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MINISTRY OF ENERGY AND WATER

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN

BIDDING DOCUMENT FOR


DESIGNING, FINANCING, BUILDING, OWNING,
COMMISSIONING, OPERATE TOTAL 1 MWp SOLAR
PV SYSTEM IN UROZGAN

RFP No.: MEW-REN-20-URO

RFP Title: Design, Finance, Build, Own, Commission, Operate


total of 1 MWp Solar PV Power System in Urozgan

DATE: April 24, 2016

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Invitation To Bidders i-1

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVE BIDDING

RFP Issue Date: April 24, 2016

RFP No.: MEW-REN-20-URO

RFP Title: Design, Finance, Build, Own, Commission, Operate total 1 MWp Solar PV
System in Urozgan, Afghanistan

1. Ministry of Energy and Water, Afghanistan (also referred to hereinafter as “MEW”), Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan invites proposals from interested and eligible parties to design, finance, build, own,
commission, Operate and transfer a total of 1 MWp solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in Urozgan province of
Afghanistan (the “Project”). MEW would award the project to the qualifying bidder who quote the lowest
tariff. The solar power generated by the Project will be supplied to Da Afghanistan Brishna Sherkat
(DABS) under a Power Purchase Agreement (the “PPA”) for a term of fifteen (15) years.

2. The selected Project Companies will be responsible for design, finance, construction, testing,
commissioning, operations and transfer of the Project under a BOOT framework. DABS will purchase
power from the Project Companies under a 15 year PPA commencing from the Scheduled Commercial
Operation Date. The responsibility to operate, maintain and supply the solar power generated from the
project to DABS shall be as per the terms and conditions of the PPA (enclosed at Section 6). The Project
Companies will transfer the project to DABS after completion of 15 year term of the PPA at no cost.

3. The successful Bidders shall be awarded a fixed tariff contract resulting from this RFP conditional upon the
successful Bidder signing the PPA with DABS. MEW’s ceiling tariff is 16 US cents per kilowatt hour.
Bidders will be required to quote tariff lower than the MEW ceiling tariff. The details associated with the
submission requirements and instructions are outlined in this RFP.

4. MEW now invites sealed bids from eligible bidders to design, finance, build, own, commission, operate
and transfer solar power Project capacity of 1 MWp in Urozgan including all works incidental thereto as
more particularly described in Section 5 of this International Competitive Bidding Tender.

5. MEW will open the Price Bid of Bidders submitting technically acceptable project proposals for the lowest
tariff rate per kilowatt hour. A two-step bidding process shall be adopted to determine the successful Bidders.
Bidders shall submit Technical Proposal and Financial proposal in two separate envelops kept in one envelop.
By submitting a bid in response to this RFP, the Bidders agree with the terms and conditions of the entire RFP
including the bidding process. The bidders will have to bear the cost for preparation and submission of bids to
MEW.

6. Bids shall be on a single responsibility basis for each Project. All Proposals shall be inclusive of security costs.
Bids that are not compliant with the terms of this RFP will be considered non-responsive and will not be
eligible for consideration for award.

7. MEW reserves the right to amend the PPA prior to awarding Contract to Successful Bidders. Bidders will
be permitted to submit comments on the draft PPA and to list exceptions to it. Any questions or comments
must be submitted within 15 days of the date of publication of the PPA.

8. Bidding will be conducted through the International Competitive Bidding (ICB) procedure specified in the
Public Procurement Law and is open to all Bidders from all countries.

9. Bidders are required to furnish bid security in the amount of USD 70,000 per MW in the form provided in this
RFP. Thus, as an illustration, the bid security for 5 MW project capacity shall be USD 350,000.

10. Interested eligible bidders may obtain further information from Procurement Unit, MEW, and inspect the
bidding documents at the address given below from 9:00 hours.to 16:00 hours on any working day from
Saturday to Wednesday.

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Invitation To Bidders i-2

11. A complete set of Bidding Documents in English may be obtained by interested bidders by contacting at e-
mail address red.mew.af@gmail.com with a copy to energy@mew.gov.af. A complete set of bidding
documents will also be available for download online at www.mew.gov.af. Bidders who had responded to
EOI are urged to regularly check the MEW procurement website for possible amendments, Pre-Bid meeting
schedule and other tender announcements.

12. A non-mandatory pre-proposal conference is currently planned to be held on or about May 25, 2016, at
Ministry of Energy and Water, Darulaman Road, DC-7, Kabul, Afghanistan.

13. Bids must be delivered at or before 10:00 hours (Kabul time) on June 08, 2016. Bids submitted late will be
rejected. Technical Bids will be opened immediately after the deadline of bid submission, at the place of bid
submission in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend in person. Bids shall be
delivered to the following address:

Ministry of Energy and Water, Darulaman Road, DC-7, Kabul, Afghanistan

14. MEW is in no way obligated to award a contract nor is MEW committed to pay any cost incurred in the
preparation and submission of the bid.

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Invitation To Bidders i-3

Table of Contents - Summary Description


PART I BIDDING PROCEDURES

Section 1 - Instructions to Bidders (ITB) ---------------------------------------------------- 1-1

This section specifies the course of actions to be taken by Bidders for the preparation
and submission of their Bids following the Two-Step bidding procedure. Information is
also provided on the submission, opening, and evaluation of bids and on the award of
contract.

Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet (BDS) -------------------------------------------------------------- 2-1

This section consists of provisions that are specific to each procurement and
supplement the information or requirements included in Section 1 - Instructions to
Bidders.

Section 3 - Evaluation and Qualification Criteria (EQC) -------------------------------- 3-1

This section contains all the criteria that MEW shall use to evaluate bids and qualify
Bidders. Evaluation will be in done in accordance with ITB 25 to ITB 37 and no other
factors, methods or criteria shall be used. The Bidder shall provide all the information
requested in the forms included in Section 4 (Bidding Forms).

Section 4 - Bidding Forms (BDF) ------------------------------------------------------------- 4-1

This Section contains the forms, which are to be completed by the Bidder and
submitted as part of its Bid.

PART II REQUIREMENTS

Section 5 - MEW Requirements (MRQ) ---------------------------------------------------- 5-1

This Section contains the Specification, the Drawings, and supplementary information
that describe the Plant and solar power to be procured.

PART III POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENT

Section 6 - Power Purchase Agreement ----------------------------------------------------- 6-1


This Section is reserved for the Power Purchase Agreement.

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-1

PART I BIDDING PROCEDURES

Section 1 - Instructions to Bidders


Table of Clauses

A.General ............................................................................................................................................... 3

1. Scope of Bid........................................................................................................................................ 3
2. Source of Funds .................................................................................................................................. 3
3. Corrupt Practices ................................................................................................................................. 3
4. Eligible Bidders .................................................................................................................................. 4

B.Contents of Bid .................................................................................................................................. 5

5. Sections of Bidding Document .......................................................................................................... 5


6. Clarification of Bidding Document, Site Visit, Pre-Bid Meeting ....................................................... 6
7. Amendment of Bidding Document ..................................................................................................... 7

C.Preparation of Bids ........................................................................................................................... 7

8. Cost of Bidding .................................................................................................................................. 7


9. Language of Bid.................................................................................................................................. 7
10. Documents Comprising the Bid ........................................................................................................ 7
11. Letter of Bid and Schedules .............................................................................................................. 8
12. Documents Establishing the Eligibility and Qualifications of the Bidder ........................................ 9
13. Documents Establishing Conformity of the Plant and Services ....................................................... 9
14. Technical Proposal ............................................................................................................................ 9
15. Bid Prices and Discounts ................................................................................................................ 10
16. Currencies of Bid and Payment ...................................................................................................... 11
17. Period of Validity of Bids ............................................................................................................... 11
18. Bid Security .................................................................................................................................... 11
19. Format & Signing of Bid………………………………………………………………………..11

D.Submission and Opening of Bids ................................................................................................... 12

20. Submission, Sealing and Marking of Bids ...................................................................................... 13


21. Deadline for Submission of Bids .................................................................................................... 13
22. Late Bids ......................................................................................................................................... 13
23. Withdrawal of Bids ......................................................................................................................... 13
24. Bid Opening .................................................................................................................................... 14

E.Evaluation and Comparison of Bids .............................................................................................. 14

25. Confidentiality ................................................................................................................................ 14


26. Clarification of Bids ........................................................................................................................ 15
27. Deviations, Reservations, and Omissions ....................................................................................... 15
28. Preliminary Examination of Technical Bids .................................................................................. 15

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-2

29. Responsive of Technical Bid .......................................................................................................... 15


30. Nonmaterial Nonconformities......................................................................................................... 16
31.Detailed Evaluation of Technical Bids ............................................................................................ 16
32. Eligibility and Qualification of the Bidder ..................................................................................... 17
33. Conversion to Single Currency ....................................................................................................... 17
34. Margin of Preference ...................................................................................................................... 17
35. Evaluation of Price Bids ................................................................................................................. 17
36. Comparison of Bids ........................................................................................................................ 18
37. MEW Right to Accept Any Bid, and to Reject Any or All Bids .................................................... 18

F.Award of Contract ........................................................................................................................... 18

39. Award Criteria ................................................................................................................................ 18


40. Notification of Award ..................................................................................................................... 18
41. Signing of Contract ......................................................................................................................... 19
42. Performance Security ...................................................................................................................... 19

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-3

Section 1 - Instructions to Bidders


A. General

1. Scope of Bid 1.1 In connection with the Invitation to Bids indicated in the Bid Data Sheet (BDS),
Ministry of Energy and Water, Afghanistan, MEW) as indicated in the BDS,
issues this Bidding Document for design, finance, build, own, commission,
operate and transfer solar project capacity of 1 MWp in Urozgan province of
Afghanistan (the “Project”) in accordance with Section 5 hereof and the supply
of solar power generated therefrom to DABS under a power purchase agreement
(the “PPA”) (draft PPA at Section 6) for a term of fifteen (15) years.

1.2 Unless otherwise stated, throughout this Proposal definitions and interpretations
shall be as prescribed in Section 6.

2. Source of Funds 2.1 The Project Company shall apply its funds for designing, building, financing,
owning, commissioning, and operating the Project for supply of solar power
generated therefrom to DABS during the term of the PPA, in consideration of
Fixed Tariff Price.

3. Corrupt Practices 3.1 It is the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s policy that the Bidders
under Government Contracts shall observe the highest standard of ethics during the
procurement and execution of such contracts.

3.2 Anti-corruption: Any effort by the Bidders to influence MEW in the process of
examination, clarification, evaluation and comparison of Bids, and in decisions
concerning the award of the contract may result in rejection of the Bids.

4. Eligible Bidder 4.1 A Bidder, and all parties constituting the Bidder, may have the nationality of any
country as specified in the BDS. A Bidder shall be deemed to have the nationality of a
country if the Bidder is a citizen or is constituted, incorporated, or registered and
operates in conformity with the provisions of the laws of that country. This criterion
shall also apply to the determination of the nationality of proposed sub-contractor.

4.2 A Bidder shall not have a conflict of interest. Any Bidder found to have conflict of
interest shall be disqualified. Bidders may be considered to have a conflict of interest
with one or more parties in this bidding process, if they are affiliated, directly or
indirectly, with the consultant or any other entity that has prepared the design,
specifications, and other documents for the Project or being proposed as Project
Manager for the Contract. A firm, or any individual that has been engaged by the
Procuring Entity to provide consulting services for the preparation or supervision of
the Works and any of its affiliates, shall not be eligible to bid.

4.3 Bidders shall provide such evidence of their continued eligibility satisfactory to
MEW, as MEW shall reasonably request.

B. Contents of Bid

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-4

5. Sections of 5.1. The Bidding Document consists of Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 which include all the
Bidding Sections indicated below, and should be read in conjunction with any Addenda
Document issued in accordance with ITB 7.
PART I Procedures
Section 1 - Instructions to Bidder (ITB)
Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet (BDS)
Section 3 - Evaluation and Qualification Criteria (EQC)
Section 4 – Bidding Forms (BDF)
PART II Requirements
Section 5 - MEW Requirements (ERQ)
PART III Power Purchase Agreement
Section 6 - Power Purchase Agreement

5.2. The Invitation for Proposal issued by MEW is not part of the Proposal.
5.3. MEW is not responsible for the completeness of the Bidding Document and its
addenda, if they were not obtained directly from the source stated by MEW in the
Invitation for Bids.

5.4. The Bidders are expected to examine all instructions, forms, terms, and
specifications in the Bidding Document. Failure to furnish all information or
documentation required by the Bidding Document may result in the rejection of
the Proposal.

6. Clarification of 6.1. A prospective Bidder requiring any clarification of the Bidding Document shall
Bidding Document, contact MEW in writing at MEW’s address indicated in the BDS or raise his
Site Visit, Pre-Bid enquiries during the pre-bid meeting if provided for in accordance with ITB 6.4.
Meeting MEW will respond to any request for clarification, provided that such request is
received no later than twenty-one (21) days prior to the deadline for submission
of bids. MEW’s response shall be in writing with copies to all Bidders who have
acquired the Bidding Document in accordance with ITB 5.3, including a
description of the inquiry, but without identifying its source. Should MEW deem
it necessary to amend the Bidding Document as a result of a request for
clarification, it shall do so following the procedure under ITB 7 and ITB 21.2.
6.2. The Bidders are advised to visit and examine the site where the project is to be
constructed and installed and its surroundings and obtain for themselves, as their
own responsibility, all information that may be necessary for preparing the Bids
and entering into the Contract. The costs of visiting the site shall be at the
Bidders’ own expenses. MEW is in no way responsible for any differences in the
information provided in the Bidding document with that of the ground reality,
which may arise on account of the Project Company’s scope after submission of
the Bid.
6.3. The Bidders and any of their personnel or agents will be granted permission by
MEW to enter upon its premises and lands for the purpose of such visits, but only
upon the express condition that the Bidders, their personnel, and agents will
release and indemnify MEW and its personnel and agents from and against all
liability in respect thereof, and will be responsible for death or personal injury,
loss of or damage to property, and any other loss, damage, costs, and expenses
incurred as a result of the inspection.
6.4. The Bidders’ designated representatives are invited to attend a pre-bid meeting, if
provided for in the BDS. The purpose of the meeting will be to clarify issues and
to answer questions relevant to preparation of the bids.

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-5

6.5. The Bidders are requested, as much as possible, to submit any questions in
writing, to reach MEW not later than one week before the pre-bid meeting.
6.6. Minutes of the pre-bid meeting, including the text of the questions raised, without
identifying the source, and the responses given, together with any responses
prepared after the meeting, will be transmitted promptly to all Bidders who have
acquired the Bidding Document in accordance with ITB 5.3. Any modification to
the Bidding Document that may become necessary as a result of the pre-bid
meeting shall be made by MEW exclusively through the issue of an Addendum
pursuant to ITB 7 and not through the minutes of the pre-bid meeting.
6.7. Non-attendance at the pre-bid meeting will not be a cause for disqualification of a
Bidder.
7. Amendment of 7.1. At any time prior to the deadline for submission of Bids, MEW may amend the
Bidding Document Bidding document by issuing an addendum.
7.2. Any addendum issued shall be part of the Bidding Document and shall be
communicated in writing to all who have obtained the Bidding Document from
MEW in accordance with ITB 5.3.
7.3. To give prospective Bidders reasonable time in which to take an addendum into
account in preparing the Bids, MEW may, at its discretion, extend the deadline
for the submission of bids, pursuant to ITB 21.2.

C. Preparation of Bid

8. Cost of Bidding 8.1. The Bidder shall bear all costs associated with the preparation and submission of
its Bid, and MEW shall not be responsible or liable for those costs, regardless of
the conduct or outcome of the bidding process.

9. Language of Bid 9.1. The Bid, as well as all correspondence and documents relating to the bid
exchanged by the Bidder and MEW, shall be written in the English language.
Supporting documents and printed literature that are part of the Bid may be in
another language provided they are accompanied by an accurate translation of the
relevant passages into the English language, in which case, for purposes of
interpretation of the Bid, such translation shall govern.

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-6

10. Documents 10.1. The Bid shall be in two steps comprising of the Technical Bid and Price Bid
Comprising the Bid contained in two Separate Envelops along with the documents listed in ITB 10.2
and ITB 10.3.
10.2. The Technical Bid submitted by the Bidder shall comprise the following:
(a) Letter of Technical Bid;
(b) Bid Security in accordance with ITB 18;
(c) Written confirmation authorizing the signatory of the Bid to commit the
Bidder, in accordance with ITB 19.2;
(d) Documentary evidence in accordance with ITB 12 establishing the Bidder’s
eligibility and qualifications to perform the Contract if its Bid is accepted;
(e) Technical Proposal in accordance with ITB 14;
(f) Documentary evidence establishing in accordance with ITB 13 that the
Plant and Services offered by the Bidder conform to the Bidding
Document;
(g) In the case of a bid submitted by a JV, JV agreement, or letter of intent to
enter into a JV including a draft agreement, indicating at least the parts of
the Plant to be executed by the respective partners;
(h) List of sub-contractors, in accordance with ITB 14.2; and
(i) any other document required in the BDS.
10.3. The Price Bid shall be submitted by the Bidder in the manner provided in ITB 15
and BDS.

11. Letter of Bid and 11.1. The Letters of Technical Bid, and the Schedules, and all documents listed under
Schedules ITB 10, shall be prepared using the relevant forms furnished in Section 4
(Bidding Forms). The forms must be completed without any alterations to the
text, and no substitutes shall be accepted. All blank spaces shall be filled in with
the information requested.

12. Documents 12.1. To establish its eligibility and qualifications to perform the Contract in
Establishing the accordance with Section 3 (Evaluation and Qualification Criteria), the Bidder
Eligibility and shall provide the information requested in the corresponding information sheets
Qualifications of included in Section 4 (Bidding Forms).
the Bidder
12.2. Domestic Bidders, individually or in joint ventures, applying for eligibility for
domestic preference shall supply all information required to satisfy the criteria for
eligibility as described in ITB 34.

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-7

13. Documents 13.1. The documentary evidence of the conformity of the Project and Services to the
Establishing Bidding Document may be in the form of literature, drawings and data, and shall
Conformity of the furnish:
Plant and Services
(a) A detailed description of the essential technical and performance
characteristics of the Project and Services, including the functional
guarantees of the proposed Project and Services, in response to the
Specifications;
(b) A commentary on MEW’s Specifications and adequate evidence
demonstrating the substantial responsiveness of the Project and Services to
those specifications. Bidders shall note that standards for workmanship,
materials and equipment designated by MEW in the Bidding Document are
intended to be descriptive (establishing standards of quality and
performance) only and not restrictive. The Bidder may substitute
alternative standards, brand names and/or catalog numbers in its Bid,
provided that it demonstrates to MEW’s satisfaction that the substitutions
are substantially equivalent or superior to the standards designated in the
Specifications.
13.2. In order to facilitate evaluation of Technical Bids, deviations, if any, from the
terms and conditions or Specifications shall be listed as indicated in ITB 31.1.

14. Technical Proposal 14.1. The Bidders shall furnish a Technical Proposal including a statement of work
methods, equipment, schedule and any other information as stipulated in Section
4 (Bidding Forms), in sufficient detail to demonstrate the adequacy of the
Bidder’s proposal to meet the Project completion time.
14.2. For major items of Project and Services as listed by MEW in Section 3
(Evaluation and Qualification Criteria), which the Bidder intends to purchase or
subcontract, the Bidders shall give details of the name and nationality of the
proposed Sub-Contractors, including manufacturers, for each of those items. In
addition, the Bidders shall include in their bids information establishing
compliance with the requirements specified by MEW for these items. Bidders are
free to list more than one Sub-Contractor against each item of the Plant and
Services.
14.3. The Bidders shall be responsible for ensuring that any Sub-Contractor proposed
complies with the requirements of ITB 5.

15. Bid Prices and 15.1. Unless otherwise specified in the BDS or Section 5 (MEW’s Requirements),
Discounts bidders shall quote for the entire Project and Services on a “single responsibility”
basis such that the Bid Price shall cover all the Project Company’s obligations
such as recovery of Project Capital Cost, covering both Debt and Equity,
Operation & Maintenance Cost, and Supplemental Charges. See Bidders Forms –
Section 4. This includes all requirements under the Project Company’s
responsibilities for testing, pre-commissioning and commissioning of the plant
and, where so required by the bidding document, the acquisition of all permits,
approvals and licenses, etc.; the operation, maintenance and such other items and
services as may be specified in the Bidding Document, all in accordance with the
requirements of the Power Purchase Agreement.
15.2. Bidders shall in their Price Bid give a price (tariff) per kilowatt hour for the
supply of solar power generated from the Project to MEW in the manner called
for in ITB 10.3 and the BDS.
15.3. The prices quoted by the Bidder shall be fixed and not subject to variation on any
account. A bid submitted with an adjustable price quotation will be treated as
non-responsive and rejected.

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-8

16. Currencies of Bid 16.1. The currency (ies) of the Bid shall be, as specified in the BDS.
and Payment

17. Period of Validity 17.1. Bids shall remain valid for the period specified in the BDS after the bid
of Bids submission deadline date prescribed by MEW. A bid valid for a shorter period
shall be rejected by MEW as non-responsive.

17.2. In exceptional circumstances, prior to the expiration of the bid validity period, MEW
may request Bidders to extend the period of validity of their bids. The request and the
responses shall be made in writing. If a bid security extension is requested it shall be
so extended for a corresponding period as requested by MEW. A Bidder may refuse
the request without forfeiting its bid security. A Bidder granting the request shall not
be required or permitted to modify its bid.
18. Bid Security 18.1. Unless otherwise specified in the BDS, the Bidder shall furnish as part of its
bid, in original form, a bid security as specified in the BDS. Bid security amount
shall be as specified in the BDS.
18.2. The bid security shall be in the form of a demand guarantee, at the Bidder’s
option, in any of the following forms:
(a) An unconditional bank guarantee; or
(b) An irrevocable letter of credit;
If the institution issuing the bid security furnished by the Bidder is located outside
MEW’s country, the issuer shall have a correspondent financial institution located
in MEW’s country to make it enforceable. In the case of a bank guarantee, the bid
security shall be submitted either using the Bid Security Form included in Section
4 (Bidding Forms) or another form acceptable to MEW. The form must include
the complete name of the Bidder. The bid security shall be valid for twenty-
eight days (28) beyond the original validity period of the bid, or beyond any
period of extension if requested under ITB 17.2.
18.3. Any bid not complying with ITB 18.1 and ITB 18.2, shall be rejected by MEW as
non-responsive.
18.4. If a bid security is specified pursuant to ITB 18.1, the bid security of the
successful Bidder shall be returned as promptly as possible once the successful
Bidder has signed the Contract and furnished the required performance security.
18.5. The bid security may be forfeited:
(a) Where MEW has determined that the successful Bidder has failed to
comply with the provisions of the Letter of Award (at Section 4);
(b) If a Bidder withdraws its bid during the period of bid validity specified by
the Bidder on the Letter of Bid Form, except as provided in ITB 17.2; or
(c) If the successful Bidder fails to
(i) Sign the Contract in accordance with ITB 40;
(ii) furnish a performance security in accordance with ITB 41;
18.6. The Bid Security of a JV shall be in the name of the JV that submits the bid. If the
JV has not been legally constituted at the time of bidding, the Bid Security shall
be in the names of all future partners as named in the letter of intent referred to in
ITB 4.1.

19. Format and 19.1. The Bidder shall prepare one original of the Technical Bid and One Price Bid as

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-9

Signing of Bid described in ITB 14 and ITB 15 in two separate envelopes and clearly mark it as
“ORIGINAL – TECHNICAL BID” and “PRICE BID”. In addition, the Bidder
shall submit copies of the bid, in the number specified in the BDS and clearly
mark each of them “COPY.” In the event of any discrepancy between the original
and the copies, the original shall prevail.
19.2. The original and all copies of the Bid shall be typed or written in indelible ink and
shall be signed by a person duly authorized to sign on behalf of the Bidder. This
authorization shall consist of a written confirmation as specified in the BDS and shall
be attached to the bid. The name and position held by each person signing the
authorization must be typed or printed below the signature. All pages of the bid where
entries or amendments have been made shall be signed or initialed by the person
signing the bid.
19.3. A bid submitted by a Joint Venture (JV) shall be signed so as to be legally
binding on all partners.
19.4. Any interlineations, erasures, or overwriting shall be valid only if they are signed
or initialed by the person signing the bid.

A.
D. Submission and Opening of Bids

20. Submission, 20.1. Bidders shall submit their bids only in Hard Copy as specified in the BDS. The
Sealing and Bidder shall seal the original and all copies of the Bid in two inner envelopes and
Marking of Bids one outer envelope, duly marking the inner envelopes as “ORIGINAL” and
“COPIES.”
20.2. The inner and outer envelopes shall:
(a) be addressed to MEW at the address provided in the BDS;
(b) bear the name and identification number of the Contract as defined in the
BDS; and
20.3. In addition to the identification required in ITB Sub-Clause 20.2, the inner
envelopes shall indicate the name and address of the Bidder to enable the Bid to
be returned unopened in case it is declared late, pursuant to ITB Clause 22.
20.4. If the outer envelope is not sealed and marked as above, MEW shall assume no
responsibility for the misplacement or premature opening of the Bid.

21. Deadline for 21.1. The Bid must be received by MEW at the address and no later than the date indicated
Submission of Bids in the BDS.
21.2. MEW may, at its discretion, extend the deadline for the submission of Proposal by
amending the Bidding Document in accordance with ITB 7, in which case all rights
and obligations of MEW and the Bidders previously subject to the deadline shall
thereafter be subject to the deadline as extended.

22. Late Bids 22.1. MEW shall not consider any bid that arrives after the deadline for submission of bids,
in accordance with ITB 21. Any bid received by MEW after the deadline for
submission of bids shall be declared late, rejected, and returned unopened to the
Bidder.

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-10

23. Withdrawal 23.1. A Bidder may withdraw its bid after it has been submitted by sending a written notice,
duly signed by an authorized representative, and shall include a copy of the
authorization in accordance with ITB 19.2, (except that withdrawal notices do not
require copies). Notices must be:
(a) prepared and submitted in accordance with ITB 19 and ITB 20 and in addition,
the respective envelopes shall be clearly marked “Withdrawal; and
(b) Received by MEW prior to the deadline prescribed for submission of Bids, in
accordance with ITB 21.
23.2. Bids requested to be withdrawn in accordance with ITB 23.1 shall be returned
unopened to the Bidder.
23.3. No Bid may be withdrawn after the Final Bid Submission Deadline. Any attempted
withdrawal shall entitle the Bid Committee of MEW to retain and forfeit the Bid
Security of Bidder.

24. Bid Opening 24.1. MEW shall open the bids, in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who
choose to attend at the time and in the place specified in the BDS.
24.2. First, envelope marked “WITHDRAWAL” shall be opened and read out and the
envelope with the corresponding bid shall not be opened, but returned to the
Bidder. No bid withdrawal shall be permitted unless the corresponding
withdrawal notice contains a valid authorization to request the withdrawal and is
read out at bid opening.
24.3. All other envelopes holding the Bids shall be opened one at a time, and the
following read out and recorded: The bidders’ names, Bid withdrawals, the
presence or absence of Bid Security or Bid-Securing Declaration, if required, and
such other details as MEW may consider appropriate, shall be announced by
MEW at the Bid Opening. No Bid shall be rejected at the opening of Bids except
for late bids, in accordance with ITB Sub-Clause 22.1.
24.4. MEW shall prepare a record of the opening of Bids that shall include, as a
minimum: the name of the Bidder and whether there is a withdrawal, and the
presence or absence of a bid security or a bid securing declaration, if one was
required. The Bidders’ representatives who are present shall be requested to sign
the record. The omission of a Bidder’s signature on the record shall not invalidate
the contents and effect of the record. A copy of the record shall be distributed to
all Bidders who submitted bids in time, and posted online when electronic
bidding is permitted.

E. Evaluations and Comparison of Bids

25. Confidentiality 25.1. Information relating to the evaluation of bids and recommendation of contract award,
shall not be disclosed to Bidders or any other persons not officially concerned with
such process until information on Contract award is communicated to all Bidders.
25.2. Any attempt by a Bidder to influence MEW in the evaluation of the bids or Contract
award decisions may result in the rejection of its bid.
25.3. Notwithstanding ITB 25.2, from the time of bid opening to the time of Contract
award, if any Bidder wishes to contact MEW on any matter related to the bidding
process, it should do so in writing.

26. Clarification of 26.1. To assist in the examination, evaluation, and comparison of the Technical Bids, and
Bids qualification of the Bidders, MEW may, at its discretion, ask any Bidder for a
clarification of its bid. Any clarification submitted by a Bidder that is not in response
to a request by MEW shall not be considered. MEW’s request for clarification and the
response shall be in writing. No change in the substance of the Technical Bid shall
be sought, offered, or permitted, except to confirm the correction of arithmetic errors

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-11

discovered by MEW in the evaluation of the bids, in accordance with ITB 35.
26.2. If a Bidder does not provide clarifications of its bid by the date and time set in MEW’s
request for clarification, its bid may be rejected.

27. Deviation, 27.1. During the evaluation of bids, following definitions will apply:
Reservations, and
(a) “Deviation” is a departure from the requirements specified in the Bidding
Omission
Document;
(b) “Reservation” is the setting of limiting conditions or withholding from
complete acceptance of the requirements specified in the Bidding
Documents; and
(c) “Omission” is the failure to submit part or all of the information or
documentation required in the Bidding Documents.

28. Preliminary 28.1. MEW shall examine the Technical Bid to confirm that all documents and
Examination of technical documentation requested in ITB Sub-Clause 10.2 have been provided,
Technical Bids and to determine the completeness of each document submitted. If any of these
documents or information is missing, the Bid may be rejected.
28.2. MEW shall confirm that the following documents and information have been
provided in the Technical Bid. If any of these documents or information is
missing, the offer shall be rejected.
(a) Letter of Technical Bid;
(b) Written confirmation of authorization to sign the Bidder;
(c) Bid Security, if applicable;
(d) Technical Proposal in accordance with ITB 14.

29. Responsive of 29.1. MEW’s determination of a bid’s responsiveness is to be based on the contents of the
Technical Bid bid itself, as defined in ITB10.
29.2. A substantially responsive Technical Bid is one that meets the requirements of the
Bidding Document without material deviation, reservation, or omission. A material
deviation, reservation, or omission is one that,
(a) if accepted, would
(i) affect in any substantial way the scope, quality, or performance of
the Plant and Services specified in the Contract;
(ii) limit in any substantial way, inconsistent with the Bidding
Document, MEW’s rights or the Bidder’s obligations under the
proposed Contract; or
(b) if rectified, would unfairly affect the competitive position of other Bidders
presenting substantially responsive bids.
29.3. MEW shall examine the technical aspects of the Bid submitted in accordance with
ITB 14, Technical Proposal.
29.4. If a bid is not substantially responsive to the requirements of the Bidding Document, it
shall be rejected by MEW and may not subsequently be made responsive by
correction of the material deviation, reservation, or omission.

30. Nonmaterial Non 30.1. Provided that a Bid is substantially responsive, MEW may waive any nonconformity
conformities in the bid that does not constitute a material deviation, reservation or omission.
30.2. Provided that a Bid is substantially responsive, MEW may request that the Bidder
submit the necessary information or documentation, within a reasonable period of
time, to rectify nonmaterial nonconformities in the Bid related to documentation
requirements. Failure of the Bidder to comply with the request may result in the

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-12

rejection of its Bid.


30.3. Provided that a Bid is substantially responsive, MEW shall rectify nonmaterial
nonconformities related to the Bid Price. To this effect, the Bid Price shall be
adjusted, for comparison purposes only, to reflect the price of a missing or non-
conforming item or component. The adjustment shall be made using the method
indicated in Section 3 (Evaluation and Qualification Criteria).

31. Detailed 31.1. MEW will carry out a detailed technical evaluation of the bids in order to
Evaluation of determine whether the technical aspects are in compliance with the Bidding
Technical Bids Document. In order to reach such a determination, MEW will examine and
compare the technical aspects of the bids on the basis of the information supplied
by the bidders, taking into account the following:
(a) overall completeness and compliance with MEW’s Requirements;
deviations from MEW’s Requirements; conformity of the Plant and
Services offered with specified performance criteria; suitability of the Plant
and Services offered in relation to the environmental and climatic
conditions prevailing at the site; and quality, function and operation of any
process control concept included in the bid. The bid that does not meet
minimum acceptable standards of completeness, consistency and detail will
be rejected for non-responsiveness;
(b) type, quantity and long-term availability of mandatory and recommended
spare parts and maintenance services; and
(c) other relevant factors, if any, listed in Section 3 (Evaluation and
Qualification Criteria).

32. Eligibility and 32.1. MEW shall determine to its satisfaction during the evaluation of Technical Bids
Qualification of whether a Bidder meets the eligibility and qualifying criteria specified in Section
Bidders 3 (Evaluation and Qualification Criteria).
32.2. The determination shall be based upon an examination of the documentary
evidence of the Bidder’s qualifications submitted by the Bidder, pursuant to ITB
12.
32.3. The capabilities of the manufacturers and sub-contractors proposed in its Bid to be
used by the Bidder will also be evaluated for acceptability in accordance with Section
3 (Evaluation and Qualification Criteria). Their participation should be confirmed
with a letter of intent between the parties, as needed. Should a manufacturer or sub-
contractor be determined to be unacceptable, the Bid will not be rejected, but the
Bidder will be required to substitute an acceptable manufacturer or sub-contractor
without any change to the Price Bid.

33. Conversion to 33.1. For evaluation and comparison purposes, the currency (ies) of the bid shall be
Single Currency converted into a single currency as specified in the BDS.

34. Margin of 34.1. Unless otherwise specified in the BDS, a margin of preference shall not apply.
Preference

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-13

35. Evaluation of Price 35.1. MEW shall use the evaluation criteria and methodologies listed in Clause 35.2
Bids below. No other evaluation criteria or methodologies shall be permitted.
35.2. To evaluate a Qualified Bidders Price Bid, MEW shall consider the following:
Bidders’ Tariff proposals are of paramount importance in Bid evaluation. Tariffs
are required to reflect the costs incurred in the generation of power and are
required to be provided by Bidders.
The tariff evaluation will include an assessment of both the costs and the benefits
of Bidders’ Financial Submission.

The selection of bidders shall be based on Price Bid offered by bidder. MEW will
shortlist the bidders based on the lower Price Bid calculated from Ceiling Tariff
USD 16 Cent Per kWh as base tariff. The bidder offering the lowest tariff shall
be selected as L1. If there is any discrepancy between numeric figures and words,
the words mentioned will prevail.
The evaluation will be determined based on the Tariff proposal of the Financial
Submission and the projected operating mode of the Plant as provided by the
Bidder.
35.3. If there is any discrepancy between numeric figures and words, the words
mentioned will prevail.

36. Comparison of 36.1. MEW shall compare all substantially responsive Bids to determine the lowest
Bids evaluated bid, in accordance with ITB 35.2.

37. MEW Right to 37.1. MEW reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, and to annul the bidding process
Accept Any Bid, and reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any
and to Reject Any liability to Bidders. In case of annulment, all bids submitted and specifically, bid
or All Bids securities, shall be promptly returned to the Bidders.

F. Award of Contract

38. Award Criteria 38.1. MEW shall award the Contract to the Bidder whose offer has been determined to be
the lowest evaluated bid and is substantially responsive to the Bidding Document,
provided further that the Bidder is determined to be eligible and qualified to perform
the Contract satisfactorily.

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-14

39. Notification of 39.1. Prior to the expiration of the period of bid validity, MEW shall notify the successful
Award Bidder, in writing, that its bid has been accepted and Letter of Award (LOA) shall be
issued to the successful Bidder.
39.2. At the same time, MEW may publish in an English language newspaper or well-
known freely accessible website the results identifying the bid and lot numbers
and the following information: (i) name of each Bidder who submitted a Bid; (ii)
bid prices offered; (iii) name of bidders whose bids were rejected and the reasons
for their rejection; and (iv) name of the winning Bidder, and the price it offered,
as well as the duration and summary scope of the Contract awarded. After
publication of the award, unsuccessful bidders may request in writing to MEW
for a debriefing seeking explanations on the grounds on which their bids were not
selected. MEW shall promptly respond in writing to any unsuccessful Bidder
who, after Publication of contract award, requests a debriefing.
39.3. Until a formal contract is prepared and executed, the notification of award shall
constitute a binding Contract.
39.4. MEW shall promptly respond in writing to any unsuccessful Bidder who, after
notification of award in accordance with ITB 39.1, requests in writing the grounds on
which its bid was not selected.

40. Signing of Contract 40.1. Promptly after notification, MEW shall send the successful Bidder the Contract
Agreement.
40.2. Within twenty-one (21) days of receipt of the Contract, the successful Bidder shall
sign, date, and return it to MEW. However, the Contract will only be effective from
the effective date as defined therein.

41. Performance 41.1. Within twenty-one (21) days of the signing of LOA with MEW, the successful Bidder
Security shall furnish the performance security in accordance with the BDS, or another form
acceptable to MEW. If the institution issuing the performance security is located
outside the country of MEW, it shall have a correspondent financial institution
located in the country of MEW to make it enforceable.
41.2. Failure of the successful Bidder to submit the above-mentioned Performance
Security or sign the Contract shall constitute sufficient grounds for the annulment
of the award and forfeiture of the bid security. In that event MEW may award the
Contract to the next lowest evaluated Bidder whose offer is substantially
responsive and is determined by MEW to be qualified to perform the Contract
satisfactorily.
41.3. The above provision shall also apply to the furnishing of a domestic preference
security if so required.

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-15

Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet


This Section consists of provisions that are specific to each procurement and they supplement the
information or requirements included in Section 1 Instructions to Bidders.

Table of Contents

A. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 2

B. Bidding Document ......................................................................................................................... 4

C. Preparation of Bids ......................................................................................................................... 5

D. Submission and Opening of Bids ................................................................................................. 10

E. Evaluation and Comparison of Bids ............................................................................................. 11

F. Award of Contract ........................................................................................................................ 11

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-16

A. Introduction

ITB 1.1 The identification number of the RFP is: MEW-REN-20-URO

MEW is: Ministry of Energy and Water, Afghanistan(MEW)

The name of the RFP/ICB is: Design, Build, Finance, Own, Commission and Operate 1
MWp Solar PV System in Urozgan for supply of solar power to DABS.

Purpose:

The purpose of this Contract is to install depending upon Bidding of Project Company from
1 MWp Solar PV project in Urozgan province of Afghanistan to supply solar power
generated to DABS (Afghan National Power utility Company). The Project Companies will
be responsible for the design, construction of the plant and maintenance and operation of the
project at its own expense. The Project Companies will be granted Land on Lease for
establishment of Plant and to maintain the systems. DABS will purchase electricity
produced by the Project Companies through its system as described in the PPA. The Project
Companies must provide all management, supervision, labor, materials, supplies, and
equipment, and must plan, schedule, coordinate, and assure effective performance of the
project herein. DABS will only pay for electricity delivered to the metered 20KV
interconnection point nearest the solar plants. DABS will build an interconnection point or
transmission line needed to connect the Solar PV Plants, from which the electrical energy
generated will be distributed to DABS customers.

ITB 2.1 DABS will award to the successful Bidder a Fixed Tariff Price (FTP) contract for the sale of
solar power generated by the Project Company for each Project against a fixed tariff in
accordance with the PPA.

The Project Companies must absorb all other costs of the project. The tariff rate determined
through the Price Bid will be included in the PPA. The Project Companies would be
required to install, test and commission the Project.
.

B. Bidding Documents

ITB 6.1 RFP

Any questions concerning this RFP must be submitted to Mr. Mojtaba Haidari no later than
21 days before due date for submission of bid. No questions will be accepted after this date.
Questions or clarifications may be sought via email at red.mew.af@gmail.com and
energy@mew.gov.af, with a courtesy copy to amanghalib@hotmail.com or alternatively
delivered to the following address:

Attention: Mr. A. Ghalib, DM Energy.

Address: Ministry of Energy and Water, Darulaman Road, DC-7, Kabul,


Afghanistan, Telephone +93 794 444443,

Electronic Mail. amanghalib@hotmail.com

When submitting questions and requests for clarification, please make specific reference to

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-17

the RFP as follows:


Subject: [Name of Organization] – RFP#: MEW-REN-20-URO

Reference: RFP Section ___, paragraph ___, page ___

Oral explanations or instructions given before award of the Contract will not be binding.
Any information given to a prospective Bidder concerning this RFP will be furnished
promptly to all other prospective Bidders as an amendment of this RFP, if that information
is necessary in submitting proposals. No phone calls will be accepted.

PPA

After the PPA is published bidders may provide questions, comments and exceptions to the
draft Power Purchase Agreement between Project Company and DABS. These PPA
inquiries may be submitted to Mr. Mojtaba Haidari no later than 15 days after publication of
the PPA. No questions will be accepted after this date. Questions or clarifications may be
sought via email at red.mew.af@gmail.com and energy@mew.gov.af, with CC to
amanghalib@hotmail.com or alternatively delivered to the following address:

Attention: Mr. A. Ghalib, Deputy Minister, Energy.

Address: Ministry of Energy and Water, Darulaman Road, DC-7, Kabul,


Afghanistan,

Telephone +93 794 444443,

Electronic Mail. amanghalib@hotmail.com)

When submitting questions and requests for clarification, please make specific reference to
the PPA as follows:

Subject: [Name of Organization] – RFP#: [MEW-REN-20-URO] – PPA Inquiry

Reference: PPA Clause ___, page ___

Further information regarding the PPA will be discussed by and with DABS during the pre-
proposal conference to be held. It is anticipated that a further revised final version of the
PPA will be issued approximately two (2) weeks prior to the Proposal Due Date.

A Bidder, however, must indicate in Part A (General Qualifications) of its proposal whether
or not it is willing to sign the PPA substantially in the final form presented.

ITB 6.2 Site visits may be arranged during normal duty hours by contacting:
Mr. A. Ghalib, DM Energy.
Address: Ministry of Energy and Water, Darulaman Road, DC-7, Kabul,
Afghanistan,
Telephone +93 794 444443,
Electronic Mail. amanghalib@hotmail.com)

Additional information regarding site visits will be provided prior to or during the Pre-
Proposal Conference/pre-bid meeting.

ITB 6.4 A pre-proposal conference is currently planned to be held on or about May 25, 2016 at
Ministry of Energy and Water, Darulaman Road, DC-7, Kabul, Afghanistan.

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-18

C. Preparation of Bids

ITB 10.1 The Bidder shall submit with its Technical Bid the following additional documents:
(a) Average Annual Turnover for the last three years.

(b) Net Worth:

The Net Worth of the company should be equal to or greater than 0.5 million USD per MW.
For illustration purposes, for a 5 MW project, the Net Worth should be at least 2.5 million
USD.

The computation of Net Worth shall be based on unconsolidated audited annual accounts of
the company. The Company would be required to submit annual audited accounts for the
last three financial years (or if the period of existence of the Company is less than three
years, then starting from the year of incorporation) along with a net worth certificate from a
Chartered Accountant to demonstrate fulfilment of the criteria. However, for new as well as
existing Companies, the Net Worth criteria can also be met as on day not more than seven
days prior to the date of submission of Bid by the Company. To demonstrate fulfilment of
this criteria, the Company shall submit a certificate from a Chartered Accountant certifying
the availability of Net Worth on the date not more than seven days prior to submission of
Bid along with a certified copy of Balance Sheet, Profit & Loss Account.

Net Worth
= Paid up Equity share capital
Add: Free Reserves
Subtract: Share premium (except in case of listed Companies)
Subtract: Revaluation Reserves
Subtract: Intangible Assets
Subtract: Miscellaneous Expenditures to the extent not written off and carry forward losses.

For the purposes of meeting financial requirements, only unconsolidated audited annual
accounts shall be used. However, audited consolidated annual accounts of the Company may
be used for the purpose of financial requirements provided the Project Developer has at least
twenty six percent (26%) equity in each Company whose accounts are merged in the audited
consolidated account and provided further that the financial capability of such Companies
(of which accounts are being merged in the consolidated accounts) shall not be considered
again for the purpose of evaluation of the Bid.

If the Bid is submitted by a Consortium, the financial requirement would be required to be


met by each Member of the Consortium and it shall be computed in proportion to the equity
commitment made by each of them in the Project Company. Any Consortium, if selected,
shall, for the purpose of supply of power to the Utility (DABS), incorporate a Project
Company with equity participation by the Members before signing the PPA with DABS.
The Project Developer may seek qualification on the basis of financial capability of its
Parent Company and / or its Affiliate(s) for the purpose of meeting the Qualification
Requirements. In case of the Project Developer being a Bidding Consortium, any Member
may seek qualification on the basis of financial capability of its Parent Company and / or its
Affiliate(s).

(c) Litigation:

The Bidder shall provide accurate information on any litigation or arbitration


resulting from contracts completed or under execution by it over the last ten years.
Claims, arbitration or other litigation proceedings pending or already resolved, with
a possible impact of more than 50 per cent of the Bidder’s net worth shall be
grounds for declaring the Bidder not qualified for the award of the contract.

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-19

(d) Project Experience:

The requirements for project experience are set forth in Section 3.

In the event that the bidder is not the manufacturer of the major components of
plant, equipment and materials it shall obtain from the manufacture its
authorization to supply as per the provisions of the bidding document.

This is a two-step bid submission process, the first being that of evaluation of Technical
ITB 10.1 Bids and thereafter the evaluation of Price Bids as provided below.

STEP-ONE
ITB 10.2

Bidders must prepare a technical proposal as required below.

a) Proposal Format
Format of the proposal must be in Times New Roman font size 12, single spaced, with 1
inch margins, and each page numbered consecutively. Proposals must be written in English.
Graphs, charts and text boxes will be included in the page numbers. Text in the graphs and
text boxes must be at least Times Roman font size 10.
b) Proposal Organization/Limits
The proposal must be organized in the following order with the following page limitations:
SECTION PART PAGE LIMITATION
Cover Letter This section is not One (1) page maximum
evaluated.
Table of Contents This section is not No page limit
evaluated.
Section 1: Qualifications Part A: General One (1) page maximum
and Experience Qualifications
Part B: Specialized Each completed in the
Experience format provided in Section
4 may not exceed five (5)
pages per project; no page
limit for supporting
documents.
Part C: Turnover of Project One (1) page maximum; no
Company page limit for supporting
documents
Part D: Net Worth & One (1) page maximum; no
Pending Litigation page limit for supporting
documents
Part E: Project Personnel Four (4) pages maximum
Part F: Management Four (4) pages maximum
Capability
Section 2: System Part G: System Design and Forty-five (45) pages
Generation Capability Equipment Specifications maximum
Part H: System Description Twenty (20) pages
maximum
Part I: Project Two (2) pages maximum
Timeline/Schedule
Part J: Evidence of No page limit
Successfully Operating
System

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-20

Part K: Operation and Three (3) pages maximum


Maintenance Approach
Section 3: Past Part L: Past Performance Fifteen (15) pages
Performance Questionnaires maximum
Attachment 1: Evidence No page limit
of Responsibility
Attachment 2: Branding Twenty (20) page
and Marking Plan maximum
c) Proposal Content
The project proposal must include the following information, which will be verified and
evaluated in accordance with Section 3:
i) Section 1: Qualifications and Experience
 General Qualifications: Provide Bidder’s general qualifications and profile to include:
- Names, Physical and Postal Address, and Contacts
- Legal Registration Status
- Description of business activities
- Affirmative statement of willingness to execute the Project.
- MEW shall share Power Purchase Agreement 2 weeks following the RFP issue date.
This information must be included as Part A of the Proposal.
 Specialized Experience: Describe Bidder’s experience within the last Ten Years in
installing, maintaining and managing on-site photovoltaic systems, including under Power
Purchase Agreement, of similar magnitude and complexity as required by this RFP. The
Bidder must demonstrate that within the last Ten Years, it has completed at least two (2)
turnkey solar power project of at least one megawatt (1 MWp) or higher. One of these
project must be under a Power Purchase Agreement (where the Bidder owns and operates
the system, selling power to the host power utility) and in satisfactory continuous
operation for at least one or more years (from the date of submission of the proposal).
Use the format provided in Section 4 to provide all the relevant information about the
project. The Bidder must include duly authenticated customer’s certificates and other
relevant documents to substantiate.
The completed forms (which may not exceed five pages for each project) and the relevant
supporting documents must be included as Part B of the Proposal.
 Financial Capability:
o Provide evidence of the average Turnover of the last three (3) years.
o Audited financial statements (Balance Sheet and P&L Accounts) for the last 3 (three)
years and certificate from a Chartered Accountant certifying the availability of Net
Worth on the date not more than seven days prior to submission of Bid.
o Provide affirmative statement that Bidder (including all partners of a joint venture,
consortium or teaming arrangement) has no pending litigation that could result in losses
of more than 50% of the Bidder’s total net worth.
This documentation must be provided as Part C to the Proposal.
 Personnel Qualifications: Explain how the Bidder will assign a Project Manager and Chief
Engineer that will satisfy the requirements herein and describe how the Bidder will
establish and maintain a qualified and experienced installation, operation and
maintenance, and operational trouble-shooting team at the plant (Field Team) to enable the
Bidder to install, operate, and maintain the plant and satisfy the requirements set forth
herein.

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Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-21

 Management Capacity: Provide a Management Plan that must articulate the Bidder’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 MEW. This Management
Plan must be described in Part E of the Proposal.
ii) Section 2: System Generation Capability
 System Design and Equipment Specifications: Provide detailed description of the
proposed Solar PV System design, key equipment specifications and the manufacturers.
Specifications of key equipment (i.e., inverters, charge controllers, solar modules and
batteries) must include performance characteristics. Manufacturers of the proposed system
equipment must have ISO certifications or other internationally recognized quality
certification bodies. The detailed description of the proposed system and equipment must
be included in Part F.
 System Description: Provide detailed information to demonstrate that the proposed PV
system is capable of producing the desired MWp for which the bid is being submitted. and
satisfies the requirements set forth herein, including that (1) the Bidder will be able to
complete the installation, testing and commissioning of the proposed system within the
contract period of performance; and (2) that the proposed system is based on technology
that is currently being operated in other similar project. This description must be included
as Part G.
 The Bidder must also include as Part I an illustrative time line/schedule that demonstrates
the Bidder will complete the Project within the period of performance.
 The Bidder must also provide information and supporting documentary evidence of at
least one project successfully operational of the proposed system technology, for at least
Ten year, anywhere in the world. This must be included as Part J.
 System Operation and Maintenance: Clearly describe the Bidder’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 Bidder must include this Operation and
Maintenance Approach as Part J.
iii) Section 3: Past Performance
The Prime Bidder (including all partners of a joint venture, teaming arrangement or
consortium) must provide performance information for itself and each major sub-contractor
by completing the respective forms provided in Section 4 regarding the quality of its
performance for its recent (within the last 10 years) project in developing, installing,
maintaining and managing on-site Solar PV systems under power purchase agreements.
The said forms must be completed and included as Part L. 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. MEW may contact the Bidder’s references as indicated on
the Past Performance Questionnaires or other contacts as known to MEW, to determine
customer satisfaction with various aspects of the Bidder’s performance. Past performance
submissions do not count against the page limitation of proposals.
This factor will be evaluated to assess whether the Prime Bidder’s record of recent (within
the last 10 Years) past performance indicates a likelihood of successful 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 email
address, may not be considered. The past performance of joint venture partners and sub-
contractors will not be considered.
MEW’s sources of information for evaluating past performance may include, but are not
limited to, Government databases, and all information provided by the Bidder, inquiries of
PV system owner representative(s), and other known sources not provided by the Bidder,
provided such information is recent. While MEW may elect to consider data from other
sources, the burden of providing detailed, current, accurate, and complete past performance
information rests with the Bidder.

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-22

The relevance of similar performance information as a predictor of probable performance


under the subject requirement will be determined initially. More weight may be given to
performance information that is considered more relevant and/or more current.
Adverse past performance information to which the Bidder previously has not had an
opportunity to respond will be addressed by MEW in accordance with its policies and
procedures.

STEP-TWO: Price Bids of Bidders that are determined to have a technically acceptable
ITB 10.3 proposal will be eligible for step-two of Bid Process.
a) Price Bids for eligible Bidders will then be opened for determining the lowest tariff rate
per kilowatt hour to MEW proposed by Bidders.
b) No price revisions will be accepted after the opening of the Price Bid, unless MEW
decides that further discussions are needed and final revisions are again requested.
c) In order for a Bidder to be eligible for Price Bid opening, such a Bidder must agree with
terms and conditions of this RFP, and agree to the Price Bid terms and conditions.

d) After the conclusion of the Price Bid opening, the lowest tariff rate proposed will be
deemed the lowest priced offer for purposes of determining lowest priced technically
acceptable Bid.

ITB 13.1 To establish the eligibility of the plant and services in accordance with ITB Clause 4, the
Bidder should submit a certificate from the project / client situated anywhere in world that
the technology supplied by the Manufacturer / Technology Provider is in successful
operation for atleast one year before the last date of submission of bid.

ITB 14 Kindly refer to ITB 10 and BDS.

ITB 15.1 Bidders shall quote for Project of capacity1MWp on a “single responsibility” basis.

MEW will award to the successful Bidder a Fixed Tariff Contract resulting from this
solicitation conditional upon the successful Bidder signing the PPA with DABS.

ITB 15.6 Bids are not being invited for multiple or combination of lots for single Project. Price quoted
should be for the entire capacity of the Project for which the Project Company intends to bid.
The prices quoted by the Bidder shall be fixed, without price escalation.

ITB 16.1 The currency of the bid prices shall be quoted in United States Dollars (USD).

ITB 17.1 The bid validity period shall be [one-hundred eighty (180)] days.

ITB 18.1 A Bid Security is required. A Bid Securing Declaration is not acceptable.
The Bidder is required to furnish a Bid Security as per the requirement of ITB 18.2, in
Section 4, which shall be either returned to the bidder upon its expiry or, in the case of
successful Bidder to be extended up to the Financial Closing Date (as amended).
The amount of the bid security shall be USD 70,000/= per MW and currency of the Bid
Security shall be US Dollars.
NOTE 1: THE ORIGINAL BID SECURITY MUST BE PLACED IN THE SAME

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-23

ENVELOPE AS THE TECHNICAL BID.


NOTE 2: A COPY OF THE BID SECURITY MUST BE INCLUDED IN THE
ORIGINAL AND IN EACH COPY OF THE TECHNICAL BID.

ITB 18.2 Bank guarantee from any eligible country is acceptable, provided that it is cashable in
Afghanistan. A back-to-back bank guarantee with a local bank in Afghanistan is preferable.

ITB 19.1 One (1) Original and Three (3) copies of the Technical Bid shall be submitted in separate
sealed envelopes. All envelopes are to be labeled as to what they contain (original, copy of
Technical Bid).

ITB 19.2 The written confirmation of authorization to sign on behalf of the Bidder shall consist of a
Letter of Authority Signed by the Bidder’s Executive Management.

D. Submission and Opening of Bids

ITB 20.1 Electronic submission of the Technical Bid is not acceptable.

ITB 21.1 For Bid submission purposes only, MEW’s address is


Attention: Mr. Mojtaba Haidari
Street Address: Ministry of Energy and Water, Darlaman Road, DC-7, Kabul,
Afghanistan
City: Kabul
ZIP Code: N/A
Country: Afghanistan
The deadline for Bid submission is:
Date: June 08, 2016
Time: 10:00 Hours (local time)

The Bid Opening will take place at


ITB 24.1
Street Address: Ministry of Energy and Water, Darulaman Road, DC-7, Kabul,
Afghanistan
Ministry of Energy and Water, Afghanistan(MEW), (Employer), H.Q
City: Kabul
Country: Afghanistan
Date: June 08, 2016
Time: 10:01Hours (local time), immediately after bid submission
deadline.

Note 1: The technical bids will be opened immediately after the bid submission
deadline of ITB 24.1.

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 2 - Bid Data Sheet 2-24

E. Evaluation, and Comparison of Bids

ITB 34.1 Tariff in US cents/kWh is required to be quoted up to 3 decimal points.

ITB 35.1 A margin of preference will not apply.

Appropriately qualified local Project Company are encouraged to bid. International Project
Companies are encouraged to form joint ventures with local Project Company and utilize
local Project Company when appropriate.

F. AWARD OF CONTRACT

ITB 40 A Bidder must indicate in Part A (General Qualifications) of its proposal whether or not it is
willing to sign the PPA substantially in the final form presented. Lack of willingness to sign
the PPA substantially in the form presented in this RFP may result in failure to pass the
technical evaluation.

Further information regarding the PPA will be discussed by and with MEW and DABS
during the pre-proposal conference to be held. It is anticipated that a further revised final
version of the PPA will be issued approximately two (2) weeks prior to the Proposal Due
Date.

ITB 41 Within twenty-one (21) calendar days after the issuance of Letter of Award (LOA) date, the
Project Company must furnish to MEW performance bond or other form of assurance
satisfactory to MEW.

A Performance Bond shall be issued in pursuance of the PPA. This Performance Bond will
be refunded upon completion of Project undertaken by Project Company as awarded by
MEW for 1 MWp Solar PV project commissioning of the system.

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 3 - Evaluation and Qualification Criteria 3-1

Section 3 - Evaluation and Qualification Criteria


This Section contains all the criteria that MEW shall use to evaluate bids and qualify Bidders. In
accordance with ITB 35 and ITB 36, no other methods, criteria and factors shall be used. The Bidder
shall provide all the information requested in the forms included in Section 4 (Bidding Forms).

Table of Criteria
1. Evaluation ................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1 Technical Evaluation ..................................................................................................... 2
1.1.1 Method Statement ............................................................................................................... 2
1.1.2 Type Test Certificates ......................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Economic Evaluation ..................................................................................................... 2
1.2.1 Quantifiable Deviations and Omissions .............................................................................. 2
1.2.2 Time Schedule .................................................................................................................... 2
1.3 Domestic Preference ...................................................................................................... 3
1.4 Technical Alternatives ................................................................................................... 3
1.5 Lowest Price Technically Acceptable Evaluation ....................................................... 3
2. Qualification ............................................................................................................................. 4
2.1 Eligibility ......................................................................................................................... 4
2.1.1 Nationality .......................................................................................................................... 4
2.1.2 Conflict of Interest .............................................................................................................. 4
2.1.3 Eligibility ........................................................................................................................... 4
2.1.4 Government-owned Entity .................................................................................................. 4
2.2 Pending Litigation .......................................................................................................... 5
2.2.1 Pending Litigation............................................................................................................... 5
2.3 Financial Situation ......................................................................................................... 6
2.3.1 Historical Financial Performance........................................................................................ 6
2.3.2 Average Annual Turnover .................................................................................................. 6
2.4 Experience....................................................................................................................... 7
2.4.1 General Experience ............................................................................................................. 7
2.4.2 Specific Experience ............................................................................................................ 7
(a) Contracts of Similar Size and Nature ....................................................................... 7
2.5 Personnel ......................................................................................................................... 8
2.6 Equipment....................................................................................................................... 8
2.7 Sub-Contractors ............................................................................................................. 9

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 3 - Evaluation and Qualification Criteria 3-2

1. Evaluation
a) This RFP will utilize a lowest price technically acceptable source selection procedure, to make an
integrated assessment for a best value award decision. A decision on the technical acceptability of each
offer’s proposal will be made by a technical evaluation committee on a technically acceptable basis
with respect to non-cost factors set forth below. Award will be made to the Bidder with the lowest tariff
rate or exceeding the acceptability standards for non-cost factors set below.

b) MEW intends to evaluate proposals and award a contract without discussions with Bidders.
Therefore, the Bidder’s proposals should contain the Bidder’s best terms from a funding and technical
standpoint. MEW reserves the right to conduct discussions if the same is deemed necessary.

c) Each Bidder’s technical proposal will be evaluated to determine whether or not the project proposal
meets the requirements identified. While MEW will strive for maximum objectivity, the assessment of
technical acceptability by its nature is subjective; therefore professional judgment is implicit
throughout the evaluation process.

1.1 Technical Evaluation


The following information shall be the basic criteria for evaluation by MEW.

1.1.1 Method Statement


A method statement which shall cover the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the works,
and supply of solar power generated by the Plant shall be submitted by the Bidder. The method
statement shall be in sufficient detail to demonstrate the adequacy of the bidder’s proposal to complete
the work (particularly, design, procurement, construction, management, subcontracting, security, health
safety and environmental, and quality control) in accordance with the Technical Specifications and the
specified time for completion. This shall be as evidenced by written method statement(s) and work
program(s) in the form of [a Gantt chart].
The method statement(s) shall confirm that the design, the Construction documents, the supply of solar
power, the execution and the completed works shall comply with the Country’s national specification,
technical standards, building, construction and environmental regulations where and if available and
applicable to the product being produced from the Works, and the standards specified in the Schedule
for Supply, applicable to the Project Company’s Proposal and Schedules, or defined by law. In the
absence of the Country’s national standards, specifications and regulations the Project Company’s
design, the Construction documents, the execution and the completed works shall comply with
international standards as specified in the Schedule of Supply In respect of technical specifications and
standards, any national or international standards which promise to confer equal or better quality than
the standards specified will also be acceptable. This shall be as evidenced by the completed technical
schedules.

1.1.2 Type Test Certificates


A Type Test Certificate and associated Type Test Reports shall be supplied in the bidding documents
for the following major equipment items. The Certificates and the Reports must not be older than five
(5) years.

1.2 Economic Evaluation


Any adjustments in price that result from the procedures outlined below shall be added, for purposes of
comparative evaluation only, to arrive at an “Evaluated Bid Price.” Bid prices quoted by bidders shall
remain unaltered.

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 3 - Evaluation and Qualification Criteria 3-3

1.2.1 Quantifiable Deviations and Omissions


Quantifiable Deviations and Omissions from the contractual obligations: the evaluation shall be based
on the evaluated cost of fulfilling the contract in compliance with all contractual obligations under this
bidding document. MEW will assess the cost of such a deviation for the purpose of ensuring fair
comparison of bids.

1.2.2 Time Schedule


Time to complete the Plant and Services for completion of pre-commissioning activities is one (1) year.
No credit will be given for earlier completion. Bids offering time for completion in excess of these
specified time requirements shall be rejected.
The solar power generated by the Plant(s) shall be supplied to DABS in pursuance of the terms and
conditions, and for the term of the PPA.

1.3 Domestic Preference


A margin of preference will not be applied.
Appropriately qualified local Project Companies are encouraged to bid. International Project
Companies are encouraged to form joint ventures with local Project Companies and utilize local sub-
contractors when appropriate.

1.4 Technical Alternatives


Technical alternatives are not permitted (refer to ITB 13.4)

1.5 Lowest Price Technically Acceptable Evaluation

MEW will conduct two-step bidding Process. The successful Bidder will propose its tariff rate per
kilowatt hour that it will offer to MEW for each Project in accordance with the terms and conditions of
the PPA.

The ceiling tariff rate per kilowatt hour of the decided by MEW will be 16 US cents per kilowatt hour.

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 3 - Evaluation and Qualification Criteria 3-4

2. Qualification
If the bidding was preceded by a prequalification process then the Bidder and any sub-contractor shall continue
to meet the criteria used at the time of prequalification and reiterated below.

2.1 Eligibility

Criteria Compliance Requirements Documents


Joint Venture
At Least Submission
Requirement Single Entity All Partners Each
One Requirements
Combined Partner
Partner
2.1.1 Nationality
Nationality in accordance with must meet must meet must meet not Forms
ITB Sub-Clause 4.2. requirement requirement requirement applicable ELI - 1; ELI - 2
with attachments

2.1.2 Conflict of Interest


No conflicts of interest in must meet must meet must meet not Application
accordance with ITB Sub- requirement requirement requirement applicable Submission Sheet
Clause 4.3.

2.1.3 MEW Eligibility


Not having been declared must meet must meet must meet not Application
ineligible by MEW, as described requirement requirement requirement applicable Submission Sheet
in ITB Sub-Clause 4.3.

2.1.4 Government-owned Entity


Bidder required meeting must meet must meet must meet not Forms
conditions of ITB Sub-Clause 4.5. requirement requirement requirement applicable ELI - 1; ELI - 2
with attachments

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 3 - Evaluation and Qualification Criteria 3-5

2.2 Pending Litigation

Criteria Compliance Requirements Documents


Joint Venture
Single Submission
Requirement All Partners Each One
Entity Requirements
Combined Partner Partner

2.2.1 Pending Litigation


All pending litigation shall be must meet not must meet not Form LIT
treated as resolved against the requireme applicable requireme applicable
Bidder and so shall in total not nt by itself nt by itself
represent more than [35] percent of or as or as
the Bidder’s net worth. partner to partner to
past or past or
existing JV existing JV

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 3 - Evaluation and Qualification Criteria 3-6

2.3 Financial Situation

Criteria Compliance Requirements Documents

Joint Venture
Single Submission
Requirement All Partners Each One
Entity Requirements
Combined Partner Partner
2.3.1 Historical Financial Performance
Submission of audited balance must not must meet not Form FIN - 1
sheets or, if not required by the law meet applicable requirement applicable with attachments
of the Bidder’s country, other requireme
financial statements acceptable to nt
MEW, for the last three years to
demonstrate the current soundness
of the Bidder’s financial position
and its prospective long-term
profitability. The Net Worth should
be positive for the past three years.

2.3.2 Average Annual Turnover


Minimum average annual turnover must must meet Each partner Lead Form FIN - 2
over the last three (3) years. meet requireme must meet partner
requireme nt 25% must meet
nt 40%
of the
requirement of the
requireme
nt

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 3 - Evaluation and Qualification Criteria 3-7

2.4 Experience

Criteria Compliance Requirements Documents


Joint Venture
Single Submission
Requirement All Partners Each One
Entity Requirements
Combined Partner Partner

2.4.1 General Experience


Experience under contracts in the must meet not must meet not Form EXP - 1
role of Project Company, sub- requireme applicable requiremen applicable
contractor, or management Project nt t
Company for at least the last [five]
years prior to the bid submission
deadline.

2.4.2 Specific Experience


(a) Contracts of Similar Size and Nature
(1) The Bidder must have must must meet not not Form EXP - 2
completed within the last [Ten] meet requirement applicable applicable
years at least two [2] turnkey requireme
project solar power project of at nt
least one megawatt (1 MW) or
higher feeding into power grid.
(2) In case of joint venture, (a) the
leading partner shall have the
experience as per (1) above; (b)
the other individual partners shall
have individually participated as a
sub-Contractor or joint venture
partner within the last [ten (10)]
years on at least [two (2)] such
project .
(3) To substantiate the above, the
Bidder shall submit duly
authenticated user’s certificates
and other relevant documents.

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 3 - Evaluation and Qualification Criteria 3-8

2.5 Personnel
The Bidder must demonstrate that it has the personnel for the key positions that meet the following
requirements:

Experience Experience as
Total Work
In Similar Manager of
No. Position Experience
Work Similar Work
[years]
[years] [years]
1 Project Manager 15 10 5
2 Chief Engineer 10 5 5
Other Project Personnel: The Project Company 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 Project
Company to install, operate, and maintain the plant and include the list of such personnel’s in this
format.
The Project Company’s Field Team must be comprehensive and must provide a one-stop contact for
MEW to address all relevant issues and activities including generation planning, routine and
emergency O&M, and metering.
3
4
5
6

The Bidder shall provide details of the proposed personnel and their experience records in the relevant
Information Forms included in Section 4 (Bidding Forms).
2.6 Equipment
The Bidder must demonstrate that it has the key equipment listed hereafter:

No. Equipment Type and Characteristics Min. Number Required


1 The Project Company is responsible for obtaining and
maintaining any and all equipment that the Project Company
needs to complete the contract, which shall be listed by the
Bidder in this table.
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

The Bidder shall provide further details of proposed items of equipment using the relevant Form in Section 4
(Bidding Forms).

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 3 - Evaluation and Qualification Criteria 3-9

2.7 Sub-Contractors
Sub-Contractors/manufacturers for major items of supply or services must meet the following minimum criteria,
herein listed for that item. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in rejection of the Bid.

The Bidder is to list all the sub-contractor for major items supply or services that they plan to engage for this
project. Additional sub-contractor can be added to the list after the award of contract only with the review and
approval of MEW.

Multi-tiered subcontracting is not permitted. That is, there can only be one tier subcontracting in this project;
the prime Project Company (sole Project Company or joint venture) and the one or several sub-contractors
(suppliers of material or services) that report directly to the prime Project Company.

Item Description of Item Minimum Criteria to be


No. met
1 For services (labor only): none permitted See at left
2 For supplies (material): See Section 2 Bid Data Sheets, ITB 11.1
See at left
(e), page 2-3.
3
4
5

In the case of a Bidder who offers to supply and install major items of supply under the contract that the Bidder
did not manufacture or otherwise produce, the Bidder shall provide the manufacturer’s authorization, using the
form provided in Section 4 (Bidding Forms), showing that the Bidder has been duly authorized by the
manufacturer or producer of the related plant and equipment or component to supply and install that item in
MEW’s country. The Bidder is responsible for ensuring that the manufacturer or producer complies with the
requirements of ITB 4 and meets the minimum criteria listed above for that item.

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-1

Section 4 - Bidding Forms


This Section contains the forms, which are to be completed by the Bidder and submitted as part of his Bid.

Table of Forms
Letter of Technical Bid ......................................................................................................................... 2
Summary of Scope Of Work ................................................................................................................ 3
Bid Security ........................................................................................................................................... 8
Technical Proposal ................................................................................................................................ 9
Site Organization............................................................................................................................. 10
Method Statement ........................................................................................................................... 11
Mobilization Schedule .................................................................................................................... 12
Construction Schedule .................................................................................................................... 13
Personnel......................................................................................................................................... 14
Form PER – 1: Proposed Personnel .......................................................................................... 14
Form PER – 2: Resume of Proposed Personnel ....................................................................... 15
Equipment ...................................................................................................................................... 16
Proposed SubProject Companys/Manufacturers for Major Items of Plant and Services ............... 17
Bidders Qualification .......................................................................................................................... 18
Form ELI - 1: Bidder’s Information Sheet ...................................................................................... 19
Form ELI - 2: JV Information Sheet................................................................................................ 20
Form LIT: Pending Litigation ........................................................................................................ 21
Form FIN - 1: Historical Financial Performance ............................................................................. 22
Form FIN - 2: Financial Capability ................................................................................................. 23
Form FIN - 3: Financial Resources ................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Form FIN - 4: Current Contract Commitments.............................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Form EXP - 1: General Experience ................................................................................................ 24
Form EXP - 2: Specific Project Experience.................................................................................... 25
PRICE BID FORM……….………………………………………………………………………..34
Letter of Award ................................................................................................................................... 35

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-2

Letter of Technical Bid

[Bidder’s Letterhead]

Date: ............................................
RFP No.: [MEW-REN-20-URO]

To: Ministry of Energy and Water, Afghanistan (MEW)

We, the undersigned, declare that:

(a) We have examined and have no reservations to the Bidding Documents, including Addenda issued
in accordance with Instructions to Bidders (ITB) 7;

(b) We offer to design, test, deliver, install, pre-commission, commission, operate and maintain, supply
solar power in conformity with the Bidding Document and the Power Purchase Agreement the following Plant
and Services: __ MWp capacity of Solar PV System in Urozgan.

(c) Our Bid shall be valid for a period of [90] days from the date fixed for the bid submission deadline
in accordance with the Bidding Documents, and it shall remain binding upon us and may be accepted at any
time before the expiration of that period;

(d) We, including any sub-contractor or manufacturers for any part of the contract, have or will have
nationalities from eligible countries, in accordance with ITB 4.1;

(e) We, including any sub-contractor or suppliers for any part of the contract, do not have any conflict
of interest, in accordance with ITB 4.2;

(f) We are not participating, as a Bidder or as a Sub-Contractor, in more than one bid in this bidding
process.

(g) Our firm, its affiliates or subsidiaries, including any Sub-Contractor or Suppliers for any part of the
contract, has not been declared ineligible by MEW, under MEW’s country laws or official regulations or by an
act of compliance with a decision of the United Nations Security Council;

(h) We are not a government owned entity / We are a government owned entity but meet the
requirements of ITB 4.4; *

(i) We agree to permit MEW or its representative to inspect our accounts and records and other
documents relating to the bid submission and to have them audited by auditors appointed by MEW.

Name ................................................................................................................................................................

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-3

In the capacity of ..............................................................................................................................................

Signed ...............................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................

Duly authorized to sign the Bid for and on behalf of .......................................................................................

Date ..................................................................................................................................................................

Corporate Seals (where appropriate)

[Note: in case of a Joint Venture, the Bid-Securing Declaration must be in the name of all partners to the
Joint Venture that submits the bid]

* Use one of the two options as appropriate


** If none has been paid or is to be paid, indicate “none”

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-4

Summary of Scope of Work

INSTALLATION OF SOLAR SYSTEM PROJECT AT Urozgan

Program Objective

The objective of this program is to install and commission 1 MWp Solar PV project under the Renewable
Energy Policy of Government of Afghanistan in meeting the power demands in Urozgan. The plant will operate
in conjunction with the existing diesel plants in Urozgan. Use of more than one power source increases the
overall reliability of the system by exploiting the benefits of each source.

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 based on allotment of project 1 MWp Solar PV
project that is the subject of this Contract and PPA executed by MEW. The technical specifications are general
in nature and cover broad aspects and outline the minimum requirements. It is the responsibility of the Project
Company to collect, interpret, and analyse all necessary information / data for the successful design and
construction of the Solar PV Project. The Project Company 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.

Summary Requirement

The Project Company must design, finance, install, and commission of Solar PV project 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.

Site Location and Access to Site

1 Project Name Urozgan Solar Project


2 Site Urozgan
3 Country Afghanistan
4 Location details (Preliminary Will be notified later
latitudes of the site
5 Altitude Approximately 2300 meters
6 Proposed Capacity of the Plant 1 MWp Solar PV project
7 Recommended Type of System Ground Mounted, Fixed Structure, Fixed Tilt, G
Connected Solar PV Power Plant
8 Power Evacuation Voltage Voltage 20 kV net into the grid
9 Nearest grid Substation Will be notified later

Distance of Nearest Interconnection Will be notified later


10 Transmission Line/ Substation from
Solar
Plant Location

The land area planned/allocated shall be approx. 4 acres per MW. MEW shall build access road if the approach
road to land is not already available. The estimated cost of the land lease will be nominal and is estimates at
AFN 2000 per Jeribs per year.

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-5

Technology

The Project Company 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 Project Company 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:

The Project Company must provide MEW 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 Project Company 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 Project Company must identify and obtain, at its own expense, all necessary
inspections and approvals required by GIRoA and other local public authorities
before the electric generation facility can be connected to the grid.

Land Use

The land available for the project is identified, and the coordinates for the land are provided in
Section 5. The land will be provided through a land lease with MEW 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 2000 per Jeribs per year. The final
land lease amount will be agreed upon with MEW based on the amount of actual land to be leased by the Project
Company.

Commissioning

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

MEW reserve the right for it or its representatives to witness the commissioning.

QUALITY CONTROL

The Project Company 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 Project Company must
submit to MEW a detailed Quality Control (QC) Plan associated with the activities described herein.

The QC Plan will address critical QC issues implicit in the construction project. MEW reserves the right for it or
its representative to witness Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT), start-up, and commissioning and testing of all
components and systems at the site. MEW or it’s 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. MEW or its representative must be given copies of all
project documentation including, but not limited to the following:

-Submittals
- Drawings
-Test Reports
-Approved Quality Plans and Inspection Reports

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-6

-Acceptance Testing and Reports


-Start-up and Commissioning
-Red line As-built Drawings
-Operations and Maintenance Manuals and Data

The documents must be delivered to MEW or it’s representatives in a timely manner. The documents must be
complete.

SAFETY

The Project Company must develop and implement a comprehensive and effective safety program to protect
life, property and environment. The Project Company’s Safety Plan must be submitted to the COR prior to the
Project Company 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 Project Company must implement safety measures to
accomplish the Work in the safest manner possible at the Site. The Project Company’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 Project Company 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 Project Company'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 Project Company 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 Project Company 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.

SECURITY

The Project Company is responsible for taking appropriate actions in order to provide for its own security and
that of its employees. The Project Company must avail itself of authorized safety and security protections and
services. The Project Company 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 MEW, as set forth in the PPA.

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-7

The Project Company must continuously monitor and update this comprehensive safety and security plan by
means of dedicated, qualified and competent staff of personnel. The Project Company must work closely with,
establish 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 Project Company is responsible for all security costs.


MEW may provide assistance in procuring security forces through ANSF personnel.

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-8

Bid Security

Bank Guarantee
................................................................ Bank’s Name, and Address of Issuing Branch or Office ..........................................................

Beneficiary: Ministry of Energy and Water, Afghanistan(MEW)


Date: ...................................................................................................................................................................................

We have been informed that . . . . . ………... . . . . (hereinafter called "the Bidder") has submitted to you its
bid dated . . . . . . . . . (hereinafter called "the Bid") for the execution under Invitation (RFP No. MEW-REN-
20-URO for Bids No.[***] (“the IFB”).
Furthermore, we understand that, according to your conditions, bids must be supported by a bid guarantee.
At the request of the Bidder, we . . . . . name of Bank. . . . . hereby irrevocably undertake to pay you any
sum or sums not exceeding in total an amount of:

_____________________________________________________________
(USD in words or No Bid)

_____________________________________________________________
(USD in figures or No Bid)

upon receipt by us of your first demand in writing accompanied by a written statement stating that the
Bidder is in breach of its obligation(s) under the bid conditions, because the Bidder:
(a) has withdrawn its Bid during the period of bid validity specified by the Bidder in the Form of Bid; or
(b) does not accept the correction of errors in accordance with the Instructions to Bidders (hereinafter “the
ITB”); or
(c) having been notified of the acceptance of its Bid by MEW during the period of bid validity, (i) fails or
refuses to execute the Contract, or (ii) fails or refuses to furnish the Performance Security, in
accordance with the ITB.
This guarantee will expire: (a) if the Bidder is the successful Bidder, upon our receipt of copies of the
Contract signed by the Bidder and the performance security issued to you upon the instruction of the
Bidder; and (b) if the Bidder is not the successful Bidder, upon the earlier of (i) our receipt of a copy your
notification to the Bidder of the name of the successful Bidder; or (ii) 28 days after the expiration of the
Bidder’s bid.
Consequently, any demand for payment under this guarantee must be received by us at the office on or
before that date.
This guarantee is subject to the Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees, ICC Publication No. 458.
. . . . . . . . . . . . Bank’s seal and authorized signature(s) . . . . . . . . . .

Note: All italicized text is for use in preparing this form and shall be deleted from the final document

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-9

Technical Proposal

Site Organization
a) Preliminary Site Organization Chart
b) Narrative Description of Site Organization Chart
c) Description of Relationship between Head Office and Site Management 3

Method Statement
a. Design
b. Procurement
c. Construction
d. Management
e. Security
f. Health, Safety and Environmental
g. Quality Control and Quality Assurance
h. Supply of Solar Power

Mobilization Schedule

Construction Schedule

Personnel

Equipment

Proposed Sub-Contractor for Major Items of Plant and Services

Time Schedule

Others

3
Indicate clearly which responsibility and what authority will be delegated to site management.

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-10

Site Organization

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-11

Method Statement
a. Design

b. Procurement

c. Construction

d. Management

e. Security
f. Health, Safety and Environmental

g. Quality Control and Quality Assurance

h. Supply of Power

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-12

Mobilization Schedule

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-13

Construction Schedule

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-14

Personnel
Bidders should provide the names of suitably qualified personnel to meet the requirements specified in Section 3
(Evaluation and Qualification Criteria). The data on their experience should be supplied using the Form below for
each candidate.

Form PER – 1: Proposed Personnel

1. Title of position

Name

2. Title of position

Name

3. Title of position

Name

4. Title of position

Name

5. Title of position

Name

6 Title of position

Name

As listed in Section 3 (Evaluation and Qualification Criteria).

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-15

Form PER – 2: Resume of Proposed Personnel

Position

Personnel Name Date of birth


information

Professional qualifications

Present Name of employer


employment

Address of employer

Telephone Contact (manager / personnel officer)

Fax E-mail

Job title Years with present employer

Summarize professional experience in reverse chronological order. Indicate particular technical and
managerial experience relevant to the project.

From To Company / Project / Position / Relevant technical and management experience

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-16

Equipment
The Bidder shall provide adequate information to demonstrate clearly that it has the capability to meet the
requirements for the key equipment listed in Section 5 (MEW Requirement). A separate Form shall be prepared
for each item of equipment listed, or for alternative equipment proposed by the Bidder.

Name of Major Component/Equipment of the Project

Equipment Name of Manufacturer: Model and power rating:


Information

Capacity: Proposed Warranty Period:

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-17

Proposed Sub-Contractor/Manufacturers for Major Items of Plant and Services


The following Sub-Contractor and/or manufacturers are proposed for carrying out the item of the facilities
indicated. Bidders are free to propose more than one for each item

Major Items of Plant and Services Proposed Sub-Contractor/Manufacturers Nationality

Time Schedules
The Bidder shall include the proposed time schedule for the project showing the intended program of complete
works. The total time shall not exceed the specified maximum time period given in Section 3, Sub-section 1.2.2
Time Schedule, page 3-3.

Others

The bidder should add any further information that it considers to be relevant to the evaluation of its Technical
Proposal. If the bidder wishes to attach other documents, they should be listed below.

Bidders should not enclose testimonials, certificates, and publicity material with their Technical Proposals; they
will not be taken into account in the evaluation of qualifications and will be discarded.

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-18

Bidder’s Qualification
To establish its qualifications to perform the contract in accordance with Section 3 (Evaluation and
Qualification Criteria) the Bidder shall provide the information requested in the corresponding Information
Sheets included hereunder. If the bidding was preceded by a prequalification process then the forms included in
this section and used earlier during the prequalification process need to be completed only if the information
submitted at the time of prequalification requires updating.

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-19

Form ELI – 1: Bidder’s Information Sheet

Page of Pages

Bidder’s Information

Bidder’s legal name

In case of JV, legal name of


each partner

Bidder’s country of
constitution

Bidder’s year of
constitution

Bidder’s legal address in


country of constitution

Bidder’s authorized
representative
(name, address, telephone
numbers, fax numbers, e-
mail address)
Attached are copies of the following original documents.

 1. In case of single entity, articles of incorporation or constitution of the legal entity named above, in accordance with ITB
4.1 and 4.2.

 2. Authorization to represent the firm or JV named in above, in accordance with ITB Sub-Clause4.1.

 3. In case of JV, letter of intent to form JV or JV agreement, in accordance with ITB Sub-Clause 4.1.

 4. In case of a government-owned entity, any additional documents not covered under 1 above required to comply with
ITB Sub-Clause 4.1.

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-20

Form ELI - 2: JV Information Sheet

For JV Partners and Specialist Sub-Contract as per ITB 12.2

Page of Pages

Each member of a JV must fill in this form

JV Information

Bidder’s legal name

JV Partner’s or Sub-
Contractor’s legal name

JV Partner’s or Sub-
Contractor’s country of
constitution

JV Partner’s or Sub-
Contractor’s year of
constitution

JV Partner’s or Sub-
Contractor’s legal
address in country of
constitution

JV Partner’s or Sub-
Contractor’s authorized
representative
information
(name, address,
telephone numbers, fax
numbers, e-mail
address)
Attached are copies of the following original documents.
 1. Articles of incorporation or constitution of the legal entity named above, in accordance with ITB 4.1 and 4.2.
 2. Authorization to represent the firm named above, in accordance with ITB 4.1.
 3. In the case of government-owned entity, documents establishing legal and financial autonomy and compliance with
commercial law, in accordance with ITB Sub-Clause 4.4
 4. In the case of specialist Sub-Contractor, a formal intent to enter into an agreement.

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-21

Form LIT: Pending Litigation

Page of Pages

Bidder’s Legal Name: Date:

JV Partner Legal Name:

Each Bidder or member of a JV must fill in this form

Pending Litigation

 No pending litigation in accordance with Criteria 2.2 of Section 3 (Evaluation and Qualification Criteria)

 Pending litigation in accordance with Criteria 2.2 of Section 3 (Evaluation and Qualification Criteria)

Value of
Value of
Pending
Pending
Year Matter in Dispute Claim as a
Claim in US$
Percentage of
Equivalent
Net Worth

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-22

Form FIN - 1: Historical Financial Performance

Page of Pages

Bidder’s Legal Name: Date:

JV Partner Legal Name:

Each Bidder or member of a JV must fill in this form

Information from Balance Sheet


Financial Data for Previous 3 Years [US$ Equivalent]

Year 1: Year 2: Year 3:

1. Paid up Equity share


capital
2. Free Reserves
3. Share premium (except
in case of listed
Companies)
4. Revaluation Reserves

5. Intangible Assets
6. Miscellaneous
Expenditures to the extent
not written off and carry
forward losses.
7. Net Worth
[= 1 + 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6]

 Attached are copies of the audited balance sheets, including all related notes, and income statements for
the last three years, as indicated above, complying with the following conditions.
 All such documents reflect the financial situation of the Bidder or partner to a JV.
 Historic financial statements must be audited by a certified accountant.
 Historic financial statements must be complete, including all notes to the financial statements.
 Historic financial statements must correspond to accounting periods already completed and audited
(no statements for partial periods shall be requested or accepted).

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-23

Form FIN - 2: Financial Capability

Page of Pages

Bidder’s Legal Name: Date:

JV Partner Legal Name:

Each Bidder or member of a JV must fill in this form

Annual Turnover Data for the Last 3 Years


Amount Exchange US$
Year
Currency Rate Equivalent

Average Annual Turnover

The information supplied should be the Annual Turnover of the Bidder or each member of a JV in terms of the
amounts billed to clients for each year for contracts in progress or completed, converted to US Dollars at the rate
of exchange at the end of the period reported.

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-24

Form EXP – 1: General Experience

Page of Pages

Each Bidder or member of a JV must fill in this form

General Experience
Starting Ending Contract Identification and Name
Month Month Years Name and Address of Employer Role of Bidder
Year Year Brief Description of the Works Executed by the Bidder

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-25

Form EXP – 2: Specific Project Experience

Page of Pages

Each bidder or member of a JV must fill in this form

Contract of Similar Size and Nature


Contract No . . . . . . of . . . . .
Contract Identification
.

Award Date Completion Date

Role in Contract  Project Company


 Management Project
 Sub-Contractor
Company

Total Contract Amount US$

If partner in a JV or sub-
contractor, specify
Percent of Total Amount
participation of total
contract amount

Employer Name
Address
Telephone/Fax Number
E-mail

Description of the similarity in accordance with Criteria 2.4.2(a) of Section 3

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-26

FORM – PB
Form for Price Bid on MEW Approved Ceiling Tariff
(to be filled in separately for each Project)

OFFER OF M/s._________________

Location: ______________________

Capacity: ______________________

Sl. No. Capacity Ceiling Tariff Discount Offered Tariff Bid Security
(MW) Offered by Offered After Discount Value
MEW (USD/kWh) (USD/kWh) (in USD)
(USD/kWh)
1 16 cents per
kilowatt hour.

(Signature & Name of the person Authorised By the board)

Date

(Please also affix Bidder’s Stamp.)

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-27

Letter of Award
GOVERNMENT OF AFGHANISTAN
MINISTRY OF ENERGY AND WATER

Name and address of the


Sponsor

Subject: LETTER OF AWARD FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SOLAR POWER PLANT


HAVING A CAPACITY OF ____MWp Solar PV project LOCATED AT UROZGAN

Dear Sir,

A. REFERENCE

In terms of the provisions of the [Request for Proposal “RFP”)] issued by the Ministry of Energy and
Water, [name of successful bidder)] hereafter referred to as “ Sponsor” has been declared successful
bidder and is now issued this Letter of Award (LOA), on the terms and conditions set out herein, by the
Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW), Government of Afghanistan and Da Afghanistan Breshna
Sherkat, the entity of Government of Afghanistan (DABS) on behalf of the President of the Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan.

Capitalized terms shall bear the meanings ascribed to them in the pertinent paragraphs herein.

The Sponsor(s) have posted in favor of MEW an irrevocable, unconditional, without recourse, on-
demand bank guarantee on terms acceptable to MEW dated _____ issued by (name of issuing bank)
(hereafter referred to as “Bank Guarantee”) in the amount of US Dollars 1,50,000 per MW. The Bank
Guarantee secures the Sponsors’ obligation to execute the Transaction Documents and to achieve
Financial Closing (which expressions are defined herein below) under and in accordance with the terms
of this Letter of Award (“LOA”). The Bank Guarantee shall remain valid and in full force till the
expiry of three (3) months beyond the Financial Closing Date. The Bank Guarantee shall be encashable
in accordance with Paragraph-B below, at call at any time during the period of its validity by MEW.
The Sponsors on behalf of themselves and the Project Company (incorporated or to be incorporated
during the validity of this LOA) hereby agree that they shall have no claim against the Government of
Afghanistan (“GOA”) or any agency or instrumentality or component thereof on any grounds
whatsoever if MEW acting in its sole discretion shall make any call upon or encash the Bank Guarantee
in accordance with Paragraph-B below, and hereby waive, to the fullest extent permissible by law, any
such claim.

Until Financial Closing, the LOA will govern the project and supersede all documents and agreements.
After Financial Closing, the Transactional Documents (as defined hereinafter), shall supersede the
LOA.

B. AUTHORIZATION

The President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan hereby conveys his permission to the Sponsors to
cause design, build, finance, own, commission and operate the Facility in accordance with the terms of
this LOA and the Transactional Documents. Electricity produced through the Facility shall be sold to
Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (the “Power Purchaser”) in accordance with the Power Purchase
Agreement (PPA) to be entered into between the Project Company (incorporated or to be incorporated)
and the Power Purchaser. The Sponsors shall be responsible for performing and causing the
performance of all activities necessary and incidental to its obligations under this LOA:

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-28

1. The Sponsors shall cause the Project Company to negotiate and sign, within Two (2) months
from the date on which standardized drafts thereof are provided by MEW to the authorized
representative of the Sponsor a Power Purchase Agreement (“PPA”) with the Power Purchaser (DABS)
and a Land Lease Agreement (“LLA”) with the Lessor, substantially and materially in the form of the
standardized drafts of the PPA and the LLA prepared by Government of Afghanistan (MEW), failing
which the Bank Guarantee shall be encashed for the full amount thereof by MEW.

The PPA and LLA are collectively referred to in this LOA as the “Transactional Documents”.

2. The Sponsors shall achieve Financial Closing no later than 90 Days from the issuance of
Letter of Award (“Financial Closing Date), failing which, the Bank Guarantee shall be encashed in the
full amount thereof by MEW. In addition to any other consequences set out in the Transactional
Documents, if MEW (acting in its sole discretion) determines that any delay by the Sponsors/Project
Company in achieving Financial Closing by the Financial Closing Date is due to events beyond the
reasonable control of Sponsors or Project Company and that Financial Closing can be achieved shortly,
MEW shall be entitled (acting on an application in writing made to it by the Sponsors/Project Company
at least 30 Days before the Financial Closing Date) to grant in writing to the Sponsors/Project
Company a one-time extension of up to a maximum period of two(2) months beyond the Financial
Closing Date (such extended date being hereinafter referred to as the “Extended Financial Closing
Date”) and this LOA shall stand correspondingly extended on the same terms and conditions for such
additional period. No claim for an extension to the Financial Closing Date and the period of validity of
this LOA shall be accommodated or considered by MEW unless the following actions are taken by the
Sponsors/Project Company to the satisfaction of MEW (i) the Sponsors/Project Company extends the
period of validity of the Bank Guarantee so that the Bank Guarantee is valid on the same terms and
conditions up till three (3) months beyond the Extended Financial Closing Date; and (ii) The maximum
amount in which the Bank Guarantee can be called is doubled. Following any extension as aforesaid,
the Sponsors shall submit monthly reports that set out in adequate detail the additional efforts made by
the Sponsors/Project Company to achieve Financial Closing no later than the Extended Financial
Closing Date and the progress achieved in that regard.

For the purposes of this LOA, “Financial Closing” means execution of one (1) or more loan agreements
that together evidence financing for the construction, testing and completion of the Facility and the
receipt of commitments for such equity as is required by the Company in order to satisfy the
requirements of the Lenders and this LOA.

In no event shall Financial Closing be deemed to have occurred unless the Sponsors have paid all
amounts then due and owing to DABS under this LOA.

3. The Sponsor(s) shall also be responsible for performing and causing any and all other
activities necessary and incidental to its obligations under this LOA.

C. PROJECT COMPANY

The Sponsors will establish a [public/private] company (referred to herein as “Project Company”), if
not established already, in accordance with the laws of Afghanistan, the purpose of which will be to
design, build, finance, own, commission, and operate the Facility and supply solar power generated
from plant to DABS. After the incorporation of the Project Company, the rights and obligations of the
Sponsors hereunder may be performed by the Project Company but the Sponsors shall remain primarily
and solely responsible for all acts and omissions of the Project Company.

D. LOCKIN PERIOD

During the “lock-in period” which will be the period commencing from the date of issuance of this
LOA until the fourth (4th) anniversary of the successful commissioning of the Facility the Sponsor
shall, at all times hold not less than fifty one percent (51%) of the issued and paid up capital of the
Project Company. In no event shall the equity commitment(s) of the Sponsors in the Project Company
be changed without prior written approval of MEW.

E. TERMINATION OF THE LETTER OF AWARD

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-29

This LOA will automatically terminate, without notice, on [90 days after issuance of the LOA], except
terminated earlier as provided herein above or unless extended in writing by MEW in accordance with
the terms hereof. Neither the Sponsors nor the Project Company shall have any claims against the GOA
or any of its components/organizations/ provinces/ institutions on any ground(s) whatsoever arising
from the expiration or termination of this letter as aforesaid. In the event of termination of this LOA,
the Transactional Documents will automatically terminate.

F. GENERAL

1. The obligations of the Sponsors hereunder shall be joint and several.

2. Any notice or communication by or to the authorized representative notified by the Sponsor


under this LOA shall be deemed a notice or communication to or by all Sponsors. The details
of the designated person nominated by the Sponsor(s) is provided as under:

[Name and address of authorized representative of Sponsor]

3. The authorized representative of Sponsor represents and warrants to MEW that it is duly
authorized to accept and agree this LOA and deliver and perform the same in accordance with
its terms on behalf of itself and the other Sponsors and the Project Company as applicable.

4. This LOA shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Afghanistan and
the Courts of Afghanistan shall have exclusive jurisdiction in relation to any dispute or matter
arising out of or in connection herewith.

5. This LOA shall become effective from the date, notified by MEW to the authorized
representative of Sponsor, on which a copy of this LOA signed by the pertinent paragraphs
herein authorized representative of the Sponsor is received by MEW.

Kindly sign the attached copy of this LOA at the place indicated and return the same to us no later than
21 Days.

With Regards

Yours sincerely,

[Name]
[Designation and Authority]
Government of Afghanistan
For and on behalf of the President of the Islamic Republic
of Afghanistan

Received, Agreed and Accepted by

Authorized Representative on behalf of all Sponsor(s)/


Project Company

On [Insert Date]

Cc: 1. Ministry of Energy and Water


2. Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherket
3. [Lessor]

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-30

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-1

PART II REQUIREMENTS

Section 5 - MEW Requirements

1 MW SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER PROJECT


AT UROZGAN, AFGHANISTAN

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN

MINISTRY OF WATER AND ENERGY

AFG #: [***] RFP #: [MEW-REN-20-URO]


Section 4 – Bidding Forms 4-1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Intent of Specification................................................................................................................................ 1

2. Project Information ................................................................................................................................... 1

3. Scope of Work and Terminal Points ........................................................................................................ 4

4. General Technical Requirements ............................................................................................................. 4

5. Time Schedule ............................................................................................................................................ 5

6. List of Sub-contractors / Makes ............................................................................................................... 6

7. Documentation requirements ................................................................................................................... 6

8. Technical Design Criteria and Information ............................................................................................ 7

9. Brief Engineering Criteria ........................................................................................................................ 7

10. Equipment Specification ........................................................................................................................... 9

1 MW Solar Photovoltaic Power Project, Urozgan Page I of I


Section 5 - MEW Requirements 5-1

1. INTENT OF SPECIFICATION
This specification is intended to cover the design, engineering, manufacture, assembly / re-
assembly, construction, tests at manufacturer’s works, forwarding (duly packed for transportation),
insurance, transportation, delivery to the site, unloading, handling, storage and in-plant
transportation at site, security, complete execution of necessary and allied civil works, structural
works, complete services of erection, testing and commissioning, successful performance guarantee
tests and operation and training to operators and operation and maintenance of the plant in a
flawless operating condition for the complete Solar PV Power Plant. The evacuation of electricity
from project site to the designated substation and bay extension work at designated substation is
part of this specification. (Construction of dedicated Transmission line shall be optional to be
decided during bid finalization).

This Specification also includes carrying out of performance guarantee tests at site after successful
commissioning. All necessary equipment, instruments, services, labor as required for this purpose
shall be under the scope of this Specification. All gauges, instruments and any other accessories as
required for performance testing, commissioning and system acceptance shall also be supplied by
the Bidder, under this Specification.

Any additional plant, equipment, material, services which are not specifically mentioned here, but
are required to make the plants / system complete, in the scope of bidder, complete in every respect
in accordance with the technical specification and for safe operation& maintenance and guaranteed
performance, shall be covered under the scope of this Specification.

This Specification covers the requirements of design and construction of ground mounted grid
connected Solar PV power project. This section of bidding document deals with the Technical
Specifications for the design and preparation of detailed working drawings and
specifications/design conditions.

The provisions of this Technical Specification are general in nature and cover broad aspects.
Technical Specification outlines the minimum requirements. However, it is the absolute
responsibility of the bidder to collect, interpret, analyze all necessary information / data for the
successful design and construction of the Solar PV Project. Structural safety, maximizing the
power output and successful operation of the plant shall be the total responsibility of the bidder
notwithstanding the approval of the Owner.

It is not the intent to specify all details of design and construction of equipment. However, the
equipment shall conform, in all respect, to high standards of design, engineering and workmanship
and capable of performing in continuous commercial operation up to the Contractor's guarantee in a
manner acceptable to the owner.

2. PROJECT INFORMATION
Brief information about the project is furnished below;

Based on the Afghanistan Renewable Energy Policy, with the aim to provide a thrust and direction to
the REN sector, the MEW has set targets to generate 5500MW – 5700MW of power from REN
resources of the country by 2032, which is equivalent of about 95% of the total energy mix as per the
amended targets of Power Sector Master Plan (PSMP).

The MEW proposes the first lot of the REN projects with the total capacity of 100 MW in twenty
provinces of the country. The 100 MW REN package will ensure the deployment of renewable power
generation for improving the overall power scenario in Afghanistan.

To ensure the success and the replication of the projects afterwards to all over the country, this package
intends to focus on the regions having local residences, commercial centers, schools and governmental
institutions so that the renewable power generated gets used to the maximum.

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Section 5 - MEW Requirements 5-2

Urozgan, with a population of about 333,500 and area 12,640 km2 is dependent on Hydro and Diesel
Generation Plants of 2 MW installed and operational capacity located at Trinkot as its main power
sources. The present distribution voltage is 20 kV.

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
around 6 kWh/m2/day. Urozgan, located in the southern part of Afghanistan, is one of the best
recipients of solar radiation, receiving around320 days of sunlight with annual average insolation is
approximately 6.01 kWh/m2/day. 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 Project Name MEW Urozgan Solar PV Power Project


2 Site Urozgan
3 Country Afghanistan
Location details
4 (Preliminary latitude / latitudes of the [_____________]
site)
5 Proposed capacity of the Plant 1 MWp Solar PV project
Ground Mounted, Fixed Structure, Fixed Tilt, Grid
6 Type of system
Connected Solar PV Power Plant
7 Inverter Capacity To be optimized by the Bidder
8 Power Evacuation Voltage 20 kV
9 Nearest Grid Substation To be notified later
Location of Delivery /
10 [_____________]
Interconnection from Solar Plant
12 Interconnection Point [___________________]
13 Design Life of Solar Power Plant 25 years

2.1 Site Location and Access to site


Clarification needed from MEW.

Site Location

Site Photo

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Section 5 - MEW Requirements 5-3

Urozgan Climate details for Reference and General Information Only

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Section 5 - MEW Requirements 5-4

3. SCOPE OF WORK AND TERMINAL POINTS

3.1 Scope of Work


The scope of work shall be as follows;

Bidder to select the best technology equipment to harvest most optimized yield over the plant life of 25
Years. Bidder shall be responsible for complete design, engineering, manufacture, shop fabrication,
assembly, tests and Inspection at manufacturer’s works, packing and supply. Bidder shall be
responsible for complete structural, design works, civil works, and electrical works including solar
plant synchronization with the Grid. Bidder shall be responsible to arrange all the local permits and
licenses as applicable for setting up of the Solar Power Project. The Complete project shall be on
Design, Finance, Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (DFBOOT Basis)

3.2 Terminal Points


Following are the Terminal Points. Exact location and specific details shall be finalized during
execution stage.

 Grid Interconnecting substation


 Storm water drainage from the plant boundary to outfall outside the plant, if
required.

4. GENERAL TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

4.1 Applicable Codes and Standards


The codes and standards utilized shall be the latest editions in effect. Materials and equipment will be
labeled or listed by an internationally recognized testing laboratory. All components, equipment shall
confirm to International standards IEC/ IEEE/ TUV/ UL etc. as applicable. Below is a sample list of
standards applicable.

Code Description
IEEE 929-2000 IEEE Recommended Practice for Utility Interface of Photovoltaic (PV)
Systems
IEC 61215 Crystalline silicon terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design
IEC 61730 Part 1 & 2 qualification and type approval
Photovoltaic (PV) module safety qualification
IEC 62446 Grid connected photovoltaic systems: Minimum requirements for system
documentation, commissioning, tests & inspection

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Section 5 - MEW Requirements 5-5

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)
Software Description
PV Syst For yield calculation
RSTAB / STAAD For structural design analysis

4.2 Project Management


Bidder shall be responsible for complete project management of the Project activities. Fortnightly
progress reports shall be provided. The report shall cover each of the major areas of responsibility
such as, Engineering, Procurement, Safety, Construction Startup and Testing. The Bidder shall submit
an organization chart illustrating management and functional relationships among all project team
members including consultants, subcontractors and vendors at each significant stage of the work, such
as permitting, design, construction, testing and commissioning, close-out.

4.3 Construction, Installation Management and Environment, Health


and Safety (EHS)
Bidder shall provide all construction management services with an on-site construction management
team. Bidder shall be responsible for construction and construction management activities at site.

Bidder shall implement and maintain, throughout the construction period, a written Environment,
Health and Safety Program which meets the requirements of local codes and regulations, and all other
authorities having jurisdiction.

5. TIME SCHEDULE
The Bidder shall prepare and submit a detailed Time Schedule for the complete project made in the
form of the Critical Path Method (CPM) the PERT Network, MS Project, Primavera or other
internationally used programs, showing the complete project schedule.

5.1 Implementation Schedule


The Project schedule should include the following milestones. This is for general reference and
Information only.
Milestone Time Schedule
Project Zero Date
Completion of Design Engineering
Completion of Manufacturing and Procurement
Receipt of Material at site (complete)
Grid connection and Charging of the Power Plant.
Readiness of the complete evacuation system incl.
switchyard, Tr. Line and Bay extension

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Section 5 - MEW Requirements 5-6

Milestone Time Schedule


Completion of Performance Guarantee ( PG) test /
acceptance test / Plant commissioning,
Commercial Operation Date (COD)

6. LIST OF SUB-CONTRACTORS / MAKES


Bidder to submit the list of subcontractors/ makes of various items in the proposal. This is for general
reference and Information only.
Item Subcontractor/Make
Module Mounting Structures
PV Modules
Array Junction Boxes
Inverter
Transformer
DC Cables
 Solar Cables
 DC Cables
AC Cables
 Power Cables
 Control Cables
Optic Fiber cables
Instrument Cables
Lightening Arrestor system components
Earthing System components
High Voltage (HV)switch gear / Low Voltage (
LV) Switch gear
Monitoring Software incl. hardware (SCADA
system- Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition
system )
Switchyard Equipment
Isolator, Vaccum Circuit Breaker VCB, Current
Transformer, Potential Transformer, Conductor,
Tariff meter, Surge Arrestors
Weather Monitoring equipment

7. DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS
Bidder shall provide all documentation necessary to enable the successful operation and maintenance
of the generating unit. Documentation shall include the system-wise operations and maintenance
document produced by the Bidder that encompasses all generating unit components, interconnections
and site facilities, and all individual operations and maintenance manuals or other documents
produced by equipment manufacturers for discreet components of the generating unit.

7.1 Language, Units and Presentation of Documents


All documents and drawings shall be written in English language only. The international Metric
system (SI) shall be used for all physical and electrical units. The standard sizes of documents will be
A0, A1, A2, A3, and A4 according to international standard ISO 5457.

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Section 5 - MEW Requirements 5-7

7.2 As Built Drawings


The Bidder shall be responsible to prepare and issue the “As-Built” drawings after incorporating all
the site modifications in the approved design documents after the end of the commissioning of the
plant.

7.3 Operation & Maintenance (O&M) Manuals, Testing &


Commissioning procedures etc.
The Bidder shall be responsible to prepare and submit all the manuals, procedures, catalogues, parts
list etc.

Bidder shall provide on-site training prior to Handing Over of the plant to the Owner.

7.4 Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC )


The Bidder shall be responsible for all Quality control including inspection, examination and testing
of the equipment at manufacturer’s works, test laboratory, Site Testing (incl. commissioning and
Performance testing).

The Bidder shall be a certified ISO 9000 Company and shall select subcontractors with adequate
experience and also certified for ISO 9000 by third party.

8. TECHNICAL DESIGN CRITERIA AND INFORMATION


Technical Design Criteria is intended to cover general design & engineering requirements for a ground
mounted grid connected PV solar power project. This includes the basic requirements for civil,
structural, mechanical, electrical and overall plant design and engineering.

It is not the intent to specify completely all Design Criteria details of design and construction of
equipment. However, the plant design shall conform, in all respect, to high standards of design,
engineering and workmanship and be capable of performing in continuous commercial operation up to
the Bidder's guarantee.

9. BRIEF ENGINEERING CRITERIA


9.1 Overall Plant design philosophy & performance optimization
This section describes the minimum technical requirements and guidelines for defining the technology
and the design of the Plant. In addition, the selection of the technology and the design of the Plant are
influenced by the Site Conditions. The plant shall be suitably designed to optimize the overall
performance of the plant to give the optimum energy output for the life of 25 years of the complete PV
solar power project.

The plant shall be suitably designed to ensure that the Project undertaken by company i.e. 1 MWp
Solar PV project is installed and output AC power is delivered at the interconnection point. The
combination of capacity, size, rating and the numbers of the inverters and transformers shall be
optimized to ensure minimum losses in the system which ensures maximum numbers of units are
generated.

A yield report considering all the design optimizations with respect to the tilt angle, system losses,
inverter losses and the transformation losses shall be carried out by the Bidder and/or by the third
party expert. This yield simulation shall be carried out by using the PVSyst software (latest version)
or any other software subject to acceptance by the financial institution/ Owner.

The bidder shall design the system so that the land utilization is optimized. A detailed analysis shall
be carried out for various options considering land area utilization.

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Section 5 - MEW Requirements 5-8

9.2 Solar Resource Data


Bidder is requested to provide the solar energy assessment from a trusted and experienced source
which can be used for the Energy estimation from the Solar Plant and build confidence in the project’s
financial viability.

Bidder shall have the authorized licensed copy from the source of their Solar Energy assessment. The
details of Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) value for the project location shall be submitted with the
proposal.

Few of the reliable sources for Solar Energy Assessments are like NASA satellite Data, NREL Data,
Metronome Data, 3 Tier Data etc. shall be acceptable.

9.3 Layout related

The Bidder shall be responsible to get all the Site investigations tests like Topography, contour
mapping, Soil Tests, Electric Resistivity test (ERT) tests and other investigative test as required for
carrying out the optimum plant design. Bidder shall be responsible for all works related to the Ground
development (leveling, grading etc.). Due consideration shall be given for the Project site area
drainage during rainy season.

A minimum space / clearance of 5 m (generally 8 m) distance from the edge of the modules to the
fence shall be maintained all along the periphery (or as required by the statutory requirements as
applicable for electrical power plants). A peripheral pathway shall be provided to ensure the plant
safety and security.

Adequate clearances and access between each row of panels, the equipment’s inside and around the
control building and equipment’s inside the Switchyard shall be provided for routine inspection and
maintenance. Electrical interference and other electrical parameters shall also be taken into
consideration while placing the equipment’s such as PV module arrays.

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Section 5 - MEW Requirements 5-9

The complete plant shall be designed / located in a modular manner to optimize the losses in cables in
the DC side as well as AC side. Due consideration shall also be given for the ease of construction and
erection in the shortest time with the least Manpower and Machinery.

All the Temporary facilities as required for the site management including material storage, handling
and movement of material & machinery during site construction phase shall be properly planned.

9.4 Electrical systems


All the Electrical systems and its components and accessories shall be designed in accordance with the
Technical specification requirements and the requirements of the Statutory Electrical Regulations of
the Country and requirements of other statutory authority as applicable. Electrical engineering design
shall be based upon a twenty-five (25) year design life of the Solar PV Power Project.

9.5 Safety
All the balance of systems like, earthing/grounding system, Lightning protection system, Surge
arrester system, Fire protection system shall be designed in accordance with the Technical
specification requirements and in accordance with prudent industry practices.

Perimeter signage shall be provided and shall be installed at every 200 feet along the perimeter fence
and at all appropriate places (like Inverter rooms, Control Rooms, Switchyard etc.) of size
approximately 24” wide and 10” high, in two color stating, in both English and local language(visible
in night also):

 Danger
 Keep Out!
 Hazardous Voltage Inside
 Will shock, burn or cause death.

9.6 Power Evacuation and Interconnection


The Bidder is responsible for designing, procuring equipment for and installing all interconnection and
metering facilities required to deliver the project’s electrical output to the proposed delivery point at
[_________________________] which is approximately around [________________] km from Site.
All the detail designing of power evacuation system should be done in accordance with Local
Regulations. Bidder shall fulfill all application, study and testing procedures to complete the
interconnection process

10. EQUIPMENT SPECIFICATION

10.1 General
The main components of the Solar PV plant are Solar PV Modules, Mounting structures, Inverters,
Monitoring System (incl. protection and Grid Synchronization), Step-up-Transformers, Collecting
Station (Pooling Substation at Solar PV Plant boundary), Associated Cable and hardware, Tariff
Metering and auxiliary systems such as earthing/grounding system, Lightening system, Civil system
including structures foundations, equipment foundations, buildings, boundary wall with gate etc.

In the following paragraphs a brief description of various subsystems, components is indicated for
reference. Bidder to offer the complete solution irrespective of whether any system, component is
mentioned or not.

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Section 5 - MEW Requirements 5-10

The Project Company 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 Project Company 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- IEEE Recommended Practice for Utility Interface of Photovoltaic
2000 (PV) Systems
IEC 61215 Crystalline silicon terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design
IEC 61730 qualification and type approval
Part 1 & 2 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)
Software Description
PV Syst For yield calculation
RSTAB / For structural design analysis
STAAD

b) Authorized Test Centers

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 Centers or other internationally recognized and certified test centers.

c) Warranty

Project Company 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 Project Company must deliver documentation for all manufacturer warranties for the
equipment/components.

Following is the brief list of components/equipment for which warrantees shall be provided by the
bidder. The warrantee period mentioned is the minimum.

 PV Modules: 10 years
 PV module rack and structural component: 5 years

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Section 5 - MEW Requirements 5-11

 Cables (DC and AC) incl. all accessories: 5 years


 All Junction boxes, array boxes and accessories: 5 years
 Grid tied Inverters: 5 years
 Transformers and HV Electrical accessories: 5 years
 All instruments, meters and protection systems: 5 years
 Control and monitoring system incl. software & Hardware: 5 years

The Solar PV Modules shall be warranted that the Degradation Rate shall not exceed the following for
the periods identified below:
I. 10% by that date which is 12 Years from the Warrantee Start Date, at which time the Actual Power
output shall not be less than 90% of the Nominal Power Output; and
II. 20% by that date which is 25 Years from the Warranty Start Date, at which time the Actual Power
Output shall be not less than 80% of the Nominal Power Output. 25 year Linear Power Warrantee shall
be obtained from the solar PV module manufacturers. Yearly degradation rate shall be warranted by
the Bidder.

The Inverters shall have rated output rated at >0.98 power factor. Inverters shall be equipped with all
hardware for data collection and communication to the central SCADA server. The Total Harmonic
Distortion and ripple content on AC and DC side must not exceed 3%. The provision to measure
harmonics should be inbuilt feature of the inverter. Voltage unbalance at the inverter output will be
limited to one percent (1%). The power factor maintained by the inverter should be close to unity (it
should be always greater than 0.98). The general references to performance warranty of each inverter
installed in the project are as following:

1. The Inverter Output Power Bidder to specify


2. Maximum Inverter Efficiency
3. Minimum Voltage DC
4. Voltage AC
5. Frequency

d) Performance Guarantee

I. General
The Solar Power Plant shall be designed for maximum reliability and availability. All equipment shall
be new, proven design, using materials with well-established physical, mechanical and electrical
properties, the fabrication/manufacturing processes shall be subjected to quality surveillance and tests
specified.

The Performance Tests shall be carried out to not only prove the Guarantees and the values as
guaranteed by the Bidder but also provide a benchmark for the whole plant which will serve as
reference to evaluate the plant performance in future over the plant life on Year on Year (YOY) basis.

All equipment, special tools and tackles, instruments, software etc. as required for successful
completion of the performance tests shall be provided by the Bidder.

II. System Performance Guarantee Tests


Following Performance Guarantee testing shall be carried out by the Project Company at site. All the
measuring instruments shall be tested and duly calibrated.

 Acceptance Test
300 hour Test- This test shall be performed to ensure that there are no breakages, faults, trips on the
system and system is performing in a continuous manner.

 Annual Guarantee Test


1. Performance Ratio (PR)

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Section 5 - MEW Requirements 5-12

2. Guaranteed Average Net Energy (kWh)

Following are the Guarantee values to be submitted by the Bidder (this is for general reference and
Information only):

System Performance Guarantee Guaranteed Value at EOY-01


Performance Ratio (PR) – Annual Not Less Than 75 % PR

e) Weather Monitoring Station

Weather monitoring and measurement station shall be installed at solar Plant site, which should be
capable of measuring solar irradiation, wind speed, wind direction, PV temperature, ambient
temperature, humidity and rainfall Weather monitoring station should be capable of communicating
the data to SCADA system. The Weather Monitoring Station shall have following sensors:

1. Solar irradiation- secondary standard Pyranometer


2. Wind speed sensor
3. Wind direction sensor
4. PV Temperature sensor
5. Ambient Temperature & Humidity sensor
6. Rain bucket
7. Irradiance Sensor
8. The weather station shall be capable of recording and storing environmental data without AC power
for at-least 2 days.

f) Interconnection Requirements

The Project Company must satisfy the following interconnection requirements of DABS:

1. The transmission of power up to the point of interconnection where the metering is done for energy
accounting is the responsibility of the Project Company at his cost.
2. The maintenance of the transmission system up to the Inter-connection point must be the responsibility
of the Project Company at his own cost.
3. Consider the capacity, proximity, availability, reliability and quality of power supply for Urozgan city,
Substation.
4. Voltage level at the end of Solar PV project feeding into the existing grid should be AC 20 kV
nominal.
5. The Grid and PV system side must have matching Voltage, Frequency and phase sequence required for
safe operations of the PV installation.
6. 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.
7. The Solar PV plant is proposed to connect [_________________________________]
8. 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 overloading during the fluctuation of the grid loads on the generating PV array modules in the
island mode, under fault/feeder tripping conditions.
9. 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 Project
Company. DABS must review the design and construction of the metering panel. Both DABS and the
Project Company are to seal the metering system (CTs, VTs, meters, test switches, metering enclosure,
etc.).
10. A synchronizing panel at the SPV Paralleling with Grid.
11. A Protection panel for 20 KV line.

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Section 5 - MEW Requirements 5-13

The Project Company must provide MEW 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 Project Company 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 Project Company must identify and obtain, at its
own expense, all necessary inspections and approvals required by MEW/GIRoA and other local public
authorities before the electric generation facility can be connected to the grid.

END OF SECTION

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PART III Power Purchase Agreement
Section 6 – Power Purchase Agreement
[kindly insert]

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Section 6 – Power Purchase Agreement 6-1

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