Groundwater and Marine Water Quality Monitoring Program for South Tarawa Sanitation Project

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION) Project: South Tarawa Sanitation Project. Project No: P176478 Assignment Title : Groundwater and Marine Water Quality Monitoring Program. Reference No : KI-MISE-529949-CS-QCBS The Government of Kiribati, through the Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy (MISE), with support from the World Bank under the South Tarawa Sanitation Project (STSP), is implementing a long-term groundwater and marine water quality monitoring program. The consulting services (“the Services”) include Groundwater and Marine Water Quality Monitoring Consulting responsible for the following:

• Supply, import, install/commission, and warrant laboratory and field equipment and consumables
• Provide instruments, reagents, and cold-chain support.
• Deliver technical services in water quality monitoring, including SOP development, training, recurring monitoring, data analysis, reporting, and sustainability planning.
• Implement Monitoring & Evaluation of the Sanitation Pilot for 13 onsite sanitation systems in Abarao, addressing sanitary exposure risks through improved sanitation, drainage, solid waste management, and greening interventions.

The consultancy will be implemented over 25 months, starting Q2 2025. All work is to be performed within Kiribati with the primary office located on South Tarawa. The Team Leader must be mobilized to work full-time on the project for the entire duration of the services . The resultant contract is lump-sum with payments against deliverables. The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be found at the following website : https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/e6pn1uropkd9iq8sd9894/TOR_-_STSP_Ground_and_Marine_Water_Quality_Monitoring_Program_final.docx?rlkey=qnc01lixhdm64b8q78kdnip87&st=bywjnvlw&dl=0 The Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy 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 mandatory shortlisting criteria are:

• Organizational experience: Minimum 10 years delivering water-quality monitoring programs in low-resource and/or remote contexts; track record in both groundwater and marine environments.
• Technical scope coverage: Demonstrated delivery of microbial, chemical, and physical testing programs aligned to APHA/Standard Methods and/or AS/NZS 5667 (sampling).
• Equipment & consumables supply (ANNEX): Proven capability to supply ANNEX-listed water-quality equipment/consumables end-to-end (procurement, shipping, customs/exemptions, insurance, cold-chain , commissioning, warranty management, spares/expiry control).
• Laboratory competence: Hands-on experience with IDEXX Colilert/Enterolert (or equivalent), nutrients (TN, TP, DRP, ammonia, nitrate) and COD ; validated SOPs for sample preservation/holding times and chain-of-custody .
• QA/QC system: Documented program-level QA/QC (calibration plans/logs, blanks, duplicates, spikes, control charts, LOD/LOQ, data validation and corrective-action procedures). Evidence of proficiency testing or inter-lab checks is required.
• Field operations & safety: Demonstrated safe execution of reef/near-shore marine and groundwater/piezometer sampling, with licensed small-craft/skipper arrangements, risk assessments, toolbox talks, and compliant waste management (chemical/biohazard).
• Household engagement: Experience with household informal and structured interviews.
• Capacity building: Proven institutional strengthening of government counterparts (training plans, coaching/mentoring, SOP transfer). Provide at least two examples from the past 5–7 years.
• Data management: Capacity to deliver a data dictionary , CSV templates, reproducible analysis (e.g., R/Python ), and clear visual reporting; competence with GIS site registers.
• Communication: Strong English technical writing and reporting skills (Inception, Quarterly, Annual, Final).
• Evidence & references: Minimum three client references for comparable assignments; submission of sample SOPs (redacted), example calibration/QA logs, and at least three project summaries with scope, value, duration, and client contact.
• [TN1] [AT2] Data management: Capacity to deliver a data dictionary , CSV templates, reproducible analysis (e.g., R/Python ), and clear visual reporting; competence with GIS site registers.
• Communication: Strong English technical writing and reporting skills (Inception, Quarterly, Annual, Final).
• Evidence & references: Minimum three client references for comparable assignments; submission of sample SOPs (redacted), example calibration/QA logs, and at least three project summaries with scope, value, duration, and client contact.

Key Experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage. The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 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. 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 meet the mandatory shortlisting criteria and be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Quality Cost-Based Selected (QCBS) method set out in the Procurement Regulations. Expressions of interest must be delivered in an electronic mail to the address below: Farran Redfern (Dr) Permanent Secretary Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy e: secretary@mise.gov.ki and copy to pm.stsp@mise.gov.ki, sitaea@mfep.gov.ki and kbaitere@mfed,gov.ki Agency: Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy Procurement method: Quality And Cost-Based Selection Notice type: Request for Expression of Interest Status: Published Value: 585000.0 USD