Expression of Interest For Urban Resilience And Risk-Informed Investment Study For Suva And Nadi, Fiji

Expression of Interest for Urban Resilience and Risk-Informed Investment Study for Suva and Nadi, Fiji. B. Rationale The World Bank is undertaking analytical work to support resilient urban growth and investment planning in Suva and Nadi. The assignment will combine spatial, hazard, socio-economic, economic, and institutional analysis to identify priority risks, investments, and policy actions. It will also assess the economic impacts of earthquakes and flooding (coastal, pluvial and fluvial) in Suva. The assignment will contribute to the World Banks jobs and growth agenda by examining how resilient urban planning and infrastructure can improve access to employment and markets, reduce disruption to firms and workers, and support private investment and more productive urban development. The work will be undertaken through one coordinated process, with shared data collection, consultation, field work, and validation activities supporting two distinct final deliverables. C. Objectives of the Assignment The objective is to deliver a practical assessment and prioritized investment framework to strengthen urban resilience in Suva and Nadi. The assignment will: · Assess urban growth and form, hazard exposure, vulnerability, critical infrastructure risks, and planning constraints in Suva and Nadi. · Assess the direct and indirect economic impacts of seismic and flood (coastal, fluvial and pluvial) hazards in Greater Suva and identify priority risk reduction measures. · Identify how urban risks and infrastructure constraints affect access to jobs, business continuity, investment, connectivity, and the productivity of key economic areas, with particular attention to the SuvaNausori and NadiLautoka economic corridors and the strategic infrastructure and services that support them. · Identify and prioritize resilient investments and policy actions that reduce risk while supporting job creation, private investment, and sustainable economic growth. · Assess the institutional arrangements for planning, implementing, and managing urban resilience investments and policies, identify key gaps, and recommend measures to strengthen institutional effectiveness and coordination. · Conduct a financial assessment of revenue streams and the operation and maintenance costs of critical resilience infrastructure, identify funding gaps, and propose measures to ensure long-term financial sustainability · Support relevant institutions to use spatial, hazard, and economic analysis in planning and investment decisions. D. Scope and Description of Activities The assignment will be organized into four modules. The Consultant will use desk research, data analysis, stakeholder engagement, and field work. Activities should be integrated across the two areas of analysis to avoid duplication for Modules 1, 2 and 3, with delivery of two separate output reports for Module 4. Module 1: Inception Kick-off and Inception: Confirm the scope, study areas, methodology, work plan, data requirements, stakeholder engagement, field mission, and quality assurance arrangements. Output 1 Inception Report: A concise report setting out the agreed methodology for each workstream, detailed work plan, study-area definitions, data requirements and gap-management approach, stakeholder engagement and field mission plans, quality assurance arrangements, and annotated outlines for the two final deliverables. Module 2: Preliminary Analysis Data Review and Preliminary Analysis: Review relevant policies, plans, studies, spatial and hazard datasets, land and tenure information, socio-economic and economic information, infrastructure data, employment and business activity information, institutional mandates, financing arrangements, and existing early warning systems. Identify data gaps and proposed methods for addressing them. Prepare initial spatial and risk findings for Suva and Nadi and preliminary findings on flood and earthquake impacts Greater Suva Identify major employment centres, the SuvaNausori and NadiLautoka economic corridors, strategic infrastructure, and constraints affecting firms, workers, private investment, and access to markets. Output 2 - Preliminary Findings Report: A concise report covering the data inventory and gaps, preliminary findings for both workstreams, supporting maps, and a summary presentation. Module 3: Detailed Assessment and Validation Field Mission and Consultations: Conduct coordinated interviews, technical sessions, and site visits in Suva and Nadi with relevant government agencies, municipal and town authorities, utilities, communities, businesses, and development partners. Urban Resilience, Jobs, and Growth Assessment: Complete the analysis of urban growth and form, hazard exposure, population and asset vulnerability, critical infrastructure and service risks, planning constraints, including land availability and clarity of land tenure, and resilient growth opportunities. Assess how these factors affect business continuity, labor mobility, access to jobs and markets, private investment, and the performance of key economic areas. Identify and assess the SuvaNausori and NadiLautoka economic corridors, including the strategic transport links and nodes connecting ports, airports, tourism areas, industrial zones, commercial centres, employment centres, and residential growth areas. Evaluate how hazard exposure, infrastructure and service constraints, land and planning issues, and potential disruptions along these corridors affect access to jobs, markets and services, business continuity, private investment, and economic productivity. Assess the institutional arrangements, coordination mechanisms, implementation capacity, and financing mechanisms needed to deliver and sustain priority urban resilience investments and policy reforms, including relevant revenue sources and operation and maintenance arrangements. Greater Suva Flood and Earthquake Impact Assessment: Assess the direct and indirect impacts of earthquakes and coastal, fluvial and pluvial flooding in Greater Suva, including impacts on infrastructure, services, businesses, transport, livelihoods, employment, and strategic economic functions.. Options and Prioritization: Identify and prioritize structural and non-structural investments and policy actions using agreed criteria, including risk reduction, economic and social benefits, contribution to jobs and growth, climate robustness, implementation readiness, operation and maintenance, and indicative cost. Validation and Capacity Building: Hold one validation workshop covering both areas of analysis and provide practical technical sessions using the project datasets and analytical tools. Output 3 Draft Assessments and Validation Workshop: Draft versions of both final deliverables, a workshop report, a consolidated comment matrix, and capacity-building materials. Module 4: Finalization of Deliverables Finalization: Revise the two draft assessments in response to consolidated comments and hand over all final reports, presentations, maps, datasets, methods, assumptions, and calculation files. Deliverable 1 Suva and Nadi Urban Resilience Diagnostic and Prioritized Investment Framework A consolidated report setting out the status quo, key challenges and opportunities, methodology, and evidence base for both urban areas. It will cover urban growth and future development; land availability and tenure constraints; multi-hazard exposure and vulnerability; critical infrastructure and service risks; institutional mandates and coordination; assessment of the SuvaNausori and NadiLautoka economic corridors, including major constraints, vulnerabilities, investment opportunities, and priorities for strengthening economic resilience and connectivity. The report will present prioritized and sequenced investments and policy reforms, explain the rationale for prioritization, and identify indicative costs, responsible institutions, dependencies, operation and maintenance requirements, financing mechanisms, implementation pathways, and next steps. In addition to the full report, the deliverable will include an executive summary, a summary PowerPoint, and the final geospatial data and methods package. Deliverable 2 Greater Suva Flood and Earthquake Economic Impact Assessment: A stand-alone technical report covering direct and indirect seismic and coastal, fluvial and pluvial flood impacts; the people, assets, services, businesses, workers, and economic functions most affected; existing monitoring, forecasting, warning dissemination, and institutional arrangements; and prioritized structural and non-structural risk reduction measures with indicative costs, responsibilities, and next steps. In addition to the full report, the deliverable will include an executive summary, a summary PowerPoint, maps, datasets, assumptions, and calculation files. E. Reporting and Management Arrangements The Consultant will report to the designated World Bank Task Team Leaders, who will provide overall guidance, technical oversight, and approval of deliverables. Relevant stakeholders will be consulted as appropriate, while the World Bank team will remain the primary contractual interface. Progress Reporting: Provide brief bi-weekly updates on activities completed, emerging findings, issues requiring attention, and next steps. Quality Assurance: Apply internal technical and editorial review. Allow at least ten business days for review of interim outputs and for final draft outputs. Data and Knowledge Management: Hand over all data, models, scripts, maps, and supporting materials in an organized digital package, with sources, assumptions, methods, and access restrictions documented. Timeline: Complete the assignment within six (6) months of contract signing. Payment Schedule: Payments will be output-based and tied to successful delivery and acceptance of the following milestones. Milestone Timing Payment Mobilization Week Tender Link : https://wbgeprocure-rfxnow.worldbank.org/rfxnow/public/advertisement/7442/view.html