The Government of North Macedonia, with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), initiated a public-private partnership (PPP) tender process with the objective of selecting a private partner for developing, constructing and operating the country’s natural gas distribution network. EBRD appointed a consortium, led by Grant Thornton, as Lead Consultant for the tender, with VIS as a key consortium member responsible for specialized regulatory and commercial inputs.
VIS led work related to the development of an appropriate tariff methodology for gas distribution, and regulatory aspects of the project. VIS also contributed to the preparation of the business and development plans for the new gas distribution system , providing input for gas demand projections, gas pricing assumptions, competitiveness of natural gas vis a vis alternative fuels, and the development of market penetration scenarios.
VIS drafted the Project Information Memorandum (PIM), outlining the key technical, commercial, and contractual aspects of the project and the PPP agreement. In addition, VIS actively contributed to the tender strategy formulation (public-private risk sharing arrangements, private partner qualifications, tender evaluation criteria etc.) and to the preparation of tender documents (RFP, shareholders’ agreement etc.). VIS participated in meetings and Q&A sessions with the Government, stakeholders and potential investors.