URGENT - Revised deadline and Permission to send Applications by Email - Strategic Advisor to support Project's development -St Paul River Project- Liberia

Dear Sir/Madam,

With respect to the Request for the Expressions of Interest (REOI) published below on March 16, 2020 and on UNDB website, please note that the revised deadline is April 29, 2020.

All other provisions in the published REOI, including the permission to send the expressions by email exclusively, are unchanged.

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PERMITTING ONLINE APPLICATIONS: The published request for expressions of interest is modifies as follows: 

1. Expressions of Interest must be delivered by Email only (in English) to procurement@ecowapp.org by April 20, 2020, 10:00am Cotonou time
2. Due to COVID-19, no hard copies will be accepted and any hard copy sent to WAPP will be rejected. Expressions of Interest shall clearly bear in subject the mention: “EOI - Strategic Advisor -St Paul River Project- Liberia- MOF-REF-14”.  Expressions without the mention above may not be identified timely and we strongly recommend to follow the instructions.

MISCELLANEOUS: All other provisions in the published REOI are unchanged.

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REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (REOI)

(CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION)

INTEGRATION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT  

Grant Nº: IDA - D2440

Assignment Title: Strategic Advisor to support Project's development -St Paul River Project- Liberia

Reference N°: MOF-REF-14

Introduction 

The West African Power Pool (WAPP) has receieved financing from World Bank towards the cost of the Integration and Technical Assistance Project and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.

The consulting services (“the Services”) include a Strategic Advisor to support Projects development - St Paul River Project- Liberia. The overall objective of the Strategic Transaction Advisor (STA) is to help (i) identify options for the financial structuring of the Priority Investment Project (PIP) approved by the Government of Liberia (GoL) on the 26^th of September 2019, including possible participation of private investors or commercial financing and to (ii) define the structure of financing the PIP implementation and for guiding the GOL and the Stakeholders in selecting the most appropriate format for operating the electricity generating plants of the program.

Scope of Missions and services of the STA

General Purpose Mission

1. Provide GoL with state to the art advice and working models as to the best possible ways and tools to manage and implement (e.g. planning and development phasing) the PIP and its key components  
2. Act as a neutral interface between GoL and various stakeholders as to what is the best structuring (ex: Legal structuring; financing structuring ; Operations scheme structuring, etc.) for PIP packages development;
3. Assess and recommend (using benchmark approach/methods) the best existing options to consider for the PIP packages development;
4. Ensure overall coherence of the PIP management trajectory with national strategic goals (cross-sectoral, sector wide – NEP – as per contribution to reducing the existing and projected energy demand/supply gap, employment promotion, environment protection, etc.);
5. Set the ground for the various National Regulatory bodies (CSLG/LERC/MME/LEC/MfDP) involved in the PIP projects to experiment effective regional co-operation on regulatory issues (best practices sharing - regulation, competition, power pricing management/convergence, etc.);
6. Ensure the PIP projects contribute to meet short/medium (ex: economic growth) and long-term energy sector challenges (ex: sufficient energy supply to enable Liberia to successfully fulfill its economic development in the long run – LTDP);
7. Make recommendations on any relevant policy gap to be filled (ex: LERC / MME / Competition Body to ensure players comply with fair competition rules on energy markets and that therefore fair power pricing is granted to users/consumers)
8. Report to the relevant body/level about any issue/risk/threat (suspected or proven) that may have critical impact on St Paul River (and Solar) project development and (ii) recommend best possible way to deal with such issues

Specific purpose missions (operational advisory)

1. Come up with an overarching «Road Map» that will integrate all aspects (strategic, operational, planning/schedule, fundraising, governance, resources, etc.) of PIP packages development 
2. Such Road Map should necessarily include (e.g. Appendix) package-related risk mapping (policy and legal, social and political, financial, operational, economic and market/demand, etc.) and the relevant response strategy and management tools
3. Make sure that this tool is updated on a regular basis based on field data (and all other relevant data sources) in order to best possible mitigate project’s related risks
4. Based on an inclusive approach aiming at fostering ownership (particularly from national stakeholders) , identify within project governance members relevant people willing to act as «risk owner» by taking full responsibility on specific risks management (under the overall coordination of the STA)
5. Act as middle man as per risk management issues and identify appropriate channels to report to the right decision makers in order to enable a smooth and timely response
6. Make this tool as simple and friendly as possible with the view of making it a widely shared/agreed working tool among various stakeholders (GoL, Regulatory Body, funding/financing, project governance members, beneficiaries/users, etc.)
7. With respect to the above, craft and set the ground for developing tools (ex: dash board) enabling to meet such overarching goals (see general tasks)
8. Set the ground for the PIP phasing/implementing process to become a «case study» project for Liberia by documenting its overall process (with the view of providing strategic and operational guidance for future energy investment projects nationwide); this could help fill national skills gap over time. 

The contract is expected to be awarded in July 2020. The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be downloaded here.

Please note that these TOR are indicative and could change before the publication of the Request for Proposals.

The WEST AFRICAN POWER POOL now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services.

Shortlisting Criteria

The Shortlisting Criteria are:

1. Successfully completed at least two similar assignments as Strategic Transaction Advisor for renewable energy infrastructure projects that included legal and regulatory due diligence
2. Successfully completed at least two similar assignments as Operational Transaction Advisor for a solar PV project, which included management of the tendering process under a Public Private Partnership (PPP), including preparation of the tender documents, assistance in contract award and provision of advisory services until the financial close of the project.
3. Knowledge of national electricity utilities in Africa through previous provision of advisory services;
4. Have successfully completed at least two financial analysis assignments, with relevant project finance experience through to financial close for power generation projects either funded by public resources (Government budget and support from TFP) or private investments (various formats of PPP with private sector participation);
5. Have successfully completed at least two assignments in financial modelling of power generation projects;

Key Experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the Wolr Bank’s Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers (January 2011-Revised July 2014) (“Consultant Guidelines”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications and shall indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint-venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint-venture, all the partners in the joint-venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected.

A consultant will be selected in accordance with the “Quality and Cost-based Selection” method set out in the Consultant Guidelines.

Further information can be obtained sending message to andorere@ecowapp.org  with Copy to: mkanforlare@ecowapp.org, bhessou@ecowapp.org, mmodjinou@ecowapp.org, and msdiedhiou@ecowapp.org

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form (English) to the address below by April 20, 2020, 10:00 am Cotonou time (original, 4 hard copies + an electronic version).