1. The United States of America, acting through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (“MCC”), and the Government of Timor-Leste (GoTL) signed a grant agreement (“Compact”) on July 19, 2022, in the amount of 420 million US Dollars (USD) (“MCC Funding”) to address a major constraint to economic growth: low human capital. The Timor-Leste Compact aims to improve the health and skills of people in Timor-Leste by reducing the disease burden caused by contaminated water sources and enhancing teaching and learning at the secondary school level. 2. The program is designed to achieve its objective through two primary projects: the Water, Sanitation, and Drainage (WSD) Project and the Teaching and Leading the Next Generation of Timorese (TALENT) Project. MCC and GoTL plan to prepare the WSD project for implementation by developing preparatory studies, project designs, Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) and Resettlement Action Plans (RAP). The WSD Project is anticipated to take the entire Compact Period for implementation. Therefore, MCC and GoTL require that studies, designs, environmental impact assessments, permitting/licensing and resettlement action plans be sufficiently complete before the Compact’s Entry Into Force (EIF) expected in mid-2024 so that construction can commence immediately following EIF. The WSD Project includes the following activities in Timor-Leste: Water Disinfection: to provide disinfectant (sodium hypochlorite) for use in disinfection of drinking water and wastewater to serve the needs of the capital city of Dili and certain surrounding municipal districts. Sanitation: to provide a piped wastewater collection, conveyance, treatment and disposal system for wastewater generated in Dili. Associated Drainage: to construct planned in-street drainage box culverts in certain public roads where sanitation systems will be installed. Institutional Strengthening and Regulatory Reform Activity: to support Timor-Leste’s newly established water utility to operate and maintain the assets constructed under the Compact. Household Sanitation and Water Management: to support social and behavior change efforts to improve household water management and hygiene practices. 3. MCC requires that all beneficiaries of MCC Funding, including the MCA Entity and any applicants, Bidders, Suppliers, contractors, Subcontractors, consultants, and sub-consultants under any MCC-funded contracts, observe the highest standards of ethics during the procurement and execution of such contracts. MCC’s Policy on Preventing, Detecting and Remediating Fraud and Corruption in MCC Operations (“MCC’s AFC Policy”) is applicable to all procurements and contracts involving MCC Funding and can be found on the MCC website at: https://www.mcc.gov/resources/doc/policy-fraud-and-corruption. 4. The Compact Development Team – Timor Leste now invites proposals from legally constituted consulting firms and other organizations to provide Design, Resettlement Action Plan RAP, & Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) services for the Water, Sanitation and Drainage (WSD) (“Proposals”). More details on these services are provided in the Terms of Reference in Section V of the RFP. 5. A Consultant will be selected under the Quality and Cost-Based Selection (“QCBS”) method, an evaluation procedure that is described in sections of the RFP in accordance with the “MCC Program Procurement Guidelines” provided on the MCC website (www.mcc.gov/ppg). The selection process, as described, will include a review and verification of qualifications and past performance, including a reference check, prior to the contract award. 6. Consultants interested in submitting a Proposal should register and by sending an e-mail with the subject [Request for Timor Leste Water Sanitation Design RAP ESIA RFP] to the Procurement point of contact Aina Rakotomanga, Interim Procurement Agent (IPA), email :
[email protected] with a copy to Nuno Trindade, Interim Procurement Representative at
[email protected]. Consultant should provide their full contact details in the message. This will ensure that the Consultants receive updates regarding this RFP. 7. Please note that a Pre-Proposal Conference will be held as described in the Proposal Data Sheet (“PDS”), Section II of the RFP. Attendance at the Pre-Proposal Conference is not mandatory but is strongly advised for all interested Consultants or their representatives. 8. The deadline for submission of Proposals is 10:00 pm local time in Dili Timor Leste (GMT+9), on 16 December 2022. 9. Contact Information: Attn: Aina Rakotomanga Interim Procurement Agent – Compact Development Team – Timor Leste E-mail:
[email protected] Cc to:
[email protected] DISCLAIMER: THIS NOTICE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. FOR UPDATES ON THIS SOLICITATION PLEASE FOLLOW THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT AT THE LINK PROVIDED. THIS PROCUREMENT IS NOT CONDUCTED UNDER THE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATIONS, IS NOT ADMINISTERED BY THE US GOVERNMENT, AND THE RESULTING AWARD WILL BE MADE BY THE COUNTRY INDICATED IN THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PROCUREMENT PLEASE CONTRACT THE PERSON NAMED IN THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT.