Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JANUARY 08, 2005 FBO #1139
MODIFICATION

R -- Europe & Eurasia Regional: Definitional Mission: Coal Bed Methane/Coalmine Methane Projects

Notice Date

1/6/2005
 

Notice Type

Modification
 

NAICS

541611 — Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
 

Contracting Office

United States Trade and Development Agency, TDA Contracts Office, USTDA, 1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1600, Arlington, VA, 22209-3901
 

ZIP Code

22209-3901
 

Solicitation Number

USTDA-05-Q-81-055
 

Response Due

1/21/2005
 

Archive Date

2/5/2005
 

Small Business Set-Aside

Total Small Business
 

Description

WORK STATEMENT ?Definitional Mission? (DM) for Advisory and Assistance Services by Non-Governmental Sources for Ukraine and Russia. Project Title: Europe & Eurasia Regional: Definitional Mission: Coal Bed Methane/ Coalmine Methane Projects 1 Scope of Work The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (?USTDA?) requires services under this non-personal services Contract to support or improve its decision-making relative to the funding of projects and activities in developing and middle income countries. The Contractor shall provide a report to USTDA, which will: 1.2 assess and justify whether or not USTDA should provide funding for the proposed feasibility studies or other activities; 1.3 assess any alternative studies or activities which the Contractor sees as viable options for USTDA consideration; and 1.4 provide supporting analysis and recommendations on the above information in a final report that analyzes all the relevant issues, as called for in Section C. 2 Delivery & Performance Requirements 2.1 Kick-Off Meeting with the USTDA Program Office Upon award, the Contractor shall contact USTDA?s Contracting Officer?s Technical Representative (COTR) (see G.2) to schedule a meeting to discuss details of the Contract assignment. Unless otherwise advised by the COTR, this meeting will be held at USTDA?s office in Arlington, Virginia. The COTR shall provide the Contractor with names and addresses of the project sponsor(s), other pertinent entities to contact in the United States and overseas, and any other relevant details that may impact upon the design and/or evaluation of the proposed project(s). 2.2 Pre-Visit Report Prior to departure to the host countries, the Contractor shall provide the COTR a pre-visit written report of 3-5 pages containing the proposed schedule or itinerary, preliminary strategies or findings on project viability, financing options, U.S. company interest in the project, a list of contacts to be made during the visit and a pre-visit checklist of issues, information and questions to be utilized during the visit. 2.3 USTDA Responsibility USTDA will advise the U.S. Embassy in the host countries of the Contractor?s proposed travel itinerary prior to departure and request that the Economic and Commercial Sections of the respective Embassies provide the Contractor with names and addresses of appropriate host country officials with whom to meet. 2.4 Contractor?s Host Country Travel The Contractor shall travel to Russia and Ukraine to meet with relevant project officials and with the U.S. Embassies. The Contractor shall contact the Economic and Commercial Sections at the U.S. Embassy upon arrival and prior to departure for briefing and debriefing meetings. While the Embassies may be able to assist the Contractor in arranging some initial meetings with host country officials, the Contractor is responsible for arranging the meetings as well as logistics for the visit, i.e., hotel accommodations, transportation, and interpretation services. In some cases, the Contractor may need to Contract with a local entity to assist with these logistics. Local entities may not provide the technical work of substance for the creation of the DM report. 2.5 Contractor Meaningful Discussions The Contractor shall hold meaningful discussions with appropriate contacts to determine and gauge the interest of potential project financiers and potential U.S. suppliers and assess whether the proposed project(s) is economically, financially, and technically viable. The Contractor shall analyze the potential procurement of U.S. goods and services for project implementation by categories and dollar values. The analysis shall include an assessment of the project risks and its financial viability, the priority of the project and political/social/organizational support it has, potential sources of financing, and the capability and experience of the project sponsor. The analysis shall also include an assessment of the social and economic development impacts of the proposed project. 2.6 USTDA Report Objectives If the Contractor recommends that USTDA fund the study (ies) in a phased approach, and/or if any outstanding issues should be resolved or conditions met before funding is approved, those phases, issues and/or conditions should be clearly explained in the recommendation. 2.6.1 The Contractor shall provide a final report to the USTDA, which will: 2.6.1.1 assess and justify whether or not USTDA should provide funding for a feasibility study of the proposed project(s); 2.6.1.2 assess any alternative or other activities which the Contractor sees as viable options for USTDA consideration; and 2.6.1.3 provide recommendations on the above information in a final report that analyzes all relevant issues, as cited in Sections 3.1 through 3.15. 2.6.2 Contractor recommendations shall be based upon USTDA funding criteria, which are that the project must: 2.6.2.1 be likely to receive implementation financing, and in addition, have a procurement process that provides ?equal access? to U.S. firms; 2.6.2.2 represent an opportunity for sales of U.S. goods and services that is many times greater than the initial investment of USTDA assistance; 2.6.2.3 be a development priority of the project sponsor and country where the project is located and have the endorsement of the U.S. Embassy in that nation; and 2.6.2.4 involve U.S. companies that are facing strong competition from foreign companies receiving subsidies and other support from their governments. 3 Definitional Mission Final Report 3.1 Executive Summary (1-2 Pages) The Contractor shall submit an executive summary of the report?s findings and recommendations. 3.2 Project Description (3-5 Pages) The Contractor shall submit a description and history of the project, including, among other things, host country and/or other project sponsors, sector, project location, source of raw materials, infrastructure requirements, proposed technological approach, legal and regulatory framework (licenses, permits, etc.), implementation schedule, economic fundamentals (estimated capital cost, operating costs, expected revenues, etc), and any other key variables or issues that the Contractor deems critical as part of a thorough activity/project evaluation. 3.3 Developmental Impact (2-3 Pages) The Contractor shall submit an assessment of the development impact of the project on the host country. In this section, the Contractor shall discuss two aspects of ?developmental impact?. 3.3.1 Primary Developmental Benefits - The Contractor shall discuss the most important benefits that the project will provide to the host country. Items of primary interest to USTDA include: Infrastructure (including any positive environmental impacts), Human Capacity Building (including jobs and training), Technology Transfer and Productivity Improvements and Market Oriented Reforms. Other host country economic development benefits such as, Financial Revenue Enhancements and others should also be mentioned where appropriate (For more detail see the Guidance on USTDA Development Impact Measures at www.tda.gov/resources ) 3.3.2 Alternatives ? Are there competing ways to achieve host country objectives? At the Definitional Mission stage, it will not be possible to address these questions definitively, but the DM Contractor, at a minimum, shall define and comment on the broad alternatives available to the host country project sponsor. 3.4 Project Sponsor?s Commitment (1-2 Pages) The Contractor shall submit a description of the host country project sponsor(s) business/government operations or authority and an assessment of the project sponsor?s ability to implement the project. 3.5 Implementation Financing (2-4 Pages) The Contractor shall submit a review of the financing options for project implementation, including an assessment of the overall cost estimate of the project and, for projects involving potential U.S. equity investment, the project?s proposed debt-equity structure to ensure that it corresponds to the requirements of the prospective lenders (this aspect is critical to USTDA?s decision making). As part of this review, the Contractor is required to contact officials from the potential financing institutions, including, where appropriate, multilateral lending institutions, Ex-Im Bank, OPIC, and private/commercial sources, to assure that the project sponsors have adequately explored their financing options. The Contractor shall provide names and phone numbers of contacts at the potential lending institutions and summarize their comments. The Contractor must determine the most likely source(s) of implementation financing and ensure that the terms of reference for any proposed feasibility study fulfill the requirements of the most likely source(s). 3.6 U.S. Export Potential (1-2 Pages) The Contractor shall submit a best estimate of potential procurement of U.S. goods and services for project implementation. This estimate should be supported by a breakdown by category and dollar value of goods and services likely to be imported for the project and an illustrative list of potential U.S. suppliers of the goods and services for those goods and services listed as likely U.S. exports. A report of discussions with a reasonable number of U.S. companies that could be exporters, and their level of interest in the project, should also be included. 3.7 Foreign Competition (1-2 Pages) The Contractor shall discuss the foreign competition for goods and services likely to be procured for project implementation by category, including a discussion of U.S. industry competitiveness in each category, taking into account geographic factors, local industry capabilities, technology and licensee issues, past procurement tendencies of the project sponsor, and how the procurement is likely to be conducted. 3.8 Impact on the Environment (1-2 Pages) The Contractor shall submit a statement regarding the likely consequences the proposed project may have on the environment and ensure that the terms of reference for the feasibility study include, at a minimum, a preliminary review of the project?s impact on the environment, with reference to local environmental requirements and those areas requiring evaluation by the potential lending agencies. The feasibility study should identify potential negative impacts and discuss the extent to which they can be minimized. 3.9 Impact on U.S. Labor (1-2 Pages) The Contractor shall submit an assessment of the impact of the project on U.S. labor. 3.10 Qualifications (1-2 Pages) The Contractor shall submit the feasibility team qualifications required to conduct the study and the evaluation criteria to be used by the Project Sponsor in cases of completed studies. 3.11 Justification (1-2 Pages) The Contractor shall provide an explanation of why USTDA?s grant funding is needed. 3.12 Terms of Reference (1-5 Pages) The Contractor shall provide Terms of Reference (TOR) for the feasibility study (FS) or technical assistance (TA). The TOR, which must be endorsed by the Project Sponsor, shall include, at a minimum, the following: 3.12.1 Purpose and objective of the feasibility study or technical assistance. This section should contain a concise statement. 3.12.2 A technical assessment. This section should include relevant background information that is pertinent to the technology selection. 3.12.3 An economic analysis of the project. This section will usually include a cash flow analysis, attention to market conditions, raw material availability, supply agreements, off-take agreements, and competing alternative methods of achieving the same or similar project objectives. 3.12.4 A financial analysis of the project. This section should consider the availability of equity and debt financing as well as the views of potential public and private financing organizations such as World Bank, Ex-Im and OPIC. 3.12.5 An appropriate environmental analysis of the project. The FS/TA Contractor shall make a preliminary review of the project?s anticipated impact on the environment with reference to local requirements and those of multilateral lending agencies (such as the World Bank), if these funding sources are likely to be used. This review would identify potential negative impacts, discuss the extent to which they can be mitigated, and develop plans for a full environmental impact assessment if and when the project moves forward to the implementation stage. This includes the identification of steps that will need to be undertaken by the project sponsor subsequent to the Study?s completion and prior to project implementation. 3.12.6 A review of regulatory issues related to the project; 3.12.7 An analysis of key host country economic benefits (Infrastructure, Human Capacity Building, Technology Transfer and Productivity Improvement and/or Market Oriented Reform). These Development Impact factors are intended to provide the project?s decision-makers and interested parties with a broader view of the project?s potential effects on the Host Country. For specific information regarding USTDA?s Development Impact goals and measures, please contact the COTR at USTDA, or see the Guidance on USTDA Development Impact Measures at www.tda.gov/resources ) 3.12.8 US sources of supply. The FS/TA Contractor, while aiming at optimum specifications and characteristics for the project, shall identify the availability of potential U.S. sources of supply. Business name, point of contact, address, telephone, e-mail, and fax numbers shall be included for each source. 3.12.9 An implementation plan (anticipated next steps necessary to implement the Project); and 3.12.10 Final Report. The FS/TA Contractor shall prepare and provide to the Grantee and to USTDA a Final Report in accordance with Clause __ of Annex II of the Grant Agreement. Each of the above tasks in this Terms of Reference must be distinctly set forth in the Final Report in a substantive and comprehensive manner, and shall include all corresponding deliverables. The Final Report shall contain an executive summary. In addition to any other required deliverables in accordance with Clause ____ of Annex II of the Grant Agreement, the Contractor will provide both the Grantee and USTDA with 6 copies (each) of the final report on CD-ROM. The CD-ROM version of the final report will include: Adobe Acrobat readable copies of all documents; Source files for all drawings in AutoCAD or Visio format; and Source files for all documents in MS Office 2000 or later formats. The TOR must be designed to meet the requirements of the most likely source(s) of implementation financing. The requirements of some of the potential financing sources may be found at the following web sites: www.opic.gov/finance.home.html www.exim.gov/tools.index.html www.ifc.org/proserv www.adb.org/PrivateSector/finance/default.asp www.ebrd.com/applyindex.html www.iadb.org/iic/english/pdf.htm www.afdb.org/opportunities/business_generic_proc_notices_country.htm 3.13 Feasibility Study/Technical Assistance Budget (2-3 Pages) The Contractor shall provide a detailed budget and task breakdown for the feasibility study prepared in accordance with the Feasibility Study Budget Format and Budgeted Labor Requirements. The budget should be supported with sufficient detail to enable USTDA staff or others reviewing the material to understand completely, not only the budgeted amounts, but also the methodology that justifies the budget amounts. The budget should include: 1. Labor, budgeted by both position title and task for each of the positions on the feasibility study team. Positions should be identifiable, with descriptions of the positions and proposed team members included in the proposal. Person-Days should reflect the proposed number of days of work effort proposed for each position for each task. The unit cost should be the actual loaded daily rate for each position. The proposed budget may not include fee or profit. 2. Itemization should be prepared for per diem, transportation, communications, subcontracts, translation of Final Report, and other direct costs. Per Diem must be based on U.S. Government rates, which are available on the State Department web site (http://www.state.gov/www/perdiems/index.html). The budget should support the feasibility study terms of reference. 3.14 Recommendations (1-2 Pages) The Contractor shall provide recommendations as to: 3.14.1 whether or not the project meets USTDA?s basic funding criteria; 3.14.2 the appropriate TOR for the proposed study; and 3.14.3 the appropriate budget for the proposed study. 3.15 Contacts The Contractor shall submit a list of individuals contacted during the DM, with their addresses, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. 4 Contractor Interim Status Reporting and Deliverables The Contractor shall provide verbal updates to the COTR when necessary. The deliverables may also take the form of information, advice, opinions, alternatives, analyses, evaluations, recommendations, interim and final reports, or other oral or written work products needed for successful performance. 5 Contractor -- Definitional Mission Reports The Contractor shall prepare a report to USTDA that addresses all the issues in the Definitional Mission requirements as outlined in Section C.3.1 through C.3.15. Since this report will be available for public distribution, any sensitive or business proprietary information shall be included in a separate confidential attachment to the report. 5.1 Report Draft -- COTR Approval The Contractor shall provide the report in draft form to USTDA for COTR review within ten (10) working days after completion of the overseas visit. The report should be clearly marked ?Draft? on the cover. 5.2 Revised Report Draft ? COTR Approval Within five (5) working days after receiving the COTR?s comments on the draft report, the Contractor shall submit a revised copy for COTR review. The Contractor shall revise the report as necessary until securing final COTR approval. 5.3 Final Report ? COTR Approval The final report shall incorporate all mutually agreed upon material and revisions. The report shall include any supporting documentation. It shall be grammatically and factually correct in all respects, internally consistent, and all statements and tables shall be clear and easily understood by a competent reader, and contain no typographical errors. Upon notification from the COTR that the report is considered acceptable, the Contractor shall submit twenty (20) copies, and one (1) unbound original to USTDA. All reports must be paginated and submitted in Microsoft Word on a 3.5-inch disk or on a CD-Rom. The Contractor shall also submit the report to the COTR as an e-mail attachment, and also in Microsoft Word format. 6 Project Descriptions and Profile USTDA intends to commission a DM consultant to travel to Russia and Ukraine to examine projects relating to coal bed methane (CBM) and coalmine methane (CMM). Russia and Ukraine are among the world?s top coal producers, with Russia possessing the world?s largest coal reserves. Kuzbass, Russia?s largest and most important coal-producing region, has coal reserves estimated to be on the order of 14.5 billion tons. Kuzbass also has some of the world?s largest reserves of CBM/CMM, most of which is currently vented directly into the atmosphere. Coalmines in Russia's smaller Pechora Basin have been successfully recovering and using CMM for many years in boilers at the mines. With adequate capital investment, CBM/CMM projects in Kuzbass could be highly successful, given the size of the methane resource and the market for clean energy. The same can be said for Ukraine; according to a recent study, 95% of the methane produced from Ukrainian coalmines is vented into the atmosphere directly, rather than used as an energy source. In either country, venting this clean and burnable gas into the atmosphere results in economic loss, a tremendous waste of energy and harm to the environment, as methane is a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Historically, methane was vented into the atmosphere to reduce the risk of explosions and to increase mine productivity. As methane extraction and utilization technologies became more advanced, companies began to recognize that the methane produced represented a new revenue source for the mine. According to the EPA, the utilization of methane produced from degasification systems increased over 300% in the ten-year period from 1990-2000. The ability to utilize methane produced from degasification systems has continued to grow due to advances in gas processing and power generation technologies. Furthermore, reduced methane/GHG emissions can be sold as carbon credits to Kyoto Protocol participants. In addition to the numerous commercial incentives, there are serious environmental and mine safety benefits to be had by Russia and Ukraine in promoting CBM/CMM recovery programs. Methane is a potent GHG and is one of the key gases targeted for reduction under the Kyoto Protocol. As a recent signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, Russia will face more pressure to lower GHG levels throughout the country. In terms of safety, Ukraine has the world?s highest coal industry death rate, more than 100 times that of U.S. coalmines. Each year, hundreds of coal miners are killed in Ukrainian mines, mostly due to methane-related explosions and fires. The selected DM consultant will be expected to travel to Kyiv and the Donbass region in Ukraine, as well as Moscow and the Kuzbass region in Russia to meet with relevant project contacts, government officials, U.S. companies and U.S. Embassy officials. The consultant will review existing proposals, evaluate the investment climate in these methane-rich regions of Russia and Ukraine, and scope out other potential projects eligible for USTDA funding.
 

Place of Performance

Address: Headquarters, USTDA, 1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1600, Arlington, Virginia

Zip Code: 22209-3901

Country: USA
 

Record

SN00731210-W 20050108/050106212338 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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