REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES-FIRMS SELECTION)

NAME OF PROJECT: Ethiopia Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene

COUNTRY: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Credit No. IDA 64450

Assignment Title: Selecting and Employment of Consulting Firm for the document preparation. Rating Curve development and concept of operations/service strategy

Reference No. ET-MOWE-536606-CS-CQS

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of implementation of the Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Project and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.

1. Objectives of the assignment

The objective of the consultancy assignment is to enhance the operational effectiveness, data quality, and decision-support capacity of national hydrology services through clear operational guidance and improved rating curve accuracy.

1.1. Specific objectives

The specific objectives of the Assignment are to:

• Develop a standardized Concept of Operations (CONOPS) for Hydrology Services under MoWE.
• Assess the reliability of existing rating curves at selected hydrological gauging stations.
• Update rating curves using recent and historical discharge measurements.
• Fully revise rating curves where significant inconsistencies or changes in channel conditions are identified.
• Strengthen institutional capacity for sustainable rating curve management and quality assurance.
• Develop a prioritization framework for selecting stations based on data criticality, station condition, and risk.
• Establish a scalable, repeatable methodology for mass rating curve deve revision applicable across diverse river basins in Ethiopia.

2. Scope and Activities for the Development of Guidelines

The assignment consists of two interrelated components:

Component 1: Preparation of CONOPS for Hydrology Services (MOWE-Hydrology and Basin Information Lead Executive)

The consultant shall:

• Review existing policies, strategies, guidelines, SOPs, and institutional arrangements related to hydrology services under MoWE, particularly those led by the Hydrology and Basin Information Lead Executive, Basin Development Offices (Abay, Awash, Rift Valley Lakes, Baro- Akobo, Genale-Dawa, and Tekeze), and Regional Water Bureaus.
• Assess the current operational status of hydrological monitoring networks (surface water, groundwater, water resource information and GIS-hydrology interface).
• Define the overall operational concept for hydrology services under the Hydrology and Basin Information Lead Executive, including:
• Service objectives and functions
• Roles and responsibilities of the Hydrology and Basin Information Lead Executive, Surface Water, Groundwater, GIS and Water Resources Information desks, Basin Development Offices, and Regional Water Bureaus.
• Define standard operational procedures (SOPS) for:
• Identify gaps, risks, and capacity needs (human resources, equipment ICT. Financing.)
• Propose an implementation roadmap with short, medium, and long- term actions.

Component 2: Rating Curve Reliability Test, Updating, and Revision.

The consultant shall:

• Review existing stage-discharge data, rating curves, and station metadata for selected hydrological gauging stations managed by MoWE through the Hydrology and Basin Information Lead Executive and Basin Development Offices.
• Conduct rating curve reliability analysis using:
• Categorize stations into priority tiers (e.g., high, medium, low) based on usage in forecasting, design, or water allocation.
• Identify causes of rating curve instability,
• Prioritizing stations with recommended actions (update/revise/maintain)
• Update existing rating curves where minor adjustments arc required.
• Perform full rating curve revision where major deviations are identified,
• For stations where a conventional single-valued rating curve is deemed unsuitable or un reliable due to hydraulic complexities (e.g., backwater, unstable control, hysteresis), the consultant shall:

a. Diagnose the primary cause of instability.

b. Propose and justify the most technically and economically feasible alternative method from an approved list (e.g., parameterized ratings, index-velocity, slope-area, hydrodynamic modeling, or continuous direct measurement).

c. Develop, calibrate, and validate the alternative discharge estimation model.

d. Clearly document-the methodology, assumptions, uncertainty, and operational requirements (e.g., need for additional sensors) in the station technical report.

• Define a statistically sound sampling approach for field verification to optimize resources while ensuring representativeness across 400+ stations.
• Validate revised rating curves and recommend monitoring and re- measurement frequency.
• Develop or apply automated tools for batch processing of rating curve analysis and consistency checks.
• Prepare standardized rating curve documentation and archiving formats.
• Ensure updated rating curves are integrated into MoWE’s hydrological database system with version control and audit trails

Component 3: Capacity building training for MOWE and Basin development office hydrologist and hydrology technicians on mass rating curve management

3. The shortlisting criteria are:

(i) Core business and years in business;

(ii)Relevant Experience in the field of assignment; and

(iii) Technical and managerial capability of the firm.

4. The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section VII, paragraphs 7.11 & 7.12 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers”, Seventh Edition, September, 2025 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected.

5. Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Consultant’s Qualifications Based Selection (CQS) method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

6. The English version of ToR can be obtained free of charge by downloading it from the Ministry’s web site at https://www.mowe.gov.et/en/resource-types/procurement-files 

7. Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours from Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM in the morning and from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM in the afternoon.

8. Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below in person or by e-mail (PDF Format) by April 27, 2026 on or before 5:00PM Local time.

The Address(es) referred to above is:

Attn: Mr. Tadelle Gezahage/Mohammed Sirage

Haile Gebresilassie Avenue 5th floor, Room Number 511

E-mail: tadele.gezahegn@mowe.gov.et

mohammed.sirage@mowe.gov.et

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Ministry of Water and Energy

OWNP-CWA-II PMU

Ministry of Water and Energy