Toolkit for climate-resilient strategies for sustainable water and sanitation management in the Caribbean

Description

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is seeking a specialized consulting firm to develop a comprehensive technical toolkit for climate resiliency actions tailored for Caribbean water utilities. The assignment focuses on integrating circular economy principles, Non-Revenue Water (NRW) reduction, and Renewable Energy/Energy Efficiency (RE/EE) strategies to drive the region's water sector toward carbon neutrality.

1. Foundational assessment and strategic frameworks
- Baseline and alignment: Utilizing Trinidad and Tobago’s Vulnerability and Capacity (VCA) Report (2018) as a technical benchmark to map climate change hazards and structural vulnerabilities in the regional water sector.

- Stakeholder kickoff: Organizing collaborative needs-assessment workshops with utility managers, government representatives, and community leaders to map operational gaps and align priorities.

- Financing and tracking: Integrating diverse funding mechanisms into the strategic framework—such as public funds, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), and international donor support—backed by a robust Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) framework to meet global sanitation targets.

2. Data collection and carbon credit market intelligence
- Risk mapping: Conducting thorough desktop and field assessments to analyze historical climate patterns and determine utility vulnerability to extreme weather events.

- Carbon credit monetization: Investigating regional market opportunities for carbon credit generation, analyzing how water utilities can leverage these assets to create alternative, self-sustaining funding streams for resilience investments.

- Database consolidation: Engaging regional experts to assemble a financially viable and context-specific database that informs all subsequent technical interventions.

3. Toolkit design, piloting, and institutional training
- Preliminary toolkit development: Drafting practical guidelines, engineering best practices, and regional case studies to identify and structure resilience interventions based on verified utility capacities.

- Iterative pilot testing: Conducting structured feedback sessions with participating utilities to evaluate the platform's user experience, operational functionality, and real-world relevance.

- Capacity building: Designing comprehensive training modules and delivering virtual or in-person workshops for utility officials, empowering local technical staff with advanced risk assessment and strategic planning skills.

Note: Interested companies must review the requirements in the BEO Bidders Portal.