The project "Resilient Cities" (CiRes), funded by the Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), has been promoting urban resilience in Ecuador since July 2023. The project's primary objective is to integrate comprehensive risk management approaches into both national policies and local urban development processes, considering current and future climate and disaster risks.

With its focus on resilient urban development, CiRes aligns with the strategic priorities of sustainable urban development and contributes to the "Climate, Energy, and Just Transition" core area within the BMZ 2030 strategy. It also supports Ecuador's broader climate and disaster resilience commitments, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework, and the New Urban Agenda. To realize these goals, the project adopts a multisectoral approach that bridges disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in the urban context. It operates both at the national level-providing advisory services to institutions such as the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing (MIDUVI), the National Secretariat for Risk Management (SNG), and the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Ecological Transition (MAATE)-and at the local level, working directly with the cities of Chone, Manta, Puyo, and Riobamba.

Ecuador faces significant urban challenges due to its high vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change impacts. The country"s geographic and climatic conditions expose it to extreme events like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, and droughts, leading to substantial human and economic losses. Earthquakes alone have caused over USD 8.5 billion in damages over the past 50 years, while the cyclical El Niño and La Niña phenomena have also led to billions in losses. As climate change intensifies, extreme weather events are expected to increase, exacerbating economic and social impacts. With around 65% of the population living in cities, many in high-risk areas, the vulnerability of low-income communities is particularly high. In response, Ecuador"s National Development Plan 2021-2025 emphasizes citizen safety and risk management across all sectors. During the project, a new disaster risk management law was ratified to clarify state actor responsibilities. Moreover, the project supported a cooperation agreement between SNG and MAATE, which strengthened efforts to integrate disaster and climate risk considerations into local development and land-use plans (PDOT).

The CiRes strategy is built around enhancing the capacities of institutions and professionals at the local, provincial, and national levels to address climate and disaster risks within the framework of urban development. In the four selected cities, the project aims to strengthen the expertise of city planning, risk management, and environmental departments. This strategy builds on the success of prior German and international development initiatives, particularly the CIS II (Intermediate Cities) project. Key objectives include improving urban resilience, integrating risk management into public investment planning, and promoting gender equality.

CiRes delivers on its objectives through three core outputs:

1. Strengthening National Capacities:
National authorities, including MIDUVI, SNG, and MAATE, will develop a shared understanding and practical tools for managing climate and disaster risks in cities. Pilot projects in selected cities will provide insights that will inform the creation of national resilience strategies.

2. Enhancing Local Implementation:
Local governments will test and implement the national tools and procedures, integrating risk management into their urban planning processes. Special attention will be paid to the needs of marginalized groups-such as women, children, and ethnic minorities-ensuring their inclusion in planning and public investment decisions.

3. Fostering Collaboration:
The project will enhance collaboration between cities, government authorities, and non-state actors, including universities and research institutions. By supporting data-sharing platforms and establishing a community of practice, CiRes will facilitate the exchange of knowledge and best practices related to urban resilience.

The contractor will provide support to the CiRes Project through three work packages, contributing to three key outputs. The allocation of tasks is as follows: 25% for Output 1, 50% for Output 2, and 25% for Output 3. The contractor will work closely with the GIZ technical team, focusing on both national and local levels.

Work Package 1 is directly related to Output 1 and aims to strengthen intersectoral approaches for integrated climate and disaster risk management in medium-sized cities. The contractor will contribute to establishing an intersectoral ministerial committee for urban resilience, providing quarterly reports on its progress. They will conduct a study on urban resilience gaps, including a gender analysis, with a delivery deadline of six months. The contractor will integrate the findings of this study into urban resilience methodologies, with a final report due at ten months. Additionally, the contractor will support the development of national public policy instruments for urban resilience, with drafts to be submitted at eight, twelve, and sixteen months. The contractor will also advise on integrating resilience into Public Investment Projects, updating regulations and safeguards, with semi-annual reports on progress.

Work Package 2 focuses on Output 2 and aims to strengthen local capacities in the selected cities. The contractor will design and implement capacity-building events for local government staff and other stakeholders, with semi-annual reports on their activities. They will develop integrated risk analyses for each city, producing results and guides by twelve months. Additionally, the contractor will support the formulation or updating of local planning tools with a focus on comprehensive risk management, with a final delivery at eighteen months. The contractor will also design and implement pilot measures for urban resilience and intersectoral committees for integrated risk governance, reporting progress every six months.

Work Package 3, related to Output 3, will enhance cooperation on urban resilience among cities, authorities, and non-governmental actors. The contractor will work with universities to develop curricula and training modules on urban resilience, climate change adaptation, and risk management, with proposals due by eighteen months. They will organise academic knowledge transfer events, such as conferences and training sessions, also by the eighteen-month mark. The contractor will contribute to the development and finalisation of a national information and data governance model, with various deliverables due between eight and eighteen months.

In addition to the technical tasks, the contractor will be responsible for managing equipment, costs, and reporting according to GIZ's requirements. Regular monitoring will track the progress of activities, the achievement of objectives, and the financial and risk status. The contractor will also participate in conferences, assist with project evaluations, and provide backstopping services, including staff management, administrative support, and ensuring the smooth flow of information between GIZ and the contractor's team.

The tenderer is expected to be familiar with the Capacity WORKS approach and be open to trainings provided by the GIZ team. The contractor must also be gender-sensitive in all products and processes, and willing to participate in trainings on gender equality. The contractor should implement measures to promote gender equality, including training and sensitisation, gender parity in governance, gender-focused communication, and benchmarks for measuring progress in reducing gender gaps.

In the tender, the contractor should reflect on the objectives, describe the partner system and its processes, and present a detailed technical-methodological concept to complete the tasks and achieve the set objectives. Among others, this includes interpreting the objectives, critically assessing the appropriateness of the personnel concept, and evaluating the results and technical approach.

The tenderer must describe the relevant processes and actors within the partner system, providing an actor map and outlining their roles. Moreover, the tenderer is expected to present a strategy for achieving the objectives, which includes achieving milestones, developing partnerships, leveraging effects, scaling up measures, and considering environmental and social compatibility requirements, particularly gender equality.

The project management section requires the tenderer to provide an operational plan, outline the coordination process with GIZ, and explain the monitoring procedure. Regular monitoring should capture the status of completion, achievement of objectives, and potential risks.

The tenderer must also present the qualifications and tasks of key experts, including specialists in sustainable urban development, climate change adaptation, and integral disaster risk management. The tenderer must confirm the qualifications of short-term experts in specific pools (urban resilience in Ecuador, Latin America, and international public engineering/disaster risk management) and submit CVs for the relevant experts.

GIZ may optionally commission contract amendments and/or increases based on the criteria in the tender documents to the successful bidder of this tender. For details, please see the terms of reference.

According to Article 160, Section 3 of the German Act Against Restraint of Competition (GWB), application for review is not permissible insofar as
1. the applicant has identified the claimed infringement of the procurement rules before submitting the application for review and has not submitted a complaint to the contracting authority within a period of 10 calendar days; the expiry of the period pursuant to Article 134, Section 2 remains unaffected,
2. complaints of infringements of procurement rules that are evident in the tender notice are not submitted to the contracting authority at the latest by the expiry of the deadline for the application or by the deadline for the submission of bids, specified in the tender notice.
3. complaints of infringements of procurement rules that first become evident in the tender documents are not submitted to the contracting authority at the latest by the expiry of the deadline for application or by the deadline for the submission of bids,
4. more than 15 calendar days have expired since receipt of notification from the contracting authority that it is unwilling to redress the complaint.
Sentence 1 does not apply in the case of an application to determine the invalidity of the contract in accordance with Article 135, Section 1 (2). Article 134, Section 1, Sentence 2 remains unaffected.

All communication takes place in English via communication tool in the project area of the procurement portal.

GIZ asks the applicant or bidder to submit, complete or correct documents, within the framework laid down by law.

The execution conditions result from the information given in the contract notice and the tender documents.