Opportunity Information: Apply for MCC 15 RFI 0001
Apply for MCC 15 RFI 0001
- The Millennium Challenge Corporation in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Request for Information Off grid Clean Energy Solutions for Benin" and is now available to receive applicants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 6, 2015 and posted on Feb 6, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 6, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
The "Request for Information: Off-grid Clean Energy Solutions for Benin" (MCC 15 RFI 0001) is an information-gathering notice from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), working with the Government of Benin through the UCF coordination unit, as MCC prepares a proposed $300 million compact focused on Benin's electricity sector (anticipated for signing in August 2015, subject to negotiations and MCC Board approval). The central purpose of the RFI is not to award funding immediately, but to collect practical project concepts and market-ready ideas that could expand access to renewable, off-grid electricity in Benin. MCC and UCF intend to use these submissions to decide whether a future compact should include a matching grant facility that would co-finance clean energy projects. If such a facility is created later, actual project awards would happen through a separate competitive process launched only after the compact is signed.
The opportunity is framed around a major access and reliability gap in Benin's power system. At the time of the notice, only about one-third of Benin's roughly 10 million people had electricity access, with stark differences between urban and rural areas (over half of urban residents connected compared to about 4.5 percent in rural areas). Per-capita electricity consumption is extremely low (about 110 kWh per year), and households and businesses face delays and high upfront connection costs. The grid itself suffers from high technical and commercial losses (around 22 percent), frequent outages and rationing, and weak service quality. Benin also depends heavily on imported electricity via regional arrangements: CEB (jointly owned by Benin and Togo) handles generation and transmission and supplies SBEE, the national distribution company, but CEB has limited domestic production and has relied on imports from neighbors such as Nigeria and Ghana. With regional demand rising, imports have been unreliable, while Benin's own demand has surged (doubling over the prior decade and projected to double again). In 2012, roughly 99 percent of on-grid supply was imported, with only a very small portion coming from Benin's own thermal and hydro assets. Alongside SBEE and CEB, the government was also standing up and reorganizing institutions for renewables and rural electrification, including the newly created ANADER (intended to become the lead for clean energy and off-grid electrification) and ABERME (historically focused on rural electrification and efficiency, with its future role expected to emphasize on-grid rural electrification). Against this backdrop, MCC is exploring how off-grid and clean-energy approaches could relieve shortages and expand access.
MCC and UCF request project concepts aligned to one of four focus areas. First, solutions for critical public infrastructure, such as water pumping and treatment, hospitals and clinics, courts, universities, schools, and ports. These concepts should pair the physical system (for example solar PV with storage, biomass generation, or mini-hydro) with an operational framework that makes long-term operations, maintenance, and replacement realistic for the host institution. Second, community or commune-level mini-grids that include not just generation but also distribution infrastructure and the administrative mechanics for billing, operations, maintenance, and equipment replacement. MCC notes it would not fund "productive use" equipment directly (like irrigation or cold storage), but sponsors can count those productive-use investments toward the sponsor match requirement. Third, household-level generation and storage business models, especially approaches like pay-as-you-go or lease-to-own solar home systems, supported by Benin's high mobile phone penetration and fast-growing mobile banking ecosystem. The goal here is explicitly market development: building viable local businesses that can import, install, service, and repair these systems at scale. Fourth, energy efficiency measures, with an emphasis on business models that can deploy efficient appliances and equipment across government, households, and commercial users to lower lifecycle costs and reduce overall demand on constrained supply.
While the notice is an RFI, it includes a fairly clear picture of the funding structure MCC is considering if the grant facility is ultimately created. The concept is a matching cash grant to share roughly half the total project cost, with the sponsor contributing at least 50 percent of costs through cash or in-kind support. For projects led by nonprofits, faith-based groups, academic institutions, and rural communities or communes, the sponsor share could be reduced to at least 35 percent, with the facility covering up to 65 percent of total capital cost. MCC also signals a tentative grant size range of approximately $100,000 to $5 million per award, while emphasizing that the final range would be informed partly by the ideas received under this call.
Eligibility is intentionally broad. Any type of entity, US or non-US, can submit as long as it operates in Benin or intends to establish operations there. MCC explicitly welcomes responses from private companies, startups, project developers, nonprofits, universities, faith-based organizations, civic groups, international and regional organizations, bilateral and multilateral donors, vendors, and even Benin government public agencies or enterprises. Respondents can submit more than one concept.
Submissions are capped at five pages and can be written in English or French. MCC asks for concrete, decision-useful details: a clear project description and objectives; the mix of activities (technical assistance, design and construction, operations and maintenance); expected benefits and costs (allowing use of proxy data from other countries if Benin-specific figures are not available); estimated beneficiaries and where they are located; local partners; and a sustainability approach that goes beyond general intentions. The sustainability section is expected to resemble a real business or operating plan, explaining revenue collection and marketing, operational capacity for maintenance and replacement, how the model can scale and reduce reliance on grants over time, and how innovation, technology cost curves, and economies of scale could reduce costs or increase revenues in the future. MCC also invites respondents to specify the technologies proposed, listing examples such as solar PV (including smart-grid, thermal, or concentrated solar variants), biomass/biogas from waste or vegetation, hydropower (run-of-river, storage, or pumped storage), wind, and hybrid or other non-fossil generation options.
The deadline for submitting information was March 6, 2015, via email to benin@mcc.gov. MCC and UCF state that submissions will be kept confidential and used to shape the possible matching grant facility's scope, budget, implementation approach, and timeline. At the same time, the notice is careful about procurement expectations: it does not commit the US Government to fund any project, does not promise acknowledgment or feedback, and clarifies that any future request for proposals/applications would be a separate process where an RFI response would not count as an application. To support outreach, MCC/UCF also scheduled information sessions in February 2015 in Washington, D.C.; Cotonou; Casablanca; and Paris, and provided a point of contact for further questions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Request for Information (RFI) - Off-grid Clean Energy Solutions for Benin (MCC 15 RFI 0001)
1) What is this opportunity?
This is a Request for Information (RFI) titled "Off-grid Clean Energy Solutions for Benin" (reference MCC 15 RFI 0001). It is an information-gathering notice issued by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), working with the Government of Benin through the UCF coordination unit.
2) Is this an application for funding?
No. The RFI is not a funding application and is not an award or procurement process. Its purpose is to collect practical project concepts and market-ready ideas. Any future funding opportunity would be launched later through a separate competitive process, and only after a compact is signed.
3) What is MCC trying to accomplish with this RFI?
MCC and UCF are gathering concepts that could expand access to renewable, off-grid electricity in Benin. The submissions are intended to help MCC decide whether a future MCC-Benin compact should include a matching grant facility to co-finance clean energy projects.
4) What is the larger program or context behind this RFI?
MCC was preparing a proposed $300 million compact focused on Benin's electricity sector, anticipated for signing in August 2015 (subject to negotiations and MCC Board approval). The RFI supports planning for that potential compact.
5) Why is MCC focusing on off-grid and clean energy in Benin?
The notice describes major gaps in Benin's electricity access and reliability, including low access rates (about one-third of the population), very low per-capita consumption (about 110 kWh/year), high losses (around 22%), frequent outages and rationing, and heavy reliance on imported on-grid electricity (about 99% of on-grid supply imported in 2012). Off-grid and clean-energy approaches are being explored as potential ways to expand access and reduce shortages.
6) What kinds of project concepts is MCC requesting?
MCC and UCF request concepts aligned to one of four focus areas:
- Critical public infrastructure power solutions (e.g., water pumping/treatment, hospitals/clinics, courts, universities, schools, ports) paired with a realistic long-term operations and maintenance framework.
- Community/commune-level mini-grids including generation plus distribution and practical systems for billing, operations, maintenance, and equipment replacement.
- Household-level generation and storage business models such as pay-as-you-go or lease-to-own solar home systems, leveraging mobile phone penetration and mobile banking to build viable local businesses.
- Energy efficiency concepts, especially business models to deploy efficient appliances/equipment across government, households, and commercial users to reduce lifecycle costs and total demand.
7) For public infrastructure projects, what does MCC expect beyond installing equipment?
The RFI emphasizes that concepts should pair the physical system (for example solar PV with storage, biomass generation, or mini-hydro) with an operational approach that makes long-term operations, maintenance, and replacement realistic for the host institution.
8) For mini-grids, what needs to be included in the concept?
Mini-grid concepts should include not only generation, but also distribution infrastructure and the administrative and operational mechanics for billing, operations, maintenance, and equipment replacement.
9) Will MCC fund productive-use equipment (like irrigation or cold storage) as part of mini-grid concepts?
No. The notice states MCC would not fund "productive use" equipment directly (examples given include irrigation or cold storage). However, sponsors can count productive-use investments toward the sponsor match requirement.
10) What does MCC mean by household-level business models?
The RFI highlights models such as pay-as-you-go or lease-to-own solar home systems, with an explicit goal of market development: building viable local businesses that can import, install, service, and repair systems at scale in Benin.
11) What is the emphasis for energy efficiency concepts?
The RFI emphasizes business models capable of deploying efficient appliances and equipment across government, households, and commercial users to lower lifecycle costs and reduce demand on constrained electricity supply.
12) What technologies are acceptable under this RFI?
MCC invites respondents to specify technologies and lists examples including:
- Solar PV (including smart-grid, thermal, or concentrated solar variants)
- Biomass/biogas (from waste or vegetation)
- Hydropower (run-of-river, storage, or pumped storage)
- Wind
- Hybrid or other non-fossil generation options
13) Who is eligible to submit an RFI response?
Eligibility is broad. Any type of entity, US or non-US, may submit as long as it operates in Benin or intends to establish operations there. MCC explicitly welcomes responses from private companies, startups, project developers, nonprofits, universities, faith-based organizations, civic groups, international and regional organizations, bilateral and multilateral donors, vendors, and Benin government public agencies or enterprises.
14) Can an organization submit more than one concept?
Yes. Respondents may submit more than one concept.
15) How long can the submission be, and what language can it be written in?
Submissions are capped at five pages and may be written in English or French.
16) What information should a submission include?
MCC requests concrete, decision-useful details, including:
- Clear project description and objectives
- Mix of activities (technical assistance, design and construction, operations and maintenance)
- Expected benefits and costs (proxy data from other countries is acceptable if Benin-specific data is unavailable)
- Estimated beneficiaries and their locations
- Local partners
- A sustainability approach that goes beyond general intentions
17) What does MCC expect in the sustainability section?
The RFI expects sustainability to read like a practical business or operating plan. It should explain revenue collection and marketing, operational capacity for maintenance and replacement, how the model can scale and reduce reliance on grants over time, and how innovation, technology cost curves, and economies of scale could reduce costs or increase revenues in the future.
18) Is MCC planning to create a grant program later, and what might it look like?
MCC indicates it is considering a future matching cash grant facility to co-finance clean energy projects, but this would only happen if included in a future compact. The RFI is partly intended to inform the facility's scope, budget, implementation approach, and timeline.
19) If a matching grant facility is created, what match rate is MCC considering?
The RFI describes a tentative structure where the facility would share roughly half the total project cost, with the sponsor contributing at least 50% through cash or in-kind support.
20) Are there different match requirements for nonprofits or community-based applicants?
Yes. For projects led by nonprofits, faith-based groups, academic institutions, and rural communities or communes, the sponsor share could be reduced to at least 35%, with the facility covering up to 65% of total capital cost (as described in the notice as a possible structure).
21) What grant size is MCC considering if the facility is created?
MCC signals a tentative award range of approximately $100,000 to $5 million per project, noting that the final range would be informed in part by the ideas received under this RFI.
22) Does submitting to the RFI guarantee funding, selection, or follow-up?
No. The notice states it does not commit the US Government to fund any project, does not promise acknowledgment or feedback, and clarifies that any future request for proposals/applications would be separate. An RFI response would not count as an application.
23) How will submissions be used?
MCC and UCF state that submissions will be used to shape the possible matching grant facility's scope, budget, implementation approach, and timeline.
24) Will submissions be kept confidential?
Yes. MCC and UCF state that submissions will be kept confidential.
25) When was the deadline to submit information?
The submission deadline stated in the notice was March 6, 2015.
26) How were submissions requested to be delivered?
Responses were requested via email to benin@mcc.gov.
27) Were there any information sessions for potential respondents?
Yes. MCC/UCF scheduled information sessions in February 2015 in Washington, D.C.; Cotonou; Casablanca; and Paris, and provided a point of contact for additional questions.
28) Which Benin institutions are mentioned in connection with the electricity sector context?
The notice references:
- SBEE as the national distribution company
- CEB (jointly owned by Benin and Togo) handling generation and transmission and supplying SBEE
- ANADER as newly created and intended to become the lead for clean energy and off-grid electrification
- ABERME as historically focused on rural electrification and efficiency, with an expected future role emphasizing on-grid rural electrification
29) Does the RFI allow use of non-Benin data to estimate benefits and costs?
Yes. MCC allows use of proxy data from other countries if Benin-specific figures are not available.
30) Does the RFI specify what kinds of activities can be part of a concept?
Yes. MCC asks respondents to describe the mix of activities, including items like technical assistance, design and construction, and operations and maintenance.
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