Request for Proposal For Technological, Environmental And Economic Pre-Feasibility And Feasibility Study

Request for proposals for Technological, Environmental and Economic Pre-Feasibility and Feasibility Study for Low-Carbon Maritime Transport in Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu Technological, Environmental and Economic Pre-Feasibility and Feasibility Study for Low-Carbon Maritime Transport in Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu Title : Technological, Environmental and Economic Pre-Feasibility and Feasibility Study for Low-Carbon Maritime Transport in Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu Reference : 100016341 Process : RFP Description : GGGI Fiji Office is seeking proposals from eligible firms to conduct a Technological, Environmental and Economic Pre-Feasibility and Feasibility Study for Low-Carbon Maritime Transport in Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu PROJECT BACKGROUND: The Program Decarbonizing the Maritime Sector through Low-Carbon Maritime Transport Roadmap and MRV Systems for Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu is a five-year initiative (20252029) funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) of the Republic of Korea, implemented by GGGI. The Program supports the governments of Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu in developing low-carbon maritime transport roadmaps, establishing maritime MRV systems, and piloting Alternative Marine Power (AMP) technology at selected ports. Maritime transport is the critical backbone of Pacific Island economies, connecting populations across vast ocean distances and carrying the majority of traded goods. The sector remains overwhelmingly dependent on fossil fuels and contributes significantly to national greenhouse gas emissions. Transitioning to low-carbon maritime transport is essential for meeting national, regional and international climate commitments. The Program is structured around three outcomes and ten outputs. This Terms of Reference relates specifically to Output 2.1: Conduct a Technological, Environmental and Economic Feasibility Study. Although the formal title of Output 2.1 refers to a feasibility study, the assignment is structured as a two-stage exercise. The first stage is a pre-feasibility (or scoping) phase covering all three partner countries, which compares candidate sites and technology options and identifies the most promising single investment opportunity. The second stage is an investment-grade feasibility study for that priority opportunity, complemented by lighter-touch project concept profiles for high-potential opportunities in the other two countries. Throughout this Terms of Reference, the terms pre-feasibility and scoping refer to the first-stage work, while feasibility refers to the investment-grade analysis in the second stage. The assignment as a whole is referred to interchangeably as the assignment or the study. The assignment is designed to demonstrate the viability of financing and implementing low-carbon maritime transport investments in Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu, with particular emphasis on identifying and assessing sites for Alternative Marine Power (AMP) pilot. The findings and investment recommendations from the scoping phase will directly determine the scope, location, and technology of the pilot. While AMP is the anticipated technology focus given its prominence in the Program design, the assignment is structured to allow for an alternative low-carbon maritime technology to be selected if the scoping analysis concludes that AMP is not the most viable option in the available sites. The deliverable structure is therefore designed to produce outputs that hand off seamlessly to whichever technology and configuration is agreed at the end of the scoping phase. PROJECT OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this consultancy is to conduct the two-stage assignment described in Section 1.2: a scoping phase that identifies and assesses the most viable low-carbon maritime transport investment opportunities in Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu, followed by an investment-grade feasibility study for the priority option agreed at the end of the scoping phase. The anticipated technology focus is Alternative Marine Power (AMP), but the assignment is structured to allow for an alternative low-carbon maritime technology to be selected if the scoping phase concludes that AMP is not the most viable option in the available sites. The consultant shall scope a minimum of two candidate sites per country (six sites total) during the scoping phase. Specific site selection is not predetermined; the identification and shortlisting of candidate sites is a key output of the inception stage (Task 1), informed by desk review and preliminary consultations. The available budget does not allow for three parallel investment-grade feasibility studies, one per country. The assignment is therefore structured in two phases. Phase 1 covers all three countries with a broad-scan assessment to identify and compare investment opportunities. Phase 2 delivers one investment-grade feasibility study for the priority option agreed by the three governments and GGGI, complemented by lighter-touch project concept profiles for high-potential opportunities in the countries not selected for the in-depth study. This structure ensures that all three partner countries benefit tangibly from the assignment while concentrating sufficient resources on one demonstration-ready investment. Specifically, the study will: 1. Conduct onsite research at potential project sites across all three countries to collect data on port infrastructure, electricity supply and grid capacity, vessel traffic patterns, berthing arrangements, and energy demand. 2. Assess the potential environmental, social and economic impacts of proposed low-carbon maritime transport interventions, including differentiated impacts on men and women, and on local businesses and enterprises. 3. Develop preliminary cost estimates and a financial assessment to determine the viability of the most promising investment options, including indicative project budgets and investment priorities for each country. 4. Produce findings that directly inform the subsequent design and implementation of the priority pilot investment, and provide an evidence base for investment mobilisation, including through climate finance mechanisms. 5. Map existing and planned maritime decarbonisation investments and donor-supported initiatives across the three countries to ensure that recommended investment pathways complement rather than duplicate other efforts, and to identify co-investment or co-financing opportunities. 6. Assess capacity-building and institutional development needs to support the transition to low-carbon maritime transport across the three countries, and identify opportunities to strengthen the technical, operational, and regulatory capabilities required for the effective implementation, operation, and long-term sustainability of proposed investments. Recommendations will inform future capacity development and institutional strengthening efforts needed to support sector-wide decarbonization objectives. While AMP is the anticipated technology focus, the consultant shall remain open to identifying a broad range of promising low-carbon maritime investment opportunities that may emerge from the analysis. These may span, but are not limited to, interventions across vessels, ports, fuels, energy systems, operations and supporting infrastructure. Where such opportunities are identified, they shall be documented at a level sufficient to support early-stage investment discussions. Where the scoping phase concludes that an alternative technology or intervention represents the most viable demonstration investment, that alternative may become the focus of the in-depth feasibility study in Phase 2, subject to GGGI and partner government agreement at the Decision Gate. PROPOSED ACTIVITIES FOR THE OVERALL PROJECT: Related Workstreams and Initiatives The assignment will be conducted in parallel with two other contracted workstreams under the Program: Outputs 1.1 and 1.2 (Market Assessment and Low-Carbon Maritime Transport Roadmap): Contracted to an external consultant, commenced February 2026. A major field mission is planned for June - July 2026, with a second visit to Fiji in November 2026. Output 1.3 (MRV Baseline Data Collection): Contracted to an external consortium. Fieldwork missions planned for mid-2026. Comprehensive stakeholder mappings for all three countries will be made available to the consultant for this assignment. In addition, other donor-funded initiatives are active in the Pacific maritime decarbonisation space, including the Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership (PBSP), the UNESCAP low-carbon transport project covering Fiji, EU-funded energy efficiency and MRV-related technical assistance in Tonga, and infrastructure investment programs supported by Australia and development banks. The consultant will be expected to take account of these initiatives to ensure complementarity and avoid duplication. The consultant will be required to coordinate with the contracted market assessment/roadmap consultant and the contracted MRV data collection consortium teams to ensure coherent stakeholder engagement, avoid duplication of data collection, and maximise the efficiency of in-country field missions. GGGI will facilitate introductions and data-sharing arrangements. Data Availability Proposers should note that the depth of available baseline data varies significantly across the three countries. In several areas including port electrical infrastructure, grid capacity, vessel traffic patterns, and institutional arrangements the consultant should expect uneven data availability and should plan their methodology to address gaps through primary data collection during field missions. In doing so, the consultant must ensure that all data usedwhether secondary or primaryis derived from credible, verifiable, and well-documented sources, with clear citation, validation, and triangulation procedures applied where possible. Where official or reliab Tender Link : https://in-tendhost.co.uk/gggi/aspx/Tenders/Current