PPP Specialist

We have just been shortlisted for a Transaction Advisory and a Project Preparation Project in Azerbaijan.

This assignment consists on supporting us on preparation of the pilot university student accommodation PPP projects, and help strengthen the capacity of the government in PPPs.

• This assignment requires to spend approximately 7 months in Azerbaijan for the "project preparation" project and 9 months for the "transaction advisory" project (intermittent).

• As a PPP specialist, the consultant will, among others, carry out the following tasks:

a) develop an appropriate base case financial model with suitable assumptions, resulting in a set of projected financial statements (balance sheet, cash flow, income statement, key ratio analysis) and sensitivity scenarios;
b) recommend a suitable PPP modality for the project after assessment of alternative choices including the commercial, legal, and institutional impacts of this suggested modality such as the required contracts (e.g., concession contracts) and institutional structures (e.g., special purpose vehicles);c) ascertain the potential acceptability of the recommended PPP structure by the investors and potential lenders;
d) in consultation with the economic specialist, ensure that the project provides desired and equitable benefits to end users, with a satisfactory project rationale;
e) recommend a suitable bankable financing plan for the recommended PPP structure, including appropriate debt equity ratios, loan tenures and rates for project viability, and required government grant support;
f) identify appropriate funding sources, including (i) government grant funds, (ii) commercial debt and equity funds, (iii) financing, credit enhancement, or guarantee products of the International Financial Institutions, (iv) private sector financing; and identify their likely terms and conditions, incorporating them in the base case financial model;
g) test all key assumptions against financial model outputs, including the financial internal rate of return and debt service coverage ratio, identifying any required policy revisions for project sustainability, including on the revenue model;
h) provide project risk analysis with suitable mitigation strategies;
i) provide inputs related to the Azerbaijan’s taxation system, tax exemptions and tax incentives, financial accounting systems and the domestic insurance market and its products.
j) lead development and delivery of the capacity building program, and
k) lead the review of the MOE’s public investment program and development of the indicative PPP project pipe-line.

• As the team leader, the consultant’s duties, include, but are not limited to:

(i) liaising with the government stakeholders and keeping ADB apprised of any issues or concerns that could impact project performance and/or completion, and ensuring direction of the consultant’s work toward achieving the intended objectives and timelines;
(ii) coordinating the government stakeholders’ inputs per agreed work plans, advising team members of changes to the work plans, and monitoring team members’ other project commitments to ensure priority attention is given to the project;
(iii) ensuring outputs of team members are in accordance with the contract’s terms of reference and government’s quality expectations, and reviewing, commenting on, and approving such outputs, as needed;
(iv) ensuring all contracted deliverables are prepared in a timely manner, and managing project scheduling;
(v) briefing team members on (a) quality management, (b) safety and security issues, and (c) integrity and professional conduct, and keeping the team updated on changes in the operating environment or procedures;
(vi) approving timesheets and expense claims of team members, managing any emerging issues, and leading the firm’s work on contract administration;
(vii) developing and submitting the reports in accordance with agreed formats and based on inputs by the team members as well as other information on the contract and the consultant team as required by ADB and the government;
(viii) submitting the inception mission report, business protocol (assignment operations manual), and completion report to ADB and government for approval. The completion report shall include lessons learned, a sustainability plan, and other recommendations that would ensure that the gains achieved from the assignment are fully institutionalized.

• The consultant must have at least 10 years of relevant experience;
• The consultant must have worked in some AsDB projects before;
• The consultant must have carried out at least 5 PPP projects;
• The consultant will have a postgraduate degree in business administration, economics, finance, or related field;
• The consultant must have very good analytical skills and be excellent in writing and presenting in English.