REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth Complex (PEVP) Power Systems Development Department (PESD)

INDIVIDUAL MEDIUM-TERM CONSULTANT (GAS-TO-POWER SPECIALIST)

  1. The African Development Bank, through the PEVP Vice-Presidency, is seeking the services of an experienced Gas-To-Power (GTP) Specialist to lead (or support) the identification, screening, due diligence and supervision of all technical workstreams in GTP projects / transactions, in the Bank’s Non-Sovereign Operations (NSO) pipeline (and in some cases, portfolio); across the GTP project cycle. This will involve project development, technical structuring, procurement, contracting, financing, construction and operations activities; including recruitment and supervision of Lender / Owner 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 GTP Specialist (GTPS) 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); gas suppliers and engineering service providers) ;
  1. Interested Consultants shall provide evidence of a track-record in successfully implementing private-sector led utility-scale and captive GTP 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) ;
  1. The eligibility criteria, and selection procedure shall be in conformity with the Bank’s Rules and Procedures for the Procurement of individual 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 ;
  1. The duration of services is a maximum of 132 working days over a period of six (6) months and the estimated starting date is April 2021 ;
  1. 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 ;
  1. Expressions of interest must be received in softcopy at the email address below no later than 10th March 2021 at 17:00 hours GMT and mention “Gas to Power Specialist – (Insert the Name of Applicant)

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

Attention : Angela Nalika

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

Any questions and requests for clarifications may be sent to: Omar Vajeth

Principal Corporate Relations Officer Email: [email protected]

  1. A shortlist of three (3) to six (6) 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 technical criteria:
Professional / academic qualifications 10%
Experience in structuring and implementing GTP 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 ;
  2. Detailed terms of reference of the assignment are described in the Appendix 1.

APPENDIX 1

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR GAS TO POWER SPECIALIST

(INDIVIDUAL MEDIUM-TERM CONSULTANT)

Under the guidance of the Bank’s Power Systems Development Department (PESD), the GTP Specialist will operate at the highest levels in relation to relevant industries and other stakeholders.

Responsibilities : 

  1. Prepare, appraise, negotiate and supervise GTP projects. Lead / support Bank teams on operational work and policy dialogue in the gas to power sector ;
  2. 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, consumption and emission / waste disposal / ESIA performance obligations / guarantees (and exclusions) under the Project Documents such as, but not limited to, the Gas/Fuel Supply Agreement; Gas Connection Agreement, Power Purchase Agreement, Engineering Procurement and Construction Contract(s), Operations & Maintenance Contracts and other project agreements /permits/licenses in gas to power 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 ;
  3. 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) ;
  4. 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 LTA reports 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 GTP project development. Provide opinions on the evacuation of power produced and the implications on national and regional power systems ;
  5. Review and comment on technical assumptions used in the Lender project financial model, including stress sensitivity analyses/scenarios ;
  6. Contribute to the Bank Group’s knowledge generation and dissemination activities on utility scale and captive GTP projects with a focus on GTP 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 gas to power project development ;
  7. 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 GTP sector development programs. Provide technical advice to project teams on policy, institutional and regulatory frameworks for gas to power projects ;
  8. Support country energy teams on the development of projects / programs to optimize utilization of gas for power generation ;
  9. Lead and contribute to PEVP GTP analytical and advisory work.

Competencies : 

  • Master’s degree in Electrical / Mechanical / Chemical Engineering (with an MBA and/or Energy Economics degree will give an advantage) ;
  • A minimum of 15 years’ relevant experience in international institutions/companies and/or government in GTP projects/programs with demonstrated track record per technical evaluation criteria above ;
  • A minimum of 10 years work experience in the GTP industry, mid-stream and down-stream gas development, transportation, processing and supply to private sector-led offtakers;
  • Analytical skills to extract data and use to inform the development agenda ;
  • Exposure to and experience in a mix of gas resources planning, project design and execution, as well as negotiating Project Documents and related agreements (including adequacy of gas resource and quality, for GTP projects) ;
  • Substantial experience in Africa and/or developing/emerging countries ;
  • 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 GTP stakeholders ;
  • Ability to lead, work independently and to participate in multi-disciplinary teams ;
  • Excellent written and oral communications skills and ability to present complex issues with clarity and objectivity. English language skills essential, French an advantage; and
  • The duration of services is six (6) months and the estimate starting date is April 2021.