SELECTION OF A CONSULTANCY FIRM TO CARRY OUT ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (ESIA)
DATE : 02 OCT 2020 – 16 OCT 2020
VENUE: ECOWAS COMMISSION,
TOWN: ABUJA
COUNTRY: NIGERIA
ECOWAS REGIONAL ELECTRICITY ACCESS PROJECT (ECOWAS-REAP)
(PHASE 2 – P170599)
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
(CONSULTING SERVICES – CONSULTANCY FIRM SELECTION)
SELECTION OF A CONSULTANCY FIRM TO CARRY OUT ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (ESIA)
NG-ECOWAS-DEM-159663-CS-QCBS
FOR A LUMP SUM CONTRACT
DATE: OCTOBER 2- OCTOBER 16, 2020
VENUE: ECOWAS COMMISSION, DIRECTORATE OF ENERGY & MINES
TOWN: ABUJA
COUNTRY: NIGERIA
PROJECT REFERENCE NO.: P170599

1. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has received a grant from the World Bank toward Phase 1 (P160444) of the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Access Project (ECOWAS – REAP), and intends to apply part of the proceeds for the Selection of a Consultancy firm to carry out Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) studies for the Phase 2 of the said project (P170599).
2. The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to increase grid electricity access in ECOWAS region. In this Phase 2, the project will finance the strengthening and extension of the distribution network (MV and LV) in three West African countries, namely Mauritania, Niger and Senegal.
3. The scope of electrification works is as follows:
Mauritania: 5 feeding substations (Selibabi, Kaedi, Boghe, Rosso and Nouakchott) approximately 3,500 km of MV power supply lines and distribution networks.
Niger: around 16 feeding substations in the “River” and “Niger East Central” areas. Approximately 1,500 km of MV power supply lines and distribution networks.
Senegal: 5 feeding substations (Kaolack, Tanaff, Sambangalou and Tambacounda). Approximately 2,000 km of MV power supply lines and distribution networks.
4. Following the legal provisions in force in each country, supplemented by the provisions of the World Bank’s ESF, the World Bank Group’s Environmental, Health, and Safety Guidelines, and other good international Industry practices in place in the economic sectors concerned (GIIP), the ESIAs of this project will consist of carrying out the following activities for each feeding substation and its connection line in each of the countries:
• the identification of existing sensitive elements in the biophysical and human environment in the project’s area of influence;
• the identification of project activities likely to have impacts on the environment and the health and safety of workers and local communities;
• the identification, analysis, and assessment of the nature, significance, and spatial extent of the potential negative and positive, direct and indirect, cumulative and associated impacts of the project;
• the proposal of recommendations for the mitigation of negative impacts and the improvement measures for the positive impacts;
• the development of an Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) including environmental and social monitoring and follow-up programme to ensure compliance with legal, environmental and social requirements, to verify the relevance and effectiveness of the proposed measures for the protection of the natural and human environments.
This ESMP will also define the institutional responsibilities for its implementation, assess the technical, material, and organisational capacities of the stakeholders, and propose related capacity-building measures. The ESMP will also describe the complaints management mechanism;
• collection of opinions, concerns, and suggestions from project stakeholders,
5. The duration of the assignment will be ninety (90) calendar days.
6. The consultant required for this study should have proven:
1. experience in carrying out environmental and social impact assessments of development projects,
2. and especially, experience in carrying out environmental and social impact assessments of development projects in the power distribution sector.
7. The indicative staff required by the Consultant for the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) in each of the countries should include the following experts:
• Project Manager, Environmental Manager with a Master’s degree, Environmental Engineer or equivalent, with at least ten (10) years of experience in carrying out environmental impact studies relating to electrical power distribution works and who has also carried out at least two (2) power transmission line projects over the last five (5) years, including one (1) project funded by the World Bank. He/she will be in charge of coordinating the activities of the team members and writing progress reports. He/she will guide the team members on the activities to be taken into account. He/she will specify the methodology to be implemented and will organise exchanges with stakeholders in close collaboration with the Socio-Economic Expert. He/she will also be in charge, in collaboration with the other team members, of ensuring the presentation of the ESIA to the competent national authority for validation. Knowledge of the region will be an added advantage;
• Socio-economist Expert with a Master’s degree and at least ten (10) years of experience in conducting socio-economic surveys in a similar context and who has also participated in the implementation of at least two (2) transmission line projects over the last five (5) years. Knowledge of the region will be an asset;
• Energy Expert, with a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent, with at least ten (10) years of experience in the management of electrical power distribution works and who has participated in at least two (2) studies of medium-voltage power transmission line projects, including studies of 30 kV power transmission line layouts over the last five (5) years. Knowledge of the region will be an asset;
• Health-Safety-Environment (HSE) Expert, Expert in Electrical Infrastructure Safety, with a Master’s degree and at least five (5) years of experience, and who has also participated in the development of electrical hazard studies specifically in network extension or reinforcement projects or HV/LV electrification projects over the last five (5) years. The incumbent will deal with all issues related to the safety of equipment and installations, hygiene, and health. Knowledge of the region will be an asset;
• Expert on Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, and Child Protection with a degree in population/sociology or related fields and proven experience (minimum 7 years) in GBV prevention and response. The incumbent should have at least 5 years of experience in the analysis and evaluation of projects in the area of GBV, and expertise in the development of technical documents and reports as well as programmatic guidelines relating to violence against women and children, especially GBV/SEA/SH and child protection. He/she shall have excellent knowledge of guiding principles and best practices in GBV information collection, including the 2007 WHO Guidelines. The incumbent must have also conducted or participated in the development of a mapping of GBV prevention and response stakeholders and interventions;

The Consultant shall add support staff to his/her team for the accomplishment of his/her mission. The support staff may include Communication Expert for sensitisation and dissemination of information, Cartographers, Facilitators). The proposed experts shall have a perfect command of French and IT tools and a good knowledge of the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework.