Consultancy for Site Studies for Solar PV/BESS Projects

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTANCY SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION)

Assignment Title: Consultancy Service for Site Studies for Solar PV/BESS Projects.

Procurement Reference No: SC/EOI/NPWR- 03/2024

(NA-NAMPOWER-396918-CS-QCBS)

• INTRODUCTION

Namibia Power Corporation (Pty) Ltd (hereinafter referred to as NamPower) is inviting Expressions of Interest (EOI) from qualified and experienced Consultancy Firms to provide “Consultancy Services for the Namibia Renewable Energy Scale-Up Support Project”. The EOI will lead to a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the below-mentioned Consultancy Services package from the short-listed Consultants.

• BACKGROUND

NamPower has obtained a grant from the World Bank – International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) toward the cost of feasibility and development studies and procurement support for the Namibia Renewable Energy Scale-Up Support Project; and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.

The grant will specifically target various aspects of renewable energy development. This includes resource assessment studies for wind and solar photovoltaic (PV), site studies and environmental permitting studies for solar PV, Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), and wind projects, feasibility studies for solar PV, BESS, and wind projects, as well as associated transmission infrastructure integrations. The grant will also fund transaction advisory services for renewable energy Independent Power Producers (IPPs), contributing to the development of a conducive regulatory and contractual environment for competitive IPP procurement.

NamPower has identified several sites for solar PV, BESS, and wind projects, and the consulting services financed by the grant will go towards the development of these sites.

• SCOPE OF SERVICES

Package 4: Consultancy for Site Studies for Solar PV/BESS Projects

These services are to conduct topographical, land surveying, geotechnical, hydrological and hydrogeological studies for the solar PV/BESS project. The services will result in the preparation and submission of corresponding field and interpretive reports as well as topographical survey/diagram and drawings for sites earmarked for the solar PV/BESS projects. These services are envisaged to have a duration of about 6 months.

NamPower invites eligible 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 corresponding Services. The short-listing criteria will be as follows:

Package 4: Consultancy for Site Studies for Solar PV/BESS Projects

• Core Business: minimum five (5) years of experience in conducting site studies (both geotechnical and hydrogeological/hydrological) for utility-scale (minimum 5MW) renewable energy projects,
• Demonstrate experience of conducting geotechnical site studies for at least two (2) utility-scale (minimum 5MW) renewable energy projects of which one (1) of these reference projects must be a solar PV, within the last five (5) years,
• Demonstrate experience of conducting hydrogeological/hydrological site studies for at least two (2) utility-scale (minimum 5MW) renewable energy projects of which one (1) of these reference projects must be a solar PV, within the last five (5) years, and
• The Consultant shall not be conflicted. Interested Consultants must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the Services by completing and submitting the REoI document that can be downloaded at the NamPower website, link: https://www.nampower.com.na/bids.aspx . Any NamPower responses to Clarifications requests and/ or Amendments to the REoI document will also be posted at this website link.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to the conditions that Procurement of contracts financed by the proceeds of the proposed World Bank (IBRD) grant will be conducted through the procedures as specified in the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers (July 2016) (Procurement Regulations), revised in November 2017, August 2018, and November 2020 and is open to all eligible firms.

The service is being procured on an Open national basis and will be advertised NATIONALLY (within Namibia only) and is open to any firm, whether local or international, provided that it meets the shortlisting criteria set out above.

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. Any party to the association, either joint venture member’s or sub-contractor’s experience will count on the qualifications criteria. In the case of a Joint Venture (JV), the Consultant shall specify the lead partner and all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 3.14 to 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers dated July 2016, revised in November 2017, August 2018, November 2020, and September 2023 setting forth the World Bank’s Policy on Conflict of Interest.

Only five (5) to eight (8) eligible Consultants will be shortlisted or a small number of Consultants, as per paragraph 7.17 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers.

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Quality and Cost-based Selection (QCBS) method set out in the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers. Only shortlisted Consultants will be approached directly by NamPower to submit proposals for the services required in the RFP phase.

All correspondences and further information requests related to this EOI shall be made in English. Any clarification sought by any firm in respect of the EOI shall be addressed in writing, as per the Clarifications schedule indicated below.

Clarifications closed on 18 December 2023 – 12 January 2024 (all days inclusive), then open until last date of clarifications set for 09 February 2024. The clarifications should be addressed to:

Mr Mathew Nelenge

Procurement Management Unit,

NamPower Centre

15 Luther Street

Tel: +264-61-205 2324

E-mail: [email protected]

The office hours are: 08:00 – 16:00 (Namibian Time) on Monday – Friday.

The EOI document shall be prepared and submitted in the English language and shall be submitted and received in HARD COPY ONLY. An electronic copy (which should be a copy of the full submission, in a searchable PDF format, on a USB storage device) should be included within the sealed envelope.

The EOI document must be delivered in HARD COPY form to the address below:

Procurement Management Unit

Attn: Elizabeth Nashidengo

P O Box 2864 Windhoek, Namibia

15 Luther Street, Windhoek

Tel: +264 61 205 2321

The deadline for the submission of this EOI is:

Closing Date: [16 February 2024]

Closing Time: [10:00 am Namibian Time]

The EOI must be submitted in a sealed envelope marked:

“SC/EOI/NPWR-03-2024, Package 4: Expression of Interest for Consultancy Services for Site Studies for Solar PV/BESS Projects; Submission Date [insert date dd/mm/yyyy]; Submitted by [insert name of firm or firms]”