The Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) has organized a training workshop for companies seeking consultancy jobs Millennium Challenge Compact II.
The training is part of a series of event aimed at selecting consultancy firms to undertake different activities under the Compact II.
Speaking to journalists at the sidelines of the workshop, the Chief Executive Officer of MiDA, Ingineer Owura Safo explained that the event is targeted at equipping local consultancy firms to favorably compete with others who will be taking part globally.
“We don’t want the situation where people put in bids, and put bids and they are not winning because they are not meeting the requirements, and when they don’t meet the requirements it doesn’t help us,” he said.
“Our intention is that by having this particular workshop, all bidders, particularly Ghanaians will know how to submit proposals and that these proposals will be complaint and will meet our requirements so that they will enhance their chances of winning,” he added.
Disclosing some submissions that did not meet the requirement, Ing. Safo stated that many Ghanaians did not meet the standard.
“We have received a number of submission since we started and a number of them did not meet the requirement. In fact submission from a number of Ghanaian companies did not meet the minimum threshold,” he noted.
Ing. Safo explained that there are strict standards that must be met hence the decision to undertake the training to equip Ghanaians.
“When we are talking about consultancy there is technical proposal and there is financial proposal , you need to meet a certain basic threshold. Our basic threshold is 80 percent and a number of submissions do not meet the 80 percent and some of these are Ghanaians. We are hoping that this will address the issue for us,” he said.
Six concessionaires at first bidders’ conference
The first Bidders’ Conference on the concession for the Private Sector Participation (PSP) in the electricity distribution business of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) was held in Accra.
The ECG PSP transaction is one of five activities under the ECG Financial and Operational Turnaround Project funded through the Ghana Power Compact.
The six concessionaires are Manila Electric Company from Philippines, CH Group from Ghana, Engie Energie Services from France, BXC Company from Ghana, Enel S.P.A from Italy and TATA Power Company Limited from India.
About the ECG PSP Transaction
The Government of Ghana signed the Ghana Power Compact with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), an independent United States government foreign aid agency, on August 5, 2014.
The Ghana Power Compact provides Ghana a grant of Four Hundred and Ninety Eight Million, Two Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (US$498,200,000) to improve the performance of Ghana’s power sector to unlock the country’s economic potential, create jobs, and reduce poverty.
The Government of Ghana is committing at least US$37.4 million of its own money.
The major project under the Ghana Power Compact is the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Financial and Operational Turnaround Project, which is designed to transform ECG into an efficient and financially strong institution through private sector participation (PSP). About US$351 million of the MCC grant is being invested in ECG.
The project seeks to bring about private sector participation in investments into, as well as the management and operation of, the ECG through a concession arrangement.
Under the concession a private partner will invest in ECG and improve its operations to reduce commercial and technical losses, reduce the frequency and duration of outages, introduce new equipment and technology, and reduce the vulnerability of the distribution system to theft and meter manipulation.
The Compact is being implemented by the Government of Ghana through the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA).
About MiDA
MiDA is a Ghana government agency created in 2006 by an Act of Parliament. The Authority has been mandated by the Government of Ghana to implement the Ghana Power Compact, which seeks to address the root causes of the current problem of unreliable power supply in the country.
–
By: Lawrence Segbefia/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
