Foreign economic-aid-related services

Tender description

The UK is providing up to 10 000 000 GBP between 2013 – 2022 under Infrastructure Policy Fund (IPF) Programme. IPF is part of a wider UK-India partnership on infrastructure, to enable access by India to leading, global expertise in private sector approaches to infrastructure delivery and financing. The IPF primarily provides support to the Infrastructure Policy making unit in the Department of Economic Affairs(DEA-IPF Division), Ministry of Finance (MoF) which is also extended to central line ministries and state governments. This technical assistance is to improve the business environment for investors and developers in delivering infrastructure, especially high poverty impact infrastructure services. The expected focus is on improving the business environment, capability, and knowledge within the infrastructure sector. The UK is providing up to 10 000 000 GBP between 2013 – 2022 under Infrastructure Policy Fund (IPF) Programme. IPF is part of a wider UK-India partnership on infrastructure, to enable access by India to leading, global expertise in private sector approaches to infrastructure delivery and financing. The IPF primarily provides support to the infrastructure policy making unit in the DEA, Ministry of Finance (MoF) which is also extended to central line ministries and state governments. This technical assistance is to improve the business environment for investors and developers in delivering infrastructure, especially high poverty impact infrastructure services. The expected focus is on improving the business environment, capability, and knowledge within the infrastructure sector. IPF aims to tackle key bottlenecks in the business environment by strengthening public and private sector capacity to negotiate, structure and manage projects; develop and test new financial products; develop policy-relevant analytical products, including on global and local lessons and best practices; and support dissemination of policy and investor-related information amongst key sector players. The programme focuses on both (i) national policy and capacity issues that have a nationwide impact and potential for scale e.g. strengthening aspects of the capital markets; and (ii) on sectors and states that have the greatest impact on poverty reduction or interventions that are considered innovative and offer wider lessons. This approach allows for greater impact and flexibility, while being complementary to on-going DFID efforts in the low income states. Output 1: Business Environment — Improved business environment for private sector participation in infrastructure, including a focus on providing international experience and perspectives on regulations and policies, particularly in sectors with limited PPP experience. Output 2: Capacities — Increased capability to formulate development-oriented infrastructure projects and to address implementation barriers Output 3: Knowledge Generation — Policy-relevant knowledge (including robust evidence of what works in private sector-supported programmes and approaches in India) generated and disseminated (including in newly established dialogue mechanisms between key public and private sector stakeholders). Achievement of these outputs is expected to lead to increased confidence amongst the private sector and other key stakeholders for investing in and developing infrastructure, including in the poorest parts of India and in high poverty impact infrastructure sub-sectors. Objective The main objective of the contract is to provide high quality, fast paced technical support to the infrastructure policy unit in the DEA, Ministry of Finance to support proposals from states and line ministries.