REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth Complex (PEVP) Power systems Delivery Department (PESD)

INDIVIDUAL MEDIUM-TERM CONSULTANT (HYDROPOWER SPECIALIST)

 

 

 

The African Development Bank, through the PEVP Vice-Presidency, is seeking the services of an experienced HYDROPOWER SPECIALIST Specialist to lead (or support) the identification, screening, due diligence and supervision of all technical workstreams in Hydropower projects/transactions, in the Bank’s Non-Sovereign Operations (NSO) pipeline (and in some cases, portfolio); across the Hydropower project cycle. This will involve project development, technical structuring, procurement, contracting, financing, construction and operations activities; including recruitment and supervision of Lenders/Owners Technical Advisors (and other Technical Specialists) to secure requisite approvals from the Bank, co-financiers (and other stakeholders) to achieve Financial Close/Commencement of Construction, Commercial Operations Date (COD) and Financial Completion (as defined in the Common Terms Agreement, CTA) in a timely and cost effective manner. The Hydropower Specialist will work under the supervision of the Power Systems Directorate, and provide technical support and advice to relevant Bank staff (such as Task Managers, Investment Officers, Portfolio Management Officers and Safeguards Officers) and external stakeholders (e.g project sponsors and transaction advisors; regulators; Government agencies; anchor power offtaker(s); engineering service providers).

  1. Interested Consultants shall provide evidence of a track-record in successfully implementing private-sector led utility-scale and captive Hydropower Projects above [100 MW], in Africa (or emerging markets) in the past [10 – 15 years]; and information on their professional qualifications and experience demonstrating their availability and ability to undertake this assignment. (project / client reference lists and key achievements; CVs) ;
  2. The eligibility criteria, the establishment of a short list and the selection procedure shall be in conformity with the Bank’s Rules and Procedure for the Use of Consultants. Please, note that interest expressed by a Consultant does not imply any obligation on the part of the Bank to include him/her in the shortlist ;
  3. The duration of services is a maximum of 132 working days over a period of six (6) months and the estimate starting date is February 2021 ;
  4. Interested Individual Consultants may obtain further information at the address below during the Bank’s working hours. For the EOI to be considered, the consultant needs to be registered in the AfDB DACON Consultant Database  ;
  5. Expressions of interest must be received in softcopy at the email address below no later than Wednesday, 9 December 2020 at 17:00 hours GMT and mention : “Hydropower Specialist – Name.”.

Angela Nalikka

Manager: National and Regional Power Systems (PESD.1)

E-mail : [email protected] with a copy to [email protected] and [email protected].

Any questions and requests for clarifications may be sent to :

Omar Vajeth

Principal Corporate Relations Officer

Email : [email protected]

  1. A shortlist of three to six individual consultants will be established at the end of the request for expressions of interest. Consultants on the shortlist will be judged on the following criteria :
Professional / academic qualifications 10%
Experience in structuring and implementing Hydropower Projects 40%
Number and value of deals closed 40%
Experience in Africa / emerging markets on similar assignments 10%
  1. Please note that interest expressed by a Consultant does not imply any obligation on the part of the Bank to include him/her in the shortlist.

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR HYDROPOWER SPECIALIST (INDIVIDUAL MEDIUM-TERM CONSULTANT)

Under the guidance of the Bank’s Power systems Delivery Department (PESD), the Hydropower Specialist will operate at the highest levels in relation to relevant industries and other stakeholders with the following responsibilities :

  1. Prepare, appraise, negotiate and supervise hydropower projects. Lead/support teams on operational work and policy dialogue in the energy sector;
  1. Review, comment and provide due diligence opinions on the adequacy of Project’s Technical Feasibility, Scope Of Works, Risk Allocation, contractual structure and alignment of completion, output, ESIA obligations, guarantees (and exclusions) under the Project Documents such as, but not limited to, the Power Purchase Agreement, Engineering Procurement and Construction Contract(s), Operations & Maintenance Contracts and other project agreements /permits/licenses in hydropower projects projects. This requires that the consultant provide expert knowledge throughout the Banks project cycle (identification, preparation, appraisal, approval, construction and completion/operations). Advice may also be provided for projects currently under portfolio management ;
  1. The consultant will confirm the adequacy of the data, information and reporting obligations stipulated, or assumed, in the Project Documents and Finance Documents, such as the (e.g. Financial Model’s and Common Terms  Agreement). Consultant will be required to review and opine on the adequacy of the organization and staffing arrangements during the construction phase, and quality assurance mechanisms; including witnessing factory and/or site functional/performance tests and provision of expert advice on the project budget, design, specifications and implementation milestones (in collaboration with the Lenders Technical Advisors) ;
  1. Lead the procurement, management and supervision of the Lenders Technical Advisor and other Technical Specialists as necessary, for project financing due diligence. Review and comment on the Lenders Technical Advisors report’s as and when they are issued throughout the project cycle. This includes providing specialized technical inputs and handling queries, institutional and implementation issues related to investment operations for effective Hydropower project development. Provide opinions on the evacuation of power produced and the implications on national and regional power systems ;
  1. Review and comment on technical assumptions used in a project financial model ;
  1. Contribute to the Bank Group’s knowledge generation and dissemination activities on utility scale Hydropower projects with a focus on Hydropower sector policies, market demand/supply balance, infrastructure requirements, regulations, pricing, economic linkages, tariffs and subsidies; revenue management and governance. The consultant will be required to mentor and share knowledge with Bank staff on technical issues in hydropower project development ;
  1. Develop effective external and internal partnerships with industry, government, civil society and the Bank’s regional and country teams to extend the reach and impact of the Bank hydropower sector development programs. Provide technical advice to project teams on policy, institutional and regulatory frameworks for Hydropower projects ;
  1. Support country energy teams on the development of projects/programs to optimize utilization of hydropower generation ;
  1. Lead and contribute to PEVP Hydropower analytical and advisory work.

Competencies :

  • Master’s degree in a field related to hydropower development (engineering, energy planning, water resources management, financial management, or economics) ;
  • A minimum of 15 years’ relevant experience in international institutions/companies and/or government in hydropower projects/programs with demonstrated track record per technical evaluation criteria above ;
  • Minimum of 15 years work experience in hydropower development and implementation such as in planning, feasibility studies, design, project supervision and operation, preferably in developing countries with experience in Africa as an added advantage ;
  • In depth understanding of sustainability issues of hydropower development and actions necessary in planning, design and implementation to ensure social, environmental, economic and financial sustainability, including industry good practice standards ;
  • Knowledge and experience of PPP approaches to hydropower development, including negotiating project documents and related agreements ;
  • Analytical skills to extract data and use to inform the development agenda ;
  • A track record of team work and ability to produce high-quality results and outputs with minimal supervision ;
  • Results oriented leadership, with an ability to manage a diverse portfolio of projects ;
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to manage strategic relationships and interact at the highest levels, with key hydropower stakeholders ;
  • High level of energy, initiative and flexibility in quickly adjusting to changing work program requirements ;
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills, ability to effectively dialogue with and relate to clients and stakeholders; and, proficiency in English is essential with proficiency in French as an added advantage.