THROUGH

POWER PLANTS INTER-MINISTERIAL TENDER COMMITTEE

Hereby invites

Entities and consortia from Israel and abroad, excluding government corporations and/or subsidiaries thereof as defined in the Government Corporations Law - 1975,  to participate in a Pre-Qualification stage of a tender for

A License under the Electricity Sector Law 5756- 1996, for the finance, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and transfer to the State of Israel, after a period of no more than 25 years, of solar power plants in Ashalim in the Negev region (the “Project”).

The Project shall comprise of :

Two solar thermal power plants, each with an approximate installed capacity of between  80MW and 125MW* and in the aggregate up to 250MW installed capacity. Eligibility to win tenders for both plants will be subject to compliance with additional pre-qualification requirements and the discretion of the Tender Committee, as set forth in the Pre-Qualification Documents.

In addition, the Tender Committee shall publish until March 31, 2008, the pre-qualification Documents for a photovoltaic power plant with an approximate installed capacity of 15MW with option to increase by an additional 15MW*.

* Subject to an amendment of Government decision no. 2390 from 23.9.07

1.             It is the intention of the Tender Committee to conduct a two-phased competitive selection process in order to select the entity which will execute the Project, as follows:

1.1.       Pre-qualification of bidders;

1.2.       A Request for Proposals process, in which those bidders which will have been deemed to comply with the requirements of the pre-qualification phase, will be invited to participate.

2.             The pre-qualification stage includes several pre-qualification requirements, in the following areas, as detailed in the Pre-Qualification Documents:

2.1.       Experience in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of conventional and solar power plants as follows:

·        experience and capability to supply solar technology and the successful supply of such solar technology for at least one (1) power plant with a total production capacity of not less than 3 MW installed capacity, connected to a grid and operating consecutively for the last two(2) years.

·        operating and maintaining of at least one (1) currently operating solar thermal  power plant with a total production capacity of not less than 3 MW installed capacity, connected to a grid and operating for at least two (2) years.

·        served as the EPC Contractor in the design, construction and supply / purchase of at least one (1) conventional power plant with not less than 100 MW installed capacity that operated for at least one (1) year, during the last ten (10) years.

·        operating and maintaining, of at least one (1) conventional power plant with capacity of not less than 100 MW installed capacity, which operated for a consecutive three (3) year period, during the last six (6) years.

2.2.       Financial robustness.

·        The bidder should demonstrate that during 2005, 2006, and 2007, the aggregate annual weighted average of turnover of all its members together has been at least two hundred (200) Million US Dollars.

·        The bidder should demonstrate that the weighted annual average of each member’s cash flow from operating activities during 2005, 2006, and 2007, is not negative.

·        The bidder should demonstrate that each member has, for every one percent (1%) of its anticipated holdings in the bidder, an equity of seven hundred thousand (700,000) US Dollars.

·        Certain relaxation of the financial requirements shall be granted to such solar thermal technologies providers that meet certain criteria as set forth in the Pre-Qualification Documents.

*   Due to technical limitations, the Pre-Qualification requirements are only generally detailed herein, and are subject to the provisions of the Pre-Qualification Documents.

*   The Tender Committee reserves the right to negotiate certain requirements and additional prerogatives, and all as set forth in the Pre-Qualification Documents.

3.             The Pre-Qualification Documents shall be available for online review starting Sunday, March 9^th, 2008 on the Ministry of Finance website at: http://www/mof.gov.il/tender.htm, in the Accountant General website at: http://ppp.mof.gov.il/mof/ppp/mofppptopnavenglish 

In addition, the Pre-Qualification Documents are available for review, free of charge, at the address detailed in Section 7 hereinafter, starting Tuesday, March 20^th, 2008, Sunday through Thursday, at 10:30-15:00, subject to prior coordination with the coordinator of the Tender Committee, Mr. Dani Veinrib, at 972-3-977-8163/57.

4.             The Pre-Qualification Documents may be purchased for twenty five thousand NIS (NIS 25,000), at the address specified in Section 7 hereinafter, during the times as specified in Section 3 above. Payments shall be made to account no. 31008001 at the Bank of Israel, in the name of the Accountant General.

5.             Upon purchase of the Pre-Qualification Documents, each purchaser, or its appointed representative, shall be required to present a confirmation from the bank through which the payment was made, identify itself using an Israeli Identification Card or a foreign passport, and shall be requested to provide the identity of the purchasing entity, and provide details about its appointed representative, including its postal address, telephone and facsimile numbers and e-mail address. All notices and additional information pertaining to the tender process will be sent to appointed representative of each purchasers of the tender documents in accordance with such details.

6.             Only bidders who purchased the Pre-Qualification Documents, will be entitled to submit Pre-Qualification Submission.  

7.             Bidders will submit their Pre-Qualification Submissions by no later than 14:00 on Tuesday, July 1^st, 2008, to the Tender Committee’s tender box, at the following address:

Private Public Partnerships Division, Inbal Insurance Company Ltd., Inbal House, Arava St., 5^th Floor, P.O.B. 282, Airport City, Ben-Gurion Airport 70100

8.             Questions and requests for clarifications may be submitted, in writing, to the undersigned, at the address detailed in Section 7 above, or through facsimile no. 972-3-977-8165. Written answers will be issued to all purchasers of the Pre-Qualification Documents.

9.             This notice contains general and preliminary information only. Further conditions and requirements with respect to the tender process are as detailed in the Pre-Qualification Documents. The Tender Committee reserves the right to annul and/or revise the conditions of the Pre-Qualification stage and its schedule, all in accordance with the provisions of the Pre-Qualification Documents.

10.         With respect to the Pre-Qualification process of the Photovoltaic power plant hereinabove, final decision of the Tender Committee regarding the publication of the Request for Proposals Documents in such a Tender shall be taken in light of the results of the Pre-Qualification stage of said process.

Best regards

Avi Dor
Deputy Accountant General
Chairman of the Tender Committee