Expressions of Interest - Impact Evaluation Study for Bangladesh Solar Home Systems (SHS) Program

SELECTION FOR CONSULTANTS BY THE WORLD BANK

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Electronic Submissions through World Bank Group eConsultant2
https://wbgeconsult2.worldbank.org/wbgec/index.html

ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW

Assignment Title: 1031033 - Impact Evaluation Study for Bangladesh Solar Home Systems (SHS) Program

Assignment Countries:
- Bangladesh

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION
The objective of the Solar Home Systems (SHS) Program of Bangladesh is to provide access to electricity in remote rural areas in Bangladesh where grid electrification is not economically feasible. The program is implemented by the Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) with the help of its Partner Organizations (POs) (mostly Non-Government Organizations or NGOs). The POs procure and install the SHS in remote rural areas under a micro-credit schemed following the technical standards approved by IDCOL. After the SHS are installed, the POs apply for refinancing to IDCOL. After inspection and verification, IDCOL releases the refinancing amount using funds from the World Bank and other development partners. 

More than 850,000 SHS have been installed in remote rural areas in Bangladesh under the program. The program is growing very fast with monthly installation rate exceeding 35,000 systems. The SHS is considered to have increased business opportunities and income for the rural people. However, there has been no systematic quantification of the benefits of the SHS establishing the causal link between the SHS program and household welfare. The proposed study will make an attempt to establish such link using a cross-sectional data, which will be collected under the scope of the study.

The major component of the study is designing and implementing household surveys to assess the benefits of SHS. The study will also include: (i) design and implement PO surveys to help evaluate the effectiveness of the delivery system; and (ii) a marketing study to assess the potential size of the SHS market in Bangladesh.

FUNDING SOURCE

The World Bank intends to finance the assignment / services described below under the GPOBA Trust funds for Bangladesh SHS Impact Evaluation. 

INDIVIDUAL / FIRM PROFILE
The consultant will be a firm. 

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The World Bank now invites eligible consultants to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested consultants must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc.). Please note that the total size of all attachments should be less than 5MB. 

Consultants may associate to enhance their qualifications.

Interested consultants are hereby invited to submit expressions of interest.

Expressions of Interest should be submitted, in English, electronically through World Bank Group eConsultant2 (https://wbgeconsult2.worldbank.org/wbgec/index.html)

NOTES
Following this invitation for Expression of Interest, a shortlist of qualified firms will be formally invited to submit proposals. Shortlisting and selection will be subject to the availability of funding. The World Bank reserves the right to accept or reject any sumbmissions at its own discretion.