Contact: Dan Capatina, Concordia Petroliera, 72 Unirii Blvd, Bloc J3C, 741291 Bucharest, Romania, Phone: 401 320 8456, Fax: 401 320 8453

R -- FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR THE CONSTANTA, ROMANIA TO TRIESTE, ITALY OIL PIPELINE POC Evangela Kunene, USTDA, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22209-2131, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax: (703) 875-4009. Feasibility Study for the Constanta, Romania to Trieste, Italy Oil Pipeline. The Grantee 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 perform a feasibility study on the development of an oil pipeline from Constanta, Romania to Trieste, Italy. Currently, oil from the Caspian Sea and Russia is transported from the Black Sea to markets in Europe via tankers through the Bosphorus. One of the prevailing concerns regarding the transport of Caspian Oil to Western markets is the increasing congestion of the Bosphorus straits, especially as transport of oil to the east coast of the Black Sea is expected to increase dramatically in the next ten years. The Romanian pipeline proposal involves a pipeline that would bypass the Bosphorus, transporting the oil from the Black Sea port of Constanta to Trieste in Italy. The feasibility study scope of work provided by the DM contractor is designed to provide the pipeline developers with the economic justification necessary to "market" the pipeline to producers and shippers. This document will then be used to negotiate shipper commitments which are necessary to establish bankability. The exact scope of work follows: Task 1=96Determine Capacity and Port Throughput Potential, Task 2=96Assess Potent= ial Crude Oil Consumers, Task 3=96Determine Operating Capacity, Task 4=96Perform Initial Economic Screening, Task 5=96Develop Technical Feasibility Assessmen= t and Preliminary Design, Task 6=96Prepare Project Cost Analysis, Task 7=96Perform Economic Analysis, Task 8=96Develop a Project Execution Strategy=, Task 9=96Prepare Preliminary Environmental Assessment, Task 10=96Legal Revie= w, Task 11=96Final Report. The U.S. firm selected will be paid in U.S. dollars from a $650,000 grant to the Grantee from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA). A detailed Request for Proposals (RFP), which includes requirements for the Proposal, the Terms of Reference, and a background definitional mission/desk study report are available from TDA, at 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22209-2131. Requests for the RFP should be faxed to the IRC, TDA at 703-875-4009. In the fax, please include your firm=92s name, contact person, address, and telephone number. Some firms have found that RFP materials sent by U.S. mail do not reach them in time for preparation of an adequate response. Firms that want TDA to use an overnight delivery service should include the name of the delivery service and your firm's account number in the request for the RFP. Firms that want to send a courier to TDA to retrieve the RFP should allow one hour after faxing the request to TDA before scheduling a pick-up. Please note that no telephone requests for the RFP will be honored. Please check your internal fax verification receipt. Because of the large number of RFP requests, TDA cannot respond to requests for fax verification. Requests for RFPs received before 4:00 PM will bemailed the same day. Requests received after 4:00 PM will be mailed the following day. Please check with your courier and/or mail room before calling TDA. 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 U.S. or host country. The U.S. firm may use subcontractors from the host country 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 by 4:00 PM, September 25, 1998 at the above address. Evaluation criteria for the Proposal are included in the RFP. 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. Posted 08/11/98 (I-SN235593). (0223)

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