The Odzani hydropower project is located near the river Odzani in Mutasa district, Manicaland province, and is being developed by the Eastern Hydro and Electricity Supply Company (EHESC).
The plant, which will be designed with the possibility of expansion to 3.6 MW, is on the site of an older facility decommissioned in the 1950s and work will include rehabilitating the existing weirs, penstocks, canals and construction of a powerhouse. The IDBZ, which is mandated to provide long- and medium-term funding for key infrastructure projects, said that it had recently concluded a pre-feasibility study for the proposed project and now wants to undertake the detailed studies in partnership with the project promoter, EHESC. The selected consultant is expected to prepare two separate studies namely: a full feasibility study for the proposed plant; and, a detailed ESIA including gender analytical frameworks and mainstreaming. The detailed ESIA will include a detailed environmental and social management plan (ESMP). The consultant will be required to review all existing reports, studies and documentation and analyse the technical, legal, financial, economic, environmental, and regulatory aspects of the project, including the demand and supply dynamics in the Zimbabwean power sector, global trends in the energy sector and climate change. Consulting firms are expected to provide expert analysis on the technical feasibility, which will include but is not limited to site assessments, civil works, electrical facilities, and hydrological conditions. The scope of work should also include the financial and economic analysis, assessment of the policy and regulatory framework and institutional arrangements as well as stakeholder mapping. The assignment is expected to take six months.
Consulting firms must provide information demonstrating they are qualified to undertake this assignment individually or as a consortium by providing company profiles, registration documents, CVs, description of similar assignments, experience under similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills/ experience among staff and so on. Prospective consulting firms may constitute joint ventures where necessary to enhance their capacity to undertake the assignment. The specific objectives of the assignment include, but are not limited to the following: to augment national power supply by generating an average of 2.5 MW daily; to optimize irrigation activities in surrounding areas through improved access to power; to produce an ESIA with mitigating factors; to produce an ESMP, which includes compensation among other issues; and, to assess and make recommendations on issues pertaining to impact on gender and mainstreaming.
The selection of consulting firms shall be through a quality-and-cost based selection (QCBS) method. Eligibility criteria, establishment of the short-list and the selection procedure shall be in accordance with the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act [Chapter 22:23] as read with the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Regulations SI 5 of 2018 as well as the IDBZ “Rules and Procedures for the use of Consultants” downloadable from the IDBZ website, www.idbz.co.zw.
Expressions of Interest, which must be clearly labelled: “EOI – Feasibility Study Odzani Mini- Hydro Power Project: IDBZ/IPDR1/ODZANI/22102018”, must be delivered no later than 15.00 hours on 22 October to Procurement Secretariat, IDBZ House, 99 Rotten Row Road, PO Box 1720, Harare, Zimbabwe. For further information, contact: Tel: +263-242-750171/8;
E-mail: procurement@idbz.co.zw
