The Grantee invites submission of qualifications and proposal data (collectively referred to as the “Proposal”) from interested U.S. firms that are qualified on the basis of experience and capability to execute a feasibility study for the upgrade the Grantee’s critical digital infrastructure and systems. The Proposal submission deadline is December 15, 2023 at 9 a.m. EST/ 5 p.m. Türkiye Time. The U.S. firm selected will be paid in U.S. dollars from a $704,404 grant to the Grantee from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.
About the Grantee
Ankara Su ve Kanalizasyon Idaresi (“ASKI”) serves as the exclusive utility managing the water and wastewater needs of the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality and operates as a public entity with an independent budget. Established in 1987, ASKI’s operational mandate has expanded from the city center to include surrounding suburban and rural areas. Its water network serves an estimated 2.5 million customers with İvedik Water Treatment Plant having a capacity of 1,629,000 cubic meters daily and the Tatlar Wastewater Treatment Plant is the third largest in Europe, handling 765,000 cubic meters of wastewater daily. ASKI currently has a total of 104 storage tanks and 59 pumping stations and is responsible for water distribution and management as well as wastewater collection, treatment and stormwater drainage.
Project Background
Currently, ASKI loses between 40 to 45 percent of water pumped into its metropolitan distribution network, more than twice the world average, and its information and communications technology infrastructure has far exceeded its useful lifespan. Given these challenges, ASKI is seeking to upgrade its critical digital infrastructure and systems (the “Project”). Full implementation of the Project would entail the upgrade and replacement of ASKI’s SCADA network, customer database, radio networking solutions, and fixed wide area network, as well as the introduction of a comprehensive cybersecurity architecture, a modern water operations administration, and advanced data analytic tools and techniques. ASKI would be responsible for implementing the project. Initial implementation is expected to be conducted through a small-scale pilot, which ASKI would manage and fund.
About the Study
The Study will provide ASKI with a detailed roadmap to modernize its water system through a digital transformation. It is expected that the Study would support ASKI in reducing its water distribution losses, improving its energy efficiency, and enhancing the cybersecurity of its operations. The Study will include an assessment of ASKI’s as-is operational environment, identification of gaps in its existing digital systems, and recommendations for specific technological improvements to its digital control and management systems. In addition, the Study will include the development of financing strategies, a preliminary environmental impact assessment, and a comprehensive project implementation plan.