Proposal Information and Evaluation

Proposal Information and Evaluation The CPA seeks written responses to this Request for Proposal (RFP) from commercial banks and bank consortia. Responses will be made by submitting proposals via e-mail to the address on the cover page of this document. Each submission will be evaluated by an expert group, and a small number of banks will be given the opportunity to make final “face-to-face” presentations before a “Selection Committee,” formed to evaluate proposals and the subsequent presentations. The Selection Committee will be chaired by the Finance Minister / President of the Trade Bank of Iraq. He will be assisted by a panel of experts drawn from the international community. The Selection Committee will recommend to Ambassador Bremer of the CPA the bank or bank consortium best designed to assist the Trade Bank in becoming operational. Once the selection is made, the CPA will proceed to negotiate the Agency Processing Agreement with the bank or bank consortium selected. The deadline for written responses to this RFP is August 8 th . Notice of the RFP will be made in the international business press. Proposals should be organized according to the framework laid out in the RFP. Inquiries about the RFP, or requests for clarification of the language contained in the RFP, may be made by responding via e-mail to iraqtradebank@do.treas.gov until August 6 th . The CPA requests that, once the RFP is made public, all inquiries should be made in written form to the e-mail address above. Responses will be made to all inquiries during the “Comment Period,” which runs from July 24 th to August 6 th . During the Comment Period, banks and bank consortia should refrain from making personal contact with CPA officials or any others associated with this RFP, and attempts to make inappropriate contacts may be grounds for disqualification from the selection process. If any inquiry submitted to the e-mail address above raises an item of interest to all bidders, or the need for an important clarification related to the RFP process, the inquiry and response may be disseminated to all potential bidders by posting on the CPA website. Banks and Bank Consortia will make their formal presentations before the Selection Committee in Bahrain. These presentations will be no more than two hours in length, and presentations must allow for sufficient time for a question and answer period. The final selection of a bank or bank consortium will be announced by the CPA Administrator after deliberation with the Selection Committee and further consultation/negotiation with those invited to make formal presentations. The Selection Committee is committed to carrying out a selection process that is transparent and fair to all parties, and members will be carefully vetted to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest with banks responding to this RFP. All proposals will be made available to the public for review, except information in the proposal that is specifically identified as proprietary or confidential. The planned calendar for the selection process is as follows: Date Selection Process July 24 Request for Proposals issued via notice in the financial press. Copies of the complete version of the RFP are posted on the CPA website. This also begins the Comment Period described above. August 6 Comment Period ends at 5:00 PM, Washington, DC time. August 8 Proposal submissions are due in Washington, DC by 5:00 PM. August 13 - 15 Firms invited to make presentations in Bahrain are notified of their selection. August 19 – 21 Finalist financial institutions/consortia make presentations in Bahrain. Week of Selection of Operating Consortium Financial Institution(s) August 25 th announced and initial draft of the Agency Processing Agreement (APA) is circulated. Week of Organizational meeting to be scheduled in Bahrain and the September 3 rd Agency Processing Agreement is executed. Changes to this calendar will be posted on the CPA website where the complete version of the RFP is displayed. Return Wednesday, 10-Dec-03 15:10:23