Conformed Copy - C2697 - Rehabilitation Credit - Development Credit Agreement

Page 1 CONFORMED COPY CREDIT NUMBER 2697 GE Development Credit Agreement (Rehabilitation Credit) between REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA and INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION Dated March 31, 1995 CREDIT NUMBER 2697 GE DEVELOPMENT CREDIT AGREEMENT AGREEMENT, dated March 31, 1995, between REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA (the Borrower) and INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (the Association). WHEREAS: (A) the Association has received a letter dated February 17, 1995, from the Borrower describing a program of actions, objectives and policies designed to achieve economic stabilization and economic reform (hereinafter called the Program), declaring the Borrower's commitment to the execution of the Program, and requesting assistance from the Association in the financing of urgently needed imports required during such execution; and (B) on the basis, inter alia, of the foregoing, the Association has decided in support of the Program to provide such assistance to the Borrower by making the Credit as hereinafter provided; NOW THEREFORE the parties hereto hereby agree as follows: ARTICLE I General Conditions; Definitions Section 1.01. The "General Conditions Applicable to Development Credit Agreements" of the Association, dated January 1, 1985, with the modifications thereof set forth below Page 2 (the General Conditions) constitute an integral part of this Agreement: (a) Section 2.01, paragraph 9, shall be modified to read: "'Project' means the imports that may be financed out of the proceeds of the Credit pursuant to the provisions of Schedule 1 to the Development Credit Agreement."; (b) Section 9.06 (c) shall be modified to read: "(c) 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 report, of such scope and in such detail as the Association shall reasonably request, on the execution of the Program referred to in the Preamble to the Development Credit Agreement, the performance by the Borrower and the Association of their respective obligations under the Development Credit Agreement and the accomplishment of the purposes of the Credit."; and (c) the last sentence of Section 3.02 is deleted. Section 1.02. Unless the context otherwise requires, the several terms defined in the General Conditions and in the Preamble to this Agreement have the respective meanings therein set forth and the following additional term has the following meaning, namely that "SITC" means the Standard International Trade Classification, Revision 3 (SITC, Rev. 3), published by the United Nations in Statistical Papers, Series M, No. 343 (1986). ARTICLE II The Credit Section 2.01. The Association agrees to lend to the Borrower, on the terms and conditions set forth or referred to in the Development Credit Agreement, an amount in various currencies equivalent to fifty one million Special Drawing Rights (SDR 51,000,000). 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. Section 2.03. The Closing Date shall be June 30, 1996 or such later date as the Association shall establish. The Association shall promptly notify the Borrower of such later date. Section 2.04. (a) The Borrower shall pay to the Association a commitment charge on the principal amount of the Credit not withdrawn from time to time at a rate to be set by the Association as of June 30 of each year, but not to exceed the rate of one-half of one percent (1/2 of 1%) per annum. (b) The commitment charge shall accrue: (i) from the date sixty days after the date of this Agreement (the accrual date) to the respective dates on which amounts shall be withdrawn by the Borrower from the Credit Account or cancelled; and (ii) at the rate set as of the June 30 immediately preceding the accrual date or at such other rates as may be set from time to time thereafter pursuant to paragraph (a) above. The rate set as of June 30 in each year shall be applied from the next payment date in that year specified in Section 2.06 of this Agreement. (c) The commitment charge shall be paid: (i) at such places as the Association shall reasonably request; (ii) Page 3 without restrictions of any kind imposed by, or in the territory of, the Borrower; and (iii) in the currency specified in this Agreement for the purposes of Section 4.02 of the General Conditions or in such other eligible currency or currencies as may from time to time be designated or selected pursuant to the provisions of that Section. Section 2.05. The Borrower shall pay to the Association a service charge at the rate of three-fourths of one percent (3/4 of 1%) per annum on the principal amount of the Credit withdrawn and outstanding from time to time. Section 2.06. Commitment and service charges shall be payable semi-annually on February 1 and August 1 in each year. Section 2.07. (a) Subject to paragraphs (b) and (c) below, the Borrower shall repay the principal amount of the Credit in semi-annual installments payable on each February 1 and August 1 commencing August 1, 2005 and ending February 1, 2030. Each installment to and including the installment payable on February 1, 2015 shall be one and one-fourth per cent (1-1/4%) of such principal amount, and each installment thereafter shall be two and one-half percent (2-1/2%) of such principal amount. (b) Whenever (i) the Borrower's gross national product per capita, as determined by the Association, shall have exceeded $790 in constant 1985 dollars for five consecutive years and (ii) the Bank shall consider the Borrower creditworthy for Bank lending, the Association may, subsequent to the review and approval thereof by the Executive Directors of the Association and after due consideration by them of the development of the Borrower's economy, modify the terms of repayment of installments under paragraph (a) above by requiring the Borrower to repay twice the amount of each such installment not yet due until the principal amount of the Credit shall have been repaid. If so requested by the Borrower, the Association may revise such modification to include, in lieu of some or all of the increase in the amounts of such installments, the payment of interest at an annual rate agreed with the Association on the principal amount of the Credit withdrawn and outstanding from time to time, provided that, in the judgment of the Association, such revision shall not change the grant element obtained under the above-mentioned repayment modification. (c) If, at any time after a modification of terms pursuant to paragraph (b) above, the Association determines that the Borrower's economic condition has deteriorated significantly, the Association may, if so requested by the Borrower, further modify the terms of repayment to conform to the schedule of installments as provided in paragraph (a) above. 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 Particular Covenants Section 3.01. (a) The Borrower and the Association shall from time to time, at the request of either party, exchange views on the progress achieved in carrying out the Program. (b) Prior to each such exchange of views, the Borrower shall furnish to the Association for its review and comment a report on the progress achieved in carrying out the Program, in such detail as the Association shall reasonably request. (c) Without limitation upon the provisions of paragraph (a) of this Section, the Borrower shall exchange views with the Association on any proposed action to be taken after the Page 4 disbursement of the Credit which would have the effect of materially reversing the objectives of the Program or any action taken under the Program. Section 3.02. Except as the Association shall otherwise agree, procurement of the goods to be financed out of the proceeds of the Credit shall be governed by the provisions of Schedule 2 to this Agreement. Section 3.03. (a) The Borrower shall maintain or cause to be maintained records and accounts adequate to reflect in accordance with consistently maintained sound accounting practices the expenditures financed out of the proceeds of the Credit. (b) The Borrower shall: (i) have the records and accounts referred to in paragraph (a) of this Section for each fiscal year audited, in accordance with appropriate auditing principles consistently applied, by independent auditors acceptable to the Association; (ii) furnish to the Association as soon as available, but in any case not later than six months after the end of each such year, a certified copy of the report of such audit by said auditors, of such scope and in such detail as the Association shall have reasonably requested; and (iii) furnish to the Association such other information concerning said records and accounts and the audit thereof as the Association shall from time to time reasonably request. (c) For all expenditures with respect to which withdrawals from the Credit Account were made on the basis of statements of expenditure, the Borrower shall: (i) maintain or cause to be maintained, in accordance with paragraph (a) of this Section, records and accounts reflecting such expenditures; (ii) retain, until at least one year after the Association has received the audit report for the fiscal year in which the last withdrawal from the Credit Account was made, all records (contracts, orders, invoices, bills, receipts and other documents, or customs certificates, as appropriate) evidencing such expenditures; (iii) enable the Association's representatives to examine such records; and (iv) ensure that such records and accounts are included in the annual audits referred to in paragraph (b) of this Section and that the report of such audit contains a separate opinion by said auditors as to whether the statements of expenditure submitted during such fiscal year, together with the procedures and internal controls involved in their preparation, can be relied upon to support the related withdrawals. ARTICLE IV Additional Event of Suspension Page 5 Section 4.01. Pursuant to Section 6.02 (h) of the General Conditions, the following additional event is specified, namely, that a situation has arisen which shall make it improbable that the Program, or a significant part thereof, will be carried out. ARTICLE V Termination Section 5.01. The date ninety (90) days after the date of this Agreement is hereby specified for the purposes of Section 12.04 of the General Conditions. ARTICLE VI Representatives of the Borrower; Addresses Section 6.01. The Deputy Prime Minister responsible for economic reform 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: Vice-Prime Minister Ingorokva Str. 7 380034 Tbilisi Republic of Georgia Telex: 212917 ERG SU For the Association: International Development Association 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433 United States of America Cable address: Telex: INDEVAS 248423 (RCA) Washington, D.C. 82987 (FTCC) 64145 (WUI) or 197688 (TRT) IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto, acting through their duly authorized representatives, 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. REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA By /s/ Tedo Japaridze Authorized Representative INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION Page 6 By /s/ Wilfried Thalwitz Regional Vice President Europe and Central Asia SCHEDULE 1 Withdrawal of the Proceeds of the Credit 1. Subject to the provisions set forth or referred to in this Schedule, the proceeds of the Credit may be withdrawn from the Credit Account for expenditures made (or, if the Association shall so agree, to be made) in respect of the reasonable cost of goods required during the execution of the Program and to be financed out of such proceeds. 2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1 above, no withdrawals shall be made in respect of: (a) expenditures for goods included in the following SITC groups or subgroups, or any successor groups or subgroups under future revisions to the SITC, as designated by the Association by notice to the Borrower: Group Subgroup Description of Items 112 -- Alcoholic beverages 121 -- Tobacco, unmanufactured, tobacco refuse 122 -- Tobacco, manufactured (whether or not containing tobacco substitutes) 525 -- Radioactive and associated materials 667 -- Pearls, precious and semi- precious stones, unworked or worked 718 718.7 Nuclear reactors, and parts thereof, fuel elements (cartridges), non-irradiated for nuclear reactors 728 728.43 Tobacco processing machinery Group Subgroup Description of Items 897 897.3 Jewelry of gold, silver or platinum group metals (except watches and watch cases) and goldsmiths' or silversmiths' wares (including set gems) 971 -- Gold, nonmonetary (excluding gold ores and concentrates) (b) expenditures in the currency of the Borrower or for goods supplied from the territory of the Borrower, excluding, if the currency of the Borrower is also that of another country, expenditures in such currency for goods supplied from Page 7 the territory of such other country; (c) payments made for expenditures prior to the date of this Agreement except that withdrawals in an aggregate amount not exceeding the equivalent of SDR 10.2 million may be made on account of payments made for expenditures before that date but after December 1, 1994. (d) expenditures for goods procured under contracts costing less than $5,000 equivalent; (e) expenditures for goods supplied under a contract which any national or international financing institution or agency other than the Association shall have financed or agreed to finance; and (f) expenditures for goods intended for a military or paramilitary purpose or for luxury consumption. 3. Withdrawals for expenditures under contracts for the procurement of goods estimated to cost less than $500,000 may be required by the Association upon the basis of statements of expenditure under such terms and conditions as the Association shall specify. SCHEDULE 2 Procurement 1. Contracts for the procurement of goods estimated to cost the equivalent of $500,000 or more each shall be awarded through international competitive bidding in accordance with procedures consistent with those set forth in Sections I and II of the "Guidelines for Procurement under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits" published by the Bank in May 1992 (the Guidelines), and in accordance with the following additional procedures or, if previously approved by the Association, goods may be procured under contracts awarded through limited international bidding procedures on the basis of evaluation and comparison of bids invited from a list of potential suppliers eligible under the Guidelines and broad enough to assure competitive prices and in accordance with the procedures set forth in Sections I and II of the Guidelines (excluding paragraphs 2.8, 2.9, 2.55 and 2.56 thereof): (a) Paragraph 2.8 of the Guidelines is deleted and the following is substituted therefor: "2.8 Notification and Advertising The international community should be notified in a timely manner of the opportunity to bid. This will be done by advertising invitations to apply for inclusion in a bidder's invitation list, to apply for prequalification, or to bid; such advertisements should be placed in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the Borrower's country and, in addition, in at least one of the following forms: (i) a notice in the United Nations publication, Development Forum, Business Edition; or (ii) an advertisement in a newspaper, periodical or technical journal of wide international circulation; or (iii) a notice to local representatives of countries and territories referred to in the Guidelines, that are potential suppliers of the goods required." (b) The following is added at the end of paragraph 2.21 of the Guidelines: Page 8 "As a further alternative, bidding documents may require the bidder to state the bid price in a single currency widely used in international trade and specified in the bidding documents." (c) Paragraphs 2.55 and 2.56 of the Guidelines are deleted. (d) When contract award is delayed beyond the original bid validity period, such period may be extended once, subject to and in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 2.59 of the Guidelines, by the minimum amount of time required to complete the evaluation, obtain necessary approvals and clearances and award the contract. The bid validity period may be extended a second time only if the bidding documents or the request for extension shall provide for appropriate adjustment of the bid price to reflect changes in the cost of inputs for the contract over the period of extension. Such an increase in the bid price shall not be taken into account in the bid evaluation. (e) In the procurement of goods in accordance with this paragraph 1, the Borrower shall use the relevant standard bidding documents issued by the Bank, with such modifications thereto as the Association shall have agreed to be necessary for the purposes of the Project. Where no relevant standard bidding documents have been issued by the Bank, the Borrower shall use bidding documents based on other internationally recognized standard forms agreed with the Association. 2. Contracts for the procurement of goods estimated to cost the equivalent of less than $500,000 shall be awarded: (a) by the Borrower on the basis of price quotations solicited from suppliers from at least two countries eligible under the Guidelines in accordance with procedures acceptable to the Association; and (b) by other purchasers, in accordance with established commercial practice, provided that such contracts shall be awarded on the basis of comparison of quotations solicited from suppliers from at least two countries, except that direct contracting procedures acceptable to the Association may be used where considered appropriate under paragraph 3.5 of the Guidelines. 3. Subject to the prior approval of the Association, commonly traded commodities may be procured through organized international commodity markets or other channels of competitive procurement acceptable to the Association, in accordance with procedures acceptable to the Association. 4. With respect to each contract referred to in paragraph 1 of this Schedule, the Borrower shall furnish to the Association, 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 and recommendations for award, a description of the advertising and tendering procedures followed and such other information as the Association shall reasonably request. 5. With respect to each contract referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Schedule, the Borrower shall furnish to the Association, prior to the submission to the Association of the first application for withdrawal of funds from the Credit Account in respect thereof, such documentation and information as the Association may reasonably request to support withdrawal applications in respect of such contract. 6. The provisions of the preceding paragraph 5 of this Schedule shall not apply to contracts on account of which withdrawals from the Credit Account are to be made on the basis of Page 9 statements of expenditure.