Supply of digital monitoring and verification services — ASCENT Program COMESA

COMMON MARKET FOR EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

|

السوق المشتركة للشرق والجنوب الأفريقى

|

MARCHE COMMUN

REQUEST FOR “EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST – EOIs”

(CONSULTING SERVICES -FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT – FIRMS SELECTION)

COUNTRY: COMESA REGIONAL COUNTRIES AND 5 NON

COMESA AFRICAN COUNTRIES

NAME OF PROJECT: ACCELERATING SUSTAINABLE AND CLEAN

ENERGY ACCESS TRANSFORMATION (ASCENT)

PROGRAM

PROJECT ID: P180547

ASSIGNMENT TITLE: ENGAGEMENT OF A FIRM FOR THE DELIVERY OF DIGITAL MONITORING, REPORTING AND VERIFICATION (DMRV) AT A NATIONAL LEVEL

REFERENCE NO: ZM-COMESA -481019-CS-QBS

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is a regional grouping of 21 African States which have agreed to promote regional integration through trade development and transport facilitation. COMESA's objectives include sustainable economic development through economic and social progress in all Member States through increased co-operation and integration in all fields of development particularly in Trade, Customs and Monetary Affairs, Transport, Communication and Information Technology, Industry and Agriculture, Energy, Environment and Natural Resources including Gender and Social Development. The Secretariat is based in Lusaka, Zambia. More information can be obtained from the COMESA website www.comesa.int.

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 for consulting services for delivery of Digital Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (DMRV) for its ASCENT Member States.

The overarching objective of the assignment is to provide ASCENT Member States with a customized digital MRV data platform for tracking the results and impact of energy access programs, including Results-based financing (RBF) schemes, at the national level via automatized data ingestion, data sharing between authorized users, standardized analytics and data visualizations. In addition, the national platform is required to integrate with Prospect, a software solution used at the regional level to centralize and aggregate ASCENT MRV data via Application programming interface (API). In this regard, COMESA seeks to enter into framework contracts with service providers of various platforms who will provide services to ASCENT countries on demand.

In support of the above stated objectives, this procurement or selection process aims to secure framework contracts with suitable providers of customized digital MRV data platforms. The Providers will work with beneficiary COMESA member states and a limited number of non-COMESA ASCENT country Program Implementation Units (PIUs) to develop the Digital MRV platforms at the national level. 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 will end 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 Technical and Financial proposals 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 Terms of Reference (TORs) for the primary procurement stage for the assignment can be obtained on request using the email address given below.

Attn: Mr. Silver Mwesigwa

Head of Procurement

Email: [email protected] and copy [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 are:

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

• Experience of the firm (Not less than 5 years)

• Evidence of having undertaken similar assignments (at least 3 similar projects), preferably in the COMESA region, Africa or in a developing country in the last five (5 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 Firms Relevant technical and Managerial capacity (Firms 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 to the following email address;

[email protected] copy to [email protected] by

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 10th JUNE 2025 AT 10:00AM HOURS 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