GCF-GEFF - Green Economy Financing Facility Serbia (GCF-GEFF Serbia) Facility Consultant

Client: EBRD – European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Name of partner(s): Crimson Capital Corp., USA – Main Contract Holder and Micro Finance Strategy (MF Strategy), Serbia

Start/Completion Date: July 2019-June 2022

Project description: The EBRD (the Bank) aims to help create a market for climate change adaptation and mitigation technology solutions in line with the Bank's Green Economy Transition ("GET") approach. As such, the Green Economy Financing Facilities (“GEFF”) program transposes this approach by converting green opportunities into sound investments by providing innovating lines of finance to local banks, microfinance institutions and leasing companies and by demonstrating the business case for investing in greener solutions. The EBRD is scaling up its operations of GEFFs in Serbia and is now developing a new GCF-GEFF Green Economy Financing Facility Serbia (the “GEFF Serbia” or the “Facility”): a framework operation of up to EUR 40 million for financing GET investments through up to 3 participating Leasing Companies (“PFIs”) in Serbia. The Facility will promote high performance standards for technologies and services through intermediated financial instruments to support transition to green economy (GET technologies and services). The Facility is the first EBRD FI credit line to integrate the Bank’s GET objectives through Leasing Companies in Serbia, leveraging a specific form of finance – leasing - which is often the favoured financing measure for expenditure on capital goods. The Facility will go beyond the current business practices by including sustainable land management technologies tackling the adverse effects of climate change. The Facility will help Serbia to enhance energy security by improving efficiency, to reduce GHG emissions and associated environmental impacts of energy use, thereby supporting Serbia in achieving its NEEAP targets by promoting green technologies in the agro, industry and transport sectors. This assignment assists primarily the EBRD with development of the facility infrastructure and to support the origination of green investments in the commercial sector as well as to ensure adequate reporting and monitoring of the investments. The objective of this Assignment is to transfer strategic know-how and raise awareness about modern energy performance and environmental standards to contribute to the creation of a demand-driven, self-sustaining market for investments in high performance technologies and services supporting a green economy. The specific objective is to support the implementation of the GCF-GEFF Serbia resulting in a portfolio of eligible Sub-projects. Besides, EBRD the project is financed by the Government of Luxembourg and the Green Climate Fund (GCF). SEEC is providing following services:

• Establishment and maintaining full time Facility offices in Belgrade which is equipped and staffed to provide all necessary facilities, services (secretarial support, interpretation, translation services, etc.) throughout the duration of the Assignment;
• Support development of the Facility’s Operational Documents and Tools (Operations Manual, related forms, documents, reports and work-flows adapted to the Facility);
• Update, maintain and populate a Technology Selector that includes pre-defined categories of technologies with specific minimum technical and environmental characteristics proven to result in improvements in energy, water and material efficiency (sustainable land management); • Screen PFIs’ client base in order to identify industry sectors that may benefit from resource and energy efficiency technology upgrades;
• Preparation of Preliminary Assessment Reports (PAR) – desk-based energy audits for more complex and higher investment value (above 300,000 €) measures,
• SEEC Team has solved the problem of calculation of Specific Fuel Consumption (SFC), which is eligibility criteria for equipment in transport sector. We have developed the Calculator for calculation of SFC and it will be used as official tool in all 26 countries where EBRD GEFF project exist.
• Evaluation of transport technologies (plug-in hybrid and BEV electrical vehicles) which are contributing development of e-mobility sector;
• Record all information related to financed Sub-projects in the EBRD Management Information System (MIS) database. Maintain tracking, monitoring and reporting in MIS the Facility data including energy savings, RES energy production, CO2 emission reductions, water use and waste materials reduction, etc. The MIS is used to provide the necessary information on Sub-projects, generate reports to the EBRD and reconcile the records of PFIs and the EBRD;
• Collaborate closely with PFIs to monitor the progress and implementation of the Facility; arrange with PFIs for the efficient transmission of documents, forms, and acceptance or rejection decisions. The Consultant will centralise data from the PFIs.
• Frequent contacts (telephone, personal meetings, etc.) with new and existing vendors/producers in order to maintain and increase the number of products on the Technology Selector, but also to promote the Facility through vendors/producers who are a crucial stakeholder for the Facility;
• Support the Marketing Team in identification of Target Groups and Key Stakeholders and conducting promotional activities, creating Facility Website, preparation of Case Studies and Success Stories, communication and distribution of marketing materials with vendors, participating in awareness raising campaigns through media (TV, radio, internet), etc.
• Preparation of training materials and Capacity building and training for vendors/producers/leasing officers,
• Perform desk-based verification on a sample of sub-projects to confirm that Loan proceeds have been used in line with the eligibility criteria of the Facility;