Call for Proposals: Short-Term Consultant – Online Training on “Design & Implementation of Decentralised Wastewater Treatment System (DEWATS)”

Call for Proposals: Short-Term Consultant – Online Training on “Design & Implementation of Decentralised Wastewater Treatment System (DEWATS)”

With many countries across the globe grappling with a water crisis, the only possible alternative is promoting the reuse of treated wastewater. Most cities treat their wastewater through centralised sewerage systems, which can be quite challenging to maintain in the long run and not always suitable due to a challenging topography or remote areas. One of the primary difficulties is scaling them up as cities grow. As a result, decentralised approaches are fast gaining ground – especially in rapidly urbanizing places; not to replace but rather to complement centralised systems. However, the biggest reason for decentralisation is that it contributes to water security by enabling the reuse of treated water close to the point of generation. Decentralised wastewater treatment systems (DEWATS) are an attractive solution for addressing the problems of water pollution and scarcity. Its low operation and maintenance help keep costs low. DEWATS is a feasible alternative for those areas that are not connected to sewer networks as well as for peri-urban areas, where sewer networks don’t usually reach.

The overall objective of Decentralised Wastewater Treatment Solutions (DEWATS) Design training is to provide local stakeholders with the knowledge, skills, and resources to design decentralized climate resilient solutions and prepare detailed technical drawings for them so they can replicate it in the future.

1. Purpose of Consultancy

BORDA Jordan is pleased to release a call for proposals for a short-term consultant for (DEWATS) training to support BORDA in the protection of natural resources and adaptation to climate change in Jordan.

2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Please refer to the below ToR document (section 3: Scope of work) including the project outcomes, objectives, and required tasks and deliverables.

BORDA Jordan and the Consultant shall keep each other informed on activities and issues that affect the cooperation in general and the implementation of the Service on a timely basis in particular. The Parties shall inform each other of meetings, discussions, and presentations held in other coordination forums related to the project.

Specific roles and responsibilities of BORDA Jordan:

• Focal point of official communication with donor, local and national stakeholders as well as community on the ground.

• Overall Training management and control.
• Approval of delivered services by the Consultant and payment of services in line with the agreement.

3.  Qualifications Required:

The Trainers shall have the following qualifications:

• Academic degree (Preferably Ph.D. degree) in Water Resources Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or any other relevant field.
• Related published research papers are preferred.
• At least 5 years of professional experience as a trainer in Water Resources Engineering analyst or researcher. Experience in Decentralized Sanitation Solutions and Wastewater management & treatment is an advantage.
• High level written and oral communication skills in English.

4. Offer presentation and submission:

Interested candidates are requested to hand in the following documents:

• Technical offer – (Refer to chapter 5 and 6 below);
  • Course outlines & agenda
  • Training time frame (agenda).
  • Trainer CV/Company profile – including training experience.
• Financial offer (refer to Annex 1 for table to be filled, signed, stamped, and submitted).

Your offers shall be sent as PDF files to the following emails: info@borda-wesca.org,  bahbouh@borda-wesca.org. The offers shall be submitted no later than 5 PM (Jordan local time) on September 30th, 2024. Sending your offers to any other email address will result in rejecting your participation in this call.

One PDF file shall be sent for the Technical Offer and another PDF file for the Financial Offer. Your PDF files shall be named as follows:

1. Your name/Technical offer/ DEWATS training – BORDA/JOR/2024/RFP-01
2. Your name/ Financial offer/ DEWATS training – BORDA/JOR/2024/RFP-01

Any identification of the financial offer in the technical proposal will result in disqualification of your submitted offer and it will not be considered in the technical or financial evaluation.

5. Validity Period of Offers

The period of validity of the Offers shall be Twelve (12) weeks from the deadline of submission which should be indicated in the offer.

6. Request for additional information

Any questions, communication, or request for additional information concerning this call of short-term consultant are only permitted in writing to BORDA Jordan. If any clarification proves necessary, the answers will be communicated simultaneously in writing to all the applicants.

Clarifications should be sent by e-mail to (al-qousi@borda-wesca.org) no later than 5 PM (Jordan local time) on September 25th, 2024.

7. Assignment Duration

The assignment is expected to start in late November and should be carried out in up to 5 workdays. Exact date to be provided and confirmed by BORDA.

8. Content of the offer

Technical proposal: The technical proposal shall contain:

1. Course outlines & agenda

This section shall contain, but not limited to, the following:

• The conceptual and methodological approach proposed to carry out the services. This section should demonstrate the Consultants response to the Terms of Reference/scope of work by identifying the specific components proposed, how the requirements shall be addressed, as specified, point by point; providing a detailed description of the essential performance characteristics proposed; identifying the activities/tasks that will be subcontracted, and demonstrating how the proposed methodology meets or exceeds the specifications while ensuring the appropriateness of the approach to the local conditions and the rest of the project operating environment.
• Consultant shall refrain from long explanations in the style of a textbook.

1. Consultant CV including professional experience.

The CV of the consultant shall include a detailed listing of the experience and qualification of the expert, providing information on:

• General experience of the consultant in Water Resources Engineering analyst or researcher assessments during the period of the last 10 years.
• General experience in the field of water and sanitation services assessments in Jordan.
• Any relevant publications.

The experience should include Project name, location, client information, the value of the contract & period, names of professional staff involved as well as associated consultants, description of the project and actual services provided, and any other relevant information that will demonstrate the degree of qualification of the firm for the specific project under consideration.

Financial Proposal

The financial proposal shall be structured as per the format in Annex-1 in a detailed table. The consultant is required to prepare and submit a separate PDF file clearly marked as “Financial proposal”.

The Consultant shall make his quotations in (USD) including all applicable Taxes according to Jordanian Laws and Regulations.

Terms of References (Tor’s)

Engineers’ Training on Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS)

1.   Introduction

The rapid growth of cities has created a shortfall in the supply of infrastructure and services leading to a deteriorating environment. Today an estimated two billion people in the world do not have access to ‘adequate’ sanitation facilities, leading to the degradation of the environment, human health, and aesthetic values. Only 37 percent of urban sewage is treated (23,277 million liters per day)! The disposal of such a huge volume of untreated domestic sewage from cities and towns is the biggest source of water pollution and environmental contamination.

The existing centralized systems are not able to serve the increasing demand. As a complementary option to the centralized approach, a decentralized waste management system can be an effective solution to tackle pollution in urban areas. Moreover, decentralization helps to increase community participation in the decision-making process, implementation, and maintenance. In this context, there is an increasing need for scaling up decentralized approaches for adequate basic needs services. Decentralized wastewater treatment systems have enormous potential to contribute to the development of sustainable environmental sanitation.

The project “Strengthening Local Structures for Sustainable Sanitation Services in West and Central Asia” aims to have the local authorities contribute to livable, sustainable, and resilient communities, as well as to the protection of natural resources and adaptation to climate change in Jordan. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) with the overall goal of developing and implementing improved solutions for wastewater treatment and faecal sludge management, thus contributing to better living conditions and improved resilience for the host communities.

The project is being implemented by BORDA – Jordan (Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association), which is a non-profit civil society expert organization headquartered in Bremen, Germany, that provides innovative, demand-driven support in wastewater management and integrated urban planning.

2.     Description

This program is specifically designed to impart the knowledge and skills required for planning, designing, implementing, and managing DEWATS™. The intended participants are Urban planners, WASH specialists, Engineers and Employees of planning institutes.

The course will be delivered in a virtual format, meaning it will take place entirely online through a digital platform, allowing participants to attend remotely from any location with internet access.

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Establish the need for wastewater treatment and reuse.
• Classify wastewater and its characteristics.
• List the advantages of DEWATS™ over other wastewater treatment approaches.
• Describe the concept and principles of DEWATS™ and the functions of each module.
• Identify the various DEWATS models and their respective applications based on the specific needs, site conditions, budget, and types of wastewater to be treated
• Identify the parameters for DEWATS ™ modules design and gain skills on design calculations.
• Assess the feasibility of DEWATS from social, technological, financial, institutional and environmental perspectives by following a standard procedure for conducting the study.
• Acquire the skill of developing design (dimensions) of treatment modules considering environmental and civil requirements.
• Identify the DEWATS™ construction steps, norms and crucial stages of construction supervision.
• Define the key steps and activities involved in the operation and maintenance of a DEWATS™ plant.
• Understand the role of DEWATS™ project monitoring and performance (wastewater) monitoring.
• Understand the applicability of DEWATS™ in different sectors.
• Outline the economics of DEWATS™.

3.   Scope of Work

This course is a highly interactive hands-on training including:

• Interactive input presentations
• Case studies
• Demonstrations
• Hands-on exercises
• Short videos for presentation
• Field visit to DEWATS site – to be facilitated by BORDA Jordan
• Experience Sharing
• Individual and Group Assignments
• Training evaluation: including a participants’ feedback questionnaire– to be prepared by BORDA Jordan and distributed to participants by the consultant after the training.

This course includes the following subjects:

• Introduction to wastewater management
• Wastewater treatment approaches and technologies
• DEWATS™ Principles and Modules
• Design of DEWATS™ – parameters and modules
• Feasibility and initial DEWATS™ project planning
• Economics of DEWATS™
• Reuse options of treated wastewater
• DEWATS™ Implementation, Operation and Maintenance

Any submitted material (reports, questionnaires…) shall include the logos of BMZ and BORDA as well.

Annex – 1

Financial proposal