Clarification issued 12/01/2016:
Q1: Are dairy processors the main subject of the study or is the whole dairy value chain subject for every task of the study, including dairy farms (primary production) and collection centers?
A1: The whole dairy value chain should be considered.
Q2: Do 'prevailing production technologies' in the task: 'Benchmarking' refer solely to dairy processors or also to dairy farms (primary production) and collection centers?
A2: It refers to the full dairy value chain.
Q3: Do 'production facilities' to visit and review in the tasks 'Audits' refer solely to dairy processors, and not, or also, to dairy farms or collection centers?
A3: It also refers to the full dairy value chain.
Q4: Do the resource efficiency issues in the tasks 'Audits' for production facilities have to include mainly energy and water for dairy processors, or do they also need to include environmental resource efficiency issues of inputs for primary production (such as feed, fertiliser, chemicals, veterinary medicines, water, diesel and electricity) and the outputs produced (raw milk, manure, waste, and direct emissions)?
A4: They should include all potential resource efficiency opportunities.
Q5: Will case studies involve solely 4 dairy processing facilities, or may the 4 case studies also include dairy farms and collection centers?
A5: They may include dairy farms and collection centers as well.
Q6: Can fact-finding missions under task 'Sector overview' and under task 'Audits' be combined or should they be executed in separate missions?
A6: It is supposed to be prepared through desk-based research, fact-finding meetings with stakeholders and audits in selected Companies facilities. EBRD does not specify the number of missions needed for sector overview, it should be determined by the consultant.
Q7: Does the Contractor have to pay all costs for the workshop including the venue, refreshments, lunch and drinks? If yes, how many participants are foreseen for the workshop?
A7: Yes, the cost shall be covered from the consultancy contract. Between 50-100 participants are foreseen.
Q8: Does the Contractor need to arrange for simultaneous translation in French during the workshop for English speakers or will the EBRD cover that?
A8: EBRD will not cover any cost related to the workshop, if there is a need for simultaneous translation depending on the participation it should be covered by the consultancy contract.
Q 9: Does the Contractor have to pay for travel and accommodation of participants to the workshop? If yes, how many participants are foreseen for the workshop?
A9: No.
Clarification issued 05/01/2016
The following correction in section 'Assignment Description' and Tasks should be noted: "- Regulations: Analyse existing regulations and policies on the efficient use of resources and quality standards in the country."
Project Description: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development ("EBRD" or "Ban") has invested in the dairy sector in its countries of operation, with positive effects on companies' productivity, resource-efficiency and competitiveness. Dairy production has a major social and economic role in Morocco where small rural households alongside agribusinesses account for most of the production. The dairy sector accounts for 5% of total employment and highly contributes to agricultural value added. While milk production and consumption are increasing, efficiency and productivity remain low and product quality issues constrain further sector development. The dairy sector in Morocco has significant potential to improve its resource-use and product quality for enhanced competitiveness. Production efficiency, water use, renewable energy, and waste utilisation are still low in comparison with international peers.
Assignment Description: EBRD intends to engage a consultancy firm (the "Consultant") to carry out a study to better understand the investment potential in resource efficiency and product quality along the dairy value chain in Morocco. The study will help the Bank prepare investment projects with existing or new dairy clients and will support the dairy sector’s transition to enhanced environmental sustainability, labour practices and community welfare, competitiveness, and quality standards.
The Consultant is expected to do the following tasks:
- Stakeholder mapping: Identify major stakeholders and sources of official/public data in Morocco.
- Sector overview: Through desk-based research, fact-finding meetings with stakeholders and audits in selected Companies facilities, conduct a high-level overview of the sector/sub-sector, covering business volumes, market trends and priorities in the Country
- Benchmarking: Review available market and benchmarking studies comparing the prevailing production technologies, yields, food quality standards, and resource efficiency (in particular energy and water intensity) of the sector/sub-sectors with international best practice.
- Regulations: Analyse existing regulations and policies on the efficient use of resources and quality standards in the country.
- Audits: In close consultation with the Bank, prepare fact-finding missions to meet selected market players and visit specific production facilities in order to (a) confirm the gaps in technology, resource efficiency, and product standards compared to international best practice; and (b) review opportunities and barriers to enhancing resource efficiency, environmental performance and quality standards (c) Prepare a detailed prioritised investment plan of least-cost alternatives whose implementation will improve the plants’ resource efficiency, productivity, environmental and food/quality standards.
- Recommendations: Identify bottlenecks that can be addressed to improve the sector’s performance and prepare policy and investment recommendations for each facility.
- Case studies: In close consultation with the EBRD OL, develop 4 case studies of the most technically viable and economically attractive investment opportunities in resource efficiency and improved quality and environmental standards, chosen from the facilities visited.
- Benchmarking: Prepare a benchmarking assessment of the main sub-sectors and the entire sector, as well as a set of priority investment programmes.
- Workshop: At the end of the assignment, organise a regional workshop with major sector stakeholders from the country, to present assignment results and discuss priority areas in policy and technology transition. The workshop location will be decided in close coordination with the EBRD OL and according to the study findings.
Status of Selection Process: Interested firms or groups of firms are hereby invited to submit expressions of interest.
Assignment Start Date and Duration: The Assignment is expected to start in February 2016 and has an estimated overall duration of 18 months.
Cost Estimate for the Assignment: EUR 295,000; 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 purhcased 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 Special Shareholder Fund.
Eligibility: There are no eligibility restrictions.
Consultant Profile: Corporate services are required.
The Consultant will be a firm or a group of firms preferably with previous project experience relating to:
- working with agribusiness companies, particularly in the dairy business;
- preparing investment projects involving (a) process efficiency improvements, (b) reduction of energy and/or water consumption, (c) reduction and utilisation of process residues and wastes, as well as (d) food production safety, environment and quality standards - in agribusiness sector, dairy in particular;
- planning, preparing and delivering workshops with national stakeholders and market players in industrial and agribusiness sectors;
- completing consultancy or engineering assignments in Morocco and/or the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.
The Consultant's team should at least consist of the following key expertise:
- Dairy sector expert with preferably 10 years of previous professional industrial/commercial experience in the dairy sector, in particular working in international and regional dairy markets, with market players, on food safety/quality standards and practices, with commercial and operational drivers and coming across constraints in the sector.
- Resource efficiency expert(s) with an engineering degree and with preferably 5 years of previous professional experience in the technical and economic analysis of investment projects in agribusiness production facilities, particularly in the dairy sector, resulting in yield optimisation, product quality/traceability improvements, reduction of resources consumption and waste production and working with state-of-the-art technologies and practices that enable process efficiency, energy efficiency, water efficiency, product quality upgrades, and waste recovery/conversion into valuable by-products;
- Local expert(s) with an engineering degree, preferably 10 years of previous professional experience in industrial and agribusiness sectors in Morocco, in particular working on/advising on local technical and environmental regulations, food safety/hygiene requirements, and business practices;
- Social expert(s) with preferable 5 years of previous professional experience in the agribusiness sector with a demonstrable knowledge of international labour standards and supply chain considerations as well as in developing gender-sensitive strategies for women economic empowerment.
International experts should be fluent in English, written and spoken. Local experts should be fluent in English and French.
Submission Requirements: In order to determine the capability and experience of Consultants seeking to be selected for this Assignment, the information submitted should include the following:
- Company/group of firms' 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;
- CVs of key experts who could be available to work on the Assignment detailing qualifications, experience in similar assignments, particularly preferably undertaken in the previous ten years, including information on contracting entity/client, project location/country, duration (mm/yy to mm/yy), experts months provided, assignment budget, main activities, objectives;
- 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 20 pages excluding CVs and contact sheet.
The complete expression of interest (including CVs 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.
Expressions of Interest shall be submitted, in English, electronically through e-Selection, to reach the Bank not later than the closing date.
Bank Contact Person:
Jenny Scheffel
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
One Exchange Square
London EC2A 2JN
Tel: + 44 20 7338 7088
e-mail: scheffej@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 evaluation criteria are as follows:
Firm’s previous project experience in implementing similar activities in the dairy sector - 35%;
Firm’s previous project experience in Morocco and/or the MENA region - 15%;
Firm’s previous project experience on resource efficiency investment appraisal in agribusiness sector, particularly in the dairy sector - 20%;
CVs of key experts proposed - 30%.
