Introduction
The Ministry of Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Environment (MINRE), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) are jointly developing the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project “Strategic program to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency investments in the electricity sector of Sao Tome and Principe”. The GEF project addresses the existing energy challenges of STP by promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency investments in the electricity sector.
The combined and integrated interventions in the areas of technology demonstration, policy support, capacity building and SIDS-SIDS cooperation will create an enabling environment. The project will contribute to the transformational change of the electricity sector to a sustainable low-carbon development path. The attached Project Identification Form (PIF) has been recently approved by the GEF. In this context, the project partners seek the support of a qualified consultancy company to undertake a baseline assessment and develop the GEF CEO Endorsement Document.
Background
The Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe (STP) consists of two main volcanic islands and several islets located off the west coast of Central Africa. Príncipe is the closest island to mainland Africa and has an area of 142 km2 with a population estimated at 7,500 inhabitants. São Tomé, the largest island, lies further out and covers an area of 859 km² with about 180,000 inhabitants (World Bank, 2016). As a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), STP faces specific challenges in relation to its size, remoteness from large markets, dependence on a small number of economic sectors, direct investment and remittances inflow, lack of resources and a significant trade deficit. Moreover, the country is dependent on expensive fossil fuel imports and key sectors of the economy are highly vulnerable to natural, climate, and external economic shocks.
Universal access to sustainable energy services in STP requires the replacement of old diesel generators and investments into new generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure. Upcoming investment decisions in the energy sector will determine the GHG emission profile of the country for the next decades. Because of the electricity generation dependence on diesel imports at fluctuating prices, significant parts of the foreign exchange income generated from agro-business (e.g. cacao), fishery and tourism are spent in the energy sector. Moreover, there are no energy efficiency standards for buildings and electric household appliances (e.g. lighting, air conditioning) in place.
Objectives and deliverables of the assignment
The overall objective of the consultancy assignment is to support UNIDO and MINRE with the successful finalisation of the project preparatory phase. Concretely, the assignment includes the following tasks: (a) baseline report on the renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE); (b) development of the GEF CEO Endorsement Document (incl. a list of pre-assessed priority renewable energy investment projects); and (c) inputs for the execution of a validation workshop to present the project to key stakeholders. Interested bidders shall propose an effective implementation methodology and activity plan for the assignment in their technical offers. The contractor shall provide the following deliverables:
Deliverable 1: Inception report
Based on an initial telephone/skype conference meeting, the contractor will provide an inception report in Portuguese on the assignment. The inception report will include a detailed activity plan, time schedule, a list of key literature to be reviewed, a list of key stakeholders to be consulted, schedule of stakeholder meetings, assessment questionnaire to collect data and identify priority activities and projects.
Deliverable 2: Baseline report on the renewable energy and energy efficiency Markets in STP
The renewable energy and energy efficiency baseline report (in Portuguese) will be developed in close cooperation with UNIDO and the national focal point at MINRE. The report will at least include: general status of the energy sector and particularly the power sector (on- and off-grid), energy sector stakeholder analysis, the status of renewable energy investments and markets, an assessment of the feasibility and viability of various renewable energy technology options in comparison to other alternatives and a renewable energy gap analysis concerning policy, incentive mechanisms and existing capacities. The report will conclude with recommendations for priority activities and projects to be implemented under the GEF project. The baseline report will include gender analysis and include gender specific data.
Deliverable 3: Development of the GEF CEO Endorsement Document
In close cooperation with the UNIDO Project Team, ECREEE and the national coordinator in the Ministry, the contractor will develop the full GEF CEO Endorsement Document (in English and Portuguese). The contractor will coordinate closely with a hydro expert tasked to assess the existing non-operational hydro power stations in the country. A list of roughly assessed feasible and viable renewable energy on- and off-grid projects will be included in the annex of the CEO Endorsement Document. The full set of available technologies and potentials will be considered (e.g. PV, bioelectricity, hydro, bioenergy, wind, solar thermal). The contractor will assist in mobilizing co-funding letters, develop the GHG emission reduction model (xls calculations), the result framework (incl. gender indicators), the environmental and social management plan (GEF template) and an effective implementation strategy.
Deliverable 4: Inputs for the national validation workshop
The contractor will provide inputs for the project validation workshop (e.g. presentations, project brochure) and will participate in the meeting.
Application Procedure
Applicants shall submit their written proposals in English:
- Short technical proposal (including proposed approach and methodology, work and activity plan, detailed CVs of experts, copies of university degrees, certifications, licenses as well as proven track record of implemented assignments).
- Financial proposal in USD including all costs and taxes (includes a detailed work-time-expert-diagram indicating daily rates for individual team members).
- Documents of similar assignments if available;
Further information
Applicants are requested to submit their proposals no later than 17 Dec, 2017, 18:00 hrs., CET, by registering on the UNIDO procurement page (www.unido.org/procurement). In case of difficulties, applications could exceptionally be sent to procurement@unido.org. The bidder should, however, provide an objective and convincing justification for not having submitted via the procurement system.
Further information is available in the attached Project Identification Form (PIF).
Procurement expired
