Tender Advertisement #982473

The Building Safety and Resilience in the Pacific (BSRP) Project aims to strengthen the capacity of
Pacific Island Countries to address existing and emerging challenges with regard to the risks posed by
natural hazards and related disasters, while maximising synergies between Disaster Risk Reduction
and Climate Change Adaptation. The BSRP works across 15 Pacific Island Countries; one of which is
Solomon Islands.
The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM),
hosts both the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) and the National Meteorology Service.
Currently these interconnected agencies occupy separate work spaces which are not fit-for-purpose;
both existing offices are located on Vavaya Ridge. The Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural
Electrification (MMERE) currently hosts the team responsible for observing and monitoring seismic
events in the Solomon Islands. This team is based at a different location in Honiara, in Lengakiki. The
rationale for this activity is to house the three teams under one roof in a Joint National Warning Centre
(JNWC) and National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) to enable more efficient and effective
collaboration during disaster preparedness and response.
The proposal is to construct an NEOC on the existing NDMO site to accommodate i) the NDMO staff
offices, ii) the Joint (Geohazards and Meteorology) National Warning Centre, iii) the National
Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC). The structure will need to be sufficiently large to house, on a
full time basis, the teams identified and to accommodate the influx of support and resources needed
to coordinate disaster response operations. The location of the current NDMO, the site selected for
the construction of the new NEOC and the Joint National Warning Centre, is shown in Annex 1.
The new buildings should maximise the use of renewable sources of energy to generate power and
ensure the facility is energy efficient. Provision of on-site back up utilities such as power diesel
generator, potable water and alternate communications (voice and data) along with onsite storage
space for emergency equipment and fuel as needed for the generator plus hard stand should be
included in design and procurement documents.
The buildings will need to comply with the draft National Building Code for Solomon Islands and be
able to withstand the effects of natural hazards such as cyclones, floods, fires and earthquakes. The
buildings must be energy efficient and as much as possible use natural light and ventilation. The
buildings should be nominally designed to remain functional following a ‘Maximum Credible Event’ or
otherwise accepted design criteria as nominated by the successful firm and agreed by MECDM in
Solomon Islands.