Consultancy to carry out Environmental & Social Analyses for 5 category B solar plants projects

Item Description:

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the “EBRD” or the “Bank”) is providing technical support to the Ministry of Industry and Small and Mid-size Enterprises (‘MIPME’ or the ‘Ministry’) of Tunisia for the development of private renewable energies projects.

The Renewable Energy Law of 2015 envisages three potential options for project development from the private sector: (a) export projects, (b) auto-generation projects; and (c) local consumption projects (falling under the “authorisation regime” for smaller projects, and the “concession regime” for larger capacity).

The Bank has been actively engaged in a policy dialogue with the Tunisian authorities on different aspects of the renewable energy development in the country. For the concession regime, EBRD is currently part of a Working Group headed by the Ministry (alongside WB/IFC and GIZ, as well as STEG and ANME) to prepare a two-stage tender for projects under the “concession regime” totalling 800 MW on state-owned sites (500 MW solar and 300 MW wind). The pre-qualification phase launched in May 2018 will be followed by a qualification phase in order for the Ministry to select project developers (the “Developer”). It is anticipated that these Developers may seek for international financing to build and operate the renewable energy plants.

Seven sites have been identified by the Ministry for the future renewable energy plants: five sites for solar plants and two sites for wind plants.

An Environmental and Social scoping study conducted in 2018 concluded that the five solar projects are Category B projects (as per EBRD Environmental and Social Policy 2014), it will be provided to the Consultant upon contract award – or if requested by consultants during proposal preparation (subject to confidentiality undertaking).

Assignment Description:

It has been agreed between the Bank and the Ministry to have the assistance of a consultant (“the Consultant”) to carry out Environmental and Social Analyses for each of the five solar projects (the “Assignment”). In this context, the Bank now intends to engage the Consultant to develop an Environmental and Social Analyses, a Preliminary ESMP (Environmental and Social Management Plan) and a Preliminary SEP (Stakeholder Engagement Plan) for each of the five solar projects.

The detailed scope of work and services (the “Services”) are further described in the full Terms of Reference (the “ToRs”) available through this link:

http://www.ebrd.com/documents/procurement/76907-tor.pdf

Consultant Selection Procedure: Single stage open competitive selection.

Interested firms or groups of firms are invited to submit a Technical and Financial Proposal.

Assignment Start Date and Duration: The Assignment is expected to start in February 2019 and has an estimated overall duration of up to 5 months.

Cost Estimate for the Assignment: EUR 250,000.00 (exclusive of VAT).

The Contract award is subject to availability of funding, the performance of the selected Consultant and the business needs, the Assignment may be extended beyond the current scope.

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

Eligibility: There are no eligibility restrictions based on the Consultant’s nationality.

Consultant Profile: Corporate services are required.

The Consultant will be a firm or a group of firms preferably with previous project experience related to:

• Solar industry and solar plants;
• Environmental and Social Assessments and Environmental Impact Assessment process for energy projects in Tunisia or similar EBRD’s countries of operations;
• Knowledge of EBRD’s Performance Requirements as well as the EBRD’s Environmental and Social Policies;
• Previous experience in working with EBRD or other International Financial Institutions is an advantage.

The consultant’s expert team is expected to include the following key experts (the ‘Key Experts’):

a)Key Expert 1: Project Manager, preferably with a Graduate degree in Environmental science and 15 years of previous professional experience as follows:

• Professional and academic experience in environment and more specifically in Environmental and Social Assessments aligned with EBRD PRs and IFC PSs;
• in leading and implementing similar projects in Tunisia or similar EBRD’s countries of operations;
• in concession regime or PPP projects;
• Fluency in French and English;
• Excellent communication skills.

b)Key Expert 2: Biodiversity specialist(s) preferably with a Graduate in Ecology or Biodiversity conservation sciences and 7-10 years of previous professional experience as follows:

• Local and international experience in characterizing baseline conditions and assessing impacts of programs and projects on people and the environment in Tunisia or similar countries of operations of the EBRD;
• Familiar with EBRD PR6 and IFC PS6;
• Good knowledge of English and preferably French;
• Previous professional experience in Tunisia in similar assignments is an advantage.

c)Key Expert 3: Social expert preferably with a Graduate Degree in Social Science and 7-10 years of previous professional experience as follows:

• Local and international experience in characterizing baseline conditions and assessing impacts of programs and projects on people and the environment in Tunisia or similar countries of operations of the EBRD, and in enhancing positive impacts (synergies);
• Familiar with EBRD PR2/PR8/PR10 and IFC PS2/PS8;
• Good knowledge of English and preferably French;
• Previous professional experience in Tunisia is an advantage.

d)Key Expert 4: Pool of Local experts preferably with Graduate Degree and 10 years of experience as follows:

• Environmental and social assessment, Environmental regulation in Tunisia;
• Stakeholder engagement and public consultations, land access and land use;
• Biodiversity (especially birds and bats);
• Archeology;
• Hydrology;
• Strong understanding of environmental and social challenges in Tunisia especially with regards to the solar sector.

Submission Requirements: Interested consultants are now invited to submit a completed Technical and Financial Proposal as per the standard templates and instructions available at this link: http://www.ebrd.com/documents/procurement/single-stage-package.docx

Interested Consultants should make themselves familiar with these Standard Templates, Standard Instructions and Conditions of Contract in preparation of their proposals.

1. The Technical Proposal shall be submitted in English electronically via eSelection not later than the Closing Date, as one single PDF file. The technical proposal should not exceed 50 pages excluding the Declaration Form and CVs (Form 1- TP 1 and Form 1 – TP 6).
2. The Financial Proposal (Form 2 – FP 1 and FP2) shall be submitted in English separately by email only to the Bank Contact Person. Consultants are reminded of the requirement to ensure the confidentiality of the Financial Proposals.

A Technical Proposal that contains elements of a financial proposal shall be declared non-responsive.

A Financial proposal submitted together with the technical proposals via e Selection shall be declared non-responsive.

Bank Contact Person:

Maria Haugh

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
One Exchange Square
London EC2A 2JN
e-mail: haughm@ebrd.com

For the avoidance of doubt, technical proposals should be sent through eSelection and NOT to this email address. Financial proposals should be sent to this email address and NOT through eSelection.

Deadline to Submit Clarification Questions: Via e-mail to the Bank Contact Person by 24 January 2019

Selection Method and Evaluation Criteria:

1. Technical Proposal Evaluation Criteria

(a) Firm’s previous project experience in similar assignments in Tunisia or similar countries of operations of the EBRD (30%)

(b) Quality of the methodology/ technical proposal proposed for the Assignment (30%)

(c) CVs of the Key Experts (40 %).

The minimum technical score (St) required to pass is 80.

2. Opening of Financial Proposals

After the technical evaluation is completed, only the submissions which score 80 or above of the total marks available for the technical criteria will be eligible to have their financial proposals opened.

3. Combined Technical and Financial Evaluation

The lowest evaluated Financial Proposal (Fm) is given the maximum financial score (Sf) of 100. The formula for determining the financial scores (Sf) of all other Proposals is calculated as follows:

Sf = 100 x Fm/ F, in which “Sf” is the financial score, “Fm” is the lowest evaluated Financial Proposal, and “F” the price of the Proposal under consideration.

Proposals are then ranked according to their combined technical (St) and financial (Sf) scores using the weights (T = 80; F = 20) T + F = 100 as follows: S = St x T% + Sf x F%.

Important Notes:

1. The proposal validity period is 120 days from the deadline date for the receipt of submissions. During this period, the Consultant shall maintain its original Proposal without any change, including the availability of the Experts, the proposed rates and the total price.
2. The selection will be made from the Proposals received in response to this notification only, on the basis of the submission requirements and selection criteria set out in this Procurement Notice. The highest-ranked Consultant will be selected and invited to negotiate the contract, subject to availability of funding.

Any updates of and clarifications on this procurement notice shall be announced as updates on this notice, without any other notification. In the event of changes consultants will need to download the updated versions. Consultants are required to periodically check the notice for updates. Failure to take the updates into account while preparing the Proposal may result in disqualification or penalties to the scores in the evaluation.