Overview
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (FIRMS)
The Government of Antigua and Barbuda (GOAB) has received grant financing from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in an amount not exceeding ninety thousand six hundred and eighty-three Euros (EUR90,683) allocated from the 11th EDF CARIFORUM-EU EPA and CSME Standby Facility and an amount not exceeding the equivalent of ninety-eight thousand, six hundred and twenty-four United States dollars (USD98,624) from CDB’s SFR allocated from the CTCS Network. These funds serve to finance costs of the project titled ‘Strengthening Private Sector Capacity to Utilise The CARIFORUM-European Union (EU) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) to Increase Competitiveness and Maximise Opportunities for Global Export’. The GOAB intends to apply a portion of the aforementioned sources of financing to eligible payments under contracts procured through this project. Payments by CDB will be made only at the request of GOAB and upon approval by CDB and will be subject in all respects to the terms and conditions of the Financing Agreement. The Financing Agreement prohibits withdrawal from the financing account for the purpose of any payment to persons or entities, or for any import of goods, if such payment or import, to the knowledge of CDB, is prohibited by a decision of the United Nations Security Council taken under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. No party other than GOAB shall derive any rights from the Financing Agreement or have any claim to the proceeds of the Financing.
The Office of the National Authorising Officer (ONAO), the Executing Agency, now wishes to procure consultancy services for:
Consultancy Services For The Implementation Of An Export Competitiveness Programme For Micro, Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) In Antigua And Barbuda And Facilitation Of The Design And Launch Of A Trade Event For MSMEs
The objectives of the consultancy are as follows:1) build on the Export Competitiveness Strategy developed in Component 1 and to improve the export capacity of 30 MSMEs in the manufacturing, agriculture/agro-processing tourism, internet- based business and the art and craft sectors; and 2) host a trade event. Further details can be found in the attached Terms of Reference. The duration of the assignment is expected to be one hundred and sixty-four (164) person-days over a period of 12 calendar months.
The Office of the National Authorising Officer now invites interested eligible consulting firms to submit Expressions of Interest for the provision of these consultancy services.
Eligibility
Consultants shall be eligible to participate if:
- in the case of a body corporate, it is legally incorporated or otherwise organised in an eligible country, has its principal place of business in an eligible country and is more than 50 per cent beneficially owned by citizen(s) and/or bona fide resident(s) of eligible country(ies) or by a body(ies) corporate meeting these requirements;
- in the case of unincorporated firms, the persons are citizens or bona fide residents of an eligible country; and
- in all cases, the consultant has no arrangement and undertakes not to make any arrangements, whereby any substantial part of the net profits or other tangible benefits of the contract will accrue or be paid to a person not a citizen or bona fide resident of an eligible country.
Eligible countries are Member Countries of CDB as well as European Union Member Countries which are not CDB Member Countries and other countries which are eligible to participate in procurement opportunities for EU-funded projects.[1] Consultants are advised to review the detailed eligibility criteria detailed in Section 4 and conflict of interest provisions in Section 5 of the Procurement Procedures for Projects Financed by CDB (January, 2021), as published on CDB’s website.
[1] See eligible countries under EU Provisions and Rules on Participation in Procurement Procedures and Grants as attached.
Instructions
In the assessment of submissions, consideration will be given to technical competence, qualifications and experience, local and regional experience on similar assignments, and existing commitments.
All information must be submitted in English. Further information may be obtained from the first address below between 8:30 a.m and 4:00 p.m Monday to Friday (AST).
An electronic copy of the Expressions of Interest must be sent in PDF format to the email in the first address below no later than 3:00 p.m (AST) on Friday June 30, 2023 and one electronic copy must be sent simultaneously to CDB at the second email address below. The Expression of Interest will be deemed to have been received at the time that it is received by the Office of the National Authorizing Officer at the first email address below. The burden of proving receipt of the e-mail will be on the applicant and will not be met solely by a read receipt or sent items report generated by the Consultant’s computer. The e-mail containing each submission should include the name and address of the applicant, the subject line shall be clearly marked “Expression of Interest – Consultancy Services For The Implementation Of An Export Competitiveness Programme For Micro, Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) In Antigua And Barbuda And Facilitation Of The Design And Launch Of A Trade Event For MSMEs.”
The selection method shall be Consultants’ Qualifications Selection. Therefore, following the assessment of submissions, firms shall be assessed and compared, and the best qualified and experienced firm shall be selected. Only the selected firm shall be asked to submit a combined technical and financial proposal and, if such proposal is responsive and acceptable, be invited to negotiate a contract. GOAB reserves the right to accept or reject late applications or to cancel the present invitation partially or in its entirety. It will not be bound to assign any reason for not selecting any applicant and will not defray any costs incurred by any applicant in the preparation and submission of Expressions of Interest.
Contact
Address 1
Office of the National Authorizing Officer for European Development Fund
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Trade
1st Floor John Henry Building
Dickenson Bay Street
St. John’s, Antigua
Address 2
Procurement Policy Unit
Caribbean Development Bank
P.O. Box 408
Wildey, St. Michael
BARBADOS, W.I. BB11000