Terms of Reference

Consultancy Services to assess the performance of collective Wastewater Treatment facilities and propose a sustainable management framework.

1. Introduction 

Water For People is an international non-profit organization that aims at improving access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, and hygiene education in developing countries. Water For People works locally, nationally, and globally to influence governments’ water and sanitation policies to serve the interests of the needy.  WFP program in Rwanda began in 2008, with an overall objective to help all communities, schools, and health care facilities gain access to sustainable water, and sanitation services as well as hygiene behavior change in Rulindo, Kicukiro, Gicumbi, and Karongi Districts of Rwanda. 

Water For People has secured funds from USAID to finance the Isoko y’Ubuzima Project which is a five-year Rwanda Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) activity. The activity is being executed by a consortium led by Water For People and includes IRC, CARE International, VEI, and a local partner African Evangelistic Enterprise (AEE) in Rwanda. The project operates in 10 districts namely, Rwamagana, Kayonza, Ngoma, Kirehe, Nyagatare, Ruhango, Nyanza, Nyamagabe, Ngororero, and Nyabihu.

The overall goal of the Isoko y’Ubuzima project is to improve access to and utilization of safe, sustainable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services. This will be achieved through three interrelated and mutually reinforcing strategic objectives (SO):

SO1.Improving Decentralized WASH Governance

SO2. Improving Rural Drinking Water Services

SO3. Improving Rural Sanitation and Handwashing Services and Products. 

2. Background and context

Sanitation is at the center of the United Nations’ determined agenda with a diverse sector goal that envisions universal, sustainable, and equitable access to safe sanitation as well as the elimination of open defecation. 

Rwanda has committed itself to reaching very ambitious targets in sanitation to achieve basic sanitation targets by 2024 and reach SDG#6 (safely managed sanitation services) by 2030 through the development and implementation of integrated public sanitation systems for both liquid and solid waste management. The importance of adequate sanitation services as drivers for social and economic development, poverty reduction, and public health is fully recognized in Rwanda’s flagship policy documents and related political goals.

Even though Rwanda has the basic or baseline sectorial legal instruments/tools, clearly determined targets in the sector, as well as guiding plans in place, there are still some policy and legal-related gaps that lead to unsafe collective wastewater treatment practices from the cluster of dwellings or businesses that is mostly driven by unclear collaborative and/or inefficient mechanism for management of such treatment systems.

As a result, there are significant performance failures of the collective wastewater treatment systems constructed and/or installed in various communal residences and public or private business buildings hence the need for proper management of such systems.

It is against the above background that Water for People and IRC under the Isoko y’Ubuzima Project in collaboration with WASAC Group Ltd and MININFRA would like to hire a consultant to conduct the assessment of existing management practices for collective wastewater treatment systems in the City of Kigali and provide a sustainable management framework.

3. Objective

The main objective of the study is to assess the performance of collective wastewater management facilities per user category in the City of Kigali and six (6) wastewater treatment plants located upcountry and propose a specific sustainable management framework.

4. Specific objectives

The following are the specific objectives of the study but not limited to:

1. Identification and mapping of all existing collective wastewater treatment plants and their related capacities in densely populated areas including but not limited to public and/or private buildings.
2. Categorisation of all types of collective wastewater treatment plants per user-based service and design target to inform on effective management (Example; commercial, residential, hospitals, hotels, etc… for re-use, discharge, etc…).
3. Assess the existing management practices and/or status of the identified collective wastewater treatment facilities;
4. Propose a sustainable management framework for the collective wastewater treatment plants per user categories.

5. Scope of the study

This study will be limited to all types of collective wastewater treatment facilities in the City of Kigali (CoK) including six (6) upcountry fecal sludge treatment plants in Nyamagabe, Nyanza, Rulindo, Gicumbi, Kayonza and Nyagatare Districts.

6. Specific tasks

The following are the specific tasks:

• Listing and description of all existing collective wastewater treatment plants in the CoK to highlight but not limited to; the capacity of Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP), population equivalence, treatment technology, location, etc…
• Mapping of all existing collective wastewater treatment plants to include public and/or private buildings in the CoK and six (6) upcountry fecal sludge treatment plants in Nyamagabe, Nyanza, Rulindo, Gicumbi, Kayonza and Nyagatare Districts.
• Categorize the type of collective wastewater treatment facilities per user-based services and design target versus the technology applied.
• Describe the proficiency and current management practices of each existing collective wastewater/fecal sludge treatment facility
• Produce detailed sewerage connectivity and FSTP checklist that the construction and inspection permit from CoK and District can use when providing construction permits or during inspection.
• Highlight the loopholes in the existing management of wastewater/Faecal Sludge management facilities.
• Assess the performance of the treatment systems by sampling 1 system per technology and user category and do the effluents quality testing of key parameters as defined in the required standards such as Faecal coliforms, E-Coli, pH, Total Nitrogen (TN), Total Phosphorus (TP), Total Suspend Solids (TSS), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Turbidity, Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammonium, Sulphate. These tests should be done by an accredited laboratory in Rwanda.
• Assess the institutional framework in the management of specific collective wastewater/fecal sludge treatment facilities from the central level to the user level
• Propose at least 2-to-3 alternatives for better management of collective wastewater/fecal sludge treatment plants identified per each category.
• Recommend the preferred option for the sustainable management of collective wastewater/fecal sludge treatment plants for better service provision per category.

7. Timelines and Reporting

The duration of the study is four (4) months and the following are the deliverables:

Inception report which includes the background and general status of wastewater/Fecal sludge management in Rwanda particularly in the City of Kigali and in six (6) Districts mentioned above as well as the methodology and Gant chart, to be delivered one month after the contract signature.

Draft Report to be submitted three (3) months after contract signature as per the specific tasks indicated above to be presented to the thematic working group of sanitation and hygiene.

Final report to be approved by the thematic working group of sanitation and hygiene which captures the recommendations for sustainable management of wastewater and/or fecal sludge. This report shall be submitted in 4 months after the contract signature.

8. BID DOCUMENTS

8.1 Technical Proposal

Companies/firms and Individual consultants are eligible to apply for this consultancy. However, individual consultants (the Project Manager and the Sanitary Engineer) must form a joint venture duly notarized by RDB. The technical proposal to be submitted by the bidder must have the components described in the below sections. International companies are also invited to apply but they should form a joint venture with a local company that complies with all the administrative documents mentioned in the following section:

A. Companies and firms

Company profile and administrative documents

 The company must provide the following administrative documents:

• Full company address in Rwanda indicating Province, District, Sector, Cell, Village, E-mail, Post Office Box,
• A copy of the Trade License/Certificate of company registration provided by RDB.
• VAT registration certificate
• Valid Certificate of tax clearance by Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA),
• RSSB clearance certificate (when applicable),

Company experience

 The desired company/firm should meet the following criteria:

• General consultancy experience of the company in the field of the WASH sector.
• Experience in developing business strategies and/or business models.
• Present a track record of at least two assignments conducted in the areas of Sanitation or WASH sector analysis or policy development with an amount equal to or beyond the proposed financial cost.
• Copies of similar assignments (with evidence for good completion) 

B. Team composition and required skills (for both Companies and joint venture consultants)

Required Key Experts:

Principal consultant or Project Manager

The Project Manager should at least hold a master's degree or higher in sanitary engineering, water sciences, or environmental sciences and related fields with a background in the water and sanitation sector and at least ten (10) years of relevant practical experience in similar assignments. Knowledge in water and sanitation governance/policy is added value.

Sanitary Engineer

The sanitary Engineer should possess at least a master’s degree in sanitary engineering with at least 5 years of working experience or a related bachelor’s degree in water, environmental, and/or civil engineering with a minimum of eight (8) years of working experience in similar assignments. 

          9. Submission of proposals

The application file should contain the following documents:

• Applicants shall present an updated Curriculum Vitae duly signed by the staff him/herself and academic documents with the signed letter of availability during the assignment period. (if a team is envisaged, ensure the repartition of roles and responsibilities is clearly explained). The project manager should submit 3 references with their contacts and addresses.
• Administrative documents:
• The Joint venture consultants: a joint venture duly notarized by RDB.
• The companies/firms must provide their full address, Trade registration number (TIN), VAT registration certificate, valid RRA Tax clearance, and RSSB certificate)

Failure to any of the requirements above-mentioned for either category will lead to immediate disqualification.

• Technical proposal: a proposal must contain a detailed methodology, an understanding of ToRs, a clear timeframe detailing how the deliverables will be achieved, team composition, and evidence of the consultant’s experience.
• Financial offer: it should detail the various costs associated with the delivery of the above services (in Rwanda Francs), in PDF format and must be a separate document from the technical proposal and password protected. Please do not include any financial/price in the technical proposal.

The inclusion of any price information in the technical proposal shall lead to bidding rejection.

10. EVALUATION CRITERIA

In assessing the proposals submitted, the evaluation panel will use the Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS).

Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria: administrative requirements, clarity of methodology, the profile of team members, understanding of the task, and cost as follows.

Stage I: Administrative documents: Mandatory (Pass/Fail)

Any bid that will fail at this stage will not go to the next stage.

Stage II: Technical evaluation

• General experience, understanding of the assignment and proposed methodology: 40%
• Profile of Experts: 40%
• Presentation of the methodology to be used: 20%

Only bidders who get 80% marks and above will go to the next stage and the lowest bidder will be selected.

The selected bidder will be contractually required to comply with Water For People’s Vendor Code of Conduct https://www.waterforpeople.org/Vendor-Code-of-Conduct and will be required to deliver a Conflict-of-Interest Certificate prior to execution of the contract. The Conflict-of-Interest Certificate requires the disclosure of any potential or actual conflicts of interest with Water For People employees or their relatives including past, current or proposed business transactions, employment or offers of employment, or certain gifts or entertainment. Water For People will evaluate any disclosures of conflicts of interest; if Water For People determines it cannot waive or mitigate the conflict of interest it will result in the disqualification of the selected proposer.  

11. COPYRIGHTS 

Copyright of all material on assignment will be retained by Water For People in Rwanda or the Ministry of Infrastructure through WASAC. 

12. RIGHTS RESERVED 

• Water For People reserves the right to cancel the entire procurement process without incurring any liability whatsoever. 
• Water For People reserves the right to amend any segment of the RFP prior to the announcement of selected candidates. 
• Water For People also reserves the right to remove one or more of the services from consideration for this contract should the evaluation show that it is in WFP’s best interest to do so. 
• Water For People also may, at its discretion, issue a separate contract for any service or groups of services included in this RFP. Water For People may negotiate a compensation package and additional provisions to the contract awarded under this RFP. 
• Water For People reserves the right to debrief the applicants after the completion of the process due to the expected high volume of applications to avoid the compromise of the process. 

13. How to apply 

If you feel qualified and interested in the assignment, please send your technical and financial proposals (separately) to: rwprocurement@waterforpeople.org no later than 14^th January 2024 at 11:59 pm. Hard copies and late submissions shall be rejected.

Done at Kigali, on 19^th December 2023

Eugene Dusingizumuremyi

Country Director