UN Procurement — Request for Proposal (RFP)
Geotechnical Investigation, Design and Construction of a 200,000-Litre Solar-Powered Water Supply System in Kaya/Huffra, South Sudan
Kaya/Huffra, South Sudan
Site
200,000 litres in four 50,000-litre elevated tanks
Capacity
Investigation, design and construction (design and build)
Contract Model
2026-11-03 00:00 (GMT+2)
Deadline
01Project Overview
Project Name
Geotechnical investigation, design and construction of a solar-powered water supply system in Kaya/Huffra, South Sudan, under a design and build contract
Reference
UNHCR Request for Proposal UNHCR RFP 3592 (UNGM notice 318282)
Country
Republic of South Sudan
Contracting Authority
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Scope
Geotechnical investigation, design and construction of a solar-powered water supply system with associated distribution components, including four elevated tanks of 50,000 litres each with a total storage capacity of 200,000 litres
Contract Model
Design and build (turnkey) contract, under which investigation, design and construction are entrusted to the same contractor
Submission
Proposals are submitted in the format and through the channel prescribed in the buyer document attached to the notice (3592_BUYER), with the financial offer and bill of quantities completed on Annex C and Annex B respectively
Source
UNHCR request for proposal published on the United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM), issued 15 Oct 2026, verified 20 Oct 2026: https://www.ungm.org/Public/Notice/318282; the terms of reference “ANNEX A-ToR for Kaya BMZ Water Project- 200000 liters elevated water tank.pdf”, the bill of quantities “ANNEX B- BILL OF QUANTITY.pdf” and the financial offer form “ANNEX C-FINANCIAL OFFER.pdf” are downloadable from that notice page
Background Source
Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, South Sudan: https://www.mwri.gov.ss/, whose website states its mandate to manage, protect and develop the country's water resources, enhance water security and promote efficient irrigation, and carries the national water and sanitation initiative targeting an open-defecation-free South Sudan by 2030; UNHCR South Sudan country data portal: https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/ssd; World Bank South Sudan country page: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/southsudan
02Project Background
The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation is the ministry responsible for water resources in South Sudan. Its website states its mandate to manage, protect and develop the country's water resources, to enhance water security and promote efficient irrigation, and describes the national water and sanitation initiative targeting an open-defecation-free South Sudan by 2030. Water facilities are delivered and operated jointly by the ministry, state authorities and international organizations.
This request for proposal is issued by UNHCR and concerns the Kaya and Huffra area of South Sudan; the terms of reference attached to the notice name the project “Kaya BMZ Water Project”. The works comprise four elevated water tanks of 50,000 litres each together with associated distribution components, giving a total storage capacity of 200,000 litres, and the supply system is solar-powered.
The solicitation adopts a design and build (turnkey) model under which geotechnical investigation, system design and civil works are delivered by a single contractor, and bidders complete their commercial submission on the bill of quantities in Annex B and the financial offer form in Annex C.
03Scope of Work & Technical Specifications
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Contract Scope | Geotechnical investigation, design and construction of a solar-powered water supply system with associated distribution components, delivered on a turnkey basis |
| Geotechnical Investigation | Geotechnical investigation of the water supply system and elevated tank foundations, serving as the basis for foundation design and construction |
| Storage Facilities | Four elevated water tanks of 50,000 litres each, with a total storage capacity of 200,000 litres |
| Associated Components | Water conveyance and distribution components associated with the storage facilities |
| Power Supply | The water supply system is solar-powered, forming a standalone photovoltaic pumping arrangement independent of the municipal grid |
| Site | The Kaya and Huffra area, South Sudan |
| Technical Documents | The terms of reference (Annex A), bill of quantities (Annex B) and financial offer form (Annex C) are issued with the notice; technical parameters, material requirements and construction standards are set out in the terms of reference and the bill of quantities |
| UNSPSC | 26111607 Solar generators, within 26111600 Batteries and generators and kinetic power transmission |
| Proposal Language | English |
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04Commercial Terms
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Contract Type | Design and build turnkey contract covering investigation, design, construction and handover |
| Pricing | Turnkey water works of this kind commonly use a lump-sum price based on the bill of quantities, with variations to quantities adjusted under the contract conditions |
| Payment | Engineering contracts of this kind are usually paid in instalments against implementation milestones, with a retention held from each payment until the end of the defects liability period |
| Performance Security | Contracts of this kind commonly require performance security, usually in the region of ten per cent of the contract price, provided as a bank guarantee |
| Defects Liability | Comparable projects commonly provide a defects liability period during which construction and equipment defects are rectified by the contractor |
| Site Conditions | The contractor is responsible for site investigation, temporary facilities, transport of materials and the organisation of local labour |
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05Bidder Qualification Requirements
01
Supplier Registration
Bidders must hold a valid registration on the United Nations Global Marketplace in order to obtain the solicitation documents and submit proposals on that platform
02
Legal Status
The bidder must be duly established and qualified to undertake investigation, design and construction of water supply works
03
Technical Capability
The bidder must combine geotechnical investigation, water supply system design and civil construction capability; where a joint venture is formed, its members cover these scopes according to their allocation of work
04
Comparable Experience
Evidence of comparable design and build experience in water supply works or elevated tank projects must be provided
05
Site Execution
The bidder must be able to mobilise equipment, personnel and logistics for construction in the Kaya and Huffra area of South Sudan
06
Commercial Documents
The bill of quantities in Annex B and the financial offer form in Annex C must be completed, together with the company and financial documents required by the buyer document
07
Code of Conduct
The supplier code of conduct attached to the notice must be signed and observed
06Key Milestones
15 Oct 2026
Notice Issued
The terms of reference, bill of quantities and financial offer form are downloadable from the UNGM notice page from the date of issue
Solicitation Documents
3 Nov 2026 at 00:00 (GMT+2)
Submission Deadline
As stated in the buyer document
Proposal Validity
07Evaluation Criteria
Technical Evaluation70%
- Comparable solicitations assess the technical soundness of the investigation and design approach, the selection and safety of the elevated tanks and the solar-powered supply system, the construction methodology and programme, and the qualifications of the proposed team and equipment
- Proposals that do not meet the minimum technical requirements do not proceed to price comparison
Financial Evaluation30%
- Comparable solicitations compare the prices aggregated from the bill of quantities among technically compliant proposals, and prices that are clearly out of line or contain unpriced items affect the outcome
