Recruitment of a Non-Resident Renewable Energy Expert

1. Reference
EU/WAPP-3/2026/IND/01

2. Procedure 
simplified

3. Title program
EU Support to WAPP-3

4. Financing
ACT 61-029 Financing: Contract-NDICI AFRICA/2025/484-478

5. Contracting authority
Official Name: West African Power Pool Secretariat General (WAPP)
Legal form: Specialized institution of ECOWAS

CONTRACT SPECIFICATION

6. Nature of contract
Fee-based

7. Contract description

The present contract concerns the recruitment of a Non-Resident Renewable Energy Expert, specialized in solar energy, to support the WAPP General Secretariat. Its objective is to strengthen the technical capacities of the PIPES Department in the development of regional solar parks and the integration of renewable energy into the West African power system. The Consultant will provide technical support for the analysis, review and validation of studies conducted under the technical assistance program. They will monitor the technical performance of consultants and ensure the quality of deliverables. They will also contribute to identifying challenges and solutions related to the integration of solar energy into the regional electricity grid. The Consultant will provide technical advice and recommendations to support the decision-making process of the WAPP General Secretariat. They will participate in meetings, workshops and consultations with stakeholders. They will contribute to documenting and consolidating study results, preparing technical documents and mobilizing resources. The services will be performed under the supervision of the Head of the Planning, Studies and Project Financing Division, under a time-based contract. The ultimate objective is to promote the efficient, reliable and sustainable integration of renewable energy into the regional power system.

8. Number and titles of lots
One lot only

9. Maximum budget
Value excluding VAT: 209,076 EUR

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION
10. Legal basis, eligibility and rules of origin
The legal basis of this procedure is Regulation (EU) No. 2021/947 establishing the Neighborhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – ​​Global Europe (NDICI). See Annex A2 of the practical guide.

For this contract award procedure, financed by NDICI geographic programmes, participation is open to all natural persons who are nationals of and legal persons (participating either individually or in a grouping – consortium – of candidates/tenderers) which are effectively established in a Member State of the European Union or in an eligible country or territory as defined under Article 28 of Regulation (EU) N° 2021/947.

11. Request for Proposal by applicants
Interested candidates can obtain the Request for Proposal (RFP) by sending an email request to the following address: cpm@ecowapp.org

12. Grounds for exclusion
As part of the tender, tenderers must submit a signed declaration, included in the tender form, to the effect that they are not in any of the exclusion situations listed in Section 2.6.10.1. of the practical guide.

Tenderer included in the lists of EU restrictive measures (see Section 2.4. of the PRAG) at the moment of the award decision cannot be awarded the contract.

13. Sub-contracting
Not applicable

PROVISIONAL TIMETABLE

14. Provisional commencement date of the contract
February 2027

15. Implementation period of the tasks
(February 2027 to September 2028)

SELECTION AND AWARD CRITERIA
16. Selection criteria
The following selection criteria will be applied to the tenderers.
The tenderer shall not use previous experience which caused breach of contract and termination by a contracting authority as a reference for selection criteria.

The selection criteria for each tenderer are as follows:
Technical capacity of tenderer (based on items 5 and 6 of the tender form). The reference period which will be taken into account will be the last (2023, 2024, 2025) preceding the submission deadline.

Minimum criteria:

• The Renewable Energy Expert must hold an Engineering degree or a Master's degree (BAC+5) in energy with specialization in renewable energy from a recognized university;
• Minimum of ten (10) years of experience in project planning and management, studies, network design and integration of electrical power generation facilities into the grid;
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in the implementation of variable renewable energy projects (particularly solar);
• Proven experience in integrating variable renewable energies (solar and/or wind) into electrical grids;
• Fluency in English or French (main language).

17. Award criteria
Best price-quality ratio.

TENDERING
18. Deadline for submission of tenders
The deadline for submission of tenders is specified in point 8 of the instruction to tenderers.

Technical and financial proposals in PDF format must be sent by email only. Proposals must be sent no later than December 4, 2026, at 10:00 am Benin local time to the secure email address “procurement @ecowapp.org”

Tender format and details to be provided
Tenders must be submitted using the standard tender form for simplified procedures, the format and instructions of which must be strictly observed. The tender form is available from the following internet address: https://wikis.ec.europa.eu/display/ExactExternalWiki/Annexes#Annexes-Ann...(Ch.3):Servicecontracts, under the zip file called Simplified Tender dossier.

The tender must be accompanied by a declaration on honor on exclusion and selection criteria using the template available from the following Internet address:
https://wikis.ec.europa.eu/display/ExactExternalWiki/Annexes#Annexes-Ann...(Ch.2):General

Any additional documentation (brochure, letter, etc.) sent with a tender will not be taken into consideration.

20. How tenders may be submitted
Tenders must be submitted in English exclusively to the contracting authority, using the means specified in point 8 of the instructions to tenderers.

Tenders submitted by any other means will not be considered.
By submitting a tender, tenderers accept to receive notification of the outcome of the procedure by electronic means.

21. Alteration or withdrawal of tenders
After submitting a tender, but before the deadline for receipt of tenders, a tenderer may definitively withdraw its tender or withdraw it and replace it with a new one.

Tenderers may alter or withdraw their tenders by written notification prior to the deadline for submission of tenders. No tender may be altered after this deadline.

22. Operational language
All written communications for this tender procedure and contract must be in French or English.

23. Additional information
Financial data to be provided by the candidate in the standard application form must be expressed in EUR or XOF. If applicable, where a candidate refers to amounts originally expressed in a different currency, the conversion to EUR shall be made in accordance with the following BCEAO exchange rate 1 EUR = 655.957 XOF.