Call for Expression of Interest to Contractors to be trained in employment intensive infrastructure works- Baidoa 143 views1 applications

Creating decent work opportunities for Somali IDPs, Returnees and Host Communities through employment-intensive infrastructure improvement.

Deadline for Submission 27th February 2020

1. Introduction Somalia is severely fragile and impoverished, with half of the population living below the poverty line. Domestic revenue is still insufficient to allow the government to deliver services to citizens. Ongoing and sustained conflict for three decades has bequeathed a legacy of poor and damaged infrastructure in Somalia, caused by the direct impact of military operations, but also by a virtually non-existent system of infrastructure management, rehabilitation and maintenance. Public infrastructure including roads, waste management systems, electricity grids and public buildings such as schools and healthcare facilities are in need of fundamental rehabilitation, and in many cases need to be built from scratch. Roads are often impassable which has left many communities without access to local markets or basic services such as health centres. This has resulted in lack of physical access to livelihood and employment opportunities for all Somalis, but has had a particularly severe impact on returnees and IDPs. Moreover, the governance Institutions, both at local and national level, lack institutional, technical, financial and management capacity. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), between December 2014 and the end of 2018, 87,051 Somali refugees have returned home, 82,840 from Kenya alone. Three locations have been established as the preferred location for these returnees: Baidoa, Kismayo and Mogadishu, representing 11 per cent, 64 per cent and 27 per cent of the returnees respectively. In terms of livelihoods in Baidoa district, 59 per cent rely on day labour, 25 per cent contracted jobs and 6 per cent on humanitarian assistance. It is estimated that there are 371 IDP sites with 42,032 households in Baidoa (UNHCR, CCCM cluster, REACH initiative September 2018). 60 per cent of the IDPs in Baidoa cited the lack of jobs and sustainable income as their main challenge to resuming life in their home country. The poor state of infrastructure is ranked as the most significant obstacle to socio-economic recovery and human development in Somalia today. A 2018 study by European Union (EU) recommended “an increase investment in a range of basic services, livelihoods, housing, security and protection in cities so that displaced people (in particular IDPs and returnees) can not only feel they belong but enjoy better living standards, which are currently very poor for many displaced and returning people.” Moreover, a recent mission by KfW officials echoes these views and identified urban infrastructure as critical to enhance the livelihoods of host communities, returnees and IDPs. ILO in March 2019 conducted field assessments in Baidoa to identify initial local infrastructure and community asset development needs and priorities in the selected IDP settlement areas; assess potential scope and technical areas of possible EIIP interventions to provide employment opportunities to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), returnees and their host communities through public investment;, institutional capacity building and technical training of local implementing bodies (local governments, contractors and labourers) will be a key component of the proposed EIIP intervention. One of the key recommendations of the study was the need to train local contractors in the use of employment-intensive methods for local infrastructure development in order to create employment, skills learning and business opportunities in the refugees and host communities. The programme aims to accelerate efforts to find sustainable solutions to deal with large influxes of refugees. It will also aim to develop and implement evidence-based solutions, tailored to each context – as well as to test, and learn from, innovative operational solutions.

The ILO’s Employment Intensive Investment programme (EIIP) promotes, develops and implements interventions in the area of job creation through public investment. The EIIP supports countries in the design, formulation, implementation and evaluation of policies and programmes aiming to address unemployment and underemployment through public investment, typically in infrastructure development and environmental works. EIIP works entail employment-intensive and local resource-based approaches for the production of public assets in a range of sectors such as road construction and maintenance, water and drainage, irrigation infrastructure, reforestation, and soil conservation.

In line with the above, the ILO, through the regional administrations, now invites locally registered contractors with technical and financial capacity willing to undergo a tailor-made training program in the rehabilitation and maintenance of infrastructure using employment-intensive methods. The cost of the training will be covered by the ILO.

1. Training Program

The successful contracting firm shall send 4 (four) of their key site staff comprising 1 (one) site agent and three (3) supervisors for training in March 2020. The key staff member should possess a minimum of Diploma in civil engineering while the supervisors should have a high-level Certificate in civil engineering. At least one of contractors’ staff should also be a woman.

The training program includes:

(i) Three (3) weeks of theoretical classroom training and (ii) A field practical training of up to 2 weeks

Interested firms should submit an Expression of Interest letter accompanied by the following documents:

(i) Construction registration certificate (ii) Detailed business profile (iii) Specific experience and academic qualification of key technical staff (iv) Evidence of previous construction projects completed in the last 5 years (previous experience in labour based works may be an advantage) (v) Equipment holding (vi) Current Projects commitment/resources (vii) Bank References (viii) Project/Client References

3.0 Qualification requirement Interested firms shall provide in this Section the evidence of their capacity and adequacy of resources to qualify them to participate in the training course. Firms shall include the following information:

(a) Copies of original documentation that define the constitution, legal status, place of registration and place of business of the tenderer, (b) Total annual turnover expresses as total volume of construction work performed in each of the last three years, (c) Performance as a prime contractor on civil works and volume over the last five years, (d) Major items of construction equipment proposed and available for carrying out the Contract, (e) Qualifications and experience of key personnel proposed and available for the administration and execution of the contract both on and off site, * (f) Reports on the financial standing of the tenderer including profit and loss statements, balance sheets and auditor’s reports for the last three years.

NOTE: use the data entry sheet provided in annex 1 to detail some the above requirements

1. Evaluation Criteria An evaluation team compromising of officials from ILO, Agency for Refugees and Returnees Affairs (ARRA), and Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) will evaluate the EOI submissions based on the following criteria:
2. Eligibility – Eligibility will assess whether or not the company does/does not have any conflict of interest, legal status and history, as well as history of non-performance.
3. Compliance – company must comply to the local regulations including tax payment
4. Company Capability – relevant resources within the company, which includes the organisation structure, equipment, and technical expertise.
5. Past Similar Project Experience – relevant project experience of similar size and complexity in the past 5 years, added bonus is if the company has experience in the construction of industrial complexes and erecting production plants.
6. Projects at Remote Location – Company has experience in working at remote locations, and has successfully completed past project/s.
7. Financial Capability – the company have a sound financial standing, with good cash flows, and stability.
8. References – the company must provide at a minimum 3 references from Client or Consultants indicating successful completion of projects

Detailed evaluation guide is attached in annex 2.