The government of Haiti has issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) seeking private sector operators for the Cap Haitien Port PPP project.

The proposed project entails the lease, management, operation and maintenance of the international container terminal at Cap Haitien Port under a 25-year PPP contract. Interested firms have until 11 August to respond to the RFQ. The government plans to name a preferred bidder in December 2016 and achieve financial close by late January 2017.

The project is being procured by the Haitien government alongside the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Autorité Portuaire Nationale (APN). This initiative is aimed at promoting economic growth outside of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The port is operated under a nine-year lease agreement signed in February 2006 between APN and a US-based port operator. But the government took the decision to terminate the existing contract. An early termination notification was sent by APN to the operator on 23 January 2015 with an obligation to leave the port premises by end of December 2016. A short-term extension of the operator contract to ensure operations continuity could be considered by APN.

USAID will contribute up to $65 million for the port project which is expected to increase service quality standards to provide shipping lines with improved port services in line with international best practices, enhance the position of port as a competitive port in the region and introduce technical know-how and operational port efficiencies.

International Finance Corporation was appointed as lead adviser by the government to assist in the structuring and implementation of the transaction. USAID and the Unité Centrale de Gestion des PPP, the PPP Unit in Haiti, will also provide support on the transaction. 

IFC’s legal counsel is being provided by Dentons Canada and Cabinet Salès, while Gide Loyrette Nouel is USAID’s legal counsel. IFC’s technical consultants are Aecom and HPC/Sellhorn, USAID's technical consultant is Nathan Associates.