The World Bank Group (WBG) proposes to contract a consulting firm to (i) Conduct market research/needs assessment for Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS) by consulting with institutional investors and real estate developers; and explore the extent of readiness, gaps, and opportunities in the REIT/property market (ii) Carry out a review of the legal and regulatory environment, which would be applicable to a REITS instrument. The WBG recognizes the potential of REITs to raise significant amounts of private sector funding for investment in housing by providing developers access to a large pool of capital to finance development of affordable housing.