Mr. Robert G. Nkana; Secretary General; Union of African Railways; 869 Av. Tomballaye B.P. 687; Kinshasa 1, Zaire; Telephone: (243-12) 23861; Fax: (242) 836839; Telex: 21258 UAC.

C -- FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR EASTERN/SOUTHERN AFRICA REGIONAL LOCOMOTIVE REHABILITATION FACILITY AND PARTS WAREHOUSE DUE 122295 POC Carol Stillwell, USTDA, Room 309, SA-16, Washington, D.C. 20523-1602, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax No.: (703) 875-4009 The Union of African Railways 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 the Eastern/Southern African Regional Locomotive Rehabilitation Facility and Parts Warehouse. Severe operational constraints are being experienced by many African railway systems because of the low levels of availability and poor reliability of the locomotive fleet. Those constraints are reflected in increased costs from underutilitzed locomotives and the costly expense of leasing locomotives from other systems while owned locomotives are being repaired. The Union of African Railways has 31 members, primarily railway enterprises or Government Departments of States which also are members of the Organization of African Unity or the Economic Commission for Africa. The 31 member railways operate an aggregate of 52,000 route-kilometers. The Union of African Railways seeks to standardize, expand, coordinate and improve the railway services of the members of the Union with a view to linking them to each other and to the other means of transportation throughout the world. The proposed feasiblity study will address the subject of establishing locomotive maintenance facilities on a selected region in its entirety with special emphasis on the need to restructure the maintenance organization and its management, comparison of available alternatives, details of changes that would be necessary in working arrangements. Specific tasks for the study will include: Exploration with U.S. suppliers/manufacturers to determine their level of support, contribution and involvement; Determination of optimum location and facility; Formulation of financial structure, including consummation of contracts for facilty use for duration of loan period; Preparation of cost/benefit analysis showing cost advantage to the railways; Structuring of financial package to include all participants' benefits; Strategy plan for implementation; Preparation of transition plan; Preparation of all financial documents for submittal to the lending institutions; Work with multilateral development banks, donors and other financial institutions to fund spare parts and establish revolving line of credit for the railways; Design/establish corporate structure for the facility, including Board of Directors and defined responsibilities; Prepare an environmental impact statement; and Prepare a final report. The budget for the Study terms of reference has been established at $390,000. Of this amount, TDA will provide partial funding of $195,000. The U.S. firm selected to perform the assignment will be paid in U.S. dollars from a $195,000 grant to the Union of African Railways from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA). In addition to the TDA grant funds, the U.S. firm selected shall provide at least $195,000 covering expenses and/or in-house costs incurred to complete the terms of reference. A detailed Request for Proposals (RFP), which includes requirements for the Proposal, the Terms of Reference, and a background definitional mission report are available from TDA, at Room 309, SA-16, Washington, D.C. 20523-1621. Requests for the RFP should be faxed to the IRC, TDA at 703-875-4009. Please include your company name, contact person, address, and telephone number. Some companies have found that materials sent via U.S. Mail do not reach them in time for preparation of an adequate response. If you would like the RFP sent to you via courier delivery service, include the name of the courier company and your firm's account number. No telephone requests for the RFP will be honored. 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 United States or in any country in Eastern or Southern Africa, including South Africa. The U.S. firm may use subcontractors from Eastern or Sothern Africa 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 at the above address. Evaluation criteria for the Proposal follow:: Firm's prior overseas experience in implementing comparable projects with emphasis in the design, operation, management and efficient layout of locomotive maintenance and rehabilitation facilities (20%) Firm's expertise in developing costs and investment programs for major private sector railway projects, including a current list of completed projects (15%) Proposed technical approach, milestones and workplan for conducting the study. A proposed implementation plan for the rehabilitation facility also should be included (25%) International finance experience working with commercial banks, international financing institutions and donor agencies on the packaging of private sector railway facilities projects. (20%) Professional staff qualifications and experience in comparable work, including: years with firm, years in present position, years of overseas experience. Team qualifications should focus specifically on locomotive maintenance and rehabilitation projects, including facility design and operations. (20%) 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. (0310)

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