Nepal: Disaster Resilience of Schools Project

Education / Education sector development

Three natural disasters threaten school infrastructure in Nepal: earthquakes, landslides and flood. Records show that the risks linked to an earthquake in terms of casualties, number of affected persons and physical damages remains the greatest of all. Making school infrastructure resilient to earthquakes is a priority and doing so would make them resistant to flood and landslide damages as well.

The Project would mainstream the reconstruction and retrofitting of the most vulnerable schools in the 14 affected districts of Nepal. A DRR program would complement the retrofitting effort. The proposed Project would pilot a community-driven retrofitting by local government of 3 schools in selected municipalities. The objective is also to train the remote communities to replicate the good practice in future government funding.

Disaster risk management for human resource development enhanced (Post Disaster Recovery Framework and School Sector Development Plan) a

[a = Government of Nepal, National Reconstruction Authority. 2016. Nepal Earthquake 2015: Post Disaster Recovery Framework, 2016-2020.Kathmandu; and Government of Nepal, Ministry of Education.2016. School Sector Development Plan, 2016-2030. Kathmandu.

Disaster resilience of schools and communities increased and learning environment improved

Heavily damaged schools reconstructed and improved

Unsafe schools retrofitted and disaster risk reduced

Institutional capacity for disaster resilience strengthened g

[g = Capacity of MOEST, municipalities, SMCs, and communities strengthened.]

The project is classified as B' for environment in consistent with the ADB SPS 2009. An environmental assessment and review framework have been prepared to provide guidance on environmental screening, impact assessment, safeguard planning and implementation (the document is attached in the PAM). Like the social safeguard, the mission underscored to fulfill all requirements at the detailed design stage and during the contract administration. The mission briefed that the focal persons assigned at CLPIU and DLIPU will be supported by the environment specialist of DSC along with safeguard and GESI monitors.

All consultants will be recruited according to ADB Procurement Policy (2017, as amended from time to time) and ADB Procurement Regulations (2017, as amended from time to time). The terms of reference for all consulting services are detailed in Section D.

An estimated 7,418 person-months (7,262 through firm and or NGO and 156 through individual person-months) are required to (i) facilitate project management and coordination, (ii) design and supervise civil works, (iii) organize community disaster risk reduction, (iv) implement of solar component, and (v) strengthen the institutional and operational capacity of the implementing agency. Consulting firm will be engaged using the quality and cost-based selection (QCBS) method with a standard qualitycost ratio of 80:20.

All procurement of goods and works will be undertaken in accordance with ADB Procurement Policy (2017, as amended from time to time) and ADB Procurement Regulations (2017, as amended from time to time).

Open competitive bidding (OCB) method with international advertisement will be used for any civil works contract estimated to $5 million or more, and any goods contract estimated to cost $ 2 million or more. OCB method with national advertisement will be used for any civil works contract estimated to cost below $5 million and any goods contract estimated to cost below $2 million. Shopping will be used for any civil works or goods contract estimated to cost below $100,000.