REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
Caribbean Digital Transformation Project (CARDTP)
Grant No.: IDA – D6520
Assignment Title: Consulting Services for the Development of Action Plans to Improve Network Resilience and Post-Disaster Recovery and Emergency Communications, and Implementation of Communications Infrastructure Disaster Response and Recovery Drills Consultancy
Reference No.: LC-OECS COMMISSION-202024-CS-CQS
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission has received funding from the World Bank toward the cost of the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project (CARDTP) and intends to apply part of the proceeds for Consulting Services for the Development of Action Plans to Improve Network Resilience and Post-Disaster Recovery and Emergency Communications, and Implementation of Communications Infrastructure Disaster Response and Recovery Drills Consultancy.
The objective of this Consultancy is to develop comprehensive and actionable plans and implement disaster response and recovery drills that improve the resilience and redundancy of public electronic communications networks across the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (“ECTEL”) Member States to better withstand disruption from disasters, emergencies, other network outages and exigent circumstances and facilitate rapid and effective post-disaster recovery of the electronic communications infrastructure and services.
This Consultancy is to include the participation of stakeholders who either are key players in supporting the disaster management and resilience of electronic communications networks and services or represent important sectors of the local and sub-regional economy. Stakeholders include but are not limited to, the private sector, electricity providers, service providers, and national emergency management offices (NEMOs).
The assignment is expected to be undertaken over a period of twelve (12) months.
The OECS now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. The minimum required qualifications and experience are listed in section 6 of Terms of Reference (TOR). The details of the services required are available in the TOR which is available on the official website: www.oecs.int or can be obtained at the address given below.
The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, Fifth Edition, September 2023 (‘Procurement Regulations’), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.
To obtain the maximum degree of comparison among Expressions of Interest (EOIs) and facilitate the evaluation process, the EOI should include the following information below:
• Title page with name of firm submitting the EOI: should contain name of firm (or joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy, if applicable), address, email, telephone, name of contact person and date of submission.
• Expression of Interest (Maximum 30 pages):
a) Brief description of the background and organization of the Firm, and – in case of a joint venture – of each member for this assignment
b) General and Specific experience of the Firm
c) Similar assignments (Brief Description of main deliverables/outputs, Name of Client & Country of Assignment, Firm's role on the assignment)
d) Curriculum Vitae of Key Experts
Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications, but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. For joint ventures both firms are evaluated, however, for a sub-consultancy only the lead firm is assessed. Also, in the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected.
A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Consultants’ Qualification selection method set out in the Procurement Regulations.
Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 08:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (0830 to 1600 hours).
Tameeka Jn Baptiste
Junior Procurement Officer
Caribbean Digital Transformation Project
OECS Commission Morne Fortuné
P.O. Box 1383
Castries
Saint Lucia
Telephone: 758-455-6408
Email: procurementbids@oecs.int
Copied to:
Mr. Imran Williams, imran.williams@oecs.int
Ms. Jenna Flavien, jenna.flavien@oecs.int
An electronic copy of Expressions of Interest are to reach the OECS Commission by March 3, 2025 addressed to:
Ms. Tameeka Jn Baptiste, Junior Procurement Officer
At the following email address:
procurementbids@oecs.int
copied to imran.williams@oecs.int
jenna.flavien@oecs.int
The email submissions should include the name and address of the Consultant and shall be clearly marked in the subject line as “Expression of Interest – “Consulting Services for the Development of Action Plans to Improve Network Resilience and Post-Disaster Recovery and Emergency Communications, and Implementation of Communications Infrastructure Disaster Response and Recovery Drills Consultancy”.
Caribbean Digital Transformation Project
IDA – D6520
Scope of Services
Terms of Reference
Consulting Services for the Development of Action Plans to Improve Network Resilience and Post-Disaster Recovery and Emergency Communications, and Implementation of Communications Infrastructure Disaster Response and Recovery Drills Consultancy
February 2025
1. Background
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (“OECS”) Commission and the Governments of Grenada, Dominica, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are implementing a digital transformation project, financed by the World Bank Group. The Caribbean Digital Transformation Project (“Project”) comprises four (4) components that address key bottlenecks and harness opportunities to develop the digital economy of the Eastern Caribbean as a driver of growth, job creation and improved service delivery.
One component of the project focuses on Telecommunications: Legal and Regulatory Environment, Institutions and Capacity. This sub-component, under the technical leadership of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (“ECTEL”), supports greater telecommunications sector competition, affordability, and service quality across the region, as well as enhancing the resilience of, and emergency response capabilities for, critical electronic communications infrastructure. The sub-component also supports the modernisation of the legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks governing the telecommunications sector and the capacity to implement them nationally and regionally.
The most well-known threats to electronic communications infrastructure resiliency in the Caribbean region are due to natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tropical storms, earthquakes and volcanic activity. Increasingly, Caribbean countries have been subject to dangerous weather systems, including tropical weather systems, such as tropical storms and powerful hurricanes (Category 3 and up), which not only result in extensive damage to infrastructure but also the loss of lives, disruption to schooling, business and economies, from which it can take several months, and even years, to recover. Further, thanks to at least nineteen (19) active volcanoes, OECS countries regularly experience earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, as occurred in St Vincent and the Grenadines in 2021, which are a stark reminder of this vulnerability in the region. Additionally, the lockdowns and restricted movement rules instituted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a dramatic increase in internet use and a marked deterioration in service quality, which highlighted additional weaknesses in service delivery.
Moreover, most OECS countries achieve international connectivity via the same undersea cables that have been daisy-chained down that cluster of islands. It thus means that a single failure usually affects multiple countries at the same time, as occurred in December 2020, when the main undersea cable between Antigua and Guadeloupe was damaged, and a redundant submarine cable had previously also been damaged, resulting in several Eastern Caribbean countries being knocked offline for up to three days.
However, as our societies become increasingly digital, our electronic communications infrastructure and networks need to not only be available 24-7 but also accommodate changing demand and other dynamics that come into play. Further, when a natural disaster or other adverse condition occurs, there is a growing expectation that infrastructure operators and service providers have put the requisite systems, resiliency, redundancies, and business continuity arrangements in place to minimise the downtime experienced.
2. Objective of this Assignment
The objective of this Consultancy is to develop comprehensive and actionable plans and implement disaster response and recovery drills that improve the resilience and redundancy of public electronic communications networks across the ECTEL Member States to better withstand disruption from disasters, emergencies, other network outages and exigent circumstances and facilitate rapid and effective post-disaster recovery of the electronic communications infrastructure and services.
This Consultancy is to include the participation of stakeholders who either are key players in supporting the disaster management and resilience of electronic communications networks and services or represent important sectors of the local and sub-regional economy. Stakeholders include but are not limited to, the private sector, electricity providers, service providers, and national emergency management offices (NEMOs).
3. Scope of Work
Key tasks the Consultant is expected to execute for this assignment are as follows:
3.1 Conduct an assessment of the current state of resiliency of the network infrastructure and identify the gaps in policy and technical issues in each ECTEL Member State. The exercise should include:
(ii) evaluating the current state of the public electronic communications network;
(iii) identifying and examining the business continuity plans and power backups that the service providers have put in place for resiliency;
(iv) identifying and engaging the stakeholders that are relevant within the national emergency plans for the provision of electronic communications services, such as electricity companies, fire agencies, and police; and
(v) identifying the national electronic communications emergency plans that exist and the gaps regarding electronic communications
(vi) making recommendations to address the gaps identified.
3.2 Conduct a comprehensive assessment of public electronic communications network vulnerabilities across different technologies and service providers in each ECTEL Member State:
(a) identify critical infrastructure points and potential risks from various disaster scenarios;
(b) identify critical infrastructure development needs to strengthen network resilience and emergency communication capabilities;
(c) assess the adequacy of the early warning systems (EWSs) that have been implemented or are in the process of being implemented to support network resiliency and identify gaps that might exist;
(d) identify alternate routes (path diversity), backup/redundant networks and technologies;
(e) evaluate existing resilience measures;
(f) make recommendations to address the identified deficiencies, including amendments to legislation, policies and strategies in each ECTEL Member State.
3.3 Develop a regional ECTEL framework for improving network resilience and post-disaster recovery/emergency communications that are aligned with national disaster risk reduction and emergency management strategies and considerations. In executing this activity, the Consultant ought to:
(a) engage other national stakeholders in each of the ECTEL Member States;
(b) ensure that the regional ECTEL framework includes:
(i) the roles of ECTEL and NTRCs vis-a-viz the Minister for Electronic Communications;
(ii) the harmonisation of procedures and guidelines for emergencies, such as spectrum management and other regulatory measures;
3.4 Develop national action plans for each ECTEL Member State, aligned to the regional ECTEL framework. The national action plans in each ECTEL Member State should address improving network resilience and post-disaster recovery/emergency communications that are aligned with national disaster, risk reduction and emergency management strategies and considering, among other things:
(a) Infrastructure hardening and redundancy measures including electrical power backup systems;
(b) Use of diverse communications channels and technologies for example, terrestrial microwave links, satellite communications, fibre optic;
(c) Cyber security and data protection protocols;
(d) Disaster preparedness and response protocols;
(e) Resource mobilisation and allocation mechanisms;
(f) The roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders, including private sector partners, in implementing the action plans, plus clear engagement mechanisms for the identified stakeholders;
(g) Communication plans for dissemination to the public, media and customers; and
(h) Arrangements for regional support to assist with disaster/emergency response when needed.
3.5 Develop disaster response and recovery drills relevant to the public electronic communications sector in the ECTEL Member States. The areas the recommended drills should cover should include, but are not limited to:
(a) Network resilience stress testing;
(b) Redundancy and backup systems including electrical power systems;
(c) Cybersecurity preparedness;
(d) Infrastructure inspection and repair;
(e) National emergency communications procedures/plans e.g. National Emergency Telecommunications Plan (NETP);
(f) Coordination with emergency services and essential services such as electricity;
(g) Develop protocols for collaboration between operators during and after a disaster or crisis; and
(h) Communications plans for dissemination to the public, media and customers and support.
3.7 Conduct disaster response and recovery drills in each ECTEL Member State:
(a) The drill options should include a combination of a ‘tabletop’ drill and at least one (1) live exercise to test the national action plans; and
(b) Make any recommendations to improve the tested recovery drills;
3.8 Conduct capacity-building workshops with the NTRCs, ECTEL, public electronic communications stakeholders, national emergency stakeholders, private sector and relevant stakeholders on disaster response and recovery drills in the ECTEL Member States.
4. Project Implementation Period
The implementation period for the assignment will be no more than twelve (12) calendar months from the date of contract signature.
5. Deliverables
The deliverables under this assignment are as specified in the table below and should be submitted in an electronic and editable format. The deliverables should be comprehensive, properly formatted and clearly presented.
Deliverables Due Date
(after contract signature)
Inception Report, outlining the approach to be undertaken and critical considerations to successfully complete this consultancy. Month 1
Draft Network Resilience Assessment Report of current state of resiliency in each ECTEL Member State, which includes a review of existing resilience measures, the gaps that exist, and recommendations, in accordance with Scope of Works (SOW) 3.2. Month 3
A report on the network vulnerabilities in each ECTEL Member State, identifying critical infrastructure, including making recommendations to address the identified deficiencies, in accordance with SOW 3.3. Month 4
A regional framework template for improving resilience, in accordance with SOW 3.4 Month 7
National Action Plans in accordance with SOW 3.5 Month 8
Conduct Disaster Response and Recovery Drills in consideration of SOW 3.6 and in accordance with SOW 3.7 Month 10
Draft Report which contains the final deliverables under SOW 3.3-3.8 Month 11
Final Report which contains the country-level Action Plans and Regional and National Templates for the ECTEL Member States for improving network resilience, post-disaster recovery, and emergency communications and the conduct of response and recovery drills. Month 12
6. Selection Criteria
The OECS seeks the services of a Consulting Firm that satisfies the requirements outlined below:
(i) At least five (5) years of work experience in the area of disaster management and network resiliency;
(ii) At least one (1) successfully completed and similar assignment during the past five (5) years; and
(iii) Experience in undertaking consultancies in the OECS and/or Caribbean region or SIDS countries would be an advantage.
The Consulting Firm may associate with other firms in the form of a joint venture or a sub-consultancy to enhance their qualifications.
To successfully undertake the assignment, the Consulting Firm should have team members who possess a range of skills and qualifications, including the key experts identified below.
Key Expert 1: Disaster Management/Network Resiliency Expert (Team Lead)
Academic Qualifications
1. Graduate degree or Advanced University degree in Project Management or Computer Science/Engineering or Telecommunications or a suitable related field;
2. Disaster/Emergency Management certification;
3. Demonstrated experience in conducting training and capacity building; and
4. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
Experience
1. At least ten (10) years of experience in disaster/emergency management including the development of disaster recovery plans, business continuity plans and emergency communication protocols, and in implementing emergency communication systems, such as mass notification systems.
2. Demonstration of successful leadership in at least one (1) similar assignment during the past five (5) years.
3. Demonstrated experience in participating in multi-country research projects in SIDS countries or in undertaking consultancies in the OECS or CARICOM region.
Key Expert 2: Telecommunications Expert
Academic Qualifications
1. At least an undergraduate degree in Engineering (Electrical, Telecommunications, Electronics) or Information Technology or a related field.
2. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
Experience
1. At least seven (7) years of telecommunications/electronic communications industry experience, and specifically, in the deployment and/or rehabilitation of public fixed-line and public wireless networks and the delivery of services.
2. Knowledge and experience in network redundancy and failover.
3. Demonstrated experience in participating in multi-country research projects in SIDS countries or in undertaking consultancies in the OECS or CARICOM region.
Key Expert 3: Information Technology/Security Expert
Academic Qualifications
1. At least an advanced degree in, Information Technology (‘IT’), Computer Science or a related field, with a major in Cybersecurity or Information Security or an undergraduate degree in IT with professional qualifications in Information Security or Cybersecurity.
2. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
Experience
1. At least seven (7) years of cybersecurity network security experience, including conducting IT audits, IT risk management, network vulnerability assessments and penetration testing.
2. Demonstrated experience in conducting training and capacity building.
3. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
7. Additional Information
7.1 The Consultant is expected to be home-based, though provision may be made for missions to one or more of the ECTEL Member States.
7.2 During the conduct of the assignment, the Consultant will work with the management and staff of ECTEL.
7.3 ECTEL will provide the following support services and facilities without any charge:
(i) Make available to the Consultant all studies, reviews, relevant laws and regulations relevant for the execution of the assignment.
(ii) Arrange for access to telephone, internet, and fax facilities when the consultant is operating from its offices.
(iii) Assign at least one (1) member of its Staff to serve as its representative to the Consultant. ECTEL shall ensure that the staff designated as its representative to the Consultant for this assignment has the capacity to deal with the issues related to the assignment and is willing and able to learn from the Consultant.