Strengthening Regulatory Capacity — STP Digital Project, Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe

República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe

(Unidade-Disciplina-Trabalho)

Ministério do Planeamento, Finanças e Economia Azul

Agência Fiduciária e de Administração de Projetos

Projeto STP Digital

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION)

Country: Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe

Name of the Project: Digital Sao Tome and Principe (P177158)

Grant No.: IDA 4030

Assignment Title: Strengthening the regulatory capacity of the General Regulatory

Authority of Sao Tome and Principe (AGER)

Reference No. 18/C/DSTP/2022

The Government of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Digital Sao Tome and Principe Project and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.

The consulting services (“the Services”) include strengthening AGER’s regulatory competences, both in terms of regulatory instruments and in terms of organizing services and training technicians, to allow AGER to respond to the new challenges posed by the current sector state and allow its human resources to have adequate legal and regulatory support to support the Regulator's decisions and improve their skills in the technical and economic regulation of this market.

The reinforcement of AGER will therefore require a punctual supply of human resources, qualified specialists, to add to the work capacity of the AGER teams, providing them with the knowledge and skills necessary to deal with the asymmetries observed in the market, as well as the tools and adequate working methods in order to support and train the teams in the best possible way throughout the period of this consultancy. This technical assistance must therefore allow:

• Have a more in-depth general diagnosis of the sector, the adequacy of existing regulatory texts and the measures adopted, including the process of international traffic control and suspension of the use of code 239 for VAS, making precise recommendations, through proposals for actions and means for capacity building of the regulator.

• Improve the legal and regulatory framework for the telecommunications sector and provide AGER with more appropriate texts for regulating the sector.

• Organize the procedures and working methods of economic regulation, inspection, spectrum management and numbering activities.

• Accompany, through regulatory advice, regulatory agents in the fulfillment of their missions.

This Technical Assistance will have a maximum duration of six (6) months, with a minimum of three (3) on-site visits to São Tomé and Príncipe, with a maximum duration of 2 weeks, at AGER's headquarters in São Tomé.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be found at the following website: www.afap.st

or

can be obtained at the address given below.

The AFAP 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 are:

• Must have at least 5 years of minimum experience in consulting and regulatory advice in competitive Electronic Communications and monopoly markets.
• Experience of working in insular markets and/or in African markets and in markets with strong competitive asymmetry will be considered advantages. Key Experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting 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” November 2020 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. The winning bidder will be able to participate in other tender launched by AFAP within the scope of the Digital Sao Tome and Principe Project.

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 entire contract, if selected.

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 09 hours to 12 hours and 15 hours to 17 hours.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by fax, or by e-mail) by August 12, 2022.

Agência Fiduciária de Administração de Projetos

Attn: Alberto F. Leal – General Director

C. P. 1029

Avenida Kwame Nkrumah

Sao Tome

Sao Tome e Príncipe

Tel: + 239 2225205

E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected]