Investors/Operators Needed to Express Interest in the Concession of Onitsha River Port

The Federal Ministry of Transport (FMot) in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Finance (FMoF) through the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) hereby announce the invitation to prospective investors/operators to express interest in the concession of Onitsha River Port located in Onitsha, Anambra state of Nigeria on a Rehabilitate, Operate and Transfer (ROT) basis.

Onitsha River Port is one of the four River Ports including Baro, Lokoja and Oguta being developed in the country by NIWA which are slated for concession. The Onitsha River Port is situated on the Eastern side of the Lower Niger Basin about 1km South of the confluence with the Anambra River in Anambra State The Port extends over an area of 12 hectares. The Port was rehabilitated and commissioned in the year 2012 under the supervision of NIWA and is fully equipped to deal with general river cargo such as containers, bulk cargo and other packaged freight.

Prospective concessionaire/investor is expected to finance, rehabilitate and operate the Onitsha River Port and shall transfer the asset to NIWA at the end of the concession period.

NIWA has embarked upon an initiative to concession the Onitsha River Port with an objective to commercialize inland water transport in the country. The river port concession will be procured via competitive bidding, following a two-stage bid process: a pre-qualification stage and an RFP stage.
In order to be pre-qualified, prospective bidders must be able to demonstrate a track record of successful management; investment and operation of a container terminal or a sea/river port, vessels & maritime/Inland logistics. Interested applicants should express their interest by providing sufficient documentation structured as listed in the following sections:

• Bidding Entity: Full name of company, Company's profile including name-of contact person, postal address, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses,
• Evidence of Company Registration.
• Structure of Bidding Entity; Any technical or professional associations for the purpose of submitting the pre-qualification document (with supporting documentation such as letters of association); Indicate the lead firm in the joint venture .
• Ownership Structure of Bidding Entity: Name(s) of major shareholders and percentage shareholding of participants in the bidding entity
• Financial Profile; Abridged signed audited financial statements for the past three (3) years (including auditor’s letter to the Board of Directors). Evidence of financial resources (including letters of support from reputable financial institutions).
• Technical Profile: Technical and operational capabilities covering
  • Type of business engaged in by members of bidding entity.
  • Number of years of similar operations (operation of ports, vessels & maritime/inland logistics).
  • Verifiable evidence of participation in similar scheme with verifiable reference of related services rendered in sub-Saharan African and/or internationally (attach letters of engagement).
  • Experience in Nigeria.
  • Verifiable references of satisfactory performance on similar projects from previous clients.

Upon receipt of Expressions of Interest, the NIWA shall evaluate arid pre-qualify applicants.

Expressions of Interest must be submitted in six (6) hard copies (one original & five copies)and one soft copy (in a readable USB flash or CD Drive) in a sealed envelope clearly marked "Expression of Interest for the Concession of Onitsha River Port" and should be dropped in the designated tender box located at the following address not later than 12:00 Noon Nigerian time on Tuesday 22nd of August, 2017.
The Managing Director,
National lnland Waterways Authority,
Aliyu Obaje Road, Via Hydro Junction,
PMB 1004, Lokoja, Adankolo,
Lokoja, Nigeria.

Bidders must sign the bid submission register at the place of submission, as NIWA will not be held liable for misplaced or wrongly submitted documents.

Please Note

• All submissions must be made in English Language.
• Interested applicants may obtain further information by email to info@niwa.gov.ng and copy bossmustapha@yahoo.com.
• Submissions via courier will be accepted if delivered within the submission time shown above.
• Submission through electronic media will not be accepted.
• Submissions received after the deadline shall be rejected.
• Only shortlisted firms will be invited for further consideration.
• This advertisement shall not be construed as a commitment on the part of NIWA to appoint any firm nor shall it entitle any firm submitting documents to claim any indemnity.
• The Authority reserves the right to verify the authenticity of any claims made in the documents submitted by the companies.