SPECIFIC PROCUREMENT NOTICE (SPN) Country Benin City Cotonou Agency Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Buyer Equipe Technique de Formulation du Compact Régional - Bénin Project Name The Efficient Corridor Operations Project (ECO) Procurement Title Recruitment of firm to elaborate specific components associated with policy and institutional reforms for ECO Project intended to impact and reduce transportation costs along the transport corridor that connects Cotonou, Benin and Niamey, Niger Procurement Reference number UCF-B/Consult/QBCS/012 Type of Procurement Consultant Services (Firms) Publication date September 25, 2023 Submission deadline November 07, 2023 at 2:00 pm – UTC+01:00 1. The United States of America, acting through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (“MCC”), and the Government of Benin (the “Government”), signed on December 14, 2022 in Washington DC a Compact for a program pursuant to which MCC agreed to provide a grant of up to two hundred two million dollars ($ 202,000,000) (« MCC Funds ») to the Government, as well as a fifteen million one hundred fifty thousand ($15,150,000) contribution from the Government, to facilitate development of a Compact Program to reduce poverty through economic growth in Benin (« The Compact »). The Government acting through Equipe Technique de Formulation du Compact Régional intends to apply a portion of the MCC Funding to eligible payments under a contract for which this Request for Proposals (“RFP”) is issued. The Compact and related documents are available on MCC website (www.mcc.gov) and on the Equipe Technique de Formulation du Compact Régional (www.ucfbenin.bj) 2. The Compact program consists of the following two (2) projects: (i) The Corridor Infrastructure Project (CI) which aims to reduce transportation costs along the transport corridor hat runs from Cotonou, Benin, Niamey, Niger; (ii) The Efficient Corridor Operations Project (ECO) aims to reduce transportation costs along the transport corridor from Niamey, Niger to Cotonou, Benin including vehicle operating costs, time-related costs, injuries, and deaths as well as costs related to unreliable processes and market inefficiencies. 3. MCC requires that all beneficiaries of MCC Funding, including the MCA Entity and any applicants, Bidders, Suppliers, contractors, Subcontractors, consultants, and sub-consultants under any MCC-funded contracts, observe the highest standards of ethics during the procurement and execution of such contracts. MCC’s Policy on Preventing, Detecting and Remediating Fraud and Corruption in MCC Operations (“MCC’s AFC Policy”) is applicable to all procurements and contracts involving MCC Funding and can be found on the MCC website at: https://www.mcc.gov/resources/doc/policy-fraud-and-corruption. 4. This Request for Proposals follows the General Procurement Notice that appeared in the local newspaper and on Equipe Technique de Formulation du Compact Régional website on January 11, 2023, on dgMarket and UNDB Online websites on January 12, 2023. 5. MMD now invites proposals from legally constituted consulting firms and other organizations to elaborate specific components associated with policy and institutional reforms for ECO Project intended to impact and reduce transportation costs along the transport corridor that connects Cotonou, Benin and Niamey, Niger (“Proposals”). More details on these services are provided in the Terms of Reference in Section V of the RFP. 6. This RFP is open to all eligible entities (“Consultants”) who wish to respond. Subject to restrictions noted in the RFP, consultants may associate with other consultants to enhance their capacity to successfully carry out the assignment. 7. A Consultant will be selected under the Quality and Cost-Based Selection (“QCBS”) method, an evaluation procedure that is described in sections of the RFP in accordance with the “MCC Program Procurement Guidelines” provided on the MCC website (www.mcc.gov/ppg). The selection process, as described, will include a review and verification of qualifications and past performance, including a reference check, prior to the contract award. 8. Please note that a Pre-Proposal Conference will be held on October 09, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. – UTC +01:00 as described in the Proposal Data Sheet (“PDS”), Section II of the RFP. Attendance at the Pre-Proposal Conference is not mandatory but is strongly advised for all interested Consultants or their representatives. 9. The complete RFP can be downloaded through the following link: https://ln5.sync.com/dl/3b5d61140#fg4mq6z2-iqkmczcu-adhpyrs7-37y7q8af Consultants interested in submitting a Proposal, must express their interest by filling out the online registration form via the link https://forms.office.com/e/Egqqap4Ujz. This will ensure they receive any updates regarding this RFP. 10. The proposals (Technical and Financial) shall be submitted in the manner specified in the PDS ITC 17 no later than November 07, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. – UTC +01:00. Only electronic proposals submitted via the File Request Link (FRL) will be accepted. Late Proposals will not be accepted under any circumstances. Contact : Attn : Interim Procurement Agent (IPA), Equipe Technique de Formulation du Compact Régional E-mail :
[email protected] MCC website : www.mcc.gov DISCLAIMER: THIS NOTICE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. FOR UPDATES ON THIS SOLICITATION PLEASE FOLLOW THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT AT THE LINK PROVIDED. THIS PROCUREMENT IS NOT CONDUCTED UNDER THE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATIONS, IS NOT ADMINISTERED BY THE US GOVERNMENT, AND THE RESULTING AWARD WILL BE MADE BY THE COUNTRY INDICATED IN THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PROCUREMENT PLEASE CONTRACT THE PERSON NAMED IN THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT.