Della Glenn, USTDA, Room 309, SA-16, Washington, DC 20523-1602, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax: (703) 875-4009

L -- INDEPENDENT POWER PRODUCTION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE POC Della Glenn, USTDA, Room 309, SA-16, Washington, D.C. 20523-1602, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax No.: (703) 875-4009 The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) wishes to announce a Competitive Total Set-Aside for Small Businesses to provide technical assistance to the government of Mauritius for the development of Independent Power Production (IPP) alternatives in the expansion of its existing power generation capacity. This will be a firm fixed priced contract. The consultant chosen for the contract will provide advisory services to the Mauritian Ministry of Energy and Central Electricity Board focusing on three principal areas: 1) IPP projects in general and how to create a regulatory and business environment in Mauritius suitable to their implementation; 2) Expanding Mauritius' power generation capacity on an IPP basis; and 3) writing tenders, reviewing proposals, selecting an IPP company, and negotiating terms of a contract. This technical assistance contract will involve four principal tasks: 1) a review of materials available from the Government of Mauritius and preparation of working documents to support work in the field; 2) in-country work to provide training to host officials on the topics of RFP's and IPP projects, offer general advice on short-listing IPP companies who submitted pre-qualification statements, and draft and issue a request for technical and cost proposals; 3) return to the U.S. to brief short-listed U.S. companies and advise the host agency on questions from bidders; 4) return to Mauritius to provide general advice on the evaluation and selection process; and 5) prepare reports to the government of Mauritius and TDA. The consultant must demonstrate absolute impartiality and enter an agreement foregoing any present or future association or benefit from an of the agencies or companies which might respond to the RFP; demonstrate technical ability in generation and utility planning issues; demonstrate experience in international private power plant development and financing; and be available for field consultation of approximately 4 weeks and for approximately 2 months of intermittent service in the U.S. TDA, located in the Washington, D.C. area, is an export promotion U.S. Government foreign assistance agency that helps U.S. companies pursue overseas business opportunities. Through the funding of feasibility studies, orientation visits, training grants, and various forms of technical assistance, TDA enables American businesses to become involved in the planning stage of infrastructure and industrial projects in middle-income and developing countries. The Small Business Act, at 15 U.S.C. 644, authorizes procuring agencies to set aside procurements or portions of procurements for the exclusive participation of Small Business Concerns. The SIC Code for this procurement is 8999 - Services, N.E.C. Definition: ''Small business concerns'' for purposes of TDA award of this total set aside contract means a concern, including its affiliates, that is independently owned and operated, not dominant the field of operation for which it is bidding. In determining whether dominance exists for TDA's purpose for this contract, consideration is give to annual gross receipts. Any concern that has annual gross receipts above $5 million, averaged over a three year period, is not considered small and is therefore, NOT eligible for award under this contract. All participating organizations involved with supplying professional services must be incorporated or chartered in the United States. Consultants planning teaming arrangements must be U.S. citizens or resident aliens. In accordance with FAR 19.301, offerors will be required to submit self certification relating to business size. The competitive proposals method of solicitation as set forth in Part 15 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) (48 CFR Chapter 1) shall be utilized for this procurement. This solicitation in no way obligates TDA to award a contract, nor does it commit TDA to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Any explanation desired by an offeror regarding the meaning or interpretation of this solicitation must be requested in writing and with sufficient time allowed for reply to reach the offerors before submission of their offers. All oral explanations or instruction, given before award of this contract will not be binding. Any information given to a prospective offeror concerning the solicitation will be furnished promptly to all prospective offerors as an amendment of the solicitation, if such information is necessary to offerors submitting proposals or if lack of such information would be prejudicial to uninformed offerors. Offeror's technical proposal will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria: (1) Brief presentation of work plan describing how the consultant would provide the technical guidance, including advice on the evaluation of pre-qualification statements, formulation of a request for technical and cost proposals, assistance in developing the regulatory and business environment for IPP projects, and providing advice on the evaluation of proposals; (2) Description of how prior technical experience addresses the requirements of the technical assistance SOW; (3) Description of how prior financial experience addresses the requirements of the definitional mission SOW; (4) Degree of prior experience in power projects in Africa; (5) Degree of written and oral command of French in order to correspond and conduct technical/business meetings in French with host country project sponsors; and (6) Cost of proposal. The Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued on/about (15) fifteen days after the publication date of this synopsis. Because of the urgency of this request, the closing date for receipt of proposals will be fifteen (15) days thereafter. Only written requests for the RFP that indicate the company's size will be honored. U.S. eligible small businesses interested in receiving the RFP should send a fax requesting it to Della Glenn at (703)875-4009 or a letter by U.S. mail to Ms. Glenn at U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA), Contracts Unit, Room 309, SA-16, Washington, D.C. 20523-1602. Delivery by any other means must be addressed to Ms. Glenn at 1621 N. Kent Street, Room 309, Rosslyn, VA 22209. (0324)

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