REoI for: Consulting Services for Preparation of Assam State Water Resources Assessment (SWRA) Report under Assam Integrated River Basin Management Project (AIRBMP)

Corrigendum I (Time Extension)

Sub: Request for Expression of Interest (REoI) for “Consultancy Services for Preparation of Assam State Water Resources Assessment (SWRA) Report under AIRBMP”

RFP Ref No: FREMAA_CS12_SWRA dated 27/06/2024

                                                                                                       (Dr. Jeevan B, IAS)

                                                                                                   Chief Executive Officer,

                                                                                                               FREMAA

Minutes of the Informational Meeting for the Potential Consultants (15 July 2024) and the Follow-up Responses to Their Queries on-

REoI for: Consulting Services for Preparation of Assam State Water Resources Assessment (SWRA) Report under Assam Integrated River Basin Management Project (AIRBMP)

REoI Ref No: FREMAA_CS12_SWRA dated 27/06/2024

This note is prepared and intended as generalized responses to the potential consultants’ queries raised during the informational meeting held on 15 July 2024 and later received through emails with reference to the meeting.

1. CQS Selection method (General Background):

The Consultant’s Qualification Selection (CQS) method has been adopted for this procurement considering the nature and value of this assignment as per the World Bank Procurement Regulation November 2020. As already mentioned in the Clause 10 of the REOI, the Client will select the Consultant which is most suitable for the assignment and will request them to submit the technical and financial proposals which are subjected to negotiation (technical & financial) before finalization.

2. During the meeting the interested consultants were informed to submit their EoI accompanied by relevant documents substantiating their experience and qualifications and the proposed team to undertake the assignment, along with the profiles of key experts.

Attention of the consultants is drawn to the following sub clause marked with italics sentence under the Clause 7, in addition to the Clause 6, of the REOI, while submitting the EoI proposals –

Clause7: The EoI shall include the following:

• Introductory letter on letter head (with complete contact details – name of the contact person and confirmation that the person is authorized to act on behalf of the organization, mailing address, telephone, email, etc.) explaining how the consultant is best placed to deliver the assignment.

It was conveyed that the consultants are encouraged to prove their capability to undertake the assignment in an efficient way with reference to the REOI Clauses and the TOR.

3. FREMAA will complete the shortlisting of qualified firms based on evaluation by a committee. The first ranked firm will be offered the Request for Proposal (RFP) with standard forms to submit their technical & financial proposal. If this becomes unsuccessful due to unsatisfactory technical proposal and/or for financial negotiation, then the 2nd ranked firm, and others will sequentially be offered the same until a successful negotiation is arrived.  

4. FREMAA now clarifies the following points in response to queries heard and received from the consultants:

• There are no specific formats for submission of the EOI and Letter of intent (LoI).
• The TOR conditions regarding expert’s educational qualification can be reviewed during proposal preparation period with the selected consultant.
• Profiles of key staff within the organization should be provided with the EOI.
• WRD & FREMAA shall facilitate collection of all existing data by the consultants. Their experts shall be directly involved in the data and information collection, with the support from WRD and FREMAA. Consultants shall be responsible for collecting data from open-sources, studies and literatures.
• Data from central and other agencies, available with WRD, shall also be made available free of cost to the consultants after necessary data secrecy agreements, if relevant.  
• Client will cover the cost for organising the stakeholder consultations/workshops and thus, this cost shall not be part of financial proposal.
• Identification of the stakeholders will be the joint responsibility of the Consultant and the client.
• In case of JV, either of the JV partner may use the e-procurement log-in credentials. However, the EoI proposal duly signed by the authorised representative of the association as JV /Sole firm shall be uploaded in the e-procurement portal.
• LoI does not have to be notarized nor be on judicial stamp paper.
• All staff, key and non-key, should spend at least two-thirds of their time in Assam.

         (Dr. Jeevan B, IAS)

Chief Executive Officer, FREMAA

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (REoI)

(CONSULTING SERVICES)

Assam Integrated River Basin Management Program (AIRBMP) Project

Loan No.9487 IN

Assignment Title: Consulting Services for preparation of Assam State Water Resources Assessment (SWRA) Report under Assam Integrated River Basin Management Project (AIRBMP)

Reference No.:  FREMAA_CS12_SWRA                         Issuance Date: 26 /06/2024

1. The State of Assam, through the Government of India, has received financing from the World Bank towards the cost of the Assam Integrated River Basin Management Program (AIRBMP) [1] and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services required for the project.

 2.  Flood and River Erosion Management Agency of Assam (FREMAA) is the Project Management Unit (PMU) with Water Resources Department  (WRD) and Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) as the Project Implementing Units (PIU) for the AIRBMP.

3. The program aims to squarely address the “Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)-Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Nexus” through a set of synergistic activities including the use of nature-based solutions and non-structural approaches.

 4. FREMAA (herein referred as “Client”) wishes to hire a consultancy firm/organisation (herein referred as “Consultant”) to develop the “State Water Resources Assessment (SWRA) Report” which will serve as WRD’s first flagship report on integrated water resources management. The assignment draws upon existing information and places a priority on stakeholder engagement and consensus building requiring a social team. IIT Guwahati has partnered with FREMAA to support the SWRA. An informational meeting will be held to provide on the scope of the work. The informational meeting will be held on 15/07/2024 at 1PM (13:00 HRS, IST) and will be in hybrid mode (both Virtual and physical). Consultants wishing to attend virtually may send a request email for virtual link at least one day before the scheduled meeting to the following email id: ceo-fremaa@assam.gov.in. Consultants wishing to attend physically may attend the meeting in the address mentioned in the REOI.

The TOR for the assignment can be found at: https://fremaa.assam.gov.in/resource/tenders-0                        And                   www.assamtenders.gov.in.

5.The Client now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the services. Organizations such as consulting firms, civil society organizations, research organizations, and think-tanks are encouraged to participate in the Informational Meeting and apply, through partnerships as described below.

6. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required capacity and relevant experience to perform the services. The information should include comprehensive descriptions of previous relevant assignments including nature of assignment, contract date, contract amount, person months provided by the organization, and role of the organization in the contract (Lead, Joint Venture Member, Sub-Consultant, etc.). The profiles of key relevant staff in the organization should also be provided. The general criteria which will be taken into consideration in the selection process include:

• Experience in water resource assessment, water resource planning and policy formulation support etc.
• Ability to address multi-sector issues in an integrated water resources management framework.
• Significant experience in India working on water and environmental issues.
• Profiles of key staff (Within and outside the organisation).

7. The EoI shall include the following:

• Introductory letter on letter head (with complete contact details – name of the contact person, mailing address, telephone, email, etc.) explaining how the consultant is best placed to deliver the assignment.
• Organizations’ brochures and profile
• Information on assignment experiences and staffing as noted above.

8. The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraphs 3.14, 3.16 and 3.17 of the “World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” Fourth Edition, November 2020, setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

9. The Consultant may associate with other organizations in the form of a joint venture or a sub-consultancy to enhance their qualifications. The consultant shall clearly state the role of each member in the association (Lead, JV partner, or Sub-consultant) in their expression of interest, and should submit a signed Letter of Intent by all JV partners in case of a Joint Venture. 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.

10. A consultant will be selected in accordance with the Consultant’s Qualification Selection (CQS) through Open National Market Approach method as set out in World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” Fourth Edition, November 2020.  Based on Expression of Interest, the Client will select the Consultant which is most suitable for the assignment and will request them to submit the technical and financial proposals which are subjected to negotiation before finalization.

11. Queries may be raised at https://assamtenders.gov.in/  or email to ceo-fremaa@assam.gov.in with subject line – “Queries- EoI- SWRA-(AIRBMP) – FREMAA<Name of the Consultant>” latest by 14/07/2024 till 14:00 Hours(IST).

12. Interested Consultants may upload Expressions of Interest along with the aforesaid supporting documents online at the e-procurement portal of Govt. of Assam viz. https://assamtenders.gov.in as per the dates mentioned below. No other mode of submission shall be entertained.

13. Key Dates:

1. REoI publication date and time         :27/06/2024 at 12:00 Hours (IST).
2. REoI download start date and time   :27/06/2024 from 12:00 Hours (IST)
3. REoI download end date and time    :16/08/2024 till 14:00 Hours (IST)
4. Informational meeting date and time:15/07/2024 at 13:00 Hours (IST)
5. EoI submission End Date and time   :16/08/2024 till 14:00 Hours (IST)
6. EoI online opening date and time     :16/08/2024 at 16:00 Hours (IST)

14. Address for Communication:

The Chief Executive Officer

Flood and River Erosion Management Agency of Assam (FREMAA)

4th Floor, Assam Water Centre (Near Basistha Police Station), Kundil Nagar, Basistha Chariali, Guwahati–781029, Assam, India, Phone: 0361-2309896

Email: ceo-fremaa@assam.gov.in;

website:fremaa.assam.gov.in

                                                                                                                                 (Dr Jeevan B, IAS)

                                                                                                                                  CEO, FREMAA

[1] https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-detail/P174593