Terms of Reference (ToR): Hiring a consultant for an assessment titled “Assessment and Climate-Resilient Retrofit Design of Cyclone Shelters in Bangladesh”

1. About Plan International
Founded over 85 years ago, Plan International is one of the oldest and largest children's development and humanitarian organizations in the world. Plan International plays an important role in mobilizing children, communities, and civil society organizations to claim the rights of children, especially girls and achieve agreed-upon local development priorities, towards a commitment to ensuring the well-being of children in support of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Plan International works in fifty-two developing countries across Africa, Asia and South America, and twenty-one countries raise funds to support these efforts.

1.1 About Plan International Bangladesh
Plan’s vision is of a world in which all children realize their full potential in societies that respect people’s rights and dignity, with high-quality programs that deliver long-lasting benefits. Children are at the heart of everything we do.

Plan International has been operating in Bangladesh since 1993. Plan International Bangladesh’s Country Strategy (2020-2030) is designed to empower adolescent girls and young women, to be heard, to live without fear of violence and to achieve their rights. In doing so, Plan international Bangladesh (PIB) will:

• empower children and young people as drivers of systemic change to gender norms and power relationships;
• promote an enabling environment for girls and young women to realize their sexual and reproductive health and rights and to live free from violence;
• raise public and private sector support for young women to access decent work opportunities in the twenty-first century labour market and have control over resources.

Plan International Bangladesh (PIB) has the country office in Dhaka, from where we are operating projects in Dhaka, Rangpur, Barisal and Chittagong divisions. Since 2017, we have a strong presence at Cox’s Bazar district under Chittagong division. Along with our main office at Cox’s Bazar, we have two more field offices at Ukhiya and Teknaf. By following the global mandate on emergency response and Disaster Preparedness Process (DPP) 4 , PIB supports both the Rohingya and host communities through humanitarian projects that provide lifesaving and resilience building assistance, while incorporating disaster risk management in its development work, to ensure protection of the most vulnerable groups, such as children, girls and young women, from the harmful impacts of conflicts, disasters and climate change.  PIB is also strengthening its position within the climate resilience sphere, through a climate resilience model to contribute towards a long-term program that will provide durable solutions for girls, young women and youth in climate impacted areas, with a specific focus on their resilience and adaptive capacity building to the effects of climate change. Through this initiative, PIB will also be a host to the global climate hub which will support the implementation of the model.

2. Background of the Assessment
Bangladesh remains highly vulnerable to cyclones and storm surges, particularly in coastal regions such as Cox’s Bazar. Cyclone shelters play a critical role in safeguarding lives during extreme weather events. However, many existing shelters face significant challenges, including structural deterioration, inadequate maintenance, insufficient WASH facilities, limited accessibility, and poor usability during emergencies.

Existing evidence from shelter assessments highlights recurring issues such as overcrowding, lack of sanitation, inadequate safety measures, and limited accessibility for women, children, elderly persons, and persons with disabilities. In Chakaria Upazila, a number of cyclone shelters (many of which also function as schools) require urgent technical assessment and climate-resilient retrofitting to ensure they are safe, inclusive, and functional during emergencies.

Plan International Bangladesh intends to engage a qualified civil/structural engineering consultant to conduct a comprehensive assessment of selected cyclone shelters and develop site-specific retrofit designs, cost estimates, and scalable prototype solutions.

3. Details of this Assignment

3.1 Specific Objectives of the Study
The overall objective of this assessment is to conduct a comprehensive engineering assessment of selected cyclone shelters in Chakaria Upazila and develop climate-resilient, inclusive, and costed retrofit solutions that enhance their structural safety, functional usability, and effectiveness as multi-purpose emergency shelters during cyclones and other climate-induced hazards.
The specific objectives are:

1. Assess Structural Integrity and Safety: To evaluate the current structural condition of cyclone shelters, including foundations, load-bearing elements, roofing systems, and overall stability, in order to determine their capacity to withstand cyclone-induced wind loads, flooding, and prolonged use during emergencies.

2. Identify Functional, Accessibility, and WASH Gaps: To assess the adequacy of existing shelter facilities in terms of space utilization, ventilation, lighting, water supply, sanitation, drainage, and accessibility, with particular attention to the needs of women, children, elderly persons, and persons with disabilities.

3. Develop Site-Specific Retrofit Design Solutions: To propose practical and context-appropriate retrofit measures for each assessed shelter, addressing identified structural and functional gaps, and improving resilience to cyclones, storm surges, and flooding, while ensuring usability as both educational facilities and emergency shelters.

4. Prepare Detailed Engineering Drawings and Cost Estimates: To produce site-specific engineering drawings (AutoCAD) and detailed Bills of Quantities (BoQs), including technical specifications and cost estimates based on local market rates, to support planning, budgeting, and implementation.

5. Develop Standardized Prototype Retrofit Designs for Scaling: To develop different typology-based prototype retrofit designs, including drawings and costing, that can be replicated across similar cyclone shelters to support future programming, investment planning, and donor proposals.

6. Support Prioritization and Investment Planning: To provide a comparative analysis of shelters and recommend prioritization of interventions based on risk, vulnerability, and cost-efficiency, enabling phased investment and scalable implementation.

Application Process
Please submit the proposal, along with the CVs of the lead consultant and other experts (as applicable), three relevant work samples, and three references (including one from an INGO) electronically to the specified email address: planbd.consultant.hiring@plan-international.org with the title: “Proposals for Assessment and Climate-Resilient Retrofit Design of Cyclone Shelters as subject line.  The proposals should be submitted in pdf format
Submissions after the deadline 04 May 2026 will be treated as disqualified.

Two different folders i.e. technical and financial should be submitted into one zip folder with a covering letter addressing to Md. Enamul Haque, Admin & Procurement Specialist, Plan International Bangladesh.

Women-owned businesses and companies actively engaged or advancing gender equality and women empowerment in the workplace are especially encouraged to apply.

To download ToR, Click this Link.