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Procurement notice

SLCDU/CDF/QCBS/2022/03 Fiscal Agent Services /

Specific Procurement Notice
(as posted earlier)

 

Freetown, Sierra Leone

June 30, 2023

Re: Fiscal Agent Services

Ref: SLCDU/CDF/QCBS/2022/03

The Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone (“Government”) has applied for grant funding from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (“MCC”), called a Compact, and, if awarded the grant funding, intends to apply a part of the proceeds of that funding to payments for contracts for goods, works and services. The Government has formed the Sierra Leone Compact Development Unit (“SLCDU”) within the Office of the Vice President for the purpose of developing the Compact. To facilitate the development and implementation of the Compact, MCC and the Government have entered into a grant agreement, dated March 3, 2022 (as amended or otherwise modified from time to time, the “CDF Agreement”), whereby MCC granted to the Government an amount not to exceed US$11,970,375 under the authority of Section 609(g) of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, as amended (the “Act”). Subject to the terms and conditions of the Compact related agreements, and the availability of funds, the Government intends to use a portion of the funds and the CDF agreement  to finance professional fiscal agent services from a legally constituted firm (“Fiscal Agent” or “Consultant”) to assist the Government with the implementation of the compact program in a transparent and sound manner. The Fiscal Agent will provide such support in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in an agreement (the “Fiscal Agent Agreement”), a form of which is attached to this Request for Proposals (“RFP”) in Section VI.

 

In issuing this RFP, the Government is represented by SLCDU., SLCDU will continue to represent the Government in matters related to the Compact and Fiscal Agent Agreement until such time as the Government establishes the Millennium Challenge Account Sierra Leone (“MCA-Sierra Leone”) to serve as the accountable entity for implementing the Compact. Prior to the establishment of MCA-Sierra Leone, any references to actions taken or rights received by MCA-Sierra Leone or the MCA Entity in this RFP, including in the Form of Contract, shall be taken or received by SLCDU on behalf of the Government, and any references herein to MCA-Sierra Leone or the MCA Entity shall be deemed to mean SLCDU during this period.

 

The Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone (the “Government” or “GoSL”) and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (“MCC”), a United States government agency, have entered into a Compact Development Funding Agreement (“CDF Agreement”) dated March 3, 2022, through which MCC provided approximately $11.97 million to facilitate the development and implementation of the Compact.

Four projects are currently proposed for inclusion in the Compact, which are subject to the MCC Board’s review and approval;

 

  1. The Transmission Backbone Project will focus on increasing the coverage and capacity of the transmission network to improve its resilience and operations and maintenance.
  2. The Distribution and Access Project will focus on increasing the reliable delivery and consumption of electricity in Sierra Leone while reducing barriers to access among potential customers.
  3. The Cost-Effective Power Supply Project will focus on increasing the supply of lower cost renewable electricity in Sierra Leone.
  4. The Power Sector Reform Project will focus on improving the financial sustainability of the electricity sector in Sierra Leone.

 

The Government plans to establish MCA-Sierra Leone to oversee and implement the proposed compact program in accordance with the terms of the Compact. Until such time as MCA-Sierra Leone is established, SLCDU is acting on behalf of the Government in all matters related to the CDF Agreement and Compact.

 

MCA-Sierra Leone requires the services of the Fiscal Agent (“FA”) for a base period of twelve (12) months at a fixed price. Thereafter, MCA-Sierra Leone will require six (6) 12-month option periods at a fixed price. However, the final option period (Option Period 6) may be more or less than 12 months and will include a 120-day period after the expiration of the Compact. For purposes of preparing proposals, Consultants should assume that the final option period (Option Period 6) will be for full 12 months from the time of option effectiveness. Despite this, Option Period 6 will vary in actual implementation, and could be shorter or longer than 12 months, including the 120-day closure period. At least one year prior to exercising the 6th option, the payment for this period will be adjusted on a pro-rata basis (using the evaluated Option Period 6 price above as the basis) to account for the actual number of days that Option Period 6 will cover.

 

This Request for Proposal, the RFP, follows the General Procurement Notice that appeared in dgMarket on May 5, 2023, and UNDB Online on May 4, 2023.

SLCDU now invites proposals from legally constituted consulting firms and other organizations to provide the Fiscal Agent services (“Proposals”). More details on these services are provided in the Terms of Reference in Section V of this RFP.

 

This RFP is open to all eligible entities (“Consultants”) who wish to respond. Subject to restrictions noted in the RFP, consultants may associate with other consultants to enhance their capacity to successfully carry out the assignment.

 

A Consultant will be selected under the Quality and Cost-Based Selection (“QCBS”) method, an evaluation procedure that is described in Section III of the RFP in accordance with the “MCC Program Procurement Guidelines” provided on the MCC website (www.mcc.gov/ppg). The selection process, as described, will include a review and verification of qualifications and past performance, including a reference check, prior to the contract award.

 

The RFP includes the following Sections:

 

PART 1 – PROPOSAL AND SELECTION PROCEDURES

Section I         Instructions to Consultants (“ITC”)                                                          

This section provides information to help Consultants prepare their Proposals; it also provides information on the submission, opening, and evaluation of Proposals and on the award of the proposed contract.

Section II        Proposal Data Sheet (“PDS”)

This section includes provisions that are specific to this procurement and that supplement Section I, Instructions to Consultants.

Section III      Qualification and Evaluation Criteria

This section specifies the qualifications required of the Consultant and the criteria to be used to evaluate their Proposal.

Section IV A  Technical Proposal Forms

This section provides the Technical Proposal Forms that Consultants are to complete and submit in a separate envelope as part of their total Proposals.

Section IV B  Financial Proposal Forms

This section provides the Financial Proposal Forms that Consultants are to complete and submit in a separate envelope as part of their total Proposals.

Section V        Terms of Reference

This Section includes the detailed Terms of Reference that describe the nature, tasks, and duties of the consulting services to be procured.

 

PART 2 – CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT AND CONTRACT AGREEMENT

Section VI      Contract Agreement

                        This section contains the draft form of a Contract, including the annexes, which SLCDU proposes to enter with the winning Consultant.

 

Please note that a Pre-Proposal Conference will be held as described in the Proposal Data Sheet (“PDS”), Section II of the RFP. Attendance at the Pre-Proposal Conference is not mandatory but is strongly advised for all interested Consultants or their representatives.

 

Consultants interested in receiving the RFP and submitting a Proposal should register using the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/igVDug2jKE . Consultants should provide their correct email contact details. This will ensure that the Consultants receive updates regarding this RFP.

 

Proposals must be delivered electronically to the address and in the manner specified in the PDS ITC 17, no later than 4:00pm Sierra Leone Time, (GMT+0), on August 9, 2023.

 

Please note that only electronic Proposals shall be accepted. Late Proposals will not be accepted under any circumstances.

 

Yours sincerely,

Ndeye F. Koroma

National Coordinator

Sierra Leone Compact Development Unit

Office of the Vice President (OVP)