Objective and Purpose of the Assignment
 | Samoa’s water sector is experiencing growing pressures driven by population increase, climate variability, rising turbidity during extreme rainfall events, declining raw water quality, and persistent levels of non revenue water (NRW). The Samoa Water Authority (SWA) remains the primary utility responsible for supplying safe and reliable drinking water to the majority of the population, while the Independent Water Schemes Association (IWSA) and various community-managed schemes provide services to the remaining households. Together, these service providers face operational, financial, and climate related challenges that require coordinated and forward looking investment planning. The 2025–2035 Samoa Water Supply and Investment Masterplan provides the national roadmap for water sector investment, identifying a comprehensive suite of projects to address infrastructure gaps, operational inefficiencies, system resilience needs, and long term asset management requirements. In parallel, the Government of Samoa is advancing development of the Alaoa Multipurpose Dam (MPD) to achieve multiple objectives—reduced flood risk, enhanced hydropower generation, and improved dry season water supply reliability. Integration of water supply infrastructure with MPD proposal presents an opportunity to diversify raw water sources, improve climate resilience, and introduce redundancy within the broader water supply system. As Samoa prepares for the next phase of sector investment, it is critical that proposed project packages are closely aligned with the Masterplan, the MPD development pathway, and financing partner requirements, including those of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). A coherent, evidence based investment program will ensure that scarce resources are directed toward the most viable, high impact, and sustainable options. The proposed assignment therefore serves as a supplementary technical assessment and extension of the Masterplan, with a focus on: • validating the viability and prioritization of the identified investment program while strengthening the rationale for selecting and sequencing priority projects based on the based on a structured, criteria-based prioritization and stakeholder validation process, project life cycle cost ,financial viability and sustainability; • assessing governance and operational frameworks—particularly the respective roles of SWA and IWSA in managing, administering, and operating new or upgraded assets; and • undertaking preliminary scoping and conceptual assessment of new infrastructure required to connect the MPD to the Alaoa Water Treatment Plant (WTP) to establish a climate resilient alternative raw water source with redundancy and enhanced operational flexibility to mitigate dry season challenges. This assignment will generate the analytical foundation and justification needed to advance preparation of investment packages, namely Samoa Water Supply and Sanitation Project, support decision making by the Government of Samoa, and ensure alignment with ADB’s technical, financial, governance, and climate resilience standards. The overall objective of this assignment is to support the preparation of the Samoa Water Supply and Sanitation Project to be implemented by the Samoa Water Authority, to ensure its alignment with the Government of Samoa priorities and development partners’ portfolio, particularly the Asian Development Bank’s Samoa priorities and pipeline and its Pacific Approach. |
Scope of Work
| The consultant will provide her/his local knowhow of Samoa water sector and technical expertise to provide the necessary inputs for the project preparation. The scope of the work will focus on review, synthesis, structured validation and strategic inputs and will include the following, • Support targeted collection and verification of existing data from national sources, SWA operational data and relevant policies and studies to inform project preparation particularly of the water sector • Organize and facilitate stakeholders’ consultations to obtain information, feedback and validation of the proposed investment priorities, results frameworks and conceptual implementation options • Coordinating with government agencies, development partners, utilities, and other stakeholders to ensure timely information flow and alignment of activities. • Providing expert recommendations, guidance, and technical inputs as needed to strengthen project planning, implementation readiness, and stakeholder engagement. • Propose an indicative implementation arrangement of the ensuing project, defining executing agency, implementing agency and coordination needs with other stakeholders. • Participate in meetings, consultations, and mission activities as required. • Prepare concise reports, notes and briefs corresponding to the defined deliverables under this assignment The consultant’s inputs will be advisory and conceptual in nature and will not include detailed engineering design, advanced technical modelling, primary data collection, detailed financial or economic analysis, or preparation of construction-ready documentation. |
Detailed Tasks and/or Expected Output
| In addition, the consultant will prepare and deliver the following tasks with related deliverables: Task 1: Inputs to the Samoa Water and Sanitation Sector Assessment • Provide inputs and review the Samoa Water and Sanitation Sector Assessment document, following ADB format. Prepare a 5-page brief referencing the master plan and Samoa-water sector specifics information (SWA annual reports, National Drinking Water Standards, National Development Plan, sector strategies). • Cover: service coverage and population served; performance/NRW; service reliability; climate risks; operational information for SWA/IWSA; pipeline of proposed plans; SDG alignment (esp. SDG 6). • Map linkages to national strategies, sector roadmaps, corporate/master plans, and regulatory compliance frameworks. • Summarize donor investment history and SWA’s association with development partners to establish the need and rationale for further investment aligned to existing plans. • Include data tables, high-level maps (as available), and a references list; append source datasets and assumptions. Task 2: Project Prioritization and Structured Prioritization Framework • Develop a simplified prioritization framework using a limited set of agreed screening criteria which includes alignment with national strategies, service delivery impact and urgency, climate resilience and risk reduction, institutional readiness and implementation, indicative capital and operational cost implications and social and environmental considerations. • Facilitate structured validation workshops coordinated through the Water Sector Coordination Unit (WSCU) under MNRE, engaging SWA, IWSA, key government agencies, and development partners to review the proposed prioritization logic; confirm or adjust rankings based on collective sector knowledge and reach consensus on short-, medium-, and long-term investment sequencing. • Document the prioritization outcomes, rationale, and key trade-offs in a concise Prioritization and Validation Note, including meeting records and agreed conclusions. • If required at later stages, the prioritization outcomes may be further refined through detailed economic or multi-criteria analysis during subsequent project preparation or appraisal. Task 3: Sector-level and Project-level Design monitoring framework – DMFs • Prepare a high level sector results framework aligned with ADB guidance, including impact/outcome/output statements, a limited set of indicators and high level assumptions and risks. • Prepare indicative project-level DMF outlines for selected priority investments. • Embed at a conceptual level, climate resilience, gender/social inclusion, impacts, affected beneficiary details, financial sustainability of the project and long run projections of project future. • Recommendations shall include the project impact and forecast improvement plans to cover the existing challenges, the projection needs to identify the physical and institutional improvement plans linked with the proposed projects and existing statistics. Task 4: Alaoa MPD-WTP Connection Concept and Preliminary Feasibility • Review existing and available documentation (Masterplan, MPD concept materials, WTP operational information) to establish the design concept and assumptions for the interconnection • Define two to three feasible conceptual implementation options addressing high level abstraction approach, indicative conveyance concept (pumped/gravity/hybrid), broad integration approach with the existing WTP and implications for system redundancy and dry season operation. • Provide a qualitative assessment of each option focusing on, – Constructability and operational practicality – Climate resilience – Relative capital and operational cost implications (indicative ranges) – Land, environmental and safeguard considerations at a screening level • Outline indicative phasing and sequencing options including early works or enabling activities, potential staging to manage operational disruptions and alignment with SWA operational capacity. • Identify high-level procurement and packaging considerations suitable for informing ADB project structuring. • Support one targeted stakeholder discussion with SWA, MNRE, and relevant agencies to present the conceptual options, validate assumptions and preferences • Prepare a concise Concept Review Note documenting – Conceptual options considered – Qualitative comparison and key considerations – Indicative cost ranges and risks – Recommended next steps, if any Task 5: Stakeholder Engagement and Validation and Project preparation support • Conduct workshops/interviews with SWA, MNRE/WRD, EPC, MOF, IWSA, and community representatives to validate findings and decisions. • Document feedback and update outputs iteratively; ensure inclusive participation (gender and vulnerable groups). Methodology • Document review and analysis of Masterplan datasets, sector reports, national strategic plan, MPD documents, and utility operational data, MDB, IMF data, Study reports on Samoa. • Application of a structured, criteria-based prioritization and validation approach (informed by PRIE and PWWA guidance), supported by high-level technical review (conceptual hydraulic considerations using available information), climate resilience screening, ADB safeguard screening, institutional/governance readiness review, and indicative life-cycle cost implications (order-of-magnitude only). • Validation with SWA senior management and partners. CLIENT INPUTS SWA will provide the following inputs and support to facilitate the consultant’s assignment: • Access to relevant documentation and data, including: – the Samoa Water Supply and Investment Masterplan and related datasets; – available operational, service performance, and asset information held by SWA; – relevant policies, strategies, standards, and prior donor-funded studies; and – available documentation related to the Alaoa Multipurpose Dam and the Alaoa Water Treatment Plant. • Designation of a focal point within SWA to coordinate information requests, facilitate access to staff and data, and support scheduling of meetings and consultations. • Provision of suitable workspace, where feasible, including:o – access to desk space at SWA offices when working on-site; – reasonable access to internet connectivity, meeting rooms, and basic office facilities to support consultations and coordination activities. • Facilitation of stakeholder engagement, including: – coordination with MNRE and the Water Sector Coordination Unit; – issuance of invitations to relevant government agencies, IWSA, and other stakeholders; and – logistical support for agreed consultation meetings and workshops. • Support for site visits, where required, including: – facilitation of access to SWA facilities, treatment plants, reservoirs, and other relevant sites; – coordination with SWA staff to accompany site visits for safety and operational briefings; and – assistance with access approvals and scheduling. • Access to SWA technical and operational staff, as reasonably required, to provide clarifications, institutional context, and validation of assumptions. • Support for coordination with development partners, where relevant, to ensure alignment with ongoing or planned initiatives. • Timely review and feedback on draft deliverables to support iterative refinement and completion of outputs. |
Minimum Qualification Requirements
| • At least 15 years of experience in water sector planning, utility management, and water supply engineering. • Proven experience with ADB-compliant DMFs, feasibility assessments, prioritization frameworks, and input-based packaging. • Strong understanding of climate resilience, water safety planning, NRW, asset management, and institutional governance. • Demonstrated experience in Pacific/SIDS contexts (Preferable in Samoa); strong analytical, modelling, reporting, and stakeholder engagement skills. • Ability to work independently and deliver high-quality outputs with limited supervision. |
