VRA seeks hydraulic model for management of Volta river Basin

The Volta Basin Authority invites expressions of interest by 30 February from qualified consultants to establish a hydraulic model for the allocation and management of water resources in the Volta Basin in West Africa.

The contract is to be financed by the African Development Bank Group within the framework of the Project for the Improvement of the Environment conducive to the Sustainable and Equitable Management of Water Resources in the Volta Basin. The main objective of the assignment is to develop, calibrate and install a hydraulic modelling tool at the Executive Directorate of the Volta Basin Authority in order to be able to simulate the impact of existing and/or planned infrastructure along the entire course of the Volta river, its tributaries (Black Volta, White Volta and Pendjari-Oti) and sub-tributaries. It is intended to be a model for the allocation and management of water resources and, by extension, a decision-making tool for integrated and concerted development of the entire basin, mainly in the areas of hydroelectricity, agriculture and navigation in order to be able to simulate the impact of existing or planned structural works. This tool will contribute, among other things, to the development of the Water Development and Management Master Plan (SDAGE) for the Volta Basin. Specifically, the model should make it possible to: (i) determine the influence of existing and future hydraulic developments on the river regime, first the effect of passive structures on flows and then the impacts of the operation of these structures (locks, turbines, etc.) on these flows in different parts of the basin of the Volta; (ii) calculate water level variations at a given site during typical or theoretical extreme floods; (iii) calculate water levels at various sites for average flow conditions and during low flows; (iv) forecasting in the medium term, the flow and water levels downstream of wetlands located on the courses of tributaries and sub-tributaries, forecasts useful for the operation of reservoirs and other hydraulic or hydroelectric structures.

The total duration of the mission is twelve months including six months for the construction of the reference model and its installation at the headquarters of the Volta River Authority and six months to launch its operation and for its appropriation by the VRA and member countries. Interested consultants must provide information on their abilities and experience demonstrating that they are qualified for the services (documentation, reference of similar services, experience in comparable assignments, etc.). Consultants can form an association to increase their chances of qualification.

The eligibility criteria, the establishment of the shortlist and the selection procedure will comply with the Procurement Framework for Operations Financed by the African Development Bank Group, October 2015 edition, available at: https://www.afdb.org. The full procurement notice can be viewed at https://www.afdb.org/en/documents/ami-multinational-mise-en-place-dun-modele-hydraulique-dallocation-et-de-gestion-des-ressources-en-eau-du-bassin-de-la-volta. secretariat@abv.int. Expressions of interest in French in four copies (one original + three copies) must be sent or deposited for the attention of Robert Y. Dessouassi, the Executive Director of the Volta Basin Authority, Ouaga 2000, Avenue Sembène Ousmane, 10 BP 13621 Ouagadougou 10, Burkina Faso, Tel.: +226 25 37 60 67/25 37 64 85; Email: secretariat.abv@gmail.com. Interested consultants can obtain additional information from the Executive Directorate of the Volta Basin Authority, Tel.: +226 25 37 60 67 / 25 37 64 85; E-mail: secretariat.abv@gmail.com