CONSULTING SERVICES FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Expressions of Interest

The Quang Nam Province has received a financing from Agence Française de Développement ("AFD"), and intends to use part of the funds thereof for payments under the following project : Erosion prevention and sustainable protection of Hoi An coastal line in Quang Nam province.
The Services of the consultant shall consist of technical assistance to the Project Management Unit for efficient implementation and rigorous monitoring of the project while strengthening the PMU and technical agencies’ capacities in the execution of their mandates.
The Consultant’s mission will be organized around two complementary mandates:
1. Support the overall implementation and monitoring of the project;
2. Implementation of component 2 of the project: Develop a strategy and plan for Integrated Coastal Zone Management and implement the Integrated Coastal Cell Management model; and propose more sustainable alternative sand sources, including analysis of coastal erosion risks, prevention plans, and Decision Support Tools (DST) for integrated management of the entire coastal strip from Tam Hai to Son Tra..
The scope of the tasks and results expected by the Consultant responsible for performing a specific service are covering:
Support Quang Nam Province through technical assistance (TA) activities to develop a prevention plan and analyze erosion risks for the entire coastal area from Tam Hai to Son Tra through the ICZM strategy. To achive this, the TA consultant will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the main erosion factors: (i) limited sediment supply from upstream dams into the Thu Bon River, (ii) sand mining in the river basin,
(iii) sea level rise due to climate change, and (iv) infrastructure development too close to the shoreline.
The Project will support the Province, the city of Hoi An and local stakeholders in an integrated, informed and planned coastal zone management (ICZM) approach. The perimeter of ICZM will cover a coherent space in terms of interactions of hydro-sedimentary dynamics, over an 80 km linear from Son Tra (Da Nang Province) to Tam Hai (south of Quang Nam Province).
The following activities, but not limited to, will be carried out: (i) institutional diagnosis, (ii) technical assistance and tools for stakeholders for monitoring the coastline and better management of the coastal zone: consolidate into experience, development of decision support tools, development of strategy and plan of the integrated coastal management, its implementation, monitoring and evaluation, (iii) support for the establishment of an economic model enabling the contribution of related organizations such as private tourism stakeholders to the ICZM mechanisms as well as the maintenance of structures and upkeep of coastal erosion prevention measures, (iv) search for and identify sustainable sand sources for practical beach nourishment as well as establish mechanisms and regulations in state management, prioritizing support for offshore sand mining.
To contribute to the achievement of the project objectives, TA consultant should provide a team of experts, who will be (i) in directlt carry out the activities related to component 2 and (ii) providing support of methodological and technical aspects and knowledges/skills transfer to the PPMU and related technical organizations in the province. The TA consultant is required to provide 46 man-month of international and 80 man-month of national expertise to fulfill the Service and the consultant team must be based in Tam Ky. The total duration of the mission is 24 months.
The skills required for conducting this study are those of a team of experts in the following fields:

- Integrated coastal zone management/Estuarine and coastal processes
- Institutions
- Hydrology, hydraulics, and oceanography
- Hydraulic structures, breakwaters
- Sediment transport, erosion
- Remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems
- Information technology and databases structure
- Marine biodiversity and marine biology
- Administrative and financial management, project’s indicators monitoring and evaluation
- Communication, environment, society
- Hydrological and hydraulic and sediment transport modeling
The Quang Nam Province hereby invites Applicants to show their interest in delivering the Services described above.
This Request for Expressions of Interest is open to:
 Consulting firms  Individual consultants

 NGOs  Joint Venture between NGO(s) and consulting firm(s)
Eligibility criteria to AFD financing are specified in sub-clause 1.3 of the "Procurement Guidelines for AFD-Financed Contracts in Foreign Countries", available online on AFD’s website: http://www.afd.fr.
The Applicant shall submit only one application, either in its own name or as a member of a Joint Venture (JV). If an Applicant (including any JV member) submits or participates in more than one application, those applications shall be all rejected. However, the same Subconsultant may participate in several applications.
If the Applicant is a JV, the expression of interest shall include:
- a copy of the JV Agreement entered into by all members, or
- a letter of intent to execute a JV Agreement, signed by all members together with a copy of the Agreement proposal,
In the absence of this document, the other members will be considered as Subconsultants.
Experiences and qualifications of Subconsultants are not taken into account in the evaluation of the applications.
Interested Applicants must provide information evidencing that they are qualified and experienced to perform those Services. For that purpose, documented evidence of recent and similar services shall be submitted. This information should be presented in the form of a dossier consisting of:
i. A letter of expression of interest indicating their desire to be pre-selected;
ii. A presentation brochure showing the turnover for the last three (3) fiscal years;
iii. Their references in services of similar complexity and volume within the limit of 10 most relevant references and less than 10 years.
iv. A list of the firm’s permanent staff who can be engaged for the services with a summary of their qualifications and experience;
v. The contact information of the head of the firm to whom to address the outcome of this call for expressions of interest;
vi. Any other information to assess the firm’s capabilities;
vii. The duly dated and signed Statement of Integrity (attached to this document or available within the Contracting Directive at www.afd.fr).
The selection criteria for interested consultants will relate, at the call for expressions of interest stage, to the similarity/proximity between the Services and the consultant’s references: scope of the contracts

of the references cited, nature of the services, technical field, geographical context. Determination of the similarity of the experiences will be based on:
- The contracts size;
- The nature of the Services : technical assistance and capacity-building on this theme;
- The technical area and expertise : integrated coastal zone management projects, sedimentation transport and erosion, remote sensing and geographic information systems, coastal dyke and groin structures, coastal zone ecology, information technology, capacity building, project management support. ;
- The location : Vietnam, South-East Asia.
The Client, procurement supporting team will also take into account for the evaluation of the applications the following items:
- Skills and availability of in-house technical back-up experts provided to the on-site experts;
- Local representatives/partners and international partners especially with french and european institutions ; from the network of local observatories of the European coastline;
Among the submitted applications, Project Management Board of Agricultural and Rural Development Works in Quang Nam Province will shortlist a maximum of six (6) Applicants, to whom the Request for Proposals to carry out the Services shall be sent.
The Expressions of Interest (01 original + 03 copies in English, 01 copy in Vietnamese is encouraged) must be submitted in hard copy to the address below no later than 4:00 PM Hanoi time on August 27, 2024.
Project Management Board of Agricultural and Rural Development Works in Quang Nam Province Address: No 30, Hùng Vương street - Hòa Thuận district - Tam Kỳ city - Quảng Nam province.
Telephone: + 84 5103811015; +84 913412154
Email: bqlnnptnt@gmail.com; sonpmupn@gmail.com
Interested Applicants may obtain further information at the address above during office hours: 7h00- 11h30 and 13h30-17h00 working day (from Monday to Friday).


Appendix 1 to The Request for Expressions of Interest (To be sumitted with the application, signed and unaltered)
Statement of Integrity, Eligibility and Environmental and Social Responsibility


Reference of the bid or proposal (the "Contract") To: Project Management Board of Agricultural and Rural Development Works in Quang Nam Province

1. We recognise and accept that Agence Française de Développement ("AFD") only finances projects of the Contracting Authority subject to its own conditions which are set out in the Financing Agreement which benefits directly or indirectly to the Contracting Authority. As a matter of consequence, no legal relationship exists between AFD and our company, our joint venture or our suppliers, contractors, subcontractors, consultants or subconsultants. The Contracting Authority retains exclusive responsibility for the preparation and implementation of the procurement process and performance of the contract. The Contracting Authority means the Purchaser, the Employer, the Client, as the case may be, for the procurement of goods, works, plants, consulting services or non-consulting services.
2. We hereby certify that neither we nor any other member of our joint venture or any of our suppliers, contractors, subcontractors, consultants or subconsultants are in any of the following situations:
2.1 Being bankrupt, wound up or ceasing our activities, having our activities administered by the courts, having entered into receivership, reorganisation or being in any analogous situation arising from any similar procedure;
2.2 Having been:
d) convicted, within the past five years by a court decision, which has the force of res judicata in the country where the Contract is implemented, of fraud, corruption or of any other offense committed during a procurement process or performance of a contract (in the event of such conviction, you may attach to this Statement of Integrity supporting information showing that this conviction is not relevant in the context of this Contract);
e) subject to an administrative sanction within the past five years by the European Union or by the competent authorities of the country where we are constituted, for fraud, corruption or for any other offense committed during a procurement process or performance of a contract (in the event of such sanction, you may attach to this Statement of Integrity supporting information showing that this sanction is not relevant in the context of this Contract);
f) convicted, within the past five years by a court decision, which has the force of res judicata, of fraud, corruption or of any other offense committed during the procurement process or performance of an AFD-financed contract;
2.3 Being listed for financial sanctions by the United Nations, the European Union and/or France for the purposes of fight-against-terrorist financing or threat to international peace and security;
2.4 Having been subject within the past five years to a contract termination fully settled against us for significant or persistent failure to comply with our contractual obligations during contract performance, unless this termination was challenged and dispute resolution is still pending or has not confirmed a full settlement against us;
2.5 Not having fulfilled our fiscal obligations regarding payments of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of either the country where we are constituted or the Contracting Authority's country;
2.6 Being subject to an exclusion decision of the World Bank and being listed on the website http://www.worldbank.org/debarr (in the event of such exclusion, you may attach to this

Statement of Integrity supporting information showing that this exclusion is not relevant in the context of this Contract);
2.7 Having created false documents or committed misrepresentation in documentation requested by the Contracting Authority as part of the procurement process of this Contract.
3. We hereby certify that neither we, nor any of the members of our joint venture or any of our suppliers, contractors, subcontractors, consultants or subconsultants are in any of the following situations of conflict of interest:
3.1 Being an affiliate controlled by the Contracting Authority or a shareholder controlling the Contracting Authority, unless the stemming conflict of interest has been brought to the attention of AFD and resolved to its satisfaction;
3.2 Having a business or family relationship with a Contracting Authority's staff involved in the procurement process or the supervision of the resulting Contract, unless the stemming conflict of interest has been brought to the attention of AFD and resolved to its satisfaction;
3.3 Being controlled by or controlling another bidder or consultant, or being under common control with another bidder or consultant, or receiving from or granting subsidies directly or indirectly to another bidder or consultant, having the same legal representative as another bidder or consultant, maintaining direct or indirect contacts with another bidder or consultant which allows us to have or give access to information contained in the respective applications, bids or proposals, influencing them or influencing decisions of the Contracting Authority;
3.4 Being engaged in a consulting services activity, which, by its nature, may be in conflict with the assignments that we would carry out for the Contracting Authority;
3.5 In the case of procurement of goods, works or plants:
3. Having prepared or having been associated with a consultant who prepared specifications, drawings, calculations and other documentation to be used in the procurement process of this Contract;
4. Having been recruited (or being proposed to be recruited) ourselves or any of our affiliates, to carry out works supervision or inspection for this Contract.
4. If we are a state-owned entity, and to compete in a procurement process, we certify that we have legal and financial autonomy and that we operate under commercial laws and regulations.
5. We undertake to bring to the attention of the Contracting Authority, which will inform AFD, any change in situation with regard to points 2 to 4 here above.
6. In the context of the procurement process and performance of the corresponding contract:
6.1 We have not and we will not engage in any dishonest conduct (act or omission) deliberately indented to deceive others, to intentionally conceal items, to violate or vitiate someone's consent, to make them circumvent legal or regulatory requirements and/or to violate their internal rules in order to obtain illegitimate profit;
6.2 We have not and we will not engage in any dishonest conduct (act or omission) contrary to our legal or regulatory obligations or our internal rules in order to obtain illegitimate profit;
6.3 We have not promised, offered or given and we will not promise, offer or give, directly or indirectly to (i) any Person who holds a legislative, executive, administrative or judicial mandate within the State of the Contracting Authority regardless of whether that Person was nominated or elected, regardless of the permanent or temporary, paid or unpaid nature of the position and regardless of the hierarchical level the Person occupies, (ii) any other Person who performs a public function, including for a State institution or a State-owned company, or who provides a public service, or (iii) any other person defined as a Public Officer by the national laws of the Contracting Authority’s country, an undue advantage of any kind, for himself or for another Person or entity, for such Public Officer to act or refrain from acting in his official capacity;
6.4 We have not promised, offered or given and we will not promise, offer or give, directly or indirectly to any Person who occupies an executive position in a private sector entity or

works for such an entity, regardless of the nature of his/her capacity, any undue advantage of any kind, for himself or another Person or entity for such Person to perform or refrain from performing any act in breach of its legal, contractual or professional obligations;
6.5 We have not and we will not engage in any practice likely to influence the contract award process to the detriment of the Contracting Authority and, in particular, in any anti-competitive practice having for object or for effect to prevent, restrict or distort competition, namely by limiting access to the market or the free exercise of competition by other undertakings;
6.6 Neither we nor any of the members of our joint venture or any of our suppliers, contractors, subcontractors, consultants or subconsultants shall acquire or supply any equipment nor operate in any sectors under an embargo of the United Nations, the European Union or France;
6.7 We commit ourselves to comply with and ensure that all of our suppliers, contractors, subcontractors, consultants or subconsultants comply with international environmental and labour standards, consistent with laws and regulations applicable in the country of implementation of the Contract, including the fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and international environmental treaties. Moreover, we shall implement environmental and social risks mitigation measures when specified in the environmental and social commitment plan (ESCP) provided by the Contracting Authority.
7. We, as well as members of our joint venture and our suppliers, contractors, subcontractors, consultants or subconsultants authorise AFD to inspect accounts, records and other documents relating to the procurement process and performance of the contract and to have them audited by auditors appointed by AFD.


Name: In the capacity of: Duly empowered to sign in the name and on behalf of1: Signature: Dated:

























1 In case of joint venture, insert the name of the joint venture. The person who will sign the application, bid or proposal on behalf of the applicant, bidder or consultant shall attach a power of attorney from the applicant, bidder or consultant.

Appendix 2 – Presentation of the project


1. CONTEXT AND ISSUES
Presentation of the sector
Vietnam has nearly 97 million people per 331,000 km2. Due to its geographical configuration, the country is particularly exposed to weather hazards and climate change. With its 3,260 kilometres of coastline and its large deltas, which are subject to typhoons, sea level rise and subsidence, the coastal zone is particularly sensitive. Activities such as deforestation, dams, sand extraction in waterways or the development of port infrastructure upset the balance of coastal sediment transit and accentuate erosion phenomena.
The topography of the Central region is relatively diverse with many small coastal plains, divided by mountains and large rivers. In the province of Quang Nam in particular, located at the mouth of the river Thu Bon, the beach of Cua Dai has a long coast of 7.6 km, which is one of the most attractive landscapes of Hoi An for the many tourists (3.5 million per year). Over the past decade, the coastline on this beach has retreated a hundred meters. The passage of a typhoon in 2016 was particularly striking with a loss of about ten meters of beach in a few days.
The scientific study on coastal erosion in Hoi An, funded by AFD and the province of Quang Nam in 2016 - 2017 showed that the erosion phenomenon is mainly caused by the lack of sediment brought by the Thu Bon and Vu Gia rivers, mainly due to the construction of several hydro-electric structures. Erosion has worsened in recent years with increasing wave energy and induced currents.
Government policy
Aware of the climate threat and the impacts of natural disasters on the socio-economic development of the country, the political authorities at the central and provincial levels seek to promote development policies that are resilient to hazards (erosion, submersion, salinization, etc.) and climate change. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) published several climate scenarios in 2009, 2012 and 2016 for seven climate regions, allowing provinces to consider this important evolutionary factor in their planning. In January 2015, the Government established a National Climate Change Committee Advisory Board, which was created in conjunction with the publication of the Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change. “Special Report from Vietnam on Disaster and Extreme Risk Management for Climate Change Adaptation Needs”. A number of preliminary studies have also been carried out to assess the situation and analyse the natural and/or anthropogenic causes of erosion in order to propose appropriate policies to deal with them. As a result of these studies, the Vietnamese government approved the policy framework for the protection of the coastline, the integrated management of marine resources and the marine environment, as well as the integrated management of the coastal zone. Legislation has also been promulgated to help institutionalize certain practices of sustainable and integrated management of public goods that are directly or indirectly linked to the theme of erosion.
With regard specifically to the project area, in addition to various initiatives financed by private operators aimed at protecting certain particularly endangered tourist infrastructures as a matter of urgency, the Quang Nam Province has in recent years engaged several on the beach of Cua Dai. A 2.5 km linear breakwater, combined with two groins and an initial beach sand recharge, is being finalized in the adjacent northern area (hereinafter the “Northern Project”) of this project area.
These various structures and schemes, whose effectiveness is generally contrasted, have not been carried out in a coordinated manner and are not, at this stage, part of an integrated coastal zone management approach (ICZM). The main effect of this is to postpone erosion on other parts of the coast.
With regard to the offshore sand mining, Vietnam does not yet have a regulatory framework for this practice. In addition, the collection of sediment for beach nourishment is carried out entirely in coastal areas, rivers and estuaries. The limitation of the quantities of sand available as a result partly explains the tendency of the local authorities to build erosion protection structures instead of softer solutions which would require more regular sand refills.
Country significance
The central coastal region is the third largest economic zone in Vietnam. It is characterized by maritime, port and tourist economic activities with nearly 1,200 km of coastline. The whole region has 6 economic zones, 54 industrial parks focused on the development of major industries such as petrochemicals,

energy, automotive assembly, shipbuilding and repair, agriculture, forestry, fishing, chemical production, building materials, mining, and mechanics. The region’s GDP represents more than 10% of the country.
The central region of Vietnam has great potential in the port and tourist area thanks to beautiful beaches and sites recognized as World Heritage. The region is home to four UNESCO-recognized World Cultural Heritage sites: the Citadel of Hue, the music of the Imperial Court of Hue (Thua Thien Hue province), the Ancient City of Hanoi An and the vestige of My Son (Quang Nam province). The region has many lagoons, bays, beaches and nature reserves that are favorable conditions for the development of tourism in this region. Quang Nam province, located in the Vu Gia-Thu Bon watershed, has a unique cultural heritage. It has famous picturesque sites such as the ancient city of Hoi An, the My Son sanctuary, the islet of Chàm. Tourism is the main activity of the district of Hoi An. It depends partly on the seaside potential of its beach of Cua Dai which completes the cultural attractiveness of the former merchant port of the fifteenth century.
Between three and four million tourists visit Hoi An every year. Tourism revenue represent a significant share of the Province’s GDP (€130 million in 2016). The entire tertiary sector contributes 42% to the province’s GDP.
Quang Nam’s authorities have positioned green growth and regional connectivity in their development strategy. Tourism, particularly ecological tourism, could play a major role.
Problem identified
The challenge is to ensure in the long term, in a coordinated and integrated approach, the security of infrastructures, houses, tourist properties of the Cua Dai district, located near the ancient city of Hoi An, UNESCO World Heritage List, as previous protection programs have not been effective or sustainable.
2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Overall and specific project objectives
The project aims to contribute to revitalize the economic development link to the tourisms of the province of Quang Nam and to improve its ability to adapt to climate change, through a comprehensive strategy to prevent erosion and protect the coastline of Hoi An.
The project objectives are to:
1. Implement structural and non-structural measures to limit erosion and protect sustainably the coastline;
2. Contribute to improving public policies and the provincial strategy for integrated coastal zone management and management in the context of climate change;
3. Contribute to improving people’s awareness of coastal hazards and climate change.
Project content
The project consists of two components:
Component 1: Infrastructure Investment, consultancies and project management
The construction zone includes the area from the estuary (pier to Cu Lao Cham) northward to the northern boundary of the Victoria Hotel, encompassing the following major items:
- Construction of breakwaters for wave attenuation;
- Construction of the groins and sand geotube within the nourished beach;
- Beach nourishment by pouring sand within the protected area;
- Supporting facilities: Temporary piers and casting yards for structures;
- Project management;
- Consultancies.
Component 2: Non-Structural Measures - Technical assistance
- Activity 1: Research, assessment and strengthening the mechanisms and institutional organization for integrated management of basins and coastal area.
- Activity 2: Building a centralized data center for basin and coastal area.
- Activity 3: Strengthen existing water quality and environmental automatic monitoring systems (assessment as per approved monitoring system planning).
- Activity 4: Developing resource exploitation monitoring tools (assessment, supervision, monitoring) for river system and coastal areas.

- Activity 5: Improving the capacity for management and operation of the basin and coastal areas for a sustainable development, in accordance with the development orientation of the localities in the basin.
Cost and financing plan
The total amount of the project is estimated at €42 million, including an AFD loan for a maximum amount of €35 million and a grant from the WARM Facility on EU delegated financing for a maximum amount of
€2 million. The remaining funding is provided by the Province.

Estimated Project Cost Amount in EUR million %
Component 1 - Infrastructure Investment, consultancies and 39,8
project management
Component 2 - Non-Structural Measures - Technical assistance 2,2
Total 42 100
Financing plan envisaged Amount in EUR million %
AFD (CVN1245 loan) 35 83
AFD (CVN 1236 – WARM Facility – EU Delegated Financing) 2 5
Counterpart 5 12
Total 42 100

The financial breakdown is indicative and can be modified with AFD and Borrower’s no-objection.
AFD Loan (CVN1245) will be dedicated to supporting construction and investment cost, consultancies excluding taxes, of Component 1. The grant delegated by the European Union (CVN1236) supports the definition and implementation of the ICZM approach and aids in finding more sustainable alternative sand sources (Component 2).
The provincial-level partners will specifically undertake project management, tax mobilization, environmental and social measures, auditing, compensation costs, and resettlement for affected residents.
AFD’s loan to the central government will be on-lent to the province of Quang Nam in the form of a 50% loan and 50% in the form of a grant.
Payments of AFD financing (loan) will be made in the form of revolving advances in the bank accounts dedicated to the project. Renewal of advances will be based on Annual Work Program and Budgets (AWPB), Technical and Financial Reports, Audit Reports, and subject to the rationale for the use of the previous advance (70%). The project accounts will be audited annually by an independent firm for the duration of their use.
Procurement will be carried out by the PMU, in accordance with the Vietnamese Government Procurement Code, and in accordance with AFD’s procurement guidelines.
Funds from the EU Delegated Grant under the WARM Facility will be disbursed in the form of (i) direct payments on the ICZM Technical Assistance Contract.