Project description: The City of Vitebsk (the “City”) (population 370,000) is currently developing a solid waste management system for the City in line with national guidelines. The existing landfill is almost full and the construction of a new landfill in compliance with relevant EU directives is being planned. Vitebsk is seeking to finance the new landfill with budgetary funds, which will be additional to the project to be financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the “Bank” or the “EBRD”).
In parallel to constructing a new landfill, the City is aiming to improve its solid waste management system, in particular by increasing waste sorting at source and recycling, and thereby minimising waste disposed at the landfill. One of the key components of this strategy is to construct a sorting facility that will enhance the capacity of the City to recycle and reuse materials. This approach will extend the lifespan for the new landfill by reducing the volume of disposed waste.
Vitebsk has studied other similar recycling facilities, including a World Bank (“WB”) funded waste sorting facility in the city of Grodno currently under construction, and has expressed interest in a similar facility to improve its solid waste management operations.
In light of the above, the City has approached the Bank with a request to assess the possibility of financing a project for the construction of a waste sorting and processing facility in the City (the “Project”). The project is envisaged to comprise of the following components: i) an automatic sorting facility, ii) a digester for biodegradable fractions, and iii) a plant for production of RDF or similar material.
The total value of the investment is estimated at EUR 20 million, to which the Bank would contribute with a loan of up to EUR 15 million. This will however have to be confirmed during the due diligence process for the Project, of which the preparation of this feasibility study is an important part.
In preparing the transaction, the Bank will work with the City owned company Vitebsk State Enterprise “Spetsavtobaza of Vitebsk City” (the “Company”). The Company owns and operates vehicles for collection and transportation of municipal and industrial waste. The company also operates the landfill in Vitebsk and employs roughly 300 staff.
Assignment description: The Bank requires the services of an independent consultant (the Consultant) to review the detailed requirements, verify whether a bankable project meeting the below objectives is feasibile, and prepare such a project. This Project will be based on an effective least-cost investment programme. The investment plan will be justified on the basis of thorough technical, legislative, financial, and economic analysis. Furthermore, the Consultant will develop an efficient Project Implementation Plan, including procurement schedule, and carry out an assessment of the resource efficiency opportunities (including energy efficiency and renewable energy potential and the impact on GHG emissions) and environmental and social impacts of the investment programme.
Specific objectives of the assignment shall include, inter alia:
• Review the needs of the Company and the City, including definition and establishment of the area to be covered by the investment.
• Review the specific needs (i.e. the needs of all relevant stakeholders, presenting any differentiated needs and priorities according to gender and age) for solid waste management in the area.
• Review the applicable legislation at local and national level in place regarding waste (e.g. targets on material and energy production from waste), and assess the implications on the Project.
• Review and analyse the current system of solid waste separation, collection and reprocessing for recycling and, if appropriate, make recommendations on how this could be improved, taking into consideration international best practices in waste management (eg BREFs) and following the EU waste hierarchy options at the maximum extent. Identify potential industrial users of separated materials and barriers existing to the development of a market for such products.
• Review and analyse the current situation of the waste treatment/separation/ recycling/landfilling in the area in terms of condition of major equipment and facilities, recent past years performances, operation and maintenance (“O&M”) practices, capacity of the City to manage and address all relevant environmental and social risks and impacts, compliance with national laws and regulations and any liability issues.
• Once the waste management option and site selection has been confirmed, screen the project against the EBRD’s Environmental and Social Policy (2014, “ESP”) and associated Performance Requirements (“PRs”) to propose, and agree with the EBRD, the project category (A or B) and confirm the environmental and social due diligence required.
• If the Project is categorised as B (once agreed with the EBRD) carry out an Environmental and Social Assessment (E&S Due Diligence, “ESDD”) of the proposed Project to identify its environmental and social risks, impacts and benefits and to structure the Project to comply with the ESP and PRs. If the Project is categorised as A, this ToR will be revised by the EBRD.
• Based on the results of the above, draw up a detailed priority investment programme (“PIP”) for a waste sorting and processing facility in Vitebsk, including but not limited to i) an automatic sorting facility, ii) digester for biodegradable fractions, iii) a plant for the production of Refuse Derived Fuel (“RDF”) or similar material for production of energy from waste refuse. This should also include a recommendation on where this new facility should be situated.
• Make necessary recommendations for institutional changes (organisation of solid waste management, changes in law or institutional, including human resources, changes) regarding solid waste management in the City.
• Conduct a financial analysis of the new waste sorting and processing facility as well as the old and new landfills (and if appropriate, recycling opportunities) and waste management operations. Create a business plan over the lifetime of the loan with detailed calculations of realistic capital expenditure (“CAPEX”), revenues, expenses, debt service coverage ratio and Internal Rates of Return (“IRR”) (both economic and financial). To prepare financial projections for the selected waste management facilities; the projections shall be fully consistent with the proposed Project, strategic development plan and be based on prudent assumptions on the Company revenues and expenditures. Financial projections shall include annual balance sheets, income and cash flow statements.
• Design a general timetable of the implementation of the Project for each potential scenario.
• Review the potential for private sector participation (“PSP”) in waste collection and disposal (and if appropriate, recycling) (e.g. design-build-operate for any part of the Project, privatisation of collection in parts of the City, operation of the landfill, etc.).Support discussions on the Project proposal between the EBRD and the relevant stakeholders as necessary.
• Calculate the Bank’s standard measuring indicators and SRI impact indicators.
Assignment Start Date and Duration: The Assignment is expected to start in November 2015 and has an estimated overall duration of 16 weeks.
Cost Estimate for the Assignment: EUR 280,000 (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 special status of the Bank 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: This assignment will be funded by the Czech Republic ODA TC Fund.
Eligibility: Consultancy firms shall be registered in the Czech Republic and the individual experts proposed must be citizens or permanent residents of the Czech Republic. Up to a maximum of 35% of the total contract amount may be used to finance services of local experts who are nationals of Belarus or consultancy firms registered in Belarus.
Consultant Profile: Corporate services are required. The Consultant will be a firm or a group of firms with previous international project experience in:
a) developing feasibility studies in the solid waste sector for international financial institutions (IFIs) or equivalent organisations and a good knowledge of IFI (or equivalent) procedures and rules on public procurement and disbursement policies;
(b) handling institutional and legal framework aspects, environmental and social requirements, local financial management standards, as well as knowledge of international and regional professional standards for technical competence in the solid waste sector.
It is expected that the Assignment will be led by an appropriately qualified team leader/solid waste specialist, accompanied by both key and supporting experts. Based on the fields of expertise and the tasks mentioned above, it is proposed that the team of the Consultant should include the following expatriate and local key experts:
• Project Manager/Team Leader with a university degree or equivalent qualification and preferably with 15 years or more of professional experience in the field of solid waste management. The Project Manager/Team Leader will have a comprehensive experience of similar assignments in Belarus or other CIS countries, as well as in institutional and commercial management of solid waste companies. He/she should demonstrate management and administration experience, including experience with procedures of international financing agencies (preferably EBRD procedures). The large number of different tasks and the complexity of administrational procedures require a permanent presence of the Project Manager in the country during the project period of intensive work on preparation of the FS.
• Financial specialist(s) with knowledge of the public financing and modelling.
• Technical specialist(s) and solid waste engineer(s).
• Environmental and Social expert(s) with experience in ESIAs and E&S due diligence, health & safety, stakeholder engagement, public consultation and disclosure in the local context, gender and inclusion expertise, and/or resettlement expertise, in solid waste management sector with experience of similar assignments and with recent track record in the region.
• Resource efficiency expert with experience in waste management.
• Institutional expert with experience of similar assignments.
• Legal expert with relevant experience in the areas of natural monopolies regulation and knowledge of Belarus’ tariff legislation.
• Subject to the eligibility criteria set out above, local experts with good communication skills and evidenced technical knowledge of solid waste sector planning, design, implementation and operations.
Submission Requirements: Interested firms or groups of firms are hereby invited to submit expressions of interest. In order to determine the capability and experience of Consultants seeking to be selected for this Assignment, the information submitted should include the following:
1. Company/group of firms’ profile, organisation and staffing (max. 2-4 pages).
2. Details of previous project experience or similar assignments particularly 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.
3. CVs of key experts who could carry out the Assignment detailing qualifications, experience in similar assignments, particularly assignments undertaken in the previous five years, including information on contracting entity/client, project location/country, duration (mm/yy to mm/yy), expert months provided, assignment budget, main activities, objectives.
4. Completed Consultant Declaration Form 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 25 pages excluding CVs and contact sheet.
The complete expression of interest (including CVs, Consultant Declaration and Contact Sheet) should be submitted, in English electronically through e-Selection, to reach the Bank not later than the closing date. The expression of interest shall be one file (pdf). The EBRD reserves the right to reject applications of firms submitting more than one file. Only if the permissible file size is exceeded (4MB), the Consultant may split the expression of interest into further files.
Bank Contact Person:
Olesya Kerridge
Technical Co-operation
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
One Exchange Square
London EC2A 2JN
Tel: + 44 20 7338 6895
e-mail: kerridgo@ebrd.com (submissions should be sent through eSelection and NOT to this email address)
Notes:
1. The selection will normally be made from responses to this notification only. Consultants will not be asked to submit a proposal. The highest-ranked Consultant will be selected from a shortlist and be invited to negotiate the contract, subject to availability of funding.
2. The shortlist criteria are:
(a) Firm’s previous project experience in developing feasibility studies in the solid waste sector for IFIs or equivalent institutions and a good knowledge of IFI (or equivalent) procedures and rules on public procurement and disbursement policies (10%);
(b) Firm’s international project experience in the solid waste sector, specifically with its institutional and legal framework aspects, environmental and social requirements, local financial management standards, regional and international professional standards of technical knowledge (30%);
(c) Qualifications and competence of the consultant's team of international and local experts (60%).
