Implementation of carbon market services — ASCENT Program COMESA

REQUEST FOR “EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST – EOIs”

(CONSULTING SERVICES - FIRMS SELECTION)

IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: COMMON MARKET FOR EASTERN AND

SOUTHERN AFRICA (COMESA)

NAME OF PROGRAM: ACCELERATING SUSTAINABLE AND CLEAN

ENERGY ACCESS TRANSFORMATION (ASCENT ) PROGRAMME

PROJECT ID: P180547

ASSIGNMENT TITLE: ENGAGEMENT OF A FIRM FOR THE

PROVISION OF CARBON MARKET SERVICES FOR A REGIONAL ENERGY ACCESS PROGRAMME

REFERENCE NO.: ZM-COMESA -474548-CS-QBS

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) received a grant from the World Bank towards the implementation of the Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation (ASCENT) program and intends to apply part of the proceeds towards provision of Carbon Market services for a Regional Energy Access Programme.

COMESA, as manager of the ASCENT Regional Energy Access Acceleration Platform, is seeking to hire entity(ies)/consultancy(ies) operating in Africa to provide carbon market-related services (including linked to the validation and registration of the ASCENT Carbon program, as well as other tasks linked to developing carbon programs, such as economic and pre-feasibility assessments, supporting the implementation of the ASCENT carbon program in line with the selected Carbon Standard, and the elaboration of carbon market documents, such as Program/Project Idea Notes(PINs) (or Mitigation Activity Information Note) and Program Design Document (or Mitigation Activity Design Document), and the validation of projects/programs according to selected Carbon Standard and the verification of carbon credits.

COMESA is seeking to identify Consultants that are operating in Africa and can offer one or more of the following carbon market services. Consultants are invited to indicate, in their expression of interest, which category of carbon market services (identified below) they would like to be considered. Consultants are also invited to indicate which country(ies) in the ASCENT geography (as indicated in Box 1) they are expressing interest in offering their carbon market services.

Box 1 Countries in Eastern and Southern Africa covered under the ASCENT program

The World Bank ASCENT program could cover the following geography: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

A. Registration Support and Country Approval: This will involve developing the required documentation (Program design document) and gathering the necessary data and information for the registration process with an independent carbon standard (to be selected by the World Bank) as well as documentation required by the host country (as relevant).

B. Validation and Verification Services: This will involve assuring the verification of emission reductions achieved through ASCENT-supported energy access investment in conformity with the provisions and requirements of the selected carbon standard for energy access.

C. Technical Carbon Market Project Assessment and Advisory Services: This involves providing assessment and advisory to support countries (or private sector) to ascertain the needs and gaps to be addressed to generate high quality emission reductions and propose options, to be aligned with the selected carbon standard. This may also involve pre-feasibility analysis, carbon market analysis (price, demand), analysis of monitoring technology options; conducting surveys and collecting data, etc.

Carbon market infrastructure support – this involves, for example, supporting the design and implementation of MRV systems in countries and conducting assessments to inform decisions linked to carbon registries. Additionally, this support may include helping countries to design and operationalize Emission Trading Schemes.

In support of the above stated objectives, this procurement or selection process aims to secure framework contracts with suitable providers of Carbon Market services. The Providers will work with beneficiary COMESA Member States and a limited number of Non-COMESA Member States ASCENT country Program Implementation Units (PIUs) to offer Carbon Market services at the national level under ASCENT. The duration and scope of services to be delivered for each specific framework contract will vary depending on the needs of the Countries as will be identified by the PIUs implementing the specific country program. The ASCENT Program is for 7 years, ending in 2031. The calls for specific assignments are expected to be implemented in the first 2 to 3 years of the program that is by 2028. After this REOI and development of the Short list of the Firms that will comprise the Framework Agreement, COMESA expects to invite the Firms with whom Framework Agreements will be entered into to prepare and submit proposals Tech and Financial based on Secondary Procurement. Each time, a specific Request for Proposals will be issued for this purpose. Following submission of EOIs in response to this request COMESA expects to issue RFP for the first assignment within 8 to 10 weeks of receipt of the EOIs.

The TORs can be obtained from the COMESA Secretariat on request using the email provided below:

Attn: Mr. Silver Mwesigwa

Head of Procurement

Email: [email protected]

SHORTLISTING CRITERIA

COMESA Secretariat now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate

their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide

information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant

experience to perform the Services.

The shortlisting criteria is as follows;

• The firm’s core business (Submit company profile)

• Experience of the firm (Not less than 10 years)

• Evidence of having undertaken similar assignments (at least 3 similar projects), preferably in the COMESA region in Africa or in any developing country in the last seven-ten (7-10 No.) years. (Name, scope and cost of previous comparable similar assignments and client contact details -email, physical address and details of the contact person.

• Demonstration of the Firm’s relevant technical and managerial capacity (Firm’s Principals / Directors) . (Key experts will not be evaluated at the short-listing stage)

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” Fifth Edition of September 2023.

Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the contract, if selected.

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Framework Agreement arrangements described in the Procurement Regulations and to be specifically set out in the Request for Proposals.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours from 09:00am to 16:00pm hours Monday to Thursday, on Fridays from 0900am to 12:30pm hours Zambian time except for weekends and Public Holidays. Address:

Head of Procurement,

COMESA Secretariat,

Ben Bella Road, Lusaka, Zambia.

Email address: [email protected] copy [email protected]

CLOSING DATE

Expressions of interest must be submitted written to the following email address;

[email protected] copy to [email protected]

Hard copies may be submitted to the above indicated address and deposited in a clearly marked Tender Box 1 in the Administration Division on the Ground Floor. All submissions of EOIs must be made by 11th June 2025 at 10:00am Zambian time

Attn: Mr. Silver Mwesigwa

Head of Procurement

COMESA Secretariat

Ben Bella Road

P.O Box 30051

LUSAKA 10101

Zambia

Telephone: +260 211 2297226/29;

Web: http://www.comesa.int