Consultancy Services for the Study and Development of the Smart Grid and Digital Transformation Roadmap

RISED project – Consultancy Services for the Study and Development of the Smart Grid and Digital Transformation Roadmap CONSULTING SERVICES Expressions of Interest Country: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Name of the Project: Consultancy Services for the Study and Development of the Smart Grid and Digital Transformation Roadmap Grant No: CET1135 09 Ref.No. EEP/AFD/ SG-DTR /CS/03/2026 Client: Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) Ethiopian Electric Power has received a financing from the European Union ("EU"), the management of which has been delegated to the Agence Française de Développement ("AFD"), and intends to use part of the funds thereof for payments under the following project: “Consultancy Services for the Study and Development of the Smart Grid and Digital Transformation Roadmap”. 1. Project Objective The objective of this assignment is to assess Ethiopian Electric Power’s (EEP) existing generation and transmission environment and to develop a comprehensive, actionable Smart Grid and Digital Transformation Roadmap that guides EEP’s technology investments and operational modernization over the short, medium, and long term. The Roadmap will accurately reflect the current state of EEP’s ICT and Operational Technology (OT) assets; identify and prioritize smart grid capabilities aligned with EEP’s operational needs, strategic goals, and regulatory obligations; ensure ICT/OT convergence, cybersecurity resilience, and sustainability integration across all phases; and explicit-ly address Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Twin, and other emerging technologies as key strate-gic focus areas. Delivered over a twelve (12) month engagement, the assignment strengthens EEP’s institutional capacity through structured knowledge transfer and training, and is aligned with the Digital Ethiopia 2030 strategy and international good practice for power-utility digitalization. 2. Operational Scope of the Consultancy Service The consultancy service encompasses a comprehensive assessment of EEP’s generation and transmission environment and the development of a phased Smart Grid and Digital Transformation Roadmap, covering ICT/OT environment assessment, needs and capability-gap analysis, architecture design, governance and cybersecurity frameworks, and a multi-year investment plan. The scope is confined to EEP’s generation and transmission environment, including the National Load Dispatch Center (NLDC), generation-plant control systems, transmission substations (66 kV above), the Market Management System (MMS), and associated ICT/OT and telecommunications infrastructure. The Consultant will provide all professional services necessary to deliver the tasks set out below, which include, but are not limited to, the following: • Task 1 – Inception and ICT/OT Environment Assessment • Task 2 – Needs Analysis and Smart Grid Capability Gap Assessment • Task 3 – Smart Grid and Digital Architecture Design • Task 4 – Governance, Cybersecurity and Data Management Framework • Task 5 – Investment Plan and Smart Grid Technology Roadmap • Task 6 – Roadmap Validation and Board Approval Assignment Duration, Team and Capacity Building • The assignment is delivered over twelve (12) months from contract effectiveness, in six phases (Inception; Needs and Gap Assessment; Architecture Design; Governance and Cybersecurity; Investment Plan and Roadmap; Validation and Approval); phases may overlap • The Consultant shall field a multidisciplinary team including a Project Manager / Lead ICT Strategy Consultant, a Lead OT / Power Systems Consultant, a Power Systems and Grid Automation Engineer, a Telecommunications / OT Network Specialist, an OT Cybersecurity and Governance Expert, an Enterprise Architect, a Data Governance and Analytics Specialist, an Infrastructure Economist, a Sustainability and Emerging-Technology Advisor, and a Stakeholder Management and Communications Specialist • Capacity building through structured knowledge transfer, a benchmarking program of one (1) site visit of one (1) week to comparable utilities for a five-member EEP delegation, and training and workshops program delivered in Addis Ababa for two (2) batches of eight (8) participants, each of two (2) weeks (ten (10) working days), for the EEP digital transformation teams • Reporting through a Document Management System with version control, monthly progress reports and quarterly executive briefings, in accordance with EEP confidentiality and OT rules of engagement. • The estimate contract size is 55 person-months for key experts. 3. Selection of Applicants Ethiopian Electric Power hereby invites Applicants to show their interest in delivering the Services described above. This Request for Expressions of Interest is open to: Eligibility criteria to AFD financing are specified in sub-clause 1.3 of the "Procurement Guidelines for AFD Financed Contracts in Foreign Countries", available online on AFD’s website: http://www.afd.fr. The Applicant shall submit only one application