USTDA, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 200, Arlington, VA 22209-2131

B -- CAMEROON: PORT OF LIMBE FEASIBILITY STUDY DUE 062600 POC POC Evangela Kunene, USTDA, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax: (703) 875-4009 Mr. Zacchaeus M. Forjindam, Chantier Naval et Industriel du Cameroun, B.P. 2389, Douala, Cameroon: Telephone: (237) 40-34-78, Fax: (237) 40-61-99 B -- Cameroon: Port of Limbe Feasibility Study POC Evangela Kunene, USTDA, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 200, Arlington, VA 22209-2131, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax: (703) 875-4009. Cameroon: Port of Limbe Feasibility Study. The Grantee invites submission of qualifications and proposal data (collectively referred to as the "Proposal") from interested U.S. firms which are qualified on the basis of experience and capability to perform a feasibility study on the development of the Port of Limbe in Cameroon. The Port of Limbe has been identified by the government of Cameroon as the site with the most potential for transformation from a small port into a deep water, international port. Limbe is located approximately 70 km from Douala, which is currently the major entry point for imports not only to Cameroon, but also to Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Congo -- Brazzaville. Douala Port is not capable of expansion and suffers serious silting problems. The port area of Limbe has deep water access and with fill within 1 km, will reach depths of at least 15 meters. There is also adequate room for future expansion. Taking into consideration these features, the future existence of a ship repair facility and the fact that Douala is the center of trade and commerce, makes Limbe an excellent candidate for possible development. The development of the port is envisioned to initially include one Ro-Ro berth, two domestic general cargo berths, one liquid berth and a container/Ro-Ro berth (for straight ramp Ro-Ro vessels) facility. All berths will be 300 meters in length with depth of at least 15 meters. In addition, an administration building, maintenance shop, open storage area, staging and mobilization areas for Ro-Ro services would be included. An area to handle the containers and auxiliary facilities, warehouse/LCL station, reefer shop (washout area and pre-tripping), designated hazmat area both in the LCL warehouse and in the container yard, control gates and a fenced "free zone" area for storage of other countries' goods would also be needed. The number of berths required will depend upon the forecasted traffic and the estimated throughput for each. In addition, 130 multi-voltage reefer plugs are also contemplated. The port will also require supporting infrastructure: i.e., road and rail, without which, there would not be a viable port project. Road expansion or dedicated road, a bridge expansion or the construction of a dedicated bridge for commercial traffic would also be required. Cameroon's rail line was concessioned earlier this year and now known as CAMRAIL. Its priority for the next several years is for line and equipment rehabilitation from Limbe to Douala for transloading to rail. It is expected that, subject to the completion of a positive feasibility study, the government of Cameroon would advance an open tender for a projectmanager or EPC contractor. Indications are that this could be a viable project, but more accurate data must be obtained. For this reason, it is recommended that a two-part feasibility study, the first part of which would examine the market potential and financial prospects. Phase I of the feasibility study would primarily concern the preparation of a cost estimate (separately for the port, by-pass road, bridge and rail link), and would take into account construction costs, professional fees, land acquisition costs (if any) and financing costs. The first phase will also determine potential sources of traffic for the port, examine associated risks, such as neighboring countries assessing tariffs on imported goods to protect their own ports as well as the impact of competition from other African ports. The findings of Phase I will determine whether the project should continue to the second phase, which would address the engineering, environmental issues, and refine the port's cost estimates for implementation.The scope of work for the feasibility study will include an independent review and an analysis of technical and financial feasibility, operation plans and characteristics and forecasts of transportation demand relative to the construction of a deep sea port and facilitating infrastructure. The consultant will review studies already completed, including those of technical and financial feasibility, and prepare a comprehensive analysis of all relevant legal and regulatory issues. Phase I incorporates the following tasks: 1) Traffic projections and financial assessments for port, road/bridge, and railway, and 2) Phase I summary/recommendations report. The U.S. firm selected will be paid in U.S. dollars from a $124,625 grant to the Grantee from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA). A detailed Request for Proposals (RFP), which includes requirements for the Proposal, the Terms of Reference, and a background definitional mission report are available from TDA, at 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 200, Arlington, VA 22209-2131. Requests for the RFP should be faxed to the IRC, TDA at 703-875-4009. In the fax, please include your firm's name, contact person, address, and telephone number. Some firms have found that RFP materials sent by U.S. mail do not reach them in time for preparation of an adequate response. Firms that want TDA to use an overnight delivery service should include the name of the delivery service and your firm's account number in the request for the RFP. Firms that want to send a courier to TDA to retrieve the RFP should allow one hour after faxing the request to TDA before scheduling a pick-up. Please note that no telephone requests for the RFP will be honored. Please check your internal fax verification receipt. Because of the large number of RFP requests, TDA cannot respond to requests for fax verification. Requests for RFPs received before 4:00 PM will be mailed the same day. Requests received after 4:00 PM will be mailed the following day. Please check with your courier and/or mailroom before calling TDA. Only U.S. firms and individuals may bid on this TDA financed activity. Interested firms, their subcontractors and employees of all participants must qualify under TDA's nationality requirements as of the due date for submission of qualifications and proposals and, if selected to carry out the TDA-financed activity, must continue to meet such requirements throughout the duration of the TDA-financed activity. All goods and services to be provided by the selected firm shall have their nationality, source and origin in the U.S. or host country. The U.S. firm may use subcontractors from the host country for up to 20 percent of the TDA grant amount. Details of TDA's nationality requirements and mandatory contract clauses are also included in the RFP. Interested U.S. firms should submit their Proposal in English and in French directly to the Grantee by 1:00 P.M., Monday, June 26, 2000 at the above address. Evaluation criteria for the Proposal are included in the RFP. Price will not be a factor in contractor selection, and therefore, cost proposals should NOT be submitted. The Grantee reserves the right to reject any and/or all Proposals. The Grantee also reserves the right to contract with the selected firm for subsequent work related to the project. The Grantee is not bound to pay for any costs associated with the preparation and submission of Proposals. Posted 05/09/00 (W-SN452983). (0130)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0014 20000511\B-0007.SOL)