National Oceanic Resource Management Authority
National Oceanic Resource Management Authority
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
(INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT – LUMP SUM CONTRACT)
Country: Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)
Project: Pacific Islands Regional Oceanscape Program – Economic Resilience (PROPER)
Grant No.: IDA-E371-FM
Assignment Title : Development of FSM Anchored Fish Aggregation Device (aFAD) Development and Management Plan
Reference No. (as per Procurement Plan): FM-NORMA-539886-CS-INDV
The National Government of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Pacific Island Oceanscape Program – Second Phase for Economic Resilience (FSM PROPER) and intends to apply part of the proceeds toward payments for consulting services for the Development of FSM Anchored Fish Aggregation Device (aFAD) Development and Management Plans.
FSM’s coastal and inshore fisheries are facing increasing pressure from overfishing, particularly near population centers across the four states of Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Yap. These fisheries are critical for food security and livelihoods for coastal communities. Previous development interventions, including aquaculture and deep-water fisheries development, have not sufficiently compensated for declining wild catches. Strategically sited and well-managed anchored Fish Aggregation Devices (aFAD) offer a viable means to shift fishing pressure away from sensitive reef and coastal habitats, while providing alternative fishing grounds for local communities.
To address this challenge, FSM DRD, with support from the PROPER Project, is seeking to engage a qualified individual consultant to develop comprehensive, evidence-based aFAD development and management lans for each of the FSM’s four states, ensuring national coordination while respecting state-specific legislative, ecological, and socio-economic cultural contexts.
The consulting services (“the Services”) include the development of four (4) state-specific anchored fish aggregating device (aFAD) development and management plans for Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Yap. The key tasks encompass: a review of existing legislation, policies, scientific literature, and catch data relevant to aFAD management across all four states, including an assessment of socio-economic dependencies on coastal fisheries and associated environmental risks; the development of a stakeholder consultation strategy and conduct of in-country consultations with national and state government officials, traditional leaders, fishers, NGOs, and the private sector, with intentional inclusion of women and youth; the drafting of four state-specific aFAD development and management plans, each accompanied by a detailed implementation plan inclusive of budgets and capacity-building needs; facilitation of state-level and national validation workshops to review and finalize draft plans based on stakeholder feedback; identification of training needs, development of training materials, and conduct of initial training sessions for fisheries agency staff and community stakeholders; and cross-state coordination to ensure consistency and harmonization across all four plans. Key deliverable include an Inception Report; a Comparative Situational Analysis Report; Stakeholder Consultation Reports; four Draft aFAD Development and Management Plans; four Training Reports; a Coordination and Harmonization Note; and a Final Report. The estimated level of effort is approximately 145-150 working days, including two mandatory in-country visits to the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the first of approximately 3-4 weeks for stakeholder consultations, and the second of approximately 4-5 weeks for validation workshops and training. The assignment is to be implemented over a period of approximately 8 months, with services estimated to commence in June 2026.
The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be downloaded below:
The FSM National Department of Resources and Development, on behalf of the Federated States of Micronesia, now invites eligible individuals (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services described above. Interested consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services (attach curriculum vitae with description of experience in similar assignments, similar conditions, etc.). Firm’s staff may express interest through the employing firm for the assignment and, under such situation, only the experience and qualifications of individuals shall be considered in the selection process. The criteria for selecting the Consultant are:
Essential Requirements:
Desirable Requirements:
The attention of interested Consultants (including firms) is drawn to paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers (September 2025) (“the Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.
Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours (Monday-Friday, 0800 to 1700 Pohnpei local time).
Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by e-mail) preferably by July 3rd, 2026.
| FSM National Oceanic Resource Management Authority Attn: Mr. OKean Ehmes, PROPER Project Manager PO Box PS 122 Pohnpei, FM 96941 Federated States of Micronesia E-mail: proper.procurment@norma.fm |
