Advance Action on Procurement, Recruitment of Consultants

Country/Borrower: Afghanistan

Title of Proposed Project: Proposed Water Resources Development Investment Program

Name and Address of Executing Agency:

Ministry of Finance
Contact: Mohammad Mustafa Mastoor
Address: Pashtunistan Watt, Kabul, Afghanistan
Telephone No.: +93 (0) 20 2102838
Fax No.: +93 (0) 20 2103271
Email: dmfinance@mof.gov.af

Implementing Agencies:

Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock
Contact: Assad Zamir
Address: Jamal Mina, District#3, Kabul University, Kabul, Afghanistan
Telephone No.: +93 (0) 707 112 847
Email: assad.zamir@mail.gov.af

Brief Description of the Project:

The Water Resources Development Investment Program (the Investment Program) is financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Investment Program will finance (i) the rehabilitation and upgrading (R&U) of existing and development of new irrigation and water resources infrastructure, (ii) flood management infrastructure, (iii) institutional strengthening, and (iv) capacity building for key staff throughout the sector. The Ministry of Finance is the overall Executing Agency.

The first project under the Investment Program has three components that are being implemented by the the Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW): (i) northern basins development that includes rehabilitation and upgrading of irrigation infrastructure and development of a river basin agency and water users associations (WUAs) in the Balkh and surrounding river basins; (ii) flood management that includes development of flood protection infrastructure along the Amu Darya River and development of a national flood management program; and (iii) project management of the first two components and a program development facility to prepare subsequent projects of the Investment Program.

The Ministry Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock is implementing one component; the Nangahar Valley Development Authority (NVDA) improvement. The NVDA is an irrigation system that was built with the assistance of the former Soviet Union. It has a mix of about 22,000 hectares of private and publicly managed irrigate land plus a range of agricultural related facilitate based on the former soviet collective farm model. To implement this component, MAIL will establish a dedicated Project Management Office (PMO) in Jalalabad to prepare, tender and supervise civil works; strengthen and reform management of the NVDA; and oversee capacity development. A small liaison office will be established at the MAIL in Kabul for coordination

Brief Description of Goods and Related Services, or Works to be Procured:

International and national consulting services are required to support the PMO and a team with the following expertise will be required: (i) irrigation and hydraulic engineering, (ii) water management and water users association development, (iii) social and environmental safeguards, (iv) gender, (v) monitoring and evaluation, (vi) financial management, and (vii) procurement among others.

To support the PMO with execution of the civil works, the consultants will (i) prepare detailed designs for a single international competitive bidding (ICB) contract covering R&U of the main, secondary, and tertiary canals; (ii) assist the PMO with the procurement of the civil works services; (iii) supervise the ensuing construction works and certify progress payments; (iv) assist the PMO in assuring that safeguards in line with ADB's relevant policies are in place; and (v) establish and help operate a results-based monitoring system for project management and monitoring and evaluation.

The consultants will also support the PMO to (i) mobilize, establish, and develop water user associations (WUAs) throughout the NVDA command area, (ii) prepare comprehensive training plans for the newly established WUAs; and (iii) develop and on farm water management demonstration program for the command. The consultants will assist the PMO to recruit the services of NGOs to provide required WUA training and establish the OFWM and agricultural demonstration activities.

To improve the institutional structure and management of NVDA, the consultants will (i) conduct a thorough review of the existing institutional structure of NVDA, (ii) undertake a range of production/marketing studies relative to the business activities and opportunities of NVDA, and (iii) develop a business plan to restructure NVDA on a more corporate basis and ensure its longer-term sustainability. The business plan will identify options for a sustainable irrigation service delivery utility to manage, operate and maintain the main canal and identify financing mechanisms to support O&M for the irrigation system.

The estimate consulting inputs required for the work is 66 person months of international and 302 person months of national consulting services.

Date of Advance Contracting and Retroactive Financing Approval: 8 June 2009.