INTRODUCTION
Introduction to the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA)
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that works as a solutions broker to catalyze action and support for adaptation solutions, from the international to the local, in partnership with the public and private sector, to ensure we learn from each other and work together for a climate resilient future. Adapting to impacts of climate change provides a “win-win” for livelihoods, food security, water supply, health, security, and economic growth. The work of the GCA elevates the visibility and political importance of climate adaptation and facilitates solutions, such as smarter investments, new technologies and better planning to become more resilient to climate related threats. GCA is a rapidly growing organization with offices in Abidjan, Beijing, Dhaka, Groningen, and Rotterdam.

The GCA’s ambitious 2020-2025 business plan and strategy have three pillars:

• Programs: Food Security; Using Nature for more resilient infrastructure; Water for Urban Growth and Resilience; Climate Finance; Youth Leadership.
• Knowledge: Building adaptation knowledge globally through cutting edge products such as the State and Trends in Adaptation Report and the Adaptation Knowledge Portal.
• Advocacy and Awareness: Formulating policy messages to move the global, regional, and local adaptation agendas forward.

Program Background Information
Under the AAAP, GCA is providing technical assistance to support the Government and transport implementation agencies of Malawi, and the World Bank, to develop and implement the RESTORE investment project (Resilient and Strategic Transport Operational Enhancement Project in Malawi, project page link). The goal of the investment project is to provide safe and climate resilient transport connectivity in the Lower Shire Valley, in Malawi, and strengthen the institutional capacity for climate resilient road asset management.
 
GCA technical assistance to the project is ongoing, with a central focus on supporting the integration of scalable adaptation and resilience options within the transport asset lifecycle, through the production of technical guidelines and procurement support for a climate resilient road asset management system. GCA’s technical support will also quantify climate risks under different climate scenarios, and provide a detailed understanding of the indirect impacts of the road infrastructure resilience, such as its co-benefits on local communities and their access to critical services and (inter)national trade, to help prioritize adaptation options based on costs and potential benefits.
 
Given the criticality of bridge assets to the overall road network, and their specific structural and functional characteristics (including longer design life, design complexities, specific maintenance requirements), GCA has identified the need for a more targeted and detailed review of bride resilience in Malawi. To this end, GCA aims to build on its ongoing technical assistance to the Malawi RESTORE project and develop of a comprehensive knowledge product that guides the inclusion of climate risks and adaptation measures into asset management decisions and tools specifically for bridge asset management.

Purpose of this Assignment
Within this context, GCA is seeking a qualified firm to provide Practical Technical Recommendations and Guidelines for Climate Resilient Bridge Asset Management in the Malawian Context

The expected services to be provided under this assignment include provision of Practical Technical Recommendations and Guidelines for Climate Resilient Bridge Asset Management in the Malawian Context. The detailed Terms of Reference and Deliverables for this assignment are presented in Annex 3. The total duration of this assignment is estimated at up to 3 months.

Bidders shall respond to the strategic requirements of GCA with a strong emphasis on responsiveness to GCA technical requirements and performance, substantive progress reports, achievement of tasks and activities to match the Scope of Services/Terms of Reference and the production of the deliverables on time, to highest applicable standards. For further information See Annex 3 – Terms of Reference.

Scope of the Services 
Key Tasks to be Performed:
Leveraging outputs from GCA’s wider technical assistance to the Malawi RESTORE project, including the quantification of climate risks and road network analysis, the assignment will focus on production of technical guidelines in the form of a manual/booklet to guide the inclusion of climate risks and adaptation measures into bridge asset management in the Malawian context.
Key tasks to be performed include:

• Inception phase –
• Data Gathering, Collection and Analysis: 1) Comprehensive review of existing and innovative global, regional, and national practices, tools, and policies on integrating climate risks and adaptation into asset and bridge management systems. 2) Review and analysis of the specific context of Malawi’s bridge infrastructure and its vulnerability to climate change. 3) Gap and opportunities analysis in current asset and bridge management systems where climate risks are not adequately considered, and typology of adaptation and resilience options with methodology for multi-criterion prioritization of interventions across assets. 4) Identification of strategies for incorporating climate risks and adaptation and resilience options into bridge asset management decisions and tools.
• Stakeholder Consultation: Engage with key stakeholders to gather insights and validate findings. Engagement may be virtual – travel to Malawi is not expected for completion of the assignment.
• Development of Knowledge Product/Guidelines Report: Outputs and key findings of the assignment are to be synthesized in a final guidelines report with practical recommendations, geared at supporting stakeholders in (i) decision-making frameworks to mainstream climate resilience and adaptation into bridge management systems and tools  and (ii) Adaptation and resilience intervention options for bridge assets and recommendations for their prioritization and implementation

Submission of the Proposal
If you are interested in participating in this Request for Proposal, you are requested to submit your proposal in PDF format to the link: GCA-PR-24-633- Proposals no later than 16 January 2025, 16:00:00 hours (04:00:00 p.m. o’clock), Central European Time (CET) (hereinafter referred to as “the closing date and time”).

Bidders are cautioned that the timing of submission is based on when the proposal is received by the GCA, not when a proposal is submitted by a bidder. As transmission can be delayed due to file transfer size, transmission speed or other technical factors, bidders should plan to submit proposals well in advance of the Submission Deadline to avoid submitting late due to technical issues. Bidders submitting near the Submission Deadline do so at their own risk.

Proposals received after the closing date and time will be rejected. GCA will confirm receipt of proposals within 24 hours from the closing date and time. Bidders that do not receive this confirmation must contact GCA within 48 hours from the closing date and time. After 48 hours from the closing date and time, GCA shall not respond to any queries related to whether a bidder’s proposal was received.