Municipal Finance Facility - Energy Efficiency

In 2002, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD or the Bank) established the EU/EBRD Municipal Finance Facility (the MFF or the Facility) with support from the EC to assist small and medium sized municipalities and their utility companies to provide loan financing through Participating Banks (PBs) for investment and development of their municipal and environmental infrastructure. In September 2008 the Bank introduced an expansion of the scope of the Facility to provide loans for investment in sustainable energy (energy efficiency and renewable energy) projects. The Bank recently also identified opportunities to extend the already existing facility further in Slovakia. The proposed TC will continue providing support to Slovakian Banks and its borrowers. The Bank intends to engage two consultants: A Project Consultant (PC) to provide support to existing and prospective Slovakian PBs in the implementation of the Facility, and a Verification Consultant (VC) to verify that the project has been implemented according to the defined criteria. This notice relates to the services to be provided by the PC only. The main objectives of the assignment are as follows: Support PBs in targeted marketing activities to ensure that relevant stakeholders are informed about the Facility and its benefits in order to ensure a prompt uptake of the financing and the related benefits; Inform and raise awareness with municipalities, particularly small municipalities, of the benefits of working with Energy Service Companies; Ensure that a pipeline of eligible Sub-projects is developed under the Facility and is regularly updated; Provide support in developing Sub-projects for energy efficiency Sub-projects by supporting potential Sub-borrowers in identifying their investment requirements through informal consultations; Develop Energy Audits (EA) in case of energy efficiency Sub-projects in municipal and residential buildings, and EA and/or Rational Energy Utilisation Plans (REUPs) in case of municipal infrastructure energy efficiency and renewable energy Sub-projects; Provide capacity building in Energy Performance Contracting for municipalities; Ensure consistent communication between PBs, the developers of the Sub-projects, the VC, and other stakeholders; Ensure that the technical criteria of the Facility are clearly defined in all project documentation, consistently applied and updated; Check if the national and/or EBRD public procurement requirements are met; Ensure that Grant funds are applied consistently in line with the eligibility criteria and that this is supported by an appropriate level of verification, to avoid misuse of the Grant; Make Sub-borrowers aware of greenhouse gas emission reductions that accrue from the Subproject and indicate whether such emission reductions can be monetised through an applicable emissions trading regime (EU-Emissions Trading Scheme, Joint-Implementation); Establish an efficient tracking, monitoring and reporting system to ensure accurate data and standard forms are utilised.