The Southern African Development Community Groundwater Management Institute (SADC-GMI) and the Limpopo Watercourse Commission (Limcom) have issued a request for expressions of interest for a consultancy to develop a groundwater strategy for the Limpopo River basin (LRB).

The LRB is shared by four SADC member States – Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

It has a total catchment area of about 408 000 km². Groundwater is noted to be used extensively throughout the Southern African region, including the LRB, supplying a large percentage of water for irrigation and water supply schemes.

In February, the Limcom and SADC-GMI formalised a cooperation mechanism focusing on groundwater resources development and management through establishing the Limcom Groundwater Committee (LGC).

The LGC resolved that a groundwater strategy for the LRB is required, with the overall objective of the strategy being to promote the recognition of the strategic value, equitable access, sustainable use and protection of groundwater in the basin.

This would be achieved through, besides others, harmonising current and planned groundwater initiatives with the national plans of the LRB riparian States; prioritising groundwater-related projects; and capturing the multidisciplinary and multisectoral approach to management and development of national and transboundary groundwater resources in the LRB.

With this request for expressions of interest (EoI), Limcom and SADC-GMI seek to appoint a consulting firm to develop the groundwater strategy for the Limcom. The strategy will serve as a roadmap for the joint management of groundwater in the LRB.

The assignment is a one-off project without any obligation for follow-up work, to be implemented for an estimated duration of 56 weeks from contract signature with an estimated level of effort of 210 person-days.

Interested and qualifying firms are requested to submit their EoI proposals to procurement@sadc-gmi.org on or before 12:00 on August 19.