The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has launched an Invitations for expressions of interest for consultancy services to prepare a Feasibility study for the rehabilitation of the water supply and selected wastewater improvements in the City of Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyz Republic.

The consultant will be a firm or a group of firms with previous project experience in the field of water supply; experience of similar assignments in the Commonwealth of Independent States, preferably in Central Asia; experience in sanitation and institutional and commercial management of water utilities; and experience of working with international financial institutions.

 The Consultant shall undertake the following tasks to be developed during six months:

• Baseline study: Assess current conditions of water and wastewater management and prepare a technical, environmental and social, and operational audit of the Company's current water supply and wastewater facilities and operations.
• Financial analysis and projections: Prepare a financial analysis and financial projections for the Company with the impact of the PIP.
• Long-term investment programme: Develop a long-term investment programme for the Company.
• Priority investment programme: Based on the long-term investment programme prepare a detailed short-term PIP for immediate investments and a procurement plan.
• Environmental and social due diligence: Carry out environmental and social ("E&S") due diligence, including an E&S audit to assess the environmental and social issues associated with existing facilities and operations, the risks associated with projected climate change and an E&S analysis of the E&S impacts and benefits of the priority investments to be financed by the Bank.

Interested companies must submit EOI on or before March 16, 2014, the assignment is expected to start in Q2 2014 and the budget available for the assignment is €280,000 (US$383,107). 

The proposed project cost is estimated at €5 million (US$6.8 million), of which €2 million (US$2.7 million) would be a loan and €3 million (US$4.1 million) would be a capex grant. 

Water supply operations in the Kyrgyz Republic are characterised by severely deteriorated assets for water supply and wastewater collection; very limited wastewater treatment; high operations and maintenance costs due to the deteriorated state of the assets; unreliable water supply, sometimes a couple of hours every second day; families storing water in bathtubs and buckets; outbreaks of water borne diseases, especially during summer; and, low institutional capacity to manage operationally and financially sustainable water supply services.

See Invitation for expressions of interest:

http://www.ebrd.com/english/pages/workingwithus/procurement/notices/csu/41997.shtml