B -- MOROCCO: DESALINATION PLANT FEASIBILITY STUDY

Notice Date

April 4, 2001

Contracting Office

USTDA, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 200, Arlington, VA 22209-2131

ZIP Code

22209-2131

Response Due

May 21, 2001

Point of Contact

POC -- Evangela Kunene, USTDA, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 200, Arlington, VA 22209-2131, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax: (703) 875-4009

Description

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 develop a feasibility study for a proposed desalination plant in Morocco. Morocco has the world's largest deposits of phosphate rock, and the most significant industrial infrastructure in Morocco's economy is centered on the mining and production of phosphate fertilizers for export to all major international markets. This industry is controlled by the state-owned Groupe Office Cherifien des Phosphates (OCP), which has major mining operations in various locations throughout the country, as well as major processing and fertilizer facilities at Jorf Lasfar, on the central Atlantic coast about 100 Km south of Casablanca, and further south at Safi, also on the coast. OCP's large-scale set of fertilizer chemical facilities at Jorf Lasfar, which cover approximately ten square miles, has six modern sulfuric acid plants designed by Monsanto Chemical, U.S.A., with a combined capacity of 15,900 tons of sulfuric acid per day. OCP is interested to explore U.S. technology for its desalinated water supply and other needs as it seeks to further improve its operations. A major opportunity was identified to utilize waste heat from the large volumes of cooling water used in current processes at the sulfuric acid plants to produce desalinated and potable water needed at the facility and elsewhere. At present, 27,600 cubic meters per hour (168,360 gallons/minute) of seawater are used for cooling plant equipment, where the average sea water inlet of 18 degrees C, (64.5 F), exits after cooling equipment at an average of 33 degrees C, (91.5 F). This temperature differential translates into an energy loss that is the equivalent of 822 tons per hour of steam, or $25.8 million per year in terms of energy (valued at $1 per million BTU), when the heated seawater is returned to the sea. This energy corresponds to the production equivalent of 4.7 million gallons per day of fresh water which can be recovered from the seawater, in a conventional multiple effect sea water desalination plant, similar to the type used on board military ships. The objective of the feasibility study is to examine the technical and economic feasibility of the engineering, design, and construction of the seawater desalination project. The principal tasks for the feasibility study are as follows: Technical Feasibility and Costs Basis for study Process Description Process Sketches/Flow Diagrams Heat & Material Balances Utilities Chemicals & Catalyst Equipment Lists Cost Estimates Environmental Analysis Financial and Economic Assessment Project/Investment Description Basis of Calculations Economic & Financial Analysis Significant Risk Financing and Viable Alternatives Project Schedule Tables & Spread Sheets Final Report to OCP and TDA The U.S. firm selected will be paid in U.S. dollars from a $250,000 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 terms of reference report are available from TDA, at 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 200, 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 mailroom 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 11:00 A.M., Monday, May 21, 2001 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.

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010406/BSOL002.HTM (W-094 SN50I2B4)