Bishkek District Heating Network Project - Corporate Development Programme

Executing Agency (Client):
JSC Bishkekteploset
Zhukeeva-Pudovkina, 2/1,
Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic

The Client Contact Person:
Mr. Uran Raimbekov, Deputy CEO
JSC Bishkekteploset Zhukeeva-Pudovkina, 2/1,
Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic raimbekov.u@mail.ru 
Tel: +996 772 539793

The EBRD Contact Person:
Larissa Gosling
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
One Exchange Square
London EC2A 2JN
Tel: + 44 20 7338 6338
Fax: +44 20 7338 7451
E-mail: goslingl@ebrd.com

Project Description:

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the “EBRD” or the “Bank”) has developed a project (the “Project”) together with Bishkek District Heating Network Company (the “Company”) to modernise the district heating (“DH”) system in the City of Bishkek (“Bishkek” or the “City”) in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Assignment Description:

The Client now intends to retain a consulting company (the Consultant) to provide institution building assistance to the Company in the form of a Corporate Development Programme as outlined below (the Assignment).

The Company and the State Committee on Industry, Energy and Subsoil Use of Kyrgyz Republic (“Regulator”) require a firm or group of experts (the “Consultant”) to assist the Company to improve its commercial standing, service and environmental performance. The Consultant will identify and implement the necessary corporate, financial, operational and environmental management required to meet the related covenants included in the EBRD financing documents. The Consultant shall also assist the Company to develop a medium-term focused corporate development plan and to improve the corporate planning capacity and implement the Environmental and Social Action Plan (“ESAP”) developed for the Company.

The selected Consultant’s main objectives are to ensure that the Company complies with the covenants set in the EBRD financing documentation, which include:

• Maintain satisfactory accounting, cost control and management information systems and books of account in accordance with International Accounting Standards starting from a date to be agreed with the Bank in the Loan Agreement;
• Provide the Bank with financial and annual environmental and social reports (“AESRs”) as required under the financing and project agreements;
• Maintain the financial covenants in the Loan agreement;
• Develop and introduce a Public Service Contract (“PSC”) between the Regulator and the Company;
• Implement the ESAP;
• Implement Stakeholder Participation Programme (“SPP”) aimed at increasing public participation in the provision of DH services (service quality, rehabilitation activities, tariffs integrating poverty, social and gender issues) and raising public awareness on issues related to the project implementation;
• Develop a methodology and standards for annual publication of performance targets on the Company web site.

Status of Selection Process: Interested firms or group of firms are hereby invited to submit expressions of interest.

Assignment Start Date and Duration: The Assignment is expected to start in November 2016 and has an estimated overall duration of 36 months.

Cost Estimate for the Assignment: EUR 220,000 (exclusive of VAT).

The Consultant must determine whether any indirect taxes/VAT are chargeable on the proposed services and state the basis for such. If any indirect taxes/VAT are payable, the Client will have to pay indirect taxes/VAT element to the services directly to the Consultant unless otherwise agreed.

Funding Source: It is anticipated that the contract will be financed by the Technical Cooperation funds managed by EBRD. Selection and contracting is subject to the availability of funding.

Eligibility: There are no eligibility restrictions.

Consultant Profile: Corporate services are required. The Consultant will be a firm or a group of firms with preferably previous project experience related to:

1. Management of district heating projects, including in the areas of corporate development, stakeholder participation and city support programmes, financial reporting/planning, budgeting and reporting in Central Asia, preferably in the Kyrgyz Republic;

2. Implementing assignments in accordance with the procedures and rules of International Financial Institutions (or similar), such as the World Bank or EBRD in Central Asia, preferably in the Kyrgyz Republic. 
   
   The Consultant’s expert team is expected to include key experts as follows:

1. Key Expert No 1: Team Leader/ District Heating Network Operations Expert with preferably 7 years or more of previous professional experience in operations of a DH network and in the municipal  DH sector in Central Asia, preferably in the Kyrgyz Republic;

2. Key Expert No 2: International Financial expert with preferably 5 years or more  of previous practical experience  in Financial Consultancy to Communal Enterprises preferably District Heating Enterprises;

3. Key Experts No 3: International District Heating Institutional and Regulatory Expert with preferably 5 years or more of previous professional experience in Institutional and Regulatory Consultancy to Communal Enterprises preferably District Heating Enterprises and knowledge of the specific needs and requirements for regulation in DH  sector of the CA region;

4. Key Expert No 4: Environmental, Social and Health & Safety Experts with preferably 5 years or more of previous professional experience in the successful implementation of comparable assignments and with demonstrated knowledge of the environmental and social standards (including demonstrable gender and stakeholder engagement expertise) of the EBRD or other comparable institutions.

5. Key Expert No 5: International Legal Expert with at least 5 years knowledge of local legislation, experience of developing Public Service Contracts, and possibly policy and legal drafting and advisory expertise in working with countries from the region, preferably with the Kyrgyz Republic

(Pool of Additional Experts) consisting of local training expert, translator/secretary, office manager.

Submission Requirements: In order to determine the capability and experience of Consultants to be shortlisted, 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 expression of interest shall not exceed 25 pages (excluding CVs Consultant Declaration and Contact Sheet).

The complete expression of interest (including CVs, Consultant Declaration and Contact Sheet) should be submitted, in English and Russian via email (pdf) to the Client’s contact person, to reach the Client not later than the closing date. One additional copy shall reach the Bank’s contact person by the same due date. The expression of interest shall be one file (pdf). The Client reserves the right to reject applications of firms submitting more than one file. Only if any limitation on the permissible file size is exceeded, the Consultant may split the expression of interest into further files.

Important 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 as follows:

1. Management experience of district heating projects, including in the areas of corporate development, stakeholder participation and city support programmes, financial reporting/planning, budgeting and reporting in Central Asia, preferably in the Kyrgyz Republic (40%)
2. Experience in the implementation of assignments in accordance with the procedures and rules of International Financial Institutions (or similar), such as the World Bank or EBRD in Central Asia, preferably in the Kyrgyz Republic (25%),.
3. CV of Key Expert No 1 (10%)
4. CV of the other  Key Experts (25%)