Southern African Trade and Connectivity Project (Malawi)
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (FIRMS SELECTION)
COUNTRY: Malawi
NAME OF PROJECT: Southern Africa Trade and Connectivity Project (SATCP)
PROJECT ID: P164847
ASSIGNMENT TITLE: Consultancy services to Develop Environmental and Social Management Plans for proposed Last Mile Infrastructure under the Southern Africa Trade and Connectivity Project.
REFERENCE NUMBER: MW-MTPW-490824-CS-INDV
DATE OF ISSUE: 22nd May, 2025
- BACKGROUND
The Governments of Malawi and Mozambique have obtained a credit and grant from the International Development Association (IDA) under the Southern Africa Trade and Connectivity Project (SATCP), P164847. The project development objective is to support Malawi and Mozambique in increasing regional trade coordination, reducing trade costs and time, developing regional value chains and improving access to infrastructure. Reducing trade costs and improving the road network will facilitate the development of value chains by improving access to global and regional markets. There is substantial economic potential for increasing regional trade, especially regarding agribusiness, light manufacturing, and services including logistics and tourism and attracting private investment in these sectors. The project is spearheaded by Ministry of Transport and Public Works involving 14 other implementing agencies.
The main Project components are:
Component 1: Reduce trade costs through trade facilitation, including border infrastructure and regulatory framework reforms.
Component 2: Strengthen regional coordination and Project implementation.
Component 3: Strengthen value chains for regional Integration; and
Component 4: Strengthen transport infrastructure to improve market access.
2.0 RATIONALE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The Project, through the Department of Industry (DoI) intends to develop Last Mile Infrastructure (LMI) that can serve the regional markets. The Department of Industry has shortlisted 8 key Last Mile Infrastructures projects which includes upgrading of roads to gravel standard, construction of culverts and construction of market facilities.
The World Bank and the Government of Malawi place significant emphasis on assessment and management of environmental and social risks and impacts of development projects. In view of this, the Project conducted a screening exercise in accordance with the Environment Management Act (EMA) of 2017, Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment in Malawi of 1997 (referred to ‘EIA Guidelines’) and Environmental and Social Framework. The screening exercise was part of a pre-feasibility exercise to identify LMIs along the Nacala and Beira Corridors. The exercise shortlisted 7 LMIs to be supported by the Project. The LMIs are in the category of road upgrading, construction of culverts, construction of market sheds and sanitary facilities. The screening exercise of all the shortlisted LMIs concluded that most of the identified impacts associated with the proposed LMIs are moderate in terms of magnitude and significance as such recommended that Comprehensive Environmental and Social Management and Monitoring Plans as part of the ESMPs should be prepared for each of the identified LMIs. Table 1 provides a summary of the potential LMIs to be supported by the Project.
Table 1: Proposed Last Mile Infrastructures
| No. | District | Proposed LMI | Nature and Scope of planned Works | Expected Scope of the Assignment |
| 1 | Mchinji | Kholomoni-Sitolo Road road | The sub-project will involve upgrading of 10 Kilometres of the road to gravel standard. Some of the key activities include embankment formation and drainage improvement | Carryout ESMP |
| 2 | Lilongwe | Construction of Multiple Box Culverts at Chingalu on Mitundu to Nsabwemanyazi road. | The sub-project will include embankment formation and construction of multiple box culverts covering a distance of at least 100 metres. | Carryout ESMP |
| 3 | Ntcheu | Tsangano Turn-off Market for Irish potatoes | Construction of Market Sheds, Storage Facilities with a capacity to accommodate at least 50 traders and Sanitary Facilities which will be constructed within the existing market perimeter. However, there is need to be comprehensive in identification of potential social risks and impacts, including livelihoods, economic displacement. | Carryout ESMP and develop Alternative Livelihood Plan |
| 4 | Ntcheu | Spot improvement of Senzani-Doviko Road | The sub-project will focus on targeted improvements to the road section by constructing concrete slabs in areas that become impassable especially during rainy season. Additionally, the scope will include the installation of drainage structures in specific sections to enhance overall road functionality. | Carryout ESMP |
| 5 | Balaka | Upgrading of Balaka-Mbela Road to gravel standard | Upgrading of 15 kilometres road section of the proposed road to gravel standard. Some of the activities will include embankment formation and installation of drainage structures. | Carryout ESMP |
| 6 | Zomba | Upgrading of Zomba-Kachulu Road to gravel standard | Upgrading of 8 Kilometres of the road to gravel standard. The scope include embankment formation, drainage improvement and Likangala multi-span bridge reconstruction. | Carryout ESMP |
| 7 | Neno | Zalewa Market in Neno | Construction of Market sheds, and sanitary facilities within the existing market perimeter. This activity is expected to trigger economic displacement. | Carryout ESMP and Alternative livelihood Plan |
| 8 | Blantyre | Upgrading Mdeka- Chinyangute Feeder Road to gravel Standard | Upgrading of 15 kilometres road section of the proposed road to gravel standard. Some of the activities will include embankment formation and installation of drainage structures. | Carryout ESMP |
3.0 OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSULTANCY ASSIGNMENT
The objective of the consultancy is to undertake Environmental and Social Assessments and prepare Environmental and Social Management and Monitoring Plans (ESMMPs) in accordance with the Malawi Environment Management Act, 2017, EIA Guidelines and World Bank Environmental and Social Policies as well as Environmental and Social Management Framework for the Project. Where construction activities may result in temporary displacement of economic livelihoods the consultant shall prepare a management and compensation plan or Alternative Livelihood Plan.
The ESMP shall consist of detailed risk and impact identification, proposed set of mitigation, monitoring, and institutional measures to be undertaken during construction and operation of the projects in order to avoid, minimize or reduce adverse environmental and social impacts. The overall objectives of the ESMMPs are to:-
- Identify applicable national laws, policies and procedures as well as World Bank policy requirements;
- Identify and assess significant potential environmental and social risks and impacts of the project;
- Identify and recommend measures to manage the negative and positive environmental and social risks and impacts in all project phases including direct and indirect impacts in the project area of influence;
- Develop sub plans such as waste management, traffic management and rehabilitation plan and others as deemed necessary
- Prepare an Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs);
- Provide the required institutional capacity building need in order to effectively implement the proposed mitigation measures;
- Prepare an environmental and social monitoring plan; as part of the ESMP, and
- Provide recommendations to the client based on the identified impacts including hydrological considerations especially for the road’s projects
4.0 NATURE AND SCOPE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The key task of the consultant is to prepare Environmental and Social Management Plans which will include Monitoring Plans for each of the identified LMIs that will be financed by the Project. The consultant shall execute the following tasks among others;
a). Review project screening reports. The consultant will review the project screening report to identify the significant issues and determine the scope of the assessment which will be addressed in the ESMP report.
b). Provide detailed description of the proposed sub-project. The description of the project will have to provide the following details;
- Detailed description of the nature / components of each proposed development (sub-project) with respect to aim and objectives of the project; estimated cost of the project; location of the project which should include general layout and land ownership; the number of people to work on the area (provide a breakdown of males and females, locals and non-locals), number of people expected to benefit from the project when completed;
- Provide site-specific visible map of the area (Scale 1:50,000) showing the sites and (1:10,000) showing existing establishments in the area and surrounding areas on A3 paper. An additional Map indicating the modelled flood lines shall also be included. A site plan for the project should be provided. All maps should be in color to portray the themes clearly;
- Describe main activities to be undertaken in implementation of the proposed sub-projects at the site covering pre-construction, construction, operation and demobilizing phase; and
- Describe the type of machinery to be used, sources of raw materials, nature and estimated quantity of construction and general wastes that would be generated, facilities for appropriate waste disposal, and management of waste and estimated costs for the activities. The opening of new borrow pits or quarries and transport of materials must be included in the impact assessment.
c). Description of biophysical and socioeconomic environment. The consultant shall provide a concise description of the existing biophysical characteristics and the socio-economic environment status of the proposed area of influence by identifying and analyzing among others biodiversity, Physical Culture Resource, Biological resources, Physical conditions and socioeconomic conditions. Additionally, the consultant shall identify vulnerable and marginalized groups within the project impact area.
d). Review of Legislations and policies applicable to the projects. The consultant shall review the national legislations, regulations and the permits required during planning, construction, operations and decommissioning of the proposed LMIs. Additionally, the consultant is expected to review other international best industry practice and requirements, as well as the World Bank Environmental and Social Policies and World Bank Environment Health and Safety Guidelines. Furthermore, the consultant shall provide an account of all regulatory licenses and approvals to be obtained for the proposed project to ensure that they are in line with sound environmental management practices and are in compliance with relevant existing legislation.
e). Prediction of Potential Risks and Impacts of the Proposed Projects. The consultant shall Identify, assess and analyze environmental, social and climate change impacts associated with the proposed activities at and around the site, focusing on both the positive and negative impacts. Additionally, the consultant shall evaluate the climate vulnerability of the area to inform these impacts. The consultant shall analyze the impacts to distinguish between significant positive and negative impacts, direct and indirect impacts, and immediate and long-term impacts, reversible and irreversible. The consultant will also analyze hydrological studies to be conducted by the design consultant and include the implications in ESMP especially the roads projects.
f). Propose Mitigation and Enhancement Measures. The consultant shall propose measures to avoid, reduce/minimize the identified negative environmental and social risks and impacts and measures to enhance the positive effects.
g). Develop an Environmental and Social Management Plan. The consultant will propose a Management Plan by which all of the measures proposed above, will be carried out. The Plan will also indicate the budget for the recommended mitigation measures, specifications of who will be responsible for these measures and the schedule of when these measures would be implemented. The Plan shall be developed in a participatory manner with the potential beneficiaries and stakeholders.
h). Review capacities of institutions to implement recommended measures and identify support to strengthening capacity needs. The consultant shall review the capacities needed for the institutions recommended to implement mitigation measures. The need may be in form of human resources, training, technical assistance.
i). Propose an Environmental and Social Monitoring Plan as part of the ESMPs. Theconsultant shall propose an Environmental and Social Monitoring Plan by which implementation of all mitigation measures recommended in the Management Plan will be monitored. The plan should include the activities, frequency of monitoring, and the key monitoring indicators. The monitoring indicators shall be reflective of the impacts and mitigation and shall be reasonable in scope as well as measurable The ESMP shall also include an estimated budget required and the authorities responsible for monitoring compliance.
j). Undertake stakeholder consultations. The consultant will undertake stakeholder consultations in accordance with the Project Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) to ensure key interested and affected parties are involved in the environmental and social assessment process. Key decision makers shall also be consulted. Social inclusion shall be key in the consultation, as such, youth, women, and other vulnerable groups/gender categories shall be required to participate in the consultations. The consultant shall incorporate views obtained during the consultations in the report and indicate a record of consultations in the appendices section of the report.
k). Provide recommendations. The consultant shall provide recommendations in the report on how the detailed design for the LMIs may be changed to improve its environmental and social compliance. The Environmental and Social Assessment will run concurrently with the development of engineering designs to inform each other.
To that, the Environmental and Social Assessment consultant will be expected to work in close consultation with the engineering design consultant. The consultant will include reference and relevant information from these studies into the ESMMP document, indicating project area of influence, and include any identified mitigation requirements as a result of these studies into the ESMMPs.
The Consultant in collaboration with SATCP shall carry out two public disclosure notices for the results of the ESMPs. The first disclosure shall be done before the approval of the report to ensure that the missing information is included before the reports have been approved and implemented. The final disclosure shall be after the approval of the report to notify the public that their concerns and inputs have been considered in the study. All disclosures shall be through newspaper, project website, and through formal meetings with community members, leaders, and relevant district council officials. The costs of public disclosure shall be borne by the SATCP.
6.0 COORDINATION AND SUPERVISION
This assignment will be supervised by the Project Implementation Unit (PMU). The Consultant shall report to the Project Manager for SATCP with copies to the Department of Industry, but will work under the direct supervision of the Environmental and Social Specialists for SATCP with whom regular consultations are expected to take place.
SATCP will avail relevant documents to the consultant. PIU may assist to make necessary arrangements for consultative meetings to take place as a requirement by EIA Guidelines. PIU will provide the guidance during the execution of the assignment. The PIU will also be responsible for facilitating payment of scrutiny fees to Malawi Environment Protection Authority.
7.0 COMPETENCIES AND EXPERIENCE
The firm should have the following experience and expertise:
- At least 5 years’ experience in carrying out similar assignments in sub-Saharan countries. Direct experience in related infrastructures in Malawi will be an added advantage;
- Experience in conducting ESIAs or ESMPs for World Bank financed projects (at least 5 assignments for donor funded project);
- Excellent report organization and writing skills;
- Key personnel requirements with indicative Man days are presented in the table below;
| Expert | Qualification | Time Input |
| Team Leader Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Expert | Must have at least a Master’s Degree in a relevant field e.g. Environmental Science or Environmental Engineering A minimum experience of at least 10 years in developing Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) including complementary ESMPs, in accordance with national legislation and policies and World Bank’s safeguards policies | 3 months |
| Social Expert | At least a Masters Degree in Social Studies, Development studies, Development Economics or Rural and Social Development plus at least 7 years’ experience in undertaking social impact assessments including resettlement assessments or developing Livelihood restoration plans. Demonstrate Experience in developing and implementing Stakeholder Engagement Plan and Grievance Mechanisms. Demonstrable experience in health and safety, labour management, GBV/SEA/SH, | 2 months |
| Civil Engineer | At least a Degree in Civil Engineering with at least 7 years progressive experience Demonstrate experience in Hydrology and hydraulics | 2 months |
| Ecologist | At least a degree in Botany, environmental science and other relevant fields with at least 5 years’ experience in similar assignments. | 1 month |
8.0 TIME INPUT
The entire assignment should be completed within 5 calendar months, with a total time input of 6 person-months as specified in section 7.0. . The key experts shall endeavor to implement the services with diligence and within the timeframe agreed upon in the contract.
9.0 RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONSULTANT
The Consultant shall carry out the services in a professional manner in keeping with internationally accepted standards. The Consultant shall be ready and willing to work with Government of Malawi staff. The Consultant shall also be responsible for freight, travel (including visas) and any other costs related to the assignment. The Consultant shall be responsible for meeting the cost of all supporting services e.g. printing of reports, equipment, computers, laboratory tests and transportation. Consultant shall handover to the Client all documents, working papers, calculations and computer data produced during the assignment.
10.0 DELIVERABLES AND REPORTING
The consultant shall prepare and submit the following reports and documents, in English, in an approved format to the SATCP. The comments of SATCP and other stakeholders e.g. Malawi Environment Protection Authority shall be incorporated in the final version of the reports and documentation. The reports shall be approved by SATCP, Malawi Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) and World Bank. The following are the key deliverables.
| No | Deliverable | No of Hard copies | Submission Time |
| 1 | One Inception report with inclusion of data collection tools | 5 | 1 week after commencement of the assignment |
| 2 | Eight Draft ESMPs reports for each project | 5 | 8 weeks after commencement of the assignment |
| 3 | Final approved ESMPs | 5 | 2 weeks after receiving comments |
| 4 | Bills of quantifies to feed into the bidding documents with applicable E & S Clauses | 5 | 2 weeks after approval |
The PIU will be responsible for consolidating comments from all parties. Approval shall be within a maximum period of two (2) weeks from submission of the reports.
The consultancy shall be completed within a period of 5 months. This includes preparation time, field work, report writing, presentation/validation and submission of final documents. However, this is a lump sum contract which will be based on the deliverables rather than time input of the staff.
11.0 FACILITIES TO BE PROVIDED BY THE CONSULTANT
- General
The consultant shall perform the services specified in the “Terms of Reference” under “Scope of Services”. The consultant shall submit to the Southern Africa Trade and Connectivity Project Implementation Unit the reports in the form and within the agreed periods specified under deliverables.”
- Transportation Requirements
The consultant will be responsible for providing adequate transport for all parties involved in the assignment.
- Staff Housing
The consultant shall be responsible for meeting all costs of office operation, supplies, communications, secretarial services, document translation and logistical services during implementation of the assignment.
- Reimbursable Expenditure
The consultant is required to provide documented evidence for all reimbursable expenditures eligible for payment under the Contract. Reimbursement will be made in the currency in which these expenses are incurred.
The items to be considered reimbursable expenses are as follows:
| Travellers (tickets and insurance) |
| Accommodation |
| Car rental |
| Fuel and oils |
| Office rental |
12. Conflict of Interest
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” dated February, 2025 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.
13. Submission of Expressions of Interest
Interested Individuals meeting the stated requirements should submit their Expressions of interest including updated detailed curriculum vitae (CVs) and copies of professional certificates must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by fax, or by e-mail) by 4th June, 2025 on or before 16:00 hours, local time. A full term of references for the procurement can be requested from the e-mail below or our website www.satcp.mw
The Chairman,
Internal Procurement and Disposal of Assets Committee,
Ministry Of Transport and Public Works
Southern Africa Trade and Connectivity Project (SATCP)
Attn: The Project Manager
Capital Hill, Private Bag 322, Lilongwe 3, Malawi
Tel: +265 1 789 577
E-mail: procurement@satcp.mw cc steven.manda@satcp.mw
For detailed terms of reference visit www.satcp.mw
