Assignment Description: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD or the Bank) is considering a loan of USD 30 million to the National Bank of Egypt (NBE) for on-lending to private sub-borrowers for energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy projects (the Project). The credit line for NBE is proposed as a pilot project prior to rolling out a country-wide facility under the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) Sustainable Energy Financing Facility (SEFF).
Egypt faces several major challenges in its energy sector. Egypt is a net importer of oil and gas despite the presence of domestic sources. Although there have been recent large increases in gas and electricity prices to industrial consumers, energy prices in Egypt are low in comparison with those in the region. Historically low prices for energy and energy subsidies have led to the development of energy and carbon intensive industries in Egypt, with Egypt's economy the third most energy intensive in the MENA region. EBRD is seeking to address Egypt's energy intensity by encouraging investments in EE and renewable energy projects by providing a credit line of USD 30 million to the NBE to on-lend to private enterprises.
The Facility will be supported by a comprehensive technical assistance programme (TC). The TC funds will be used for two consultancy assignments: Project Consultant (PC) and Verification Consultant (VC).
- The Project Consultant (or the PC), which has been separately procured, will assist with the design, launch and successful operation of the Facility, be responsible for the marketing of the Facility, define technical eligibility criteria, design procedures, appraise sub-projects against a set of criteria, monitor implementation of financed sub-projects and verify implementation of some sub-projects.
- The Verification Consultant (or the VC), subject to this call for Expressions of Interest, will ensure that the implemented investments meet the expectations of the customers and the Project Consultant, by checking and confirming, on a sample basis (and on demand from customers) that Sub-projects have been completed in accordance with the relevant investment plans and are on track to achieve the planned energy savings.
The main tasks of the VC shall be to:
- Prepare a verification report (Completion Validation Review or CVR) on the implementation of Sub-project in the categories 2 and 3 as specified below, including the relevant energy savings indicator and an assessment on how the recommendations in the Project Assessment Report, or any other document as relevant, have been fulfilled;
- Provide EBRD with a monthly work plan outlining planned activities for the next month and a final report providing a summary of activities undertaken throughout the assignment.
- Prepare and submit to the Bank other deliverables as may reasonably be requested;
- Ensure that all reports and documentation has clear references to the support of the donors, the form of such references to be agreed with the EBRD;
There will be two different approaches to the selection, preparation, processing and verification of the investment projects following the following 3 categories of potential sub-projects:
- Small (LEME) investments: based on the LEME/LESI approach. The List of Eligible Materials and Equipment (LEME) and the List of Eligible Suppliers and Installers (LESI) will be prepared by the Project Consultant and applied by with support provided by the PC as required. The VC will conduct site visits on a sample of up to 20% of randomly selected LEME investments to verify proper implementation. LEME investments which are not selected for site visits to verify completion will be verified on the basis of a desk-based document review.
- For buildings, Verification will include an assessment on how the recommendations included in Project Assessment Report by the Project Consultant have been fulfilled. If this is not the case, justification of the differences and evaluation of consequences.
- For Assisted Investments, Verification will include evaluation on the completion and commissioning of the Sub-Project, confirming its compliance with the initial plans contained in the Sub-Project PRoject Assessment Report. In case of deviation from those plans, justification of the differences and evaluation of consequences.
Assignment Duration: The Assignment has an estimated overall duration of 24 months.
Cost Estimate for the Assignment: EUR 150,000; exclusive of VAT.
The consultant must determine whether any VAT would be chargeable on the services and the basis for that determination, without taking into consideration the Bank's special status as an IFI and state this to the Bank in their response to the Invitation for Expressions of Interest. To the extent that a consultant incurs input VAT on goods and services purchased in connection with the provision of services (e.g. VAT on airline ticket) which is not otherwise recoverable by the consultant from the local tax authority, the gross cost to the consultant of such expenses shall be treated as a reimbursable expense.
Funding Source: It is anticipated that the contract will be financed through the EBRD's donor funded Technical Cooperation Funds Programme. However, consultant selection and contracting will be subject to availability of funding from an appropriate donor.
Eligibility: There are no eligibility restrictions.
Consultant Profile: Corporate services are required.
The consultant shall be a consulting firm or a group of firms with a strong locally based capacity as the bulk of the assignment will be conducted in the field. The Consultant should have relevant experience in all areas needed for the performance of the assignment as described above, including relevant sector and regional experience. The VC’s team will be composed of professionals with relevant technical background in order to ensure compliance with Egyptian legislation as relevant. The VC must have proven experience in administration of similar or relevant projects with at least two experts who will be qualified engineers with particular experience in industrial energy efficiency, buildings energy efficiency design and standards, knowledge of Egyptian renewable energy and building regulations and relevant standards in relation to energy consumption and performance. Engineers should ideally be chartered and licensed enabling them to provide qualified services in compliance with the Egyptian legislation.
Experts will be capable of and experienced in validating sub-projects against set criteria. The proposed experts shall also demonstrate a capacity to carry out the assignment.
Participation of local experts is essential: the Consultant should make extensive use of (accredited where appropriate) qualified locally based experts.
The key expert positions are the following:
1. Project Manager with a) with extensive experience of project management, b) expertise in project implementation planning, including experience related to energy management, renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, d) experience of working in EBRD countries of operation, including Egypt, will be an advantage e) language skills (fluent spoken and written English would be an advantage).
2. Engineer(s) (international and/or local) with significant relevant professional experience with: a) knowledge of industrial processes and expertise with energy efficiency in industrial operations, e.g., process upgrade, heat recovery, modernisation/optimisation of energy supply systems (power distribution, compressed air, refrigeration, etc.), improved monitoring and control, on-site CHP generation, rehabilitation of commercial buildings, b) knowledge of renewable energy projects (SWHs, PV plants, small wind energy, CSP for heat, etc.); c) knowledge of Egyptian renewable energy and building regulations and relevant standards in relation to energy consumption and performance, d) language skills (fluent Arabic essential, spoken and written English would be an advantage)
Evaluation of the Expressions of Interest will be based on the following criteria and their respective weightings:
Experience in similar assignments in Egypt or similar locations 15.0
Specific expertise in project coordination, monitoring and reporting 15.0
Relevant experience in areas needed for the performance of the assignment: verification of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects 35.0
Calibre of the available experts: qualifications, experience, seniority specific to the assignment/tasks, local experience 25.0
Participation/presence of qualified local experts 10.0
Submission Requirements: Interested consultants are hereby invited to submit expressions of interest. In order to determine the qualifications and competence of consulting firms seeking to be shortlisted, the information submitted should include the following:
- Company profile, organisation and staffing (max. 2-4 pages);
- Details of previous project experience or similar assignments undertaken in the previous five years, including information on contract value, contracting entity/client, project location/country, duration (mm/yy to mm/yy), expert months provided (if different from duration), main activities, objectives;
- A table printed in landscape listing the proposed experts, their proposed role in the project team (using expert position as listed above), indicating the years of relevant professional experience, nationality, language skills, a short qualification in relation to the requested position, knowledge and experiences;
-
CVs of key experts who could be available to work on the Assignment;
- Completed Consultant's Declaration and Contact Sheet, the template for which is available from the following web-link:
http://www.ebrd.com/pages/workingwithus/procurement/notices/csu/contact_sheet.doc
The above information should not exceed 40 pages excluding CVs.
Expressions of Interest should be submitted, in English, electronically through eSelection. Consultants are advised to access eSelection via Internet Explorer, as eSelection is not compatible with other browsers.
The complete expression of interest (including CVs and Consultant's Declaration and Contact Sheet) shall be one file (pdf or Word), not exceeding 4MB, to be uploaded to eSelection. The EBRD reserves the right to reject applications of firms submitting more than one file. Only if the permissible file size is exceeded, the Consultant may split the expression of interest into further files.
Note: Selection and contracting will normally be made from responses to this notification. The consultant will be selected from a shortlist, subject to availability of funding (from an appropriate donor - dependent on whether or not donor has approved funding). The Consultant that has been awarded the contract for the PC assignment, and their consortium members (if any) and sub-contractors (if any) are ineligible to be awarded the contract for the VC assignment.
