Feasibility Study and Design Services for Southern Albania Water Infrastructure Projects

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (CONSULTING SERVICES – CONSULTANCY FIRM) ALBANIA Project: Clean and Resilient Environment for Blue Sea (Care4Blue) Loan No.: IBRD 95070 Assignment Title: Feasibility study, Preliminary Design, Detailed Design, Assistance in Tendering and Supervision of Works for Permet, Tepelene & Memaliaj. Reference No . : AL-AKUK-212.1-CS-QCBS The Government of Albania has identified the south of Albania as a priority for regional development. The priority status comes from its unique natural resources and cultural heritage assets and its potential to further develop tourism as a driver of local, regional, and national economic growth. The Ionian coastline and the southern hinterland offer an appealing tourism value proposition in terms of pristine coastlines, rivers, mountains, protected areas, and cultural heritage. However, for the tourism product to remain attractive in terms of offering ‘blue seas’ and ‘clean rivers’, there are challenges in maintaining the health of coastal and river ecosystems critical to sustaining the quality of the region’s assets. To maintain the quality of the Vjosa River and thus its value as tourist attraction, and status as a protected area, water pollution needs to be managed, particularly from wastewater and non-point sources. Technical solutions will consider the full sanitation service chain, i.e., household containment, collection, conveyance, treatment, and safe disposal. The programme will use the Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) approach . This Request for Expressions of Interest aims to hire a Consultant that will provide comprehensive technical assistance to PCU/AKUK and the Municipalities of Përmet, Tepelenë and Memaliaj to ensure successful preparation and implementation of wastewater investments. Specifically, the Consultant will:

• Carry out a Feasibility Study (FS) to assess the technical, institutional, financial, environmental, and social viability of the proposed wastewater management interventions.
• Develop the Preliminary Engineering Designs of all elements of the wastewater management interventions identified in 1(i), 1(ii) and 1(iii) above.
• Develop the Detailed Engineering Designs (DEDs) for all elements of the wastewater interventions identified in 1(i), 1(ii), and 1(iii) above, excluding the WWTP(s) (detailed design of which will be part of a design, build, and transfer contract) , including drawings, specifications, and cost estimates, in compliance with Albanian and EU standards.
• Prepare the tender documents for all 1(i), 1(ii) and 1(iii) interventions and provide assistance to PCU/AKUK during the procurement process, following World Bank Procurement Regulations, and following the FIDIC Yellow Book format for the WWTP(s) and following the FIDIC Pink Book format for all other interventions identified in 1(i), 1(ii), and 1(iii) above.
• Provide Supervision of Works and Contract Administration, acting as the “Engineer” under FIDIC conditions, ensuring quality and timely completion of all civil works (1(i), 1(ii), and 1(iii)).

The Consultant shall cooperate with the separate Technical Assistance team preparing the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), Environmental and Social Framework (ESF), and related instruments for Përmet, Tepelenë and Memaliaj. The detailed Terms of Reference (ToR) for the assignment can be found at the following website: https://akuk.gov.al/ The Consultancy Services outlined in Chapter 4 of the ToRs(”Scope of Services”) shall be scheduled tentatively in accordance with the following time schedule:

• Part I (Phase 1, 2 and 3):
• The Feasibility Reports (Draft) shall be submitted 4 months after commencement of the services.
• The Detailed Design and Tender Documents shall be submitted 10 months after commencement of the services.
• The tendering and the award of the contracts shall occur by 16 months after commencement of the services.
• Part II (Supervision and DNP - Phase 4):
• Completion of works 34 months after commencement of the consultancy services.
• The services during the DNP shall cover a period of 12 months for regular works and an extended period of 24 months for the WWTP(s). In addition, assistance during initial operation of the WWTP(s) shall cover a period of 12 months, concurrent with the first 12 months of the DNP.
• End of DNP for regular works/ operation assistance after 46 months.
• End of DNP for plants after up to 58 months.

The assignment requires a firm which can demonstrate a minimum of 15 years of proven experience in Design and Supervision of water supply and sanitation projects.

• Successful completion of at least 2 feasibility/design assignments and 2 supervision assignments of similar, or larger, size (for a works contract of ≥10 million EUR) in the sanitation sector in the last 15 years, preferably financed by IFIs (World Bank, AFD, EIB, EU, etc.);
• Experience in the region, which includes Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Greece, is an advantage

The tenderer shall submit CVs and statements of availability for the following key experts:

• Team Leader
• International waste water Expert
• International WWTP Expert
• International Wastewater Sludge Expert
• International Electro-mechanical Expert
• GIS Expert
• Deputy Team Leader

CVs of the staff will not be evaluated during the shortlisting phase, but only during RFP phase. The evaluation criteria to be used for selecting the successful Consultant will be the following:

• General Qualifications, including core business and years in business, (30 points);
• Relevant experience, including previous experience in the field of assignment, (60 points);
• Availability of qualified staff within the consulting firm (10 points).

The service will be selected under the provisions of the “World Bank Procurement Regulations for Borrowers under Investment Project Financing” dated July 1, 2016, revised on November 2017, August 2018, November 2020 and February 2025 in accordance with Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) Method , Lump-Sum Contract and Time-Based Contract . The Bank requires that firms or individuals involved in Bank IPF procurement shall not have any conflicts of interest. Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 08:00 to 16:00, Mondays to Thursdays, and from 08:00 to 14:00 on Fridays. Expressions of Interest (including CVs, Cover Letter, and documentary evidence demonstrating fulfilment of the required qualifications) must be submitted in written form to the address below, in person, by mail, fax, or e-mail, no later than March 12th, 2026. Mrs. Elidjana Celaj Deputy General Director Agency of Water Supply and Sewerage Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy "Sami Frashëri" Str., No. 4, Tirana, Albania procurement_p4r@akuk.gov.al Agency: Agency for Water Supply, Sanitation and Waste Procurement method: Quality And Cost-Based Selection Notice type: Request for Expression of Interest Status: Published Value: 3300000.0 USD