Sample World Bank New Project Approval
FOREST CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT PROJECT
Credit No. 3604-TA
Country: Tanzania
Date Approved: 26-Feb-02
Total Cost: US$ 40 million
Main Financing Source: IDA: US$ 31.10 million
Additional Financing: Borrower: US$ 1.70 million; Global
Environment Facility: US$ 7 million; Non-Government Organization (NGO) of
Borrowing Country: US$ 0.20 million
Completion Date: 31 December 2007
Executing Agencies: MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND TOURISM, Forestry and Beekeeping Division, Address: P.O. Box 426, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Contact Person: Prof. Said Iddi, Dr. Felician Kilahama, Tel: 255-22-2111602, Fax: 255-22-2130091, E-mail: tfcmp@intafrica.com Other Agency(ies): Eastern Arc Mountains Conservation Endowment Fund, Address: PO Box 40832, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Contact Person: Vincent Shauri, Tel: 255-22-2780859
Objectives and Description
The Forest Conservation and Management Project will initiate an integrated biodiversity conservation strategy for the Eastern Arc Mountains, thus strengthen Tanzania's capacity to coordinate forest biodiversity conservation interventions. Through its components, the project will support forest management institutional change, and improve service delivery, by providing resources to strengthen the capacity for administration, and management of the Tanzania Forest Service, which will be established, and supported (in part) by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and, by improving as well revenue collection from forests and woodlands, including service delivery mechanisms for a participatory forest management. A framework will be developed, and implemented to involve the private sector in the management of existing industrial plantations by enabling an institutional, and market environment, based on the implementation of a communication strategy, and capacity strengthening within the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. Additionally, the project will finance aerial photography, mapping, and indicative inventories of state-owned plantations, to improve the plantation resource information base, and management planning capacity. Alternative management of selected industrial plantations will be piloted, emphasizing on the monitoring and evaluation of operational performance indicators. Largely financed by the GEF, institutional reforms of biodiversity conservation will be supported, including development strategies, pilot community-based conservation, and the development of sustainable financing for tropical high forest conservation in the country.
Procurement
Procurement financed under the project will comprise the recruitment of consultants services and training, office equipment, vehicles, civil works, and operating costs. The Procurement Specialist, with Ministry oversights, will be responsible for ensuring that procurement for works and goods is carried out in accordance with the Bank's Guidelines for Procurement under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits (dated January 1995 and revised in January and August 1996, in September 1997, and January 1999) and that consultancy services financed by IDA are procured in accordance with the Bank's Guidelines for the Selection and Employment of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers (dated January 1997, and revised September 1997 and January 1999).
A General Procurement Notice has been published in UN Development Business, and includes a description of required services or goods, the client agency, and the budgeted cost. This notice will be updated every year during the execution of the projects until all contracts and assignments have been procured. In the case of contracts which are expected to cost more than US$ 200,000 equivalent, Specific Procurement Notices will be issued in UN Development Business, and will be advertised in the national, regional, and/or international press.
To the extent possible, procurement arrangements have been designed to respond to the need for flexible use of procurement methods. A detailed Procurement Plan, based on the inputs identified in Project Implementation Plan, has been prepared, and will be revised annually during preparation of the Annual Work Program and Budget. Whenever possible, procurement items will be consolidated into appropriately-scaled contracting packages with a value of US$ 150,000 and over.
To complement a Loan Administration Change Initiative (LACI) compatible financial management system, Forestry and Beekeeping Division (FBD) will also implement a procurement management and monitoring system. The system should be designed in order to: (i) estimate cash forecasts for withdrawals under the LACI system, and to (ii) monitor physical progress of outputs against contracts committed.
Most procurement of goods, works, and services will be carried out by FBD. Procurement will be managed by the Ministerial Tender Board, in line with the regulatory framework established by recent legislation. Aggregate values for NCB or other non ICB procurement methods for goods and works are limiting and cannot be exceeded without the Bank's prior no objection. The Ministry will maintain a tracking system to monitor such procurement in order to alert the Bank in a timely manner when this may occur.
Civil Works
Civil works contracts will include infrastructure for Forest Department Headquarters, and minor civil works and building rehabilitation as required at regional and district levels. The Ministry will first carry out an infrastructure needs assessment before launching regional and district infrastructure programs. Civil works costing less that US$ 50,000 per contract (up to aggregate total not exceeding US$ 200,000) will be procured on the basis of quotations obtained from three qualified domestic contractors in response to a written invitation. The invitation shall include a detailed description of the works, including basic specifications, the required completion date, a basic form of agreement acceptable to the Association, and relevant drawings, where applicable. The award shall be made to the contractor who offers the lowest price quotation for the required work, and who has the experience and resources to complete the contract successfully. Civil works costing more than US$ 50,000 but less than US$ 150,000 (up to an aggregate total not exceeding US$ 250,000) will be procured on the basis of NCB. Civil work costing greater than US$ 150,000 will be procured through ICB. Prequalification will be required for all ICB contracting.
The contract for construction of headquarters building, estimated to cost about US$ 5 million equivalent will be awarded on the basis of ICB using Bank Guidelines and Bank Standard Bidding Documents for Smaller Works, (January 1995, with corrigenda Nos. I to 4) and modified to meet project needs. Contracts for district infrastructure not exceeding US$ 150,000 equivalent will be awarded on the basis of NCB procedures acceptable to IDA. This would include advertising the works, public opening of bids, clearly stated evaluation criteria and award of contract to the lowest evaluated bidder. Foreign bidders, if interested would not be precluded from participation. The new Public Procurement Act provides for this requirement. The civil works contracts will be supervised by consulting firms selected in accordance with Bank Guidelines.
The Bank's Standard Bidding Documents for Works and Goods and the Standard Bid Evaluation Forms would be used for ICB procurement. Since the government has not prepared Standard Bidding Documents that could be used for NCB as per the new Act, IDA's Standard Bidding Documents for Works and Goods and the Standard Bid Evaluation Forms would be used for NCB procurements as well with necessary modifications.
Goods
Individual contracts for goods with an estimated value of less than US$ 30,000 will be procured using local or international shopping, for an aggregate not to exceed US$ 400,000 based on comparing price quotations from at least three suppliers in response to written invitation. Individual contracts for goods more than US$ 30,000 per contract and less than US$ 150,000 per contract will be procured through National Competitive Bidding procedures for an aggregate not to exceed US$ 400,000. The first three of these contracts will be subject to prior review. For contracts estimated to cost US$ 150,000 and above, International Competitive Bidding will be used. Individual units of office equipment (individual fax machines, printers, and laptop computers) as well as individual vehicles may be purchased through the Inter-Agency Procurement Services Office (IAPSO) of the United Nations with an aggregate value not to exceed US$ 300,000.
Consultants' services and training
Services for all components of the project, including studies, technical assistance, and the supervision of works, which require the recruitment of consulting firms or individual consultants will be procured in accordance with the Bank's Guidelines for the Selection and Employment of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers. The cost of audits will also be financed by the Credit. The Bank's Standard Request for Proposals; Forms of Contracts as needed (lump-sum, time based, and/or simplified contracts for short-term assignments and individual consultants); and Sample Form of Evaluation Report for the selection of consultants would be used.
Individual consultants contracts and consulting firms contracts below the threshold of US$ 50,000 and US$ 100,000 respectively may be awarded on the basis of qualifications and experience in accordance with Bank guidelines. For these contracts, prior review will be required of all Terms of Reference (TORs), proposed budgets, contracts, and consultant qualifications. Sole sourcing may be allowed on an exceptional basis and with the prior agreement with IDA, subject to the conditions outlined in the Guidelines. Prior review will also be required of all single-source consultancies, regardless of their value. Contracts for individual consultants below US$ 50,000 and for consulting firms below US$ 100,000, will be subject to post-review. Prior review will be required for individual contracts above US$ 50,000 and above US$ 100,000 for firms.
With regard to workshops, training, study tours and field expenses, prior review of all activities will be required, including proposed budget, agenda, participants, location of training, and other relevant details.
Notice Identification Number: PA11-581/02. Posted on
15 March 2002 (World Bank).
Development Business Print Edition, Issue Number: 581
Issue Date: 16 April 2002