The Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) has invited bids for the selection of strategic partners in the UAE.

The main objective of the request for proposal (RfP) is to promote and implement energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions in both the public and private sectors.

The last date for the submission of bids is February 11, 2020.

The RfP is for partnership in two categories for five sectors:

• Joint venture partnerships (Category A)
• Empanelment of companies for energy efficiency projects (Category B)

The empanelment of the companies will be based on the experience in the individual sectors. The five sectors considered are; industrial, building, municipal, utility, and renewable energy projects.

In the industrial sector, the activities include industrial energy efficiency and energy service company (ESCO) Measurement & Verification (M&V) projects. In the buildings sector, it would be ESCO M&V in building energy efficiency, and in the municipal sector, ESCO projects, including street lighting program. The programs in the utility sector include smart meter program and demand-side management. Under the renewable energy sector, it would include solar projects and greenfield projects in the energy efficiency of any other consultancy.

The prospective companies should look after all kinds of business support (including business development activities) and operations specific to the projects locally in UAE with support from the ESSL team.

The EESL team will provide support for project financing, project monitoring, project support, deployment of technical experts, and sharing of technical support.

The two categories will be evaluated independently, and the prospective partner who meets the minimum scoring criteria will be able to engage with EESL in that category.

For category A, the prospective partners should get a minimum score of 30 to be eligible for the joint venture partnerships. The company scoring the maximum score will be selected for the JV partnership. For category B, all the bidders who get a minimum score of 20 will be eligible for empanelment. For joint venture partnerships, the scoring criteria are given below:

A government or government venture company of any other country will get a score of five, whereas those in the UAE will get a score of 10. The prospective bidders having an experience of 0-1 year will get a score of two, whereas prospective entities with one to two years of experience will get a score of three. Bidders with 2-3 years of experience will get a score of four, and those with over three years of experience will get a score of six.

Companies with a net worth below $1million (~₹71 million) will get a score of four, while companies with a net worth in the range of $1-3 million (₹71.03-₹213.1 million) will get a score of seven. Companies with a net worth of $3 million (~₹213.1 million) and above will get a score of 10.

Companies with an annual turnover of less than $1 million (~₹71 million) will get a score of four, while companies with an annual turnover in the range of $1-3 million (~₹71-₹213.1 million) will get a score of seven. Prospective bidders with a turnover of $3 million (~₹213.1 million) or more will get a score of 10.

Companies who have completed one relevant project will get a score of four, whereas companies that have completed 1-20 projects will get a score of six. Companies that have completed 20-30 projects will get a score of eight, while companies with over 30 projects will get a score of 10.

Now, for the empanelment of companies for energy-efficient projects, the following criteria have been listed:

The prospective bidders having an experience of one year in the relevant sector will get a score of two, whereas companies with one to two years of experience will get a score of three. Companies with an experience of two-three years will get a score of four, while companies with over three years of experience will get a score of six.

Companies operating in the UAE will score a maximum of 10.

Companies with an annual turnover of less than $1 million (~₹71 million) will get a score of four, whereas companies having a yearly turnover in the range of $1-3 million (₹71- ₹213.1 million) will get a score of six. Companies with an annual turnover of $3 million (~₹213.1) or above will get a score of 10.

Prospective bidders with one project under their belt will get a score of four, and companies with 1-20 projects will get a score of six. The companies who have completed 20-30 projects will get a score of eight, and companies with over 30 projects will get a score of 10.

In Thailand, EESL has partnered with PEA Thailand and the Global Green Growth Institute for improving the energy efficiency of hospitality and industrial sectors through the Thailand Energy Efficiency Program. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, EESL has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National energy Service Company of Saudi Arabia for providing consultancy services and is sharing technical knowledge with NESCO for rolling out LED streetlights projects in Saudi Arabia.

Last year, the UAE Ministry of Education said it plans to introduce training initiatives around low-carbon forms of energy into its national education system. A pact was signed with the International Renewable Energy Agency to this effect. The agreement identifies areas of cooperation on the integration of renewable energy and sustainable development. The cooperation aims to promote and support the achievement of the relevant Sustainable Development Goals in the UAE and across the world, namely SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy for all) and SDG 13 (climate action).

Meanwhile, in December last year, the Asian Development Bank had sanctioned a loan of $250 million as a part of the assistance package to EESL. The loan will help catalyze energy efficiency investments in India and accelerate the broader adoption of energy-efficient technologies.