CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST "Implementation of Capacity building Program for Municipalities and SKls"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Agence Française de Developpement - 5 rue Roland Barthes - 75 012 PARIS

 

 

The French Development Agency (AFD) is the main public institution for the implementation of the French Government International Development Cooperation policies. It is both a technical agency and a financial institution, providing loans, grants and technical assistance. AFD has started its operation in Turkey in 2004. It has a main office in Istanbul and a liaison office in Ankara.

 

 

CONTEXT :

As a result of an unprecedented influx, consequence of the Syrian conflict, Turkey is currently hosting 3.6 million registered Syrians refugees of which only 4% reside in camps while the remaining 96% live with the host population. 60% of the registered refugees live in South-Eastern provinces, putting substantial pressure on their infrastructure and municipal services, even more so since budget allocations to the local authorities continue to be determined only according to the number of host populations (excluding refugees).

Within the framework of the European Union's Facility for the Refugees in Turkey (FRiT II), the European Union (EU) has delegated to AFD the financing of a municipal infrastructure project.

The Project aims at improving the living condition of host communities and Syrian refugees in the South-East of Turkey in terms of access to water and sanitation services, and comprises three components:

• Component 1, which is dedicated to physical investments, includes ten sub-projects located in six provinces in the southeast of Turkey (Kilis, Adıyaman, Şanlıurfa, Gaziantep, Mersin and Mardin). 4 sub-projects concern the rehabilitation and extension of water drinking networks, and 6 sub-projects concern the construction and improvement of wastewater and stormwater collection and treatment infrastructures.
• Component 2 is dedicated to allow for the smooth implementation of Component 1, through technical assistance and capacity building activities. AFD has conducted a need assessment, which highlighted the lack of expertise and experience of the operators on several operational issues.

-       Component 3 is dedicated to communication and visibility activities.

The Contribution Agreement between AFD and the EU was signed on 20th December 2019. The Project is intended to last 52 months from 1st January 2020 onward.

The primary beneficiary of the fund delegated to AFD is ILBANK, with which AFD has signed a Financing Agreement on 13th April 2020. ILBANK plays the role of technical and financial intermediary for the Project, and has signed an On-Granting Agreement with each of the Final Beneficiary.

The Final Beneficiaries of the Project are the targeted water and sanitation operators, whether municipalities or Metropolitan Municipality Water and Wastewater Administrations ("SKI"), with which ILBANK will sign On-Granting Agreements. These are:

o       4 Municipalities: Kilis, Elbeyli, Polateli and Adıyaman;

o       4 SKI in Şanlıurfa (SUSKI), Gaziantep (GASKI), Mersin (MESKI), Mardin (MARSU).

OBJECTIVES AND CONTENT :

The main objective of the services is to assist AFD in implementing a capacity building program to meet expected requirements in terms of quality, performance and security of investment sub-projects (Component 1). The capacity building program is foreseen within the frame of the Component 2, for six of the final beneficiaries of the Program: municipal water and sanitation authorities in Kilis and Adıyaman, which are the Municipalities of Kilis and Adıyaman themselves, as well as the following water and sanitation utilities : Gaski (in Gaziantep), Şuski (in Sanliurfa), Marsu (in Mardin), Meski (in Mersin).

It will focus on the four themes identified as key themes, namely:

• Project Management capacities (particularly in terms of Evaluation and Monitoring of large projects, PMEM);
• Performance of the networks, and more particularly in terms of Non-Revenue Water (NRW);
• Performance in terms of Energy Efficiency (EE);
• Performance in terms of commercial management, tariff setting and mechanisms for pricing, invoicing, collection (ECFM, Efficient Commercial and Financial Management).

A need assessment has been performed in 2020 by a consultant contracted by AFD (AETS-Burgeap), resulting in the definition of priority activities in relation with the themes underlines above to be implemented for each of the 6 targeted water and sanitation operators (which are the Municipalities of Kilis and Adıyaman, Gaski, Şuski, Marsu, Meski) during the Programme's implementation period - which will last until end of April 2024.

The Consultant to be recruited as part of the present Call for interest and ensuing Request for Proposals will implement the capacity building program previously defined, and will be expected to ensure its appropriation by the final beneficiaries, to favor cooperation and exchanges between peers, through joint inter-institutional activities, to introduce simple management system to make the relevant parties aware of important milestones, to interact with final beneficiaries and to adapt his tasks accordingly.

The following key experts are expected to be required as part of these services:

• A Project Management, Evaluation and Monitoring Expert;
• An Efficient Commercial and Financial Management Expert;
• A Non-revenue Water Management Expert;
• An Energy Efficiency Expert;
• A Policy and Institutional Assessment Expert.

One of them can be designated as Team Leader.

The Consultant will be expected to provide activity reports and working papers for the activities to be implemented. The regular reports due to AFD about the implementation of the services will be made available in English whereas the more technical reports due as part of capacity building activities will be made available in Turkish to the relevant water and sanitation operators. Some reports may have to be made available in both languages, depending on the needs.

 

 

Procedure :

This EOI is conducted in conformity with France's public procurement. This consultation procedure will be conducted according to a procedure defined by the AFD, known as a "restricted procedure" in accordance with articles L 2124-2 /R 2124-2 of the French public procurement code.

Typology: Intellectual services

Execution and delivery location: Southeast of Turkey (Kilis, Adıyaman, Şanlıurfa, Gaziantep, Mersin and Mardin) for field works.

Duration : The start date is scheduled from the notification of the tender with a provisional period of three (3) years ; the Programme's implementation period is expected to last until 30^th April 2024 at the latest. Estimated number of days: around 580 person/days for key experts profiles (+830 person /days for non key expert profiles).

Acceptable legal entities for applicants: Applicants can express interest as individual contractors, as joint-and-several liability companies, and/or as joint liability-only companies or consortiums.

Each applicant may only respond as a single entity, either as an individual contractor or as a member of a company or a consortium. In addition, each applicant, if not presenting as an individual contractor, can belong to only one company or consortium.

Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted: English

Monetary unit: euros.

 

 

Indicative profile of the Applicant: the Consultant will be a firm or a group of firms which will make available appropriately qualified Team Leader, accompanied by both National

Coordinator and specialists key and non-key experts, gathering both international and Turkish experiences, on water and wastewater infrastructure, notably in the fields of Project Management, Evaluation and Monitoring, Commercial and Financial Management, Non-Revenue Water Management, Energy Efficiency and Policy and Institutional Assessment.

Applicants will be shortlisted according to the following criteria :

 

 

 

 

AFD hereby invites consultants to show their interest in delivering the services described above. Interested consultants must provide information evidencing that they are qualified and experienced to perform those services.

-  Application letter DC1 or equivalent (see attachment or form available at the following address:

 www.economie.gouv.fr

• Declaration by the applicant DC2 or equivalent (see attachment or form available at the following address:  www.economie.gouv.fr
• A copy of the extract of the registration in the Register of companies - Kbis in France or equivalent (legal status, etc.) - less than three months old.
• Declaration of honor to justify that the candidate does not fall under any of the prohibitions on tendering, and in particular that he is in order with regard to Articles L. 5212-1 to L. 5212­11 of the Labor Code concerning the employment of disabled workers
• Appropriate declaration from banks or proof of professional risk insurance
• The document (s) relating to the powers of the person authorized to commit the company (K bis extract, delegation of authority, statutes, etc.) as well as an authorization of the agent by his co-contractors in the event of a consortium companies);
• Declaration concerning the overall turnover, and where applicable concerning the services covered by this consultation, relating to the last three financial years available according to the date of creation of the company or the start of the activity of the company economic operator, insofar as information on these turnover is available;
• List of the main similar services performed over the past three years, indicating the amount, date and public or private recipient;

-     A  reference  file  corresponding to  those  sought under the  eligibility  criteria.

To justify the professional, technical and financial capacities of other economic operators on whom he relies to submit his application, the candidate produces the same documents concerning this economic operator as those required of him by the contracting authority. In addition, to justify that he has the capacities of this economic operator for the performance of the services, the candidate produces a written commitment from the economic operator.

AFD asks you to send it any presentation document that you deem useful to send to it to get to know your company and evaluate it against the criteria mentioned above.

AFD will use these documents to establish the eligibility and ranking of applications, according to the criteria mentioned above.

 

 

The service provider must keep strictly confidential all information regarding AFD included in this RFP or provided separately. The service provider commits to refrain from disclosing or publishing any information with respect to this solicitation.

By the same token, all documents transmitted by the service provider shall be deemed confidential.

 

 

Expressions of interest must be submitted to the address below no later than: Friday, October 30th 2020 at 12h00 (noon) (Paris time) https://www.marches-securises.fr

Any applications received outside the deadline will be rejected.

The AFD reserves the right to decide not to proceed with the tendering procedure.