R -- BAHIA SEMI-ARID ZONE WATER SUPPLY PROJECT

Notice Date

December 14, 2001

Contracting Office

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

ZIP Code

22209-2131

Response Due

January 24, 2002

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

The Rural Engineering Company of Bahia ("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 carry out technical assistance related to the installation of alternative energy-fueled potable water systems in the State of Bahia as part of the "Bahia Semi-Arid Zone Water Supply Project" (the "Project.") The State of Bahia is seeking to utilize alternative energy powered (primarily solar) potable water systems to meet the needs of 3,000 small communities in the Sert o region of the state that are not connected to the state electric grid. The Rural Engineering Company of the State of Bahia, a state-owned engineering company under the jurisdiction of the Bahia State Secretariat of Infrastructure, is planning the implementation of this project in conjunction with the Superintendency of Water Resources and Sanitation. Diesel generators are used to operate most of the rural water supply systems in Bahia; however, problems such as the lack of fuel and parts, maintenance and high operating costs have made them an unreliable option. Located within 10 degrees of the equator, the region is an ideal location for solar powered systems and some initial experimentation with solar power has shown promise. There are 150 solar power systems operating in Bahia at present. The initial experimentation with solar has also illustrated a number of problems. The separate procurement of panels, pumps, and desalinization equipment directly from equipment vendors instead of as integrated systems with vendor performance guarantees has resulted in problems with compatibility and performance. In addition, more comprehensive training programs for community residents is needed for the operation and maintenance of the systems. To help address these issues, TDA approved a grant to CERB for technical assistance that will allow the state of Bahia to develop an effective, sustainable program to install alternative energy powered small-scale potable water supply systems for rural communities that can be replicated throughout the state. The TDA grant will be used to (1) contract a Pilot Project Program Manager Consultant and (2) to procure alternative energy generation, water pumping and desalinization equipment through a competitive bid process for U.S. companies. The Project Manager will be responsible for developing the equipment specifications for each system, preparing the equipment bid documents, evaluating offers, and submitting vendor recommendations to SEINFRA. In collaboration with SEINFRA, the Program Manager will also contract a local installation subcontractor and coordinate system start-up, community operator training and operational monitoring. SEINFRA will be responsible for the preparation of wells, installation of system piping, storage capacity and related structures, thereby contributing an implicit "Grantee Cost-Share" to the technical assistance. At the conclusion of the technical assistance, there will be a technical symposium to disseminate the results to water supply managers from rural communities in Bahia and the seven other states in the Sert o, Brazilian federal government and MDB officials, and U.S. companies. The U.S. firm selected will be paid in U.S. dollars from a $400,000 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 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 and Portuguese directly to the Grantee by 5:00PM on January 24, 2002 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. 20011218/RSOL010.HTM (W-348 SN515264)