Irrigated and Sustainable Agriculture for Transformation

Tender summary

REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND NATIONAL PLANNING NATIONAL AUTHORISING OFFICE OF THE EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENT FUND Request for Expressions of Interest Position: Consultancy Services for Conducting of Feasibility Studies, Preparation of Detailed Designs, Environmental and Social Instruments , Bidding and Tender Documents for the proposed Irrigated and Sustainable Agriculture for Transformation (ISAT) Project (Local and International Consulting Firms (Quality and Cost-Based Selection)) Project: Irrigated and Sustainable Agriculture for Transformation (ISAT) Project Preparation Grant The Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) has requested support from the World Bank through a Project Preparation Grant (PPG) to advance the preparation of the Irrigated and Sustainable Agriculture for Transformation (ISAT) Project . The PPG is intended to support the identification, technical assessment, and preparation of priority irrigation schemes that can be taken forward under the full ISAT operation. There are different types of irrigation investments and scheme models in Zambia: large-scale public schemes; community-based schemes; farmer-led irrigation development (FLID); and corporate irrigation enterprises sometimes in partnership with the other types. The Irrigation Development Support Project (IDSP) is an example where the government has established large public irrigation schemes serving both large commercial and smallholder farmers, which were planned to be run by private operators. IDSP aimed to increase the area under irrigation in the country. In addition, IDSP supported the rehabilitation of ten dams. Existing irrigation infrastructures are uneven in quality and performance, and many schemes face challenges related to design adequacy, operation and maintenance arrangements, access to reliable water sources, and linkages to markets. These constraints limit productivity, resilience to climate variability, and the economic viability of irrigated agriculture. The ISAT Project is designed to address these constraints by supporting both the development of new irrigation schemes and the rehabilitation and modernization of existing ones , combined with complementary investments in farmer capacity, irrigation management, and value chain linkages. The Preparation Grant focuses specifically on generating the technical, economic, environmental, and institutional evidence required to inform these investments. Objectives of the Assignment The main objective of the assignment is to conduct Irrigation Feasibility Studies, Environmental and Social Instruments, prepare detailed designs bidding and Tender documents for the establishment of new and modernized irrigation schemes under the proposed ISAT Project. Scope of Services and Tasks The consulting Firm will conduct the following key tasks to achieve the assignment outcomes: Task 1 – Feasibility studies and detailed designs for 11 new irrigation schemes Task 1 will require the consultant to conduct feasibility studies and detailed designs, including the institutional and organizational arrangements for operations and maintenance, of 11 new irrigation schemes in close consultation with all stakeholders. Up to ten of these schemes will be supplied by water from 10 dams that were rehabilitated under the Irrigation Development Support Project (IDSP) and the 11th scheme will be located at the Nanga Irrigation Research Station, drawing water directly from the Kafue River. The feasibility studies will ascertain the technical soundness, financial feasibility (profitability and cost benefit assessment at the farm level), the economic viability (at the national level), the social and environmental sustainability, and define possible organizational arrangements for Operations, Management, and Maintenance (OMM). Task 2 – Feasibility studies and detailed design for modernization of 21 existing community managed (COBSI) schemes Feasibility Study of modernization options: The Community Ba

What to check before bidding

• Source notice P182068 on worldbank.
• Notice published 15 May 2026; Tenqual indexed it 17 May 2026.
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