Technical consultancy for the diagnosis and conceptual development of a management model with private participation for the metropolitan passenger railway system of the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (AMBA)

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) invites specialized consulting firms to present their proposals to carry out the comprehensive diagnosis and conceptual structuring of a management model with private participation for the metropolitan passenger rail system of the AMBA.

The general objective is to evaluate the operational, financial and institutional state of the system and design a sustainable, bankable and fiscally affordable business model that generates Value for Money, establishing the strategic roadmap for its subsequent implementation.

1. Objectives and technical scope
Baseline and diagnosis: Comprehensively evaluate the seven railway lines of the AMBA in their operational, asset (tracks, rolling stock, workshops), economic-financial, labor, regulatory and institutional dimensions.

Design of the business model: Substantiate the selected private participation modality (concession, management or mixed options), evaluating criteria of bankability, fiscal affordability and efficiency.

Functional structuring: Group the lines into efficient contracting units, delimit the functions that remain under the control of the State and define the risk matrix and remuneration schemes (e.g. train-kilometre).

2. Implementation stages and key activities
Stage 1 — Comprehensive diagnosis and gaps: Construction of the supply and demand baseline, evaluation of costs and tariff/subsidy coverage, review of collective labor agreements and identification of structural constraints.

Stage 2 — Conceptual development of the model: Formulation of the remuneration scheme, calibration of adjustment formulas, risk allocation matrix (demand, inflation, exchange rate, maintenance), quality indicators (KPIs), incentives/penalties regime and design of the institutional framework.

Stage 3 — Roadmap and implementation: Preparation of the bidding schedule, implementation risk map with mitigation measures and prioritization of complementary studies (capacity modeling, market surveying and asset valuation).

3. Outputs and expected outcomes
Diagnostic report and baseline: Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the seven lines of the AMBA, gap analysis and definition of the State's public policy objectives.

Conceptual document of the management model: Rationale of the selected model, contracting units, risk matrix, economic regime, remuneration scheme and draft of the contractual structure.

Roadmap and tender inputs: Executive sequence of implementation, comprehensive risk map and specification of additional technical, legal and financial studies required.

Note: Interested companies should review the requirements on the BEO Bidder Portal.