Request for Bids — International Competitive Procurement (Two-Envelope, Without Prequalification)
Construction Works for the Rehabilitation and Strengthening of Kapichira Dam, Malawi (Spillway, Embankment Dam and Dam Instrumentation)
Chikwawa District, Malawi
Location
Approximately 44 months
Construction Period
Dam rehabilitation and strengthening works
Contract Nature
2026-11-11 14:00
Bid Deadline
01Project Overview
Project Name
Construction works for the rehabilitation and strengthening of Kapichira Dam (main spillway rehabilitation, reconstruction of the embankment dam, construction of an emergency spillway and a permanent irrigation intake, and installation of dam safety instrumentation)
Reference
World Bank procurement notice OP00462647; bidding reference MW-EGENCO-314183-CW-RFB
Country
Republic of Malawi
Employer
Electricity Generation Company (Malawi) Limited (EGENCO)
Parent Project
Malawi Emergency Power Restoration Project (World Bank project P178914); implementation agencies: EGENCO and the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM)
Source of Funds
World Bank Credit CR 7176-MW and Grant GR E097-MW
Procurement Method
Request for Bids under international competitive procurement in accordance with the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers (11 September 2025 edition), using a two-envelope process without prequalification
Site
Kapichira Hydro Power Station, Chikwawa District, southern Malawi
Source
World Bank Specific Procurement Notice OP00462647, employer EGENCO, published 17 Aug 2026, verified 4 Oct 2026: https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/procurement-detail/OP00462647
Background Source
World Bank project page P178914: https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-detail/P178914; Electricity Generation Company (Malawi) Limited: https://www.egenco.mw/
02Project Background
Kapichira Hydro Power Station is located on the Shire River in southern Malawi and is an important hydropower asset of the Electricity Generation Company (Malawi) Limited (EGENCO). World Bank project information records that the Malawian power sector has long been exposed to climate change: in January 2022 Tropical Storm Ana made landfall in southern Malawi, with daily rainfall exceeding 150 mm and reaching up to 300 mm in places and gusts above 80 km per hour, causing flash flooding that resulted in 46 fatalities, affected more than 221,000 households and displaced more than 190,000 people; in March 2023 Cyclone Freddy caused further damage to infrastructure in the south.
The Malawi Emergency Power Restoration Project (P178914) was approved by the World Bank on 17 June 2022 with a commitment of USD 60 million. The implementation agencies are EGENCO and the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM). The project is active, with a planned closing date of 30 November 2026. This procurement concerns the construction contract for the rehabilitation and strengthening of Kapichira Dam under that project.
Public information from EGENCO shows that, alongside the Kapichira Dam rehabilitation project, the company is implementing the Nkula B Rehabilitation Project, the Mpatamanga Hydropower Project, the Likoma and Chizumulu solar power plants and the Salima solar power plant, the first 10 MW phase of which was commissioned on 10 August 2026. This dam rehabilitation and strengthening contract forms part of the company's ongoing work to restore and increase hydropower generation capacity.
03Scope of Work & Technical Specifications
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Contract Title | Construction Works for Kapichira Dam Rehabilitation and Strengthening |
| Scope of Works | Reconstruction of the damaged earthfill embankment dam; construction of an emergency spillway with automatic flap gates; construction of a permanent irrigation intake; reconstruction of the right dam abutment; rehabilitation of the main spillway; rehabilitation of the training dyke; installation of modern dam instrumentation for dam safety monitoring; and removal and disposal of cofferdams |
| Objective | To restore the full operational integrity of Kapichira Dam, to make it more resilient to future climate change related events, and to integrate an intake for irrigation services |
| Construction Period | Approximately 44 months |
| Procurement Procedure | International competitive procurement using a two-envelope process without prequalification; the technical and financial parts are submitted in separate envelopes |
| Access to Documents | The bidding document is issued in English and is purchased upon submission of a written application to the employer and payment of a non-refundable fee of MWK 35,000 or USD 50, payable in cash, by bank certified cheque or by electronic funds transfer |
| Declarations Accompanying the Bid | Each bid must be accompanied by a Bid-Securing Declaration and by a declaration on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) and Sexual Harassment (SH) |
| Pre-Bid Meeting | A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting was held at the Kapichira Hydro Power Station site on 10 September 2026 at 10:00 (Malawi time) |
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04Key Commercial Terms
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Contract Model | A works contract priced on a bill of quantities, procured through the World Bank two-envelope Request for Bids procedure, with the technical and financial parts opened separately |
| Source of Funds | World Bank Credit CR 7176-MW and Grant GR E097-MW |
| Payment Mechanism | Payments for works of this kind are commonly made periodically against certified quantities of completed work; advance payments on such international works contracts are commonly in the range of 10% to 20% of the contract price, and retention is commonly in the range of 5% to 10% of the contract price |
| Bid Security | The notice requires a Bid-Securing Declaration with the bid; no bank bid guarantee is required |
| Performance Security | Works contracts of this kind commonly require the successful bidder to furnish a performance security in the order of 10% of the contract price, normally within 28 days of receipt of the Letter of Acceptance |
| Electronic Bidding | Electronic bidding is not permitted; bids must be delivered to the address stated in the notice on or before the deadline, and late bids will be rejected |
| Beneficial Ownership Disclosure | Under the World Bank Procurement Regulations, the borrower is required to disclose information on the successful bidder's beneficial ownership as part of the Contract Award Notice |
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05Bidder Qualification Requirements
01
Eligibility
Bidders must be firms eligible under the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers; the procurement is open to all eligible bidders without country restriction
02
Prequalification
There is no prequalification; bidder qualifications are reviewed as part of the evaluation of bids
03
Works Experience
Bidders must have comparable experience and the capability to carry out the rehabilitation and strengthening of dams, hydropower or large hydraulic structures; the specific experience thresholds and key personnel requirements are set out in the bidding document
04
Bid Declarations
Bidders must submit a Bid-Securing Declaration together with a declaration on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment
05
Access Conditions
Bidders must submit a written application to the employer and pay the non-refundable fee before obtaining the bidding document
06Key Milestones
2026-08-17
Notice Published
2026-09-10 10:00 (Malawi time), Kapichira Hydro Power Station site
Pre-Bid Meeting (Non-Mandatory)
2026-11-11 14:00 (Malawi time); the inner envelopes marked Technical Part are opened publicly in the presence of bidders' designated representatives
Bid Deadline and Bid Opening
The inner envelopes marked Financial Part remain unopened in the employer's safe custody until the second public bid opening
Opening of the Financial Part
07Evaluation Criteria
Rated Criteria — Technical and Non-Price Factors50%
- Technical and non-price factors are scored in accordance with the evaluation process set out in the bidding documents, covering the construction methodology and technical capability, comparable works experience, key personnel, plant, equipment and programme, and the quality and safety management systems
- The rated criteria score is weighted with the bid price score to determine the evaluation result
Bid Cost50%
- The bid price is scored in accordance with the evaluation process set out in the bidding documents, and the price score is weighted with the rated criteria score to determine the evaluation result
