The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) invites consulting firms to submit proposals to develop a comprehensive decision-support toolkit for climate-resilient strategies for water and sanitation utilities across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The initiative will address climate risks, circular economy practices, non-revenue water (NRW) reduction, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and carbon finance mechanisms.

1. Technical objectives & strategic scope
Resilience & carbon neutrality: Formulate a practical toolkit for utilities covering climate risk mitigation, circular economy, NRW reduction, and energy efficiency/renewable energy (RE/EE) to support carbon neutrality goals.

Alignment with BSA WASH: Integrate the risk screening framework with the IDB's Blue Spot Analysis (BSA) WASH digital methodology for georeferenced infrastructure risk prioritization.

Financing & MEL frameworks: Incorporate public funding, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), donor support, and carbon credits into utility planning, alongside a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) framework aligned with national and international targets.

2. Toolkit design & core components
Risk screening & intervention menu: Develop methodologies for identifying climate vulnerabilities (incorporating lessons from Trinidad and Tobago’s 2018 Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment) and selecting structural, operational, and nature-based interventions.

Implementation roadmaps & decision tools: Create actionable templates for phased planning, costing, screening matrices, and decision checklists, supported by LAC and Caribbean case studies.

Carbon finance guidance: Provide practical steps for utilities to assess eligibility, structure carbon credit projects, and utilize carbon revenues to fund climate resilience investments.

3. Stakeholder engagement & pilot validation
Needs assessment & kickoff: Conduct collaborative workshops with utility executives, government representatives, and stakeholders to map current climate risks, gaps, and operational challenges.

Pilot testing & utility validation: Evaluate and refine the pilot toolkit through feedback sessions with at least six (6) LAC water and sanitation utilities, including a minimum of four (4) utilities from the Caribbean region.

Note: Interested consulting firms must review the requirements on the BEO Bidders Portal