Terms of Reference (ToR) for Technical Standards and Quality Control Expert on Minigrid

Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, Somalia.

Terms of Reference (ToR) for Technical Standards and Quality Control Expert on Minigrid

Background:

 The Ministry of Energy and Water Resources (MoEWR) is dedicated to improving access to reliable and sustainable energy, particularly in rural areas. To achieve this goal, the ministry is implementing minigrid projects aimed at providing electricity to underserved communities. To ensure the effective implementation and operation of these minigrids, MoEWR seeks to engage a Technical Standards and Quality Control Expert.

Project objectives:

The Africa Minigrids Program (AMP)

The Africa Minigrids Program (AMP) is a country-led regional technical assistance program for minigrids, active in an initial 21 African countries. It is led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with funding primarily from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented together with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), linking up with a wide array of minigrid stakeholders in Africa and beyond.

AMP’s overall objective is to increase access to electricity by improving the financial viability and promoting scaled-up commercial investment in renewable energy minigrids. The program is focused on minigrid cost-reduction, across hardware costs, soft costs, and financing costs, and innovative business models for minigrids. With lower costs, minigrids will be more financially viable, commercial capital flows will increase, and end-users will benefit from lower tariffs and expanded service.

The AMP program has two main elements: a cohort of national projects and a regional project.

1.    An initial 21 national projects[1], each with a common architecture consisting of five components: (i) policy and regulations, (ii) business model innovation with private sector, (iii) innovative finance for minigrids scale-up, and (iv) digital, knowledge management, and (v) M&E.

2.    A regional project acting as the knowledge, advocacy and coordinating platform for AMP. This will be achieved through a suite of knowledge tools, technical and operational expertise and support, communities of practice, and promoting innovative digital approaches for minigrid cost reduction.

The AMP national project in Somalia

As part of the UNDP-supported, GEF-financed Africa Mini-grids Program (AMP), the AMP in Somalia seeks to “support access to clean energy by increasing the financial viability, and promoting scaled up commercial investment, in low carbon mini-grids in Somalia, with a focus on cost reduction levers and innovative business models”. The baseline situation is characterized by a low electrification rate (35%), the lack of electricity grid infrastructure, and the predominance of and reliance on diesel mini-grid systems, owned and operated by private Electricity Service Providers (ESPs), charging remarkably high tariffs. The project strategy corresponds to the unique nature of the energy sector in Somalia, and the AMP’s concentration on clean energy, by focusing on digital transformation and institutionalization of ongoing initiatives to expand the adoption of solar PV technologies, and promote hybridization of existing diesel minigrid systems as a financially viable path to driving down tariffs and reducing GHG emissions in Somalia.  

This is achieved through supporting the Government on the national and sub-national levels with: (1) operationalizing existing mini-grid policies and regulations through digital transformation, including performing techno-economic analyses, designing tools for tariff calculation, and supporting the institutional capacity building of the mini-grid public sector; (2) implementing pilot project(s) to showcase the benefits of hybridization and remote telemetry of performance monitoring and consumption tracking, as well as establishing and capacitating mini-grid industry associations to encourage and strengthen private operators and developers, and introducing academic programs to build private sector capacity to design, operate, maintain and manage solar and hybrid mini-grids; (3) assessing previous and ongoing financing schemes to develop operational guidance and offer training support to stakeholders in the domestic financial sector; and (4) running an effective M&E, QA and KM systems to oversee and guide project implementation

Objectives and the Scope of Work:

The primary objective of this consultancy is to provide technical expertise in establishing and maintaining quality control mechanisms for minigrid projects, ensuring compliance with technical standards and best practices.

The Technical Standards and Quality Control Expert will undertake the following tasks:

a.    Review existing technical standards and guidelines related to minigrids and identify the gaps and introduction of new codes and standards.

b.    Review standards developed at AU-AFSEC, and International organizations such as IEC among others related to Solar and hybrid Mini-grids.

c.     Propose list of Products to be covered by each standard.

(i)          Based on review of existing international standards, develop a model of solar mini-grid system standards for products (such as solar PV modules, inverters, wires, charge controllers, batteries, TVs, Fans, refrigeration, solar pumps and bulbs).

(ii)         Propose required minimum warranty of these products.

d.     Develop guidelines and procedures for the installation, and operation of solar minigrids systems.

e.    Develop user manuals and guidance notes in local language and assist the authorities with the design of checklists and inspection plans, including field audits, market surveys, third-party verification processes, and reporting procedures.

f.     Consultant with relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, energy providers, and local communities, main customs, to ensure and compliance with proposed standards and guidelines.

   e. Conduct technical support and capacity building to SOBS-National Electro-technical committees of Somalia (NECS) to introduce and domestication of the new standards and corresponding audit and testing procedures.

   g. produce comprehensive reports documenting findings, mini-grids model standards recommendations, and best practices for improving Solar mini-grid deployment in Somalia. 

4. Deliverables:

   The consultant will be expected to deliver the following outputs:

   A. model of standard components of solar mini grid systems.

   B. Quality control guidelines and procedures for Mini-grids installation.

   C. Inspection and audit reports for mini-grid projects, and recommendations

   D. Documentation of lessons learned and best practices in minigrids development and operation.

5. Duration:

   The consultancy is expected to commence on 10th April 2024 and conclude on 31 December 2024 with a total duration of 9 months.

[1] Participating countries are organized in 3 cohorts: Cohort 1 - Angola, Burkina Faso, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Somalia, and Sudan; Cohort 2 - Benin, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, and Zambia; Cohort 3 - Burundi, DRC, and Liberia.

Qualifications:

   The Technical Standards and Quality Control Expert should possess the following qualifications and experience:

a.      Bachelor in Electrical Engineering or Renewable Energy, Master’s degree in Electrical engineering, or energy related discipline.

b.     Minimum requirement: At least 10 years of practical work experience in the energy sector.

   b. Demonstrated experience in the design, implementation, and quality assurance     

       of renewable energy projects, preferably minigrids.

c.      Knowledge of international and national technical standards and regulations

related to renewable energy and the electricity markets.

   e. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess complex technical issues and propose effective solutions.

   f. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.

7. Reporting:

   The consultant will report directly to Eng. Abdifatah Abshir Ibrahim, the Director of Energy at the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources.

8. Payment Options for Deliverables:

   The payment for the consultancy services can be structured in one of the following payment installments.

   a. Deliverable-Based Payments: Payments will be made in installments based on the completion of specific milestones, such as the delivery of each individual deliverable outlined in the ToR.

Evaluation:

   Proposals will be evaluated based on the consultant's qualifications, relevant experience, proposed methodology, and budget.

Interested candidates should submit a detailed proposal outlining their qualifications, relevant experience, proposed methodology, and preferred payment option(s) to [email protected] cc: [email protected] [email protected] by submission deadline of 25th March 2024.

 Confidentiality:

    All information provided to the consultant during the course of the consultancy shall be treated as confidential and shall not be disclosed to any third party without prior written consent from MoEWR.