Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF OCTOBER 23, 2005 FBO #1427
MODIFICATION

R -- Africa Regional: Southern African Railways and Transportation Corridors Definitional Mission

Notice Date

10/21/2005
 

Notice Type

Modification
 

NAICS

541611 — Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
 

Contracting Office

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

ZIP Code

22209-3901
 

Solicitation Number

USTDA-06-Q-11-010
 

Response Due

11/15/2005
 

Archive Date

11/30/2005
 

Small Business Set-Aside

Total Small Business
 

Description

Labor, budgeted by position title and task for each of the positions on the 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 labor cost shall be derived as set forth in Annex III. The proposed budget may not include fee or profit. Itemization for per diem, transportation, communications, purchased services/contracts, 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/m/a/als/prdm/). The Task Completion Schedule should list each major task to be performed in support of the study TOR. The duration of each task is to be graphically presented in a bar chart as illustrated in Annex IV. The budget narrative should provide a detailed budget explanation and justification presenting how all costs have been derived in accordance with the sample provided in Annex V. The narrative must include an explanation for every line item. In general, each narrative statement should describe, in as much detail as possible: What the specific item is How the specific item relates to the project How the amount shown in the budget was arithmetically determined 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; 3.14.3 the appropriate budget for the proposed study. 3.14.4 If the recommendation is that USTDA should fund the study, but in a phased approach or only if certain outstanding issues are resolved or conditions met, those phases or conditions should be delineated clearly in the recommendation. 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 3.1 through 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 The DM team will explore particular opportunities in each of the countries in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region, including ways to assist with past USTDA-supported projects that may require additional assistance to move toward project implementation. It is important that these projects are addressed through a regional DM as many of the projects must be considered with respect to the other prospective, and sometimes competing, transportation corridor projects. The Contractor will be required to work closely with regional organizations and programs including SADC, the Southern African Railways Association, the Southern Africa Trade Hub, and the World Bank?s Sub-Saharan Africa Transportation Policy Program. Botswana Botswana is a landlocked country, a fact that has significantly hampered its economic growth despite being a model of macroeconomic and fiscal management for the region. Botswana Railways has requested feasibility study assistance for two projects: (1) an extension of the railway north to Zambia through Kazungula in order to establish a direct link with Zambia and its mineral export business; and (2) an extension of the railway from Lobatse to Namibia to create a direct rail connection with Walvis Bay and gain direct access to a port. Malawi Malawi is also a landlocked country lacking effective transportation routes to link it with regional and international trade. There are several projects which have been considered and for which the Government of Malawi is requesting assistance from USTDA: (1) improved port infrastructure to develop transportation routes along Lake Malawi, which traverses most of the country; (2) the development of a transportation corridor along the Shire and Zambezi river waterway through Mozambique to the Indian Ocean. This waterway was a major transportation corridor during colonial times and several preliminary studies have been undertaken to determine the technical viability of the project at this time; and (3) a rail connection from the Cahora Bassa dam area in Mozambique through Malawi, connecting to the rail line in Mozamique which finishes at the port of Nacala. Mozambique Mozambique is critical to several of the transportation corridors, including those from Malawi and from South Africa. Several rail projects are currently being developed in Mozambique. A consortium led by Pittsburgh-based Railroad Development Corp. has begun operating a company that will head the rehabilitation of Mozambique's Nacala Port and Railway to create the first regional integrated port/railway transportation system for Northern Mozambique that connects the land-locked country of Malawi with the Indian Ocean. The Maputo Development Corridor is a transportation corridor under development between the governments of South Africa and Mozambique to unlock the landlocked regions of Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Limpopo Province. Comprising road, rail, border posts, port and terminal facilities, the Corridor runs through the most highly industrialized and productive regions of Southern Africa. Johannesburg and Pretoria are on the western end of the Corridor?s axis with large concentrations of manufacturing, processing, mining and smelting industries. The corridor passes through vast industrial and primary production areas containing steel mills, petrochemical plants, quarries, mines, and smelters, through plantations of forests, sugar cane, bananas and citrus to the eastern end of Mozambique. USTDA has been in discussions with the Maputo Corridor Logistics Initiative (MCLI), a group of infrastructure investors, service providers and users, focused on the promotion and further development of the Maputo Corridor, regarding areas for USTDA technical assistance, including a one-stop border post versus the complex and inefficient system currently used. Namibia Namibia is intent on becoming an important alternate major shipping point for Southern Africa. Currently Namibia?s railways are disconnected from the rest of the region or in a state of disrepair. USTDA has funded a feasibility study for a rail extension to the North of the country, the Tsumeb-Oshakati Railroad Extension project. That project is currently being implemented. However, no U.S. exports have been identified. One of the potential exports for the project was for additional locomotives, but GE lost out on the bid for new locomotives to a Chinese manufacturer. However, GE is still working to negotiate a locomotive rehabilitation deal with TransNamib, the Namibian state owned rail company. USTDA has also funded Technical Assistance (TA) and an Orientation Visit for the Trans Kalahari Corridor project to develop a multimodal transportation route between the port at Walvis Bay in Namibia and Gauteng Province in South Africa. TERA is performing the study. The project is moving forward, with the recent selection of an operations/management company to manage the corridor. It is expected that there will be U.S. exports with the implementation of the project. The project sponsor has requested follow on assistance to the current TA. The DM team would evaluate this request. In recent discussions with USTDA, TransNamib has requested assistance with several projects: (1) a combination of a rail extension and rail rehabilitation for a line from the Sishen iron ore mine in South Africa to the Port of Luderitz in Namibia. Sishen has been increasing output but has been struggling with South Africa?s transport utility, Transnet, to increase rail capacity to South African ports; (2) an extension through the northwestern Trans-Caprivi Corridor linking Namibia with Zambia. This would allow an alternative route for the significant minerals exports from Zambia, which are currently exported through an inefficient port in Dar es Salaam or through Zimbabwe and South Africa; and (3) an extension to connect with Botswana and to Gauteng province. South Africa South Africa is the dominant economic power in the region and has the most well developed rail and transport systems. South Africa accounts for about 47% of the total number of locomotives in Sub-Saharan Africa, 74% of the Sub-Saharan freight wagon fleet and 91% of Sub-Saharan rail freight traffic. USTDA is currently supporting a GE bid for a Locomotive Upgrade and Maintenance project with a Training Grant offer to Spoornet, the South African rail company. USTDA also funded the Integrated Rail Freight project with CSX for the transport of freight between Gauteng and Durban. South Africa has recently embarked upon a strategy to reach the desired GDP growth rate of 6% by investing in infrastructure projects. A major focus of this investment will be addressing transportation logistic bottlenecks. As such, there will likely be projects that would be appropriate for USTDA funding. One concept which has been discussed is the implementation of a railcar leasing system similar to the system used in the U.S., in order to increase overall capacity. Of course, South Africa plays a critical role in many of the regional transportation corridors as well. Zambia Zambia is a major minerals exporter for the region. Currently much of the cargo is transported through Dar es Salaam, which has an inefficient port infrastructure, or through Zimbabwe to South African ports. USTDA has received a proposal for a rail extension from Chingola to Solwezi and through to Angola. The proposal is from the North West Rail Company Ltd. (NWRC). NWRC has a concession agreement with the Government of Zimbabwe to develop this project. Preliminary analysis shows the project to be viable and the U.S. Embassy has recommended USTDA review of the project. USTDA has funded a rail extension project in Zambia for the Chipata Rail Extension project. The project was not shown to be commercially viable, however the Government of Zambia has decided to implement the project with necessary subsidies. The U.S. company, Edlow Resources Limited has entered into an MOU with the Ministry of Finance of Zambia for the development of this project. Other There are several other major corridors in the region, including the Dar es Salaam Corridor and the North-South Corridor connecting South Africa, Botswana, Angola, and the Dem. Rep. of Congo which should be considered. The Contractor will be required to recommend a strategy for USTDA in this sector in the region. The Contractor will be expected to identify and recommend at least three projects for immediate USTDA funding. The Contractor will be expected to identify medium and long term opportunities for USTDA funding as well. There are a number of conceptual proposals for improving the efficiency and capacity of railways operations in the region. These projects involve implementing alternative financing mechanisms, leasing arrangements for rolling stock, IT systems, and satellite based tracking systems. The consultant will be required to research, identify, evaluate, and make recommendations for such projects to USTDA. When proposing the strategy for the DM the Consultant should propose which countries will be visited as well as describe how the Consultant will evaluate these projects at a regional level. We also welcome any other ideas about possible opportunities in this area that are not discussed above. Annex I IMPACT ON U.S. LABOR STATEMENT The Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs Appropriations legislation restricts U.S. foreign assistance from being used to provide: (a) any financial incentive to a business enterprise currently located in the United States for the purpose of inducing such an enterprise to relocate outside the United States if such incentive or inducement is likely to reduce the number of employees of such business enterprise in the United States because United States production is being replaced by such enterprise outside the United States; (b) assistance for any project or activity that contributes to the violation of internationally recognized workers rights; and (c) direct assistance for establishing or expanding production of any commodity for export by any country other than the United States, if the commodity is likely to be in surplus on world markets at the time the resulting productive capacity is expected to become operative and if the assistance will cause substantial injury to United States producers of the same, similar, or competing commodity. Annex II USTDA Nationality Requirements The purpose of USTDA's nationality, source, and origin requirements is to assure the maximum practicable participation of American contractors, technology, equipment and materials in the pre-feasibility, feasibility, and implementation stages of a project. USTDA STANDARD RULE (GRANT AGREEMENT STANDARD LANGUAGE): Except as USTDA may otherwise agree, the following provisions shall govern the delivery of goods and services funded by USTDA under this Grant Agreement: (a) for professional services, the Contractor must be either a U.S. firm or U.S. consultant; (b) the Contractor may use U.S. subcontractors without limitation, but the use of subcontractors from host country may not exceed twenty percent (20%) of the USTDA Grant amount and may only be used for specific services from the Terms of Reference identified in the subcontract; (c) employees of U.S. Contractor or U.S. subcontractor firms responsible for professional services shall be U.S. citizens or non-U.S. citizens lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the U.S.; (d) goods purchased for implementation of the Study and associated delivery services (e.g., international transportation and insurance) must have their nationality, source and origin in the United States; and (e) goods and services incidental to Study support (e.g., lodging, food, and transportation) in host country are not subject to the above restrictions. USTDA will make available further details concerning these standards of eligibility upon request. NATIONALITY: 1. Rule Except as USTDA may otherwise agree, the Contractor for USTDA funded activities must be either a U.S. firm or a U.S. consultant. Prime contractors may utilize U.S. subcontractors, but the use of host country subcontractors is limited to 20% of the USTDA grant amount. 2. Application Accordingly, only a U.S. firm or U.S. consultant may submit proposals on USTDA-funded activities. Although those proposals may include subcontracting arrangements with host country firms or individuals for up to 20% of the USTDA grant amount, they may not include subcontracts with third country entities. U.S. firms submitting proposals must ensure that the professional services funded by the USTDA grant, to the extent not subcontracted to host country entities, are supplied by employees of the firm or employees of U.S. subcontractor firms who are U.S. individuals. Interested U.S. firms and consultants who submit proposals must meet USTDA nationality requirements as of the due date for the submission of proposals and, if selected, must continue to meet such requirements throughout the duration of the USTDA-financed activity. These nationality provisions apply to whatever portion of the Terms of Reference is funded with the USTDA grant. 3. Definitions A "U.S. individual" is (a) a U.S. citizen, or (b) a non-U.S. citizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the U.S. (a green card holder). A "U.S. consultant" is (a) a U.S. citizen whose principal place of business is in the United States, or (b) a non-U.S. citizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the U.S. (a green card holder) whose principal place of business is in the U.S. A "U.S. firm" is a privately owned firm which is incorporated in the U.S., with its principal place of business in the U.S., and which is either (a) more than 50% owned by U.S. individuals, or (b) has been incorporated in the U.S. for more than three (3) years prior to the issuance date of the request for proposals; has performed similar services in the U.S. for that three (3) year period; employs U.S. citizens in more than half of its permanent full-time positions in the U.S.; and has the existing capability in the U.S. to perform the work in question. A partnership, organized in the U.S. with its principal place of business in the U.S., may also qualify as a "U.S. firm" as would a joint venture organized or incorporated in the United States consisting entirely of U.S. firms and/or U.S. individuals. A nonprofit organization, such as an educational institution, foundation, or association may also qualify as a "U.S. firm" if it is incorporated in the United States and managed by a governing body, a majority of whose members are U.S. individuals. SOURCE AND ORIGIN: Rule In addition to the nationality requirement stated above, any goods (e.g., equipment and materials) and services related to their shipment (e.g., international transportation and insurance) funded under the USA Grant Agreement must have their source and origin in the United States, unless USTDA otherwise agrees. However, necessary purchases of goods and project support services which, are unavailable from a U.S. source (e.g., local food, housing and transportation) are eligible without specific USTDA approval. PLEASE SEE AMENDMENT 2 FOR REMAINDER OF STATEMENT OF WORK
 

Place of Performance

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

Zip Code: 22209-3901

Country: USA
 

Record

SN00919533-W 20051023/051022080713 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

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

---

| FSG Index  |  This Issue's Index  |  Today's FBO Daily Index Page |