RFP: Consultant to carry out feasibility and detailed design study for rehabilitation and improvement of Nyarubogo marshland (150ha)

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 consultant to carry out feasibility and detailed design study for rehabilitation and improvement of Nyarubogo marshland (150ha).

Reference No: RW-RAB-408446-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 of Hiring a consultant to carry out feasibility and detailed design study for rehabilitation and improvement of Nyarubogo marshland (150ha).

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, the Joint-Venture must be done through e-procurement system, otherwise the EOI will be rejected.

The shortlisting criteria are:

The firm should have at least 10 years of general experience in Consultancy Services. The firm should have a specific experience in consultancy services related to the feasibility and detailed design studies on irrigation projects of construction for irrigation dams and the dam command area development proven by completion certificate and signed contract.

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” Fifth 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 FOR

DETAIL DESIGN STUDY FOR REHABILITATION AND IMPROVEMENTS OF NYARUBUGO

955 HA POTENTIAL COMMAND AREA (150 HA EXISTING MARSHLAND,200HA NEW MARSHAND, AND 505 HA OF NEW HILLSIDE), LOCATED IN KIBIRIZI, MUYIRA AND BUSORO SECTORS, NYANZA DISTRICT, SOUTHERN PROVINCE

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 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 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 rehabilitation and upgrading of Nyarubogo scheme located in Kibirizi, Muyira and Busoro Sectors, Nyanza District, Southern Province. Rice is primarily grown throughout the 150 ha command area by gravity surface irrigation with some farmers switching to maize and other crops due to lack of water while the hillside is rainfed agriculture with different seasonal crops mainly maize, beans, soybeans, cassava, and banana. A study is required to consider alternatives for raising the dam, identifying a potential site for a new dam, controlling river bank and bed erosion, improving and possibly expanding the command area, and if reasonable alternatives are found, an Interim Study is needed to present the most viable alternatives to the Client for selection of the alternative to undergo a detail design study.

OBJECTIVES 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 indicates agriculture as a vehicle for economic growth. The National Strategy of Transformation and PSTA IV emphasizes 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 an Interim and Detail Study to upgrade and rehabilitate the Nyarubogo dams and command areas. The study must meet the World Bank project appraisal requirements and should ensure the development is 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, irrigation water requirements, topographical surveys, geotechnical investigations, hydraulic studies and design, identification of stakeholders and development of a Stakeholder Engagement Plan, and undertake interim and detail design studies to ensure optimum use of available water and to enable the Client to tender construction of the improvements. If additional storage is needed to meet the demands of the existing or expanded command area, the study will determine the needs/demands and the potential for multipurpose infrastructure development.

The study will be carried out in two phases; Interim Study and Detail Design. The Interim Study will select, examine, and rank various alternatives for increasing water harvesting, improving drainage, developing low-head solar pumped irrigation, expanding the command area, construction of flow regulating/flood attenuation reservoirs along the main canals, and if additional water storage is needed, to investigate raising the existing dam and adding an additional dam. The Interim Study will examine different alternatives and provide preliminary design drawings, cost estimates, and economic analyses sufficiently detailed to enable decisions to be made on project viability. If the Interim Study results in alternatives that seem reasonable to the Client, then the Consultant will proceed with the Detail Design study for the selected alternatives. The Detail Design study will examine selected alternatives and provide detail design drawings, cost estimates, technical specifications, tender documents, and unit price surveying to enable the client to proceed to the tendering of works. If the Client selects an alternative including a new dam, the Consultant will not provide a detail design of the dam but will consider the future supply from the dam in the design of the irrigation network improvements. 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. The Consultant should take into consideration the World Bank policies, guidelines, and safeguards requirements, especially those for environmental and social impact assessment as well as dam safety to prepare the studies.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY
1. General

The study will entail interim and detail design studies that include the preparation of designs, cost estimates, and implementation arrangements for the finally agreed development alternative for water harvesting, drainage and irrigation development, infrastructure, and watershed management associated with the project. The interim and detail design studies will comprise of analyses related to (a) basin-wide water resources (qualitative and quantitative), (b) drainage and flood management, (c) watershed management plan, (d)sand and silt control (e) topographic survey, (f) geologic and geotechnical investigations, (g) soils and agronomy, (h) cropping patterns and crop water requirements, (i) raising of the existing dam, (j) irrigation infrastructure, (k) overall agricultural potential and support services including market and value chain development for maximum water resource use (l) land tenure, (m) environmental and social analyses, (n) institutional analysis, (o) water management and operation and maintenance, and (p) economic and financial analysis in close consultation with farmer communities and other stakeholders. This project must adhere to international best practices, 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 optimizing the use of available water. 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 the tasks, the Consultant should note that not all tasks will be conducted linearly and the Consultant should propose a schedule on how the tasks can be arranged to meet the objectives of the assignment and for optimal linkage/sequencing.

Site Description

The Nyarubogo site is located in Muyira, Kibirizi and Busoro Sectors, Nyanza District in Southern Province. It was developed in 2006 under RSSP Project different irrigation infrastructures had been executed such as dam, canal, weirs, offtakes …etc. The marshland is managed by famers cooperative known as COOPRORIZ Nyarubogo with 802 members.

The following map depicts schematic layout of the Scheme:

Figure 1-1: Nyarubogo Existing Command Area Layout

The developed marshland irrigation scheme covers 150ha, irrigated by the dam with a storage of 86,000m3, five diversions weirs feeding 18km of irrigation canal, 35km of drainage canal, and 649 small hydraulic structures.

Dam and Irrigation Salient features

The marshland command area of Nyarubogo is irrigated from one dam with a main diversion weir at the head of the command area and one small diversion weir on left side of command area. The dam is not able to satisfy the command area demand probably due to the increase of demand, decrease of storage capacity, and decrease of conveyance efficiency. During the consultancy services, these mentioned problems will be analyzed and the consultant will come up with the best solutions to satisfy the user’s expectations.

Existing identified problems

Since 2004 up to today the land cover and land use in the dam catchment area has changed significantly with intensified agriculture activities and habitation settlement, which resulted in excess silt accumulation in the reservoir compared to the planned dead storage capacity. The increase of population density has pushed the population to pump water from main irrigation canals to irrigate the hillsides. This combined with siltation of the reservoir has significantly reduced the available water to irrigate the designed command area. Frequent torrential rainfall has destroyed diversion weirs on main drain and silted irrigation canals and water distribution structures. This has resulted in lack of water in the command area which forced some of the farmers to shift from rice crops to other crops that require less water or even depend on rainfall. Therefore, the SPIU/CDAT project wants to recruit a consulting firm to carry out a design study for rehabilitation of the existing irrigation scheme and come up with alternatives for resolving irrigation water shortages by maximizing available water resources and command areas.

Available Design Documents

Although the Nyarubogo Detail Design study was conducted over 18 years ago, the following key components will be updated to meet the objectives of this current study:

Economic and Financial
Topography
Irrigation
Land Husbandry

Tasks to be executed for the Interim Study

The purpose of the Interim Study is to collect all data needed and to develop alternatives for improving the existing scheme including; expanding the command area, storing more water, draining flooded areas, stabilizing the river bed and banks, and silt and sand trap structures as described in more detail below:

1. Expanding the command area: The Consultant will consider areas within the existing command area that are not being irrigated (due to leveling issues or lack of infrastructure), areas downstream, realign the main canal by omitting multiple drops and reducing the slope to maximize area to be irrigated on hillside, construction of new dam, and pumping to adjacent areas that are no more than 20m in elevation above the main canals. Alternatives will be investigated and considered for expansion according to the water available for the following water storage improvement alternatives.
2. Increasing water storage: The Consultant will look at alternatives for raising the existing Nyarubogo dam if water is available and the existing storage does not fulfill the command area demand. The Consultant will then delineate an appropriate command area considering maximum water productivity, efficient irrigation practices, and flow regulating with sub-catchment runoff harvesting and flood attenuation reservoirs along the main canals. The steps to determine this are as follows:
  1. Hydrology – determine the available water for existing and identified potential flow regulating reservoirs sites.
  2. Bathymetric and topo survey of existing reservoir shall be done to determine the reservoir capacity curve, and compared to the original design topo survey to determine the sediment yield of the catchment and dead storage volume required for 50 years.
  3. Gross water requirement for existing scheme and expanded scheme shall be determined for agreed cropping patterns, accounting for expected increase in water use efficiency resulting from proposed improvements, and considerations for effects of climate change.
  4. Reservoir simulations shall be performed to determine required heights to raise the dam to meet the demand for both the existing and the expanded scheme alternatives. Because the potential area on hillside and for pumped expansion is large, a maximized raising of the dams should be determined together with the corresponding maximized command area to be served.

If this additional water is not enough to supply the expanded command area, the Consultant will consider efficient irrigation practices, sub catchment runoff harvesting combined with flow regulating reservoirs along the main canal and the possibility of adding another dam.

1. Draining flooded areas: The Consultant will determine the areas that get flooded, carry out a detailed topographic survey of those areas and associated drains, determine the reduced amount of flooding expected as a result of the increased storage by the raised dam and the flow regulating/runoff attenuation reservoirs along the main canals, and design alternatives to drain the areas, including deepening and/or widening drains, removing choke points, and/or constructing dikes on the sides of the drains to contain the flood flows.
2. Riverbed and embankment stabilization: The consultant will identify and analyze the cause of riverbed and bank erosion and come up with designs for correction measures including but not limited to reducing river bed slope, planting perennial shrubs on river banks, and restricting sand extraction from the riverbed and banks.
3. Silt and sand trap structures: the existing dam has shown significant reduction of storage capacity due to siltation from the catchment area, therefore the consultant will analyze the expected rate of siltation and design sand/silt trap structures upstream of the existing reservoir. In addition, a cutoff drain with controlled outlets located above a belt of dense shrubs around the reservoir will be considered to limit sand and silt entering into the reservoir from the immediate watershed.

The Consultant shall also:

Collect relevant studies, data and information including; catchment management plans (if available), basin strategy reports, investment planning reports and bankable project planning reports, as well as review reports from previous studies and national policies related to water resources, irrigation and agricultural development. The Consultant should screen and synthesize the data and establish a project databank related to policies, institutions, existing infrastructures, hydrology and meteorology, topography and maps, geology, agronomy (to assess the current production levels/output), land husbandry, financial and economic analysis against the existing potential and future projections after the development of the project, agricultural and engineering soils, multipurpose aspects, agriculture and its services, input/output markets, possible positive and negative environmental impacts and socio-economic conditions for use in further analysis.
Carry out field reconnaissance missions to the site including upstream watersheds as well as downstream areas likely to be affected by the project to collect data and identify issues to be addressed by the project. Following this exercise, the Consultant shall formulate project plans based on available relevant data and information, as well as employ planning parameters and criteria.
Review the hydro-meteorological station network and propose a robust hydro-meteorological data collection network for both the pre and post construction phases of the schemes to enhance better understanding and monitoring of the water flux in the catchment. This information must be evaluated to determine its validity for use throughout the development of the project.
Collect and analyze all hydrological and agro-meteorological data for the site, to determine flood flows for relevant return periods, stream flows (including base, average, and one-in-five dry year), rainfall (average, one-in-five dry year on monthly basis for stream diversion and annual basis for reservoir simulations), and any other required analyses including the impacts of climate change.
Determine Irrigation Water Requirements by evaluating irrigation water demands of various cropping patterns for supplementary and dry season irrigation. The Consultant shall:
1. 1. Collect all the existing available agro-meteorological data for the project areas required for estimation of crop and irrigation water requirements of the scheme;
  2. Verify the reliability and accuracy of data, and make corrections as necessary before use, quality analysis of collected data and gap filling of missing data using appropriate standard approaches and techniques is necessary;
  3. Carry out “Agro-climatological assessment” where the Consultant shall review available climatic data and make estimates of farm and project level irrigation requirements for viable crops, cropping patterns and crop rotations and irrigation technologies to be adopted, using all available agro-meteorological data for the project area and the FAO CROPWAT methodology or similar approach acceptable to CDAT;
  4. Determine the water demand on a monthly basis supported by an analysis of different cropping patterns in the respective project areas for the purpose of developing reservoir simulations and reliability determinations over a time period corresponding to the number of years relevant weather data is available for the site.
  5. Determine the peak irrigation water demand on a decade basis at a 20 percent risk of failure supported by an analysis of different cropping patterns in the respective project areas for the purpose of fixing conveyance canal/pipe design.
Carry out preliminary mapping of the sites, based on satellite imagery, 10x10m DEM and limited ground inspection, at scales of 1:25 000 and 1:10 000, and contour intervals of 0.25m, 0.5m, 1m, for the rice command areas, the hillside command areas, and the dam/reservoir sites, respectively. The mapping will indicate the main infrastructure including roads, electricity power-line poles, settlements, schools, domestic water supply and the like. A full topographic survey will be required for Detail Design for the areas where improvements are proposed including but not limited to areas of flooding, leveling, drains, canals, and dams.
Review all available documentation on the soils and carry out an initial interpretation of the soils of the command area.
Identify potentially irrigable land taking account of soils, topography, distance from water source (horizontally and vertically) for gravity water delivery to various types of irrigation technology (such as surface irrigation in the marshland, pressurized system on hillside above the main canals) and so on. Identify any physical and/or fertility constraints that would require special treatment.
Prepare outline designs of various alternatives for flood control and irrigation water supply, taking account of flood flows, irrigation demands, availability of water, effects of climate change, and O&M issues and costs.
Prepare outline designs of various alternatives for irrigation water application technologies, taking into account water productivity and cost-effectiveness of installation.
The environmental specialist shall examine design alternatives with an emphasis on mitigation measures.
Identify the other main infrastructure needs, including roads, bridges, power lines, domestic and cattle water supply, and so on, and prepare preliminary cost estimates for the same.
In consultation with the local authorities and potential beneficiaries, identify the needs for land titling, consolidation, and resettlement.
Carry out a preliminary financial analysis for each alternative, at the farm and scheme level to confirm financial viability, farmers’ capacity to pay the full O&M costs plus any capital recovery that may be decided, and returns to labor.
Carry out financial analysis of alternative with and without new proposed improvements and compare the results to guide the client during selection of best alternative.
Assess existing situation of Water Rights and provide recommendations for action by CDAT as appropriate.
Indicate specific areas that may have to be considered in more detail at the detail design stage and any major constraints and issues that will require resolution before the alternatives are taken to full design with, where possible, recommendations as to how and by whom action is required, specifying an appropriate timeframe.
The Consultant will identify new better alternatives or make improvements to existing ones.
Based on the above steps, the Consultant will then recommend the most suitable alternatives and prepare a weighted alternatives selection criteria list to be used for ranking all identified alternatives including social, environmental, technical, and economic criteria. This list should be included in the inception report.
From these analyses and considering the Project objectives the Consultant shall prepare the interim report.

Before proceeding to the Detail Design phase, selected alternatives from the Interim Study phase will be compared and analysed to determine the most suitable to be further studied in the Detail Design phase.

Socio-economic surveys

The purpose of this assessment is to understand the socio-economic profile of the beneficiary and potentially affected communities, to enable project design to meet their development needs and mitigate negative impacts. This assessment shall serve as a baseline that will help project planning, diagnostic monitoring, and impact evaluation purposes that should result into:

understanding of the area’s social and economic background, socio-economic profile of the communities and the social structure and institutions;
understanding of the process of socio-economic differentiation, impoverishment and wealth such as livestock, land etc.;
understanding of the constraints that inhibit livelihoods and livelihood development which can be potentially addressed by targeted flood control and irrigation development interventions; and
collection of statistically reliable descriptive data on those parameters which the project intends to influence, such as health, gender, production and household incomes at the baseline and project completion.

Using internationally recognized methodologies/standards, the Consultant shall:

undertake a stakeholder analysis of the project area;
carry out broad socio-economic surveys;
carry out a broad analysis of gender issues;
profile the potential beneficiaries to benefit from the proposed mega irrigation development activities;
identify categories of vulnerable groups specific to impacts from the project and activities that will adversely affect them;
review land policy, land cadastre, land use and possible impacts on land-based livelihoods, as well as potential land acquisition/aggregation and likely scale of resettlement;
recognize specific socio-economic, institutional and other constraints that can be potentially addressed in the proposed projects; and
identify possible barriers to project execution and completion.
Identify Stakeholders: Begin by identifying all relevant stakeholders who may be affected by the study or have a vested interest in its outcomes. This includes local communities, water user associations, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses, and other relevant groups.
Develop a Stakeholder Engagement Plan: Create a comprehensive plan outlining how stakeholders will be engaged throughout the study process. This plan should include clear objectives, methods for engagement, communication strategies, timelines, and resources required.
Stakeholder Consultation: Engage with farmers, local authorities, water management agencies, and other stakeholders to understand their needs, gather feedback on proposed designs, and ensure alignment with community priorities.

The information obtained from the surveys will be used as a baseline for conducting a project socio-economic impact assessment. Combined with other technical studies, the outcome of this task should be adequate enough to be used as input for “with project” and “without project” scenario evaluations at the economic and financial analysis stage.

In addition, the Consultant will identify the project communication needs and propose the appropriate communication strategy using the above information.

Soil Survey and Land Suitability Study for expansion area

For any new areas proposed for expansion of the command area, the Consultant shall:

undertake a semi-detailed soil survey for the newly delineated irrigable command area, using appropriate sampling and observations in conformity with guidelines for soil surveys of Food and Agriculture Organization; Soils Bulletin No. 55, “Guidelines: Land evaluation for irrigated agriculture” (FAO, 1985). The density of observation points required for the command area is two (2) groups of samples per 100 ha. Each group consists of two (2) composite samples taken from 0-30cm and 30-60 cm depths. If any of the areas are considered unsuitable, for irrigation/drainage, carry out any necessary additional soil surveys to identify and propose alternative more suitable areas;
prepare soil maps on an appropriate scale based on the soil surveys; and
collect and analyze soil samples required for the determination of standard physical and chemical properties of the soils required for evaluation of irrigation water requirements and soil suitability for the proposed crops as well as establish proper drainage modules for the project to affect the design of the drainage system. The Consultant shall take appropriate measures to verify and ensure the quality and reliability of test results using accredited laboratories.

The Consultant shall then:

develop a suitable land classification system for the assessment of irrigation ability and drain ability;
critically evaluate and analyze findings of the topographic, soil surveys, and land characteristics; and
Identify and delineate irrigation blocks and areas in terms of suitability for irrigated agriculture development.
1. Evaluation of Crops, Cropping Patterns and Markets for the expansion areas

The Consultants shall collect baseline information on the type of soils, topography, and land-use patterns; analyze water-use patterns (rain-fed crops, irrigated crops, drainage, surface, and groundwater extraction); examine existing field-crop production and soil management practices; establish and delineate major cropping pattern zones (considering types of irrigated crops grown, crop calendar and cropping intensity); propose schedules of crops for consideration; estimate expected yields and crop water requirements for alternative cropping programs, and examine the existing Agricultural Support Services. The assessment will cover:

the production and performance of the existing crops based on the current cropping patterns;
the potential of commercially oriented production systems based on the available markets in the surrounding shopping centers, other urban markets such as Kigali, and the neighboring countries in the region;
the most profitable value chains that can be developed or upscaled in the proposed irrigation schemes;
availability of competent service providers for technical advisory services, agro-input dealers, financial services (savings and credit/loans), agro-processors, traders/aggregators, and warehousing among others which will be needed for extension support to the project’s producer organizations;
the margins of the top five commodity value chains;
potential market for the top five commodity value chains in terms of volumes and monetary value;
determination as to whether irrigation should be supplemental or major irrigation (for all crops or a combination of selected crops);
the ownership structure of farms including consulting the potential irrigation farmers;
constraints on farm productivity;
the market potential of the possible crops within and around the project areas;
the potential for increased competitiveness of its products including an analysis of the comparative advantage of the project areas;
availability of and accessibility to input supplies, storage, technology, finance, input markets, transport and distribution networks;
option for farm mechanization, product storage, handling and transportation,
availability of output market (incl. potential for grower/out-grower linkages) and
Value chain and Climate Smart agriculture.

The Consultant will also analyze the gender division of labor in irrigated agricultural production for each socio-economic group, and identify the needs of both women and men related to proposed agricultural activities. Based on the analysis, the Consultant shall formulate the cropping and irrigated agriculture development plans for the proposed schemes including the potential distribution of land areas between the small-scale individual farms and large-scale commercial farms. Also, identify suitable and appropriate cropping patterns for each type, estimate farm-level crop production volumes, input and production costs, farm budget as well as gross and net returns, and generate incremental benefit estimations for use in the feasibility level economic and financial analyses.

Hydrology

The Consultant shall carry out the following tasks for the existing dam:

undertake hydrological analyses such as rainfall-runoff modelling to estimate reservoir yield, flood routing and attenuations, reservoir loss analysis, and water balance;
adopt appropriate hydrological modelling techniques to derive the required design flows and other hydrological information from the nearest available gauging stations, and rainfall records, where sufficient hydro-meteorological data are not available;
assess the spatial and seasonal fluctuations of climatic variables on the hydrological characteristics of the site;
assess the effects of the proposed storage on existing and future uses;
undertake flood routing through the downstream channel to enable evaluation of effects in the event of excessive spills or dam break (hydrological dam safety considerations);
determine the available water for the existing dam;
carry out bathymetric and topographical survey of existing dam to determine reservoir capacity curves and catchment sediment yield;
carry out sediment studies to determine the required dead storage for the existing dam; and design sediment trap structures, and vegetative control measures;
determine gross water requirements for the existing scheme and for the expanded scheme considering various cropping patterns and water management improvements;
conduct reservoir simulations to determine the required height to raise the dam to meet the demands for existing and expanded schemes with at least 90% reliability. Because the potential area is large, a maximized raising of the dam should be considered.
Options for raising the existing dam should include at least the following:

Considering adding emergency spillways;
To raise the dam to meet irrigation demand in the existing and potential command area obtained by reducing longitudinal slope and omitting drops on main irrigation canals and considering area located on the upper side of the irrigation canal,
Establish stream gauging stations according to guidelines and approval from the Rwanda Water Board at appropriate locations in the watershed where data can be collected to support the design and continue after project implementation.

If the above analyses for raising the existing dam show that even more water is needed, follow the same steps to determine if deficit irrigation practices, proposed runoff harvesting and flow regulating reservoir can supply the required water at a feasible cost.

Geological and geotechnical investigation

Geological investigations for raising the existing dam will be conducted with a combination of geophysical explorations and test pits at reasonable intervals to determine:

The characteristics of the foundation soils and rocks downstream of the existing embankment that will be the foundation for raising the embankment in case the raising of the water level height exceeds 0.5m;
other geologic conditions such as faults that may influence design, construction, and long-term operation; and
The sources of construction material.

Field Investigations will include but not be limited to:

exploratory trial pits for soil sampling and testing for engineering properties relevant to project design;
foundation investigation of embankment extension axis including the new spillway (includes carrying out geophysical tests as needed, at selected intervals to obtain data on stratification and groundwater) around energy dissipation areas, intake area, and construction materials borrow areas;
assessment of uncertainties arising from the interpretation of geophysical results and their possible impacts on costs and site viability;
preparation of geological profiles for the dam foundation on the side to be raised, inducing the potential permeability and stability;
geo-reference possible sources of construction materials, and carry out tests to assess their engineering properties; and
analysis of the tectonic/ seismic intensity of the area and recommend safety design measures (against sliding of dam slopes, settlements, sliding of abutments, liquefaction of foundations, cracking of dam body, loss of filter zones). Additional trial pits may be required to develop geologic correlations and to determine the type of dams suitable for the site.
seismicity and earthquake intensity of the project area; and the sources of construction material.
Carry out regional structural, geological and geomorphologic maps for the project at a scale of 1:25,000.
Produce surface geological and engineering geological mapping at main project structure areas with relatively larger scales of up to 1:5000 when appropriate topographic base maps are made available with the topographic surveying program of the project.
Advise the client on the appropriate machinery for excavation (preferably excavator or a drilling rig) and also assist in the preparation of technical specification required for procurement purposes.
Determine the litho-stratigraphic succession and analyzing the geology and geological structures of the dam area and evaluating their effects.
Undertake the appropriate number of exploratory test pits using excavators/drilling rigs to characterize the subsurface geological and structural conditions at the dam site and undertake in situ testing. The number and depth of test pits shall be determined based on the field visits and recommendations given by the dam engineer.
Test pit excavation at the reservoir inundation area for determining the volume of overburden and existing reservoir natural blanketing material.
Test pit excavations at engineering sites and borrow areas for construction material site identification and delineation to determine the types, quantity, and quality of local construction materials (sand, aggregate, stone and rockfill) at proximity to the structure sites; show also available access road routes on the location map.
Collecting representative soil and rock samples from trial test pits and quarry sites required for physical and engineering properties determinations, bearing capacities of foundations, slope stability analysis, permeability estimation, piping through foundations and retaining structures.
Laboratory testing of representative soil and rock samples of foundation and construction materials and determination of engineering properties as per international standards.
Construction material appraisal and suitability evaluation.
In consultation with the dam engineer, prepare detail designs of the excavations, filling, compaction, lining, and finishing required ensuring that the dams can retain water with minimum infiltration and indicate a recommendation of geotechnical design parameters.

Geological investigations for the Proposed dam will be conducted with a combination of geophysical explorations and test pits at reasonable intervals to determine:

the general geologic and tectonic setting of the site area by analysis of the lithology, stratigraphy, structural geology, and tectonic history;
the geologic conditions related to the selection of the reservoir sites like rock type, overburden, fractures, and bedding which have a strong influence on the need for foundation treatment and costs;
the characteristics of the foundation soils and rocks;
other geologic conditions such as faults that may influence design, construction, and long-term operation;

The Consultant shall identify and geo-reference crucial soil and rock features and establish the engineering properties of rocks and soils, surficial deposits, and tectonic-structural patterns. The extent, depth, and type of exploration will depend on the complexity of the geology and the size and type of reservoir as conceptualized by the Consultant. Field investigations shall be the same as those listed above for existing dam.

The final output of this task will be a detailed report on the project geology/geotechnical aspects, with engineering properties for further use in the hydraulic and structural design of the dam.

Sediment Analysis

Given the existing concerns of land degradation and erosion within the project areas, the Consultant will assess the sediment regime and total sediment transport of the river systems in the project area. This will include the determination of the sediment (suspended and bedload) yield. Additional sediment data shall be collected during the consultancy, forecasting of dead storage volume and the future rate of reduction of the live storage and reservoir trap efficiency, which will require limited sediment sampling to the extent possible.

Other than design against storage depletion, this analysis should also aid the subsequent design against increased loads on the dam, abrasion of outlet structures, and blockage of outlets which could cause interruption of water uses and reduce the ability of the dam to pass floods safely. It will also help to determine dead storage and sediment flushing outlet levels.

Sediment load estimates should include projections of changes in upstream sediment yields, based on upstream development plans.

The sediment analysis should include the determination of historic sediment yields of the catchments to the existing reservoirs based on a comparison of the topographic surveys of the reservoirs before the dam was constructed to the bathymetric surveys conducted for this study.

New Dam Site:

For the location of 1 potential dam site that should be investigated to determine its viability for increasing storage for irrigation, meeting the demands of the current scheme, and supporting expansion of the scheme, refer to the map below.

The consulting firm shall carry out a cost analysis and recommend to the client the most economical among the options analysed.

Command area improvements

For the existing command area investigate the following:

Investigate the causes of riverbed and river embankment erosion of the existing rice particularly in this area but also throughout the scheme and consider the following:
1. Determine the reduced flooding that will be a result of the raised dams and constructed new dam.
2. Improve the main drain by stabilizing the banks, reducing the bed slope, and/or increasing the roughness coefficient.
3. Improve conveyance efficiency of irrigation canals targeting a cropping density that maximizes water productivity with viable financial and economic analysis.
The water distribution structures were destroyed and no longer operational. The Consultant should prepare a design for rehabilitating and improving irrigation distribution structures (diversion weirs on the main drain, which feed periphery canals on both sides of the valley floor, distribution boxes for irrigating the plots etc).
Depending on the availability of water resulting from all the above improvements, consider expansion of the scheme to 955 ha including the hillside by reducing longitudinal the longitudinal slope and omitting drops on main irrigation canals.
For efficient water management consider the feasibility of using regulating reservoirs on the main irrigation canals.

For the expansion command area the objective is to identify/verify, evaluate, and physically delineate the areas that can be potentially developed for irrigated agriculture and be added to existing irrigated areas to be improved with proper irrigation and drainage. The area that can potentially be irrigated depends primarily on the ability to control floods but also on the availability and suitability of soil/land and water, combined with the irrigation water requirements, and crops and cropping patterns that are feasible.

The Consultant shall first evaluate and fully understand the problems of the existing dam siltation, destruction of hydraulic structure river bank/bed erosion in the scheme during rainy seasons, and water shortage in the dry seasons, and prepare a report on recommended improvements for the scheme.

One of the irrigation methods to be considered especially in the most wet/flat areas is surface and subsurface irrigation by controlling the water level in the drains to maintain a groundwater level at the recommended depth of the crop root zone.

This task will thus include:

evaluation of the existing rice scheme;
evaluation of riverbank and bed erosion control options;
evaluation of potential crops and cropping patterns (with and without rice);
assessment of land suitability for irrigation;
evaluation of irrigation water requirements; and
assessment of water resources availability and options for developing water resources in the locality to meet the irrigation demand.
1. Propose Farm Models

Propose preliminary farm models with options for the type of operation (i.e. from smallholder farmer plus family labor to emergent commercial farmer with hired labor and large-scale mechanized commercial farmer), considering private and government-owned land, options and need for relocation of farmers, options for O&M service providers, options for external investors, etc.

Determination of Irrigation Water Requirement

This task aims to evaluate irrigation water demand under the most optimal scenario (supplementary and/or major irrigation) for the basic design parameters generated by the tasks above. The Consultant shall:

collect all the existing available agro-meteorological data for the project areas required for the estimation of crop and irrigation water requirements of the scheme;
verify the reliability and accuracy of data, and make corrections as necessary before use, quality analysis of collected data and gap filling of missing data using appropriate standard approaches and techniques is necessary;
carry out “Agro-climatological assessment” where the Consultant shall review available climatic data and make estimates of farm and project level irrigation requirements for viable crops, cropping patterns and crop rotations and irrigation technologies to be adopted, using all available agro-meteorological data for the project area;
deduce the peak irrigation water demand supported by analysis of different cropping patterns in the respective project areas for the purposes of fixing conveyance canal/pipe design; and
Deduce irrigation water requirements at salient intervals for deciding the cropping pattern in order to compare with water availability.
1. Topography

For the areas that need levelling and drainage improvements, or surface irrigation development, the Consultant shall prepare:

Ground survey-based topographic maps of the flood control/irrigation areas to be studied, with an appropriate scale and point density (to be approved by the Client) to accurately generate no greater than 0.25m and 0.5 m contour intervals for marshland and hillside respectively;
Use these maps to evaluate the topographic features which would influence the design and layout of the flood control and irrigation alternatives and locations of major hydraulic structures including main irrigation canals/pipelines and drainage systems.
The polygonal outlines (principal and secondary) will be materialized by concrete boundary markers. Surveying will be conducted on about 1000 ha, by a topographic surveyor with a total station with automatic recording system and design topographical software.

For the hillside expansion areas and the existing reservoir area, the Consultant shall prepare ground survey-based topographic maps of the irrigation expansion areas on hillsides, with an appropriate scale and point density (to be approved by the Client) to accurately generate no greater than 0.5m and 1m contour intervals, respectively.

New Command Area Development

The scope for command area development will include the following:

analysis of riverbank and bed erosion, land reclamation, leveling, and drainage works required to ensure sustained economic operation of the command areas;
determination of access road requirement both to and within the area; and
Preparation of general layout plans showing the location and principal features of main works required for the most suitable irrigation supply and drainage system alternatives using the appropriate scale and contour interval.

The Consultant shall examine the reliability of the water supply, considering the various existing and future water uses, and identify appropriate water conveyance systems for different sections of the irrigation system to supply water to all parts of the land to be developed and recommend appropriate irrigation methods best suited for the command area. To adapt against potential adverse impacts of climate change and improve water management and use efficiency, the Consultant is expected to introduce such recent innovative water distribution options as using pipes for secondary and tertiary canals which increases conveyance efficiency and allows for flow measurement, and regulating reservoirs which provide improved control of the main canal and reduce end spillage.

Moreover, the Consultant shall locate suitable irrigation water diversion structures in the command area and investigate pumping, storage, or diversion requirements and reservoir operations required for irrigation with due consideration of floods and siltation in the command area.

The Consultant will consider expansion of the rice area of about 200 ha between the end of the existing rice and Akanyaru River. The following figure shows an option for accomplishing this by constructing a main diversion canal to convey runoff around the area, a dike to prevent Akanyaru flood water from entering the area, a drain culvert through the dike with a flap gate to allow water to drain automatically from the scheme, and a multi-purpose drainage pump used to pump water from the drain to either the irrigation canals or to Akanyaru River and if required, to pump water from Akanyaru River to the canals. This is a critical concept to be developed as a pilot project if it proves to be feasible, because there are many similar sites which can benefit from this concept.

Lower Nyarubogo rice expansion area (~200ha)

Irrigation System Engineering Design

The Consultant will prepare preliminary designs for major structural and hydraulic elements of the proposed irrigation system, including, the water conveyance system, on-farm water distribution system, drainage canals system, river bank and bed erosion control, flood protection and control considering both structural, hydraulic safety, basin irrigation design, etc.

The Consultant shall take into consideration intensive labor engagement and the use of local construction capability in case labor is available and local materials during the design as necessary. The Consultant shall prepare the layouts and drawings of the different project components using AutoCAD software. The Consultant shall also prepare a schedule of quantities in line with the latest Civil Engineering Standard Methods of Measurement (CESMM), for use in preliminary cost estimates and the economic and financial analysis.

1. Determination and design of other infrastructures for multipurpose uses

The Consultant shall assess the demand and the development potential and prepare preliminary studies to introduce such multipurpose infrastructures as domestic water supply systems, (incl. associated hydro-mechanical appurtenances), livestock water supply, and fish farming as an integral part of the scheme as appropriate. Specialized studies and detailed analyses shall be carried out for each aspect of the multipurpose uses.

Flood Control/Storage Dams Preliminary Design

Based on the need for flood control, water demand for irrigation, and multipurpose requirements, and resource availability, the Consultant will prepare preliminary designs of proposed dams including the following:

Topographical Surveys

This task aims to establish the following:

configuration of the dam site and reservoir area,
accessibility to the dam site,
accessibility to construction material sources, as a means towards confirmation of dam type and appurtenant structures selection, and
influence on type, layout, and downstream inundation in the selection of the spillway.

The Consultant will carry out topographical surveys with appropriate contour intervals for use in planning and capturing specific site features such as the proposed dam axis, spillway area, energy dissipation area, reservoir extent, surface area-volume-depth relationship, river channel profiles, and location of proposed intake for irrigation, water supply, livestock, and fish farming as appropriate. The survey will also capture site features such as existing infrastructure within the vicinity of the proposed dams and reservoir areas (roads, buildings, bridges, power lines, etc.), trees and vegetation, rock outcrops, etc.

Prospective borrow areas for construction materials and aggregates shall be shown at a scale of 1:2,000 on high-resolution orthophoto-based maps. The Consultant shall survey cross-sections of the rivers and their flood plains with the project areas at intervals and locations deemed relevant for incorporation in the mathematical hydraulic models of the rivers for purposes of routing floods in the event of extreme spillway releases. A topographic survey of the reservoir area extent shall be done to an appropriate scale with contour intervals of no less than 1m up to an elevation of maximum water level + 10m. Dam design plan and cross-section drawings shall be prepared at a scale of 1:100 indicating the pertinent features to the head works.

Preliminary Engineering Design for the dam and appurtenant structures

The Consultant shall:

carry out structural and hydraulic designs of the various dam components including foundations side to be raised and abutments, dam structure, spillways, energy dissipating works, retaining walls, seepage control and internal drainage systems, river diversion works, intake, bottom outlet and gates, outlet works, terminal works; electro-mechanical system and components, dam instrumentation considering both structural and hydraulic safety;
prepare the layouts and drawings of the different project components using AutoCAD software;
propose dam safety monitoring and management systems; and
prepare a schedule of quantities in line with Civil Engineering Standard Methods of Measurement CESMM), for use in preliminary cost estimates and the economic and financial analysis; and

Preparations of draft detail dam raising design

The draft detail design includes assessment of the dam location, dam catchment area, the nature of soils/rocks and coverage, the runoff (mean and in exceptionally dry years), the storage capacity of the dam after raising and the relative water availability in the year round (mean and exceptionally dry), type of dam, type of soil under the dam and excavation/foundation depths at side to be raised, expected dam’s siltation and life cycle, draft detail designs of dam embankment, spillway, etc.

Note that the preliminary investigations shall include geotechnical investigation through drilling/digging to investigate type of soil/rock under the dam the side to be raised.

The design of the raising the dam will include the instrumentations for monitoring and surveillance.

It is also recommended that the Expert conduct testing quality of any surface water available in the area for a period to be recommended by the Expert to be sure of the quality.

The consultant will prepare the ToR for recruitment of a consulting firm to carry out the feasibility and detail design studies for the new dam once it is determined that the raising of the existing dam cannot meet the irrigation water requirements, and a suitable site for dam construction is found.

Formulation of Upstream Sustainable Land Management Actions

The task objective is to take stock of the baseline condition of the watersheds in the project areas and identify major erosion hotspot areas and interventions required to improve, protect, and maintain the watershed healthily and sustainably. This will in turn address sedimentation risks related to future depletion of storage.

The Consultant should:

Identify/review watershed degradation hotspots in the catchments upstream;
identify current interventions being applied to combat catchment degradation, funding sources, and the organizations involved;
using soils, climate, and topographic characteristics to delineate priority areas for rehabilitation and management using satellite imagery, GIS, or other techniques in the watersheds;
undertake a quick assessment of the current status of the watersheds based on an appropriate sample sub-catchment;
consult the people living in the sample sub-catchment to understand their level of dependence on the resources of the watersheds;
propose suitable soil, water, and sustainable land conservation measures required to enhance the integrity and productive capacity of the watersheds; and
undertake preliminary designs of measures for proposed upstream watershed improvement works to reduce erosion and sediment entry into the reservoir, which would consequently improve water yields. This information will be used to estimate the associated impacts on the watershed and for financial and economic analyses.

The Consultant firm will study in detail the water catchment (upstream of each existing dam), the command area catchment, and the command area, identify all critical interventions required (short-term, medium, and long-term), and propose an integrated and comprehensive land husbandry plan for sustainability of the project. For planning and implementation of different land husbandry options to be proposed by the Consultant, a detail design with drawings where required should be prepared, the entire watershed shall be partitioned into 4 major categories, namely, water catchment, reservoir silt-trap zone, command area catchment, and command area.

GIS Analysis and Mapping

As part of the land husbandry study, the following maps shall be prepared:

Location Map: showing all important features of the site including the 5 site category areas, streams, roads, sector boundaries, etc., shall be created using the 1:50,000 scale topographic map and satellite imagery as the base for two separate maps.
Land-husbandry Unit Map: showing different slope categories (<6%, 16%, 30%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and >80%) to be generated from DEM, and soil depth (<=50cm and >50cm) from the soil survey for the entire site.
Land Use/Land Cover Map: Geo-process the detailed land use/land cover from field data, 1:50,000 soil maps and satellite images for the entire site.
Silt Trap Zone Map: The silt trap zone map should clearly show the following three zones around the perimeter of the existing reservoirs: Tree-zone (outer most layer), Shrub-zone (between tree-zone and grass cover) and Grass-cover (between reservoir and shrub-zone).
Soil Map: Create with results of soil survey and from the 1:50,000 scale soil map of the area.
Catchment management map: Elaborate from the results of the above analyses, the catchment management plan, using maps that show the location of each proposed land husbandry activity (terraces, ditches, gullies control, forests, infiltration pits, runoff harvesting ponds, etc),
List the interventions required based on their urgency (short, medium, long long-term intervention etc);
Elaboration of BoQ: Based on the interventions required (short, medium, and long term) prepare typical designs with detailed drawings, and elaborate the related detailed bills of quantity based on a unit price survey. The report of unit price survey will be attached on the report of land husbandry analysis;

The Consultant firm shall review existing land-husbandry technologies being used by the Project and shall propose improvements for each slope/soil depth category suitable for each site to reduce soil erosion and safely convey runoff to streams and waterways, increase rain-fed crop production, and protect infrastructure. Typical design drawings shall be developed for each technology.

The consultant shall analyze the use of the catchment area and propose a management plan considering the role of all stakeholders that intervene in the command area. The proposed management plan shall be elaborated considering but not limited to the following activities:

Mining activities, mine treatment and site reconditioning;
Agricultural activities and erosion control measures;
Location of settlement, collection, conveyance, storage, and reuse of roof water harvesting from the settlement.
Sand and silt trap zone before the runoff enter into the dam;

After analysis, the Consultant shall propose the rules and regulations that should strengthen the best practices of catchment management once abided to.

Environmental and Social Considerations – Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment.

The Consultant will analyze the environmental and social aspects including land acquisition and resettlement sensitivities in each project area and, through the consideration of alternate project designs, develop project proposals that avoid or minimize potential adverse environmental impacts. Specifically, the Consultant should:

assess environmental and social impacts that could make the project non-feasible or financeable, or result in costs likely to exceed the intended benefits when mitigation is taken into account;
estimate the extent of resettlement and land and asset acquisition that would be associated with the project, and develop a preliminary concept of a development program for the area; and
examine design alternatives such as changes in dam location, alignment, height, reservoir size, access road alignment, material sources (borrow areas), etc., and make a comparison of such alternatives, in technical, economic, social, and environmental terms, so that the best recommendations are passed on to the team members working on the engineering aspects for incorporation in the project designs.
Ensures that projects operate within the legal framework of the country. This often involves consulting with local communities.
Avoid involuntary resettlement, cultural heritage, which often involve rigorous assessment, consultation, and mitigation measures to address potential risks and impacts.
The designed alternative should mitigate their environmental impact, including aspects such as air and water pollution, deforestation, habitat destruction, and carbon emissions. It should also involve adopting sustainable practices and technologies to reduce environmental harm.

The design alternatives should consider measures to maximize benefits and minimize harm. Consultation with affected communities, including vulnerable groups, is often a key aspect of this process.The assessments will be guided by the national environment including land acquisition and resettlement-related legislation as well as World Bank safeguards.

The depth of the assessment will be sufficient to adequately inform the development of alternate project designs and the selection and justification of the preferred alternatives. Project alternatives that substantially convert or degrade important natural habitats should not be considered unless they include equivalent habitat restoration and maintenance within the project area or elsewhere.

A separate procurement for detailed Environmental and Social Assessment is being undertaken by the Client. The Consultant will coordinate his work with the Environmental and Social Assessment carried out under this separate consultancy and have feedback and incorporate the findings and recommendations of that study in this report.

Design features to avoid adverse impacts, minimize land acquisition and involuntary resettlement, or enhance environmental/natural resource services are to be clearly noted in the description of preferred project alternatives, with suitable maps. Acceptability of the final project design will depend not only on its technical and financial feasibility but also on its environmental and social suitability.

Preparation of Preliminary overall Cost Estimates and Benefits

The Consultant shall identify and value the costs and benefits that will arise with the proposed project for purposes of comparison with the situation as it would be without the project and determining the incremental net benefit arising from the project investment. This will involve preparation of financial cost estimates for the various project options and components with expenditure schedules for capital costs, replacement costs, O&M, management costs, etc. for all activities and services. A summary of the financial and economic cost estimates shall be provided in a tabular form and appropriately classified and discussed. All cost estimates must show the foreign and local currency requirements; taxes and subsidies shall be identified and their implications analyzed; physical and price contingency allowances should be quantified appropriately for each component/activity of the projects.

The Consultant should prepare estimates of project benefits, which should include: direct/indirect benefits, tangible benefits (arising either from an increased value of production or from reduced costs), intangible benefits (such as new job opportunities, improved access to domestic water supply and power generation as appropriate through availability of storage etc.). The Consultant will also estimate secondary benefits created or costs incurred outside the project (using shadow pricing techniques/non market valuation), so that they can be attributed to the project investment, in the economic analysis. Residual values must be calculated. Specifically for the storage reservoir, the Consultant will identify multipurpose benefits deriving from upstream storage. They will propose a number of scenarios that differ in terms of the use of the stored water (irrigation, flood management, municipal and livestock water supply, etc.) and that maximize the returns on investment in storage. Scenarios should include sensitivity tests involving climate change scenarios.

Economic and Financial Analysis

The Consultant shall:

compile and tabulate estimated incremental direct agro-economic financial benefit streams, prepared using constant prices (or suitably applied price projections if warranted) and appropriate assumptions; estimate likely build-up of agricultural production volumes and other benefits over the years following the initial investments and likely future production trends in a without-project situation
Undertake project economic and financial analysis using standard techniques for irrigated agriculture as well as other identified uses. This should include the determination of the financial and economic viability of the project, by carrying out analyses to determine the net present value (NPV), cost-benefit analysis (CBA; B/C ratio), Net benefit – investment ratio (N/K), and financial and economic internal rates of return (FIRR, EIRR), including different discount rates.
Perform sensitivity analysis on important parameters (including calculation of switching values) to check their impact on the financial and economic viability. The Consultant should clearly list what assumptions are made and which key developments are needed to reach FIRR and EIRR.
Identify and assess the risks associated with the project including climatic risks, market risks, and regulatory risks. Techniques such as Monte Carlo simulation can be used to quantify the probability of different outcomes and assess the project’s resilience to various risk scenarios.
Evaluate the socio-economic impacts of the project. This involves assessing the effects on local communities, employment generation, food security, water quality, and biodiversity. Methods such as Social Return on Investment (SROI) should be employed.
Analyze market trends, demand-supply dynamics, and price projections for agricultural products. This helps in determining the potential profitability of different crops and guiding investment decisions related to irrigation and agricultural infrastructure.
Policy and Institutional Analysis: Evaluate the policy and institutional frameworks governing irrigation and agriculture, including regulations, subsidies, and incentives. Assessing the impact of these policies on project economics and identifying potential barriers or opportunities for investment is essential for informed decision-making.
Consider the full life cycle costs of the project, including initial investment, operation and maintenance costs, as well as decommissioning and rehabilitation expenses. This ensures a more comprehensive understanding of the project’s financial implications over its entire lifespan.

The key information for the project shall be presented in tabular format together with key environmental and social information. The Consultant should also provide documented analysis in Excel spreadsheets and based on this analysis make final recommendations on the way forward.

The Consultant will prepare the interim study and preliminary design reports for the scheme, which shall document the studies and investigations carried out, findings and information. The reports shall contain firm statements on the technical, economic/financial and environmental and social sustainability, and recommendations on project suitability and outlook, if necessary through a multi-criteria analysis. The reports shall include concise executive summaries to make the report more accessible to the public. The results of the investigations shall be compiled and appended either to the report or in a separate volume of the interim studies. This volume will aim at evidencing that the amount of investigation carried out brings a sufficient understanding of the site conditions to finalize the project layout and cost estimate with an acceptable level of contingencies at interim level. The reports will form a decision point on whether to advance the studies, in case viable options have been identified, or terminate the studies in case all options are non-feasible. In the former, the Consultant in consultation with the Client and stakeholders shall agree on the best design alternatives/layouts, for which detail designs shall subsequently be prepared.

Tasks to be executed for the Detail Design

The objective of this phase is to prepare the detail design for the selected alternatives presented in the Interim Study including a draft and final detail design report, design drawings, bill of quantities, unit price market survey, tender documents, technical specifications, and terms of references for hiring both a contractor and a supervisor.

Topographic and field gradient/levelling survey

The Consultant will improve the topographical field survey of the interim phase for the selected alternative, and produce the following deliverables:

Generalities

General plans and profiles showing the infrastructure and alignment of the proposed catchment areas and the actual dam sites. (These shall be prepared in AutoCAD format as well as superimposed on Google Earth (KML file), Arc GIS readable format (shape file format). The plans view superimposed on Google Earth on top of the page the longitudinal profiles on the lower part of the page then the cross-section on a separate page, all shall show features such as rivers, streams, farms, valleys, marshy areas, gullies, rock (if visible), etc.), The plans and profiles shall be subdivided into a length of not more than 500 meters per sheet on A0 size drawings. All font sizes used shall be readable on A3 drawings. All data on actual survey points shall be provided in soft copy in a format readable by AutoCAD, Civl3D, ArcGIS and other standard software design and surveying packages. All survey points shall have an x, y and z value tied to the local coordinate system.

Dams and Diversion weirs

The drawings are made by:

Topographical layouts (on A0 format) at 1/500 scale;
Detailed drawings and sections at 1/50, 1/100, and 1/200 scale as appropriate for the Dams and their appurtenant, weirs, and the crossing structures (bridges).
diversion works, hydraulics structures networks, drainage structures, access roads, post-harvest facilities, and other different infrastructures of the schemes at 1:500 scale. Provide detailed layouts, plans, and maps which will be the basis for any levelling and grading works by the contractors.

Marshland and hillside irrigation

Drawings are made by topographical layouts and hydraulic structures drawings.

Topographical layouts (A0): These layouts will include:

Overall layout at 1/10,000 scale
Topographical layouts (planimetry and altimetry) at the appropriate scale (1/2000 or when necessary 1/1,000) of perimeter (gross area) including the inevitable excesses in the Piedmont and hillside to be irrigated either by gravity or by pumping).

The surveying will follow a grid of 25m x 25m (addition to the particular points) and the contour lines will be plotted every 25cm for marshland and 50 cm for hillside of equidistance. The topographical surveys will include also:

Names of places and localities (provinces, districts, sectors and cells);
The general boundaries of perimeter;
Roads and access roads, foot paths including those adjacent to the agricultural area;
Layout of emissaries / collectors and ends of tributaries;
Existing hydraulic structures and proposed new hydraulic structures materialized on ground by concrete pole (20x20cm of side and 50cm length engraved with site coordinates) showing coordinates of the area.
Other major features: highlands and thalweg, slope failures, settlements, water courses, etc.

Implementation layouts (A0 format):

Implementation layouts will be developed on the basis of topographical layouts and all the basic data allowing, on one hand to accurately calculate the volume of land related to earthworks irrigation canals (primary and secondary), drainage channels and roads as well, and on other hand to determine the number of structures and estimate the size and the quantity. These include:

Implementation layout at an appropriate scale showing the irrigation and drainage network, the roads network and the location of civil structures (chutes, intake, side weir, aqueduct, culverts, bridges, etc);
Longitudinal sections of the main and secondary irrigation and drainage canals; the profile of canal will be materialised by wooden pegs spaced on 20m, its top coinciding with the bottom level of the canal
Cross sessions of the main and secondary irrigation canals, river channel and other drainage channels;
Cross section of the hydraulic structures: 1/25, 1/50 and 1/100 scales as appropriate.
1. Detail design of dam and related infrastructures

Prepare the detail design of the dam including but not limited to: Detailed topographic survey of the dam site by using a ‘Total Station’ surveying equipment, the Production of a detailed contour plan in electronic format with scale of 1:100, confirmation of embankment length and elevation, provide detailed geotechnical investigation of dams structures, soil investigation and borrow pit identification and suitability, design solution optimisation, production of required detailed technical designs and drawings with related excavation and backfill quantities by using computer aided design, prepare self-standing plans for dam raising construction supervision, quality assurance, instrumentation, operations and maintenance, and emergency preparedness, in order to meet the requirements of the World Bank safeguard policy on safety of dams.

1. Main intake structures and access roads

Prepare the detail designs of the key water-intake structures (weirs, pipes and canals…). Provide detail designs and drawings for different components including: intake structure from the dam; feeder canal diversion weir; main delivery pipes; flood protection and sedimentation control structures; and ancillary infrastructure such as electricity if necessary and access roads. Efforts should be made to design simple cost-effective structures and equipment that can easily be operated and maintained by the farmers. Assessment should be made of the need for cost-effective canal lining where technically required.

1. Main canals, secondary canal/pipes and main delivery canal/pipes

Prepare detail designs for the main canals and related structures. The design should be prepared using (a) slope stability analysis for prevention of landslides along the canals; (b) hydraulic analyses including assessment of water losses at different reaches of the canal/pipes; and (c) suitable design parameters for the canals/pipes including side slopes, cross-sections, and freeboards, diameters, friction losses, protection drainage, crossing points etc. Assessment should be made of the need for cost-effective canal lining where technically required.

1. Secondary, tertiary canals and other control hydraulic structures

Review and refine the design capacity of the irrigation systems; prepare the design of secondary, tertiary, and other distribution control structures; conduct hydraulic and stability analysis of the individual structures to ensure proper distribution of water in the canal/pipe networks for better valorization of plots. Hydraulic and distribution structures are to be designed for their ability to transparently and accurately convey water to their respective command areas. Determine suitable locations and prepare detail designs for structures that may be required along the canal/pipe. Recommend the type of construction materials to be used for structures such as culverts, road crossings, outlets, bridges, inverted siphons, flumes, and drop structures. Use standard type of structures to facilitate future operation and maintenance.

It is to be noted that the consulting firm should identify the source and location with coordinates of materials to be used during construction with estimated quantities.

1. Drainage and flood control structures

Prepare the detail design of drainage and flood control networks. These will be mostly surface drainage and flood control structures. sub-surface drainage may be proposed and designed when deemed necessary.

Post-harvest and office structures

Following the post-harvest and office structures need assessment conducted during interim stage, the Consultant will prepare the detail design of such structures that meet community/users needs (e.g., roads, power, water distribution networks and office buildings, post-harvest and handling facilities with basic utilities, etc.).

Conduct stakeholder meeting/coordination workshop

To ensure stakeholder-wide appreciation and ownership of the assignment outputs and recommendations, the consultant is expected to organize a coordination workshop to present the draft designs to the client and stakeholders. During this workshop, the client will ensure all logistics of the participants

Preparations of final designs, unit price market survey, costed BOQs and technical specifications

Based on the comments provided on the draft detail designs and outcome of the stakeholder workshop, the consultant shall prepare detail designs of dams and command areas and related structures. These include preparations of detailed drawings, detailed unit price market survey, BOQs, technical specifications, cost estimates, and bidding documents.

Conduct stakeholder meeting/coordination workshop

After incorporating the comments in the final designs, the consultant are expected to organize a coordination workshop to present the final designs and outputs to client in technical workshop, during this workshop the client will ensure all related logistics.

Water and Irrigation infrastructures plans and drawings specifications

Revisit and refine the estimates of irrigation requirements for the selected irrigation technologies to be applied, taking into account of various irrigation efficiencies that are likely to be achieved, prepare detail design drawings including longitudinal plan, profiles, and cross-sections of the main and tertiary canals/secondary pipes and typical designs for their respective structures. Prepare design of three (3) representative tertiary blocks including tertiary canals and appropriate on-farm distribution systems.

Technical specifications

Prepare suitable technical specifications for the use of materials, workmanship, inspection schedules, plant, and equipment in the construction of irrigation infrastructures to allow the Client to prepare tender documents and select the contractors. Reference to brand names, catalog numbers or other details that limit any materials or items to a specific manufacturer is not allowed unless stated that is must be “equal or better”.

Cost estimates

Consultant shall prepare bills of quantities and project cost estimates based on unit price of materials obtained during the market survey for the final detail design report clearly indicating activities to be carried out by contractors.

Implementation schedules

For each scheme, the consultant shall prepare separate detailed implementation schedules for activities to be carried out by contractors.

Preparation of draft and final detail design reports

A draft of the detail design report will be circulated for consultation to the Client and other key stakeholders prior to moving on to the final detail design report. The report shall include the following elements:

Detail design reports and drawings
Design report, covering all aspects of these terms of reference (Final Hydraulic, geotechnical, structural calculations, detailed drawings and tender documents)
Unit price and Bills of Quantities
Project cost estimates
Implementation schedules
Preparation of Manuals (Operation and maintenance, emergency preparedness and the works of raising the Dam)
Other supporting activities, services, calculations and their timing
SCHEDULE OF REPORTS AND DELIVERABLES
1. Introduction

While conducting this assignment, the consultant will provide the client with short periodic progress updates. However, the client may request the consultant at any time to present any desired clarification about the progress of the assignment when it is determined to be necessary.

The Consultant will produce a series of reports in English during the assignment. All the reports will be prepared in Word format with tables and graphs prepared in Excel format as well as Maps and design drawings in shapefile and CAD formats. All reports to be of internationally accepted standards. All the raw data (calculation notes) collected will be submitted to Client. The reports will make full use of diagrams, Gantt Charts, photos, tables etc to make the reports accessible to a wide readership, also whose first language might not be English. The report will be submitted to SPIU-CDAT/RAB in printed copies, along with an electronic copy for evaluation and approval.

The Consultant shall arrange and make PowerPoint presentations, of the reports, maps and drawings, to the Client and other key stakeholders at workshops no more than 2 weeks after each submission.

METHODOLOGY AND STANDARDS

The Consultant will be expected to employ the most effective methodology and standards to achieve results with optimal national stakeholder involvement. In addition, the Consultant will be expected to:

collect most data from review and analysis of existing secondary sources of information such as District development plans, irrigation master plan, assessment reports, feasibility study reports, final design reports and various other regional and relevant global publications;
prepare clear, concise and focused reports; and
ensure reports are delivered in time as per the agreement.

International Standards shall be used for the studies, and their application shall be appropriately referenced. ICOLD dam design criteria shall be used to guide the definition of design floods, earthquakes, sediment management etc.

DELIVERABLES AND PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The Consultant will produce the following reports and make presentations of the same to the Client:

Report	Description	No of Copies
Inception Report(1months)	Contains the updated work plan, state of mobilization, refined work methodology and understanding of assignment, specify submission dates for each of the required technical reports in draft form, issues identified for Client’s attention, proposed content and structure of the various reports. The proposed project schedule shall be broken down by tasks and sub-tasks and presented in Gantt chart form. A presentation shall be made by the Consultant 1 Month after commencement of consultancy services	5 hard1 soft
Interim Report(3 Months)	The report will contain progress made, including details of the project area, links with existing institutions, lessons from similar projects, an assessment of constraints and opportunities, preliminary results from field investigations and surveys, preliminary findings of the various water demand assessments, and clear approach that will be taken to analyse and compare the different alternatives. The report will be complete including all information required by this TOR with only minor changes expected for the final submittal. The report will contain a detailed executive summary, a complete technical description of each alternative analysed, including justification, technical and financial analysis, computation, drawings, figures and maps as well as detailed reports on all subjects treated in the scope of the study. A presentation shall be made by the Consultant 3 months after commencement to review and approve the report.	5 hard1 soft
FinalInterim Report (1 Month)	Comments received after the presentation of the draft interim report will be addressed and the final report submitted 4 months after commencement. A final presentation is not expected unless there are significant changes made.	5 hard1 soft
Draft detail design report technical specification and unit price market surveying (2 months)	The draft final report of selected alternative will provide details of in-depth investigations on all aspects of the project. It will include all calculations notes, layout maps, drawings, bill of quantities, and updated financial analyses. These reports will be the basis of engineering works that will be conducted by the contractors. A presentation shall be made by the Consultant 2 months after approval of the interim report and selection of best scenario.	5 hard1 soft
Final design report (1 month)	Following comments from the Client, the Consultant will prepare and compile tender documents incorporating general, specific and technical conditions of contract, specifications, bill of quantities, tender drawings and operation and maintenance manuals.	5 hard1 soft
Monthly progress reports (1st week of every month)	1-2 page maximum comprising a narrative and bar charts or other graphic presentation, showing details of the Consultant’s progress, changes in the assignment schedule, impediments and proposed remedies will be submitted on a monthly basis. Reports should include a financial summary, indicating amounts invoiced, amounts disbursed, and any other pertinent financial details.	2 hard1 soft

Three workshops will be organized to discuss the submitted reports. The workshops will be facilitated by the Client. At each workshop, the Consultant’s key experts will make PowerPoint presentations and provide concise reports for discussion.

Note: The abovementioned workshops are different from the expected stakeholder public consultative meetings and/or workshops to be organized and facilitated by the Consultant in the project-affected areas for information gathering (as part of Consultant’s fieldwork) and stakeholder review and comments on draft documents during the course of the assignment.

GENERAL CONDITIONS OF THE FIRM

QUALIFICATION OF THE CONSULTANT

The study team should be comprised of experienced professionals which will include national/regional/international Consultants as necessary to ensure study relevance and effectiveness. The team should reflect an appropriate mix of disciplines, education, skills and experience, an understanding of underlying development issues, and regional experience. The team should be made up of specialists each with relevant qualifications in the corresponding disciplines and experience in undertaking studies related to irrigation development and watershed management.

The areas of expertise required include: irrigation engineering and agriculture development, watershed management, rural development, civil/infrastructure/hydraulic engineering, hydrology, financial and economic analysis, geotechnical engineering, institutional analysis and environmental and social impact assessment. The Consultant may optimize their personnel to demonstrate the competencies required for the assignment. The time input and qualifications of the key experts are as follows:

Position	Person-Months	Competences
Team Leader (Dam Design/ Civil Engineer)	7	Postgraduate qualifications in Civil/Hydraulic/Water Resources Engineering, with a minimum of 15 years’ general and 3 specific experience in water resources planning, design and construction of hydraulic structures such as dams, hydropower projects and irrigation systems and have experience in designing World Bank or other IFI financed irrigation projects in recent years; strong coordination and leadership skills with proven record over past five years with at least 3 certificate of completion.
Irrigation and Drainage Specialist	6	Bachelor Degree in irrigation, water resources, or hydraulic engineering, with 10 years’ general experience or Postgraduate qualification in above mentioned field with 5 years of general experience in the planning, design and construction of irrigation and drainage systems. And 3 years of specific experience for all
Agricultural Planner/ Agronomist	2	Postgraduate qualifications in Agronomy with at least 7 years of general experience with 2 specific references proven with certificates of completion in commercially oriented irrigation or irrigated agriculture development projects.
Structural Engineer	2	Bachelor Degree in Civil/ Structural Engineering and at least 7 years of general experience with 2 specific references proven with certificates of completion as structural engineer for design and construction of hydraulic infrastructure projects.
Geotechnical Engineer	2	Bachelor or Postgraduate qualifications in Civil/Geotechnical Engineering and at least 7 years of general experience with 2 specific references proven with certificates of completion in geotechnical investigations, design and construction of hydraulic infrastructure projects.
Hydrologist/ Hydro-geologist	3	Bachelor or Postgraduate qualification in water resources /hydrology, and at least 5 years general experience with 2 specific references proven with certificates of completion in use of water resources models for surface and groundwater assessments as well as experience in use of GIS/remote sensing in river basins.
Soil Specialist/ Pedologist	2	Postgraduate qualifications in soil sciences at least 5 years of general experience with 2 specific references proven with certificates of completion in soil investigation for irrigation and watershed projects
Land-husbandry specialist	1	Postgraduate qualifications in soil sciences, agroforestry and at least 5 years of general experience with 2 specific references proven with certificates of completion in land husbandry for irrigation and watershed projects
Economist/ Financial Specialist	5	Postgraduate qualifications in economics, and at least 5 years of general experience with 2 Specific references proven with certificates of completion on development projects, specifically in economic and financial analysis of water resources development projects; and has experiences in irrigation water tariff assessment and design
Surveyor	4	Bachelor Degree in surveying with a minimum of 10 years general experience or Postgraduate qualifications in above field with a minimum of 5 years general experience with demonstrated experience in use of remote sensing/GIS applications with 2 Specific references proven with certificates of completion in engineering surveys.
Social development specialist	1	Bachelor Degree or Postgraduate qualifications in sociology, development studies, 5 years of general experience with 2 Specific references proven with certificates of completion. The Specialist will ensure that socio-economic and gender issues are appropriately included during the project preparation/design stage.
Environmental Specialist	2	Postgraduate qualification in Environment studies and at least 5 years of general experience with 2 Specific references proven with certificates of completion in Environmental Assessments. Knowledge of World Bank Social and environmental safeguards is a must.
Total Man-Months	37

DATA AND SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED BY THE CLIENT

Data and documentation on hydrological, meteorological, water quality and other relevant aspects of the river basins which the Client may have will be availed to the Consultant; however, the Consultant has the ultimate responsibility for collecting the required data and documentation which cannot be made available by the Client from official sources. The Client will:

Facilitate in establishing communication with the relevant institutions
Liaise and assist the Consultant in obtaining any other information and documents required from other government agencies and which the Client considers essential for conducting of the assignment
Provide assistance to obtain work permits for staff of the Consultant
Provide assistance in obtaining Customs and Tax Exemptions, where applicable, as detailed in Special Conditions of the Consultancy Agreement and General Conditions of Service
Arrange consultative meetings and ensure linkage with relevant stakeholders and district authorities and
Provide any document on request that the Consultant may require either for purposes of preparing bid documents or in the course of the feasibility study.
COSTS, FEES AND CONTRACT DETAILS

Proposals should indicate how the funds will be best utilized to achieve the objectives of the assignment. Whilst all of the Consultant’ costs incurred in their participation, supporting the arrangement and running of national and district workshops must be included in the Consultant’s financial proposal, the costs of holding the workshops themselves (costs of venue, participants’ expenses such as transport and accommodation, materials etc.) will be met by the Client and should not be included in the Consultant’s financial proposals. The costs of all other consultations, meetings etc. required by the Consultant to adequately complete the assignment must be included in the financial proposals.

The Consultant shall operate their own project office and shall bear all accommodation, local transportation, visas, and other costs necessary to carry out the assignment.

The Consultant’s fees shall cover the salaries of the entire staff of the Consultant employed on the study. The fees will include provision for all supporting staff and services necessary to carry out the work; hire of vehicles; procurement of equipment and direct costs for travel, freight, accommodation, report production and other expenses. The contract will be for a fixed lump sum and the Consultant will not claim any additional payments to compensate for exchange rate fluctuations or price escalation and delays in payments of not more than 90 days on the part of the Client.

The amount and schedule of payment of fees will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract agreement finally made between the Consultant and RAB/SPIU/CDAT Project. Notwithstanding this, the following schedule will be used as a basis for negotiation:

Payment Number	Event	Percentage (%)
1	Submission of approved Inception Report, after addressing the comments from presentation workshop	20
2	Submission of approved Interim Report, after addressing the comments from presentation workshop	40
3	Submission of approved Final Detail Design Report and Tender documents, after addressing the comments from presentation workshop	40

QUALITY MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS

The Consultant will be required to demonstrate in their proposal evidence of adoption of the use of a Quality Assurance System (ISO 9001 or equivalent), as well as describe how quality control will be implemented in the course of the project.

POSITION TYPE

RFP/Tender/EoI

ORGANIZATION TYPE

NGO/Civil Society

EXPERIENCE-LEVEL

Not Specified

IHE Delft - MSc in Water and Sustainable Development

Back to all water jobs