Consultancy Services to Design and Deliver a Comprehensive Capacity Development Programme on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the Water Sector (Online and In-Person) – Based on the APMG PPP Certification Programme (CP3P)

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION)

Country: Multinational

Name of Project: Accelerating Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region Project

Grant No.: P506439

Assignment Title: Consultancy Services to Design and Deliver a Comprehensive Capacity Development Programme on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the Water Sector (Online and In-Person) – Based on the APMG PPP Certification Programme (CP3P)

Reference No: 403/AUDA/DITIR/CQS/2026

Method: Consultant’s Qualifications Selection (CQS)

1. Introduction

The African Union Development Agency – New Partnership for Africa Development (AUDA-NEPAD) has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the “Accelerating Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region Project”, and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services. “Consultancy Services to Design and Deliver a Comprehensive Capacity Development Programme on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the Water Sector (Online and In-Person) – Based on the APMG PPP Certification Programme (CP3P)”

1. Description of Services

The consulting services (“the Services”) include: Validation and Customization Based on TNA: Analyse results of the WASH MPA PPP Training Needs Assessment, Refine and align curriculum to identified capacity gaps, Submit an Inception Report including detailed curriculum mapping to: APMG CP3P standards; WASH MPA operational activities; and VGF and transboundary components; Curriculum Design and Contextualization: Develop a modular programme aligned with APMG CP3P and contextualized to water-sector realities

Module 1: PPP Fundamentals (Foundation Level); Module 2: Project Finance, Bankability & Viability Gap Financing, Module 3: Governance & Procurement, Module 4: Project Environment & Stakeholder Management, Module 5: Contract Management & Long-Term Oversight; Training Delivery: Online Phase – Foundation Level, In-Person Intensive Workshop (5 Days); Certification Administration: Be an Accredited Training Organization (ATO) under APMG, Register participants for CP3P certification, Administer examinations securely and Provide certification statistics and pass-rate analysis; Post-Training Evaluation & Knowledge Sustainability: Conduct competency improvement assessment versus baseline TNA, Develop a PPP Water Sector Toolkit (templates, financial models, checklists), Deliver Training-of-Trainers (ToT) session and Provide roadmap for institutionalizing PPP expertise within WASH MPA structures.

1. Level of Effort for Key staff:

1. Duration of the assignment

 Total duration: 4–6 months from the date of contract signature

1. The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment  are attached to this request for expressions of interest.

1. Shortlisting criteria:

The African Union Development Agency – New Partnership for Africa Development (AUDA-NEPAD) now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. The shortlisting criteria are:

• Relevance and suitability of the core business area of the applicant firm with the subject assignment and number of active years in the business/in the consulting industry.
• The applicant firm’s overall institutional, managerial, and technical competence and capability in terms of financial strength, institutional quality management system and good track records in training and capacity Development Programs provisions in the area of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) arrangements in the Water Sector, based on the APMG PPP Certification Program (CP3P) are desirable factors to be assessed for the shortlisting.
• At least ten (10) years relevant experience in training and capacity building technical services provisions with successful delivery of at least three (3) similar assignments for public or private institutions of the same nature and preferably in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region. (Relevant completion certificates and/or letters of recommendation from clients to be provided).
• Good number and mix of pool of professional experts under the firm’s command and applicant firm’s different countries experiences/regional experiences, including working experiences with similar socio-economic and geographic context with that of African region would be advantageous.

Key Experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage.

1. Conflict of interest

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.15, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” February 2025  (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.  In addition, please refer to the following specific information on conflict of interest related to this assignment:

1. A firm that has been engaged by the Borrower to provide Goods, Works, or Non-consulting Services for a project (or an affiliate that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with that firm), shall be disqualified from providing Consulting Services resulting from, or directly related to, those Goods, Works, or Non-consulting Services. This provision does not apply to the various firms (Consultants, contractors, or suppliers), which together are performing the contractor’s obligations under a turnkey or design and build contract;

1. A firm that has been engaged by the Borrower to provide Consulting Services for the preparation or implementation of a project (or an affiliate that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with that Consulting firm), shall be disqualified from subsequently providing Goods, Works, or Non-consulting Services resulting from, or directly related to those Consulting Services. This provision does not apply to the various firms (Consultants, contractors, or suppliers), which together are performing the contractor’s obligations under a turnkey or design and build contract;

1. Neither a Consultant (including personnel and sub-consultants), nor an affiliate (that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with that Consultant), shall be hired for any assignment that, by its nature, creates a conflict of interest with another assignment of the Consultant;

1. Consultants (including their experts and other personnel, and sub-consultants), that have a close business or family relationship with a professional staff of the Borrower, or of the project implementing agency, or of a recipient of a part of the Bank’s financing, or any other party representing or acting on behalf of the Borrower, that is directly or indirectly involved in any part of: (i) the preparation of the TOR for the assignment; (iii) the selection process for the contract; or iii. the supervision of the contract, may not be awarded a contract, unless the conflict stemming from this relationship has been resolved in a manner acceptable to the Bank throughout the selection process and the execution of the contract.

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 Consultant Qualification Selection (CQS) method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office.

Expressions of interest must be delivered to the address below by email on or before May 29th, 2026, 14:30 hours (South African Time). All EOI’s must be marked “403/AUDA/DITIR/CQS/2026 – Consultancy Services to Design and Deliver  a Comprehensive Capacity Development Programme on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the Water Sector (Online and In-Person) – Based on the APMG PPP Certification Programme (CP3P)” in the subject line of the email.

EOIs can also be sent by email, addressed to the address below. Interested Consultants may also obtain further information at the address below during office hours (09:00 – 17:00 South Africa time):

The Chairperson, Internal Procurement Committee (IPC)

African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD)

Eco Origin, Block F,

349 Witch Hazel Street,

Eco Park, Centurion.

Email: procurement@nepad.org ; and copy to manthatir@auda-nepad.org

Attention of: Procurement Division

ANNEX 1: DECLARATION OF UNDERTAKING

{Location, Date}

To: The Chairperson Internal Procurement Committee (IPC)

AUDA-NEPAD

230, 15th Road, P. O. Box 218 Midrand,

1685 Johannesburg, South Africa

Attention of: Head of Procurement Division

1. I, the undersigned, offer to provide the services for {insert Title and Procurement Number} in accordance with your Request for Expression of interest dated {insert Date}
2. I declare that I:

1. Have no conflict of interest in relationship to performance of this assignment;
2. Am not subject to, and not controlled by any entity or individual that is subject to, a temporary suspension or a debarment imposed by the African Union, World Bank or any other multilateral development bank and being listed on the website http://www.worldbank.org/debarr or respectively on the relevant list of any other multilateral development bank. Further, are not ineligible pursuant to a decision of the United Nations Security Council; 
3. Have not been convicted by a final judgement or a final administrative decision or subject to financial sanctions by the African Union, United Nations or Country for involvement in a criminal organisation, money laundering, terrorist-related offences, child labour or trafficking in human beings; this criterion of exclusion is also applicable to legal Persons, whose majority of shares are held or factually controlled by natural or legal Persons which themselves are subject to such convictions or sanctions;
4. Am not being bankrupt, wound up or ceasing our activities, having our activities administered by courts, having entered receivership, reorganisation or being in any analogous situation;
5. Have not been the subject of a judgment which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organization or any other illegal activity detrimental to the AUDA-NEPAD financial interests;
6. Have not been declared guilty of gross professional misconduct proven by any means which AUDA-NEPAD can justify;
7. Are not involved in corruption: offering, giving, receiving or soliciting, directly or indirectly, anything of value to influence improperly the actions of another party;
8. Comply with their national tax and social security laws.

1. I, the undersigned, certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief, that my CV correctly describes myself, my qualifications, and my experience. I understand that any willful misstatement described herein may lead to my disqualification or dismissal, if engaged;
2. I hereby declare that at any point in time, at AUDA-NEPAD’s request, I will provide certified copies of all documents to prove that I have the qualifications and the professional experience which are attached to this CV as photocopies;
3. By signing this statement, I also authorize the AUDA-NEPAD’s to contact my previous or current employers indicated in my CV, to obtain directly reference about my professional conduct and achievements. 

We remain,

Yours sincerely,

Signature:

Name of Consultant:

Address

ANNEX 2: TORs