B -- NATIONAL BROADBAND SYSTEM FEASIBILITY STUDY, CROATIA.

Notice Date

July 5, 2001

Contracting Office

USTDA, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 200, Arlington, VA 22209-2131

ZIP Code

22209-2131

Response Due

September 3, 2001

Point of Contact

POC -- Evangela Kunene, USTDA, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 200, Arlington, VA 22209-2131, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax: (703) 875-4009.

Description

National Broadband System Feasibility Study, Croatia. The Grantee invites submission of qualifications and proposal data (collectively referred to as the "Proposal") from interested U.S. firms that are qualified on the basis of experience and capability to develop a feasibility study for a National Broadband System for Croatia. Elektromodul is a limited liability company that provides cable television (TV) services in Croatia's fourth largest city, Osijek. Elektromodul holds a 10-year cable TV concession from the Croatian Institute of Telecommunications, a division of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, for the city of Osijek issued in 1998. SEAF Croatia provides equity financing to small and medium enterprises in developing countries and emerging markets. In February 2000, SEAF Croatia acquired large stakes in three Croatian Cable companies, including 49% of Elektromodul. SEAF Croatia plans to use the company as the vehicle for its national cable TV rollup strategy. Through the equity increase from SEAF Croatia, Elektromodul has already purchased two other companies: CATV-JOZA (3,300 subscribers) and Automat (6,000 subscribers) and is in talks with five other cable TV companies in Croatia. With these new acquisitions, Elektromodul is the largest cable TV operator in Croatia in terms of paying subscribers. Elektromodul must develop a "last mile" solution to compete with HT after the telecommunications market is deregulated in 2003. With a "last mile" solution, Elektromodul will not be dependent on HT's monopolistic practices. Furthermore, Elektromodul must build a national broadband network that integrates voice, data and CATV services into a single operation. To accomplish these objectives, Elektromodul must acquire more local CATV companies, then voice-equip the coaxial cable network to accommodate two-way communications streams. Then an IP-based hybrid fiber coax configuration could be used to establish a national broadband network in Croatia to offer services at a lower cost and higher quality than HT. Success and survivability will likely be determined by which company enters the market first. The purpose of this Feasibility Study is to develop a comprehensive network design and market plan to allow Elektromodul to expand into market areas beyond residential cable TV. First, an industry and market study will be conducted and eventually made available in a public report. Next, an evaluation of nationwide broadband network expansion, international connectivity, and "last mile" solutions will be developed. Based on this, the Contractor will propose a network design and define the technical requirements and specifications. A long-range strategic plan and technical network deployment plan, including financial analyses, will be prepared. Elektromodul or SEAF Croatia will separately recruit and oversee a local legal firm to conduct a legal/regulatory review that will be furnished regarding the project. Information from the preceding four tasks will remain confidential. The last task will be the preparation of a final report, which will be available to the public. The U.S. firm selected will be paid in U.S. dollars from a $250,350 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 report are available from TDA, at 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 200, 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 English directly to the Grantee by 4:00pm, September 3, 2001, 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.

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010709/BSOL001.HTM (W-186 SN50Q9B3)