Consultancy Services to Conduct Environmental Impact Assessment At Lutheran World Federation

1.INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is an international humanitarian organization with a global presence in countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Central America. The global headquarters of LWF is in Geneva, Switzerland. At the regional level, LWF is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, serving both the Kenya and Somalia country programs. The Lutheran World Federation provides quality humanitarian assistance to displaced and affected communities and focuses on three priority areas: i) Sustainable Livelihoods, ii) Quality Services, iii) Protection and Social Cohesion. The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) World Service established a presence in Kismayo, Jubbaland State in Somalia in 2017 to create a continuum between its refugee assistance and protection program in Dadaab refugee camps. Since 2017, LWF has been working closely with the relevant Jubbaland State Ministries, including the Ministry of Education and Higher Learning (MoEHL), Ministry of Women, Family Affairs, and Human Rights, and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs. From 2022, the program embarked on program expansion to implement new projects in Kismayo and areas outside Kismayo, including Dhobley district. More information about the LWF Kenya-Somalia program can be access here. https://kenyasomalia.lutheranworld.org/

Project description

LWF-Kenya Somalia Program has recently received funds from the Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) to provide holistic, gender-responsive assistance, primarily focusing on the well-being and dignity of those affected by conflict, particularly women and girls. The services include safe spaces, legal support, psychosocial services, and awareness campaigns to address GBV**: i. Inadequate access to clean water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene supplies disproportionately affects women and girls, increasing protection concerns. Ii. Ensuring private sanitation facilities and addressing MHM needs are essential. Iii. Empowering women and girls is central to the protection project, which engages men and boys to challenge harmful gender norms and practices.** The project will: · Increased access and utilization of gender-responsive protection and SGBV response services in conflict-affected and poor host communities in Somalia with a particular emphasis on women and girls.

• Increased access to safe and improved WASH facilities and services, including sanitation and water infrastructure, among IDPs, returnees, and host communities in Somalia, with a particular emphasis on women and girls in targeted areas. · Increased awareness and adoption of healthy hygiene and sanitation practices among women, men, girls, and boys in Somalia, focusing on IDPs, returnees, and host communities. · Increased access and utilization of gender-responsive protection and SGBV response services in conflict-affected and poor host communities in Somalia with a particular emphasis on women and girls.

2. PURPOSE OF THE ASSESSMENT

The overall purpose of this Request is to find a prospective bidder (s) to support in conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment to provide crucial information to use in implementing the proposed construction works in the project. The assessment is to produce clear Environmental Action Plan (EAP) that will be used to mitigate significant effect of the project on the environment, reducing negative effect of the project and mitigate them in advance.

3. OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The assignment has the following objectives;

1. Jointly with government, local administration, communities and other stakeholders, visit the construction sites and identify potential environmental impacts the proposed construction works will have on the immediate and surrounding ecosystem.
2. Design and develop Environmental Action Plans (EAPs) for each proposed construction work to guide in mitigation and navigation of the identified and potential negative effects.
3. Provide recommendations on critical environmental information to guide policy makers, stakeholders and communities on future and similar interventions for Jubaland state and for future programming by LWF.

4. SCOPE OF WORK

Duration of the assignment: The consultancy is 20 working days and will be from the period of from the 5th of Nov, 2024 till the 2nd of Dec, 2024.

Geographical Coverage: The exercise will be carried out in the two project locations of Kismayu and surrounding villages and Dhobley and surrounding villages, districts of lower Juba, Somalia.

Construction works to be assessed; previously identified constructions sites, the project will cover the following construction works:

• Piping extension and construction of water point/ kiosk for IDPs in Dhobley and surrounding villages.
• Construction/rehabilitation of solar boreholes and other water dams in Dhobley and surrounding villages.
• Construction of twin latrines fitted with handwashing facilities in the project locations Kismayu and surrounding villages and Dhobley and surrounding villages.
• Construction of 2 community waste management pits in Dhobley and surrounding villages.

Target Beneficiary Category and Stakeholders**:** The consultant will hold consultations with relevant governmental institutions/ministries/agencies and beneficiaries to address the project’s constructions impact on the environment, thus providing mitigating plans for prospective negative impact.

5. APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY

The consultant is expected to suggest an approach and methodology tested and tried empirical methodology that reviews relevant policies, regulations, and previous studies related to environmental impacts of hydraulic and other infrastructure.

6. RESPONSIBILITIES OF LWF

• Share all relevant project documentation.
• Provide vehicle logistical support, including arrangements, for access to project sites.
• Organize and facilitate meetings with government officials, environmental groups.
• Mobilize stakeholders and beneficiaries to actively participate in consultation processes.

7. DELIVERABLES

The consultant will be responsible for preparing and submitting the following deliverables;

• An inception report.
  1. A draft Environmental Impact Assessment report of the findings submitted to LWF program team for feedback (including related materials from interviews conducted).
  2. A final Environmental Impact Assessment report written in English (soft copy), maximum 50 pages including findings, best practices, lessons learned, and recommendations. The structure and format of the final report will be agreed upon by LWF and the consultant.
  3. Environmental Action Plans for all construction sites

The following is an example of a table of contents of the Environmental Impact Assessment Plan that will produce the environmental action plan.

• Introduction
• Methodology
• Project Description
• Project Location and Description of the Environment
  • Location of the Project
    • Description of the Environment (Including Physical, Biological, Socioeconomic conditions)
• Environmental Policy and Legislative Framework
  • Organization’s Environmental Management System
    • Country-Level Legislation, Regulations and/or Policies
      • Donor Environmental Requirements
      • GAC’s Environmental Policy and Legal requirements, including its Environmental Integration Process
      • Environmental Policy Requirements from any other Donors Involved
• Potential Environmental Effects of the Project and Mitigation and/or Enhancement Measures
  • Potential Environmental Effects (negative and positive)
    • Mitigation and Enhancement Measures
• Implementation Plan for EAP
  • Environmental Management Roles and Responsibilities
    • Staffing Requirements and Expertise
      • Training and/or Capacity Building Programs
      • Schedule of Implementation of EAP
      • Budget
      • Monitoring and Follow-Up
      • Reporting
      • Photographs of the identified sites and consultations.

8. QUALIFICATIONS/ REQUIREMENTS

• The consultant musthave an environmental university degree/ Masters or equivalent Social Science qualification.
  • Proven experience in conducting environmental impact assessments.
    • Strong facilitation and communication skills, with experience delivering information diverse groups.
      • Knowledge of the sociopolitical context in Somalia and the environmental challenges with the governmental regulations.
      • Fluency in English; knowledge of Somali language is an added bonus.

9. SUBMISSIONS

The bid will consist of two parts; technical and financial as follows;

Part A: Technical Proposal

The Technical Proposal shall be straightforward and concise describing how the consultant intends to carry out and satisfy the task as described above. No cost or pricing information is to be included in the technical proposal.

Technical proposals are limited to 15 pages in total. Organizational Information, CVs of proposed personnel, and examples of previous relevant work are to be included in an Annex. Key personnel resumes, dividers and past performance report forms are not included in the page limitation. Bidders are encouraged to provide an Annex, or “portfolio” of samples demonstrating past experience performing similar activities. The Annex can include copies of photographs, other visual representations, and media/social media clippings. The Annex should not exceed 10 pages.

The technical proposal shall be formatted using the following sections:

Technical Approach– Narrative not to exceed five (5) pages.

The bidder shall demonstrate his/her understanding, ability, and overall approach to perform the requirements described in the Scope of Work/Tasks/Activities. S/he shall clearly explain how they propose to structure, design, manage and execute the work required that meets LWF objectives.

The Technical Approach must include a timeline or Gantt chart of the deliverables required to execute this project.

Capability Statement – Narrative – not to exceed two (2) pages.

The bidder shall demonstrate his/her specialized competence with regard to the requirements of the tasks/activities. S/he shall demonstrate they have the necessary personnel to successfully comply with the contract requirements and accomplish the deliverables.

Past Performance – Narrative not to exceed five (3) pages.

The Bidder shall provide at least three (3) examples of past performance of implementing similar projects. The past performance examples must be within the last three (3) years and shall be similar in terms of scale and relevance. S/he must provide references for each example, including the name, title, phone number, and email address of the reference.

Personnel/Staffing – A narrative not to exceed two (2) pages.

A summary describing the proposed staff for the project including up to three team members.

The summary shall include names, relevant qualifications of similar experience and the proposed role for each individual.

A Project Manager must be identified with a minimum of five years’ experience in related project management.

The bidder must also include the CVs of the key staff members involved in the Project, including the Project Managers and up to 3 Team members. Each CV should not exceed three (3) pages.

Part B: Financial Proposal

The bidder shall propose realistic and reasonable costs for this work in accordance with the His/Her technical approach. The cost should be in dollars (USD) and include all applicable local taxation. The financial proposal shall list all costs associated with the assignment.

Items described in the technical proposal but not priced, shall be assumed to be included in the prices of other items.

10. EVALUATION CRITERIA

This solicitation is open to local firms/ company’s registered in Somalia/ Kenya, specializing in measuring learning outcomes and/or education research.

The selected Consultant will be responsible for designing and executing all activities outlined in this Request for Proposal in coordination with LWF.

Proposals will be evaluated using the quality and cost-based selection, with a total score calculated out of 100% of which 60% is the weight of the technical proposal and 40% is the weight of the financial proposal.

Proposals meeting the mandatory requirements will be evaluated for technical merit based on the criteria in the below chart. Those proposals scoring 65 points or higher (out of 80 points) will be considered for cost-effectiveness.

Technical Approach

Proposed structure, design, and approach to execute the work required, application of ASER tools, analysis and presentation of findings (a high-quality report). (25 points)

Detailed work plan and implementation plan. (5 points) 30

Capability Statement

Demonstration of the necessary organizational systems, and personnel to successfully comply with the contract requirements and accomplish the expected results. 10

Past Performance

• Inclusion of at least 3 relevant past performance examples of similar projects. (5 points)
• References provided by past clients for these examples and their evaluation of the bidder’s ability to deliver on time and within quality and budget expectations. (5 points) 10

Personnel/Staffing

Qualifications and past relevant experience of the Project Manager and up to 3 team members proposed to perform the requirements of this scope of work. (10 points) 10

Technical Evaluation Threshold (Only offers that receive a technical evaluation score of 42 and above points (out of 60) will be considered for cost evaluation.)

Cost Evaluation

The financial proposal will be evaluated using the following formula:

FS=40*lowest price/F, in which FS is the financial score and F is the price of the proposal under consideration. 40

Total Points = 100

How to apply

Interested and qualified consultant(s) should submit their technical proposal and financial proposals to procurement.kismayo@lutheranworld.org with the e-mail subject line clearly marked; Environmental Assessment.

The deadline for submission of applications is Sunday 27th of Oct, 2024 at 5:00 pm Eastern African Time

LWF reserves the right to reject any application(s) without disclosing the reasons

CLICK HERE TO APPLY