Expertise: Climate risk and adaptation assessment; climate finance and Paris alignment; surface water and groundwater hydrology
Expertise Group: Biological Sciences & Ecology
Consultant Source: International
TOR Keywords: Climate risk and adaptation assessment; climate finance and Paris alignment; surface water and groundwater hydrology
Objective and Purpose of the Assignment
Project background. The Samoa Water Authority (SWA), in close collaboration with the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment (MNRE) and with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has initiated
the preparation of the proposed Water Security Improvement Project (WSIP). The proposed project will
enhance water security in Samoa, aligned with the Pathway for the Development of Samoa for FY2026/27 to
FY2030/31 (PDS2), the country’s national development strategy.
The outcome will be reliable, climate-resilient, and sustainable water supply services in the project
areas of Upolu and Savai‘i enhanced. It will be achieved through three outputs, as follows: (i)
resilient water supply infrastructure upgraded and expanded; (ii) utility operations digitalized and
performance improved; and (iii) institutional capacity for operations management and emergency
preparedness strengthened.
The proposed project is the initial phase (Phase 1) of the priority investments identified under the
Samoa Water Supply and Investment Master Plan 2025–2035 (the Master Plan 2035). Additional financing
will be considered during implementation to support further priority investments identified under the
Master Plan 2035, including improvements to sanitation, fecal sludge management, and wastewater
management. The project is designed to complement and maximize the benefits of ADB’s ongoing investments
in Samoa, in particular the Alaoa Multipurpose Dam Project and the Vaisigano River Integrated Flood
Management Project.
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) will be the executing agency, and SWA the implementing agency. MNRE may
also act as an implementing agency, to be confirmed during project preparation. A dedicated project
management unit (PMU) will be established within SWA and supported by project implementation support
consultants. The project is still under preparation, with loan approval by the ADB Board expected in
September 2027 and implementation expected to commence in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2027.
As part of project preparation, ADB will recruit individual consultants to undertake the technical
assessments and due diligence required for loan processing. A national engineering and design firm will
also be engaged to prepare detailed engineering designs (DEDs) and bidding documents for selected
priority investments. Refer to Appendix 1 for further detail on the proposed subprojects to be prepared
during the preparation phase, up to bidding document stage.
Purpose of the Assignment. ADB now seeks to engage a Climate Change and Hydrology Specialist (the
consultant) to support SWA and ADB in the preparation of the proposed project. The purpose of the
assignment is to deliver the climate change due diligence required for a type 2 (adaptation) project and
the hydrological basis of the designs.
Scope of Work
To this end, the consultant will be responsible for (i) preparing the project-specific climate risk and
adaptation assessment (CRAA) report and the climate change assessment (CCA) of the Phase 1 subprojects;
(ii) defining the adaptation measures and the climate-resilient design criteria to be embedded in the
detailed designs and the SWA engineering standards; (iii) assessing the mitigation aspects of the
project, including the Paris Agreement alignment, the greenhouse gas assessment, and the climate finance
calculation; and (iv) assessing the hydrology and the yield of the sources of the Phase 1 subprojects.
The climate risk assessment and the greenhouse gas emissions estimate will be used by the international
Environmental Safeguard Specialist, in close coordination with the consultant, to prepare the ESS9
components of the ESF instruments.
S/he will be engaged as an individual consultant and will work as part of a multidisciplinary team of
consultants recruited by ADB to conduct due diligence and prepare loan processing documentation. The
assignment will comprise 30 working days (intermittent) from 1 December 2026 to 31 July 2027, with
mobilization expected immediately upon contract signing. The consultant will report to the ADB project
team leader for contractual matters and to ADB’s focal point on deliverable-related matters, working in
close coordination with SWA, the other project consultants, and the national engineering and design firm.
The draft due diligence documents should be available before the fact-finding mission, tentatively
scheduled for 7–11 June 2027, and the final documents should be completed before loan negotiations,
tentatively scheduled for 16–20 August 2027.
Detailed Tasks and/or Expected Output
More specifically, the consultant will:
Climate risk, adaptation, and climate finance
(i) Prepare a project-specific climate risk and adaptation assessment (CRAA) report, to be included as a
supplementary document to the report and recommendation of the President (RRP), as normally required for
a type 2 climate adaptation project. The CRAA will cover all Phase 1 subproject areas (e.g., cyclones
and wind loading, extreme rainfall and flooding, drought, turbidity spikes, sea level rise and salinity
intrusion, and landslides), using the best available climate projections for Samoa.
(ii) Prepare a corresponding climate change assessment (CCA), derived from the CRAA, as an annex or
linked document to the RRP. The CCA will additionally assess the mitigation aspects of the project,
including Paris Agreement alignment (PAA), project-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and emission
reductions, and the calculation of climate adaptation and mitigation finance in accordance with ADB
requirements.
(iii) Define the adaptation measures and the climate-resilient design criteria (cyclone wind, seismic,
flood, and drought design parameters) for the tanks, treatment plants, intakes, pipelines, boreholes,
solar photovoltaic systems, Technical Building B, and the SCADA early warning layer, as inputs to the
design basis of the national engineering and design firm and to the SWA engineering standards, and
estimate their incremental costs with the firm and the Economist / Financial Management Specialist.
(iv) Prepare the GHG assessment: strengthen the mitigation causal chain, particularly how the nonrevenue
water reduction, the energy efficiency measures, and the solar photovoltaic systems lead to quantifiable
emission reductions; clarify which components will be included in the GHG assessment and the proposed
accounting approach, following ADB’s greenhouse gas accounting methodology and in consultation with ADB’
s Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department (CCSD); and quantify the expected emission
reductions.
(v) Prepare the climate finance estimate (adaptation and mitigation) following the joint multilateral
development bank methodology and the climate rationale supporting the Asian Development Fund 14 thematic
window grant. For the mitigation finance estimate, substantiate the nonrevenue water reduction and any
digital and SCADA investments where the mitigation link may be less direct, and identify additional
climate finance sources where relevant.
(vi) In close coordination with the international Environmental Safeguard Specialist, provide the
climate risk assessment and the greenhouse gas emissions estimate required under ESS9, including a
discussion explaining how energy-efficient design and operations have been considered to minimize
emissions.
(vii) Propose, for the DMF, the outcome and output indicators and the related baselines and targets;
most, if not all, of the outcome indicators should point to the increased adaptation capacity and
resilience of the water supply system, as required for a type 2b project.
(viii) Liaise with CCSD on the assessments and on the climate finance calculation.
Hydrology and source yield
(i) Obtain and review, with the Alaoa Multipurpose Dam Project team and MNRE, the hydrological
assessments and records prepared for the Alaoa and Vaisigano catchments; extend the assessment to the
other Phase 1 sources, including the groundwater yield and salinity assessment carried out with the
Hydrogeologist of the national engineering and design firm; and confirm the design yields and the
drought reliability of the sources with the international Water Supply/Wastewater Engineer (WS/WE).
(ii) Define the water resources monitoring requirements (rainfall, flow, groundwater level, and
salinity) for the memorandum of understanding between SWA and MNRE and for the terms of reference of the
water resources assessment and monitoring to be conducted during project implementation.
Processing support and coordination
(i) Provide the inputs of the discipline required for the report and recommendation of the President
(RRP) and its linked documents, the project administration manual (PAM), the design and monitoring
framework (DMF), and the cost estimates and financing plan.
(ii) Support preparation of relevant sections of the terms of reference of the Project Design and
Implementation Support Consultant (PDISC) covering the discipline, including scope, deliverables, and
expert inputs required during implementation.
(iii) Participate in ADB missions, stakeholder workshops, and consultations as required, coordinate
inputs with the other individual consultants and the national engineering and design firm, and perform
other relevant tasks necessary for the successful processing of the proposed project.
(iv) Deliver, upon SWA’s request and in agreement with ADB, short training sessions for the PMU and
other concerned stakeholders on specific, technical, or new aspects of the discipline; most of the
training will take place during project implementation.
Minimum Qualification Requirements
The consultant should hold at least a master’s degree in climate science, hydrology, water resources
engineering, or a related discipline. The consultant must have at least 12 years of general experience
in climate change or water resources assessment for infrastructure projects, including at least 6 years
of specific experience in climate risk and adaptation assessments and climate finance for water projects
financed by ADB or other multilateral development banks. Working knowledge of ADB’s climate risk
management framework, Paris alignment guidance, and greenhouse gas accounting methodology is required.
Experience in small island developing states or the Pacific region is preferred.
Minimum General Experience: 10 Years
Minimum Specific Experience (relevant to assignment): 6 Years
