agriculture insurance.

In this regard, part of the project’s funds will finance the consultancy services to revalidate and update the design of Warufu dam and irrigation network (3,000 ha gross command area) located in Nyagihanga, Gatsibo, and Ngarama Sectors of Gatsibo District, and Mimuli Sector of Nyagatare District.

• • Site Description

Warufu site is located on the border of Gatsibo and Nyagatare Districts which is a semi-arid zone with average annual rainfall of 900mm, and temperatures ranging from 210C to 280C. The Warufu site is a multi-purpose project aiming at developing 3,000 ha irrigation system, providing drinking water supply of 5,000m3/day to 240,000 people and generating 1,260 MWh/yr electricity sufficient to light about 4,000 houses in the project area. It involves a 20 m high dam (above river bed level) to store 25 Million m3, 3,000 ha irrigation system, and land-husbandry technologies in the irrigation area and catchments. Water supply outlets for hydropower and domestic water supply will also be provided. The detailed study was developed and approved by the former LWH, World Bank funded Project under MINAGRI in 2017.

Figure 1- : Warufu Large Dam and Hillside Irrigation command area (3,000ha)

This consultancy service is related to the design revalidation and updating of Warufu Dam on the Warufu River, and the command area. The proposed dam site is located 0.7 km upstream of the road bridge next to Nyagahanga town. The dam is reached from either the Kayonza – Kagitumba asphalt road and then the earthen road near Kabarore Gatsibo, or the Kigali – Byumba asphalt road and then the Byumba – Nyagatare asphalt road to Nyagahanga town where the dam site is located. The coordinates of the dam axis are E 524,795/ N 4,821,009.

• • Brief Description of the Dam components

Warufu Dam has the following components:

• Warufu dam is a homogenous embankment dam incorporating a cofferdam, with a concrete frontal spillway, chute and stilling basin and a diversion/intake/outlet works system designed to release water for irrigation, hydropower, environmental compensation flow and domestic water supply, as well as to ensure bottom outlet operations.
• Associated rehabilitation of existing roads affected by the new reservoir and ancillary works.
• The dam crest is at +1,546.60 m elevation, with the full supply level (FSL) of the reservoir at +1,543.50 m. The minimum supply level (MSL) that has been determined for irrigation is +1,533.40 m, ensuring a live storage volume of 22.6 MCM. The intake structure provides the possibility of abstraction to a lower level at +1,533.00 m to allow for additional abstraction as sediment accumulates in the reservoir. The maximum flood level (MFL) for the routed flood of 10,000 years return period (81m3/sec) is 1,545.93 m. The dam crest width is 7.0m and the dam embankment slopes are 3:1 (H:V) at both the upstream and downstream faces, and the same is valid for the cofferdam. The dam height is 26.1 m from the lower elevation of the cutoff, whereas 20m from the river bed level. The entire cofferdam will be incorporated in the upstream section of the embankment during the construction of the dam.
• The diversion works consist of a cofferdam and a steel diversion pipe. The total length of the diversion works is 146 m, with inlet invert elevation at +1,525.60 m and outlet invert elevation at +1,525.15 m, corresponding to a longitudinal slope of S=0.003. The proposed diameter of the diversion pipe is selected based on the routed design flow of 11.8 m3/sec, for T=5 years return period, and the elevation of the cofferdam crest is set at +1,533.50 m. The nominal diameter of the pipe is D=1.6 m and steel lining thickness of 8.2 mm.
• Warufu dam has a frontal concrete spillway on the left abutment. The spillway design flow is 81m3/sec, corresponding to 10,000 years return period, with the exception of the stilling basin, the design flow of other spillway components is only 35m3/sec, corresponding to 100 years return period which shall validated. Designing all spillway components with 10,000 year flood shall be considered during the design review. The spillway works consist of three components, namely: The spillway control section, the chute and the stilling basin. The outlet pipe will serve for diversion during construction but later it will be used for both water supply and bottom outlet after the completion of the works. A vertical concrete intake shaft square in plan with openings equipped with trashracks on all four sides and a short steel pipe section of 1.6m nominal diameter will be constructed to convey water to the diversion pipe. Grooves have been provided at the openings, where stop logs can be placed in the future in order to isolate the reservoir from the outlet system. At the downstream end of the outlet pipe a concrete structure (valve chamber) will be constructed to house the equipment required for the flow control accompanied by an impact type stilling basin for energy dissipation of the released flows.

The works in th