SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- B-Water Management, Irrigation, and Land Reclamation Implementation Plan? Uzbekistan
- Notice Date
- 12/1/2003
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- United States Trade and Development Agency, TDA, USTDA, Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, C/O US TDA 1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1600, ATTN: Water Management, Irrigation, and Land Reclamation Implementation Plan, Arlington, VA, 22209-3901
- ZIP Code
- 22209-3901
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-0380035B
- Response Due
- 1/9/2004
- Archive Date
- 1/24/2004
- Point of Contact
- Evangela Kunene, Procument Data Manager, Phone 703-875-4357, Fax 703-875-4009,
- E-Mail Address
-
ekunene@tda.gov
- Description
- POC: Evangela Kunene, Procurement Data Manager, Tel: 703-875-4357, Fax: 703-875-4009, e-mail: ekunene@tda.gov : PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT CONTRACTS OFFICE : Proposal Submission Place: Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, c/o U.S. Trade and Development Agency, 1000 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1600, Arlington, VA 22209, Attention: Water Management, Irrigation, and Land Reclamation Implementation Plan-- Uzbekistan : The Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources (MAWR) invites submission of Proposals from interested U.S. firms that are qualified on the basis of experience and capability to provide technical assistance for a Water Management, Irrigation, and Land Reclamation Implementation Plan in Uzbekistan. Irrigation has been practiced in Uzbekistan since ancient times, mainly adjacent to the major rivers and in desert oases. Russian occupation in the late-19th century saw the beginnings of modern canal irrigation, which gradually expanded in the first half of the 20th century, during which time the country?s comparative advantage in growing cotton became apparent. In the 1950s, Soviet planners seized the opportunity to make their country self-sufficient in cotton and carried out a series of major new irrigation projects (together with major storage reservoirs and construction of numerous pumping stations) in Uzbekistan and neighboring Republics. While these projects were successful in boosting cotton output and providing employment for a fast growing population, they had a number of side effects, which were only partly foreseen. Central Asia is drained by two major rivers, the Syr Darya in the north and Amu Darya in the south, that arise in the mountains and flow across desert lands to the Aral Sea ? once the fourth largest freshwater lake in the world. Intensive irrigation development since 1960 has drastically reduced the flow of the two rivers and their inflow to the Aral Sea, which has consequently shrunk drastically. The formerly productive deltas of the two rivers have largely reverted to desert. Irrigation development has also raised water tables and increased the mobilization of salt from the soil profile, adding increasing amounts of salt to the river system and Aral Sea, to the extent that the future sustainability of irrigation is threatened. With support from international donors, the International Fund for the Aral Sea is completing a Water and Environmental Management Project, which has as its centerpiece development of a Regional Water and Salt Management Strategy, together with national strategies for each of the five Central Asian states, including Uzbekistan. These national strategies are expected to be compatible with the regional one, that is, they should recognize that the shared water resources are finite (and already nearly fully developed). Once Uzbekistan has adopted its National Water and Salt Management Strategy (Strategy), many potential investment needs will open up but the constraints to future development will also become more apparent. Thus, the emphasis will need to be on better management of existing resources, pointing to improving the efficiency of water use, decreasing salt mobilization and improving salt disposal, providing incentives to the private sector ? notably the farmers themselves ? to undertake investments in rehabilitation and modernization, and improving the effectiveness of the irrigation agencies. MAWR is responsible for the provision of agricultural services, including irrigation, to the nation?s farmers. MAWR?s water management responsibilities have hardly changed in the past decade while staff numbers have been halved and its budget has been greatly reduced in real terms. Its response has been to eliminate nearly all capital investment and limit maintenance to the most urgently needed repairs. While the irrigation systems are, by and large, still operating, water delivery is irregular and the backlog of deferred maintenance means that the day is approaching when large areas will cease to function. This is particularly true for the 50% of the irrigated land that depends on pumping, where loss of one key piece of equipment could shut down the entire system. In order to meet these challenges, MAWR?s Water Department is reorganizing itself along river sub-basin lines rather then by administrative region. This will result in 10 sub-basin divisions rather than the 12 regional branches and 145 district sub-branches that now exist. MAWR is also promoting the establishment of Water User Associations (WUAs), which will have the responsibility of operating and managing the tertiary-level irrigation and drainage systems. This will involve the imposition of some form of water delivery fee to be assessed and collected by the WUAs, eventually covering their full operating costs. The adoption of the Implementation Plan would help build capacity within MAWR to address the budgetary, planning, and implementation issues necessary to make commercial development in this sector viable. The Implementation Plan would help operationalize the Strategy that Uzbekistan has adopted. The U.S. firm selected to conduct this technical assistance will be paid in U.S. dollars from a $545,410 grant to the MAWR from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). A detailed Request for Proposals (RFP) is available from USTDA, at 1000 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1600, Arlington, VA 22209. Requests for the RFP should be faxed to the IRC, USTDA at 703-875-4009. In the fax, please include your firm?s name, contact person, address, and telephone number. Some firms have found that RFP materials sent by U.S. mail do not reach them in time for preparation of an adequate response. Firms that want USTDA to use an overnight delivery service should include the name of the delivery service and your firm's account number in the request for the RFP. Firms that want to send a courier to USTDA to retrieve the RFP should allow one hour after faxing the request to USTDA before scheduling a pick-up. Please note that no telephone requests for the RFP will be honored. Please check your internal fax verification receipt. Because of the large number of RFP requests, USTDA cannot respond to requests for fax verification. Requests for RFPs received before 4:00 PM will be mailed the same day. Requests received after 4:00 PM will be mailed the following day. Please check with your courier and/or mailroom before calling USTDA. Only U.S. firms and individuals may bid on this USTDA financed activity. Interested firms, their subcontractors and employees of all participants must qualify under USTDA's nationality requirements as of the due date for submission of qualifications and proposals and, if selected to carry out the USTDA-financed activity, must continue to meet such requirements throughout the duration of the USTDA-financed activity. All goods and services to be provided by the selected firm shall have their nationality, source and origin in the U.S. or host country. The U.S. firm may use subcontractors from the host country for up to 20 percent of the USTDA grant amount. Details of USTDA's nationality requirements and mandatory contract clauses are also included in the RFP. Interested U.S. firms should submit their Proposal to Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of Uzbekistan c/o USTDA by 4:00 P.M. January 9, 2004, at the above address. Evaluation criteria for the Proposal are included in the RFP. Price will not be a factor in contractor selection, and therefore, cost proposals should NOT be submitted. MAWR reserves the right to reject any and/or all Proposals. MAWR also reserves the right to contract with the selected firm for subsequent work related to the project. MAWR is not bound to pay for any costs associated with the preparation and submission of Proposals.
- Record
- SN00479270-W 20031203/031202075610 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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