Technical Consultant - Potash Mining Consultant

As the U.S. Government's development finance agency, the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) mobilizes U.S. private capital to help solve critical development challenges while advancing U.S. foreign policy interests. DFC works with the U.S. private sector to help gain footholds in emerging markets, catalyzing revenues, jobs, and growth opportunities at home and abroad. DFC achieves its mission by providing investors with financing, loan guarantees, political risk insurance, support for private equity investment funds, and direct equity investments.

DFC’s Office of Health and Agribusiness (OHA) requires a technical / engineering consultant that is a subject matter expert in potash mining projects to conduct due diligence on a greenfield potash mining project in Argentina that uses horizonal selective solution mining. A preliminary feasibility study (PFS), 3D Seismic results, and pilot plant design will be provided. The consultant’s main responsibilities are as follows:

• PFS
  • Conduct a thorough, independent analysis of the PFS
  • Identify any material weaknesses, unrealistic assumptions, gaps in data, methodological flaws, or overly optimistic conclusions
  • Challenge the PFS conclusions where they do not appear logically supported by the evidence, data, or standard industry practice
  • Determine whether the PFS presents a robust evaluation framework for mineral reserve estimation, what additional work is required, or whether it should be materially revised
  • Validate wellfield capital and operating cost input to extract minerals (i.e., what’s the total operating expense to extract minerals from the ground on a per ton basis)  
• Review and validate pilot plant design
  • Identify key issues, infrastructure needed and availability, design flaws (if any)
• Review and interpret results of 3D Seismic, providing an objective opinion on the result   
• Interact with the appropriate stakeholders to ask questions necessary to complete the assessment
• Provide feedback to the author of these studies/documents, such that feedbacks are potentially incorporated in the final version of these reports
• Identify additional geotechnical and engineering studies and analyses needed to advance the development of a pilot plant

The contractor shall have the requisite expertise to consult on matters related to the items outlined in the SOW or be able to subcontract to a firm that specializes in potash mining projects in South America or Argentina. Requisite experience equates to 10+ years of consultancy work in potash projects and 10+ years of consultancy experience in the broader mining or fertilizer sectors. Such experience can be firm or employee experience.

Please see the attached solicitation for more detailed information, to include applicable clauses, provisions, and evaluation criteria.