RFP: Consultancy on Wetlands and Climate Resilient Systems Against Flood Disasters, and Collaboration Between River Basin and Nature Conservation Institutions

SADC SECRETARIAT

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (CONSULTANT QUALIFICATIONS-BASED SELECTION)

COUNTRY: Botswana

NAME OF PROJECT: SADC REGIONAL CLIMATE RESILIENCE PROJECT (RCRP)

PROJECT ID: P180171

ASSIGNMENT TITLE: CONSULTANCY ON WETLANDS AND CLIMATE RESILIENT SYSTEMS AGAINST FLOOD DISASTERS, AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN RIVER BASIN AND NATURE CONSERVATION INSTITUTIONS

REFERENCE NUMBER: SADC/3/5/2/383

DATE OF ISSUE: 20th March 2025

Background

The SADC Secretariat through the SADC Regional Climate Resilience Project (RCRP) has received a grant. The Project is the first in a Series of Projects (SOP), and involves Madagascar, Mozambique, South Sudan, Comoros, and two regional organizations: SADC, and the Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office (ENTRO). The overarching development objective of the SOP is to strengthen the resilience to water-related climate impacts in Eastern and Southern African countries.

The project serves as a first step towards a regional platform to tackle climate adaptation through a common and coordinated approach, including on fund raising and consolidating multilateral and bilateral support – which is critical to ensure alignment, development, and scaled-up financing of critical adaptive interventions.

It will contribute to improved disaster risk management in support of regional resilience and the strengthening of climate change, adaptation and mitigation, under the cross-cutting issues of the SADC Vision 2050, as well as contribute towards the achievement of the aspirations of SADC as spelt out in the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020-2030

The SADC Secretariat intends to apply part of the proceeds of this financing to eligible payments under the contract for hiring a firm to undertake a CONSULTANCY ON WETLANDS AND CLIMATE RESILIENT SYSTEMS AGAINST FLOOD DISASTERS, AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN RIVER BASIN AND NATURE CONSERVATION INSTITUTIONS

The SADC Secretariat invites submissions from suitably qualified and interested firms to undertake this consultancy, recruited using Consultants Qualifications-based Selection. following World Bank Procurement Regulations dated September 2023.

Title : CONSULTANCY ON WETLANDS AND CLIMATE RESILIENT SYSTEMS AGAINST FLOOD DISASTERS, AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN RIVER BASIN AND NATURE CONSERVATION INSTITUTIONS (A Firm)

Time Commitment : 100%

Accountable : Acting Head, Disaster Risk Reduction Unit

Duration of Assignment: 18 months

The Objectives of the Assignment: To build synergy, collaboration, and cooperation between River Basin Organisations (RBOs) and Trans-frontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) in the Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) area of the SADC Region, and to develop a joint nature-based investment programme to increase the resilience of the region’s wetland ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems and resources overall (while promoting their water and climate services) and wildlife against resource over exploitation and climate-induced floods and drought pressures. The detailed scope of work can be obtained from the terms of reference below.

The SADC Secretariat now invites eligible consulting firms to indicate their interest in providing these services. Interested consulting firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (i.e., Company profile detailing alignment to the assignment, description of similar assignments undertaken, experience in similar conditions and availability of appropriate skills among staff).

The consulting firm should have significant in-depth expertise and knowledge in activities such as stakeholder engagement, training and capacity building conducted under this assignment must align with the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) and its applicable Environmental and Social Standards (ESSs), ensuring that recommendations consider potential environmental and social risks and align with best practices in transboundary water resource management. Work under this consultancy is also expected to incorporate gender-sensitive approaches in all project activities and conduct a GBV/SEA/SH risk assessment.

Establishment of the short-list and the selection procedure shall be in accordance with 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” dated September 2023 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. which is available on the Bank’s website at https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/Procurement-Regulations-September-2023.pdf. The Consultant will be selected under the Consultants Qualifications-based Selection.

The firms will be selected using the following criteria:

Evaluation Criteria	Points
Firm specific experience related to the assignment	40
Availability of Qualified and Experienced Experts	60
Total	100

Interested consultants may obtain further information and detailed terms of reference at the address below during office hours 08h00hours to 16h30hours Botswana time.

Expressions of interest must be submitted electronically in PDF format and dully signed via this LINK: https://collab.sadc.int/s/WGfZ7ZtCMPExNC5 by midnight Botswana time on 3 April 2025 and should mention the name of the consultancy assignment. CONSULTANCY ON WETLANDS AND CLIMATE RESILIENT SYSTEMS AGAINST FLOOD DISASTERS, AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN RIVER BASIN AND NATURE CONSERVATION INSTITUTIONS (A Firm)

Firms are advised to submit their proposals during working hours for support in case of any technical problems. Expressions of Interest must be submitted as one PDF file or zipped folder bearing the name of the applicant.

Below is the address for obtaining further information:

The Procuring entity: SADC Secretariat

Head of Procurement Unit

Contact person: Ms. Mercy Mikuwa

Telephone: +267 364 1989 / 3951863

Fax: 3972848

E-mail: mmikuwa@sadc.int

Copy to: dmndzebele@sadc.int; tchabwera@sadc.int

Annex 1

TERMS OF REFERENCE

FOR

CONSULTANCY ON WETLANDS AND CLIMATE RESILIENT SYSTEMS AGAINST FLOOD DISASTERS, AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN RIVER BASIN AND NATURE CONSERVATION INSTITUTIONS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION.. 3

1.1. Partner country and procuring entity. 3

1.2. Contracting authority. 3

1.3. Background, Current Situation and Rationale. 3

1.3.1. Background. 3

1.3.2. Current situation. 4

1.3.3. Rationale for the Intervention. 5

2. OBJECTIVE, PURPOSE, AND EXPECTED RESULTS.. 6

2.1. Overall objective. 6

2.2. Purpose (Specific Objective) 7

2.3. Results to be achieved by the contractor. 7

3. ASSUMPTIONS AND RISKS.. 8

3.1. Assumptions and Risks underlying the project. 8

4. SCOPE OF THE WORK.. 8

4.1. General Project description. 8

4.2. Geographical area to be covered. 9

4.3. Target groups. 9

4.4. Specific Work. 9

4.5. Project management 10

4.6. Facilities to be provided by the contracting authority and/or other parties 10

5. LOGISTICS AND TIMING.. 10

5.1. Location. 10

5.2. Start date and period of implementation. 10

6. REQUIREMENTS.. 11

6.1. Service providers. 11

6.1.1. Team Leader & Integrated Water Resource Management Expert 11

6.1.2. Environmental Expert 12

6.1.3. Selection Criteria. 13

6.2. Incidental expenditure. 13

6.3. Expenditure verification. 13

7. REPORTS.. 13

7.1. Reporting requirements. 13

7.2. Duration of the assignment 13

7.3. Payment Schedule. 13

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Partner country and procuring entity

Southern African Development Community (SADC)

Contracting authority

Southern African Development Community Secretariat (SADC Secretariat)

Background, Current Situation and Rationale

1. Background

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is a Regional Economic Community comprising of 16 Member States, namely, Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Established in 1992, SADC is committed to regional integration and poverty eradication within Southern Africa through economic development and ensuring peace and security.

Guided by the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030, and premised upon the SADC Vision 2050, the SADC Region has developed the Implementation Plan for the Regional Indicative Strategy Development Plan, for regional integration that seeks to promote cooperation amongst Member States for macro-economic beneficiation. One of the strategic objectives of the RISDP is to ensure integrated water resources planning, development and management for water security and sustainable ecosystems, as well as enduring nature and biodiversity that support human life, regional growth and integration.

In view of the above, the SADC Secretariat is undertaking a number of interventions aimed at increasing the resilience of the SADC economies, improvement of livelihoods of the region’s communities and the protection and restoration of biodiversity and the region’s ecosystems. One such initiative is the Regional Climate Resilience Program (RCRP), which is a programmatic framework (structured as a series of projects or SOPs), funded by the World Bank, with the objective of strengthening the resilience to water-related climate hazards and their impacts in Eastern and Southern African countries. The first project within this program, RCRP-1 supports Madagascar, Mozambique, South Sudan, Comoros, and two regional organizations: SADC, and the Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office (ENTRO) while the second project (RCRP-2) supports Malawi and the African Union. The SOP allows for scalability (countries can join at different times) and economies of scale. It supports catalytic medium- to large-scale investments to reduce people’s exposure to climate shocks, with a focus on protective, multi-benefit infrastructure; risk adaptation and mitigation via improved early warning systems and planning; and scaling up adaptive safety nets and decentralized resilience building activities.

The Project Development Objective (PDO) of the RCRP-1 project is to improve the management of water-related climate hazard impacts in Eastern and Southern Africa, and, in case of an Eligible Crisis or Emergency, for early response. The PDO addresses the need for improved management of water-related climate impacts in the participating countries, in particular management of hazards from increased rainfall variability and extremes, droughts, floods, and cyclones affecting the regions. Component 2 of the project, which is focusing on Infrastructure Investments and Sustainable Asset Management for Climate Resilience. Through the project, the SADC Secretariat intends to solicit the Consultancy Services (Consulting Firm) to undertake some activities under Component 2 of the project.

1. Current situation

The SADC region continues to face significant impacts of climate change and land-use practices that threaten the region’s waterways and ecosystems. The source-to-sea approaches do not find true implementation meaning due to discrete management approaches of land and waterway pockets. Land-based natural resources dependent on water-based ecosystems do not optimally benefit from coordinated strategies on natural resources use and exploitation since the resource management authorities plan independently.

The importance of a transboundary and multi-stakeholder approach to address many of the pressing challenges facing the environment and sustainable development is increasingly being recognised. Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) in Southern Africa are unique landscapes and seascapes that are well suited to the collaborative and coordinated implementation of a number of Multilateral Environmental Agreements in support of the Sustainable Development Goals and the creation of an equitable, carbon-neutral, and nature-positive world. Thus, the approval of the SADC TFCA Programme (2023 -2033) reinforced Member States’ efforts to establish and develop TFCAs in collaboration with national, regional, and international partners. The Goal 1, of the SADC TFCA Programme (2023 -2033), calls for an “Integrated and effective management of transboundary landscapes and seascapes”, recognizing that in terrestrial TFCAs, integrated land management is an increasingly popular and innovative approach to land management that reduces land use conflicts, empowers communities, addresses climate change, supports water and food security, and achieves development objectives at the landscape scale.

TFCAs are founded on the realisation that natural resources that straddle international boundaries are shared assets with the potential to meaningfully contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and the welfare and socio-economic development of communities. The legal frameworks that provide an enabling environment for the establishment and effective functioning of TFCAs in the SADC region include: The SADC Protocol on Wildlife Conservation and Law Enforcement (1999); SADC Regional Biodiversity Protocol (2006); SADC Protocol on Fisheries (2001); and SADC Protocol on Forestry (2002).

The goal of transboundary coordination within SADC TFCAs leads to effective ecosystem services, including habitat and species management, promotion and formalisation of the relationship between River Basin Organisations (RBOs) and TFCAs through the signing of MoUs for those basins which do not have such cooperation frameworks in place yet. The need to frame a path toward collaboration between the SADC TFCAs and RBOs is compelling.

The Revised SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourses adopted in August 2000 sets out a framework to foster closer cooperation and sustainable and coordinated management, protection, and utilisation of shared watercourses in the SADC region. The Protocol has established Shared Watercourse Institutions (River Basin Organisations/RBOs) for the judicious implementation of the Protocol. The Protocol also, while premised on the shared watercourses approach, fosters a basin approach in the delivery of RBO mandates. It also promotes holistic solutions in the utilisation, conservation and protection of catchment system resources. It is against this backdrop that the sector is pursuing the water-energy-food-ecosystem (WEFE) nexus approach in the governance of the region’s transboundary river basins. A combined TFCA and river basin approach therefore renders the WEFE nexus a viable solution not only from a management point of view, but also from the economic efficiency and optimisation of the goods and services out of the region’s land and aquatic resources, wetland resources included.

Several RBOs have been established in the SADC Region. The Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM) and the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (OKACOM) are two of the RBOs in the project area, which this activity is focussing on, especially the upper Zambezi in the case of the Zambezi River Basin. The Okavango and upper Zambezi are transcended by the Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) TFCA, which includes parts of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Within the above context, there is scope for mutual benefit for both RBOs and TFCAs to collaborate, coordinate efforts, and cooperate through design and implementation of joint strategies and aligned delivery plans which therefore optimise use of human capital and financial resources while benefitting communities and the common natural resources of SADC Member States. Therefore, this collaboration can be guided by the SADC TFCA Programme (2023 – 2033) and relevant water sector Strategies including the RSAP and RBOs SAP or IWRM Plans, where SADC Secretariat through its specific units may play an important role in this regard. Such collaboration is also required for joint programming, to allow for pooling of resources and technical expertise, to make significant contribution to the regional development, poverty reduction and regional integration project of SADC.

1. Rationale for the Intervention

The region’s RBOs and TFCAs are tasked with management of natural resources that straddle international boundaries of States in the SADC region therefore contributing to peaceful coexistence as well as social and economic development of States and communities in these geographic areas. The interdependency of TFCAs and RBOs stems from the benefits that biodiversity (both flora and fauna) derive from the presence of water on the one hand, and the benefits derived by watercourses from well-managed and effectively protected ecosystems. Well-managed ecosystems then anchor water sources as well as effective functioning of wetlands and watercourses and perform such other functions related to water conservation including provision of natural filtering, attenuation of floods, and providing conducive conditions for ground water recharge and support to river flow (especially baseflow).

Collaboration between RBOs and TFCAs has already been established in a number of areas in SADC including: the Limpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM) and the Great Limpopo TFCA; the Okavango- River Basin Water Commission (OKACOM) and the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM), and the Kavango-Zambezi TFCA. The need for further collaboration, partnership, and cooperation between RBOs and TFCAs was agreed to at the 10th SADC RBO Workshop hosted by the Limpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM) in Maputo in October 2023, and further re-affirmed at the SADC TFCA Network meeting held in Maputo in November 2023.

The source-to-sea approach lacks meaning if catchments are managed in isolation of TFCAs, especially also considering that nature conservation objectives tend to align with watershed management goals. Wetland protection, conservation and restoration objectives also contribute to biodiversity promotion rationales and as such wetland management aligns with the TFCAs goals and add to the goals of TFCAs tourism-related services.

Some of the common areas of interest between TFCAs and RBOs could include climate change and monitoring, water quality, pollution and river health management, groundwater management, catchment rehabilitation and/or sustainable land management, sediment monitoring and prevention, supporting rural communities with water, sanitation, and health. Further elaboration of area specific programme areas would require extensive consultations at individual TFCA/RBO level based on their specific peculiarities, while also working with transboundary aquifer institutions (national, transboundary and regional).

Using the nature-based solutions (NbS) approach, combined with the WEFE nexus approaches, the action seeks to realise the dual objectives of (a) strengthening collaboration between the KAZA TFCA and the OKACOM and ZAMCOM in respect to management and development of the Okavango and Upper Zambezi systems; and (b) deepening understanding of the land and wetland resources of the Okavango and upper Zambezi systems, and developing a joint RBO-TFCA programme that also collaborates with the Nature, People and Climate (NPC) Investment Plan (IP) of the Zambezi Watercourse, an initiative of ZAMCOM targeting the Upper Zambezi River Basin. A partnership in the implementation should therefore be also informed by progress in the implementation of the related activities of OKACOM and ZAMCOM in these initiatives.

OBJECTIVE, PURPOSE, AND EXPECTED RESULTS

Overall objective

To build synergy, collaboration, and cooperation between River Basin Organisations (RBOs) and Trans-frontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) in the Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) area of the SADC Region, and to develop a joint nature-based investment programme to increase the resilience of the region’s wetland ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems and resources overall (while promoting their water and climate services) and wildlife against resource over exploitation and climate-induced floods and drought pressures.

Purpose (Specific Objectives)

The specific objectives of the assignment are to:

carry out an assessment of wetland resources and their water security and climate services in the Okavango and Upper Zambezi River Basins;
conduct an economic valuation of ecosystem goods and services, including potential for carbon capture;
carry out an assessment of climate change and human induced challenges on the transboundary wetlands in the upper Zambezi;
carry out an assessment on human-wildlife conflict and recommend mitigation strategies;
establish a joint cooperation platform between OKACOM, ZAMCOM and KAZA TFCA, also taking on board transboundary aquifer management interests; and
prepare a joint action programme to increase assurance of supply of ecosystem goods and services, flood and drought resilience, and sustainable economic benefits from nature, wetlands and ecosystem restoration and conservation in the KAZA TFCA, Okavango Basin and Upper Zambezi Basins.

Results to be achieved by the contractor

The Service Provider shall be expected to deliver the following outputs:

Inception Report and Progress Reports
Report on selected wetlands and TFCA areas, including:
1. Report on key challenges (gaps) needing attention
2. Status report on wetland degradation, biodiversity loss and recommended action
Report on economic evaluation
Joint programme for implementation of recommended nature-based solutions
Project Proposal to Climate Finance institutions (e.g., GCF and Adaptation Fund)
Draft and Final project reports

All activities, including studies, stakeholder engagement, training and capacity building conducted under this assignment must align with the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) and its applicable Environmental and Social Standards (ESSs), ensuring that recommendations consider potential environmental and social risks and align with best practices in transboundary water resource management.[1] Work under this consultancy is also expected to incorporate gender-sensitive approaches in all project activities and conduct a GBV/SEA/SH risk assessment. Timelines for the deliverables will be proposed and agreed during project inception phase.

ASSUMPTIONS AND RISKS

Assumptions and Risks underlying the project.

Table 1: Assumptions and Risks

#	Risks	Risk level.(H/M/L)	Mitigating measures	Assumptions
1.	Weak ownership of concept by many TFCAs and RBOs	M	Building interventions on earlier assessment work done by actors in the project area	Earlier assessments’ information is readily accessible from Transfrontier Conservation parks, Member States and River basin actors
2.	Overlap of some components with TFCAs and RBOs programmes and shared risks	M	Co-designing and co-development of interventions with RBOs and TFCAs to promote complementarity	Project activities are closing a pressing gap in management of TFCAs and River Basins
3	Poor uptake of proposal by Climate Adaptation Funds	M	Formal introduction of project to Water ICP Thematic Groups and seeking their support to promote the project widely	Project adds value to basin strategies, national and river basin and TFCAs priorities

SCOPE OF THE WORK

General Project description

The consultancy, estimated to be conducted within 18 months, will carry out an assessment of the wetland resources and evaluate ecosystem goods and services of the upper Zambezi and Okavango River basins. This will also consider identification and examination of ground water dependent ecosystems in this area. It will also develop a joint programme for RBOs and TFCAs in the study area and a proposed joint cooperation mechanism for these sectors. Implementation of the joint programme will ensure increased assurance of supply of the wetland and ecosystem goods and services, increased flood and drought resilience and overall resilience of the systems from climate change-induced pressures.

The consultant shall consider potential downstream environmental and social risks in all technical assistance outputs, including: (i) Impacts of water allocation strategies on livelihoods and ecosystems; (ii) Cumulative and transboundary impacts across affected riparian states (Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe); (iii) Climate resilience measures to prevent negative socio-economic effects on local communities. All strategies and technical assistance must incorporate climate change adaptation principles, ensuring that wetland conservation and ecosystem restoration measures align with climate resilience goals and water security objectives.

Geographical area to be covered

The Assignment will cover primarily two RBOs, KAZA TFCA and Basin States of the Okavango and Upper Zambezi River Basin (i.e. Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe).

Target groups

SADC Member States riparian to the Okavango, and Upper Zambezi River Basins, namely Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Nature conservation entities include the KAZA TFCA and other nature conservancies in the upper Zambezi and Okavango river basin systems.

Specific Work

The assignment will include the following activities:

Prepare and submit Inception Report (Draft Inception Report within 15 days after assignment commencement date)
Undertake literature Review and stakeholder consultations to generate information and carry out the required task. The literature review will also seek to identify and evaluate previous assessments on wetland and freshwater ecosystems and resources in the study area (e.g., Zambezi Basin Wetlands Conservation and Resource Utilization Project report).
Identify key challenges/gaps and consolidate what has already been done in the targeted area, with respect to the scope of the assignment;
Assess areas of human-wildlife conflict and recommend strategic actions for conflict mitigation;
Map wetlands’ extent and their characteristics in the region. This activity shall include an assessment of spatio-temporal trends in wetland dynamics over the region in the last years;
Identify areas and causal factors of wetland degradation and biodiversity loss and recommend restoration or conservation measures;
Estimate the hydrological functions and water security contributions of wetlands within the sub-region. These benefits may include natural water storage, acting as reservoirs that help regulate water availability during dry periods, and providing buffering capacity against floods by absorbing excess water and reducing peak flows. Other benefits could include the critical role wetlands can also play in maintaining groundwater recharge, sustaining biodiversity etc.
Assess whether there are wetland ecosystem reaches that are potentially candidate for protection as RAMSAR sites;
Assess the climate-related benefits that wetlands provide, including their role as carbon sinks, via carbon sequestering and storage and regulators of land-atmosphere exchanges;
Diagnose the main climate drivers of risk to the benefits (water security and climate) that wetlands represent;
Identify ongoing tourism and other business activities and evaluate their economic contribution to the beneficiary states and communities and regional development;
Identify and analyse related ongoing and planned activities of KAZA TFCA, OKACOM and ZAMCOM in the project area;
Prepare a joint programme of implementation by RBOs and TFCAs on climate resilient building, and restoration of degraded ecosystems (including wetlands)
Undertake a stakeholder engagement session to validate findings and proposed solutions;
Prepare a Proposal (in general adaptable form) for submission to potential Climate Adaptation Funds; and
Prepare and submit project reports on the above tasks.

Project management

The assignment will be coordinated by the Senior Programme Officer of the SADC Water Division with the advisory support of the SADC Disaster Risk (DRR) Unit and the RCRP Project Coordinator. Outputs referred to above shall be submitted to the Deputy Executive Secretary responsible for Regional Integration (DES-RI) through the Disaster Risk Reduction Unit for final approval.

Periodic progress meetings will also be held, at which the consultant will make presentations on progress. From time to time, representatives of the TFCAs, RBOs and other important stakeholders will also be invited to participate in the project steering meetings. Outcomes and guidance from the meetings will be used to inform the quality of outputs highlighted above.

Facilities to be provided by the contracting authority and/or other parties

The SADC Secretariat, as the Contracting Authority will provide the following.

Letters of introduction of the Consultant to stakeholders, Member States and RBOs to facilitate access to information;
Available reports;
Cover participation costs of stakeholders attending validation session(s) for project outputs (travel, accommodation and meals); and
Venue for the stakeholder validation meeting.

LOGISTICS AND TIMING

Location

The services shall be home-based. The Team of Consultants/Consulting firm will be required to facilitate the consultancy consultations and workshops either face-to-face or virtually.

Start date and period of implementation

The assignment shall commence on the date of signature of the contract by both parties, and the period of implementation of the contract will be 18 months from the date of signature of the contract.

REQUIREMENTS

Service providers

The assignment is expected to be undertaken by a Consultancy Firm with the necessary expertise to include at least the experts listed below. The firm is allowed to propose additional expertise if deemed relevant for the assignment.

The successful Service Provider must demonstrate: (a) Experience in environmental and social risk assessments; (b) Expertise in stakeholder engagement methodologies, including gender and social inclusion strategies; (c) Proven track record in dam safety assessments, emergency preparedness, and sustainable infrastructure planning.

The following are the minimum qualifications and time input for Consultant’s key personnel required to carry out the services:

1. Team Leader & Integrated Water Resource Management Expert

Qualifications and skills

The Team Leader should hold a Masters or PhD in Hydrology, Hydrogeology, Water Resources Management/Engineering, Land Surface or Climate Modelling, Environmental Engineering, Remote Sensing or related discipline, with strong transboundary water resources planning skills.

Specific professional experience

At least 10 years’ experience in transboundary water resources management work
At least 5 years general experience in wetland or nature-based solutions
At least 5 years’ experience in quantitative experience of climate-water-land interactions, including wetland mapping and modelling, land-surface modelling or other similar.
Robust understanding of work and practices of TFCAs
Appreciation of at least one transboundary water cooperation agreement of a SADC RBOs
Familiarity with resilient investments at transboundary community and country level
General ability for climate information interpretation and its use in water and environmental assessments
Solid experience in Project Preparation and implementation
Good appreciation of climate adaptation funds and their general requirement
Demonstrated experience in working with governments, diverse communities and partners

General professional experience

At least 5 years general experience in consultant team leadership
Must be result-oriented, a team player, exhibiting high levels of enthusiasm, tact, diplomacy, and integrity.
Demonstrate excellent leadership, interpersonal and professional skills in interacting with government and development partners.
Excellent report writing capabilities
Fluent in spoken and written English
Excellent presentation and facilitation skills
Working knowledge of Portuguese will an added advantage.
Computer literate with good working knowledge of the standard Microsoft Office suite of programmes.
Excellent project management skills

1. Environmental Expert

Qualifications and skills

Masters or PhD in environmental sciences, environmental engineering, ecohydrology, or related discipline, with strong environmental assessment skills.

Specific professional experience

At least 10 years’ experience in integrated water resources management or planning
At least 10 Years’ experience in ESIA preparation work
At least 5 years general experience in wetland conservation studies or management
General good experience in nature conservation work or studies
Adequate experience in transboundary cross border water or environmental assessment
Adequate appreciation of the SADC Protocol on shared watercourses or environmental management
Experience in the use of climate information in environmental (aquatic or terrestrial) assessments
General appreciation of the basin or catchment management practice in SADC
Experience in environmental and social risk assessments aligned with World Bank ESF/ESS requirements or similar.

General professional experience

At least 5 years general experience in related consultancy work
Must be result-oriented, a team player, exhibiting high levels of enthusiasm, tact and integrity.
Ability to impart technical knowledge to others through training
Excellent analytical skills
Excellent report writing capabilities.
Fluent in spoken and written English.
Good presentation and facilitation skills
Working knowledge of French and/or Portuguese is an added advantage
Computer literate with good working knowledge of the standard
Microsoft Office suite of programmes.

1. Selection Criteria for the RFP Stage after Shortlisting of Service Providers

Table 2 provides the selection criteria for the service provider

Table 2: Selection Criteria for Team Leader/Drafter

No.	Criteria Category	Total Points for Consultancy team (%)
1.	Qualifications (education and professional skills of the team of experts)	30
2.	Specific Professional Experience (training and skills development and programming)	40
3.	General Professional Experience	30

Incidental expenditure

It is expected that this consultancy will be conducted in hybrid virtual and face to face modes. Any incidental expenses will be part of the global price.

Expenditure verification

There will be no expenditure verification for this project.

REPORTS

Reporting requirements

The Consultant will report to the Deputy Executive Secretary-Regional Integration through the Acting Head of DRR Unit, with the day-to-day support supervision from the SADC Water Division of the Infrastructure Directorate and RCRP Project Coordinator. The Department will be responsible for liaising the consultants with the relevant stakeholders and facilitate data sharing and workshop organisation.

Duration of the assignment

The proposed deliverables will be expected to be finalized within 18 months.

Payment Schedule

The payment schedule is related to reports and their approvals, as follows:

15% upon submission and approval of the Inception report;
50% upon approval of draft report on status of wetlands
15% after validation workshop
20% after submission and approval of final report

[1] Please see here for World Bank Group ESS: https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/environmental-and-social-framework/brief/environmental-and-social-standards and here for World Bank Group ESF: https://www.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/environmental-and-social-framework