Consultancy services for the development of Utilities Performance Improvement Action Plans (PIAPS) in participating countries. — Accelerating Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region

_____________________________________________________ REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION) Country: Multinational Name of Project: Accelerating Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region Project Grant No .: P506439 Assignment Title: Procurement of consultancy services for Utility Diagnostics, Performance Improvement Action Plans (PIAPs), Digitalization Maturity Assessment and New IBNET Benchmarking under the AFE WASH MPA Regional Support Project Reference No : 006/AUDA/DITIR/QCBS/2027 Method: Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) Introduction The African Union Development Agency – New Partnership for Africa Development (AUDA-NEPAD) has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the “Resilient Irrigation for a Sustainable Economy Project”, and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services. “ Procurement of consultancy services for Utility Diagnostics, Performance Improvement Action Plans (PIAPs), Digitalization Maturity Assessment and New IBNET Benchmarking under the AFE WASH MPA Regional Support Project ” Description of Services The consulting services (“the Services”) include: Task 1: Inception and Utility Prioritization : confirms full alignment of the baseline diagnostic methodology with the AFE WASH MPA PAD (P506439), Component 3 results framework, and World Bank ESF requirements , applies a Utility Prioritization Framework ranking utilities. The consultant will work with a maximum list of 06 proposed utilities by the MPA participating countries, and build a database using, key baseline data on utility characteristics, size and performance, but also considering the characteristics of the enabling environment including criteria related to accountability, transparency, government reform commitment, and climate vulnerability to produce the final utility list and country sequencing for Round 1 (Months 1 to 10) and Round 2 (Months 8 to 20) etc; Task 2: NewIBNET Benchmarking including Digital Maturity: conduct a data audit assessing completeness and reliability of existing performance data against NewIBNET KPI requirements (including but not limiting to - NRW rates, billing and collection efficiency, energy consumption per m³, staffing ratios, O&M and capital expenditure per connection), provide hands-on support for data collection, cleaning, formatting, and platform submission, confirm national adoption of the NewIBNET as a preferred/standradized tool for performance assessment, which will translate into successful enrolment within six months of contract effectiveness etc; Task 3: Utility Diagnostic Baseline Assessments: Operational: NRW loss component analysis separating real losses (leakage, overflows) from apparent losses (meter error, illegal connections, data errors); service continuity by zone; production capacity versus demand; O&M practices and maintenance management systems etc; Task 4:Costed Performance Improvement Action Plans (PIAPs): Costed priority interventions, sequenced in time, assessing impact and feasibility, linked explicitly to the diagnostic root causes they address, and organised by reform dimension, SMART targets for example: reduce NRW from the diagnosed rate to the realistic target / as per resources available to implement the PIAP, by Month X; achieve operational cost recovery of 100% by Month Y; reduce specific energy consumption to the benchmark value by Month Z. These targets should then be calibrated against NewIBNET regional benchmarks etc; Task 5: Capacity Building and Regional Training: Module 1: PIAP Implementation and Utility Turnaround: translating diagnostic findings into managed reform; performance contracting (include successful cases); and turnaround case studies from the AFE region, Module 2: Leadership and Corporate Governance: board effectiveness; CEO accountability frameworks; performance-based management; customer service culture etc; Task 6: Knowledge Management and Regional Learning: The Firm shall synthesise all assignment outputs into reusable regional knowledge products and facilitate cross-country learning: minimum five knowledge products in English, French, Portuguese (Regional Utility Performance Report; NewIBNET Participation Guide; PIAP Preparation Methodology Guide; PIAP modelling tool, Utility Digitalisation Primer; Rural Operator Professionalization Framework); at least two regional knowledge-sharing events; a Regional WASH Utility Performance Knowledge Repository compiling all diagnostic reports, PIAPs, RWSSPRs, and benchmarking datasets; and integration of all NewIBNET data and PIAP outputs into AUDA-NEPAD reporting to the World Bank, the Systems Change Water Scorecard, and AMCOW WASSMO. Level of Effort for Key staff : Key Expert Indicative Person-Months per Lot KE1 - Team Leader / Utility Performance Specialist 12-15 KE2 - Water Utility Financial Specialist 8-10 KE3 - Water Engineering & NRW Specialist 8-10 KE4 - Climate Resilience Specialist 4-6 KE5 - Rural Water & Capacity Building Specialist 6-9 Total 40-55 Duration of the assignment 24 months from contract effectiveness The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be found on the following website: https://www.nepad.org/corporate-procurement#tenders Shortlisting criteria: The African Union Development Agency – New Partnership for Africa Development (AUDA-NEPAD) now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. The shortlisting criteria are: Minimum 10 years providing WASH technical assistance in Sub-Saharan Africa, including utility diagnostic assessments and performance improvement planning. Proven track record preparing costed PIAPs for at least 5 water utilities in Sub-Saharan Africa with measurable operational or financial improvement outcomes. Demonstrated familiarity with NewIBNET or equivalent benchmarking platforms (IBNET, IWA Water Loss Performance Indicators), including hands-on experience facilitating utility enrolment. Experience integrating climate risk screening into utility diagnostics and PIAPs in developing country contexts. Experience developing rural water operator professionalization strategies or sustainable rural O&M models in Sub-Saharan Africa. Experience on World Bank-financed TA assignments, with familiarity with World Bank procurement regulations and ESF requirements. Ability to deploy bilingual (EN/FR) expert teams across multiple countries simultaneously in Eastern and/or Southern Africa. Evidence of at least 2 similar assignments completed in the last 10 years Conflict of interest The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.15, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” February 2025 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. In addition, please refer to the following specific information on conflict of interest related to this assignment: A firm that has been engaged by the Borrower to provide Goods, Works, or Non-consulting Services for a project (or an affiliate that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with that firm), shall be disqualified from providing Consulting Services resulting from, or directly related to, those Goods, Works, or Non-consulting Services. This provision does not apply to the various firms (Consultants, contractors, or suppliers), which together are performing the contractor’s obligations under a turnkey or design and build contract; A firm that has been engaged by the Borrower to provide Consulting Services for the preparation or implementation of a project (or an affiliate that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with that Consulting firm), shall be disqualified from subsequently providing Goods, Works, or Non-consulting Services resulting from, or directly related to those Consulting Services. This provision does not apply to the various firms (Consultants, contractors, or suppliers), which together are performing the contractor’s obligations under a turnkey or design and build contract; Neither a Consultant (including personnel and sub-consultants), nor an affiliate (that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with that Consultant), shall be hired for any assignment that, by its nature, creates a conflict of interest with another assignment of the Consultant; Consultants (including their experts and other personnel, and sub-consultants), that have a close business or family relationship with a professional staff of the Borrower, or of the project implementing agency, or of a recipient of a part of the Bank’s financing, or any other party representing or acting on behalf of the Borrower, that is directly or indirectly involved in any part of: (i) the preparation of the TOR for the assignment; (iii) the selection process for the contract; or iii. the supervision of the contract, may not be awarded a contract, unless the conflict stemming from this relationship has been resolved in a manner acceptable to the Bank throughout the selection process and the execution of the contract. Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications, but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) method set out in the Procurement Regulations. Further information can be obtained at the address below during office. Expressions of interest must be delivered to the address below by email on or before November 20th, 2026, 14:30 hours (South African Time). All EOI’s must be marked “ 006/AUDA/DITIR/QCBS/2027 :Procurement of consultancy services for Utility Diagnostics, Performance Improvement Action Plans (PIAPs), Digitalization Maturity Assessment and New IBNET Benchmarking under the AFE WASH MPA Regional Support Project ” in the subject line of the email. EOIs can also be sent by email, addressed to the address below. Interested Consultants may also obtain further information at the address below during office hours (09:00 - 17:00 South Africa time): The Chairperson, Internal Procurement Committee (IPC) African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) Eco Origin, Block F, 349 Witch Hazel Street, Eco Park, Centurion. Email: procurement@nepad.org ; and copy to manthatir@auda-nepad.org Attention of: Procurement Division annex 1 DECLARATION OF UNDERTAKING { Location, Date } To: The Chairperson Internal Procurement Committee (IPC) AUDA-NEPAD 230, 15th Road, P. O. Box 218 Midrand, 1685 Johannesburg, South Africa The Attention of: Head of Procurement Division We, the undersigned, offer to provide the services for { Title and Procurement Number } in accordance with your Request for Expression of Interest (EOI) dated { Date } We declare that: All the information and statements made in this EOI are true and we accept that any misinterpretation or misrepresentation contained in the EOI may lead to our disqualification and/or may be sanctioned by AUDA-NEPAD; We have no conflict of interest in relationship to performance of this assignment; We confirm our understanding of our obligation to abide by the AU Ethics policy regarding corrupt and fraudulent practices; We, along with any of our sub-consultants, subcontractors, suppliers, or service providers for any part of the contract, are not subject to, and not controlled by any entity or individual that is subject to, a temporary suspension or a debarment imposed by the African Union, World Bank or any other multilateral development bank and being listed on the website http://www.worldbank.org/debarr or respectively on the relevant list of any other multilateral development bank. Further, we are not ineligible under the South African laws or official regulations or pursuant to a decision of the United Nations Security Council; We have not been convicted by a final judgement or a final administrative decision or subject to financial sanctions by the African Union, United Nations or Country for involvement in a criminal organisation, money laundering, terrorist-related offences, child labour or trafficking in human beings; this criterion of exclusion is also applicable to legal Persons, whose majority of shares are held or factually controlled by natural or legal Persons which themselves are subject to such convictions or sanctions; We are not a shell company nor has our company been created specifically for this bid and confirm we are legally registered to operate a business under the Laws of {insert country of registration} since {insert year of registration}; and We are not being bankrupt, wound up or ceasing our activities, having our activities administered by courts, having entered receivership, reorganisation or being in any analogous situation; Are not involved in corruption: offering, giving, receiving or soliciting, directly or indirectly, anything of value to influence improperly the actions of another party; We comply with our national tax and social security laws. We commit ourselves to complying with and ensuring that our Subcontractors and major suppliers under the Contract comply with international environmental and labour standards, consistent with laws and regulations applicable in the country of implementation of the Contract and the fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and international environmental treaties. Moreover, we shall implement environmental and social risks mitigation measures when specified in the relevant environmental and social management plans or other similar documents provided by AUDA-NEPAD and, in any case, implement measures to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse and gender-based violence. We undertake to bring to the attention of AUDA-NEPAD, any change in situation regarding points 2 and 3 here above. We remain, Yours sincerely, Authorised Signature: Name and Title of Signatory: Name of Firm: Address: