Della Glenn, USTDA, 1621 N. Kent Street. Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22209-2131, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax: (703) 875-4009

C -- U.S. TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY PROFESSIONAL FINANCIAL ADVISORY SERVICES FOR SOUTH BALKAN DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE POC Della Glenn, USTDA, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22209-2131, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax: (703) 875-4009 The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) seeks to award a firm fixed price contract to a U.S. firm professional financial advisory firm which is qualified on the basis of experience and capability to conduct financial advisory services for the U.S. Governments South Balkan Development Initiative (SBDI). SBDI is a four-year, $30 million initiative announced by President Clinton in 1995. SBDI is designed to help Albania, Bulgaria and Macedonia further develop and integrate their transportation infrastructure along the east-west corridor that connects them. TDA is responsible for implementing the SBDI. The SBDI Coordinating Group (CG) of Deputy Transportation Ministers from the three South Balkan countries has requested that TDA support and recruit a Financial Advisor (FA) to provide expert financial advice. The FA will be tasked to develop a comprehensive and workable strategy to secure financing for a series of highway, rail and port projects. Key focus is to be on 34 projects identified by Bechtel International in its East-West Transport Corridor Feasibility Study dated February 1998. The projects, to be implemented between 1998 and 2003, have capital needs estimated to be $2.555 billion. The list of projects is subject to review and modification. The FA would be attached to the SBDI Coordinating Group of Deputy Transportation Ministers. The FA would also work closely with and be responsible to a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative at the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. The U.S. firm selected will be paid in U.S. dollars from a $304,600 contract from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency ("TDA"). The U.S. firm selected will be responsible for completing the entire Terms of Reference for this assistance activity. TDA, located in the Washington, D.C. area, is an export-oriented, U.S. Government foreign assistance agency committed to promoting environmentally sound, sustainable economic development and trade in middle income and developing countries. Contractor selection will be based on offeror's understanding of the requirements of the solicitation as demonstrated by suitability of proposed approach to performing the work; technical qualifications of staff proposed to perform the work; and prior experience. This procurement shall be a full and open competition, under which any type of organization (commercial {for profit} firms, educational institutions, non-profit organizations) is eligible to compete. All participating organizations involved with supplying professional services must be of United States nationality. 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 sufficienttime allowed for reply to reach the offerors before submission of their offers, and all oral explanations or instructions, given before the award of this contract will not be binding. Any written 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. The Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued on/or about fifteen (15) days after the publication date of this announcement. Closing date for proposals will be twenty (20) days thereafter. Only written requests for the RFP will be honored. Those interested in receiving RFP#TDA-98-Q-062 should send a letter or fax requesting it to Arthenia Johnson Hawkins, U.S. Trade and Development Agency, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22209-2131. The fax number is, (703) 875-4009 . Please provide the firm's name, address, telephone number, fax number and the name of a contact person at the firm. Posted 07/10/98. (0191)

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