Request for qualification:
Tourism PPP opportunity at u[name of project site, name of protected area]
u[name and logo of institution]
The u[name of institution] requests bidders to submit their qualifications for
the commercial use of u[name of project site]
at u[name of protected area]
through a public private partnership (PPP) agreement.
This request for qualification (RFQ) for tender number u[details of tender] is issued by u[name of institution] in accordance with the guidelines for public private partnerships (PPP) contained in National Treasury's PPP Toolkit for Tourism, and in compliance with Treasury Regulation 16 issued in terms of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999.
u[date]
Contents
1. Important general notes
2. The purpose of the RFQ
3. The PPP opportunity
4. Pre-qualification requirements
5. What must be included in the bid and how to submit it
6. The date and place for submitting bids
7. How the bids will be evaluated
8. Bid timetable
1. Important general notes
1.1 This RFQ overrides all other u[name of institution] communications to bidders about this PPP opportunity.
1.2 No verbal discussion with any staff or advisor of u[name of institution] can change, add to or clarify any of the terms and conditions contained in this RFQ. Bidders should only rely on written changes, additions or clarifications from duly authorised staff of u[name of institution], circulated to each bidder. Email communications from u[name of institution] to bidders will count as written communications.
1.3 All enquiries and requests for further information in respect of the RFQ must be in writing, and directed to u[project officer’s facsimile number and e-mail address]. A response to the enquiry may be circulated to other interested bidders. Any notices sent from u[name of institution] to interested bidders shall be considered to have been delivered to an interested bidder if sent by e-mail, facsimile or by ordinary mail.
1.4 Bidders are responsible for all costs related to their bid. u[Name of institution] will not compensate bidders for any costs, regardless of the outcome of the bid.
1.5 u[Name of institution] may change the timetable in paragraph 8. It may also make other changes to the RFQ, or add to it, or provide clarification, at any time. u[Name of institution] may cancel the bid at any time without prior notice.
1.6 u[Name of institution] will not be responsible for any costs or damages whatsoever if it makes any changes to the bid, cancels the bid, or disqualifies any bidder. u[Name of institution] will not be responsible for any costs or damages whatsoever if it exercises any other rights as described in this RFQ or available to it under the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
1.7 Pre-qualified bidders will be required, upon submission of their final bids under the RFP, to re-affirm that the shareholding reflected in their RFQ bid submissions has not materially changed. Any pre-qualified bidder that submits a final bid in terms of the RFP, that does not materially comply with this requirement, may be disqualified from the procurement process. Any change in shareholding that could affect the manner in which an interested bidder pre-qualified for this PPP opportunity, should be communicated to u[name of institution].
1.8 Shareholders in one consortium submitting a bid in response to this RFQ may not be shareholders in any other consortium submitting a bid for the same PPP opportunity.
1.9 If an interested bidder is selected as a pre-qualified bidder, the pre-qualified bidder will be required to pay a bid bond of [amount] to u[name of institution] within 30 days of the pre-qualification announcement. The bid bond must be in the form of a certified cheque, irrevocable letter of credit or bank/draft guarantee issued by a reputable bank acceptable to u[name of institution].
1.10 The bid is governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa and this RFQ.
2. The purpose of the RFQ
2.1 The purpose of issuing the RFQ is to enable u[name of institution] to pre-qualify interested bidders, by assessing whether they fulfil u[name of institution] requirements as set out below.
2.2 The RFQ and subsequent procurement processes will be conducted in a transparent and open manner in order to ensure that u[name of institution] meets its value-for-money objectives in the PPP. The pre-qualification process will identify a shortlist of pre-qualified bidders, which will be asked, in a subsequent Request for Proposals (RFP) to submit detailed functional, broad-based black economic empowerment (BEE) and PPP fee proposals.
2.3 The objectives of the RFQ include ensuring that the interested bidders which successfully pre-qualify for the PPP opportunity:
· have the financial strength to develop and manage the business
· are compliant with the tourism industry’s BEE targets
· and have an established track record in the tourism industry.
3. The PPP opportunity
3.1 The u[name of institution] has, as part of its commercialisation strategy, identified the tourism PPP opportunity at u[project site].
3.2 A site visit for all interested bidders will be held at u[place] on u[date] at u[time] at no cost to bidders.
3.3 For further site due diligence, bidders may also book their own site visits through u[hame of relevant person] between the u[date] and the u[date].
3.4 u[Details of the project site, the PPP opportunity, and preparation completed to date by the institution]
Note to the institution [The information here should come from the pre-feasibility and feasibility studies. Give the bidder as much information as possible.]
3.5 The u[name of institution] has identified the following value for money objectives for the PPP, and interested bidders are advised to take these into account in preparing their bids.
Note to the institution [Insert detail about the value-for-money objectives for the PPP]
3.6 [Delete if not applicable u[name of institution] specifically requires interested bidders to confirm their willingness to enter into a shareholding agreement with a community trust partner.]
4. Pre-qualification requirements
Note to the institution: [The institution must set the pre-qualification requirements it deems appropriate for the PPP. These requirements will depend on the market interest, the relative size and complexity of the PPP and the institution’s value-for-money objectives. The following categories are considered to be core and should form the basis of any large cap RFQ. However, the institution has discretion about the specific detail required]
4.1 Preliminary information
An interested bidder must form a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) company for the purposes of entering into a PPP agreement. Each submission must therefore set out, in detail, the company structure which will be adopted. The shareholders should be clearly identified, and their roles and responsibilities listed. The submission should list the equity, ownership and directorships held by shareholders. Where any parties are not shareholders, but will be integrally involved in the operation of the SPV, such parties should also be listed.
4.2 Financial capacity
4.2.1 The anticipated capital investment required in the project requires that interested bidders demonstrate financial strength.
4.2.2 The asset value of the interested bidder must be at least u [value]. As the preferred bidder must be an SPV, it must demonstrate financial strength with reference to the asset value of its shareholders in proportion to their shareholding. The interested bidder must also demonstrate, to u[name of institution’s] satisfaction, that its shareholders are solvent. Audited financial statements, along with a letter confirming that the asset value exceeds the stipulated amount and that the shareholders are solvent, must be provided to support any assertions made.
4.2.3 Interested bidders must demonstrate their ability to raise debt and equity and to provide security.
4.2.4 Interested bidders must provide information on the ownership of the entities of which the interested bidders are comprised, together with organograms reflecting this.
4.3 Tourism experience
4.3.1 Interested bidders must have appropriate experience and expertise in the tourism sector. Interested bidders must provide examples of similar businesses they have undertaken, and demonstrate track records in one of the following ways:
Note to the institution [the type and duration of experience required should be described here, based on the findings of the feasibility study. For example, the interested bidder could be required to have operated a 20-30bed eco-tourism facility for at least three years/ a conventional hotel of 100-200 beds for at least five years.]
4.4 BEE
4.4.1 BEE will play a decisive role in the PPP, and interested bidders should be aware that a failure to demonstrate a serious commitment to BEE will be cause for disqualification. In assessing whether an interested bidder’s SPV is eligible for pre-qualification, u[name of institution] shall evaluate each shareholder company’s current BEE status according to the Tourism BEE Charter and Scorecard, 2005. Each member company of the proposed SPV is required to present its current BEE status according to the scoring mechanism outlined in the charter. To pre-qualify for the PPP opportunity, at least half the members of the proposed SPV must be ‘Good BEE Contributors’ as defined by the charter. The Tourism BEE Charter and Scorecard, 2005 can be downloaded from www.deat.gov.za. Each company in the SPV must complete the scorecard, reflecting its current status. Acceptable verification of such scoring must be submitted by the bidder, in the form of a certificate (or similar document) from an accredited BEE ratings agency. u[list where to find such agencies]
4.4.2 If the interested bidder’s proposed SPV fails to achieve this minimum target, the evaluation committee shall be entitled in its sole and absolute discretion to determine that an interested bidder has failed to pre-qualify.
5. What must be included in the bid and how to submit it
5.1 Interested bidders are required to structure their submissions following the format listed in section 4: ‘Pre-qualification requirements’.
5.2 Interested bidders must provide contact details including a contact person, physical address, postal address, facsimile number, contact telephone number and e-mail address.
6. The date and place for submitting bids
6.1 Bids must be submitted to u[place] for the attention of the u[name] between the hours of u[time] and u[time] on or before the u[bid date].
7. How the bids will be evaluated
7.1 The evaluation of bids will be based on the information requested in this RFQ. This evaluation shall be conducted by an evaluation committee, appointed by the u [institution’s accounting officer/accounting authority], which will determine whether the interested bidders meet the requirements set out in this RFQ.
7.2 Only interested bidders which successfully pre-qualify will be invited to take part in the RFP procurement.
7.3 All interested bidders will be advised in writing, of the outcome of the evaluation.
8. Bid timetable
Event or process / DateRFQ advertisement / u [date]
Site visit / u [date]
Bid date / u [date]
Bid evaluation / u from [date] u to [date]
Announcement of pre-qualified bidders / u [date]
Issuing of RFP documents to pre-qualified bidders / u [date]
PPP Toolkit for Tourism | Module 3: Template 6