| Overview : Consultancy service to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment studies (EIAs) for the establishment of two central infectious waste treatment facilities in Gharbia Governorate, Egypt, Using Hybrid Autoclaving Technology 1. Background The Government of Egypt (GoE), represented by the Ministry of Environment (MOE) in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the technical support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has succeeded in obtaining a new package of grants from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to implement a five years project entitled ”Protect human health and the environment from unintentional releases of POPs originating from incineration and open burning of health care- and electronic waste”. The project objective is to prevent and reduce health and environmental risks related to POPs and harmful chemicals through their release reduction achieved by provision of an integrated institutional and regulatory framework covering environmentally sound Health Care Waste and E-waste management. The project will reduce emissions of UPOPs as well as other hazardous releases (e.g. mercury, lead, etc.) resulting from the unsound management, disposal and recycling of a) Health-Care Waste (HCW), in particular due to substandard incineration practice and open burning of HCW; and, b) Electronic Waste (EW), in particular due to the practice of unsound collection and recycling activities and open burning of electronic waste. The project will achieve this by i) determining the baseline for releases of UPOPs and other hazardous substances (e.g. mercury, lead) resulting from unsound HCW and E-waste practices; ii) conducting facility assessments; iii) building capacity among key stakeholders; iv) implementing BEP at selected model hospitals, health-care facilities (HCFs) and a central treatment facility (CTF); v) introducing BAT and BEP to formal and informal E-waste processors; vi) preparing health care facilities for the use/maintenance of non-mercury devices followed by introduction of mercury-free devices; vii) evaluating facilities to ensure that they have successfully implemented BEP; viii) installing and evaluating BAT technology(ies) at one Central Treatment Facility (CTF) based on a defined evaluation criteria; and, xi) enhancing national HCWM training opportunities to reach out to additional hospitals/HCFs. The CTFs to be established in Gharbia Governorate are meant for the treatment of infectious health care waste. This waste includes dressings and other material contaminated by body fluids, cultures, sharps and IV-lines, blood, tissue samples, etc. The CTFs shall have a total capacity in the order of four tons per day. Since treatment is planned to be conducted at two locations, the capacity required for one location will be 2 tonnes per day, for an eight-hour shift. This means that the technology to be installed shall have a minimum capacity of 250 kilograms per hour. In terms of volume, the equipment shall be capable of treating 2500 litre of waste per hour, since the typical density of infectious healthcare waste is 100 kilograms per cubic meter. An additional pre-requisite for the CTFs is that non-incineration technology shall be applied. In case non-burn technologies are applied for the treatment of infectious waste, the Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) further requires that after waste sterilization, retrieval of objects from the waste shall no longer be possible. Post shredding of sterilized waste is therefore not an option and integrated, pre-shredding has to be regarded as a technology requirement. Obviously, the CTFs will have to provide a reliable form of treatment ensuring that after treatment the waste no longer poses a threat to occupational and public health. The technology to be installed shall therefore have a high pathogen destruction capability of Log-10 6 or more, which means that at least 99,9999% of pathogens shall be destroyed and no longer viable. The CTFs should include: - Building(s) including, but not necessarily limited to:
- Waste reception with weighing scale;
- Cold room for infectious waste storage;
- Store room for spare parts, tools and supplies;
- Treatment room;
- Administration, office, etc.;
- Staff changing rooms, toilets and showers;
- Washing facilities for infectious waste containers.
- Electricity, water supply and sewage connection systems;
- Internal roads and site access;
- Architectural and landscaping integration of works.
2. Objective of the assignment The project is seeking the service of National Consultancy Firm (NCF) to conduct Environmental Impact Assessment Studies (EIAs) for the Establishment of two Central Infectious Waste Treatment Facilities (CTFs) in Gharbia Governorate, Egypt, using Hybrid Autoclaving Technology that will have sufficient capacity to treat the infectious HCW produced in the governorate of Gharbia – Egypt. After coordination with the project international consultant, MOHP proposed the following locations for the CTFs: 1. El Santa 2. Kafr El-Shaikh Selim 3. Saft Turab The NCF shall prepare two EIA studies, one for El-Santa and the other will be for Kafr El-Shaikh Selim OR Saft Turab depending on the analysis and trade-off study that will be developed by the NCF to favor one location over the other. The EIA studies will also provide the basis for guiding subsequent actions, which will ensure that the establishment of the CTFs is carried out taking into account the environmental issues identified. 3. Scope of work The EIA studies should provide written and photographic documentation on the proposed CTFs establishment and locations. The NCF shall visit the proposed CTFs locations in the governorate of Gharbia – Egypt to inspect these locations, confirm their suitability for the proposed activity and recommend best locations to host the CTFs. Accordingly, the NCF shall conduct the following: Analysis and trade-off between Kafr El-Shaikh Selim and Saft Turab proposed locations. - Allocated space
- Location in relation to HCFs
- Location in relation to expected disposal areas
- Available resources such as electricity, water,…etc
- Distance from Residential areas
- Transportation infrastructure
Upon the approval of the NCF analysis for the best location by the project and MOHP, the NCF will commence with the preparation of the EIA studies which will be developed in a manner complying with the requirements of Egypt environmental regulations and will include (but not limited to): - Detailed review and description of the proposed project objectives and locations
This should include: - Identifying the different objectives and components of the project
- Description of the project proposed locations
- Description of the facility activities starting by waste receiving and ending by disposal
- Identifying resources required for operation
- Obtaining the necessary documents such as diagrams, photos, maps and site plans,
- Identifying the discharges and emissions due to operations
- Defining the constraints that may face the project implementation
- Legal and regulatory considerations review
This should include: - Reviewing the national and international legislations, regulations and policies related to the project
- Reviewing the role of the competent authorities involved in the project
- Reviewing the institutional framework
- Reviewing the required governmental permits and authorizations.
- Description and analysis of the environmental and social baseline conditions of the project proposed locations
This should include: - Description of the physical environments such as climate change, air quality, water resources (surface and groundwater), geology, geomorphology, soil quality and risk of natural disasters
- Description of the biological environments such as biodiversity (including rare, endangered and endemic biodiversity components), and biological resources of cultural, social, or economic importance
- Description of the socio-economic environment such as the aspects that depend on environmental changes (public health, vulnerability to disasters, vulnerability to increasing climate variability and the expected effects of climate change, access to natural resources and associated conflicts), that can produce environmental impacts and the socio-economic conditions that might be affected by the project such as the various characteristics, economic and livelihood aspects of the population within the project proposed location(s).
- Analysis of the stakeholders and their role and interests that are related to the project
- Identification and evaluation of potential environmental and social impacts.
This should include: - Locations evaluation and selection
- Analysis for potential alternative locations
- Analysis of the benefits and impacts expected from the project
- Studying the no project alternative
- Conduct Public consultation and hearing session
The NCF will conduct a public consultation to present the draft report and obtain the public opinions and concerns. The Consultant will perform the following tasks: - Select venue for public consultation meeting. The hearings will be held collectively in Gharbia Governorate, Egypt.
- Publish an advertisement in a local public newspaper
- Mange logistics of the meetings
- Invite stakeholders of the project, and potential interested parties
- Provide attendees with a summary of the project, and briefing on the impacts and analyses.
- Document stakeholder’ concerns and issues raised during the event
- Assess the public's perception to the proposed project
- Document the means by which the public engagement was used in the identification of the issues, and how it affected the project
- Incorporate the comments raised in the public consultation meeting in the final version of the EIA Report.
- The Consultant will consult with the relevant stakeholders such as (but not limited to) the following:
- The proposed facility operators - A sample of the workers in the facility - A few representatives of the residential community benefiting from the facility’s outputs - Representatives of government ministries and national authorities. - Representatives of HCF - Evaluate the disposal options available for the treated HCW
This shall include: - Assess the disposal options currently available for the treated HCW in Gharbia Governorate, Egypt
- Working with the landfill operators to explore the pros and cons of the available landfill(s)
- Develop recommendations (and if necessary a design with its approximate implementation cost) for the improvement of the available landfill(s)
- Develop an Environmental and Social Management Plan
This shall include: - Formulation of environmental management and monitoring plans
- Formulation of social management and monitoring plans
4. Products expected from the assignment The main products of the assignment are expected to be: - Analysis and trade-off report between Kafr El-Shaikh Selim and Saft Turab proposed locations (Selection report) (3 hard copies + soft copy) in English and Arabic Languages
- Two draft EIA studies to be reviewed by the Project, WMRA and MOHP (3 hard copies + soft copy) in Arabic.
- Two semifinal EIA studies based on Project, WMRA and MOHP comments on the draft version to be submitted to EEAA for gaining the approval. (1 hard copy + soft copy) in Arabic.
- Two final EIA studies based on EEAA comments on the semifinal version. (3 hard copies + soft copy) in Arabic.
- Two EEAA approvals on the submitted studies.
- An executive summary and main findings in English and Arabic Languages to be used as a standalone document in a manner that can be accessible to non-technical readers. (3 hard copies + soft copy)
5. Duration of the assignment Submission the Final EIA studies with the EEAA approval shall not exceed 90 calendar days from signing the consultancy service contract 6. Application Your proposal, comprising of a Technical and Financial Proposal, in separate sealed envelopes (containing three hard copies and one electronic copy), should be submitted on or before 10 June 2018 with an acknowledgment letter to MEWM project to the following address: Medical and Electronic Waste Management Project Address: Borg Al Hadara #12 S – Flat #13
Madinat Al Fostat Al Gedida – Al Megawra #2
Hadekat Al Fostat St. – Misr El-Kadima, Cairo – Egypt [Att. Dr. Tarek Mohamed El-Araby] Your Proposal must be expressed in the [English language], and valid for a minimum period of four months. Currency of Proposal (Local Currency (EGP) Services proposed shall be reviewed and evaluated based on completeness and compliance of the Proposal and responsiveness with the requirements of the RFP and all other annexes providing details of the Project requirements. In the course of preparing your Proposal, it shall remain your responsibility to ensure that it reaches the address above on or before the deadline. Proposals that are received by the Project after the deadline indicated above, for whatever reason, shall not be considered for evaluation. The Proposal that complies with all of the requirements, meets all the evaluation criteria and offers the best value for money shall be selected and awarded the contract. Any offer that does not meet the requirements shall be rejected. Any discrepancy between the unit price and the total price shall be re-computed by the Project, and the unit price shall prevail and the total price shall be corrected. If the Service Provider does not accept the final price based on the Project’s re-computation and correction of errors, its Proposal will be rejected. No price variation due to escalation, inflation, fluctuation in exchange rates, or any other market factors shall be accepted by the Project after it has received the Proposal. At the time of Award of Contract or Purchase Order, the Project reserves the right to vary (increase or decrease) the quantity of services and/or goods, by up to a maximum twenty-five per cent (25%) of the total offer, without any change in the unit price or other terms and conditions. Any Contract or Purchase Order that will be issued as a result of this RFP shall be subject to the General Terms and Conditions attached hereto. The mere act of submission of a Proposal implies that the Service Provider accepts without question the General Terms and Conditions of MEWM PROJECT, herein attached as Annex 3. Please be advised that the Project is not bound to accept any Proposal, nor award a contract or Purchase Order, nor be responsible for any costs associated with a Service Providers preparation and submission of a Proposal, regardless of the outcome or the manner of conducting the selection process. The Project encourages every prospective Service Provider to prevent and avoid conflicts of interest, by disclosing to The Project if you, or any of your affiliates or personnel, were involved in the preparation of the requirements, design, cost estimates, and other information used in this RFP. The Project implements a zero tolerance on fraud and other proscribed practices, and is committed to preventing, identifying and addressing all such acts and practices against The Project, as well as third parties involved in the Project activities. | 
