Consultant - SPV Feasibility Study at Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States to serve World War II survivors in Europe. Today, it is the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community. It provides support to impoverished and disadvantaged people in over 100 countries based solely on need, regardless of their race, religion, or ethnicity. Our work in Nigeria includes various projects in the areas of Health, Agriculture, and Emergency Response & Recovery.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant-SPV Feasibility Study

Job Ref.: RFQNG10842
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Employment Type: Contract

Scope of Services
The scope of the consultant services includes:

• Provide a technical and financial assessment of an SPV solution that takes into account the following variables:
• The System recommendation must cover the entire office and provide adequate backup for non-peak hours.
• Provide design calculations, layout, and schematic drawings for each of the options detailed above including load bearing capacity of the roof or other areas being considered for installation.
• Provide technical specifications and required Bill of quantities (BOQs) for each option which can feed into a procurement process for vendors supplying and installing the systems. This must include estimated depreciation periods for key components of each system (panels, wiring, inverters, batteries, etc., and a recommended spare parts list).
• Provide kwh per day estimates of the system and estimated cost savings estimates in monthly utility bills for each option.
• Provide warranty estimates which can reasonably be expected from vendors for the main components of the system.
• Provide information and implications of any local legal regulations or market barriers which will impact feasibility.
• Provide a recommendation of an easily transferable setup in case we have to relocate to a new Office.

Responsibilities and Tasks
Task 1 - Assessment to determine the technical and financial feasibility for installation of the Solar panel solutions to generate power by Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) systems:

The consultant is expected to propose the optimal solar panel solution by specifying the following:

• Optimal sizing of the SPV Capacity for each of the requested options under the Scope of Services
• Total Costs per system and estimated cost-benefit analysis based on realistic O&M (including warranty considerations and contextual factors)
• Energy Production Capacity to cover the load.
• Grid Usage taking into consideration various battery options.
• Annual Monetary Savings and payback period, (including net metering potential if available).
• Estimated Greenhouse gas emissions reduction.

For proper sizing of the SPV capacity, the consultant shall:

• Assess the CRS Maiduguri office - House No1 Dipcharima Road, Old GRA, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria) and required electrical use to understand its consumption and related requirements per the described options. Review available load consumption data from the team.
• Determine whether it’s feasible to run the office exclusively on the SPV system, especially for critical systems whose power consumption is high, and availability and reliability are key.
• Advise whether the country program office can depend totally on SPV power or whether this will complement existing options and how this relates to the design options proposed.
• Provide guidance on whether this is a phased transition or whether this should/could be done all at once.

While calculating the annual monetary savings, the consultant should consider the following:

• Assess the local climate, solar irradiation, and environmental factors that may impact the system's performance.
• The availability of sunlight throughout the year, sun exposure, and other conditions affecting system performance.
• The area available (rooftop, parking, and possible options for ground-mounted, etc) and their exposure towards the south/north/east/west to calculate the power that can be generated.
• Projected realistic O&M and expected performance of the system in the context.
• Share current or anticipated future net metering options, or other ways to utilize or monetize surplus electricity generated.

Task 2 - Prepare technical specifications for procurement and installation of SPV system, including bill of quantities with costs estimates for all options:

The technical specification must include details as follows, but not limited to:

• Solar Photovoltaic Modules
• Adequate protective devices against surges at the PV module (including switchgear for larger systems)
• Inverter(s)
• Battery storage and capacity recommendations
• Appropriate warranty relating to different equipment parts but also installer workmanship.
• Design/performance requirements of the system as a deliverable (e.g weather or uplift loading resistance)
• Inclusion of access to real time information on system performance over the internet (many systems provide real-time inverter applications)
• Outline training on O&M and trouble-shooting needs as related to technical specifications. Provide recommendations on what will be provided by supplier or contractor and what can reasonably be delivered in-house by operations staff.
• Include as needed - Integration with the electric vehicle charging station.
• Qualification of the module frames.
• Tolerance rate of output power of any supplied module.
• Specification of the International Electro technical Commission (IEC) qualification test of the PV, requirements for construction, testing and safety.
• Variation of the peak-power point voltage and the peak-power point current of any supplied module and/or any module string.
• Current-voltage characteristic curves at STC (Standard Test Conditions)

Task 3 - Be part of the evaluation team, and if necessary, supervise the Installation and acceptance/commissioning of the PV implementation contract:

As needed based on role you expect consultant to play:

• The consultant shall participate in the evaluation of the proposal by the prospective vendor and will play an advisory role to the committee.
• The Consultant shall prepare reports, administer works contracts; evaluate schedules; monitor the progress of the Vendor on projects, and ensure that project deadlines are met.
• The Consultant will also evaluate the completion and commissioning of the project, confirming its compliance with the investment plan.
• The Consultant shall be responsible in case of deviation from the proposed design/system, justification of the differences and evaluation of consequences in terms of compliance with the project must be provided.

Task 4 - Environmental Assessment:

• Evaluate the potential environmental impacts of our off-grid solar system on the property and the surrounding area.
• Identify any potential environmental risks or concerns, such as land use, water use, and waste disposal.
• Recommend measures to mitigate any potential negative environmental impacts and maximize the positive impacts of the off-grid solar system.

Deliverables
The Consultant will be required to provide the following report:

• SPV system solution Assessment Report.
• Technical specifications report including BOQ.

Include below as determined by the involvement of the consultant:

• Checklist for review or inspection of the completed solar installation project.
• Final report including the information on Supervision and Certification of the works completed.

Application Closing Date
5th April, 2023.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates (Consultants) should send their Expression of Interest (EOI) along with a detailed Resume as one document in PDF indicating the consultancy being applied for and the Job Ref Code as the subject of the application (e.g. RFQNG10842 Consultancy for SPV Feasibility Survey) to: [email protected] .

Note

• Only qualified candidates will be contacted.
• Attached technical and financial proposal