SOL-306-16-000003_Amendment_No_7.pdf

SOL-306-16-000003

Amendment 07

I. REVISED DEADLINES

The following reaffirms the deadlines set forth in Amendment No. 6:

Kandahar Site Visit: During March 2016

Deadline for Offerors to Submit Additional Questions &

Comments Regarding the Revised Draft PPA and RFP: March 23, 2016

Proposal Closing Date: April 24, 2016

Closing Time for All Deadlines: 4.00 p.m. local time (Kabul)

II. CHANGES TO REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL SOLICITATION

Refer to Amendment #5, Attachment B for the revised RFP: Specific changes made to the RFP by this Amendment #7 are:

1. In Section C: Statement of Work

a) The following new requirement for Meteorological Station (Weather Station) is added to Section 3:

“C.3.5 Meteorological Station in Solar Power Plant

A minimum of one (1), complete meteorological monitoring and measurement station shall be installed at solar Plant site. The Meteorological Station must measure and record solar radiation, wind speed, wind direction, PV temperature, ambient temperature, humidity, and rainfall. Weather monitoring station must communicate with SCADA systems on RS485 MODBUS, Ethernet and to cloud on GSM/GPRS as per the SCADA system supplied.

The Meteorological Station must have following sensors:

Pyrometer 1 – in horizontal position, shadow free.

Pyrometer 2 – in same tilted position as solar panels, facing South.

Wind speed sensor (Anemometer).

Wind direction sensor (Wind vane).

Solar Panel Temperature sensor.

Ambient Temperature sensor Humidity sensor (Hygrometer).

Barometer Rain bucket (Rain Gauge).

The Meteorological Station must be capable of recording and storing environmental data without power, at least, for 48-hours, and must have at least 45 days of memory capacity.”

ESP RFQ SOL‐306‐15‐000076

b) Accordingly, sub-paragraphs in Section C.3 Project Scope and Requirements are renumbered as follows:

C.3.1 Summary Requirement C.3.2 Site Location and Access to Site C.3.3 Technology C.3.4 Land Use C.3.5 Meteorological Station in Solar Power Plant C.3.6 Commissioning

2. In Section L: INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF PROJECT PROPOSAL

a) Regarding compliance with the requirements of L.2 and L.3, Offerors are advised that it is not necessary to obtain DUNS number or register in SAM in order to submit a proposal. Only offerors prequalified for phase 2 (reverse auction) will be advised and required by the Contracting Officer to obtain the DUNS number and register on SAM.

This is intended to relieve offerors, whose proposals may be determined unacceptable and therefore ineligible to participate in phase 2, the burden of unnecessary registration.

b) Section L.9 (d): USAID wishes to clarify that Offerors may provide questions, comments and exceptions to the draft Power Purchase Agreement provided in Amendment #6 including the Site Lease by no later than the due date for submission of questions stated in Amendment # 6.

c) Section L.10(b) Proposal Organization/Limits section is DELETED in its entirety and

REPLACED with the following:

The proposal must be organized in the following order with the following page limitations:

SECTION PART PAGE LIMITATION

Cover Letter This section is not evaluated. One (1) page maximum Table of Contents This section is not evaluated. No page limit Section 1:

Qualifications and Experience

Part A: General Qualifications One (1) page maximum Part A-1: Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements

No Page limit

Part B: Specialized Experience

Part B-1: Description of Specialized Experience

Three (3) page maximum; no page limit for supporting documents.

Part B-2: Projects Attachment 5

Each completed Attachment 5 Form may not exceed five (5) pages per project; no page limit for supporting documents.

Part C: Financial Capacity of Working Capital

No page limit.

Part D: Project Personnel Four (4) pages maximum Part E: Management Capability Four (4) pages maximum

Section 2: System Production

Part F: System Design and Equipment Specifications

Thirty(30) pages maximum

Capability Part G: System Description Twenty (20) pages maximum Part H: Project Timeline/Schedule

Two (2) pages maximum

Part I: System Operation and Maintenance Approach

Five (5) pages maximum

Section 3: Past Performance

Part K: Past Performance Questionnaires

Fifteen (15) pages maximum

Attachment 1:

Evidence of Responsibility

No page limit

Attachment 2:

Branding and Marking Plan

Twenty (20) page maximum

Attachment 3:

Teaming Arrangement Description

Five (5) page maximum

d) Section L.10 (c): Proposal Content is hereby DELETED and REPLACED with the following:

The project proposal must include the following information, which will be verified and evaluated in accordance with section M.3:

i) Section 1: Qualifications and Experience

General Qualifications: Provide Offeror’s general qualifications and profile to include:

- Names, Physical and Postal Address, and Contacts

- Business Registration Status

- Description of business activities

Affirmative statement of willingness to execute the Contractor-DABS Power Purchase Agreement in substantially the final form presented in this solicitation.

Representation, Certifications and Other Statements: Provide Offeror’s (including each partner as applicable) signed Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offerors - Section K.

This information must be included as Part A of the Proposal.

Specialized Experience:

Describe Offeror’s experience within the last five years in installing, maintaining and managing on-site photovoltaic systems, including under a

Power Purchase Agreement, of similar magnitude and complexity as required by this solicitation. The offeror must:

(1) Provide copies of company shareholding certificate(s) or equivalent demonstrating that within the last five years, Offeror has had majority equity ownership1 in at least two (2) solar power projects of at least five MWp, each selling electricity to a utility under a PPA with continuous operation for at least one year (till the date of submission of the proposal), OR

(2) Demonstrate, with substantiating documentation, that the Offeror has at least 3 years of experience in investing in Afghanistan, and has a solar power developer or EPC contractor as a partner, with the latter having either:

(a) built two (2) solar power projects of at least five MWp each or higher on a turnkey basis, OR

(b) majority equity ownership in a solar power project of at least five MWp, selling electricity to a utility under PPA with continuous operation for at least one year (till the date of submission of the proposal).

Offerors must provide no more than three (3) pages describing their specialized experience.

Use Attachment 5 to the RFP to provide all the relevant information about the projects described above (i.e., solar power projects of at least five MWp). The Offeror must include duly authenticated customer’s certificates and other relevant documents to substantiate.

The description of the Specialized Experience (which may not exceed three pages), the completed Attachment 5 forms (which may not exceed five pages for each project) and the relevant supporting documents (e.g., copies of company shareholding certificates, AISA letters, references letters, as appropriate) must be included as Part B of the Proposal.

Financial Capability:

The Offeror must submit the following minimum documentation required for evaluation of financial capability:

1 Majority equity ownership is considered 51% or greater equity ownership of an entity.

a. Internal Resource Generation (IRG): Minimum IRG of one of the most recent three years of business operations of not less than USD 10 million.

b. Net worth: Minimum average Net Worth of the most recent three years of business operations of not less than USD 20 million

c. Annual Turnover: Minimum average Turnover of the most recent three years of business operations of not less than USD 40 million.

The above financial capability requirements shall be defined and computed by the Offeror in following manner:

1. Internal Resource Generation (IRG)

IRG = Profit after Tax (PAT), but adjusted as follows.

Add: Decrease in Net Current Assets (excluding cash) Add: Depreciation and Amortization Add: Any other non-cash expenditure (including deferred tax) Subtract: Scheduled Loan repayments and increase in Net Current Assets (excluding cash)

Provided when an existing loan has been repaid through the proceeds of the new loan, then to the extent the proceeds of the new loan have been used to repay the existing loan, such repayment of existing loan shall not be considered for the purposes of computation of Internal Resource Generation.

2. Net Worth

Net worth = Equity share capital Add: Reserves Subtract: Revaluation Reserves Subtract: Intangible Assets Subtract: Miscellaneous Expenditures to the extent not written off and carry forward losses

3. Annual Turnover: Annual Gross Revenue Earned by the Offeror.

4. The Offeror must provide for itself or, where the Offeror is a team/JV/consortium, for each partner:

a. audited financial statements duly certified by a certified public accountant for the most recent three full financial years for which such statements are available, including in each case a balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flows and accompanying notes; and

b. a step-by-step calculation of Internal Resource Generation, Net Worth, and Annual Turnover (including, in the case that the audited financial statements provided pursuant to paragraph (a) do not clearly refer to the accounting concepts comprised in the above definitions, appropriate additional documentation, explanation and/or cross-references to such audited financial statements as it may consider appropriate).

This documentation must be provided as Part C to the Proposal.

Personnel Qualifications: Explain how the Offeror will assign a Project

Manager and Chief Engineer who will satisfy the requirements of Section C.5.

Describe how the Offeror will establish and maintain a qualified and experienced installation, testing, commissioning, operation, and maintenance team at the plant (Field Team) to enable the Offeror to install, operate, and maintain the plant and satisfy the requirements set forth in Section C.

This must be described in Part D of the Proposal.

Management Capacity: Provide a Management Plan that must articulate the

Offeror’s management approach to effectively managing personnel, procuring equipment in order to complete the Project within the Period of Performance, ensure quality control for all work performed; and ensure accurate and timely communication to USAID and DABS.

This Management Plan must be described in Part E of the Proposal.

ii) Section 2: System Production Capability

System Description, Design and Equipment Specifications: Provide a detailed description of the proposed photovoltaic power plant inclusive of modules and balance of system components, plant schematics, electrical single-line diagrams, and equipment manufacturer specifications.

Proposals must address for site characteristics {i.e., available land, and site-specific construction conditions (soils types, topography, etc)}.

Specifications of equipment (i.e., PV modules, inverters, transformers, protection equipment) must include performance characteristics. The proposed system equipment and the manufacturers of the equipment must be ISO or IEC certified or certified by other internationally recognized quality certification bodies.

Proposals must include information on module supply and availability, quality and warranties required in Section C.3.2.

Proposals must provide verifiable engineering data that can be audited that supports the capability of their solar plant to generate 10 MWp. This can be accomplished through commercially available software or other means.

The detailed description of the proposed system and equipment must be included in Part F.

System Performance: The Offeror must provide information and supporting documentary evidence of at least one operational project that uses the proposed system technology, for at least one year, anywhere in the world.

The documentary evidence must include a letter of reference from such project customer or utility providing: (i) name, (ii) location, (iii) system description, including generating capacity, (iv) commercial operations date, and (v) role of the Offeror. This description must be included as Part G of the proposal.

The Offeror must also include an illustrative time line/schedule that demonstrates the Offeror will complete the Project within the period of performance. This project timeline/schedule must be included as Part H of the proposal.

System Operation and Maintenance: Clearly describe the Offeror’s approach to operate and maintain the plant, and successfully produce and deliver the required power and services to DABS, in accordance with the PPA. The Offeror must include this Operation and Maintenance Approach as Part I.

iii) Section 3: Past Performance

The Prime Offeror (including all partners of a joint venture, teaming arrangement or consortium) must provide performance information for itself and each major subcontractor2 by completing the Past Performance References Checklist (Attachment 6) forms regarding the quality of its performance for its recent (within the last 5 years) projects in developing, installing, maintaining and managing on-site Solar PV systems under power purchase agreements.

The Past Performance Questionnaires must be completed and included as Part K. It must include a brief description (to include system sizes, system types) of the project, along with the name of the client, client contact and phone number. The Government may contact the Offeror’s references as indicated on the Past Performance Questionnaires or other contacts as known to the Government, to determine customer satisfaction with various aspects of the Offeror’s performance.

Past performance submissions do not count against the page limitation of proposals.

This factor will be evaluated to assess whether the Prime Offeror’s record of recent (within the last 5 years) past performance indicates a likelihood of successful

2 Major Subcontractors” are those subcontractors and/or joint venture, teaming arrangement or consortium partners that are expected to perform at least 20% of the technical effort under the contract being solicited.

performance under the resultant contract. Proposals that fail to provide complete information and a point of contact (POC) that is accessible, or fail to provide a correct current phone number and e-mail address, may not be considered. The past performance of joint venture partners and subcontractors will not be considered.

The Government’s sources of information for evaluating past performance may include, but are not limited to, Government databases, any and all information provided by the Offeror, inquiries of PV system owner representative(s), and other known sources not provided by the Offeror, provided such information is recent.

While the Government may elect to consider data from other sources, the burden of providing detailed, current, accurate, and complete past performance information rests with the Offeror.

USAID will initially determine the relevance of similar performance information as a predictor of probable performance under the subject requirement. USAID may give more weight to performance information that is considered more relevant and/or more current.

Adverse past performance information to which the offeror previously has not had an opportunity to respond will be addressed in accordance with the policies and procedures set forth in FAR 15.3.

3. In Section M: Evaluation Factors for Award

i) DELETE section M.3 (a) Qualifications and Experience in its entirety and REPLACE with the following:

a) Qualifications and Experience

USAID will assess whether or not:

General Qualifications:

- The Offeror’s (or its JV/Teaming/Consortium partners) business activities include generation and supply of renewable energy.

- The Offeror has affirmed its willingness to enter into the PPA with DABS in substantially the same form as attached to the solicitation (as amended, if appropriate).

- Offeror has completed and certified Section K - Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors.

Specialized Experience:

- Offeror has satisfactorily demonstrated that within the last five (5) years, the Offeror: (1) Has had majority equity ownership in at least two (2) solar power projects of at least five MWp, each selling electricity to a utility under a PPA with continuous operation for at least one year (till the date of submission of the proposal), OR

- The Offeror has 3 and more year experience in investing in Afghanistan and has a solar power developer or EPC contractor as a technical partner, with the latter having either: (a) built two (2) solar power projects of at least five MWp each or higher on a turnkey basis, or (b) majority equity ownership in a solar power project of at least five MWp, selling electricity to a utility under PPA with continuous operation for at least one year (till the date of submission of the proposal)

Financial Capability: Offeror has provided certified audited statements that it has:

- Internal Resource Generation (IRG) equal to or exceeding USD 10 million in one of the recent three years of business operations

- Average Net Worth equal to or exceeding USD 20 million for the most recent three years of business operations

- Average Turnover equal to or exceeding USD 40 million for the recent three years of business operation.

Personnel Qualifications: The Offeror has:

- Identified a Project Manager and Chief Engineer who satisfies the requirements of Section C.5

- Satisfactorily demonstrated how it will establish and maintain a qualified and experienced design, installation, testing, commissioning, operation, and maintenance team.

Management Capacity: The Offeror’s management plan:

- Satisfactorily articulates an approach that will effectively manage personnel and procure equipment in order to complete the Project within the stipulated Period of Performance

- Has a quality control plan for all work to be performed

- Has a plan for communication with USAID and DABS.

ii) DELETE section M.3 (b) System Production Capability in its entirety and REPLACE with the following:

b) System Production Capability

USAID will evaluate whether or not:

System Description, Design and Equipment Specifications:

- The Offeror has provided a comprehensive and detailed system design and appropriate equipment and specifications required by section C and L.10(c)(ii).

- The proposed system design adequately addresses site characteristics

- The manufacturers of the proposed photovoltaic modules and balance of system equipment are certified by ISO, IEC or other internationally recognized quality certification bodies.

- Modules and Equipment warranties meet or exceed RFP requirements

- Has provided verifiable engineering data that can be audited that supports the capability of their solar plant to generate 10 MWp.

System Performance:

- The proposed system is based on technology that is currently being operated in other similar projects.

- The illustrative time line/schedule is realistic and achievable taking into account the environment and conditions on the ground.

System Operation and Maintenance: The Offeror describes a comprehensive Operation and Maintenance Approach to operate and maintain the plant, and produce and deliver the required power and services to DABS, in accordance with the PPA.

iii) DELETE Section M.4 in its entirety and REPLACE with the following:

M.4 PRICE EVALUATION

USAID/Afghanistan will conduct an online competitive reverse auction, to be facilitated by a third-party reverse auction provider (Auctioneer). The successful Offeror of the reverse auction will propose its lowest tariff rate per kilowatt hour that it will offer to DABS in accordance with the terms and conditions of the DABS-Contractor PPA.

Offerors should take into account USAID’s provision of the viability gap funding (VGF) amount set forth in the Cover Page, its construction and operations cost of the solar PV plant, and revenue gained through sale of electricity to DABS through the life of the PPA.

The beginning ceiling tariff rate per kilowatt hour of the reverse auction will be $0.138 per kilowatt hour. This tariff does not include VAT or Sales tax.

The bidder’s tariff bid must not include VAT or Sales tax (except for any profits tax or tax other than VAT/invoice taxes). Applicable VAT or Sales tax shall be grossed up by the Seller and included in periodic invoices for energy payment.

III. Revised RFP

For ease of reference, Attachment B hereto is the revised RFP incorporating all the changes made through Amendment # 07.

[End of Amendment #7]