Recruitment of Legal and regulatory Adviser for Pricing and interconnection

Source: World Bank — Ethiopia Digital Foundations Project

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT)

Country: of Ethiopia

Project: Ethiopia Digital Foundations Project (P171034

Assignment Title:  Technical Legal and Regulatory Advisor for Pricing and Interconnection

Reference No. ET-MOFEC-COPCU-144728-CS-INDV

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Ministry of Finance (MoF), has applied for financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Ethiopia Digital Foundation Project (“Digital Ethiopia”) and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services. The Ministry wants to engage qualified and experienced technical advisor for pricing and interconnection up on all telecommunications operation and specifies general terms and condition for interconnections.

The objective of the consultancy service is to assist the Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA in building its capacity to set appropriate pricing methodology and implement interconnection and infrastructure sharing policies.

The consulting services (“the Services”) include the following but not limited to

• Develop costing principles that could be applied to retail tariffs, set the wholesale tariffs for access to the network of Ethio Telecom, and other charges including price caps, tariff guidelines, regulatory accounting including account separation guidelines and other price controls for different classes and categories of services and products;
• Assist the ECA in preparing Stakeholder Consultations, pursuant to Articles 35-38 of the Proclamation to implement the interconnection and infrastructure sharing provisions of the Proclamation in order to promote a competitive market;
• Study relevant pricing models for interconnection, including both bill-and-keep and benchmarking interconnect tariffs elsewhere in Africa, notably in the region and with countries comparable to Ethiopia in telecom industry size, and on the basis of this study advise the ECA on which pricing methods are appropriate for Ethiopia;
• Advise in particular on the extension of interconnection to mobile money payments;
• Provide additional capacity building to members of the ECA staff in the areas of expertise;

Contract Term: The service is expected to be completed within 2 months effective from date of contract signing

Qualification and experience: The qualification and experience required for consultants who would like to apply for the service should possess the following minimum criteria

• Master’s Degree in the following fields: Telecommunications Engineering, ICT, Economics or Finance from a recognized institution;
• Extensive experience in telecommunication industry of not less than 10 years working in areas of developing costing models, tariff setting, review and approval guidelines, regulatory accounting like account separation and cost center management, infrastructure sharing, interconnection, and collocation..
• Experience in evaluating telecommunications investments in developing countries;
• Interconnection regulation experience recognized by at least one Regulatory Authority;
• Experience in similar assignment in at least one developing country in Africa;
• Be fully conversant and knowledgeable in the development of telecommunications cost models;
• Be conversant with convergence of technologies and modern next generation access technologies and have good communication, written, presenting and graphical skills

The Ministry of Finance now invites eligible individuals (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should send expressions of interest, together with information demonstrating that they have the required qualification and relevant experience to perform the service (description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, qualifications, and so forth) by providing CVs, and supporting documents 

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” July 2016  (“Procurement Regulations” ) revised November 2017 and August 2018 , setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Selection of Individual Consultant

(Section V) method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

Further information can be obtained, by email at the address below during office hours from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM Addis Ababa time

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below in person, or by mail on or before December 13, 2019, but preferably by e-mail.

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Ministry of Finance

Attn: Minister’s Office

Address: Arada Sub city, Woreda11/12, MoF building, 4th Floor,

                      Room No 404, Sidist Kilo in front of Lion Cage park,

                       P.O.Box 1905,1037, E-mail: EOI2019MoF@gmail.com; aberag11@gmail.com

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia