Transportation and Economic Corridor Building in Central Asia

Overview
Project Summary Document

TCRS 9486

Status Approved

Location

Kazakhstan

Business Sector

Transport

Notice Type

Public

PSD Disclosed

22 Mar 2018

Project Description

Rationale

The proposed TC Project (the “Project”) is in support of the EBRD’s (the “Bank”) activities to develop safe, secure and sustainable transport systems in its countries of operations, ultimately supporting economic growth. The Bank’s priorities in the transport sphere include i) promoting market-based transport systems with an emphasis on private sector involvement, ii) developing sustainable and integrated transport networks, and iii) broadening economic activity through the development of the sector. The Project will focus on the potential of Central Asia as an integral part of the development of new sustainable and integrated transport networks amid global initiatives, and the constraints to the realization of this potential. The main objectives of the Project are: i) to quantify Central Asia’s transportation potential as a transshipment land bridge, ii) to assess trade costs and single out measures to reduce them, and iii) to suggest programmes and institutional reforms needed to implement these measures.

The TC is the first stage of further policy engagement in the Central Asian transport sector, and it will open up new policy and investment opportunities. It will focus on assessing the current situation of the transport environment, and identifying potential opportunities to improve the institutional environment, to be targeted via future investments. There are several stand-alone transport projects in the region, with individual policy engagements. However, with the on-going regionalization efforts in Central Asia (around the BRI and CAREC initiatives, for example), new over-arching themes are emerging, and countries are taking steps to comply with the requirements of a regional agenda. Several IFIs and development partners currently pursue regional projects, and policy agendas in Central Asia. Accordingly, there is a current opportunity for the Bank to enhance its regional policy agenda as well. Hence, this TC will contribute to the development of a regional agenda for the Bank by identifying new themes, and allowing for selection of the themes/issues for which the Bank can lead the policy dialogue in the region. In the aftermath of this TC, the Bank can pursue policy dialogue via individual projects in a more coherent way, contributing to a systemic impact. A key component of the TC is to hold policy dialogue round-table meetings in each country, which will serve as a platform to discuss the priorities with key stake holders, and enhance the Bank’s visibility even further. The TC will also identify the investment needs in each country’s transport sector, through the development of a ‘distance to frontier’ assessment. This assessment will benchmark the existing physical and soft infrastructure against the best practices, under the current constraints, and contribute to assessing possible investment opportunities. The involvement of transport bankers in the TC team would allow for identification and utilization of investment opportunities at early stages.

The Project is also aligned with the objectives of the UN’s overarching programmes, including the Almaty Declaration and the Programme of Action for Landlocked Countries and the Vienna Programme for Action for Landlocked Developing Countries (2014-2024), which encourages technical assistance and capacity-building programs by IFIs aimed at landlocked countries to improve the institutional environment.

TC Services

EBRD intends to engage a consultant (the “Consultant”) to assist the Project. The Consultant’s tasks and responsibilities will encompass the following:

1) Gaps assessment for individual Central Asian countries to identify options for creating seamless transport networks and challenges hampering the development of efficient logistics systems, with a focus on i) physical infrastructure needs to develop roads, railways, airports, border crossing points, logistics centers and dry ports, ii) soft infrastructure needs to improve tariff structures, customs procedures, skills and competencies of logistics personnel in each country to achieve higher efficiency, and to eliminate non-tariff barriers, and environmental and social aspects, including road and rail safety, iii) primary and secondary legislations, iv) distance to frontier matrix to assess the steps to achieve best practice standards (including potential for greener solutions);

2) An assessment of trade costs and shipment times in comparison to comparator countries and routes;

3) An analysis of current and potential trade and transport flows in/through the Central Asian region until 2030;

4) An assessment of determinants of regional users’ choices for transport modes and logistics services, with an emphasis on SMEs, to explore the constraints limiting higher utilization of logistics services, bilateral shipping services and transshipment services; as well as an assessment of the current state of the local logistics and freight forwarders sector and of the prospects for the sector in case of change of regulations;

5) An overview of on-going regional programs and initiatives in Central Asia, led by IFIs, international organizations, bilateral development banks;

6) Structured meetings and policy dialogue round-table meetings with private and public stakeholders, as well as IFIs and international organizations in order to assess alternative roadmaps and contribute to regional discussions.

Enquiries

Business opportunities

For business opportunities or procurement, contact the client company.

For business opportunities with EBRD (not related to procurement) contact:

Tel: +44 20 7338 7168
Email: projectenquiries@ebrd.com

For state-sector projects, visit EBRD Procurement:

Tel: +44 20 7338 6794
Email: procurement@ebrd.com

General enquiries

Specific enquiries can be made using the EBRD Enquiries form.

TCRS 9486

Status Approved

Location

Kazakhstan

Business Sector

Transport

Notice Type

Public

PSD Disclosed

22 Mar 2018

Project Description

Rationale

TC Services

EBRD intends to engage a consultant (the “Consultant”) to assist the Project. The Consultant’s tasks and responsibilities will encompass the following:

2) An assessment of trade costs and shipment times in comparison to comparator countries and routes;

3) An analysis of current and potential trade and transport flows in/through the Central Asian region until 2030;

5) An overview of on-going regional programs and initiatives in Central Asia, led by IFIs, international organizations, bilateral development banks;

Any competitive selections for business opportunities relating to this project will be published on the EBRD's website: Consultancy Procurement Opportunities.

General enquiries

EBRD project enquiries not related to procurement:
Tel: +44 20 7338 7168
Email: projectenquiries@ebrd.com

Access to Information Policy (AIP)

The AIP sets out how the EBRD discloses information and consults with its stakeholders so as to promote better awareness and understanding of its strategies, policies and operations following its entry into force on 1 January 2020. Please visit the Access to Information Policy page to find out what information is available from the EBRD website.

Specific requests for information can be made using the EBRD Enquiries form

Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM)

If efforts to address environmental, social or public disclosure concerns with the Client or the Bank are unsuccessful (e.g. through the Client’s Project-level grievance mechanism or through direct engagement with Bank management), individuals and organisations may seek to address their concerns through the EBRD’s Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM).

IPAM independently reviews Project issues that are believed to have caused (or to be likely to cause) harm. The purpose of the Mechanism is: to support dialogue between Project stakeholders to resolve environmental, social and public disclosure issues; to determine whether the Bank has complied with its Environmental and Social Policy or Project-specific provisions of its Access to Information Policy; and where applicable, to address any existing non-compliance with these policies, while preventing future non-compliance by the Bank.

Please visit the Independent Project Accountability Mechanism webpage to find out more about IPAM and its mandate; how to submit a Request for review; or contact IPAM via email ipam@ebrd.com to get guidance and more information on IPAM and how to submit a request.

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Transportation and Economic Corridor Building in Central Asia

Project Description

Enquiries

Business opportunities

General enquiries

Project Description

General enquiries

Access to Information Policy (AIP)

Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM)