Bid Invitation for Consultancy Services

Reference No.: CON/THRIVE/26/00022

WaterAid is a global federation committed to improving access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. As a leading organisation in the WASH sector, WaterAid works to transform the lives of poor and marginalised communities. In Ethiopia, WaterAid has been active in the WASH sector since 1991, guided by the vision that everyone, everywhere has access to sustainable WASH services.

In furtherance of this commitment, WaterAid Ethiopia (WAE) invites eligible and qualified consultancy firms to submit proposals for the following consultancy services:

Bid Participation and Submission Guidelines

1. Access to Tender Documents

   The Terms of Reference and related bid documents may be accessed by interested bidders who register their email addresses through the WaterAid Ethiopia website: www.wateraid.org/et/bids

   The tender documents will be available from 17 September to 29 September 2026.

2. Eligibility Documents

   Bidders shall submit the following valid documents as part of their technical proposal:

   • Renewed business licence;
   • Company registration certificate; and
   • Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) registration certificate.

3. Bid Submission Method and Deadline

   All bid proposals shall be submitted electronically by email only to: ethiopiaprocurementho@wateraid.org The submission deadline is 30 September 2026 at 1:30 PM East Africa Time (EAT). Hard-copy submissions will not be accepted. Bidders are therefore required to submit their proposals electronically, within the specified deadline. Late submissions shall not be accepted.

4. Bid Security

   A bid security equivalent to 2% of the total bid price is required in the form of either: A bank guarantee; or A Certified Payment Order (CPO).

   The bid security shall remain valid for at least three (3) months from the date of bid opening. Bidders shall prepare the original bid security and submit a clear scanned copy attached to the financial proposal. The scanned bid security must be legible and valid. Where applicable, the original bid security may be requested by WaterAid Ethiopia for verification.

5. Electronic Proposal Submission Format

   Bidders shall submit their proposals in two separate electronic files or folders, as follows:

   1. Technical Proposal - Original
   2. Financial Proposal - Original

   The technical and financial proposals must be submitted separately and clearly identified as "ORIGINAL" and "COPY", respectively.

   The financial proposal must include the scanned copy of the bid security. In the event of any discrepancy between the original and copy, the original version shall prevail.

   Bidders are required to clearly indicate the following information in the subject line of the email and in the names of the submitted files: Bidder's name, Bid reference number: CON/THRIVE/26/00022; Lot number and description; and whether the document is the technical or financial proposal.

6. Preliminary Bid Opening

   The preliminary bid opening will be conducted by the WaterAid Ethiopia Procurement Committee on: 30 September 2026 @ 2:00 PM EAT, electronically. Bidders are not required to attend the preliminary bid opening session.

   Only bidders who successfully pass the technical evaluation will be invited to attend the financial proposal opening. The date, time, and venue of the financial proposal opening will be communicated to the technically qualified bidders in due course.

7. Bid Evaluation Method

   The evaluation will be conducted using the Quality- and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) method in accordance with WaterAid Ethiopia's procurement policies and procedures. The evaluation will follow a two-stage process:

   Stage One: Technical Evaluation

   Technical proposals will be evaluated first, strictly in accordance with the evaluation criteria specified in the tender document.

   The technical proposal will be evaluated out of a maximum of 70 points. Bidders must achieve the minimum passing technical score specified in the tender document to be considered technically responsive. Only bidders who meet or exceed the minimum technical score will proceed to the financial evaluation stage.

   Stage Two: Financial Evaluation

   Financial proposals will be opened and evaluated only for bidders who have successfully passed the technical evaluation. The financial proposals of bidders who fail to achieve the minimum technical score will not be opened and will be returned unopened, where applicable.

8. Contract Award

   The contract will be awarded to the bidder who achieves the highest combined technical and financial score, based on the following weighting:

   • Technical score: 70%
   • Financial score: 30%

   The final award decision will be made in accordance with WaterAid Ethiopia's procurement policies and procedures.

9. Disclaimer

   WaterAid Ethiopia reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, annul the bidding process, or cancel the procurement process at any time before contract award without incurring any liability to bidders.

   WaterAid Ethiopia shall not be responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by bidders in connection with the preparation or submission of their proposals. Late submissions and hard-copy submissions shall not be accepted.

Bid Submission Email Addresses: ethiopiaprocurementho@wateraid.org