Ferrocarril General Belgrano, S.A., Padre Mugica 426, 1104 Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA; Attention: Ing. Hugo Rizzo, Vicepresidente; Tel: 011-54-1-510-3500, Fax: 011-54-1-510-3559

B -- FERROCARRIL GENERAL BELGRANO MINING CORRIDOR REHABILITATION PROJECT IN ARGENTINA POC Ms. Evangela Kunene, USTDA, Room 300, 1621 N. Kent Street, Arlington, VA 22209-2131, Telephone: (703) 875-4357, FAX: (703) 875-4009 The Ferrocarril General Belgrano, S.A. ("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 develop a feasibility study to plan the rehabilitation of the mining corridor of the Ferrocarril General Belgrano, S.A. The Ferrocarril General Belgrano is the single longest railroad in Argentina, with a total length of 11,000 km, of which about 6,000 km of track is currently operation. Built to meter gauge, the railroad's territory spans thirteen provinces and extends from Buenos Aires to the Province of Salta, with connections to Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile, and service to the Ports of Rosario, Santa Fi and Buenos Aires. The objective of the feasibility study is to develop a rehabilitation plan for the mining corridor of the Ferrocarril General Belgrano, S.A. that will enable it to handle projected increases in traffic from new mining ventures in the Provinces of Salta, La Rioja, and Catamarca, with destination to the ports on the Parana River. The feasibility study will include the analysis of present and potential rail traffic in the mining corridor of the Ferrocarril General Belgrano, S.A.; physical inspection, review of existing track maintenance standards, and development of a maintenance plan. The study also requires the preparation of a capital budget, technical specifications and recommendations for the repair of rail sections and for the purchase and refurbishment of locomotives and wagons. The U.S. firm selected will be paid in U.S. dollars from a $336,000 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's 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 be mailed 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 Spanish and English directly to the Grantee by 5:00pm local time, on January 25, 1999 to the Ferrocarril General Belgrano, S.A. 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 NOTbe 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 12/03/98 (I-SN276727). (0337)

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