OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS The World Bank 1818 H Street N.W. (202) 473-1000 INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT Washington, D.C. 20433 Cable Address: INTBAFRAD INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION U.S.A. Cable Address: INDEVAS Her Excellency Adidjatou Mathys Minister of Economy and Finance Ministry of Economy and Finance B.P. 302 Cotonou, Republic of Benin Re: Republic of Benin: Advance Agreement for the Preparation of the Proposed Decentralized Community Driven Services Project Project Preparation Advance No. Q814 Excellency: In response to the request for financial assistance made on behalf of the Republic of Benin ("Recipient"), I am pleased to inform you that the International Development Association ("World Bank") proposes to extend to the Recipient an advance out of the World Bank's Project Preparation Facility in an amount not to exceed one million two hundred twenty thousand Dollars ($1,220,000) ("Advance") on the terms and conditions set forth or referred to in this letter agreement ("Agreement"), which includes the attached Annex, to assist in financing the activities described in the Annex ("Activities"). The objective of the Activities is to improve access to decentralized basic social services and - to mainstream the community driven development approach for such services ("Project"), for the carrying out of which the Recipient has requested the World Bank's financial assistance. The Recipient represents, by confirming its agreement below, that: (a) it understands that the provision of the Advance does not constitute or imply any commitment on the part of IBRD or IDA to assist in financing the Project; and (b) it is authorized to enter into this Agreement and to carry out the Activities, repay the Advance and perform its other obligations under this Agreement, all in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. Please confirm the Recipient's agreement to the foregoing by having an authorized official of the Recipient sign and date the enclosed copy of this Agreement, and returning it to the World Bank. Upon receipt by the World Bank of this countersigned copy, this Agreement shall become effective as of the date of the countersignature; provided, however, that the offer of this Agreement shall be deemed withdrawn if the World Bank has not received this countersigned copy within ninety (90) days after the date of signature of this Agreement by the World Bank, unless the World Bank has established a later date for such purpose. Very truly yours, INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION By Katrina M. Sharkey Acting Country Director for Benin Africa Region AGREED: REPUBLIC OF BENIN By- Authorized Ripidsentative Name: C 4:.l, < . (-)g!Af1 . N Date: Enclosures: 1) "Standard Conditions for Advances Made by the World Bank under its Project Preparation Facility", dated July 31, 2010 V(2) Disbursement Letter for the Advance of the same date as this Agreement, together with "World Bank Disbursement Guidelines for Projects", dated May 1, 2006 (3) Guidelines for "Procurement of Goods, Works and Non-consulting Services under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants by World Bank Borrowers", dated January 2011 4 '(4) Guidelines: "Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants by World Bank Borrowers", dated January 2011 t5) Guidelines on "Preventing and Combating Fraud and Corruption in Projects Financed by IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants", dated October 15, 2006 and revised in January 2011 2 PPA No. Q814 ANNEX Article I Standard Conditions; Definitions 1.01. Standard Conditions. The Standard Conditions for Advances Made by the World Bank under its Project Preparation Facility dated July 31, 2010 ("Standard Conditions"), constitute an integral part of this Agreement. 1.02. Definitions. Unless the context requires otherwise, the capitalized terms used in this Agreement have the meanings ascribed to them in the Standard Conditions or in this Agreement and the following additional terms shall have the following meanings: (a) "Anti-corruption Guidelines" means the "Guidelines on Preventing and Combating Fraud and Corruption in Projects Financed by IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants", dated October 15, 2006 and revised in January 2011. (b) "Consultants' Guidelines" means the "Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants by World Bank Borrowers" dated January 2011. (c) "GMT Program" means the Grassroots Management Training Program for the communities. (d) "MDGLAAT" means the Recipient's Ministry of Decentralization, Local Government, and Administration and Development of the Territory or any successor thereto. (e) "Operating costs" means the reasonable costs of the following expenditures incurred under the Advance: (i) salaries of staff involved in Project preparation (excluding civil servants); (ii) per diem and travel expenses of staff required to perform their responsibilities under Project preparation; (iii) fuel, and vehicle maintenance and insurance services; (iv) communication technology (including, without limitation, internet and telephone service); (v) rent for office space and building security and office maintenance services; (vi) translation and interpretation services, photocopies and publications; (vii) utilities and office supplies; and (viii) reasonable bank charges related to the operation of designated accounts. (f) "PNDCC" means the National Community-Driven Development Support Project financed through a development financing agreement between the Recipient and the International Development Association, dated November 4, 2004 (Credit No. 3990-BEN and Grant No. H128- BEN), as such agreement may be amended from time to time and including all appendices, schedules and agreement supplemental thereto. (g) "Procurement Guidelines" means the "Guidelines: Procurement of Goods, Works and Non-consulting Services under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants by World Bank Borrowers" dated January 2011. 3 (h) "Procurement Plan" means the Recipient's procurement plan referred to in Section 2.06(a)(iii) of this Agreement. (i) "SSDCC" means the Recipient's Secretariat for Decentralized Community Driven Services to be established within the MDGLAAT referred to in Section 2.01 (h) of this Agreement. (j) "Training" means the reasonable costs of training under the Project attributable to seminars, workshops, and study tours, along with travel and subsistence allowances for training participants, services of trainers, rental of training facilities, preparation and reproduction of training materials, and other activities directly related to course preparation and implementation. Article II Execution of the Activities 2.01. Description of the Activities. The Activities for which the Advance is provided consist of the following: (a) Preparing and adopting the Project's implementation manual. (b) Updating the PNDCC's environmental and social management framework and resettlement plan framework for this Project. (c) Collecting feedback from the Recipient's commune and central government officials on the Project's objectives. (d) Updating the Recipient's communes development and investment plans with regard to contemplated sub-projects under the Project. (e) Strengthening the Project's financial management capacity through the recruitment of a financial controller for each of the six Recipient's departments. (f) Developing a database of commune and community poverty and vulnerability indicators for the geographical targeting of Project activities. (g) Establishing the Project's monitoring and evaluation system. (h) Recruiting: (i) key staff for the SSDCC; (ii) facilitators and trainers for the GMT Program; (iii) payment agents for the pilot safety nets program; and (iv) an external auditor. (i) Updating the training modules. 2.02. Execution of the Activities Generally. The Recipient declares its commitment to the objectives of the Activities. To this end, the Recipient shall carry out the Activities through MDGLAAT in accordance with the provisions of: (a) Article II of the Standard Conditions; (b) this Article II; and (c) the Anti-corruption Guidelines. 2.03. Institutional and Other Arrangements. Without limitations upon the provisions of Section 2.02 above, the Recipient shall maintain, throughout the Project preparation, competent staff within the MDGLAAT in adequate numbers and with qualifications satisfactory to the World Bank, to be responsible for the implementation of the activities. 2.04. Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation of the Activities. The Recipient shall monitor and evaluate the progress of the Activities in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.08 of the Standard Conditions. 4 2.05. Financial Management (a) The Recipient shall ensure that a financial management system is maintained in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.09 of the Standard Conditions. (b) The Recipient shall ensure that interim un-audited financial reports for the Activities are prepared and furnished to the World Bank not later than forty-five (45) days after the end of each calendar quarter, covering the quarter, in form and substance satisfactory to the World Bank. (c) The Recipient shall have its Financial Statements audited in accordance with the provisions of Sections 2.09 (b) of the Standard Conditions. (i) If, on or before the Refinancing Date, a Refinancing Agreement has been executed by all of its parties, the Recipient shall have the Financial Statements included in the first audit of financial statements required under the Refinancing Agreement. (ii) If, by the Refinancing Date, no Refinancing Agreement has been executed by all of its parties, such audit of the Financial Statements shall cover the period of the Advance, commencing with the fiscal year in which the first withdrawal under the Advance was made. The audited Financial Statements for such period shall be furnished to the World Bank not later than six months after the end of the Recipient's fiscal year in which the Refinancing Date occurs. (iii) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (i) and (ii) of this Section, the World Bank may request an audit of the Financial Statements prior to the Refinancing Date, covering such period as is indicated in its request. The audited Financial Statements for such period shall be furnished to the World Bank not later than six months after the end of such period. 2.06. Procurement (a) General. All goods, non-consulting services and consultants' services required for the Activities and to be financed out of the proceeds of the Advance shall be procured in accordance with the requirements set forth or referred to in: (i) Section I of the Procurement Guidelines, in the case of goods and non- consulting services; (ii) Sections I and IV of the Consultant Guidelines, in the case of consultants' services; and (iii) the provisions of this Section, as the same shall be elaborated in the Procurement Plan. 5 (b) Definitions. The capitalized terms used in the following paragraphs of this Section to describe particular procurement methods or methods of review by the World Bank of particular contracts, refer to the corresponding method described in Sections II and III of the Procurement Guidelines, or Sections II, III, IV and V of the Consultant Guidelines, as the case may be. (c) Particular Methods of Procurement of Goods and Non-consulting Services (i) Except as otherwise provided in sub-paragraph (ii) below, goods and non-consulting services shall be procured under contracts awarded on the basis of International Competitive Bidding. (ii) The following methods, other than International Competitive Bidding, may be used for procurement of goods and non-consulting services for those contracts specified in the Procurement Plan: (A) National Competitive Bidding, subject to the following additional provisions: the Recipient shall use standard bidding documents acceptable to the World Bank; (B) Shopping; and (C) Direct Contracting. (d) Particular Methods of Procurement of Consultants' Services (i) Except as otherwise provided in item (ii) below, consultants' services shall be procured under contracts awarded on the basis of Quality- and Cost-based Selection. (ii) The following methods may be used for the procurement of consultants' services for those assignments which are specified in the Procurement Plan: (A) Quality-based Selection; (B) Selection under a Fixed Budget; (C) Least Cost Selection; (D) Selection based on Consultants' Qualifications; (E) Single-source Selection of consulting firms; (F) Selection of Individual Consultants; and (G) Single-source procedures for the Selection of Individual Consultants. (e) Review by the World Bank of Procurement Decisions. The Procurement Plan shall set forth those contracts which shall be subject to the World Bank's Prior Review. All other contracts shall be subject to Post Review by the World Bank. Article III Withdrawal of the Advance 3.01. Eligible Expenditures. The Recipient may withdraw the proceeds of the Advance in accordance with the provisions of: (a) Article III of the Standard Conditions; (b) this Section; and (c) such additional instructions as the World Bank may specify by notice to the Recipient (including the "World Bank Disbursement Guidelines for Projects" dated May 2006, as revised from time to time by the World Bank and as made applicable to this Agreement pursuant to such instructions), to finance Eligible Expenditures as set forth in the following table. The table specifies each category of Eligible Expenditures that may be financed out of the proceeds of the Advance ("Category"), the amount of the Advance allocated to each Category, and the percentage of expenditures to be financed for Eligible Expenditures in each Category: 6 Category Amount of the Advance Percentage of Allocated Expenditures to be (expressed in Dollars) Financed (inclusive of Taxes) (1) Goods, consultants' 1,220,000 100% services, Operating costs and Training TOTAL AMOUNT 1,220,000 3.02. Withdrawal Conditions. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3.01 of this Agreement, no withdrawal shall be made for payments made prior to the date of countersignature of this Agreement by the Recipient, except that withdrawals up to an aggregate amount not to exceed $50,000 equivalent may be made for payments made prior to this date but on or after November 1, 2011, for Eligible Expenditures. 3.03. Refinancing Date. The Refinancing Date is September 30, 2012. Article IV Terms of the Advance 4.01. Service Charge. The Recipient shall pay a service charge on the Withdrawn Advance Balance at the rate of three-fourths of one percent (3/4 of 1%) per annum. The service charge shall accrue from the respective dates on which amounts of the Advance are withdrawn and shall be paid in arrears in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.02 of this Agreement. Service charges shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months. 4.02. Repayment. The Withdrawn Advance Balance shall be repaid by the Recipient to the World Bank (together with any service charges accrued thereon) in accordance with the provisions of Article IV of the Standard Conditions and the following provisions: (a) Refinancing under the Refinancing Agreement: If, on or before the Refinancing Date, a Refinancing Agreement has been executed by all of its parties, then the full amount of the Withdrawn Advance Balance shall be repaid to the World Bank (together with any service charges accrued on the Advance to the date of repayment) as soon as the Refinancing Agreement becomes effective, by means of a withdrawal by the World Bank of an amount of the Refinancing Proceeds equivalent to the Withdrawn Advance Balance plus such service charges, in accordance with the provisions of the Refinancing Agreement. (b) Repayment in the absence of a Refinancing Agreement: If, on or before the Refinancing Date, no Refinancing Agreement has been executed by all of its parties, or if, by such date or at any time thereafter, it has been so executed but terminates without becoming effective, then: (i) if the amount of the Withdrawn Advance Balance does not exceed $50,000, it shall be repaid by the Recipient to the World Bank (together with service charges accrued on the Withdrawn Advance Balance to the 7 date of repayment) on such date as the World Bank shall specify in a notice to the Recipient, which shall in no event be earlier than 60 days following the date of dispatch of such notice; and (ii) if the amount of the Withdrawn Advance Balance exceeds $50,000, it (together with service charges accrued on the Withdrawn Advance Balance to the Notice Date) (the "Aggregate Balance") shall be paid by the Recipient to the World Bank in ten approximately equal semiannual installments, in the amounts and on the dates ("Payment Dates") which the World Bank shall specify in a notice to the Recipient. In no event shall the first Payment Date be set earlier than 60 days following the date ("Notice Date") of dispatch of such notice. The Recipient shall pay a service charge on the Aggregate Balance at the rate of three-fourths of one percent (3/4 of 1%) per annum, payable in arrears on each Payment Date. The service charge shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months. Article V Recipient's Representative; Addresses 5.01. Recipient's Representative. The Recipient's Representative referred to in Section 9.02 of the Standard Conditions is its minister in charge of finance. 5.02. Recipient's Address. The Recipient's Address referred to in Section 9.01 of the Standard Conditions is: Ministry of Economy and Finance B.P. 302 Cotonou Republic of Benin Cable: Telex: Facsimile: MINFINANCES 5009 MINFIN or (229) 30 18 51 Cotonou 5289 CAA (229) 31 53 56 5.03. World Bank's Address. The World Bank's Address referred to in Section 9.01 of the Standard Conditions is: International Development Association 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433 United States of America Cable: Telex: Facsimile: INDEVAS 248423 (MCI) or 1-202-477-6391 Washington, D.C. 64145 (MCI) 8