VisionRI shortlisted for Independent Technical Audit of IBRD & AFD funded Water Supply Project in Angola

The scope of the ITA (Independent Technical Audit) project includes financial matters, procurement plans, payment schedule, quality control, engagement of contractors/ supplies among others for the entire project duration and finally submitting completion certificate to the implementing agency.

VisionRI, a global development consulting firm, along with its sub-consultant Ms. Consultancy PL, has been shortlisted for the ITA of Luanda-BITA Water Supply Project jointly funded by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), and French Agency of Development (AFD), in the form of a loan through Second Water Sector Intuitional Development Project in the Southern African nation Angola. The Financial and Contract Management Unit (FCMU) of Ministry of Energy and Water (MinEA), Government of the Republic of Angola through Luanda’s water utility, Empreza Publica das Aguas de Luanda (EPAL) will be the implementing authority for the assignment. Luanda is the national capital city of Angola while Bita is a district adjoining to southern Angola.

ITA firm will be required to assist MinEA and EPAL in meeting their responsibilities to bring the Bita Project through the detailed design and construction periods, and into the first year of the Operations and Maintenance Period after the transfer of the facility. As per the Terms of Reference (TOR), the objectives of the ITA services are to provide an independent assurance that the contract performance, design and construction outputs, risk management, contract payments, governance and internal control processes are operating effectively, such that the audits were to evaluate compliance with applicable laws, policies and procedures, review applicable records and documentation retention, and to verify process compliance with necessary Angolan laws and regulations as well as applicable Guarantee related agreements, with the exception of safeguards policies and procedures. Verification of compliance with applicable environmental and social safeguards policies and procedures will be the object of separate dedicated independent audit services. Besides, the firm will also be responsible for audit and detection of any contractor payment default, diversion of funds, illegal payments, political interference and political contributions made.

"VisionRI and its sub-consultant Ms. Consultancy PL have requisite experience of providing consultancy for such assignments. We are working on a robust methodology for the ITA and also negotiating with the experienced professionals in the industry to present the best possible team. Hopefully, we will get the assignment," said Mr J. P. Singh, Managing Director, VisionRI Connexion Services Pvt. Ltd. VisionRI has recently launched an initiative Center of Excellence on Emerging Development Perspectives (COE-EDP) which aims to keep track of the transition trajectory of global development and work towards conceptualization, development, and mainstreaming of innovative developmental approaches, frameworks, and practices in the focused market areas of the company i.e. Energy, Transport, Urban Development, Natural Resource Management, Public Health, Digital Development, Education and Development Communication.

Besides VisionRI led group, seven more firms/ joint ventures (JV) have been shortlisted for the consultancy services. They are Solomon LDA (Mozambique) led JV, WAPCOS Ltd (India), SEURECA (FRANCE) led JV, Fase 2 Angola (Angola) led JV, NOPPON KOEI Co. NK (Japan) and Engidro (Japan) JV, Tecnoplano- Technologia e Planeamento (Portugal) led JV, and TPF Consultants (Portugal) led JV. All the shortlisted firms/JVs have been directed to submit their project proposals by 10.00 (Angola time) on October 13, 2020. The finally selected firm will be engaged for 42 months. The ITA firm will be required to submit quarterly reports which should have four parts - Executive Summary, Principal Concerns, Mitigating Factors and Overall Recommendation/Evaluation. 

The Second Water Sector Institutional Development Project is to fund technical assistance services in support of Angola’s MinEA and of EPAL, in their implementation of the Luanda Bita Water Supply Project. The Bita Project is a national priority investment of Angola to expand and improve water supply service in the fast-growing unserved urban and peri-urban belts of south Luanda.

As per the TOR, the Project consists of water production, transmission, storage and distribution investments including a water treatment plant with an initial production capacity of three cubic meters per second (3cm/sec), 72 km of gravity transmission pipelines towards Luanda, and storage and distribution systems in the four suburban districts - Bita, Cabolombo, Mundial and Ramiros. “The Project will also retrofit existing distribution networks in two more districts - Camama and Benfica. It has a value of about US$ 1 billion, financed by a commercial loan backed by a World Bank guarantee, complemented by export credit agency financing (BPI France),” reads TOR. A second phase of the Project, which would not be financed by these Facilities, is contemplated for the future to increase the Project’s production capacity to six cubic meters per second and further extend its distribution reach, it added.