REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
(CONSULTING SERVICES)
Legal Advisory Services and Due Diligence for Renewable Energy projects in East Africa
Kenya and Ethiopia (required) and Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda (desirable)
Sector: Renewable Energy
Financing Agreement reference: G-Z1-FZ0-PRE-004
Project ID No.: ML-0024
Empower New Energy AS (Empower) has received financing from the African Development Bank toward the cost of essential pre-investment activities for its initial portfolio of small and medium scale renewable energy projects in Africa, and intends to apply part of the agreed amount for this grant to payments under the contract for “Legal Advisory Services and Due Diligence for Renewable Energy projects in East Africa”.
Empower is the fund manager of the impact investment fund Empower Invest AS (Empower Invest), which actively selects solar PV, small run-of-river hydro, battery storage and small wind projects across Africa and other emerging markets for investment, with a focus on small to medium-sized projects, usually between 1MW and 10MW.
Through these investments, Empower delivers high financial, environmental and social returns to investors and stakeholders based on a diversified portfolio of projects across many jurisdictions. Empower’s vision is a world powered by affordable renewable energy, and its mission is to bridge the financing gap that currently impedes the fulfilment of numerous renewable energy projects in Africa and other emerging markets.
Investments into renewable energy projects are made by Empower through its investment vehicle, Empower Invest, using a platform approach – the investment vehicle is financed by international development institutions and private investors, and has investment capital available to deploy into clean energy projects. In order to keep the costs of individual projects down and to streamline its investment process (which also includes getting projects ready for construction as quickly as possible), Empower has created a suite of standardised project documents (including a power sales agreement, EPC contract and Operation and Maintenance contract) for use with all of its commercial and industrial, non-utility-scale project off-takers. In addition, Empower has created a bespoke innovative online platform, called the Empower Gateway, through which all project due diligence documents are collected, collated, reviewed and analysed to a high international standard; again, this is to streamline the due diligence process and make it as efficient and cost-effective as possible but ensuring that it meets all international standards of due diligence practices.
The legal service provider (SP) will be required to provide legal and advisory services to Empower in connection with one or more projects in which Empower seeks to invest in East Africa.
Interested individual consultants may obtain the Terms of Reference (ToR) and further information via email or at the address below during office hours 9:00-18:00 (Monday to Friday).
The expected time required for providing these services, on a per project basis, is approximately 6-8 weeks but may be longer depending on the nature of the actual project terms and the local regulatory framework within which the project is operating and third-party delays that are outside of the ordinary control of Empower or the SP, such as the licence application.
Empower now invites eligible consultants to indicate their interest in providing these services. Interested consultants must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc.). Consultants may constitute joint-ventures to enhance their chances of qualification. Contract duration will be for a two-year maximum fixed term, as specified in the individual appointment proposal.
Eligibility criteria, establishment of the short-list and the selection procedure shall be in accordance with the African Development Bank’s “Rules and Procedures for the use of Consultants” (Published in 2008, and revised in July 2012) which is available on the Bank’s website at http://www.afdb.org.
Interested consultants may obtain further information at : notices@empowernewenergy.com with copy to raja@empowernewenergy.com .
Expressions of interest must be delivered or emailed to the address above by 9th November, 2020 at 23:59 CET and mention “Legal Advisory Services and Due Diligence for Renewable Energy projects in East Africa”
Attn: Raja Dasgupta
Blended Finance and Impact Manager
Eden Square, Westlands
P.O. Box 13799 – 00800, Nairobi – Kenya