Institutional Consultancy Services for Design and Supervision of WASH Infrastructure

Terms of Reference for Provision of
Institutional Consultancy Services for Design and Supervision of WASH Infrastructure

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Institutional

    

Title     Retainership Contract - Provision of Institutional Consultancy Services for Design and Supervision of WASH Infrastructure      

 

Purpose   Provision of technical assistance for feasibility studies, design and quality assurance of the WASH interventions in Rwanda     

 

Type of consultancy:     Delivery based

 

Location  Kigali, with field travel throughout Rwanda   

 

Duration  One year on a retainership basis. To be extended on a need basis  

 

Start Date     15 July 2023  

 

1.   Background and Justification

UNICEF is supporting the Government of Rwanda in improving access to safe water and sanitation in line with the provisions of National Strategy for Transformation (NST-1). In this context, the key interventions being supported by UNICEF include strengthening WASH Spell outsector enabling environment; provision of safe water supply and sanitation services to vulnerable communities, schools and health care facilities with strong focus on climate resilience; promotion of safe hygiene practices; and strengthening emergency preparedness and response.  Since 2018, UNICEF-supported interventions in Rwanda have resulted in provision of safe water supply to over 100,000 people, basic sanitation to over 700,000 people and basic WASH services to over 200 schools, 90 health facilities and 9,000 home-based early childhood development centres. Outside this TOR, could you brief me what we did with these ECD centres.

 

In this context, UNICEF is seeking services of qualified engineering consulting firms, on need/demand basis, to support WASACSpell out, districts and partners in comprehensive technical assessments/feasibility/rapid environmental assessment studies; preparation/review of technical specifications, designs/drawings, bills of quantities and bidding documents; provision of support for management of bidding process; implementation management, and supervision and monitoring for regular and emergency WASH interventions planned to be supported by UNICEF during 2023-2024.

 

2.   Objective

The main objective of the consultancy is to ensure that the WASH construction related interventions which UNICEF is supporting in Rwanda provide quality infrastructure and facilities for the benefit of young children and their families.

 

There are two elements to the consultancy to allow that objective to be achieved:

(i)  To provide expert advice and assistance including for technical assessments/feasibility studies, designs and specifications and preparation of tender documents for climate resilient WASH infrastructure; and

(ii) To ensure that WASH construction works supported by UNICEF adhere to quality standards, designs, BoQSpell outs and specifications through regular monitoring and supervision of construction sites and reporting back to UNICEF on progress and challenges.

 

3.   Description of the assignment/scope of the works

In order to meet the objectives listed in Section 2, the consultancy firm will carry out the following specific tasks:

 

3.1. Support for technical assessment, designs and bidding documents

The major tasks to be undertaken by the selected firm in this regard would include but not be limited to the following:

(i)  Carry out a comprehensive technical assessment/feasibilities of the proposed WASH infrastructure, in close collaboration with WASAC, districts and partners;

(ii) Prepare on the basis of the above, (a) detailed specifications (separate for civil/electrical/mechanical works, supplies and equipment/machinery, where required), (b) detailed engineering designs and detailed drawings/schedules, and (c) BOQs/cost estimates for the most appropriate WASH options. The task should result in the generation of sufficient data/details to allow contractors to price accurately as well as execute the works;

(iii)     Prepare rapid environmental assessments and environmental and social management plans, where required;

(iv) Prepare detailed reports on comprehensive technical assessment on the basis of (a) to (b) above and revise/finalize the same in light of feedback from UNICEF/WASAC/districts/partners;

(v)  Produce bidding documents/invitation to bid based on standard bidding documents;

(vi) Prepare pre-qualification documents for the contractors;

(vii)     Prepare pre-qualification evaluation report; and

(viii)    Review the assessments, designs, bills of quantities, specification and tender documents prepared by implementing partners and provide feedback/guidance to ensure appropriateness of designs/specifications and compliance with procurement guidelines.  This may entail field visits to verify some of the data collected by the implementing partners.

 

3.2. Support for management of bidding process

The key tasks to be undertaken by the selected firm in this regard would include but not limited to the following:

(i)  Support UNICEF implementing partners in responding to bidders’ queries and requests for clarification of the bid documents;

(ii) Support the site visits for the bidders where needed;

(iii)     Attend and prepare minute of the pre-bid meeting;

(iv) Support UNICEF, or its implementing partners, in evaluation of bids;

(v)  Assist UNICEF or its implementing partners in pre-award negotiations and preparation of the contract documents and the letter of acceptance to the successful bidder;

(vi) Organize and attend a pre-construction site meeting with the contractor (s); and

(vii)     Arrange/attend other related meetings.

 

3.3. Implementation management, supervision and monitoring

The support for this task is divided into the following principal functions:

(i)  Monitor the quality of work and compliance with environmental and social management plans;

(ii) Monitor the progress of the work as per agreed timelines and ensure timely completion of the works

(iii)     Support for controlling the cost of the work;

(iv) Support for administering the formalities of the contract; and

(v)  Maintain records and documentation.

 

Where agreed between UNICEF and the consultancy firm, the firm will have the responsibility for all of these actions and his duties in this regard will include, but not be limited to, the following:

(i)  Provide support to UNICEF or its implementing partners in contract management and processing for payments to contractors;

(vi) Review and approve contractor’s construction schedule in consultation with UNICEF, WASAC and districts;

(vii)     Recommend adjustments in designs/specifications where needed based on unforeseeable changes happening on site and process the same for UNICEF approval;

(viii)    Review and approve contractor’s drawings;

(ix) Supervise and monitor all works.  Reject the works that are not confirmed with design  specifications  and quality standards by issuing site  instructions  to remedy such works;

(x)  Revise, update and modify technical specifications and drawings based on unforeseeable changes happening on site;

(xi) During site visits, verify that the site journal and checklists for specific works are duly kept and updated

(xii)     Ensure time and budget compliance with on-site activities;

(xiii)    Arrange, organize and coordinate regular progress site meetings;

(xiv)     Ensure quality of works and material by putting in place proper quality assurance and material testing programme for all the works and materials, respectively;

(xv) Ensure compliance with health and safety practices, environmental standards, technical specifications and conditions of the contract by the contractorWill they deal with only one contract or more than one contractors?;

(xvi)     Coordinate interfaces between UNICEF, implementing partners and the contractor(s);

(xvii)    Provide support for claim /dispute resolution;

(xviii)   Prepare working drawings as may be required as well as built drawings;

(xix)     Prepare monthly reports, minutes of site meetings, interim payment certificates and draft variation orders for approval;

(xx) Undertake final inspection upon completion of works,

(xxi)     Inspect the works at the end of the defects liability period (12 months) and arrange for/supervise correction of the defects, if any, by the contractor(s); and

(xxii)    Recommend the return of guarantees, release of retention money and issuance of final certificate;

(xxiii)   Provide support to UNICEF implementing partners in the above listed tasks in cases where the above functions are being carried out/managed by them;

(xxiv)    Recommend, prioritize and prepare specifications for, the critical spares, tools, equipment to be procured for the districts to build their capacity for effective operation and maintenance of the supported infrastructure;

(xxv)     Develop a training plan for on‐site/hands‐on training of operators for effective onsite operation and maintenance of the supported infrastructure;

(xxvi)    Maintain all necessary records and hand-over copies to UNICEF and/or implementing partners following successful completion of the works or when requested; and

(xxvii)   Document the WASH construction interventions to highlight best practice, and support the process of informing National infrastructure standards and guidelines.

 

As part of this task, the consultant shall provide adequate photographs as an integral part of any submitted reports with the purpose of illustrating, where applicable, pre-intervention situation, progress, post-intervention situation, and elements requiring particular attention. Photographs shall also be captured and submitted as frequent as requested by UNICEF.

 

4.   Deliverables

Depending upon the needs/demand and site conditions, the following deliverables may be required:

(i)  Technical assessment reports/rapid environmental assessment reports;

(ii) Technical reports on review of assessment reports, designs, specifications, tender documents and bid evaluation reports prepared by the implementing partners;

(iii)     Final bid documents;

(iv) Contractor pre-qualification document;

(v)  Pre-qualification evaluation report;

(vi) Draft responses to bidders’ queries as required;

(vii)     Draft minutes of pre-bid meeting and other meetings as required;

(viii)    Draft Bid Evaluation Report;

(ix) Draft contract document and the letter of acceptance to the successful bidder;

(x)  Interim payment certificates;

(xi) Revised designs where needed;

(xii)     Approved contractor’s drawings;

(xiii)    Adjusted designs where needed;

(xiv)     Quality assurance programme document;

(xv) Working drawings as may be required as well as as-built drawings;

(xvi)     Monthly reports, minutes of site meetings, and draft variation orders for approval;

(xvii)    Works completion certificate;

(xviii)   Final project report detailing the works have done and the project impacts along with data on the key performance indicators;

(xix)     Work inspection report at the end of the defects liability period and report on the works done for correction of the defects, if required;

(xx) Defect liability certificate;

(xxi)     Final payment certificate; and

(xxii)    Other related reports, depending upon the needs and nature and scope of the agreed works.

 

All reports are to be written in MS Word and one hard as well as soft copies should be provided, including appendices. All spreadsheets are to be in Microsoft Excel. All drawings produced by the consultant are to be in AutoCad with hard/soft copies of all drawings supplied to UNICEF on request.

 

5.   Duration

The duration of the stand-by contract will be one year and on a retainership basis.  The services of the firm will be availed on a demand/need basis, as per agreed monthly plans.

 

6.   Payment schedule

While there will be no monthly fee or set payment, the firm can provide an invoice of services rendered to UNICEF on a monthly basis, together with proof of deliverables as specified under the tasks above and as agreed with the UNICEF Chief of WASH, in line with the unit rates stipulated in the stand-by contract.

 

The monthly invoice will include all monitoring visits, design work, assessments conducted and any other proof of deliverables as specified under the tasks above during that month, at the agreed daily rate as per the contract signed between UNICEF and the firm.

 

The specific number of days to be assigned each month will depend on the need and will vary from month to month. A monthly schedule with the number of days required for each element (monitoring, designs, assessments or any other deliverables as specified under the tasks above) will be agreed upon in advance with the UNICEF Chief WASH, and any modifications to that monthly plan will have to be agreed in advance in writing.

 

7.   Qualifications

The following minimum requirements are necessary for a successful bid:

 

(i)  Must be a legal entity/consortium of legal entities;

(ii) Must have at least ten years of proven experience in the design of water supply and sanitation works, contract management and supervision of WASH projects; and

(iii)     Should possess experience working in African countries, especially in Rwanda

 

8.   Management arrangements

The Firm will report to Chief WASH, UNICEF and will work very closely with line government agencies and concerned development partners.

 

It will be based in Kigali and will be required to travel to project areas, which may be located throughout Rwanda. It will organize all logistical aspects to fulfil assigned tasks in the given time frame.

 

Please also note that in cases where a firm plans to partner/associate with other Institution/firm(s), UNICEF will issue the institutional contract (if awarded) to the lead firm only and will have no responsibility to or link with the sub‐consultants/partners/associates. The lead firm will be fully accountable for both quality and timely completion of works, if awarded.

 

9.   Application Submission – Evaluation Process and Methods

Qualified consultants are invited to submit sealed separate technical and financial bids for the above assignment as presented below:

 

(a)  Technical Proposal

The consultants should submit a Technical Proposal that should include, but not limited to:

(i)  Firm’s registration certificate;

(ii) List/names of the Board of Directors;

(iii)     At least two latest audit reports;

(iv) Financial details including annual turn-over for the past 3 years;

(v)  Firm’s organization and experience (including title of the assignment, name of the client, year and duration, scope of the assignment, outcome of the assignment, and reference/contact person’s name, email and telephone);

(vi) Comments and suggestions on the terms of reference;

(vii)     Brief methodology for performing the assignment;

(viii)    Monitoring and coordination mechanism;

(ix) Team Composition and responsibilities;

(x)  CVs for proposed professional staff (name, date of birth, years with the firm, total years of experience, nature of experience in this firm and others, education/other trainings and knowledge of local languages); and

(xi) Any dependencies or assumptions;

 

The firms are expected to provide the profiles and CVs of the key personnel, including Project /Contract Manager, Water Supply Engineer, Sanitation Engineer, Hydrogeologist and Mechanical/Electrical/Solar Energy Engineer and Environmental Experts, who will be working on this project as part of the consultancy.

 

The proposed team personnel should possess at a Bachelor’s degree with 10 years of relevant professional experience or Master’s degree with 8 years of professional experience.  The same expert can be proposed for two different positions as long as s/he possesses the required qualifications and experience. This should be clearly indicated in the proposal.

 

 

(b)  Financial Proposal

The Financial Bid should include daily rate for professional fees/remuneration and other expenses as per below details:

(a)  Daily fee/rate for each expert;

(b)  Daily allowance for meals etc (only applicable for site visit days):

(c)  Accommodation charges per night (only applicable during site visits involving night stay):

(d)  Vehicle rental charges per day

(e)  Any other costs

 

It may be noted that the firm shall be responsible for arranging workspace, office equipment, supplies, etc for its staff.

 

The submission should be clearly labelled/written “Request for Proposal – Retainership Contract - Provision of Institutional Consultancy Services for Design and Supervision of WASH Infrastructure. The currency of the bid shall be in RWF or USD.

 

 

(c)  Assessment Processes of Submitted Proposals:

After the opening, each proposal will be assessed first on its technical merits and subsequently on its price. Responses deemed not to meet all of the mandatory requirements will be considered non-compliant and rejected at this stage without further consideration. Failure to comply with any of the terms and conditions contained in this ToR, including provision of all required information, may result in a response or proposal being disqualified from further consideration. Final decision on the evaluation/proposal assessment will rest with UNICEF.

 

(d)  Evaluation of Technical Proposals

The technical proposals will be evaluated as per the below evaluation criteria:

 

Technical Proposal 

No.  Criteria  Max. Points   

 

1.0  Overall response    5   

     (i)  Overall clarity and completeness of the proposal.  2   

     (ii) Overall concord between the RFP requirements and the proposal      3   

 

2.0  Proposed Methodology     20  

     (i)  Adequacy of the proposed implementation approach/ methodology    10  

     (ii) Structure of the team to be deployed for the assignment       5   

     (iii)     Monitoring and coordination mechanism 5   

 

3.0 Organizational Capacity 45  

     (i)  Organizational expertise and experience in works of similar nature and complexity completed over a minimum of five (5) years     10  

     (ii) Qualifications and competence of the key staff 35  

Total     70  

 

Only proposals which receive a minimum of 49 points under the technical evaluation will be considered technically compliant and be eligible for the second phase (financial review).

 

(e)  Evaluation of financial proposals

The total amount of points allocated for the price component is thirty [30]. The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened and compared among those invited firms/institutions which obtain the threshold points in the evaluation of the technical component. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price e.g.:

 

Score for price proposal X = Max. Score for price proposal * Price of lowest priced proposal/ Price of proposal X

 

(f)  Final computing of proposal score

Total proposal scores will be consolidated as follows:

 

Evaluation of proposal   Maximum points

Technical evaluation of proposals  70  

Cost / Financial proposal     30  

Total     100 

 

The proposal with the best overall scoring, composed of technical responsiveness, merit and price, will be recommended for approval. UNICEF will notify the selected firm/institution by email when the evaluation and award process is completed.