Invitation for Pre-Qualification of Contractors at the Rural Electrification Agency (REA)

The Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency (REA) is the Implementing Agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria tasked with electrification of rural and unserved communities.

Applications are invited for:

Title: Invitation for Pre-Qualification of Contractors for Rural Electrification Projects Under the 2022 Appropriation Act

Preamble
The Federal Government of Nigeria has allocated funds to the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) under the 2022 Appropriation Act to carry out Electrification projects. In compliance with the provision of the Public Procurement Act 2007, the Agency hereby invites competent and experienced Nigerian contractors to submit pre-qualification documents for the electrification projects listed below.

Scope of Work

• Category A (Grid Extension)
• Category C (Solar Street Light)
• Category D (Solar Mini Grid)

Click Here (PDF) for a detailed SOW.

Eligibility Requirements
Prospective bidders are required to submit genuine copies of the following documents as proof of their eligibility:

• Certificate of Incorporation issued by Corporate Affairs Commission with copies of Form CAC1.1 or CAC2 & CAC7;
• Company's Income Tax Clearance Certificate for the last three (3) years (2019, 2020 and 2021) expiring on 31st December, 2022
• Current valid NEMSA License for contractors in the Electric Power Sector issued by the National Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA)
• Pension Clearance Certificate valid till 31st December, 2022 (this requirement is only applicable to bidders whose number of staff is 15 and above);
• Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Compliance Certificate valid till 31st December, 2022 (this requirement is only applicable to bidders whose number of staff is 5 and above or the bidder's annual turnover is N50m and above);
• Current Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) Compliance Certificate valid until 31st December, 2022;
• Evidence of Registration on the National Database of Federal Contractors, Consultants and Service Providers by submission of Interim Registration Report( IRR) expiring on 31/12/2022 or valid Certificate issued by BPP;
• Sworn Affidavit:
  • Disclosing whether or not any officer of the relevant committees of the Rural electrification Agency or the Bureau of Public Procurement is a former or present Director, shareholder or has any pecuniary interest in the bidder and to confirm that all information presented in its bid are true and correct in all particulars;
  • That the Company is NOT in receivership or subject to any form of insolvency or bankruptcy or winding up petition or proceedings;
  • That no Director of the Company has ever been convicted in any country of any criminal offence bordering on fraud or financial impropriety;
• Verifiable evidence of two (2) contracts of similar nature and complexity executed in the last five (5) years (Please attach Letter of Award together with Interim or Valuation Certificates, Job Completion or Payment Certificate).
• Company's Audited Accounts for the last three (3) years - 2019, 2020 & 2021, duly acknowledged by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS);
• Reference Letter from a reputable commercial bank in Nigeria, indicating willingness to provide credit facility for the execution of the project when needed;
• Any project with a bid price up to Five Hundred Million will require minimum average annual turnover of at least Two Billion Naira (N2,000,000,000.00) in the last three (3)years for bidders
• Evidence of Ownership or Lease of relevant equipment for execution of the Rural Electrification project such as Side Drop Crane, Pick Up Van, Test Equipment etc. (Please attach proof of ownership or lease agreement).
• Duly executed Power of Attorney or Board Resolution authorizing a designated officer of the company to act as a representative and to bind the company by signing all bids, contract Agreement and other documents with REA on behalf of the company, duly signed by the Chairman and Secretary
• Company's Profile with the Curriculum Vitae of Key Staff to be deployed for the project, including copies of their Academic/Professional qualifications - at least one of the key personnel of the company must be a COREN registered Engineer.
• Bidders in Category D (SOLAR MINIGRID) must provide evidence:
  • That they are Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or accredited agents of the OEM
  • That they have deployed two Mini-grids or Solar Home Systems (as the case may be) in the last five (5) years, which are still functional.
• Attached a clean copy of the certified Receipt of Payment for Non-refundable Tender fee of N10,000.00 (Ten Thousand Naira) only;
• Evidence that all documents for submissions were transmitted with a covering/forwarding letter on the company's Letter Head paper, bearing among other things the Registration Number (RC) as issued by Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Contact Address, Telephone Number (Preferable GSM No.) and E-mail address. The Letterhead paper must indicate the names and Nationalities of Directors of the company at the bottom of the page duly signed by the authorized person of the company.

Application Closing Date (Category A)
12:00 Noon Monday, 9th May, 2022.

Application Closing Date (Category C & D)
12:00 Noon Tuesday, 10th May, 2022.

Opening of Pre-Qualification Documents
The Pre-qualification documents for Category A shall be opened immediately after the deadline for submission at 12:00 Noon on Monday, 9th May, 2022 while those for Categories C & D shall be opened immediately after the deadline for submission at 12:00 Noon on Tuesday, 10th May, 2022. The opening of Documents on each day shall take place at REA Corporate Headquarters, 22 Freetown Street, Wuse 2, Abuja.

All Bidders or their representatives should sign the Bid Submission Register and obtain Bid Acknowledgment Receipt before dropping their bids in the Tender Boxes as REA will not be held responsible for lost, misplaced or wrongly submitted bids.

Collection of Pre-Qualification Documents
Interested Bidders are to collect the Standard Bid Documents from the Procurement Directorate, REA Corporate Headquarters, 22 Free Town Street, Wuse 2, Abuja upon production of evidence of payment of the Nonrefundable Tender fee of N10,000.00 (Ten Thousand Naira) only per Lot. All payments are to be made through Remita in favour of National Rural Electrification Agency (NREA) AND NOT Nigeria Electricity Project (NEP) using GIFMIS code 1000024043 after which bidders should proceed to REA Fund Management Directorate with their RRR to obtain Receipt of payment.

Original and photocopies of the Certified Receipt of Payment and Certificate of Incorporation with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) shall then be presented to the REA Procurement Directorate for collection of Standard Bid Documents. Collection of Documents shall be between the hours of 10:00am and 4:00pm Monday to Friday.

Submission of Pre-Qualification Documents
Bidders shall submit three (3) spirally bound hard copies i.e., one original and two copies of the Pre-Qualification Documents in a firmly sealed envelope with the LOT NUMBER, project title and Package Number clearly indicated on the top left corner. Bids not spirally bound or stapled bids may be returned unopened. Bids should be addressed to:
The Managing Director/CEO,
Rural Electrification Agency,
Corporate Headquarters,
22, Freetown Street,
Wuse 2 - (FCT) Abuja.

The reverse side of all the envelopes used must bear the BIDDER'S NAME and address as well as the authorized contact person's phone number (All written out in capital letters).

Completed pre-qualification documents are to be dropped in the tamperproof "Tender Box" at the designated points within the Agency Corporate Headquarters, 22 Freetown Street, Wuse 2, Abuja not later than the specified closing dates. Bids submitted after the above specified deadlines shall be rejected and returned unopened at a later date to bidders who submitted them.

Important General Information

• Bids must be in English Language and signed by an official authorised by the bidder;
• Each bidder is permitted to submit pre-qualification documents for maximum of TWO LOTS which must be selected from different project categories. Any bidder discovered to have submitted bid for more than one (1) lot in the same category or for more than two (2) lots in total shall be disqualified.
• Companies found to be related or which have the same directors or personnel and bidded for the same job shall be disqualified;
• Contractors with history of abandonment/non-completion of Rural Electrification projects or other government contracts need not apply, otherwise will be disqualified;
• Submission of fake documents in support of a bid shall lead to prosecution, as all documents received shall be referred to the issuing authorities and or security agencies for verification;
• Presence of bidders/representatives and members of the public shall not be required during the bid opening ceremony in compliance with COVID-19 Guidelines. The Bids Opening will be covered by video recording (invitation link will be sent to bidders to join the bid opening online) with the physical presence of two (2) representatives of private sector professional bodies and Civil Society Organisation in the areas of Anti-Corruption/Transparency;
• Bidders can submit through Post (Courier Services);
• Only pre-qualified bidders at technical evaluation will be invited at a later date for collection of Tender Documents.

Disclaimer

• This advertisement is published only for information purposes and does not constitute an offer, commitment or obligation by REA to transact with any party nor entitle any contractor to make any claims, whatsoever or seek any indemnity from the Agency.
• The bidder shall bear all costs and expenses incurred in connection with preparation of the Documents or submission made in response to this invitation or in response to any enquiry or clarification arising from this exercise.
• The REA is not bound to pre-qualify any bidder and reserves the right to annul the Procurement process at any time without incurring any liabilities in accordance with Section 28 of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

All enquiries and request for clarification regarding this publication shall be directed to the address stated above.