Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to appoint a multi-disciplinary built environment professional service provider to undertake investigations and reporting for the North of Mandela Square Informal Settlement in Breede Valley Municipality, Western Cape. The investigations aim to inform the development of upgrading plans, masterplans, and future implementation by assessing environmental, infrastructural, and geotechnical conditions to ensure the land's suitability for the planned infrastructure and housing development.

Scope

The scope of work encompasses four main assessment areas, each producing separate reports:

1. Environmental Screening: Conduct desktop and site inspections to evaluate environmental conditions, sensitivities, constraints, and regulatory requirements to support upgrading activities.
2. Bulk Engineering Assessment: Evaluate existing infrastructure capacity for water, sewerage, electricity, and stormwater to determine supportability for the planned upgrading.
3. Geotechnical Assessment: Review geotechnical conditions through desktop investigations and site inspections to assess land stability and suitability for infrastructure and structures.
4. Assessment Integration: All assessments will be executed concurrently, with separate final reports, to inform planning and decision-making for upgrading the settlement.

Technical Requirements

The technical requirements specify detailed activities and deliverables for each assessment area:

1. Environmental Screening

• Review existing documentation, spatial data, and land use information.
• Identify ecological sensitivities, flood zones, wetlands, heritage sites, and other constraints.
• Perform site visits and field observations.
• Produce sensitivity maps and interpret GIS data layers (e.g., SANBI, NGI, DEA Screening Tool).
• Verify regulatory requirements through stakeholder engagement (e.g., Department, Municipal Environmental Officer).
• Deliverables: Environmental Screening Report indicating constraints, opportunities, and regulatory considerations.

2. Bulk Engineering Assessment

• Inspect existing infrastructure components (water, sewerage, electricity, stormwater).
• Review existing data, maps, and reports related to infrastructure networks.
• Conduct capacity and threshold analyses to compare existing infrastructure capacity with estimated demand for approximately 5,071 structures.
• Identify potential bottlenecks or gaps and provide preliminary costings.
• Deliverables: Bulk Infrastructure Capacity Report assessing supportability of services for the upgrading.

3. Geotechnical Assessment

• Gather geotechnical data from relevant organizations (Council for Geoscience, Deeds Office, Department of Water Affairs, etc.).
• Review existing geotechnical reports, geological, geohydrological, and seismic data.
• Perform site inspections and terrain analysis, including categorization of terrain types.
• Assess land stability and suitability for infrastructure and structures.
• Deliverables: Geotechnical Report with site conditions, stability analysis, and suitability conclusions.

4. General Technical Requirements

• All assessments must include desktop investigations, site visits, stakeholder consultations, and research.
• Reports should identify constraints, opportunities, and regulatory requirements to support planning and approvals.
• The service provider must deliver all reports within a 4-week timeframe, with milestones aligned to project phases.
• Regular progress updates and an inception report are required.
• Proposals must demonstrate relevant experience, team composition, methodology, and approach, with evaluation based on capacity, experience, and technical methodology.

Summary

This tender aims to select a qualified professional service provider capable of conducting comprehensive environmental, infrastructural, and geotechnical investigations to support the upgrading of the North Mandela Square informal settlement. The scope involves desktop and site assessments, stakeholder engagement, mapping, and reporting, all aligned with project timelines and regulatory frameworks to facilitate sustainable development and infrastructure provision.