Contact: Superintending Engineer, Mechanical Engineering Center, State Railway of Thailand, Rong Muang Rd., Bangkok 10330, Tel: (662) 220-4501, Fax: (662) 220-4504.

B -- THAILAND -- PRIVATIZATION OF THE LOCOMOTIVE AND ROLLING STOCK MAINTENANCE POC Evangela Kunene, USTDA, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22209-2131, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax: (703) 875-4009 Privatization of the Locomotive and Rolling Stock Maintenance Project. The Grantee invites submission of qualifications and proposal data (collectively referred to as the "Proposal") from interested U.S. firms which are qualified on the basis of experience and capability to conduct the technical assistance for the Privatization of the Locomotive and Rolling Stock Maintenance project. The state of locomotive and rolling stock maintenance in Thailand is in disrepair. Maintenance depots do not have sufficient machinery and modern facilities to service the increasing demand for maintenance services. Rolling stock availability and reliability is below international standards, which results in increased maintenance costs and reduced potential revenue. Finally, SRT's spare part inventory management system requires long lead times to order replacement parts resulting in less flexibility and higher overall maintenance expenses. In an effort to improve rail maintenance capabilities, SRT is requesting that an impartial consultant conduct a comprehensive study that would address all relevant aspects of and alternatives to locomotive and rolling stock maintenance privatization. The results of the study will be presented to their Board of Commissioners for authorization to proceed with tendering the maintenance of the locomotives and rolling stock to the private sector. SRT has stipulated that this is a priority to their organization. The scope of work for the Feasibility Study will address two options for privatizing SRT's maintenance services. The first would be the possibility of hiring a private company on a contract basis to carry out maintenance work using either the company's own labor force or employing some of SRT's. The second would address the potential benefits of leasing locomotives and/or rolling stock from a leasing company who will undertake full service of the leased equipment throughout the contract. The study will also include formulating the tender documents and evaluation criteria for the maintenance/leasing agreement as well as addressing environmental concerns. The U.S. firm selected will be paid in U.S. dollars from a $350,000 grant to the Grantee from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA). A detailed Request for Proposals (RFP), which includes requirements for the Proposal, the Terms of Reference, and a background desk study report are available from TDA, at 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22209-2131. Requests for the RFP should be faxed to the IRC, TDA at 703-875-4009. In the fax, please include your firm's name, contact person, address, and telephone number. Some firms have found that RFP materials sent by U.S. mail do not reach them in time for preparation of an adequate response. Firms that want TDA to use an overnight delivery service should include the name of the delivery service and your firm's account number in the request for the RFP. Firms that want to send a courier to TDA to retrieve the RFP should allow one hour after faxing the request to TDA before scheduling a pick-up. Please note that no telephone requests for the RFP will be honored. Please check your internal fax verification receipt. Because of the large number of RFP requests, TDA cannot respond to requests for fax verification. Requests for RFPs received before 4:00 PM will be mailed the same day. Requests received after 4:00 PM will be mailed the following day. Please check with your courier and/or mail room before calling TDA. Only U.S. firms and individuals may bid on this TDA financed activity. Interested firms, their subcontractors and employees of all participants must qualify under TDA's nationality requirements as of the due date for submission of qualifications and proposals and, if selected to carry out the TDA-financed activity, must continue to meet such requirements throughout the duration of the TDA-financed activity. All goods and services to be provided by the selected firm shall have their nationality, source and origin in the U.S. or host country. The U.S. firm may use subcontractors from the host country for up to 20 percent of the TDA grant amount. Details of TDA's nationality requirements and mandatory contract clauses are also included in the RFP. Interested U.S. firms should submit their Proposal in English directly to the Grantee by 4 PM Bangkok time, May 1, 1998, at the above address. Evaluation criteria for the Proposal are included in the RFP. Price will not be a factor in contractor selection, and therefore, cost proposals should NOT be submitted. The Grantee reserves the right to reject any and/or all Proposals. The Grantee also reserves the right to contract with the selected firm for subsequent work related to the project. The Grantee is not bound to pay for any costs associated with the preparation and submission of Proposals. (0086)

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