The Republic of Kiribati (herein referred to as ‘Kiribati’) is a geographically dispersed and climate-vulnerable nation in the central Pacific. The nation comprises 33 low-lying atolls and the raised phosphate island of Banaba. These remote atolls are divided into 3 island groups, with the project located on 3 islands within the Gilbert Islands group. Approximately 55% of Kiribati’s population live on the island of Tarawa in the capital, South Tarawa [1]. Internal migration from the outer islands within Tungaru to South Tarawa is largely driven by limited access to goods, services, employment, and education opportunities.

To address these disparities and strengthen resilience, the Government of Kiribati (GoK), with co-funding from the World Bank (WB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has launched the Kiribati Outer Island Transport Infrastructure Investment Project (KOITIIP). The development objective of KOITIIP is to improve the connectivity, safety, and climate resilience of transport infrastructure on selected outer islands of Kiribati, and, in the event of an eligible crisis or emergency, to provide an immediate response.

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MFED) serves as the Executing Agency, while the Ministry of Information, Communications and Transport (MICT) and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy (MISE) serve as the Implementing Agencies (IA) for KOITIIP.

In September 2024, the GoK commissioned Hall Contracting Pty Ltd (Hall) as the Principal Contractor to deliver sub-components of KOITIIP (referred to as the ‘project’ hereinafter) on selected outer islands in Gilbert Islands Chain of Kiribati, namely: Abaiang, Nonouti and Tabiteuea South (respectively referred to as the ‘project site’).