Contact: Mr. Aleko Konstantinov, Vice President, Bulgarian Telecommunications Company, 8 Totleben Blvd., 1606 Sofia, Bulgaria, Tel.: (359-2) 949-4432, 949-4433; Fax: (359-2) 951-5060

B -- BULGARIA -- BULGARIAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY WIRELESS LOCAL LOOP PROJECT FEASIBILITY STUDY/PILOT PROJECT POC Evangela Kunene, USTDA, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22209-2131, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax: (703) 875-4009. Bulgaria Bulgarian Telecommunications Company Wireless Local Loop Project Feasibility Study/Pilot Project. The Bulgarian Telecommunications Company (BTC) invites submission of proposals from interested U.S. firms which are qualified on the basis of experience and capability to develop a feasibility study for a rural wireless local loop project. The participation of new operators in rural telecommunications is expected to grow in Bulgaria. Now in the process of privatization, BTC will maintain a monopoly on voice telephony until 2002. Meanwhile, BTC is under political pressure to more quickly provide universal service. Penetration in rural areas is considered an engine for economic development, yet BTC funds to aid such development are limited. It is therefore becoming increasingly attractive for BTC to work with foreign developers (and from the Bulgarian perspective, preferably U.S. telecommunications providers) to improve rural telephony. BTC wishes to determine rural telecommunications requirements and to identify cost-effective technology options using wireless system solutions. It has requested that TDA support a feasibility study/pilot project for rural telecommunications with the objective to determine new technologies and efficiencies for providing service to rural areas. This activity, if supported, would engage a U.S. contractor to examine the development of Wireless Local Loops using Time Division Multiple Access or Code Division Multiple Access technologies, as well as Rural Call Centers (Business Centers) and Rural Public Telephony programs. The limited deployment of equipment is essential to the future implementation of this project because an investor (whether public or private) or lender will require that telecommunications projects of this sort be able to demonstrate the successful testing of the equipment. Under the terms of this grant, a more detailed technical, engineering, and financial feasibility study will be conducted to examine the technical, financial and economic factors surrounding the implementation of wireless local loop telephony solutions in Bulgaria by BTC. The feasibility study will be expected to include: (1) an environmental scan of Bulgarias current rural telecommunications situation; (2) analysis of results of other agency studies regarding rural telecommunications development and technologies; (3) establishing the general needs and opportunities for rural telecommunications in Bulgaria; (4) identification of population centers with rural telecommunications needs; (5) technology options; (6) a service plan; (7) technology trial specifications (pilot program); and (8) technology trial terms of reference. Based on the results of the aforementioned items, and using the specifications developed therein, a technology trial will be carried out. This trial will be performed with the cooperation of BTC and a U.S. manufacturer of the technology being tried. It is expected that both these companies will participate in the trial with resources additional to those provided by the U.S.Trade and Development Agency (TDA) (potentially as part of a cost-share). The U.S. firm selected will be paid in U.S. dollars from a $295,000 grant to BTC from TDA. The U.S. firm selected will be responsible for completing the entire feasibility study, which has an estimated cost of $365,000. This Feasibility Study will be competed among U.S. telecommunications solutions and equipment suppliers and will include an implied cost share of $70,000. A detailed Request for Proposals (RFP), which includes requirements for the Proposal, the Terms of Reference, and a background definitional mission 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 firms 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 meetsuch 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 BTC by 4:00pm (local time), November 20, 1998, at the above address. Evaluation criteria for the Proposal are included in the RFP. The Proposal shall consist of a technical proposal only. Price will not be a factor in contractor selection, however, a cost proposal is required to demonstrate allocation of resources and expenditures for BTCs review. BTC reserves the right to reject any and/or all Proposals. BTC also reserves the right to contract with the selected firm for subsequent work related to the project. BTC is not bound to pay for any costs associated with the preparation and submission of Proposals. Posted 10/15/98 (I-SN262497). (0288)

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