TL for Feasibility Study Report for Comrat Sanitation Project

The objective of the assignment is to support the P.I. National Office for Regional and Local Development under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development (MIRD) in Development the Feasibility Study and ESIA for Comrat Subproject. 

Estimated implementation period:November 2023 – June 2024.

The expected results are described in detail in the next sections. Its main components can be summarized as follows:

Task A: Feasibility Study Comrat Sanitation Project:

This study shall provide a thorough review of the existing sanitation situation at Comrat and its background conditions. It will define the necessary measure to improve those sanitation services, distinguishing between urgent short-term, medium-term, and long-term measures /packages, ensuring cost-effectiveness and sustainability of solutions proposed.

Task B: Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA):

This study shall examine the environmental and social risks, impacts, and issues associated with the measures suggested under Task A. The ESIA needs to include the evaluation of alternatives, definition of mitigation, management, and monitoring measures.

The scope of work shall include but not be restricted to the tasks listed below:

 

Task A: Feasibility Study of the Comrat Sanitation Project

This task comprises the following activities, but not limited to:

Task A.1 - Mobilization Actions and Development of the „Inception report”

Task A.2 - Review of existing documents, assessment of existing sanitation infrastructure, and survey of wastewater characteristics

Task A.3 - Actual and future wastewater flows and pollution loads

Task A.4 - Hydraulic network analysis

Task A.5 - Wastewater treatment & disposal

Task A.6 - Treated wastewater / sludge reuse

Task A.7 – Prepare a Feasibility Study Report

Task A.8 - Resilience of Sanitation Infrastructure and Green economy principles

Task A.9 - Institutional and Financial Analysis

Task A.10 - Summary of Recommended Short-, Medium-, and Long-Term Measures

               Task A.11 - Elaboration of Feasibility Study Report (FSR)

Task B: Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA)

The ESIA will be developed in line with Moldovan legislation as well as with the requested Environmental and Social Standards (ESS) of the World Bank.

This task comprises the following activities, but not limited to:

Task B.1 - In parallel with the Task A.1 – to mobilize the ESIA Team and contribute to the preparation of the Inception report (environmental and social part of it – Methodology of assessment and the proposed Outline of the ESIA and ESMP documents to be developed)

Task B.2 – Baseline

Task B.3 – Identification of Environmental and Social Impacts and Risks

Task B.4 – Risk management and Mitigation

V.  PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The suggested methodology of executing the assignment would be through a ‘task force’ approach wherein the Consultant is expected to assemble a task force of specialist engineers and technicians who would be assigned to carry out the required services. Sufficient Client review time shall be taken into account. Client’s comments, as deemed necessary, shall be taken into account when preparing the final output and in related project activities. In order to enable a smooth continuation of the project, it is strongly recommended to co-ordinate essential assumptions and conclusions with the Client even before the submission of any Draft Reports or documents.VI.  CONSULTANT MANAGEMENT

Consultant qualifications requirements

Personnel for Feasibility Study

In general, the requirements distinguish between ‘key personnel’ and ‘non-key personnel’. A short description of the ‘key personnel’ and ‘non-key personnel’ with their experience and anticipated tasks in the performance of the project must be presented.

For the purposes of this contract, ‘internationally experienced’ are those experts who have worked outside of Moldova, while local assignments are those in Moldova.

The below listed non-key staffs are indicative. The Consultant may propose additional non-key staff to ensure successful completion of the task. However, the Consultant should ensure that the financial proposal includes these additional staff. The Consultant must provide all required staff to carry out all the stated tasks and other duties in the project.

In the proposal, the Consultant shall include a detailed time schedule showing each specific task that will be used as a tracking sheet to meet the project deliverables. Some personnel scheduling chart, identifying everyone by name and his discipline, and showing on a Gantt chart the estimated number of man-months of everyone, shall be used on the project.

The Consultant shall be required to make appropriate use of available local expertise to ensure that local conditions and capacities are best considered. In the selection of local individuals, any conflicts of interest must be avoided. The Consultant shall also note that governmental officials and civil servants could be proposed only if their hiring would not create a conflict of interest and does not conflict with any national laws, regulations or policies.

Specialists can cover multiple tasks both in the Feasibility Study, and/or in the Environmental & Social Assessment, as long as the necessary minimum professional requirements are being met, and the project schedule convincingly demonstrates the necessary and timely availability of those experts for multiple tasks.

The Consultant staff should include team members who are well familiar with the Republic of Moldova legislation and situation in the field of the assignment and are fluent in Romanian and Russian.

Key Personnel for Feasibility Study

The Consultant is suggested to provide a team including the following key experts and may modify this list to ensure successful completion of the tasks:

(1)   Project Team Leader FSR: The Team Leader should have a MSc in Civil Engineering, or in Water Engineering, or Sanitary Engineering, or equivalent. He/she must be a professional engineer with 15 or more years working in the sanitation sector, including five (5) years as a team leader. He/she must be a self-starter who should be able to provide strategic leadership to the team and ensure high quality work within the agreed time frames. He/she should have extensive proven experience in design, construction and operation and maintenance of medium-sized wastewater schemes. He/she should have been a Team Leader for at least two (2) Feasibility Studies with project size between 10,000 - 50,000 populations per reference project. Working experience in international donor-funded projects is an added advantage.

(2)   Hydraulic Engineer: He/she should have a BSc in Civil Engineering, or in Hydraulic Engineering. He/she must be a professional engineer with minimum 10 years’ experience in design of sewer networks. He / she must have previous experience on at least two (2) Feasibility Studies in the modelling of wastewater networks, with project size between 10,000 - 50,000 populations per reference project. He/she must have a good understanding of appropriate hydraulic modelling software packages.

(3)   Wastewater/ Process Engineer:  He/she should have a MSc in Civil Engineering, or in Water Engineering, or in Process Engineering, or equivalent. He/she must be a professional engineer with minimum 10 years’ experience in design of Wastewater Treatment Plants. He / she should have worked on at least two (2) Feasibility Studies with project size between 10,000 - 50,000 populations per reference project, focusing on design and operation of wastewater treatment. The Wastewater / Process Engineer must be an international expert.

(4)   Financial & Institutional Specialist: He/she should have a MSc degree in Finance or Economics. A Masters in Business Administration (MBA) or equivalent will be an advantage. He/she should have 10 or more years’ experience in project financing analysis and advisory, project/investment appraisal, financial and economic analysis, institutional analysis. He / she should have worked on at least two (2) Feasibility Studies in the Water & Sanitation sector, focusing on financial and institutional aspects. The Financial & Institutional Specialist must be an international expert.

Non-Key Personnel for Feasibility Study

The below staff is only indicative. The Consultant may modify the list or propose additional non-key staff to ensure successful completion of the task.

·        Social/Community Development Specialist;

·        Sanitation Specialist for onsite systems;

·        Operation & Maintenance Specialist;

·        Hydrologist;

·        Civil / Structural Engineer;

·        Mechanical-Electrical Engineer;

·        Geotechnical Expert;

·        GIS Expert;

·        Surveyor;

·        Etc.

Personnel for Environmental & Social Assessment

Key Personnel for Environmental & Social Assessment

It is envisaged that an experienced environmental or social specialist would serve as the ESIA Project Team Leader. The Consultant should complement the skills of the core team with other social, environmental, technical, and institutional specialists with experience in Moldova and/or internationally. Ideally, the social specialists will have previous experience working with the World Bank’s social safeguards requirements and prior experience in developing an ESMP.

(1)      Environmental Specialist ESIA Task Team Leader: The Team Leader should have a MSc in Environmental Management or Social Sciences, or equivalent. He/she must have demonstrated experience of 15 or more years working in the assessment of water & sanitation projects, including five (5) years as a team leader in complex ESIAs (EIA for similar projects). He/she must be a self-starter who should be able to provide strategic leadership to the team and ensure high quality work within the agreed time frames. He/she should have been a Team Leader for at least two (2) comparable ESIA Studies with project size between 10,000 - 50,000 populations per reference project. Working experience in international donor-funded projects is an added advantage.

(2)      Water Resource Expert: He/she should have a MSc in Water Resources/Quality Management, or equivalent. He/she must have demonstrated experience of minimum 15 years in water management planning. He / she must have previous experience on at least two (2) ESIA Studies of similar nature, preferably for World Bank funded projects

(3)      Sociologist:  He/she should be a sociologist with at least Master Degree. He/she must be a professional with minimum 10 years’ experience in social impact assessment and mitigation plan preparation. He / she should have worked on at least two (2) ESIA Studies of similar nature, preferably for World Bank funded projects

Non-Key Personnel for Environmental & Social Assessment

The below staff is only indicative. The Consultant may modify the list or propose additional non-key staff to ensure successful completion of the task.

·        Aquatic Ecologist;

·        Terrestrial Ecologist;

·        Environmental Specialist;

·        Social Specialist;

·        Civil Engineer;

·        Occupation Health and Safety Specialist;

·        Gender Specialist;

·        Ornithologist;

·        GIS Expert;

·        Etc.