*Title:* **NEW ADB BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, PROPOSED TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE**

**PROJECTS UNDER GRANT PROGRAMS**

**MARCH 2006**

*Subject Country(ies)* Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Solomon Islands,

> Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

*Post of Origin* Asian Development Bank (ADB)

*Series* International Market Insights (IMI)

*Date of Report (YYMMDD)* 060302

*Deletion Date (YYMMDD)* 060601

*Author* Kathleen dela Merced

*Approving Officer* Frank Foster

*Officer's Title* Senior Commercial Officer

## No. of Pages 9

INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT, U.S. & FOREIGN COMMERCIAL SERVICE AND U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE, 2006. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED
STATES.

This report alerts U.S. firms to **US\$ 27.347 million** in new
technical assistance projects under the grant programs being
administered by the Asian Development Bank for which consulting services
may or may not be required. Opportunities are reported for Azerbaijan,
Mongolia, Pakistan, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. From
January to September 2005, U.S. firms, including many small consulting
firms, succeeded in winning US\$35.135 million ADB-funded national
technical assistance contracts out of a total ADB-financed consulting
budget of US\$302.867 million.

The ADB selects a consultant for a TA grant based on its prior
Expression of Interest (EOI). An EOI can be transmitted on-line through
the ADB\'s website (www.adb.org); afterward it will be acknowledged
automatically. Firms may opt to send a hardcopy follow-up EOI addressed
to Mr. Robert J. Robertson, Director, Consulting Services Division, with
a copy to the ADB Project Officer. The EOI should relate a firm\'s
experience and expertise to the ADB project. It is important for a U.S.
firm to emphasize its similar project experience in the country, or in a
similar geographic area, rather than present a general profile of its
consulting activities. A separate EOI should be submitted for each
project. The project name indicated in the EOI should exactly match that
listed in the ADB Business Opportunities publication to avoid confusion.

To be considered for employment, consulting firms must register on the
ADB's DACON (Data on Consulting Firms) system, or for individual
consultants on the DICON (Data on Individual Consultants) system.
Otherwise, their EOIs will not be accepted. DACON and DICON registration
can be done on-line at www.adb.org/consulting.

ADB\'s DACON (http://www.adb.org/Consulting/dacon.asp) is a database of
firms and other organizations from the ADB\'s member countries that are
qualified to provide consulting services for ADB projects. The DACON
contains information on the experience and capacity of the firms and
organizations. ADB requires firms or organizations to register on the
DACON so that the ADB can consider them for short-listing for a
technical assistance project. The term \"firm or organization\" covers
all sources of consultants, such as consulting firms, government
agencies, public sector organizations, national and international
institutions and non-government organizations.

The DICON (http://www.adb.org/Consulting/dicon.asp) system contains the
names of persons who are citizens of ADB\'s member countries; are at the
forefront of their respective fields; and may be practicing consultants
or employees, whose organizations are prepared to release them for short
periods to serve ADB; or retired persons with special experience who are
still active.

Firms may also send a notification copy of their EOIs to the U.S.
mailing address for the U.S. Commercial Service Liaison Office to the
ADB, Attention: Frank Foster, Senior Commercial Officer, PSC 500 Box 33,
FPO AP 96515-1000, or to the same office at its international mailing
address: 25th Floor Ayala Life-FGU Center, 6811 Ayala Avenue, Makati
City, Metro Manila, Philippines 1226; Phone: (63-2) 887-1345; Fax:
(63-2) 887-1164; E-mail: manila.adb.office.box \@mail.doc.gov.
Information about these projects are likewise available on our website
at <http://www.buyusa.gov/adb>. This office works closely with the
Office of the U.S. Executive Director to the ADB to increase American
awareness of, and participation in, the ADB\'s activities.

The projects listed in this report are now being actively processed by
the ADB. For more information on these projects, the name of the ADB
project officer is indicated in the project brief. The U.S Commercial
Service Liaison Office to the ADB is ready to provide assistance to U.S.
firms upon request.

The following technical assistance grant projects are reprinted with
permission from the Asian Development Bank from the ADB Website
([http://www.adb.org](http://www.adb.org/)) and appeared for the first
time in February 2006. For more information on development in Asia and
the Pacific, see \<http://www.adb.org\>.

**TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANT PROJECTS, FEBRUARY 2006**

A.  **[AZERBAIJAN]{.underline}**

**Project Name : Affordable Services and Water Conservation for the**

**Urban Poor (formerly Community-Based Urban Water**

**Supply and Sanitation Services)**

**Project No. :** AZE 38589-01

**Executing Agency :** AzerSu JSC

State Committee for Construction and Architecture of

Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic

**Grant Amount** **:** US\$ 1,000,000.00

**Sector/Sub-sector :** Water Supply, Sanitation & Waste Management /

Water Supply & Sanitation

**Objectives and Scope:**

The objectives of the proposed grant project are to (i) rehabilitate
pipe works in multi-apartment buildings that are more than 25 years old
and whose residents are predominantly poor, in the towns of Agdash,
Goychay and Nakhchivan; (ii) establish housing associations in
multi-apartment buildings in which pipe works are being rehabilitated;
(iii) develop a financially and institutionally sustainable arrangement
for maintenance of pipe works in buildings. The project's components are
(i) replacement of common water pipe works; (ii) refurbishment and
replacement of soil drainage pipes; (iii) repair and replacement of
internal fittings; (iv) training for maintenance and repair of pipe
work; and (v) project management and monitoring.

**Consulting Services:** To be determined.

**Environmental Assessment:** Not Required.

**Project Processing Stage:** Staff Review Committee (SRC) Meeting
completed: 7 November 2005.

**Recruitment of Consultants:** To be determined.

**Project Officer :** Raushan Mamatkulov

Social Sectors Division

East and Central Asia Department

Tel.: (63-2) 632-6823

Email: <rmamatkulov@adb.org>

**In-country U.S. Embassy**

**Commercial Officer :** Foreign Commercial Service

US Department of State (Baku)

Washington DC 20521-7050

Tel: (994-12) 980-335 ext. 4338

Fax: (994-12) 986-117

Mr. Ayla Azizova, AmEmbassy Baku

Email: <AzizovaA@state.gov>

B.  **[MONGOLIA]{.underline}**

**Project Name : Non Formal Skills Training for Unemployed Youth and**

**Adults (formerly Promotion of Non-Formal Skills**

**Training for Vulnerable Youth and Poor Adults)**

**Project No. :** MON 39005-01

**Executing Agency :** To be determined.

**Grant Amount** **:** US\$ 1,000,000.00

**Sector/Sub-sector :** Education /Non-formal Education

**Objectives and Scope:**

The Project will increase the availability of demand driven skills
training to improve income-earning opportunities of unemployed youth and
poor adults in selected urban areas and increase productivity of
domestic labor. The objective will be achieved by piloting an innovative
cooperation scheme between private enterprises, NGOs, vocational
training schools and other training providers, which will include (i)
improving quality and relevance of selected technical education and
vocational training (TEVT) programs through close participation of
industry in the design and conduct of flexible, competency based skills
training, and (ii) mobilizing and improving training capacities of NGOs,
private training providers and industries that have the potential to
provide skills training for unemployed youth and adults to complement
training provided by the formal TEVT system.

**Consulting Services:** To be determined.

**Environmental Assessment:** Not Required.

**Project Processing Stage:** Staff Review Committee (SRC) Meeting
Completed: 7 November 2005.

**Recruitment of Consultants:** To be determined.

**Project Officer :** Wolfgang G. Kubitzki

Social Sectors Division

East and Central Asia Department

Tel.: (63-2) 632-6815

Email: <wkubitzki@adb.org>

**In-country U.S. Embassy**

**Commercial Officer :** U.S. Embassy Ulaanbaatar

Megan T. Myers, Economic/Commercial Officer

Tel.: (976-11) 329-095

Fax: (976-11) 320-776

Email: <myersmt@state.gov>

C.  **[PAKISTAN]{.underline}**

**Project Name : Iron and Folic Acid Fortification in Small-scale
Chakki**

**Milling to Improve the Lives of the Poor, Especially**

**Women and Children (formerly Cap Bldg to Support**

**Flour Fortification)**

**Project No. :** PAK 38104-01

**Executing Agency :** Nutrition Wing, Ministry of Health

Contact: Dr. Zahid Larik

**Grant Amount** **:** US\$ 1,997,000.50

**Sector/Sub-sector :** Health, Nutrition, & Social Protection
/Nutrition

**Objectives and Scope:**

The project is aimed at reducing anemia and folic acid deficiency in two
low-income, high risk districts by providing significant levels of added
dietary iron and folic acid via small mill chakki flour fortification in
a population of 150,000-175,000; building capacity of chakki millers,
and related businesses to fortify atta flour; building capacity of
district and provincial government to regulate, monitor and support
chakki fortification flour; building capacity building of local
government, child/women welfare groups and NGOs to create community
support and consumer demand for fortified flour; and defining realistic
objectives and strategies for sustainable expansion of flour
fortification .

**Consulting Services:** Non-government organizations (NGOs) will be
recruited by ADB in accordance with the Guidelines on the Use of
Consultants to provide the services for implementation, management and
progress monitoring of the JFPR grant. Local NGOs and consultants will
be contracted by the project implementation unit (PIU) in accordance
with ADB\'s Guidelines on the Use of Consultants.

**Environmental Assessment:** To be determined.

**Project Processing Stage:** Board Circulation to be scheduled.

**Recruitment of Consultants:** Recruitment of consultants is expected
to take place in March 2006.

**Project Officer :** Axel Weber

Social Sectors Division

South Asia Department

Tel.: (63-2) 632-6724

Email: <aweber@adb.org>

**In-country U.S. Embassy**

**Commercial Officer :** U.S. Commercial Service Islamabad

Tariq Sayeed, Commercial Specialist

Tel.: (92-51)2080-2530

Fax: (92-51) 2823-981

E-mail: <Tariq.Sayeed@mail.doc.gov>

D.  **[SOLOMON ISLANDS]{.underline}**

**Project Name : Road Improvement (Sector) Project (formerly Road**

**Improvement Program)**

**Project No. :** SOL 39581-01

**Executing Agency :** Ministry of Infrastructure and Development

Contact: John Ta\'aru

Tel. No.: (677) 28605; Fax. No.: (677) 28605

**Grant Amount** **:** US\$ 15,850,000.00

**Sector/Sub-sector :** Transport & Communications /Roads & Highways

**Objectives and Scope:**

The goal of the project is to improve the rural economy through greater
accessibility of land transport. The purpose is to assist the Ministry
of Infrastructure Development in rehabilitating existing feeder roads,
thereby reinstating access from the main road network to isolated rural
communities.

**Consulting Services:** International and domestic consulting services
will be required for (i) project management, (ii) institutional
strengthening and capacity building, (iii) feasibility studies of
subprojects, detailed engineering design and supervision. Items (i) and
(ii) will be combined into a single consultancy: PMCBU Services.
Institutional strengthening and capacity building activities
incorporated into the PMCBU will address the following areas, as
appropriate to a road and bridge agency: management systems, transport
policy planning and programming, contract and procurement management,
design review, asset management, maintenance, works management. The
PMCBU will prepare detailed TOR for item (iii) and assist MID in
recruitment of these consultants. The Project will fund a total of
approximately 135 person-months of international and 265 person-months
of domestic consulting services, and 120 person months of staff services
from AusAID\'s Pacific Technical Assistance Facility (PACTAF), exclusive
of design and supervision services. Specialist areas to be recruited
include highway engineering, bridge engineering, contract management,
procurement, construction management, community development, asset
management, maintenance, accounting, and transport planning. A
provisional sum is included for recruitment of other technical
specialist, if needed.

**Environmental Assessment:** Required

**Project Processing Stage:** Pre-appraisal in field: 21 February 2006.

**Recruitment of Consultants:** Recruitment of consultants is expected
to take place on October 2006.

**Project Officer :** Robert Guild

Pacific Operations Division

Tel.: (63-2) 632-5207

Email: <rguild@adb.org>

**In-country U.S. Embassy**

**Commercial Officer :** c/o U.S. Embassy, Port Moresby

Eric Catalfamo, Economic/Commercial Officer

Tel.: (675) 321-1455; Fax: (675)320-0637

Email: <CatalfamoEV@state.gov>

E.  **[TAJIKISTAN]{.underline}**

**Project Name : Sustainable Cotton Sub-sector Project**

**Project No. :** TAJ 38603-01

**Executing Agency :** Office of the President

**Grant Amount** **:** US\$ 6,500,000.00

**Sector/Sub-sector :** Agriculture & Natural Resources /

Agriculture Production, Agroprocessing, & Agrobusiness

**Objectives and Scope:**

The project impact is the establishment of a sustainable cotton
sub-sector in Tajikistan. Project outcomes are the confirmation of
sustainable debt loads on selected cotton growing farms and increase of
cotton export prices for Tajikistan cotton. To achieve these outcomes
the project will support the resolution of cotton debt on approximately
250 farms in the country, facilitate related policy reforms to ensure
sustainability of the new debt arrangements, support the establishment
of universal cotton standards, provide improved pricing systems for
cotton exports, and facilitate an enabling environment for the
establishment of bonded warehouses.

**Consulting Services:** Pleaser see Loan: TAJ 38603-01.

**Environmental Assessment:** Not Required.

**Project Processing Stage:** Fact-finding Mission completed: 26 October
2005.

**Recruitment of Consultants:** Please see Loan: TAJ 38603-01

**Project Officer :** Lourdes S. Adriano

Agriculture, Environment, & Natural Resources Division

East and Central Asia Department

Tel.: (63-2) 632-6214

Email: <ladriano@adb.org>

**In-country U.S. Embassy**

**Commercial Officer :** U.S. Embassy Dushanbe

Elizabeth Horst, Political/Economic Officer

Tel.: (992-372) 210348; 210352; 241560

Fax: (992-372) 210362; 510028

Email: <HorstEK@state.gov>

Jamshed A. Rahmonberdiev

BISNIS Representative in Tajikistan

Email: <RahmonberdievJA@state.gov>

F.  **[UZBEKISTAN]{.underline}**

**Project Name : Basic Education for Children with Special Needs**

**(formerly Improving Access and Quality of Basic**

**Education to Disadvantaged Children)**

**Project No. :** UZB 38657-01

**Executing Agency :** Ministry of Public Education

**Grant Amount** **:** US\$ 1,000,000.00

**Sector/Subsector :** Education /Basic Education

**Objectives and Scope:**

The Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) project will: (i) improve
the learning performance, social confidence, and social integration of
children with special needs in selected pilot schools via inclusive and
integrated approaches, (ii) develop teacher training modules and
learning materials for children with special needs and to use these for
pilot schools that can be replicated throughout the special education
sector, and (iii) demonstrate via the pilot schools the benefits of
inclusive and/or integrated education approaches for children with
special needs in basic schools and to develop proactive strategies that
will lead directly to the effective inclusion and integration of
children with special needs in mainstream basic schools.

**Consulting Services:** Consulting services yet to be determined.

**Environmental Assessment:** Not Required.

**Project Processing Stage:** Staff Review Committee (SRC) Meeting
completed: 26 October 2005.

**Recruitment of Consultants:** To be determined.

**Project Officer :** Sri Wening Handayani

Social Sectors Division

East and Central Asia Department

Tel.: (63-2) 632-6839

Email: <swhandayani@adb.org>

## **In-country U.S. Embassy**

**Commercial Officer :** Jahangir Kakharov

> BISNIS Representative in Uzbekistan
>
> Tel.: (998-71) 138-6976; Fax: (998-71) 138-6977
>
> Valery Martinenko, DRIVE
>
> Tel.: 998 71 120-5450; Fax: 998 71 120-6335
>
> Economic Section Department of State
>
> Erika Olson, Police and Economic Officer
>
> U.S. Embassy Tashkent
>
> Email: <OlsonE@state.gov>