The Socialist Republic of Vietnam has received a grant from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) through the World Bank (WB) for the Vietnam Scaling Up Energy Efficiency Project (VSUEE Project). The project will provide TA to support the implementation of VNEEP’s targets and the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation measures in the industrial and energy sector. In addition, capacity building activities will address the knowledge, institutional, and capacity-building needs of the relevant stakeholders in the management and development of a national mechanism and policies on EE. Those efforts will be accompanied by the establishment of a risk-sharing facility, backed by a GCF Guarantee instrument, which aims to address current regulatory barriers to access commercial capital, mobilize local bank financing, and encourage stakeholders such as industrial enterprises and commercial banks to implement projects and develop an EE investment market. The project consists of two components: (i) GCF Risk Sharing Facility; (ii) Technical Assistance. The VSUEE Project Management Board (PMB) intends to use part of its grant to recruit a qualified consultant firm to provide services in independent monitoring of safeguards implementation.

The consulting services (“the Services”) consists to provide the service to ensure compliance with environmental and social safeguards requirements in carrying out the VSUEE project. The consultant firm shall provide services to assist PMB to implement, manage and monitor the safeguards requirements in relation with all project activities as mentioned in the approved ESMF, RPF, EMPF and OM. The Consultant shall be responsible for: (i) Desk reviewing of relevant documents and gain thorough understanding of the institutional arrangement and operational processes; (ii) Social safeguards monitoring and; (iii) Environmental Safeguard Monitoring and (iv) Support enterprise borrowing loan in Environmental and Social Safeguard. The estimated implementation time of this consulting task is 20 months, expected to begin in June 2024 and complete in January 2026 with possible extension based on the need and Consultant’s performance and project extension.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be obtained by submitting a request to the email addresses indicated at the end of the REOI.

The VSUEE Project Management Board now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. The shortlisting criteria are:

(i) At least 5 years’ experience of consulting services in Environmental and Social Safeguards;

(ii) Over the past 5 years, the consultant should have demonstrated relevant experience leading and delivering 2 projects in conducting independent monitoring of environmental and social safeguards for energy projects, prioritize projects that have worked with industry sector in Vietnam;

(iii) Experienced in ODA projects consulting services in conducting independent monitoring of environmental and social safeguards for energy projects financed by the WB or other international organizations such as ADB, IFC, JBIC/JICA etc., experience with MoIT is preferred.

Key Experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage.

This assignment will require the consultant to assemble a strong team experienced on the topics above, which collectively brings the range of skills needed for the different tasks (Team leader and other specialists e.g. Environmental, Resettlement, Ethnic Minority, Gender, etc.).
The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” July 2016, revised November 2017 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. 
Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications, but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected.

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the CQS method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

Further information can be obtained from VSUEE Project Management Board via email: vsueemoit@gmail.com during the hours from 09:00 a.m. to 16:00 p.m. in working days.

Expressions of Interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below in person (or by Post, or Email) by 16:00 on April 05, 2024.