Thailand - Fifth Education Project : Credit 0913 - Credit Agreement - Conformed

「니 r f CREDIT NUMBER 913 TH DEVELOPMENT CREDIT AGREEMENT AGRgEXENIT., dated June 28, 1979, between KINGDOM, OF THAILAND (hereinafter called the Borrower) and INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 0 ASSOCIATION (hereinafter called the Association).. ARTICLE I General Conditions; Definitions 7 Section 1.01. The parties to this Agr eement accept all the provisions of the General Conditions Appli"'C"able to Development Credit, Agreements of the Asssociation, dated March 15, 1974, with the same force and effect as if they were fully set forth herein (said General Conditions Applicable to Development Credit Agreements of the Association being hereinafter called the General Conditions). Section 1.02. Wherever used in this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires, the several terms defined -in the General Coiiditions have the respective meanings therein set forth and the following additional terms have the following meanings: 4 A (a) "MOE" means the Borrower's Ministry of Education, or any successor thereof; (b) "NEC" means the Borrower's National Education Commis- sion, or any successor thereof; (c) -means the Borrower's Civil Service Commission or any successor thereof; (d) "PRD"' means the Borrower's Public Relations Department orany successor thereof# and (e) "CPU" means the Central Procurement Unit established within the MOE or any successor thereof. ARTICLE II The Credit Section 2.01. The Association agrees to lend to the Borrower, T on the terms and conditions in the Development Credit. Agreement -2- set forth or referred to, an amount in various currencies equiva- lent to thirty five million dollars ($35,000,000). Section 2.02. The amount of the Credit may be withdrawn from the Credit Account in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 1 to this Agreement, as such Schedule may be amended from time to time by agreement between the Borrower and the Associ- ation, for expenditures made (or, if the Association shall so agree, to be made) in respect of the reasonable cost of goods and services required for the Project described in Schedule 2 to this Agreement and to be financed out of the proceeds of the Credit. Section 2.03. Except as the Association shall otherwise agree, procurement of the goods and civil works to be financed out of the proceeds of the C'edit, shall be governed by the provisions of Schedule 3 to this Agreement. Section 2.04. The Closing Date shall be June 30, 1985 or such later date as the Association shall establish. The Associ- ation shall promptly notify the Borrower of such later date. Section 2.05. The Borrower shall pay to the Association a service charge at the rate of three-fourths of one per cent (3/4 of 1%) per annum on the principal amount of the Credit withdrawn and outstanding from time to time. Section 2.06. Service charges shall be payable semiannually on May 15 and November 15 in each year. Section 2.07. The Borrower shall repay the principal amount of the Credit in semiannual installments payable on each May 15 and November 15 commencing November 15, 1989, and ending May 15, 2029, each installment to and including the installment payable on May 15, 1999, to be one-half of one per cent (1/2 of 1%) of such principal amount, and each installment thereafter to be one and one-half per cent (1-1/2%) of such principal amount. Section 2.08. The currency of the United States of America is hereby specified for the purposes of Section 4.02 of the General Conditions. ARTICLE III Execution of the Project Section 3.01. (a) The Borrower shall carry out the Project with due diligence and efficiency and in conformity with appro- priate administrative, financial, engineering, architectural and AL -3- educational practices, and shall provide, p:cemptly as needed, the funds, facilities, staff, services and other resources required for the purpose. (b) Without limitation on the generality of paragraph (a) above, the, Borrower shall carry "out the Project as follows: (i) Parts I, II (A), II (B), III (A), III (C) (2) and III (c) (3) through MOE; (ii) Part II (C) through PRD; (iii) Part III (B) through CSC; and (iv) Part III (C) (1) through NEC. Section 3.02. In order to assist the Borrower in carrying out the Project, the Borrower shall, whenever necessary, employ educational, procurement, architectural and engineering consul- tants whose qualifications, experience and terms and conditions of employment shall be satisfactory to the Borrower and the Asso- ciation. Section 3.03. The Borrower shall: (a) maintain and operate, in a manner satisfactory to the Association, the CPU with powers, responsibilities and staff substantially as set forth in Schedule 4 to this Agreement; and (b) by June 30, 1981, conduct a review of the CPU with the view of enabling it to assume full responsibility for all design and procurement functions within MOE. Section 3.04. The Borrower shall promptly establish and staff in a manner satisfactory to the Association, and thereafter maintain and operate the center for educational administration training to be constructed under Part III (A) of the Project. Section 3.05. For purposes of carrying out Parts I, III (A) and III (B) of the Project, the Borrower shall establish, not later than three months prior to the commissioning of each of the facilities provided thereunder, and thereafter maintain an advisory group for each such facility, with representation and terms of reference satisfactory to the Association. 4 Section 3.06. For purposes of carrying out Part II (C) of the Project, the Borrower shall: (a) use the education radio network exclusively for educa- tion and training purposes to supplement the formal and non-formal educational programs of the Borrower; (b) prepare and furnish to the Association, for its com- ments, by December 31, 1979, procedures for testing and revising in-school radio programs and for monitoring the classroo' use of said programs, and shall thereafter make such adjustments as shall be necessary to improve the effectiveness thereof; (c) establish, by June 30, 1980, and thereafter maintain a Programming Board, chaired by the Secretary-General of the NEC, with membership, powers and terms of reference satisfactory to the Association, to coordinate program development and scheduling, and the operation of the facilities provided thereunder; and (d) prepare and furnish to the Association, for its com- ments, by December 31,1980, a plan for the distribution, main- tenance and inventory control of school radio equipment, and shall thereafter act in accordance with such plan. Section 3.07. The Borrower shall conduct the ple: ning studies included in Part III (c) of the Project under terms of reference satisfactory to the Association. Section 3.08. The Borrower shall prepare and furnish to the Association for its review and comments: (a) by December 31, 1979, the Borrower's long-term (1980-1990 years) program for the train- ing of staff in the facilities to be constructed under Parts III (A) and III (B) of the Project; and (b) by December 31 of each of the years 1980 through 1984, the Borrower's program for the training of staff in the above facilities for each following year. Section 3.09. The Borrower shall, with respect to tA Area Vocational Centers and the Community Secondary Schools included in Part I of the Project: (a) establish a tracer system to follow the careers of students who enroll in said centers and schools for the purpose of improving the efficiency of education programs thereof; (b) submit to the Association for its comments, within one year from the date of this Agreement, its design for the tracer system including .an implementation schedule; and (c) V~~~ ~. ~ ...- 5 --~ - -5- furnish to the Association biennially, for six years following inception of the tracer system, a summary analysis of infor- mation gathered. Section 3.10. (a) The Borrower undertakes to insure, or make adequate provision for the insurance of, the imported goods to be financed out of the proceeds of the Credit against hazards incident to the acquisition, transportation and delivery thereof to the place of use or installation, and for such insurance any indemnity shall be payable in a currency freely usable by the Borrower to replace or repair such goods. (b) Except as the Association shall otherwise agree, the Borrower shall cause all goods and services financed out of the proceeds of the Credit to be used exclusively for the Project. Section 3.11. (a) The Borrower shall furnish to the Associa- tion, promptly upon their preparation, the plans, proposed bid packages, specifications, reports, contract documents and con- struction and procurement schedules for the Project, and any material modifications thereof or additions thereto, in such detail as the Association shall reasonably request. (b) The Borrower: (i) shall maintain records and procedures adequate to record and monitor the progress of the Project (including its cost and the benefits to be derived from it), to identify the goods and services financed out of the proceeds of the Credit, and to disclose their use in the Project; (ii) shall enable the Association's accredited representatives to visit the facilities and construction sites included in the Project and to examine the goods financed out of the proceeds of the Credit and any relevant records and documents; and (iii) shall furnish to the Association at regular intervals all such information as the Association shall reasonably request concerning the Project, its cost and, where appropriate, the benefits to be derived from it, the expenditure of the proceeds of the Credit and the goods and services financed out of such proceeds. (c) As part of the information to be furnished to the Association pursuant to paragraph (b) (iii) above, the Borrower shall cause NEC to prepare and furnish to the Association a mid-term and a final Project evaluation report, in scope and form satisfactory to the Association and incorporating the views of the departments and agencies of the Borrower concerned with -6- the Project or any Part thereof, respectively by December 31, 1982, and by June 30, 1986. (d) Promptly after completion of the Project, but in any event not later than six months after the Closing Date or such later date as may be agreed for this purpose between the Borrower and the Association, the Borrower shall prepare and furnish to the Association a completion report, of such scope and in such detail as the Association shall reasonably request, on the execution and initial operation of the Project, its cost and the benefits derived and to be derived from it, the performance by the Borrower and the Association of their respective obligations under the Development Credit Agreement and the accomplishment of the pur- poses of the Credit. Section 3.12. The Borrower shall take or cause to be taken all such action as shall be necessary to acquire, not later than six months prior to the start of construction of each of the facilities included in the Project, all such land and rights in respect of land as shall be required for the construction (and operation) of each of the said facilities and shall furnish to the Association, promptly after such acquisition, evidence satis- factory to the Association that such land and rights in respect of land are available for purposes related to the Project. ARTICLE IV Other Covenants Section 4.01. The Borrower shall maintain or cause to be maintained records adequate to reflect in accordance with consis- tently maintained appropriate accounting practices the operations, resources and expenditures, in respect of the Project, of the departments or agencies of the Borrower responsible for c,arrying out the Project or any part thereof. Section 4.02. (a) The Borrower shall at all times: (a) (i) operate the facilities under the Project in accor- dance with appropriate administrative and educa- tional policies and practices and with due regard to economy; and (ii) cause said facilities to be staffed with qualified staff in adequate numbers; and - 7 - (b) cause the buildings, furniture and equipment of the facilities under the Project to be adequately maintained and shall cause all necessary repairs and renewals thereof properly to be made. ARTICLE V Termination Section 5.01. The date September 26, 1979 is hereby specified for the purposes of Section 12.04 of the General Conditions. Section 5.02. The obligations of the Borrower under Sections 3.03, 3.04, 3.05, 3.11 and 4.02 of this Agreement shall cease and determine on a date 15 years after the date of this Agreement or on the date on which the Development Credit Agreement shall terminate, whichever shall be the earlier. ARTICLE VI Representatives of the Borrower; Addresses Section 6.01. The Minister of Finance of the Borrower is designated as representative of the Borrower for the purposes of Section 11.03 of the General Conditions. Section 6.02. The following addresses are specified for the purposes of Section 11.01 of the General Conditions: For the Borrower: Minister of Finance Ministry of Finance Bangkok Thailand Cable address: Telex: MINANCE TH-2823 Bangkok r -8- For the Association: International Development Association, 1818 H-Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433 United States of America Cable address: Telex: INDEVAS 440098 (ITT) Washington, D.C. 248423 (RCA) or 64145 (WUI) IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto, acting through their representatives thereunto duly authorized, have caused this Agreement to be signed in their respective names in the District of Columbia, United States of America, as of the day and year first above written. KINGDOM OF THAILAND By /s/ Klos Visessurakarn Authorized Representative INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIAT.ON By /s/ S. Shahid Husain Regional Vice President East Asia and Pacific (" -9- SCHEDULE 1 Withdrawal of the Proceeds of the Credit 1. The table below sets forth the Categories of items to be financed out of the proceeds of the Credit, the allocation of the amounts of the Credit to each Category and the percentage of expenditures for items so to be financed in each Category: Amount of the Credit· Allocated % of (Expressed in Expenditures Category Dollar Equivalent) to be Financed (1) Civil works 30% (a) Part III (A) 800,000 of the Project (b) other 8,200,000 2 Furniture and equipment (a) Part III (A) 2,000,000 of the Project (1) directly im- 100% of foreign ported expenditures (ii) manufactured 100% of local locally expenditures (ex-factory) (iii) procured lo- 60% cally of f-the- shelf (b) other 15,000,000 (1) directly im- 100% of foreign ported' expenditures (ii) manufactured l,0% of local locally expenditures (ex-factory) -10 - Amount of the Credit Allocated % of (Expressed in Expenditures Category Dollar Equivalent) to be Financed (iii) procured lo- 60% cally off-the- shelf (3) Consultants' services 1,500,000 100% (4) Training and fellow- 3,500,000 100% ships (5) Unallocated 4,000,000 TOTAL 35,000,000 2. For the purposes of this Schedule: (a) the term "foreign expenditures" means expenditures in the currency of any .,country other than the Borrower and for goods or services supplied from the territory of any country other than the Borrower; and (b) the term "local expenditures" means expenditures in the currency of the Borrower and for goods or services supplied from the territory of the Borrower. 3. The disbursement percentages have been calculated in com- pliance with the policy of the Association that no proceeds of the Credit shall be disbursed on account of payments for taxes levied by, or in the territory of, the Borrower on goods or services, or on the importation, manufacture, procurement or supply thereof; to that end, if the amount of any such taxes levied on o. in respect of any item to be financed out of the proceeds of the Credit decreases or increases, the Association may, by notice to the Borrower, increase or decrease the disbursement percentage then applicable to such item as required to be consistent with the aforementioned policy of the Association. 4. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1 above, no withdrawals shall be made in respect of payments made for expen- ditures: - 11 - (a) prior to the date of this Agreement; and (b) under Categories (1) (a) and (2) (a) until the Asso- ciation has been furnished with evidence satisfactory to the Association that the Borrower has established and staffed the center for educational administration training, pursuant to Section 3.04 of this Agreement. 5. Notwithstanding the allocation of an amount of the Credit or the disbursement percentages set forth in the table in para- graph 1 above, if the Association has reasonably estimated that the amount of the Credit then allocated to any Category will be insufficient to finance the agreed percentage of all expenditures in that Category, the Association may, by notice to the Borrower: (i) reallocate to such Category, to the extent required to meet the estimated shortfall, proceeds of the Credit which are then allocated to another Category and which in the opinion of the Association are not needed to meet other expendi- tures, and (ii) if such reallocation cannot fully meet the estimated shortfall, reduce the disbursement percentage then applicable to such expenditures in order that further withdrawals under such Category may continue until all expenditures thereunder shall have been made. 6. If the Association shall have reasonably determined that the procurement of any item in any Category is inconsistent with the procedures set forth. or referred to in this Agreement, no expenditures for such item shall be financed out of the proceeds of the Credit and the Association may, without in any way restricting or limiting any other right, power or remedy of the Association under the Development Credit Agreement, by notice to the Borrower, cancel such amount of the Credit as, in the Associ- ation's reasonable opinion, represents the amount of such expendi- tures which would otherwise have been eligible for financing out of the proceeds of the Credit. -12- SCHEDULE 2 Description of the Project The Project is designed to assist the Borrower in: (a) the strengthening of its educational system through further implementation of its program to diversify secondary education; (b) the equalization of the quality of school education and the expansion of the coverage of out-of-school education by educa- tional radio; and (c) the strengthening of its management and planning. The Project consists of the following Parts: Part I: Diversification of Secondary Education (A) Construction, furnishing and equipping of twelve cen- tralized workshop complexes (Area Vocational Centers), including the construction in each complex of about fifteen houses for the staff thereof, to provide for practical instruction to students from academic secon- dary schools. (B) Construction, furnishing and equipping of a library, one or more classrooms, one or more general science rooms, and one or more multipurpose workshops for each of about forty existing lower secondary schools in rural areas (Community Secondary Schools). Part II: Expansion and Improvement of Educational Radio (A) Construction, furnishing and equipping of new central production facilities for the Center for Education Technology in MOE. (B) Provision of radio receivers and receiver recorders for in-school use. (C) Provision of a national education radio network through construction, furnishing and equipping of eleven radio transmission facilities and three regional production studios. Part III: Strengthening of the Borrower's Management and Planning (A) Construction, furnishing and equipping of a center for educational administration training. -13- (B) Construction, furnishing and equipping of a civil service training center. (C) Carrying out of the following studies: (1) school location planning; (2) adult education review; and (3) other education sector and project preparation studies. Part IV: Technical Assistance Provision of about 60 man-years of specialists' services and of about 55 man-years of fellowships to assist the Borrower in implementing the Project and developing appropriate Project monitoring and evaluation proce- dures. The cr,teria for the location of the facilities included in Part I, of the Project shall be substantially as set forth in the Annex to this Schedule. The Project is expected to be completed by June 30, 1984. t% -14- ANNEX TO SCHEDULE 2 Criteria for the Location of the Facilities Included in Part I of the Project Criteria to be applied for selection of location and sites for Area Vocational Centers and Community Secondary Schools: (a) Area Vocational Centers: (i) one center should be located in each of the 12 educational regions; (ii) centers should be located in predominantly agricul- tural areas, where diversified secondary schools do not yet exist; (iii) centers should have, within a radius of about 15 km, an aggregate general secondary school enroll- ment (public and private) sufficient to ensure adequate utilization thereof; and (iv) centers should have at least 1 ha of land with good access to satisfactory road networks, public transportation facilities and irrigation water needed for agricultural related activities. (b) Community Secondary Schools: (i) schools should be selected (A) in rural areas; (B) with enrollments not exceeding 960; and (C) where practical facilities for training are not readily available; and (ii) schools should have (A) school buildings that were erected with community support; (B) 6 ha of land and access to irrigation water needed for agricultural-ielated activities; (C) when fully developed, between 9 and 21 class groups in the three grades of each school; and (D) a catchment area with an average radius of 5 km. To the extent practicable Area Vocational Centers and Commu- nity Secondary Schools included in the Project should be located in relatively disadvantaged economic areas (with per capita incomes below the national average). 14I -15- SCHEDULE 3 Procurement A. International Competitive Bidding 1. Except as provided in Part D hereof, goods shall be procured under contracts awarded in accordance -with procedures consistent with those set forth in the "Guidelines for Procurement under World Bank Loans and IDA Credits" published by the Bank in March 1977 (hereinafter called the Guidelines), on the basis of inter- national competitive bidding as described in Part A of the Guide- lines. 2. For goods to be procured on the basis of international competitive bidding, in addition to the requirements of paragraph 1.2 of the Guidelines, the Borrower shall prepare and forward to the Association as soon as possible, and in any event not later than 60 days prior to the date of availability to the public of the first tender or prequalification documents relating thereto, as the case may be, a general procurement notice, in such form and detail and containing such information as the Association shall reasonably request; the Association will arrange for the publica- tion of such notice in order to provide timely notification to prospective bidders of the opportunity to bid for the goods in question. The Borrower shall provide the necessary information to update such notice annually so long as any goods remain to be procured on the basis of international competitive bidding. 3. For the purpose of evaluation and comparison of bids for the supply of goods to be procured on the basis of international competitive bidding, (i) bidders shall be required to state in their bid the c.i.f. (port of entry) price for imported goods, or the ex-factory price for domestically manufactured goods; (ii) customs duties and other import taxes on imported goods, and sales and similar taxes on domestically supplied goods, shall be excluded; and (iii) the cost to the Borrower of inland freight and other expenditures incidental to the delivery of goods to the place of their use or installation shall be included. B. Preference for Domestic Manufacturers In the procurement of goods in accordance with the procedures described in Part A of this Schedule, goods manufactured in Thailand may be granted a margin of preference in accordance with, and subject to, the following provisions: - 16 - 1. All bidding documents for the procurement of goods shall clearly indicate any preference which "ill be granted, the infor- mation required to establish the eligibility of a bid for such preference and the following methods and stages that will be followed in the evaluation and comparison of bids. 2. After evaluation, responsive bids will be classified in one of the following three groups: (1) Group A: bids offering goods manufactured in Thailand if the bidder shall have established to the satisfaction of the Borrower and the Associa- tion that the manufacturing cost of such goods includes a value added in Thailand equal to at least 20% of the ex-factory bid price of such goods. (2) Group B: all other bids offering goods ma,nufactured in Thailand. (3) Group C: bids offering any other goods. 3. All evaluated bids in each group shall be first compared among themselves, excluding any customs duties and other import taxes on goods to be imported and any sales or similar taxes on goods to be supplied domestically, to determine the lowest evaluated bid of each group. Such lowest evaluated bids shall then be compared with each other, and if, as a result of this comparison, a bid from group A or group B is the lowest, it shall be selected for the award. 4. If, as a result of the comparison under paragraph 3 above, the lowest bid is a bid from group C, all group C bids shall be further compared with the lowest evaluated bid from group A after adding to the evaluated bid price of the imported goods offered in each group C bid, for the purpose of this further comparison only, an amount equal to: (i) the amount of customs duties and other import taxes which a non-exempt importer would have to pay for the importation of the goods offered in such, group C bid; or (ii) 15% of the c.i.f. bid price of such goods if said customs duties and taxes exceed 15% of such price. If the group A bid in such further comparison is the lowest, it shall be selected for the award; if not, the bid from group C which as a result of the comparison under paragraph 3 is the lowest evaluated bid shall be selected. 141 -17- C. Bid Packages CoAtracts for goods and civil works shall be grouped to the maximum extent reasonable '\So as to permit bulk procurement consistent with appropriate technical standards and procurement practices. D. Other Procurement Procedures Notwithstanding the pr visions of Part A and C above: (a) All contracts for civil works and those contracts for equipment and furniture which cannot be grouped in bid packages estimated to cost the equivalent of $100,000 or more each, may be procured in accordance with local competitive bidding procedures of the Borrower, accept- able to the Association. (b) Miscellaneous items estimated to cost the equivalent of $10,000 or less each and with an aggregate value not exceeding the equivalent of $300,000, may be pro- cured off-the-shelf on the basis of at least three price quotations. (c) Bo61-s and journals may be procured on the basis of negotiated contracts with the suppliers of said books and journals. E. Review of Procurement Decisions by the Association 1. Review of invitations to bid and of proposed awards and final contracts: With respect to all contracts for civil works estimated to cost the equivalent of $300,000 or more and of all contracts for furniture and equipment estimated to cost the equivalent of $100,000 or more: (a) Before bids are invited, the Borrower shall furnish to the Association, for its comments, the text of the invitations to bid and the specifications and other bidding documents, together with a description of the advertising proce,iures to be followed for the bidding, and shall make such modifications in the said documents or procedures as the Association shall reasonably request. Any further modification to the bidding documents shall -18- require the Association's concurrence before it is issued to the prospective bidders. (b) After bids have been received and evaluated, the Bor- rower shall, before a final decision on the award is made, inform the Association of the name of the bidder to which it intends to award the contract and shall furnish to the Association, in suffi- cient time for its review, a detailed report on the evaluation and comparison of the bids received, and such other information as the Association shall reasonably request. The Association shall, if it determines that the intended award would be inconsis- tent with the Guidelines or this Schedule, promptly inform the Borrower and state the reasons for such determination. (c) The terms and conditions of the contract shall not, without the Association's concurrence, materially differ from those on which bids were asked or prequalification invited. (d) Two conformed copies of the contract shall be furnished to the Association promptly after its execution and prior to the submission to the Association of the first application for withdrawal of funds from the Credit Account in respect of such contract. 2. With respect to each contract not governed by the preceding paragraph, the Borrower shall furnish to the Association, promptly after its execution and prior to the submission to the Association of the first application for withdrawal of funds from the Credit Account in respect of such contract, two conformed copies of such contract, together with the analysis of the respective bids, recommendations for award and such other information as the Association shall reasonably request. The Association shall, if it determines that the award of the contract was not consistent with the Guidelines or this Schedule, promptly inform the Borrower and state the reasons for such determination. 3. Before agreeing to any material modification or waiver of the terms and conditions of a contract, or granting an exten- sion of the stipulated time for performance of such contract, or issuing any change order under such contract (except in cases of extreme urgency) which would increase the cost of the contract by more than 10% of the original price, the Borrower shall inform the Association of the proposed modification, waiver, extension or change order and the reasons therefor. The Association, if it determines that the proposal would be inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement, shall promptly inform the Borrower and state the reasons for its determination. -rT - 19 - SCHEDULE 4 Central Procurement Unit Powers, Responsibilities and Staffing of CPU The Central Procurement Unit is established as a subdivision in the External Relations Division of the MOE, reporting directly to the office of the Under-Secretary of State for Education. The Unit provides procurement services (project monitoring, procurement of goods and services, budgeting and disbursements) for MOE and other agencies concerned with externally assisted education projects and provides liaison with multilateral and bilateral aid agencies concerned with education projects. While the MOE departments sign contracts, request and administer budget funds, and make payments under contracts, the CPU prepares and reviews contracts, assists in the preparation of budget requests and advises when payments on contracts are due. The Unit has four sections equipped to perform the following services: (a) the civil works section provides a full range of profes- sional services including: preparation of sketch plans, working drawings and tender documents; technical evaluation of bids; prequalification of contractors; advice on selection and contract- ing of professional services and contractors; monitoring of performance of consultants and civil works contractors; and advice on and monitoring of bid advertisements. (b) the equipment procurement section also provides a full range of professional services including: collection of catalogues and price lists; assistance in the preparation of furniture and equipment lists; preparation of specifications and tender documents; advising on, and monitoring of, bid adver- tisements; evaluation of bids; drafting of contracts for manufac- turing, storage and delivery of furniture and equipment; and monitoring of performance of suppliers and contractors; (c) the technical assistance section assists in drafting terms of. reference for experts (foreign and local), and helps to recruit suitable experts or to contract organizations that can provide technical assistance services needed for education pro- jects. The Section helps to define selection criteria for awarding fellowships and for selecting institutions or agencies for in- country or overseas training; - 20 - (d) the accountancy section, assists in the preparation and review of bdig,t requests for 'education projects and follows up on such requests, ensures effective use of budget funds, and monitors and reviews applications for withdrawals from- loans and credits. The CPU currently has 17 permanent staff positions and 2 advisory positions. Over the next two years the Borrower will take measures to strengthen the unit through recruitment of experienced staff, preferably from other departments within the MOE. Yi