LIBERIA ELECTRICITY CORPORATION
Project: -Regional Emergency Solar Power Intervention (RESPITE) Project
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
Consultancy Services for Construction Supervision of MCHPP Solar PV Project
Project ID No.: P179267
Reference No.: LR-LEC-437349-CS-QCBS
Closing Date: August 12, 2024
Background
The Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) has strategically pivoted its energy generation, concentrating on renewal energy, and has secured funding from the World Bank through the Regional Emergency Solar Power Intervention Project (RESPITE) to construct a 20 MW solar PV power plant at the Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant (MCHPP), Harrisburg-Monrovia, Liberia.
The Solar PV Power Plant will be part of a hybrid scheme that complements the existing 88 MW Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant (MCHPP) to improve energy efficiency and capacity while utilizing Liberia’s solar energy potential, especially during the dry season when electricity demand is high and hydropower generation is low. The employer (LEC) now seeks consultancy services for reviewing the Contractors’ designs and for the supervision of the construction of the Mt. Coffee Solar PV Plant. The solar project is one of the three-generation projects currently being financed by the World Bank, the others being the Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant Extension (which will add a nominal 60 MW to the existing 88 MW) and the repairs to Unit 1 at the Mt. Coffee Power Station Extension.
Objective of the Assignment
The assignment seeks the consultancy services of an owner’s engineer (OE) to provide technical expertise for the design review, and monitoring of the supply and construction of a 20 MWp solar PV plant with a possible battery storage scheme (BESS) as a hybrid electric scheme running in tandem with the Mt. Coffee Hydropower facility. The consulting services shall ensure that the project is implemented as designed satisfactorily, commissioned, and complies with all necessary regulatory, safety, and quality requirements.
Scope of Services
The consultant shall review the designs undertaken by the contractor, administer and monitor the supply and construction contract on behalf of the employer, and work closely with the PIU. As such, the consultant will be responsible for and execute the following tasks (which are not exhaustive and not limited to):
Contract Administration and Construction Supervision (Installation of Equipment and Construction of Civil Works):
- Review design briefs, Contractors designs, concepts, cost estimates, and schedules and provide expert input or recommendations for design alteration or modification to achieve a functional facility.
- Review the PIU Project Management Plan and adopt its regular update as part of the OE’s progress reporting activities.
- Conduct physical site assessments and surveys to support designs submitted by the contractor prior to site clearing and construction or civil works
- Develop a management dashboard that will enable the PIU to conduct rapid status checks on the deployment, installation, and O&M of various components and stages of the project.
Installation of Equipment, Construction, and Civil Works
- Review and approve designs and drawings, construction schedules, and layouts of works submitted by the contractor (installation, supply, and construction) and/or make necessary amendments in consultation with the PIU.
- Confirm the quality assurance program of the installation, supply, and construction contractor
- Monitor the civil works, construction, and installation of electrical and mechanical equipment according to the specifications and contract requirements in a safe and satisfactory manner
- Review and approve any changes to be made to the contractor’s program during the implementation of the project.
- Monitor and approve equipment, plant, and material import/delivery relative to all aspects (civil, electrical, and mechanical) of the project for timely work completion.
- Conduct a baseline survey and establish benchmarks for project construction.
- Conduct verification of the quantity of work performed under each item of the BOQ before submitting the payment certificate to the PIU for processing the contractor’s payment.
- Supervise the testing and commissioning of all equipment and attend factory acceptance tests (FATs) as directed and with the prior approval of the PIU. Perform laboratory testing on materials when required to ensure quality requirements and contract compliance.
- Arrange regular progress review meetings with the contractor to discuss project technical issues and controls to ensure project execution is budgeted and scheduled.
- Issue work stop orders with prior approval from the PIU.
- Manage health and safety, environmental, social, and GBV-related issues during project implementation in coordination with the PIU.
- Monitor and supervise on-site testing of materials and major equipment to ensure compliance with specifications and requirements under the contract and in consultation with the PIU. Equipment for inspection includes, but is not limited to:
- PV modules and module support structure (MMS).
- Inverters (PV inverters and battery inverters).
- Transformers and generators (when included in the design).
- Control systems and switch gears.
- Any diesel generation and fuel storage infrastructure associated with the system.
- Prepare, process, and issue variation orders in consultation with the PIU, if any.
- Prepare a list of work items to be completed during the project maintenance and defect liability period.
- In the event of claims or disputes from the contractor, the consultant, acting as the engineer, shall make recommendations to the PIU.
- Support the PIU in the commissioning of the project upon completion, including supervision of the resolution of possible defects found during acceptance tests.
- Review and revise the detailed O &M manuals for use by LEC.
- Prepare a completion report for the Mt. Coffee Solar PV Project, including as-built drawings and a summary of the final cost.
- Attend to matters arising timeously and as and when required during the defect
Duration of the assignment:
The duration of the construction contract is expected to be 12 months.
Detailed terms of reference can be obtained through the following link https://lecliberia.com/wp-content/uploads/20240711-TOR-OE-site-supervsion-RESPITE-SOLAR-PV.pdf
The Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) now invites eligible Consulting Firms (‘Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the above services. Interested firms (Consultants) should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services as follows:
- Core business and years in business: The firm shall be registered/ incorporated as a consulting firm with core business in the field of the assignment.
- Qualification and Experience of the Firm: The consultant firm shall demonstrate experience in the design and supervision of outage management strategies, construction of solar PV, and new high/medium/low voltage transmission, as well as experience in training power utility personnel.
- Technical and managerial capability of the firm: The firm shall demonstrate the requisite managerial capacity and technical expertise in the areas covered in the ToR and submit an organogram and company profile to demonstrate its Technical and Managerial competence.
- Minimum Qualification of the Firm
The consultant must be a registered engineering firm with no less than 10 years’ experience as the owner's engineer prior to the date of the EOI and 2 years minimum experience in a solar or hydroelectric hybrid energy system in Sub-Saharan Africa or similar developing countries. The selected firm will be expected to have experience in the design and supervision of the construction of solar-hybrid projects, including power stations, civil structures, and other appurtenant works.
The consultant shall provide all the input in terms of staff, facilities, expert availability and mobilization plans, support from the headquarters office, and other services related to the project, whether explicitly mentioned in the present document or not, to ensure the successful accomplishment of the assignment.
The consultant shall include in his bid and execute appropriate professional codes of conduct and behavior throughout the assignment, including an HSE policy statement and Code of Conduct that all staff will be required to sign and comply with.
N.B To demonstrate their qualifications and experience in meeting the above shortlisting/selection criteria, Consultants are requested to submit, as a minimum, the supporting documentation listed below.
- The firm's company brochures (or link to website) and including the core areas of business.
- Company information: name, status, address, telephone number, facsimile number, year of establishment, contact person for the Project) number of permanent staff and partners, fields of expertise.
- Details of most relevant projects undertaken for the specified years above, including value of consulting services and value of works, closed area, location, number of staff involved in the contract, name of the Client, name of partners for contract execution and share of services, source of financing, type of services provided, contract commencement and completion dates, a brief description of the contract.
- Letters of recommendation from previous Employers.
- LEC reserves the right to request the Consultant for verification of any submitted document/information.
- A consultancy firm can only use its own qualifications and experience and not of its parent, sister, or subsidiary companies or its employees. The firm's incorporation/trade/registration documents are issued by the concerned government authority of the country of the firm.
Note: Key Experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage.
The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” First Published in July 2016 and revised Fifth Edition September 2023 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.
Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract if selected, and so equal weighting will be used for the lead firm and for its partners or associates.
A consulting firm will be selected in accordance with the Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) method set out in the procurement regulations.
Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 9:00 am GMT to 5:00 pm GMT.
Expressions of interest must be delivered in written form to the address below by August 20, 2024, at 23.59 hrs. local time. Electronic submissions should mention the subject message: Consultancy Services for Construction Supervision of MCHPP Solar PV Project, sent to the address below. Only short-listed firms will be contacted. We encourage interested consultants to rely on email in submitting applications.
Executive Director for Projects
Liberia Electricity Corporation
P.O. Box 10-165 Waterside
Water Street,
1000 Monrovia, Liberia
Email: projectsprocure@lecliberia.com , pmashingaize@lecliberia.com