SOL-306-16-000003.pdf

Issuance Date: October 15, 2015

Deadline for Initial Questions: October 29, 2015

Pre-Proposal Conference: November 5, 2015

Deadline for Additional Questions & Comments re PPA: November 19, 2015

Proposal Closing Date: December 29, 2015

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

Subject: Solicitation: Request for Proposals (RFP) SOL-306-16-000003

Installation, Operation, and Maintenance of 10MWp Solar PV System in Kandahar

The United States Agency for International Development Mission in Afghanistan (USAID/Afghanistan) in collaboration with Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) (Afghan power utility) invites interested and eligible firms to install, operate, and maintain a 10MWp Solar photovoltaic (PV) system in

Kandahar province of Afghanistan and supply the power generated to DABS under a fifteen (15) year power purchase agreement (PPA) (the Project).

This is a joint USAID and DABS effort to meet the anticipated short term supply deficits of power in

Kandahar as the Diesel Generator power subsidy being provided by the US Government ended in

September 2015. The responsibility of the Contractor under a contract resulting from this solicitation will be to design and install the 10MWp Solar PV system within the period of performance stated in section

B.5 of this solicitation. The responsibility to operate, maintain and supply the power generated to DABS shall be as per the terms and conditions of the PPA.

USAID is executing and administering this contract for its own and DABS’ behalf.

The NAICS Code for this solicitation is 221114. USAID will award to the successful Offeror a firm-fixed-price (FFP) contract resulting from this solicitation conditional upon the successful Offeror signing the

PPA with DABS. USAID intends to provide a viability gap funding (VGF) amount of $10,000,000, subject to availability of funds, towards the installation of the PV Solar system.

The USAID funding is intended to incentivize the Offeror to offer a tariff rate per kilowatt hour affordable to DABS. DABS’ ceiling tariff is $0.138 per kilowatt hour. Under no circumstances will USAID and

DABS accept a tariff exceeding this ceiling tariff. Prospective Offerors responding to this solicitation must be capable of executing the entire Project through all of its execution phases. The details associated with the submission requirements and instructions are outlined in Section L of this solicitation.

A pre-proposal conference is currently planned to be held in Dubai, UAE on November 5, 2015 at a location to be communicated to Offerors.

Offerors are permitted to submit comments on the draft PPA (Attachment 1) and to list exceptions to it.

Any questions or comments must be submitted by the date set forth hereinabove. Potential Offerors, CONTRACT NO.

Office of Acquisition & Assistance USAID/Afghanistan

Great Massoud Road Kabul

1. SOLICITATION NO. 2. TYPE OF SOLICITATION 3. DATE ISSUED 4. PAGE OF PAGES

5. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQUEST NO.

6. PROJECT NO.

7. ISSUED BY CODE 8. ADDRESS OFFER TO

A. NAME B. TELEPHONE NO. (Include area code) (NO COLLECT CALLS)

10. THE GOVERNMENT REQUIRES PERFORMANCE OF THE WORK DESCRIBED IN THESE DOCUMENTS (Title, identifying no., date):

12A. THE CONTRACTOR MUST FURNISH ANY REQUIRED PERFORMANCE AND PAYMENT BONDS? (If "YES," indicate within how many calendar days after award in Item 12B.)

12B. CALENDAR DAYS

13. ADDITIONAL SOLICITATION REQUIREMENTS:

STANDARD FORM 1442 (REV. 4-85) STANDARD FORM 1442

Prescribed by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 52.236-1(e)

NSN 7540-01-155-3212

AND AWARD

(Construction, Alteration, or Repair)

SOLICITATION, OFFER

AND AWARD

(Construction, Alteration, or Repair)

SOLICITATION SOLICITATION

IMPORTANT - The "offer" section on the reverse must be fully completed by offeror.

9. FOR INFORMATION

CALL:

NOTE: In sealed bid solicitations "offer" and "offeror" mean "bid" and "bidder".

SEALED BID (IFB)

NEGOTIATED (RFP)

11. The Contractor shall begin performance within____ calendar days and complete it within calendar days after receiving award, notice to proceed. This performance period is mandatory, negotiable. (See _________________________.)

YES NO

A. Sealed offers in original and _______ copies to perform the work required are due at the place specified in Item 8 by

). If this is a sealed bid solicitation, offers must be publicly opened at that time. Sealed envelopes containing offers shall be marked to show the offeror's name and address, the solicitation number, the date and time offers are due

B. An offer guarantee is, is not required.

C. All offers are subject to the (1) work requirements, and (2) other provisions and clauses incorporated in the solicitation in full text or by reference

. X

D. Offers providing less than ___ calendar days for Government acceptance after the date offers are due will not be considered and will be rejected.

X

Office of Acquisition & Assistance (OAA) Office of Financial Management (OFM)

USAID/Afghanistan USAID/Afghanistan Great Massoud Road Great Massoud Road Kabul Kabul

14. NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR 15. TELEPHONE NO.

16. REMITTANCE ADDRESS

CODE FACILITY CODE

17. The offeror agrees to perform the work required at the prices specified below in strict accordance with the terms of the solicitation, if this offer is accepted by the Government in writing within ___________ calendar days after the date offers are due.

18. The offeror agrees to furnish any required performance and payment bonds. Note: only bank letter of guaranty in the amount of $100,000 or any other form of acceptable sureties

19. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS

AMENDMENT NO.

DATE

20A. NAME AND TITLE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN OFFER 20B. SIGNATURE 20C. OFFER DATE

21. ITEMS ACCEPTED:

22. AMOUNT 23. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

24. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN ITEM 25. OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION PURSUANT TO

10 U.S.C. 2304(c)( ) 41 U.S.C. 253(c) ( )

26. ADMINISTERED BY CODE 27. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

28. NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT 29. AWARD Your

Contractor agrees offer on this solicitation, is hereby accepted as to the items listed. This to furnish and deliver all items or perform all work, requisitions identified award consummates the contract. which consists of (a) the Government on this form and any continuation sheets for the consideration stated in solicitation and your offer, and (b) this contract award. No further cont-this contract. The rights and obligations of the parties to this contract ractual document is necessary.

shall be governed by (a) this contract award, (b) the solicitation, and (c) the clauses representations, certification, and specifications or incorporated by reference in or attached to this contract.

30A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTOR OR PERSON AUTHORIZED 31A. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

TO SIGN

30B. SIGNATURE 30C. DATE 31B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

BY

OFFER

AWARD

STANDARD FORM 1442 BACK (REV. 4-85)

(Include ZIP Code) (Include area code)

(Include only if different than Item 14)

(Insert any number equal to or greater than the minimum requirement stated in Item 13D. Failure to insert any number means the offeror accepts the minimum in Item 13D.)

(The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the solicitation - give number and date of each)

(Type or print)

(4 copies unless otherwise specified) 27

(Type or print) (Type or print)

(Contractor is required to sign this X document and return ______ copies to issuing office.)

(Contractor is not required to sign this document.)

(Must be fully completed by offeror)

(To be completed by Government)

CONTRACTING OFFICER WILL COMPLETE ITEM 28 OR 29 AS APPLICABLE

SOL-306-16-000003

Installation, Operation, and Maintenance of 10 MWp Solar PV System in Kandahar

Table of Contents

PART I – SCHEDULE

B.1 PURPOSE

B.2 TYPE OF CONTRACT

B.3 PRICE SCHEDULE

B.4 METHOD OF PAYMENT

B.5 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

C.1 PROGRAM OBJECTIVE

C.2. INTRODUCTION

C.3 PROJECT SCOPE AND REQUIREMENTS

C.4 PERFORMANCE BOND

C.5 QUALITY CONTROL

C.6 PROJECT PERSONNEL

C.7 SAFETY

C.8 SECURITY

C.9 GENDER, CULTURAL AND AESTHETIC CONSIDERATIONS

SECTION D - PACKAGING AND MARKING

D.1 BRANDING AND MARKING

D.2 BRANDING STRATEGY

SECTION E – INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

SECTION F - DELIVERABLES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

F.2 FAR 52.211-10 COMMENCEMENT, PROSECUTION, AND COMPLETION OF WORK (APR

1984) 23

F.3 USAID/AFGHANISTAN DATABASE REPORTING REQUIREMENT (JUNE 2015)

F.4 DELIVERABLES AND REPORTS

F.5 FAR 52.236-15 SCHEDULES FOR CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS (APR 1984)

F.6 ADS 302.3.5.22 SUBMISSION OF DATASETS TO THE DEVELOPMENT DATA LIBRARY

(DDL) (OCT 2014)

F.7 AIDAR 752.7005 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE

DOCUMENTS (SEPT 2013)

SECTION G – CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

G.2 CONTRACTING OFFICER

G.3 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE (COR)

G.4 CONTRACTOR’S GENERAL POINT OF CONTACT

G.5 TECHNICAL DIRECTIONS/RELATIONSHIP WITH USAID

G.6 PAYING OFFICE

G.7 ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

SECTION H – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H.1 AIDAR 752.202-1 DEFINITIONS (JAN 1990)

H.2 AIDAR 752.211-70 LANGUAGE AND MEASUREMENT (JUN 1992)

H.3 AIDAR 752.225-70 SOURCE AND NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS (FEB 2012)

H.4 AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE

H.5 IMPORT DUTY/TAXES

H.6 AIDAR 752.228-3 WORKER'S COMPENSATION INSURANCE (DEFENSE BASE ACT) (DEC

1991) 35

H.7 AIDAR 752.228-9 CARGO INSURANCE (DEC 1998)

H.8 AIDAR 752.7004 EMERGENCY LOCATOR INFORMATION (JUL 1997)

H.9 AIDAR 752.7006 NOTICES (APR 1984)

H.10 AIDAR 752.7008 USE OF GOVERNMENT FACILITIES OR PERSONNEL (APR 1984)

H.11 AIDAR 752.7015 USE OF POUCH FACILITIES (JUL 1997)

H.12 AIDAR 752.7025 APPROVALS (APR 1984)

H.13 AIDAR 752.7032 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL APPROVAL AND NOTIFICATION

REQUIREMENTS (APR 2014)

H.14 AIDAR 752.7034 ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND DISCLAIMER (DEC 1991)

H.15 AIDAR 752.245-70 GOVERNMENT PROPERTY - USAID REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

(JUL 1997)

H.16 ADS 302.3.6.13 EXECUTIVE ORDERS ON TERRORISM FINANCING

H.17 ADS 302.3.5.5 REPORTING OF FOREIGN TAXES (JUL 2007)

H.18 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS

H.19 NATIONAL SECURITY SCREENING (NON-U.S. PARTY VETTING MISSION ORDER

201.06) 41

H. 20 ADS 302.3.5.9 NONDISCRIMINATION (JUNE 2012)

H.21 ADS 302.3.5.21 USAID IMPLEMENTING PARTNER NOTICES (IPN) PORTAL FOR

ACQUISITION (JULY 2014)

H.22 USAID DISABILITY POLICY (DEC 2004)

H.23 AIDAR 752.236-70 STANDARDS FOR ACCESSIBILITY FOR THE DISABLED IN USAID

CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS (JULY 2007)

PART II – CONTRACT CLAUSES

SECTION I – CONTRACT CLAUSES

PART III - LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS

SECTION J - LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

SECTION K – REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF

OFFERORS

K.1 NOTICE LISTING SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

K.2 INSURANCE - IMMUNITY FROM TORT LIABILITY

K.3 AGREEMENT ON, OR EXCEPTIONS TO, TERMS AND CONDITIONS

K.4 COMPLIANCE WITH VETERANS EMPLOYMENT REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

K.5 52.203-98 PROHIBITION ON CONTRACTING WITH ENTITIES THAT REQUIRE CERTAIN

INTERNAL CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS-REPRESENTATION (APR 2015)

K.6 52.204-8 ANNUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS (DEC 2014)

K.7 52.209-7 INFORMATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS (JUL 2013)

K.8 REPRESENTATION BY CORPORATION REGARDING A DELINQUENT TAX LIABILITY OR

A FELONY CRIMINALCONVICTION (DEVIATION OAA-DEV-14-02C) (AUGUST 2014)

K.9 AGREEMENT ON, OR EXCEPTIONS TO, TERMS AND CONDITIONS

K.10 SIGNATURE

SECTION L - INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

L.1 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

L.2 52.204-6 DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM NUMBER (JUL 2013)

L.3 52.204-7 SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (JUL 2013)

L.4 52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT (APR 1984)

L.5 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006)

L.6 52.236-27 SITE VISIT (CONSTRUCTION) (FEB 1995)

L.7 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

L.8 TEAMING ARRANGEMENTS/JOINT VENTURES/SPECIAL PURPOSE ENTITIES

L.9 SOLICITATION INSTRUCTIONS

L.10 INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF PROJECT PROPOSAL

L.11 USAID BRANDING STRATEGY

L.12 NATIONAL SECURITY SCREENING (NON-U.S. PARTY VETTING (MISSION ORDER

201.06)

L.13 CERTIFICATION REGARDING TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS COMPLIANCE PLAN (MAR

2015) 89

SECTION M – EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

M.1 GENERAL INFORMATION

M.2 RESPONSIBILITY

M.3 TECHNICAL ACCEPTABILITY

M.4 PRICE EVALUATION

SECTION B

PART I – SCHEDULE

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this Contract is to install a 10MW Solar photovoltaic (PV) system in Kandahar province of Afghanistan to supply the power generated to Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) (Afghan power utility). The Contractor is responsible for the design, construction of the plant (including perimeter boundary wall, access roads and pathways and the necessary buildings), and maintenance and operation of the project at its own expense. The Contractor will keep title to the systems, and will be granted licenses or temporary easements to maintain the systems on Afghan Government leased land.

DABS will purchase electricity produced by the system as described in the PPA. The Contractor must provide all management, supervision, labor, materials, supplies, and equipment, and must plan, schedule, coordinate, and assure effective performance of the project as stated in Section C and elsewhere herein. DABS will only pay for electricity delivered to the metered 20Kv interconnection point nearest the solar plant. DABS will build a dedicated 20 KV transmission line from the interconnection point at the Solar PV Plant to the Breshna Kot substation, from which the electrical energy generated by the Solar PV Plant will be distributed to DABS’ customers.

B.2 TYPE OF CONTRACT

This is a Fixed-Price Contract.

B.3 PRICE SCHEDULE

USAID will pay the Contractor the price of $10 million towards project costs. The contractor must absorb all other costs of the project.

The tariff rate determined through the reverse auction process will be included in the PPA.

B.4 METHOD OF PAYMENT

USAID will make milestone payments to the Contractor as the work proceeds. The milestone payments will be released in five tranches as follows:

- 20% on successful commissioning of 2 MW installed capacity of the SPV plant.

- 20% on successful commissioning of 4 MW installed capacity of the SPV plant.

- 20% on successful commissioning of 6 MW installed capacity of the SPV plant

- 20% on successful commissioning of 8 MW installed capacity of the SPV plant

- 20% on successful commissioning of the full 10 MW installed capacity of the SPV plant.

SECTION B

B.5 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The term of the contract is one (1) year from date of signature by the Contracting Officer during which the Contractor must install, test and commission the 10MWp Solar Power project.

The Notice-to-Proceed pursuant to section F.2 (FAR 52.211-10) will not be issued until after execution of the PPA.

Section C

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

INSTALLATION OF A 10MWp SOLAR SYSTEM AT KANDAHAR

C.1 PROGRAM OBJECTIVE

The objective of this program is to install and commission a 10MWp solar system in support of the Government of Afghanistan in meeting the power demands in Kandahar.

USAID is committed to developing energy solutions for Afghanistan to the extent feasible and is exploring the feasibility of generating a sizeable portion of the total generation through renewable, clean energy resources to provide supplementary energy to the Afghan grid to supplement/replace fossil-fuel generation. USAID/Afghanistan is supporting this project as one of the options.

Solar PV renewable energy comes with additional advantages in the possibility of decentralizing generation, reduce transmission and distribution losses, stabilize the grid and diversify the electricity generation mix in the country. The plant will operate in conjunction with the existing diesel and hydro power plants in Kandahar. Use of more than one power source increases the overall reliability of the system by exploiting the benefits of each source.

C.2. INTRODUCTION

Kandahar, with a population of about 500,000 is the second largest city in Afghanistan. The city of Kandahar is the capital of the Kandahar province that is located in the southern part of Afghanistan.

The population of Kandahar province is about 1.15 million. The GDP growth in Afghanistan is driven by private consumption on the demand side and by agriculture on the supply side. The GDP growth for 2015 is projected to be at 3.8 per cent as per the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) Report 2014, which shows a substantial improvement from past few years

The main power sources for Kandahar are its three Diesel Generation Plants of 36 MW installed capacity with 18MW operational capacity. It also obtains about 12 MW of power from the Kajaki Hydroelectric Power Plant located in the neighbouring Helmand province. Presently, the huge fuel subsidy provided by the US Government for diesel generation makes the power cost affordable for the people in Kandahar. The power subsidy supported by the US Government, which is mainly in the form of fuel cost, is of the order of USD 1 million per month. This subsidy is slated to be withdrawn by September 2015.

Kandahar is still to be connected with the two major power grids of the country. The transmission link between Kandahar and the power grids in Afghanistan is expected to be established by 2018. The US Government, in consultation with the Government of Afghanistan, is considering various options to minimize the adverse effect of withdrawal of the fuel subsidy on the cost of power to the consumers in Kandahar. This Solar PV Power system will be the first of its kind in Afghanistan and it will be the second MW scale solar power plant in the country. It is hoped that the project will serve as a model that can be replicated in the other parts of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan, being located in the sub-tropical belt, receives abundant sunshine throughout the year, with many parts receiving approximately 300 days of sunlight a year. The annual average insolation is about 5.5kWh/m2/day. Kandahar, located in the southern part of Afghanistan, is one of the best recipients of solar radiation, receiving 320 days of sunlight with annual average insolation of about 5.8 kWh/m2/day. The GoA has implemented the National Renewable Energy Policy that envisages 50 MW of additional capacity in the first term (2015-2020) and 250-300 MW in the second term (2020-2032).

Multilateral donor agencies such as the World Bank, ADB, IFC, USAID, KFW etc. have been actively participating and facilitating several RE initiatives in coordination with the Government of Afghanistan.

The Afghan legal environment allows foreign investors to invest in generation, transmission and energy trade and guarantees safety of capital investment and private enterprises, and the rights and liberties of foreign citizens. Afghanistan thus offers significant opportunity for solar energy based developments.1

See Attachment 2, Program Background and Context, for further information regarding program background and context.

C.3 PROJECT SCOPE AND REQUIREMENTS

The following summary provides the scope of the project and pertinent facts and certain general terms with respect to the installation, and operation and maintenance of the 10MWp Solar PV project that is the subject of this Contract and PPA executed by DABS. The technical specifications are general in nature and cover broad aspects and outline the minimum requirements. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to collect, interpret, and analyse all necessary information / data for the successful design and construction of the Solar PV Project.

The Contractor must obtain an Electricity Generation License, which is issued through the Ministry of Energy and Water, and obtain an AISA license in order to enter into the PPA.

C.3.1 Summary Requirement

The Contractor must design, finance, ship to site, install, and commission the 10MWp Solar PV system in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract. The system must convert solar radiation into AC electric power, within power quality specifications, and at a voltage and configuration of phases compatible with the local Afghan grid power distribution system, and acceptable to the local utility distribution company, DABS. At a minimum, the system must consist of solar photovoltaic modules, power conditioners and inverters, cables and connectors, other sub-systems and components (step up power transformers, etc.), warranties, performance monitoring systems, and other equipment necessary to install a fully operational system and to interconnect with local grid electrical distribution system.

C.3.1 Site Location and Access to Site

1 Project Name 10 MWp Solar PV Power Project, Kandahar

2 Site Kandahar

3 Country Afghanistan

4 Location details (Preliminary latitudes of the site

N 31o 37.476’ / E 65o 51.009’ N 31o 37.845’ / E 65o 51.262’ N 31o 37.769’ / E 65o 51.554’ N 31o 37.402’ / E 65o 51.249’

1 The Electricity Services Law was recently issued by the Government of Afghanistan and its Dari version was formally published. See http://moj.gov.af/content/files/OfficialGazette/01101/OG_01180.pdf.

http://moj.gov.af/content/files/OfficialGazette/01101/OG_01180.pdf

5 Altitude Approximately 1048 meters

6 Proposed Capacity of the Plant 10 MWp (AC)

7 Recommended Type of system Ground Mounted, Fixed Structure, Fixed Tilt, Grid Connected Solar PV Power Plant

8 Power Evacuation Voltage 20 kV net into the grid

9 Nearest Grid Substation 110/20 kV Breshna Kot Substation

10 Distance of Substation from Solar Plant Location

Approx. 18 km

The site is approachable from Kandahar- Ghazni Highway. An access road from the Highway will have to be constructed up to the proposed solar plant. The land area planned/allocated is approx. 80 acres.

Out of total land area, approx. 50 to 60 acres will be used for setting up the proposed 10 MW project and the balance land will be available should there be a future expansion for additional capacity, as negotiated between the Contractor and DABS.

C.3.2 Technology

The Contractor must deploy commercially available and accepted Solar PV power generation technology, which is successfully operational and meets the meteorological conditions of the site. The codes and standards utilized must be the latest editions in effect. Materials and equipment must be labelled or listed by an internationally recognized testing laboratory.

The Contractor must not use pilot, beta, developmental, or research products.

All components and equipment must confirm to International standards IEC/ IEEE/ TUV/ UL etc. as applicable. Below is a sample list of standards applicable:

a) PV Module Qualification

Code Description

IEEE 929-2000 IEEE Recommended Practice for Utility Interface of Photovoltaic (PV) Systems

IEC 61215

IEC 61730 Part 1 & 2

Crystalline silicon terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type approval Photovoltaic (PV) module safety qualification

IEC 62446 Grid connected photovoltaic systems: Minimum requirements for system documentation, commissioning, tests & inspection

IEC 61727 Photovoltaic Systems: Characteristics of the Utility Interface

IEC 62116 Test Procedure for islanding prevention measures for Utility connected photovoltaic inverters

IEC 60904 Photovoltaic devices

IEC 61683 Photovoltaic Systems – Power conditioners – Procedure for measuring efficiency

IEC 61724 Photovoltaic systems performance monitoring – Guidelines for measurement, data exchange and analysis

IEC 62093 Balance-of-system components for photovoltaic systems – Design qualification natural environments

UL 1703 Standard for Flat-Plate Photovoltaic Modules and Panels

NFPA 70 National Electrical Code (NEC)

IBC International Building Code (IBC)

Software Description

PV Syst For yield calculation

RSTAB / STAAD For structural design analysis

b) Authorized Test Centres

The PV modules/ Power Conditioners deployed in the power plants must have valid test certificates and accompanying test reports for their qualification as per above specified IEC Standards by one of the NABL/ILAC Accredited Test Centres or other internationally recognized and certified test centres.

c) Warranty

Contractor must provide equipment and system warranties for major components (Solar Modules, inverters, switchyard equipment and other major components). The warranty descriptions must explicitly identify the term of the warranty, what is covered by the warranty, provisions for transfer or assignment of the warranty and any special conditions that are unique to the specific equipment. The Contractor must deliver documentation for all manufacturer warranties for the equipment/components.

The Solar PV Modules must be warranted that the Degradation Rate must not exceed the following for the periods identified below:

10% by that date of 12 Years from the Warranty Start Date, at which time the Actual Power output must not be less than 90% of the Nominal Power Output; and

20% by the date of 20 Years from the Warranty Start Date, at which time the Actual Power Output must be not less than 80% of the Nominal Power Output. 25 year Linear Power Warranty must be obtained from the solar PV module manufacturers.

Yearly degradation rate must be warranted by the Contractor.

d) Performance Monitoring

Each PV module used in the solar power project must use a RF identification tag. The following information must be mentioned in the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) used on each module (This can be inside or outside the laminate, but must be able to withstand harsh environmental conditions):

i. Name of the manufacturer of PV Module

ii. Name of the Manufacturer of Solar cells

iii. Month and year of the manufacture (separately for solar cells and module)

iv. Country of origin (separately for solar cells and module)

v. I-V curve for the module at Standard Test Condition

vi. Wattage, Im, Vm and FF (Fill Factor) for the module

vii. Unique Serial No. and Model No. of the module

viii. Date and year of obtaining IEC PV module qualification certificate

ix. Name of the test lab issuing IEC certificate

ix. Other relevant information on traceability of solar cells and module as per ISO

The Contractor must provide DABS with access to the list of Module IDs along with the above parametric data for each module.

h) Interconnection Requirements

The Contractor must satisfy the following interconnection requirements of DABS:

i) The transmission of power up to the point of interconnection where the metering is done for energy accounting and is the responsibility of the Contractor at their cost.

ii) The maintenance of the transmission system up to the Inter-connection point must be the responsibility of the contractor at his own cost.

iii) Consider the capacity, proximity, availability, reliability and quality of power supply, for Kandahar city, Breshna Kot, 110/ 20 KV substation which was selected for connectivity and support of the city of Kandahar.

iv) Voltage level at the end of Solar PV project feeding into the existing grid should be AC 20 kV nominal.

v) The Grid and PV system side must have matching Voltage, Frequency and phase sequence required for safe operations of the PV installation.

vi) The plant may undergo and require frequent Load shedding and hence SPV plant must be able to shut down itself sensing Grid failure, grid voltage and frequency fluctuation beyond the acceptable range of inverters. The necessary technical measures, including smart inverter technology, must be considered in the design.

vii) The Solar PV plant is proposed to connect to the 110/ 20 KV Breshna Kot SS at the 20 KV bus bar, through a 20 KV dedicated overhead distribution line. Plant designs must include provisions to avoid frequent shutdowns, overloading of the existing 20 kV lines and to avoid voltage drop exceeding the permitted level.

DABS will make the necessary arrangements for the connection and the construction of the 20 kV dedicated overhead line in coordination with the Contractor. DABS will not load-shed the dedicated 20kV distribution line; DABS will not connect customers to the dedicated 20kV distribution line.

viii) It is important that the power plant is designed to operate satisfactorily in parallel with the grid, under the voltage and frequency fluctuation conditions, to export the maximum possible units to the grid. It is also extremely important to safeguard the system during major disturbances like tripping, pulling and sudden over loading during the fluctuation of the grid loads on the generating PV array modules in the island mode, under fault/feeder tripping conditions.

ix) A metering panel must be provided at the SPV Power Plant end on 20 KV line for measurement of import and export of power. The cost of the metering panel is the responsibility of the Contractor. DABS must review the design and construction of the metering panel. Both DABS and the Contractor are to seal the metering system (CTs, VTs, meters, test switches, metering enclosure, etc.).

x) A synchronizing panel at the SPV Paralleling with Grid.

xi) A Protection panel for 20 KV line.

xii) 15 minutes of energy storage such as battery or capacitor banks to help reduce variability, generator ramping events, and provide power necessary for night time security operations such as facility lighting.

Attachment 3 (3a – 3f) demonstrates the general site layout and single line diagram of Breshna Kot substation.

The Contractor must provide USAID and DABS with the required drawings along with as-built drawings or diagrams, manuals, required product information, estimated energy production data estimates, standard operating procedures, testing and commissioning procedures, and other specifications and data with respect to the proposed generating systems.

It is the responsibility of the Contractor to ensure that the solar PV System complies with all applicable regulations and practices of Afghanistan and/or international regulatory agencies and all applicable electrical and utility safety codes. The Contractor must identify and obtain, at its own expense, all necessary inspections and approvals required by USAID/GIRoA and other local public authorities before the electric generation facility can be connected to the grid.

C.3.3 Land Use

The land available for the project is identified, and the coordinates for the land are provided in Attachment 4. The land will be provided through a land lease with DABS for the duration agreed upon, as set forth in the PPA.

The estimated cost of the land lease will be nominal and is estimates at AFN 2,000 per Jeribs per year, which is approximately US$6,000 per year. The final land lease amount will be agreed upon with DABS based on the amount of actual land to be leased by the Contractor.

C.3.4 Commissioning

a) The Contractor must provide all work (i.e., labor and materials) required for testing, start-up, and commissioning.

b) Partial Commissioning

Partial commissioning of the System must be accepted by USAID and DABS subject to the conditions (i) that the system meets the requirements set forth in this contract; and (ii) that the minimum capacity for acceptance of part commissioning must be in following multiples:

a. 2 MWp installed capacity of the Solar PV Plant.

b. 4 MWp installed capacity of the Solar PV Plant.

c. 6 MWp installed capacity of the Solar PV Plant.

d. 8 MWp installed capacity of the Solar PV Plant.

e. 10 MWp installed capacity of the Solar PV Plant.

DABS and USAID reserve the right for it or its representatives to witness the commissioning.

C.4 PERFORMANCE BOND

Within fourteen calendar days after the award date, the Contractor must furnish to the Contracting Officer performance and payment bonds or other acceptable form of assurance as provided in FAR Part 28.

A Performance Bond of 10% of the contract price is required to be submitted upon contract award. This Performance Bond will be refunded upon complete (10 MWp) commissioning of the system.

C.5 QUALITY CONTROL

The Contractor will be responsible for installing the system in accordance with its own plans and specifications stated in the accepted project proposal. Prior to starting any work, the Contractor must submit to USAID a detailed Quality Control (QC) Plan associated with the activities described herein.

The QC Plan will address critical QC issues implicit in the construction projects.

USAID reserves the right for it or its representative and DABS to witness Factory Acceptance Tests

(FAT), start-up, and commissioning and testing of all components and systems at the site.

USAID or its representative must be given free access to the project site to verify that installed equipment meets specifications, that construction is conducted according to the quality plan and accepted/updated international standards/codes, and that health, safety, and environmental standards comply with industry best practices and the laws of Afghanistan.

USAID or its representative must be given copies of all project documentation including, but not limited to the following:

o Submittals o Shop Drawings o Test Reports o Approved Quality Plans and Inspection Reports o Acceptance Testing and Reports o Start-up and Commissioning o Red line As-built Drawings o Operations and Maintenance Manuals and Data

The documents must be delivered to USAID or its representative in a timely manner. The documents must be complete.

C.6 PROJECT PERSONNEL

1) Project Manager: The Contractor must assign a project manager with authority to represent the

Contractor who will be present on-site during the Project. The project manager must establish and maintain a qualified and experienced team at the plant and ensure appropriate, relevant, and effective communication and coordination of day-today operations to maximize the use of solar energy.

2) Chief Engineer: The Contractor must assign a Chief Engineer who will be the team leader overseeing the technical aspects of installation, control, testing, commissioning, operation and maintenance of the Project.

3) Other Project Personnel: The Contractor must establish and maintain a qualified and experienced design, installation, operation, maintenance and operational trouble-shooting team at the plant (the Field Team) and, as appropriate in other relevant locations, to enable to the Contractor to install, operate, and maintain the plant. The Contractor’s Field Team must be comprehensive and must provide a one-stop contact for USAID and DABS to address all relevant issues and activities including generation planning, routine and emergency O&M, and metering.

C.7 SAFETY

The Contractor must develop and implement a comprehensive and effective safety program to protect life, property and environment. The Contractor’s Safety Plan must be submitted to the COR prior to the Contractor commencing field work. The Safety Program must conform to US Occupational Safety and Health standards for the site conditions experienced.

(1) Safety Program and Safety Plan: The Contractor must implement safety measures to accomplish the Work in the safest manner possible at the Site. The Contractor’s safety program must define roles, responsibilities, programs, policies, and procedures to accomplish the goal of achieving superior safety performance during all phases of the Project.

(2) General Safe Work Practices: The Contractor must establish standard operating procedures for the Project to guide employees in safe work practices. All employees, including managers and supervisors, must have training and instruction on general and job-specific safety and health practices. Workplace safety and health training practices must include, but not limited to the following:

(i) Explanation of the Contractor's Accident Prevention Plan, Emergency Action

Plan, and Fire Prevention Plan, and measures for reporting any unsafe conditions, Work practices, and injuries.

(ii) Use of appropriate clothing, including gloves, footwear, and personal protective equipment.

(iii) Information about chemical hazards to which employees could be exposed and other hazard communication program information.

(iv) Availability of toilet, hand-washing, and drinking water facilities.

(v) Provisions for medical services and first aid, including emergency procedures.

(vi) Use of safety warning sign.

(vii) Increase the level of training for supervisors and employees.

(viii) Workers must wear hard hats where there is a potential for objects falling from above, bumps to their heads from fixed objects, or of accidental head contact with electrical hazards.

(ix) Evaluate and identify potential safety hazards and injuries and prevent accidents by using safe work practices.

(x) Employees must be trained in the proper and safe use of all power tools they use.

In addition, the Contractor must provide specific instructions to each employee regarding hazards unique to his or her job assignment, to the extent that such information was not already covered in other training. The Contractor must establish written safe work practices covering all phases of the

Contract. Activity Hazard Analysis (AHA) must be prepared for each field task before fieldwork commences.

C.8 SECURITY

The Contractor is responsible for taking appropriate actions in order to provide for its own security and that of its employees. The Contractor must avail itself of authorized safety and security protections and services. The Contractor must prepare a comprehensive safety and security plan pertaining to all aspects of its activities and the activities of its employees in the performance of all work related to this contract as well as the off-duty activities of its employees serving in Afghanistan or elsewhere within the region as it relates to performance of the work. The Security Plan must be reviewed and accepted by

DABS, as set forth in the PPA.

The Contractor must continuously monitor and update this comprehensive safety and security plan by means of dedicated, qualified and competent staff of personnel. The Contractor must work closely with, establishlish liaisons and cooperate with all authorized and appropriate safety and security organizations and entities for the protection and safety of its operations and employees. All security measures must be implemented in accordance to the laws of Afghanistan.

The Contractor is responsible for all security costs.

C.9 GENDER, CULTURAL AND AESTHETIC CONSIDERATIONS

Women are disproportionately under-represented in upper professional management and ministry positions and currently have little presence in the development of Afghanistan’s energy sector. USAID encourages the integration of gender considerations at all levels of strategic development and implementation, and equitable participation of women and men. On-the-job training and other opportunities to women that will give them professional skills to advance in the energy sector are highly encouraged.

The Contractor must also be sensitive to the cultural climate in the relevant region and pay particular attention to such items as signage, road markings, rest stops (sanitation), privacy demands, and other features of work that may be identified during the course of work.

Section D

SECTION D - PACKAGING AND MARKING

D.1 BRANDING AND MARKING

USAID policy is to require exclusive branding and marking in USAID direct acquisitions. Marking must comply with the USAID “Graphic Standards Manual” available at www.usaid.gov/branding, or any successor branding policy.

D.2 BRANDING STRATEGY

The Contractor must cooperate with USAID in publicizing the Kandahar Solar Power Project, including the marking of the control facility, substation and key pieces of equipment, as will be agreed upon by

USAID and the Contractor, as being financed in part by USAID. Contractor must cooperate with DABS and USAID in (a) providing information and consenting to the release of information about Contractor’s activities and accomplishment of major milestones to the print and electronic media; and (b) organizing and participating in public ceremonies and events related to the project.

http://www.usaid.gov/branding

Section E

SECTION E – INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The following contract clauses pertinent to this section are hereby incorporated by reference (by Citation Number, Title, and Date) in accordance with the clause at FAR "52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE" in Section I of this contract. See FAR 52.252-2 for an internet address (if specified) for electronic access to the full text of a clause.

NUMBER TITLE DATE

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (48 CFR Chapter 1)

52.246-12 INSPECTION OF CONSTRUCTION APR 1996

52.246-21 WARRANTY OF CONSTRUCTION MAR 1994

E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

USAID inspection and acceptance of services, reports and other required deliverables or outputs must take place at:

USAID/Afghanistan U.S. Agency for International Development U.S. Embassy Great Massoud Road Kabul, Afghanistan or at any other location where the services are performed and reports and deliverables or outputs are produced or submitted. The COR, named in a separate designation letter, will be delegated authority to inspect and accept all services, reports and required deliverables or outputs.

Section F

SECTION F - DELIVERABLES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The following contract clauses pertinent to this section are hereby incorporated by reference (by Citation Number, Title, and Date) in accordance with the clause at FAR "52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE" in Section I of this contract. See FAR 52.252-2 for an internet address (if specified) for electronic access to the full text of a clause.

NUMBER TITLE DATE

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (48 CFR Chapter 1)

52.236-2 DIFFERING SITE CONDITIONS APR 1984

52.242-14 SUSPENSION OF WORK APR 1984

F.2 FAR 52.211-10 COMMENCEMENT, PROSECUTION, AND COMPLETION OF WORK (APR

1984)

The Contractor shall be required to (a) commence work under this contract within 30 calendar days after the date the Contractor receives the notice to proceed, (b) prosecute the work diligently, and (c) complete the entire work ready for use not later than the contract performance end date. The time stated for completion shall include final cleanup of the premises.

F.3 USAID/AFGHANISTAN DATABASE REPORTING REQUIREMENT (JUNE 2015)

USAID/Afghanistan uses a web-based system to collect and organize information critical to program management, oversight, and reporting. This system is USAID Info. USAID Info supports a number of exercises including: Mission-wide Portfolio Reviews, the Performance Plan and Report, the Multi-Tiered Monitoring Approach, and coordination efforts. Reported information may impact policy formulation and project design stakeholders including USAID/Afghanistan, USAID/Washington, the United States Congress, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIROA), and other donors.

USAID requires a minimum of quarterly (United States Government Fiscal Quarters) data submissions throughout the entire life of the award. The partner must provide updates for all required data elements as specified in the reporting requirements of their award. As applicable, data to be reported into USAID Info may include:

GPS (global positioning system) data and other supporting details on the specific implementation activities as detailed in the workplan.

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan indicator reporting and aggregate and/or raw data.

Attribution by provinces/districts of total quarterly costs/ vouchered expenses.

Documents as required in the reporting requirements section of the award.

The AOR/COR responsible for the award will provide specific guidance on reporting, provide access to the system for the Implementing Partner (IP), and ensure that all applicable reporting requirements have been assigned to the award and as necessary, appropriately configured in the system. IPs must use the USAID Info interface for data entry.

Data entered into the system must adhere to USAID data quality standards (ADS 203.3.11.1).

Unless otherwise specified, USAID Info/Afghan Info can be accessed at: USAIDInfo.USAID.gov

F.4 DELIVERABLES AND REPORTS

Monthly Progress Reports: The Contractor must submit Monthly Progress Reports to the COR and Contracting Officer not later than the tenth working day following the end of the month. The reports must include the following:

(1) An executive summary of current activities. The summary must include the status of construction progress, materials procurement, important decisions, major meetings, and other significant activities pertinent to the project.

(2) Presentation of problem areas, current or foreseen, together with recommendations for resolving these problems and attendant schedules for their resolution. Problems requiring USAID intervention should be highlighted.

(3) Anticipated activities for the following month.

The Contractor will submit electronic versions of the Monthly Progress Reports.

Monthly Meetings: The Contractor must hold monthly meetings with the COR and DABS representative [to be nominated for this project] to discuss the monthly report and resolve problems, if any, as required. Each following monthly report must include the minutes of the monthly meetings taken by the Contractor during the meetings and action taken on issues raised in the previous monthly meeting.

F.5 FAR 52.236-15 SCHEDULES FOR CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS (APR 1984)

(a) The Contractor shall, within five days after the work commences on the contract or another period of time determined by the Contracting Officer, prepare and submit to the Contracting Officer for approval three copies of a practicable schedule showing the order in which the Contractor proposes to perform the work, and the dates on which the Contractor contemplates starting and completing the several salient features of the work (including acquiring materials, plant, and equipment). The schedule shall be in the form of a progress chart of suitable scale to indicate appropriately the percentage of work scheduled for completion by any given date during the period. If the Contractor fails to submit a schedule within the time prescribed, the Contracting Officer may withhold approval of progress payments until the Contractor submits the required schedule.

(b) The Contractor shall enter the actual progress on the chart as directed by the Contracting Officer, and upon doing so shall immediately deliver three copies of the annotated schedule to the Contracting

Officer. If, in the opinion of the Contracting Officer, the Contractor falls behind the approved schedule, the Contractor shall take steps necessary to improve its progress, including those that may be required by the Contracting Officer, without additional cost to the Government. In this circumstance, the

Contracting Officer may require the Contractor to increase the number of shifts, overtime operations, days of work, and/or the amount of construction plant, and to submit for approval any supplementary schedule or schedules in chart form as the Contracting Officer deems necessary to demonstrate how the approved rate of progress will be regained.(c) Failure of the Contractor to comply with the requirements of the Contracting Officer under this clause shall be grounds for a determination by the

Contracting Officer that the Contractor is not prosecuting the work with sufficient diligence to ensure completion within the time specified in the contract. Upon making this determination, the Contracting

Officer may terminate the Contractor's right to proceed with the work, or any separable part of it, in accordance with the default terms of this contract.

F.6 ADS 302.3.5.22 SUBMISSION OF DATASETS TO THE DEVELOPMENT DATA LIBRARY

(DDL) (OCT 2014)

(a) Definitions. For the purpose of submissions to the DDL:

(1) “Dataset” is an organized collection of structured data, including data contained in spreadsheets, whether presented in tabular or non-tabular form. For example, a Dataset may represent a single spreadsheet, an extensible mark-up language (XML) file, a geospatial data file, or an organized collection of these. This requirement does not apply to aggregated performance reporting data that the contractor submits directly to a USAID portfolio management system or to unstructured data, such as email messages, PDF files, PowerPoint presentations, word processing documents, photos and graphic images, audio files, collaboration software, and instant messages. Neither does the requirement apply to the Contractor’s information that is incidental to award administration, such as financial, administrative, cost or pricing, or management information. Datasets submitted to the DDL will generally be those generated with USAID resources and created in support of Intellectual Work that is uploaded to the Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC) (see AIDAR 752.7005 “Submission Requirements for Development Experience Documents”).

(2) “Intellectual Work” includes all works that document the implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and results of international development assistance activities developed or acquired under this award, which may include program and communications materials, evaluations and assessments, information products, research and technical reports, progress and performance reports required under this award (excluding administrative financial information), and other reports, articles and papers prepared by the contractor under the award, whether published or not. The term does not include the contractor’s information that is incidental to award administration, such as financial, administrative, cost or pricing, or management information.

(b) Submissions to the Development Data Library (DDL)

(1) The Contractor must submit to the Development Data Library (DDL), at www.usaid.gov/data, in a machine-readable, non-proprietary format, a copy of any Dataset created or obtained in performance of this award, including Datasets produced by a subcontractor at any tier.