Purpose of CFP:

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) requests expressions of interest to establish a Cooperation Agreement with an implementing partner for the implementation of a pre-investment technical design process for an integrated solid waste management system for El Potrerillo Market in San Juan de Pasto, Colombia. The intervention will focus on strengthening source separation, defining collection and transportation schemes, and designing feasible technologies for organic waste treatment and valorization, in coordination with local authorities, service providers, market stakeholders, and community actors.

Summary:

The call for proposals seeks to identify an implementing partner to conduct a comprehensive pre-investment study and technical design process aimed at improving solid waste management practices in El Potrerillo Market through integrated, circular, and context-responsive solutions. The intervention is part of the project “Pasto Emergency Action for Resilient Settlements” and focuses particularly on addressing the challenges associated with organic waste management in one of the city’s most important urban and commercial nodes.

Within this framework, the selected partner will be responsible for carrying out a technical diagnosis of the current waste management system, including waste characterization and waste flow analysis, as well as developing social, behavioral, operational, environmental, and financial assessments. The partner will also design an integrated organic waste management system covering source separation, collection, transportation, treatment, and valorization strategies, while ensuring stakeholder participation and alignment with local conditions and institutional frameworks. Additionally, the scope includes the preparation of an implementation-ready project package, including governance arrangements, financing strategies, technical documentation, and a scaling roadmap to support future investments and replication in similar urban market environments.

Project Key Information

UN-Habitat Project title: Pasto Emergency Action for Resilient Settlements

Location: San Juan de Pasto, Colombia

Estimated start date: May 2026

Estimated duration of the project in calendar months: 3 months

Maximum proposed value in USD: $50,000 USD

Lead Organization Unit: UN-Habitat Andean Countries HUB

Main activities and outputs

The Implementing Partner will undertake the following main activities (but not limited to):

List of activities:

• Conduct a comprehensive diagnostic and waste characterization of current solid waste management practices in El Potrerillo Market.

• Carry out waste flow analysis and assess operational, social, cultural, institutional, and environmental conditions influencing waste management.

• Develop a market study for potential by-products derived from organic waste treatment and valorization processes.

• Consult and coordinate with key stakeholders, including local authorities, service providers, waste picker organizations, vendors, and community actors.

• Design an integrated organic waste management system, including source separation, collection, transportation, treatment, and valorization components.

• Define and evaluate the most viable technical alternative for organic waste treatment and recovery.

• Prepare an implementation-ready project package, including technical, operational, governance, environmental, and financial components.

• Develop an implementation roadmap and scaling strategy, including financing mechanisms and institutional responsibilities.

List of outputs:

OUTPUT 1: Solid Waste System Diagnosis and Characterization, including waste characterization, waste flow analysis, system diagnosis, baseline indicators, and identification of operational gaps and inefficiencies.

OUTPUT 2: Social and Behavioral Assessment for Source Separation, including stakeholder analysis, assessment of current practices, identification of barriers and enabling factors, and recommendations for behavior change strategies.

OUTPUT 3: Integrated Organic Waste Management System Design, including source separation systems, collection and transport models, treatment and valorization alternatives, operational frameworks, and feasibility analysis.

OUTPUT 4: Implementation-Ready Project and Investment Package, including the final validated system design, implementation plan, financing strategy, governance framework, risk analysis, monitoring indicators, and complete technical documentation for future execution.

All documents must be sent before May 31st, 2026. 17:00 EST to the following e-mail address: paises.andinos@un.org

Addressed to the UN-Habitat Andean Countries Team with the following title in the matter:
"Design and Pre-investment Study for an Integrated Solid Waste Management System in El Potrerillo Market, San Juan de Pasto (Colombia)"