REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (REOI)

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (REOI)

Kigali, on 14/08/2025

Ref No: RW-REG/EDC-502929-CS-QCBS

Project: Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation (ASCENT)

Tender Name: Hiring a Consulting Firm for Transaction Advisor to Support the Government of Rwanda in Developing and Implementing a Solar Park Auction

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The Government of Rwanda (Government of Rwanda) has received financing from the World Bank/International Development Association (IDA) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) towards the financing of the “Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation (ASCENT)” Project and plans to utilize part of the funds towards financing of consultancy services of a transaction advisor to support the government in the implementation of a solar park auction.

2.0 OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY SERVICES

Government of Rwanda plans to conduct a solar PV auction program. These Terms of Reference (TOR) aims to hire a consortium of consultants (Transaction Advisor) to support the Government of Rwanda (the Client) in the development and successful implementation of a tender process with IPPs for up to 200 MWp of Solar PV plant and BESS in sites to be determined,

3.0 CONSULTANT’S SCOPE OF SERVICES

The Consultant will have access to all documents prepared for the auction development ahead of, or during, its engagement, as the documents become available, namely:

VRE integration study including location study (available site selection report) and grid study models and reports.

Technical site studies include not limited to topographic survey, hydrological study, seismic conditions and geotechnical investigations.

E&S studies (for Aquatic Ecosystems, Terrestrial Ecosystems, Land and Water Use and Climate and Emissions) focusing on loss of biodiversity of forests or habitats, Wildlife disturbance Noise, access roads, and human activity may disrupt fauna; Submergence of land for Forests, agricultural lands, Greenhouse gas emissions for from submerged biomass (methane and CO ) and Microclimate effects, the physical, biological, socio-economic and cultural environments of the proposed project scope, Resettlement and Livelihoods, Indigenous and Vulnerable Groups, Public Health and Safety and Community Engagement, Displacement of communities due to reservoir or infrastructure footprint, Loss of livelihoods as impacts on agriculture, fishing, or access to land and water, Compensation and rehabilitation for Fair resettlement planning with community input, Cultural impacts for Loss of sacred or heritage sites, Consent and participation for Free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) where applicable, Vector-borne diseases for Stagnant reservoirs may promote malaria, Stakeholder consultation for Early and ongoing engagement improves acceptance and Benefit-sharing for Local development initiatives, jobs, infrastructure, or revenue sharing.)

Legal memo, including:

legal, regulatory, and institutional gap analysis for conducting a Solar PV auction in Rwanda,

proposal on institutional arrangements for conducting an auction, and

summary of the applicable regulations, guidelines and required permits relevant for attaining land and resettling of affected parties, if applicable.

Legal and Institutional Framework for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and mitigating social risks, Regulatory compliance for Adherence to national and international environmental/social standards (World Bank, IFC)

4.0 DURATION OF CONSULTANCY SERVICES

The scope of work is divided into two Phases:

Phase 1 (5 Months): preparation of tender documentation and contractual agreements, development of the government support mechanisms.

Phase 2 (4Months): launching of the tender, until award. It is expected that during Phase 2 some small changes in the documentation/risk allocation may happen based on feedback from the pre-qualified bidders.

The Consultants under the present contract will be contracted for both phases. Some of the activities will be output based while others such as negotiation will be time based. The contract will reflect both types of payment approaches.

5.0 QUALIFICATION OF THE FIRM

Consultants shall be well versed with relevant transactional experience and should be able to showcase their expertise to undertake the assignment by demonstrating a track record of successfully managing and executing similar transactions of comparable complexity.

The Consultant will include legal, commercial, financial, and technical experts to answer the scope of work and must have experience structuring, negotiating, and financing similar auction schemes. The interested consultant firm should meet the following requirements:

Having 10 years of experience in the Area

Be an international legal firm with large experience in preparation of tenders (having supported at least three renewable energy IPP transactions in emerging markets in the past 10 years),

Demonstrated experience supporting public procurement and PPA negotiations in the energy sector).

The Consultant should have solid experience working within Sub-Saharan Africa, especially in East Africa (at least one completed project).

The list of key staff should be also presented as per the requirement of the TOR.

The experiences required should be supported by project references or case studies, completion certificate,).

The Consortium will appoint a Lead Consortium member as the main point of contact with the Client. The Lead Consortium member shall be responsible for managing the advancement of different tasks and organizing different experts if needed.

The TOR will be published on REG website:

6.0 HOW TO APPLY

Interested consultants should provide the following:

Expression of Interest

Copies of certificates proving experience of the firm

List of key staff with their experience (in table) as required in terms of Reference

7.0. SELECTION PROCESS

The Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Quality and cost-based selection set out in the Procurement Regulations.

Shortlisted consultants will be ranked based on the compliance of key staff and provided experiences consultancy firms (with proof).

The expression of interests must be submitted in written form (electronically) addressed to the Managing Director of the Energy Development Corporation Limited (EDCL) through the following emails:, copy to ; not later than 12/09/2025 at 5:00pm Kigali time (GMT +2).

Sincerely,

Gentille UMUSHASHI

Head Procurement Management Services

Félix GAKUBA

Managing Director