GENERALPROCUREMENT NOTICE (Updated)

ALBANIA

WATER RESOURCES AND IRRIGATIONPROJECT

Project ID No.  P121186

The Government of Albania has applied forfinancing in the amount of US$ 50 million equivalent from the World Banktoward the cost of the Water Resources and Irrigation Project, and it intends to apply part of the proceedsto payments for goods,works, related services and consulting services to be procured under this project.

The proposedproject will comprise the following components:

1.                  Systems Rehabilitation

2.                  Institutional and Productive Support for Irrigation andDrainage

3.                  Institutional Support for Integrated Water ResourcesManagement

4.                  Implementation Support

Component 1: Systems Rehabilitation (approximately US$35m)

This componentwill be implemented by MAFCP. The objective is to improve irrigation water delivery and address dam safety through rehabilitationof hydraulic infrastructure, including irrigation schemes, drainage facilities and irrigation reservoirs. The component willfurthermore introduce modern water saving irrigation technologies, and will also finance development of a pipeline of newinvestments, including feasibility and detailed design studies, and all related safeguard instruments.

The componentwill finance the following sub-components:

A.                  Reservoir, Irrigation and Drainage Rehabilitation. This sub-component will finance the preparationof all feasibility and detailed design studies, and all rehabilitation works of irrigation, drainage and dam infrastructure, aswell as the supervision of the works. All investments will be located in two priority river basins, and will be undertaken in acomprehensive way to maximize the returns oninvestments. In pilot pump irrigation schemes, the project will finance installation ofpressurized irrigation technologies that will enable farmers to use water more efficiently and reduce pumping costs. Investments inreservoirs would aim to ensure compliance of the reservoirswith internationally accepted Dam Safety regulations. This would includethe preparation of dam safety plans. Based on past implementation capacity, it is estimated that the project will rehabilitateabout 50 reservoirs and about 70,000 hectares, but the precise outputs will be determined during preparation.

This sub-component will finance preparation(through a PPF) and implementation of Environmental Management Plans (EMPs), and will also strengthen the framework for dam safety,including capacity strengthening and awareness raising. In close consultation with the Dam Safety Project andthe National Dam Safety Committee, the extent and nature of additional support for dam safety at the national level, includingrevisionof national dam safety legislation, will be agreed during project preparation.

B.                  Pipeline Preparation. Thissub-component will finance all studies required to prepare a pipeline of shovel-ready investments in irrigation, drainage andreservoir infrastructure rehabilitation. This would include feasibility studies and detailed design studies, and related safeguardinstruments. Thenumber of investments that will be studied will be defined during preparation.

Component 2: Institutional and Productive Support for Irrigation and Drainage (approximatelyUS$5m)

This componentwill be implemented by MAFCP. The objective is to improve the performance of organizations that provide irrigation services.Thiswould include institutional reforms and capacity strengthening of WUA/Os and Drainage Boards (DBs). The component would alsofinance preparation of an irrigation policy and strategy.

The projectwill finance the following sub-components:

A.                  Institutional Reforms of Irrigation and DrainageSector. The sub-component will strengthen capacities of DBs in thedelivery of key irrigation and drainage services to WUA/Os. During preparation,the team will discuss and agree on further reformsof the DBs. To that end, MAFCP will prepare a position paper that will describe the way in which the sector is organized, and thatwill make recommendations to improve the quality of irrigation and drainage service delivery. Thesub-component will also helpclarify the division of responsibilitiesbetween DBs and WUA/Os and will, to that end, prepare a national database of transferableirrigation infrastructure. The sub-component willalso finance preparation of a National Irrigation and Drainage policyandstrategy.

Thesub-component will also finance, on a pilot basis, a number of on-farm activities to help individual and groups of farmers takefull advantage of improvements in infrastructure and institutional performance by optimizing water use and improving overall farmoutput. It is anticipated that support would include (i) equipment and infrastructure for crop diversification in higher valueproducts; and (ii) adoption ofimproved agro-environmental practices, such as conservation tillage, and rationalization of use offertilizers and chemicals. The nature ofthis assistance as well as the delivery instruments will be defined duringpreparation.

B.                  Support for WUA/Os. Based on the experience ofWRMP, the project will scale up the existing experience regarding WUA/Os. An estimated 50 WUA/Os will be trained in a number ofareas, including water use efficiency, contract management and outsourcing, and study tours will be organized. Inaddition,decentralized water users' support staff from MAFCP will be trained in strengthening capacities of WUA/Os. Operation andMaintenance (O&M) responsibility for selected irrigation infrastructure will be transferred to WUA/Os. 

Component 3: Institutional Support for Integrated Water Resources Management (approximatelyUS$7m)

This componentwill be implemented by MEFWA. Its objective is to improve the performance of institutions responsible for IWRM, including theNational Water Council (NWC) and its Technical Secretariat (TS), andselected Basin Water Councils (BWCs) and Basin Water Agencies(BWAs).

The projectwill finance the following sub-components:

A.                  Support for the preparation of an IWRM Strategy. This sub-component will support MEFWA in the preparation of a National IWRM strategy. In view of EUcandidate status, the strategy will incorporate the EU's WFD, as reflected in the Water Law (currently underrevision). The projectwill ensure the inclusiveness of the preparation process by establishing an appropriate forum for cross-sectoral dialogue anddecision making.

B.                  Strengthening the institutional framework for IWRM. The project will support the institutions responsible for inclusive IWRM, including the NWC, TS, RBCs andRBAs. Specific activities include the drafting of a decree specifying the geographical coverage of river basins, conducting a studyon water tariffs, the establishment of anational cadastre of water abstractions, awareness raising and capacity strengthening. Afunctional analysis of the NWC and RBCs will be conducted and recommendations to improve their performance and effectiveness willbe implemented.

C.                  Preparation of River Basin Management Plans. In two priority river basins, the project will support the preparation of River Basin Management Plans,including the identification of structural and non-structural measures to improve the quality of IWRM. The project will alsostrengthen the planning capacity and regulatory responsibilities of two RBCs, including the preparation of an inventoryof basinwater resources and legal and illegal surface and groundwater abstractions, further strengthening of the hydromet network toenhance floods and droughts forecasting, and preparation of basin models and decision support systems.

Component 4: Implementation Support (approximately US$3m)

This componentwill be implemented by MAFCP and MEFWA. Its objective is to manage project resources in accordance with the project's objectivesand procedures as outlined in the Project Implementation Manual (PIM).

The projectwill finance the following sub-components:

A.                  Project Management. Projectimplementation will be mainstreamed into the regular functions of the implementing Ministries. Support for projectimplementationwill include: (a) provision of technical assistance, training, officeequipment and vehicles, auditing, andincremental operating costs in support of project management; (b) overall project planning, quality oversight and evaluation ofproject activities; (c) strengthening procurement and financial management capacity at all levels; and (d) preparation andimplementation of a communications strategy to accompany theinvestments and the preparation of the IWRM strategy.

B.                  Establishment of a Monitoring and Evaluation system. The project will support the establishment of a performance based Management Information System (MIS) andarrange for data collection andreporting on key performance output and impact indicators, through baseline surveys, participatoryassessments and mid-term review and final evaluation.

Priorityinvestments under component 1.A will be concentrated in two river basins that will also benefit from institutional and capacitystrengthening support under component 2 and 3.C. Investments will be undertaken in a comprehensive way, including rehabilitation ofreservoirsand associated downstream irrigation and drainage infrastructure so as to capture full economic benefits. Prior to thefirst preparation mission, identification of priority basins and a list of priority investments will need to be prepared. In viewof the availability of advanced studies, this list of investments will contain mostly dam rehabilitation works. Investments inadditional dams and downstream irrigation and drainage infrastructure will be prepared during project preparationand the first yearof project implementation, for development during the outer years of the project. The first preparation mission will need to agreeon the precise nature of a demand-driven approach to the selection of investments in irrigation infrastructure rehabilitation(asadopted by the predecessor Water Resources Management Project, WRMP),as this could potentially be compromised by the selectionof priorityinvestments in dam rehabilitation and the need for comprehensive investments.

Procurement of contracts financed by the World Bankwill be conductedthrough the procedures as specified in the World Bank's Guidelines: Procurement under IBRD Loans andIDA Credits (current edition), and is open to all eligible bidders  asdefined in the guidelines. Consulting services will be selected in accordance with the World Bank's Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers (current edition).

Specific procurement notices for contracts to be bidunder the World Bank's international competitive bidding (ICB) procedures and for contracts for consultancy services will beannounced, as they become available, in UN Development Business and dgMarket [and the names of technical magazines, newspapers and trade publications of wide international circulation and in localnewspapers].

The project will be implemented jointly by the Ministryof Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection, and the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Water Administration. The contactpersons in these Ministriesare:

Ministry of Environment, Forestry and WaterAdministration:

address: Durresi Street 27, Tirana, Albania

phone: +355 42 250 223

fax: +355 42 270 627

contact name: Mr. Idlir Gumbardhi

title: Chief of Water Resources Sector

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection:

address: Sheshi "Skenderbej" No. 2 Tirana

phone: +355 42 59333/ +355 42 23917

fax: +355 42 23917

contact name: Mr. Irfan Tarelli

title:  General Director,General Department of Resource Management & Support Services