This project plans to hire a third-party institution to carry out research and application on new technologiesfor safe agricultural production of lychees under sunlight.

REOI

Country: The People's Republic of China

Project Name: IBRD Guangdong Agricultural Product Quality Safety Improvement (Demonstration) Project

Loan No.: 9213-CN

Assignment Name: Research and Application of AI-Based Digital Standardized Cultivation for Lychee

Contract No.: GDCS-018

Bidding No. 0733-26083764 The Government of the People's Republic of China has received a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development to improve food safety management at the national and sub-national levels and to reduce food safety risks in selected value chains. The project is being implemented by the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Province, and Shandong Province (Yantai City). As part of this project, Guangdong Province plans to deepen the development of its agricultural product quality supervision system and leverage modern information technologies to achieve a smart management model for agricultural product quality and safety. Taking the characteristic lychee industry as a breakthrough, the province will carry out research on and application of new technologies for lychee agricultural safety. By utilizing cutting-edge information technologies such as drones, artificial intelligence, and big data, the project will collect, integrate, and analyze data on lychee growth and quality safety. This will enable precise identification of growth conditions, timely risk early warnings, and automated dispatch of agricultural practices throughout the entire lychee cultivation cycle. Ultimately, this initiative aims to make the production process transparent and quality supervision smart, providing comprehensive protection for lychee quality and safety. Furthermore, it will contribute to the realization of the "Healthy China" initiative and the Rural Revitalization Strategy, and help advance the modernization of China's system and capacity for governance. This Contract utilizes World Bank loan funds to engage a consulting firm/consultant (hereinafter referred to as the "Consultant") for the research and application of AI-based digital standardized cultivation for lychee, with the aim of conducting research on the construction of an ecological planting system for key lychee varieties under targeted governance in Guangdong Province. Relying on new quality productive forces represented by cutting-edge technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence, this initiative aims to acquire precise agricultural information on a large scale and at low cost, thereby providing comprehensive protection for the quality and safety of key lychee varieties under targeted governance. The implementation period of this Contract is 12 months, with an estimated total input of 36 person-months. The anticipated start date for the assignment is September 2026. Please refer to the Attachment for the detailed Terms of Reference. Guangdong Provincial Center of Agro-product Safety and Quality (Guangdong Green Food Development Center) hereby invites qualified and interested Consultants to submit proposals for consulting services. Please refer to the Terms of Reference for the main scope of work.

Selection Criteria for the Consultants' Shortlist: 1.Capability to independently bear civil liability (Must provide a copy of the Business License or the Certificate of Legal Person for Public Institutions); 2.Sound financial accounting system (Must provide audited financial reports for the past 3 years); 3.Possession of the equipment and professional technical capabilities necessary for the fulfillment of the contract (A letter of commitment providing the supporting inspection drones and essential testing equipment must be submitted); 4.Good record of tax and social security payment in accordance with the law (Must provide proof of tax payment and social security contribution for the past 3 months); 5.Good business credit and sound business performance (Must provide a statement certifying no major illegal or irregular business activities in the past 3 years, and that the applicant is not listed on the "Credit China" website as a "person subject to enforcement for dishonesty," "major tax violation entity," or "entity with serious illegal acts in government procurement"). 6.Track Record: Since January 1, 2021, and up to the deadline for the submission of the Letter of Intent for this project (determined by the contract signing date), the Consultant shall have signed at least one (1) similar performance contract. Similar performance contracts refer to technical consulting service contracts involving the application of drones, remote sensing, imagery, or AI intelligent recognition in agricultural research, or service contracts for research on intelligent and standardized lychee production technologies. (The Consultant must provide copies of relevant supporting documents, including key pages of the contract that clearly indicate the contract name, scope of services, date of execution, and the signatures and official seals of both contracting parties.). Please note that the Consultant must provide all the supporting materials stipulated in the above "Selection Criteria for the Consultants' Shortlist," along with detailed contact information (including contact person, address, telephone number, email address, etc.). The Consultant shall solely bear the relevant responsibilities and consequences for any issues arising from incomplete submission or failure to meet the requirements.

Interested Consultants are advised to refer to the provisions regarding Conflict of Interest policy in Sections 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17, and the provisions regarding Eligibility in Sections 3.21, 3.22, 3.23, and 3.24 of the "World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers" (November 2020). Consulting firms may form an association with other firms, but it must be clearly indicated whether the arrangement is in the form of a Joint Venture or Subcontracting. If the Joint Venture form is