EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR A COMPANY TO CONDUCT A SCOPING STUDY FOR THE TRINITY RUTONGO MINE

Trinity Metals Limited invites your organizations to submit an Expression of Interest (“EOI”) to be considered for appointment as Lead Consultant to undertake an independent Scoping Study of the Rutongo Mine (Rulindo District, Northern Province) Republic of Rwanda. Rutongo comprises six historical mining areas (Gisanze, Masoro, Nyamyumba, Gasambya, Karambo, and Mahaza) on the Rutongo anticline, mining cassiterite hosted in steeply-dipping quartz veins, with existing processing plants at Nyamyumba and Karambo. Unlike Musha, mineralisation at Rutongo is tin-only, with no material tantalum or lithium credit. Rutongo's own published materials describe an already-mechanised operation with an established reserve base (in the order of 54,000 t recoverable tin); however, Trinity's working characterisation for this Study is that Rutongo remains semi-artisanal in material respects (mine development, grade control, and stockpile treatment). Reconciling these two positions, using independently verified data, is itself a required output of this Study for Rutongo (see Section 6.4.1 and 6.4.2). Given the number and scale of these areas, each of the six areas — including the condition, capacity, and continued suitability of the existing Nyamyumba and Karambo plants — shall first be assessed individually (own resource estimate, mine plan, and metallurgical performance where data allows) before being consolidated into a single, overall Rutongo development case that captures sequencing, shared infrastructure, and blending opportunities across areas.

Trinity currently operates the Mine on a semi-artisanal basis. The purpose of the Scoping Study is to assess the technical and economic potential to develop the Mine into a formalised, mechanized operation, and to provide Trinity's Board and investors with a credible basis for further investment decisions, including whether to proceed to a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS).

Scope of Work: 

Stage 0 — Data Review and Fatal-Flaw Assessment (Gate)

Objective

To review and validate the geological, survey, production, metallurgical, environmental, and cost information currently available for Rutongo Mines; to confirm what can reasonably be relied upon for the purposes of this Study and what requires independent re-verification; to confirm whether representative samples can be obtained to support Stage 1 testwork; and to identify any material fatal flaw — in Mineral Resource, mining, processing, permitting, social, or infrastructure terms — before significant testwork or study expenditure is committed.

Activities

• compile and critically review all available geological, survey, production, metallurgical, environmental, and cost data and records for the Mine, including the 2018 AMS study to the extent it applies, and record the provenance, vintage, and reliability of each data set;
• inspect and report on the condition of existing workings and access (declines, shafts, haul roads, and surface infrastructure), and validate existing mine survey control and as-built records against physical conditions on site;
• confirm whether representative samples of current ore, development material, and legacy stockpiled/tailings material can practicably be obtained to support the Stage 1 metallurgical testwork programme;
• review relevant lessons learned from Trinity's Nyakabingo plant design and tailings storage facility (TSF) trade-off study (to be made available by Trinity) and identify implications for processing and tailings planning at this Mine;
• identify and assess material fatal-flaw risks across Mineral Resource, mining, processing, permitting/regulatory, social, and infrastructure disciplines; and
• prepare a data-gap register benchmarked against Scoping Study-level requirements (see Annex B), together with a costed, time-bound plan to close priority gaps before or during Stage 1 and Stage 2.

Deliverables

• Data Review and Fatal-Flaw Assessment Report, including a clear statement of what data can reasonably be relied upon and what cannot;
• Data-Gap Register, ranked by criticality, with a costed and time-bound plan to close priority gaps; and
• Stage 0 Gate Review Memorandum with a clear recommendation (proceed to Stage 1 / proceed subject to conditions / do not proceed) and supporting rationale.

Gate Criteria

Trinity regards Stage 0 as the most important gate in this Study: its purpose is to protect Trinity from committing significant testwork or study expenditure against incomplete or unreliable inputs. The Consultant shall propose, for Trinity's agreement during mobilisation, gate criteria covering as a minimum: (i) no unmitigated fatal flaw has been identified at Rutongo Mines that would preclude further study expenditure; (ii) a clear, agreed, and costed plan exists to close any critical data gaps before or during Stage 1 and Stage 2; and (iii) representative sampling for Stage 1 metallurgical testwork is confirmed as achievable. These criteria, once agreed, will govern the go/no-go decision at the end of Stage 0. Trinity retains sole approval authority over this and every subsequent gate (Section 8).

Stage 1 — Metallurgical Testwork and Characterisation (Gate)

Objective

Contingent on Rutongo Mines having satisfied its Stage 0 gate (or an agreed mitigation permitting progression), to determine, on the basis of representative sampling and laboratory/pilot-scale testwork, whether ore from Rutongo Mines (and, where relevant, legacy stockpiled or tailings material) can be economically upgraded to a saleable concentrate meeting market specification, at what recovery and grade, and by what practicable flowsheet.

Activities

• design the metallurgical testwork programme, informed by the Stage 0 data review and by consultation with Trinity's site personnel;
• design and execute a representative sampling programme covering current run-of-mine ore, development ore, and legacy stockpiled/tailings material, with documented QA/QC;
• undertake mineralogical characterisation (liberation, association, and gangue mineralogy of cassiterite);
• undertake comminution characterisation (e.g. Bond work index or equivalent) sufficient for scoping-level equipment sizing;
• undertake beneficiation testwork appropriate to cassiterite mineralisation (typically gravity-based methods such as jigging, spirals, and shaking tables), including assessment of upgrading opportunities relative to current recovery practice;
• determine achievable recovery and concentrate grade against current market/offtake specification for tin (cassiterite), including conflict-free/ITSCI chain-of-custody requirements applicable in the Great Lakes region;
• characterise tailings for waste management planning and to assess any future retreatment potential; and
• prepare an order-of-magnitude assessment of the capital and operating cost implications of the recommended flowsheet, sufficient to inform the Stage 1 Gate Review.

Deliverables

• Sampling and QA/QC Protocol (for Trinity's review prior to sample collection);
• Metallurgical Testwork Report, including recommended flowsheet, recovery and grade outcomes, and supporting data; and
• Stage 1 Gate Review Memorandum with a clear recommendation (proceed to Stage 2 / proceed subject to conditions / do not proceed) and supporting rationale.

Gate Criteria

Trinity does not presently have an independently validated benchmark for recovery or concentrate grade at Rutongo Mines for the purposes of this Study, given the absence of prior independent testwork. Trinity's own published materials cite an operating concentrate grade in the order of 70% tin; this figure has not been independently verified for the purposes of this Study and should be reconciled, not simply adopted, by the Consultant. The Consultant shall propose, for Trinity's agreement during mobilisation, numerical gate criteria covering as a minimum: (i) minimum acceptable recovery at a saleable concentrate grade; (ii) capital and operating cost order-of-magnitude consistent with a viable production case; and (iii) absence of a fatal environmental, geotechnical, or permitting flag arising from the testwork or associated site investigation. These criteria, once agreed, will govern the go/no-go decision at the end of Stage 1. Trinity retains sole approval authority over this gate (Section 8).

Stage 2 — Full Scoping Study (Contingent on Stage 1 Gate)

Stage 2 shall commence only once Trinity has confirmed that Rutongo Mines has satisfied its Stage 1 gate criteria (or that an agreed mitigation permits progression), and shall address the following disciplines, each to be reported to Scoping Study-level accuracy and detail (see Annex B):

Geology and Mineral Resources

• compile, audit, and reconcile all available historical exploration data, including the 2018 AMS study (to the extent it covers this Mine) and the Stage 0 data review, against current mine development and production records;
• estimate and classify Mineral Resources (Inferred, and Indicated where data quality supports it) in accordance with the JORC Code (2012), under the supervision of, and signed off by, a Competent Person;
• identify data gaps constraining resource confidence and recommend infill drilling or sampling required to support future Ore Reserve estimation at PFS level; this Study shall define the Mineral Resource and development potential only, and shall not purport to estimate Ore Reserves;
• undertake a preliminary evaluation of historical tailings, dumps, rejects, and alluvial, eluvial, and colluvial gravels within the licence area as a potential secondary source of feed, and determine whether further sampling or resource definition of these materials is warranted; and
• document geological and structural controls on mineralisation relevant to mine planning.
• estimate and classify Mineral Resources separately for each of the six historical areas (Gisanze, Masoro, Nyamyumba, Gasambya, Karambo, and Mahaza) before compiling a single, consolidated Rutongo Mineral Resource statement; and
• given the scale of historical operations at Rutongo, place particular emphasis on evaluating alluvial, eluvial, and colluvial gravels and historical dumps across the six areas as a potential near-term or supplementary feed source.

Mining

• assess the pathway from current mine development to a fully formalised, mechanised mine plan, including mining method selection suited to the steeply west-dipping, north–south trending quartz-vein mineralisation style (typical vein widths of 0.5–1 m) on the Rutongo anticline;
• assess the condition of existing underground workings and surface access (declines, shafts, haul roads), building on the Stage 0 inspection, and confirm the extent to which existing development can be reused;
• characterise geotechnical conditions (rock mass quality, ground support requirements) and hydrogeological conditions (groundwater inflow and dewatering requirements) at a scoping level;
• assess ventilation requirements, including upgrade options for any existing ventilation infrastructure, and assess requirements for mine services (compressed air, underground power reticulation, communications, materials handling) and dewatering systems;
• prepare a conceptual mine design and production schedule (development, stoping/extraction sequence, and ramp-up) consistent with the classified Mineral Resource; and
• outline a workforce transition plan describing how existing artisanal or semi-artisanal labour may be absorbed into, or otherwise affected by, a fully formalised operation.
• assess each of the six areas individually — including the existing Nyamyumba and Karambo plants and their current condition, capacity, and suitability for continued or expanded use — before consolidating into a single, sequenced Rutongo development case that addresses shared infrastructure, common services, and area-to-area ore and material scheduling.

Infrastructure

• assess power supply options (grid connection versus diesel/hybrid generation) and overall water management, including raw/process water supply, mine dewatering discharge, and stormwater management;
• assess access road and logistics requirements between the mine, processing facility, and export routes;
• assess the condition, remaining capacity, and (where applicable) expansion, upgrade, or closure requirements of any existing tailings storage facilities, and site any new or expanded TSF capacity required, incorporating lessons learned from Trinity's Nyakabingo TSF trade-off study;
• identify and site, at a conceptual level, the processing plant and any camp/accommodation requirements, incorporating lessons learned from Trinity's Nyakabingo plant design where relevant; and
• identify shared infrastructure opportunities or constraints relative to the other Mine and to Trinity's other Rwandan operations, where relevant.

Environmental and Social

• establish the existing environmental and social baseline (drawing on any legacy studies made available and the Consultant's own site-based investigation, including work carried out in Stage 0) and undertake a gap analysis against the requirements for a formal operation;
• address artisanal/semi-artisanal miner formalisation, livelihood, and (if applicable) resettlement considerations arising from the transition to mechanised mining;
• scope the requirements for a full Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) at the next study stage; and
• provide an order-of-magnitude closure cost estimate.

Market and Marketing

• review Trinity’s marketing report outlining the market for tin (cassiterite) concentrate, including indicative pricing, payability terms, and offtake structures; and
• confirm product specification and chain-of-custody/conflict-free certification requirements (e.g. ITSCI) applicable to concentrate sales from the Great Lakes region.

Capital and Operating Cost Estimates

• prepare capital cost estimates to a nominal ±25–35% accuracy, using a factored or analogous estimating basis appropriate to Scoping Study level, with an allowance for undefined items of up to 30%; and
• prepare operating cost estimates to the same accuracy standard, covering mining, processing, site services, and site general and administration costs.

Financial Model and Risk

• prepare a preliminary cash flow model and indicative economic outcomes (e.g. NPV and IRR) with sensitivity analysis on price, head grade, and metallurgical recovery, noting that a fully worked discounted cash flow is not required at Scoping Study level but a preliminary assessment is expected;
• prepare a risk register identifying the principal technical, commercial, environmental, social, and permitting risks and opportunities specific to this Mine; and
• prepare an indicative development schedule (bar-chart level) from study completion through to first fully mechanised production.
• present indicative economics both on an area-by-area basis (for each of the six historical areas) and as a single consolidated Rutongo development case, clearly showing the basis of consolidation.

Recommendation

Provide a clear, independently supported recommendation for Rutongo Mines, for Trinity's approval: proceed to Pre-Feasibility Study; undertake further targeted testwork, drilling, or investigation before a PFS decision; or do not proceed — together with the supporting rationale and, where applicable, the estimated cost and duration of the recommended next step.

Eligibility and Competency Requirements

Interested parties must have

• A company profile and statement of relevant experience, with particular reference to: tin/tantalum (3T) or comparable pegmatite-hosted mineral projects; scoping, pre-feasibility, or feasibility studies supporting the transition of artisanal or semi-artisanal operations to mechanized mining; and prior work in the Great Lakes region of Central/East Africa, including familiarity with conflict-free mineral chain-of-custody schemes (e.g. ITSCI).
• A proposed methodology and work plan, explicitly addressing the three-stage, gated structure described in Section 3.2.
• Curricula vitae of proposed key personnel, at minimum: Study/Project Manager; Resource Geologist (Competent Person under JORC); Mining Engineer; Metallurgist/Process Engineer; Environmental and Social Specialist; and Cost Estimator.
• Details of relevant projects completed or underway in the last three to five years of a similar nature, scale, or geography, including client references who may be contacted.
• Evidence of financial standing, such as summary financial statements or auditor's reports for the past three years.
• A comprehensive health and safety record for the preceding three years.
• Disclosure of any litigation or arbitration, current or within the last five years, in which the Invitee has been involved, including parties, subject matter, and amounts in dispute.
• An indicative fee proposal for Stage 0, Stage 1, and Stage 2, including a rate card by personnel category, estimated hours/duration, disbursements, and key assumptions (see Annex C).
• A description of the Invitee's proposed approach to engaging Rwandan sub-consultants, laboratories, and personnel, and to knowledge transfer — this will be assessed favourably as a qualification factor but is not a mandatory requirement.
• A conflict-of-interest declaration, including disclosure of any existing relationship with Trinity, its shareholders, or competing projects in the licence area.

All interested parties should submit an Expression of Interest in accordance with the below requirements complete with supporting documents.

Submission to be forwarded to tender@trinity-metals.com  by not later than 14th September 2026 at 11:00AM Local time. Expressions of Interest received after 14th September 2026 at 11:00AM Local time will unfortunately not be considered.

Further discussion will be undertaken with selected respondents to prove the competence of the bidder and thereafter an invitation to tender will be provided to the bidder.