We have successfully achieved Stage 1 of the PowerHouse process flow with the call for applications to the Expression of Interest (EOI).
We shall announce the RfP shortly.
Introduction
Expressions of Interest (“EOI”) are invited from global consortiums by CRISP Social Ventures (“CSV”) for an upcoming global competition to design the process for a housing solution for the homeless in India. CSV is an on-ground extension of the Chevening Rolls Royce Science and Innovation Leadership Programme, in a bid to promote science and innovation as a means to development. It is promoted and led by the alumni of the programme and supported by the British High Commissions in India, Indo-UK Business Council and others
Such a house will not only generate enough power to provide for its needs, but will generate excess power, which can be then sold back to the grid, to ensure earnings for the occupants. The project is aptly titled Powerhouse as it will not only power itself, but also empower its occupants, financially and socially.
Aim and Objective
The aim is to shortlist suitable global consortiums for participation in a competition for designing a holistic housing solution for the homeless in India, by way of a standardised house which generates more power than it consumes. If you express your interest and your EOI is shortlisted, you will be invited to take part in a global competition to design such a process.
Why consortiums?
In India, and across the globe, homes have traditionally been designed by architects and erected by contractors. In the life-cycle of building such homes, the architect passes on the baton to services consultants, and then various contractors come into the picture. Everyone is managed by a project manager; and this process is customised for every project. All other improvements, like say installing a solar panel, are usually standalone activities, resulting in a lack of accurate integration with other services.
Now, the poor in India cannot afford architect-designed homes following the above described traditional approach, and thus live in poor quality self-imagined and built habitats, with no or limited access to good hygiene, clean water and power. Attempts are now afoot to break tradition and build “net positive” homes, which not only create more energy than they consume, but are designed and built for those at the bottom of the economic pyramid by a collaborative team of architects, engineers, renewable energy experts, policy experts, financers and others working together from the drawing board stage. It is believed that this collaborative approach, versus the ‘design in silos’ approach, will help develop a holistic, modular housing solution for the poor in India, while becoming an economic development engine. The homes will do at least three things economically. First and second, they will make money for their inhabitants as they sell back the excess power to the grid and the income pays for part of the mortgages taken to buy the homes. Third, the inhabitants will be involved in building the homes.
Team Composition
Multiple firms / individuals / sub consultants may form a consortium for providing total support and expertise to the requirements of CSV. If a single entity is able to demonstrate that they can do justice to the defined expectation without forming a consortium, they are free to apply singly. Consortium members can be from a wide range of experts like architects, engineers, renewable energy experts, policy experts, India experts, financers and others; professionals who are all required to contribute towards the creation of a holistic housing solution for the homeless in India. It is pertinent to understand that this is not a “design of a house” exercise, but the “design of a process”. Consortiums will have to bid through a single entity which is appointed as the leader of the consortium. CSV will deal only with this single entity, at all times. This entity will be held responsible for delivering on all aspects of the project, and extracting results from, as well as providing leadership to all consortium members. This entity will be the one and sole point of responsibility and single window of communication for CSV. This entity will plan, manage and coordinate work across all consortium members, including any dispute resolution, staffing, pricing, project execution, prioritization and planning of inter-dependent activities, delivery of reports and presentations to CSV.
The lead entity must fulfil some or all of the following conditions:
1. Have a past record of developing themselves or as a part of a team, housing solutions for economically weaker sections of society.
2. Have past experience of working outside the ‘western world’, especially in such regions of the world which are seen as ‘developing’.
3. Have a past record of working in consortiums, especially with architects as part of the consortium.
4. Have demonstrated ability to innovate and thinking ‘outside the box’ to evolve solutions which are non-conventional in nature.
As a consortium the winning team should be able to fulfil the following:
1. If selected, be able to develop a holistic housing solution, specifically for India. Repeat: it will be a ‘design of a process’, rather than a ‘design of house’ competition. Detailed design of all aspects like architecture and building services will need to be provided upon selection, for a standardised house; besides that, more importantly the process of delivering the home to the end customer, will also need to be provided.
2. Demonstrate that the proposed solution has a viable revenue model. This will require the consortium partners to have an understanding or to study all socio-economic as well as policy/political aspects of providing homes in India.
3. Be willing to travel to India or be based in India to assist in the development of a prototype, upon selection.
Evaluation
EOI Process
The EOI will be evaluated by an evaluation panel. The evaluation process will be conducted in 2 stages.
Stage 1: Upon receipt of the EOI, a preliminary review will be undertaken to confirm that each respondent has provided in its EOI the information requested. If any EOI is inconsistent or incomplete, the evaluation panel will determine whether additional information should be requested and, if so, the time period granted to the respondent to provide the information. If the evaluation panel decides not to request the information, CSV reserves the right to evaluate the EOI according to the information provided, or to exclude the EOI from the evaluation process.
Stage 2: The evaluation panel will evaluate and rank EOIs and determine a provisional shortlist of respondents. In the course of the evaluation, CSV, acting at the request of the evaluation panel, may clarify material with respondents.
Approval Process
The evaluation panel will make recommendations and a short-list. Short-listed respondents may be asked to take part in a global competition for Powerhouse; their names may be placed on the Powerhouse website.
Closing Date and Time
Applications are now closed.
Late EOI
An EOI submitted after the closing date and time will be considered as a late EOI.
A late EOI will be excluded from consideration unless CSV determines, in its absolute discretion, and without having any obligation to do so, that it is appropriate for a late EOI to be considered.
Enquiries
All enquiries specific to the EOI only are to be directed by email to the contact below
Nicola Joseph
Coordinator, CSV
Email: nicola.joseph@crispsocialventures.com
CSV may restrict the period during which it will accept questions or requests for further information or for clarification and reserves the right not to respond to any question or request, irrespective of when such questions or requests are received.
Except where CSV is of the opinion that issues raised apply only to an individual applicant, questions submitted and answers provided may be made available to all applicants without identifying the person or organisation having submitted the question. In all other cases, CSV may deliver any written notification or response to an applicant by leaving or delivering it to the address of the applicant.
Guidelines for filling the application
1. Completed applications along with all required supporting documents have to be filled in online. Applications are now closed.
2. Applicants are free to make multiple amendments to their online submission before the closing date and time.