Baseline Feasibility Assessment and Geophysical Survey for Community WASH Borehole Siting

Call description

The World Food Programme (WFP) Sierra Leone seeks an NGO partner for a water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) baseline feasibility assessment and geophysical survey. The assignment concerns 50 WFP-supported forest-edge communities and schools in Karene, Kenema and Pujehun Districts, Sierra Leone. It will provide evidence for decisions on safe, viable water-supply investments.

The assessment must be conducted within a six-week implementation period.

Priorities and eligibility

The stated qualifications are demonstrated WASH assessment expertise, prior experience in the targeted districts, qualified staff fluent in local languages and skilled in facilitation and data collection, and a proposal demonstrating commitment to gender equity, youth inclusion and Do No Harm.

WFP seeks an NGO partner. Applicants should provide evidence of legal registration and a bank attestation letter. The supplied passages do not specify a registration jurisdiction or establish eligibility for other applicant categories.

The portal lists local experience and presence, sector expertise and experience, clarity of activities and expected results, realistic timelines and plans, and relevance to expected results as selection criteria. The displayed weights are N/A; the supplied evidence does not establish numerical weights or a scoring threshold.

The technical approach combines water-point inspection and WASH assessment with hydrogeological and geophysical investigation. It specifies Vertical Electrical Sounding using the Schlumberger approach, with a minimum of four VES points per site, and 2D Electrical Resistivity Tomography where VES results are ambiguous. Candidate points are to be ranked, GPS-referenced, pegged and documented.

The assignment addresses gaps in site-level WASH evidence, geological uncertainty and long-term functionality. It should recommend an appropriate option for each site, which may be a new borehole, rehabilitation or another water-supply option. Drilling, pump installation and construction are outside this assignment and would follow separately.

The assessment should integrate gender equality, disability inclusion, safeguarding, environmental sustainability and climate resilience. Consultations should include diverse community members and relevant committees; gender-balanced teams and separate consultations for women and girls are envisaged to identify barriers.

How do the stated landscape descriptions and site counts relate to Pujehun and Tiwai Island? One passage names three landscapes, while the geographic coverage passage allocates 26 and 24 sites to two named landscapes, identifies activity in Pujehun alongside Karene and Kenema, and says precise locations will be confirmed at inception. Confirm the site list and landscape mapping with WFP before committing the field deployment plan.

Funding and application requirements

Applications should be submitted through the United Nations Partner Portal (UNPP). No alternative route or applicant-specific exception is identified in the supplied submission passages.

The expression of interest asks for an organisational profile and relevant experience; a concise technical proposal of 10-page max covering methodology, workplan and team composition; an indicative budget estimate in SLE; evidence of legal registration; and a bank attestation letter. The workplan and team composition are specified as proposal content, not necessarily separate attachments.

Must applicants use the linked concept note template, and how should its food-assistance-specific questions and annex instructions be applied to this WASH assessment? The portal lists a template, while the expression of interest specifies a concise technical proposal. Seek clarification rather than assuming that every generic food-assistance field or annex is mandatory for this assignment.

What application file formats and proposal language does WFP require, and are translations accepted or required? The supplied submission list gives document content but does not specify these conditions. Local-language fluency is a staff qualification, not an established proposal-language rule.

The application deadline is 20 November 2026. The portal also lists 16 November 2026 as the clarification request deadline.

The required six-week implementation period does not match the portal's listed Start Date of Dec 1, 2026 and End Date of Dec 31, 2026. Ask WFP which implementation period governs before finalising the workplan and staffing.

Recommendations

A credible proposal needs to connect specialist survey capacity with the required WASH baseline, consultation and site-by-site recommendations, rather than present a drilling-only approach. Show who will undertake each technical and social task, how survey results will inform alternative options, and how the team will work within the implementation period once its dates are clarified.

The indicative budget and workplan need to reflect the required field investigation and participation across all sites, while remaining negotiable. Cost the specialist personnel, equipment, travel and consultation approach transparently, and seek confirmation of the available funding and governing implementation dates before relying on the estimate for a decision to apply.