Disposal of oils, transformers and capacitors contaminated and containing PCBs and retro-filling of PCB contaminated transformers in Southern Africa

The United Nations Office Nairobi on behalf of UN Environment Programme invites qualified Firms to participate in a prequalification process for the upcoming competitive tender process for Overseas PCB Safeguarding, Transport and Disposal Retro-filling Services for African Chemobs Project. 1. Background: With the objective of assisting countries with their obligations set out under the Stockholm Convention, a project is being implemented in the SADC region for the safeguarding and disposal of PCB contaminated oil and equipment. A recent inventory conducted as part of project activities has given the following indicative quantities of PCB contaminated oil and equipment across the region: 268 metric tonnes of oil contaminated with >50ppm PCB, 144 metric tonnes of equipment including transformers contaminated with PCB, total quantity for disposal 359 metric tonnes. Of this inventory, 24.9 metric tonnes is comprised of 361 capacitors which are situated at the Cabora Bassa Hydroelectrical generating facility in Mozambique. A further 115 metric tonnes of oil found in 179 transformers will be required for safeguarding and disposal following retro-filling of these units. The countries where the equipment and oil are located are Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is proposed that as part of safeguarding and disposal activities a Contractor will conduct training in safeguarding of PCB contaminated oil and equipment and retro-filling activities as necessary. The eventual Contractor will then visit each country to supervise safeguarding and loading activities conducted by national teams following which the eventual Contractor will then arrange safe transport and disposal according to the Basel and Stockholm Conventions and other relevant national and international law. 2. OBJECTIVE The primary objective is the training, safeguarding, transport and international disposal by an environmentally sound method and retro-filling of an approximate total of 474 metric tonnes of PCB contaminated oils and equipment. 3. SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED The following services are to be provided: •Provision of personnel with requisite experience in safeguarding, loading, stowage and transport of hazardous wastes, including PCB contaminated oil and equipment •Procurement and provision of necessary materials and equipment •Health, Safety and Environmental planning and execution •Training of national safeguarding teams in PCB equipment safeguarding and retro-filling using best environment practise •Provision of ISO shipping containers •Supervision of repackaging and labelling of wastes according to IMDG using UN specified containers •Supervision of loading and stowage of repacked wastes according to IMDG /ADR using necessary spillage containment •Transport of shipping containers to disposal facility •Disposal of wastes using an environmentally sound method at a registered facility overseas