B Each Bidder to This RFP Is Expected To

Request for Proposal (RFP) – Mining Equipment, Technology and Services (METS) Sector Development Project (MTF 04 2016A)

Introduction

A  The APEC Secretariat is seeking proposals for the provision of the Services described in RFP Schedule 1 – Statement of Requirement.

B  Each Bidder to this RFP is expected to:

(i)  fully inform themselves on all aspects of the work required to be performed;

(ii)  submit its proposal on the template provided at RFP Schedule 2 – Proposal, including the signed Declaration by Bidder at the end of Schedule 2; and

(iii)  submit its proposal in accordance with RFP Schedule 1 – Statement of Requirement and with due note of RFP Schedule 5 – Evaluation Criteria.

C  Each Bidder, by submitting its proposal, agrees that the proposal is subject to the RFP Schedule 4 – Standard Conditions of Proposal, and agrees to comply with those conditions. Acceptance of a proposal will occur only when a contract is executed. Any Contract will incorporate the APEC policies and guidelines identified in RFP Schedule 3 - Special Conditions of Proposal and the contract at RFP Schedule 6 - Standard Contract Conditions.

D  Bids from contractors based in non-member economies and bids from international organisations may be considered. However, priority is given to suitably qualified tenders from member economies.

Structure of the RFP

The RFP has six parts:

·  Schedule 1: Statement of Requirement

·  Schedule 2: Proposal Template

·  Schedule 3: Special Conditions of Project Proposal

·  Schedule 4: Standard Conditions of Request for Proposal

·  Schedule 5: Evaluation Criteria

·  Schedule 6: APEC Standard Contract Conditions

RFP Schedule 1 – Statement of Requirement

Key Dates and Details

Event / Dates
Closing Time for submission of Proposals / 1700 SGT (Singapore time), Friday 2 September 2016
Method to Submit Proposal / Proposals must be submitted in both (A) electronic and (B) hard copy form, noting the project number: MTF 04 2016A.
For (A) electronic submission, the Bidder shall email the detailed Proposal (in PDF format) to:
Ms. Penelope HOWARTH
;
and copy to
Ms Sabrena King, Contact Officer

For (B) hard copy submission, the Bidder shall submit one original hard copy of its detailed Proposal to each of the following:
ATTENTION TO: Ms. Penelope HOWARTH,
Program Director, APEC Secretariat
35 Heng Mui Keng Terrace, Singapore 119616
and
ATTENTION TO: Ms Sabrena King
Assistant Manager, Sectoral Growth Policy Division, Department of Industry, Innovation and Science
GPO Box 9839, Canberra, ACT, Australia 2601
by the closing time specified above.
Proposals lodged in any manner other than as detailed in this paragraph, or are submitted after the deadline shall be deemed to be invalid and may be excluded from consideration.
Number of Copies to be Submitted / The Bidder shall submit one original hard copy and one electronic version (in PDF format) of its detailed Proposal to the APEC Secretariat and the Contact Officer as per the above instructions.
Decisions will be taken on the basis of the original hard copy written Proposal. In the event of any discrepancy between the original and copy thereof, information contained in the original hard copy shall be accepted as correct and shall prevail over any statements contained in the copies.
Contact Officer / Ms Sabrena King
Assistant Manager
Sectoral Growth Policy Division
Department of Industry, Innovation and Science
Australian Government

+61 2 6276 1971
Expected execution date of Contract / By 23 September 2016
Date Services are to be completed / The Services are required to be completed on or before 30 June 2017.

The Services

The APEC Secretariat is seeking proposals to undertake the Mining Equipment, Technology and Services (METS) Sector Development (MTF 04 2016A) project.

1.  Background

In 2007, APEC Ministers endorsed the establishment of the Mining Task Force (MTF), building on previous activities within APEC. The MTF mandate is derived from priorities set by APEC leaders and ministers and from directions provided by ministers responsible for mining. In 2015, APEC established a fund to support collaboration on mining, announced following the 9th Mining Task Force (MTF9) meeting held on 26-27 August 2015 in Cebu, Philippines.The Fund supports activities in APEC developing economies that improve the enabling environment for trade and investment in mining, and improve the capacity of local businesses, the mining industry and/or regulators, in one of the following areas: sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and transparent and efficient regulation and governance.

This Mining Equipment, Technology and Services Sector Development Project will support the development of METS sectors in APEC developing economies by increasing knowledge of the METS landscape through identifying: local capacity; foreign METS operating in-market; capabilities, expertise and skill levels, including best practice and innovation; mining company needs from a strategic, technological and operations point of view; supply chain structures; barriers to supply chain entry and engagement, both external and internal; and partnerships and success stories.

The METS sector has great potential to be a second pathway for ‘adding value’ to the minerals and energy resources of APEC developing economies through the development of enterprises, growth in skills and employment, and adoption of technology and innovation. APEC economies and the private sector both recognize the importance of building local METS capacity to underpin growth of an important new industry sector, to facilitate quality mining investment and sustainability, and to minimize environmental impacts. Stronger mining supply chains create opportunities for new and expanded enterprise and employment, and enable economies to improve mining operations and standards. This is intended to apply across the entire mining sector, from major mines to artisanal mining ventures. Local METS sector suppliers can add value to resources production by providing new, often knowledge-rich pathways for safe, productive and efficient mining. Mining operations that seek expertise offshore can benefit from stronger local skills and capability which will support their social license to operate.

The project will be undertaken in Chile, Papua New Guinea and Peru with support from Australia and Canada. Key learnings from the project will be shared with other APEC economies.

2.  Objectives of the project

The key objective of this project is to support the development of a METS sector in Chile,
Papua New Guinea and Peru, by providing in-depth insight into local METS capabilities, and linking that to customer needs over the short, medium and long term. Having a recognized and viable METS sector will contribute to mining sustainability, and become an important contributor to the overall economy.

The objective will be achieved through the development of Action Plans for Chile,
Papua New Guinea and Peru. The Action Plans will identify capability building priorities and key learnings, and create opportunities for local companies, particularly small and medium enterprises to participate in mining activities. The Action Plans will focus on mining’s future needs to strategically align development activities and programs in order to build capacity to meet future needs. A core focus of this will be the level of innovation in local METS from a problem solving and strategic point of view, which is a current priority for miners worldwide.

3.  Scope of Services

3.1 Description of Services

The Contractor is expected to undertake the key elements of the project with advice and guidance from the Project Steering Committee and the Project Overseer. The Contractor is expected to possess or demonstrate the ability to build a strong partnership between government (particularly Chile, Papua New Guinea and Peru) and the private sector (in particular mining companies and METS companies). The Contractor is expected to be gender inclusive and may be required to work with the APEC Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy.

The Contractor will undertake the following activities:

·  develop a comprehensive project plan including key activities, timeframes and milestones;

·  complete secondary research into local METS capabilities using project databases, information/statistics from industry associations, mining chambers and trade organizations, as well as government statistics, databases and reports;

·  draft interview questions for the Project Overseer to consider and approve;

·  interview 30-36 (10-12 in each economy) mining companies in Chile, Papua New Guinea and Peru. Interviews will include a mix of major, mid-tier, junior and, potentially, exploration companies. Artisanal/small scale mine owners will also be interviewed as relevant. Interviews will be a mixture of face-to-face and telephone;

·  conduct an online or paper-based survey of METS companies in Chile, Papua New Guinea and Peru. The survey will focus on key demographics, services/products provided and core capabilities. Target number: 50-100;

·  both the mining company interviews and METS survey will be designed so gender diversity issues can be explored, and in particular assess the percentage of women involved in METS, their roles, barriers and opportunities to inclusion. Interview and Survey results will be gender disaggregated, and suitable women candidates will be particularly sought to participate. Information will also be collected on organization or associations that may support the professional or career development of women in non-traditional female industries, and mining or engineering in particular;

·  undertake an analysis of the research, interviews and survey data for Chile,
Papua New Guinea and Peru;

·  analyse trends across Chile, Papua New Guinea and Peru;

·  prepare four reports:

-  a Final Report for each economy (Chile, Papua New Guinea and Peru), with a full analysis of all findings and an Action Plan which identifies capacity building priorities for each economy and recommendations for implementation. Note: a revision process with each economy will be undertaken before the Final Reports are approved; and

-  an Executive Summary report about the entire Project including an overview results across the three economies covered.

·  assist the Project Overseer in coordinating a workshop in Australia in June 2017, facilitate the workshop and present on the report findings at the workshop

-  prepare a draft agenda, identify appropriate speakers and participants from APEC economies

-  at least 20-30% of workshop participations and speakers should be female.

3.2  Expected Outputs and Timelines

The Contractor is expected to produce the following outputs:

Output / Timeline
A comprehensive project plan / 7 October 2016
A report containing the findings from secondary research including research materials found. / 11 November 2016
Draft interview questions to the Project Overseer for consideration. / 25 November 2016
Conduct interviews of mining and METS companies / December 2016- March 2017
A report containing the names of mining companies interviewed for the project, questions asked and a record of the interviews. / 24 March 2017
A report containing the names of METS companies surveyed for the project, questions asked and a record of the survey responses. / 24 March 2017
Three Final Reports, one for each economy (Chile, Papua New Guinea and Peru), with a full analysis of all findings and an Action Plan which identifies capacity building priorities for each economy and recommendations for implementation; and an Executive Summary report about the entire Project including an overview results across the three economies covered. / 19 May 2017
Workshop materials: agenda and a presentation of the findings. / 30 June 2017

3.3 Expected Milestone Payments Schedule

# / Services / Format / Quantity / Means of Verification / Due Date / Payment Due
(in USD, inclusive of taxes)
1 / Project plan document / A written plan in MS Word and pdf / One electronic copy in MS Word and one electronic copy in pdf / Endorsement of the plan by the Project Steering Committee.
Written acceptance and certification from the Project Overseer for document completion. / 14 October 2016 / 12% of contract value
2 / Secondary research report / A document in MS Word and pdf / One electronic copy in MS Word and one electronic copy in pdf / Endorsement of the report by the Steering Committee.
Written acceptance and certification from the Project Overseer for report completion. / 18 November 2016 / 6% of contract value
3 / Mining company interviews and METS mapping and survey report / A document in MS Word and pdf / One electronic copy in MS Word and one electronic copy in pdf / Written acceptance and certification from the Project Overseer for report completion. / 31 March 2017 / 40% of contract value
4 / Final Reports / A report for each economy (Chile, Papua New Guinea and Peru) and an Executive Summary report in MS Word and pdf / One electronic copy of each report in MS Word and one electronic copy of each report in pdf / Endorsement of the Final Reports by each economy (Chile, Papua New Guinea and Peru) and the Steering Committee.
Reports approved by Project Overseer, MTF members and APEC Secretariat. / 26 May 2017 / 26% of contract value
5 / Workshop agenda and presentation / A document in MS Word or Powerpoint and pdf / One electronic copy in MS Word or Powerpoint and one electronic copy in pdf / Written acceptance and certification from the Project Overseer. / 30 June 2017 / 16% of contract value

3.4 Qualifications of Bidder

The Bidder will need to supply evidence of ability and experience to undertake the specified objectives/duties in this Request for Proposal, and explain the approach to the Services including:

1.  Method:

·  an outline of approaches to the tasks and the methodologies to be applied, including plans for the execution of the survey and interviews under the project and details of any travel to be conducted under the project.

2.  Work Plan:

·  overall proposal for project work plan

3.  Analytical and research skills:

·  evidence of the capacity to deliver high quality products on time and within budget; and

·  proven analytical, research and plain English report writing and communications skills.

4.  Experience:

·  evidence of a breadth and depth of knowledge of the mining and mining equipment, technology and services sectors;

·  demonstrated experience and expertise in working in developing economies, in particular working with mining companies, governments, industry bodies, universities and mining equipment, technology and services businesses;

·  demonstrated experience and expertise in undertaking similar research in the mining equipment, technology and service sector of APEC Member Economies;