077 - BPDB Final Report
077 - BPDB Final Report
077 - BPDB Final Report
Bangladesh / ADB
ADB TA 4626-BAN: Corporatization of
Bangladesh Power Development Board
Final Report – Main Document
21 July 2008
Government of
Bangladesh / ADB
ADB TA 4626-BAN: Corporatization of
Bangladesh Power Development Board
Final Report – Main Document
21 July 2008
PA Consulting Group
Level 4
Prepared by: PA Consulting Group 369 Queen St
in association with HB Auckland 1010
Consultants New Zealand
Tel: +64 9 306 8895
Fax: +64 9 306 8896
www.paconsulting.com
Version: 1.0
This report represents the work conducted by PA Consulting Group in association with HB
Consultants Ltd under ADB TA 4626-BAN: Corporatization of Bangladesh Power
Development Board. The PA team included Mike Crosetti (Team Leader/Corporate
Restructuring & Governance Expert), Bernard Ivory (Financial Expert), Ed Hourihan
(Commercial Expert), Ashit Ranjan (Human Resources Expert), Bruce Wickes (MIS
Expert), and Nihad Kabir (Legal Expert). The HB team included Shawkat Ali Ferdousi
(Corporate Restructuring & Governance Expert), Kazi Mostafa Alam (Financial Expert),
Zakir Hossain (Human Resources Expert), Syed Arifuzzaman (MIS Expert), and Sheikh
Fazle Noor Taposh (Legal Expert).
The team submitted a Draft Final Report in November, 2007. That report consolidated the
analysis, findings and recommendations of the consultants since the inception of the
project in March, 2006. The project continued for longer than the 12 months originally
anticipated due to the numerous changes that took place in Bangladesh over this period,
at one point resulting in a six month suspension of project activities.
The Government of Bangladesh provided comments on that report in January, 2008. This
report addresses those comments as well as comments received separately from ADB.
The consultants gratefully acknowledge the guidance and support of the counterpart team
from the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MPEMR) and Bangladesh
Power Development Board (BPDB) and its subsidiaries, in particular Dr. Fouzul Kabir
Khan, Secretary (Power), MPEMR, and Mr. Delwar Hossain, Director (System Planning),
as well as Mr. Pil-Bae Song of the Asian Development Bank and Mr. ANM Rizwan.
i
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
ABBREVIATIONS
ii
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
Abbreviations…
iii
Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
Abbreviations…
iv
Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Despite economic growth averaging some 5.1% annually over the past 10 years,
Bangladesh continues to face daunting problems in the power sector, notably:
The electrification ratio can be improved by extending rural electrification, and load
shedding can be reduced by adding and rehabilitating generation capacity, and where
necessary, upgrading transmission and distribution capacity. However, these actions
require capital investment, which is not available in sufficient quantities to make major
progress in addressing these problems.
The lack of capital investment is a symptom of more fundamental problems within the
sector. Specifically, tariffs and Government subsidies are inadequate to recover the cost
of supply, and the overall cost of supply itself is high due to excessive losses and other
inefficiencies. The current situation is summarized in Exhibit ES.1.
Through the 1994 Power Sector Reforms in Bangladesh, the 2000 Vision and Policy
Statement, and the 2005 Power Sector Reform Roadmap, the Government of Bangladesh
has defined a comprehensive approach to addressing these problems. As part of this
approach, the Government has embarked on corporatization of the operating units of the
Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB). The Government’s corporatization effort
aims to expand the autonomy of these units to operate on commercial and technical
grounds while simultaneously introducing mechanisms to hold these companies
accountable for their performance. Experience with unbundling and corporatization of
BPDB operating units has demonstrated positive results such as lower losses and higher
collections.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
Executive Summary…
HR Transfer Scheme
Fin. Transfer Scheme
Human Resources
Wind-up
Contracts
Liabilities
Assets
New Process Development
Legal Time
establishment
Other
Subsidiaries
Firms
Contracts
Can be other Payments
subsidiaries Service
Customers
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
Executive Summary…
This study aims to create the blueprint for corporatization of BPDB as a holding company.
This blueprint covers the organizational, financial, legal, human resource, and information
technology dimensions of the corporatization strategy. The report distinguishes between
BPDB and the new successor holding company, referred to here as HoldCo. While
corporatization of BPDB as a holding company can accelerate and expand the gains
achieved through reform efforts, it is not a panacea. To be effective in the long term,
corporatization must go hand-in-hand with tariff reform. Corporatized entities can improve
reliability and increase access only if they are financially viable.
Five options are considered for the medium-term target structure of HoldCo:
1. No holding company, i.e. HoldCo is not established and all operating companies
are owned directly by the Government.
4. A non-operating holding company with the single buyer as a separate entity owned
directly by the Government
1. Financial coordination & optimization. The structure helps ensure that HoldCo can
optimally allocate whatever limited financial resources are available across
generation, transmission and distribution parts of the business, with a long-term
commercial view reflecting the Government’s broader policy objectives for the
sector.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
Executive Summary…
7. Compliance with laws, policies and contracts. Finally, any HoldCo structure must
comply with prevailing laws and policies, and accommodate existing contractual
arrangements with other parties such as IPPs.
The first three criteria above represent impediments to improved sector performance
explicitly identified in the 2000 Vision & Policy Statement. The last four represent other
practical considerations.
Based on analysis of the five options against the seven criteria, the non-operating holding
company with separate single buyer (Option 4) was identified as the most promising
option, as summarized in Exhibit ES.4. Under this option the generation, transmission and
distribution operations previously owned or conducted by BPDB are transferred to HoldCo
as subsidiary companies once they meet certain conditions. The residual BPDB continues
separately as the single buyer. (“Residual BPDB” refers to BPDB after establishment of
HoldCo and corporatization of its remaining generation and distribution operations as
HoldCo subsidiaries).
The non-operating holding company is also highly flexible and could be readily adapted to
meet changes as the sector evolves. Examples of further evolution include the complete
separation of generation from transmission and distribution, or the transfer of other power
sector entities currently not under BPDB, such as DESCO, to HoldCo. Therefore,
establishing HoldCo as a non-operating holding company with the separate single buyer
serves as an achievable interim target and if successful provides a platform for addressing
further changes in the power supply industry.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
Executive Summary…
1. No Holding Company
2. Operating HoldCo
3. Non-Operating HoldCo
that owns the Single Buyer
4. Non-Operating HoldCo
with separate Single Buyer
5. Multiple HoldCos
Evaluation key:
Fully meets or directly supports the criterion
Partially meets or indirectly supports the criterion
Slightly meets or supports the criterion
Conflicts with the criterion
Two migration options were considered to reach this target structure from the existing
BPDB structure.
Four criteria were identified as a basis for selecting between these two migration options:
1. Speed. The migration path should minimize dependencies on outside events, such
as assignment of PPAs, amendment of PO 59, etc.
3. Stakeholder Perceptions. The migration path should demonstrate “quick wins” that
can contribute to broad support for the restructuring effort.
4. Operational Risk. The migration path should minimize the likelihood of service
disruptions.
Based on analysis of the two options against these four criteria, establishing a non-
operating holding company from the outset (Migration Option 2) was identified as the most
promising option. Exhibit ES.5 summarizes the evaluation of the two migration options,
with green shading indicating reasons why an option meets a criterion, yellow indicating
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
Executive Summary…
uncertainty whether the option would meet the criterion, and red indicating reasons the
option does not fit the criterion.
Exhibit ES.6 shows the proposed migration from the current to the target corporate
structure.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
Executive Summary…
MPEMR
Establish &
BPDB DESA/DPDC REB monitor
Single Other Dist Other
Buyer Zones Generation
PBS
PBS
DESCO PBS
PBS
Ashuganj
West Zone Rural Power
PGCB Power EGCB
Station Dist Co. Ltd.
MPEMR
Establish &
New HoldCo BPDB DESA/DPDC REB monitor
Single Other Dist Other
Buyer Zones Generation PBS
PBS
DESCO PBS
PBS
Ashuganj
West Zone Rural Power
PGCB Power EGCB
Station Dist Co. Ltd.
xi
Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
Executive Summary…
MPEMR
Establish &
HoldCo BPDB DESA/DPDC REB monitor
Single Other Dist Other
Buyer Zones Generation
PBS
PBS
DESCO PBS
PBS
Ashuganj
West Zone Rural Power
PGCB Power EGCB
Station Dist Co. Ltd.
Establish &
HoldCo BPDB DESA/DPDC REB monitor
Single Other Dist Other
Buyer Zones Generation
DESCO PBS
PBS
PBS
PBS
Ashuganj New
New
New Rural Power
West Zone
PGCB Power EGCB Gencos Co. Ltd.
Dist Operating
Gencos
Station
Companies
Once all operations of BPDB have been migrated to the new entities
or otherwise disposed of, the residual BPDB will continue to function
as the single buyer.
MPEMR
Establish &
HoldCo Residual BPDB DESA/DPDC REB monitor
(as Single Buyer)
DESCO PBS
PBS
PBS
PBS
HoldCo will perform these two functions through the following activities:
• Financial Planning entails review and understanding of the least-cost system plan
prepared by the Single Buyer (BPDB), determining the availability of capital
funding for the investments identified in the plan, and then allocating the available
funds across the subsidiaries taking into account the dependency between various
investments (e.g. distribution extension first requires new transmission and
generation), and the individual contribution of these potential investments towards
the Government’s policy objectives for the sector, as reflected in HoldCo’s
performance contract.
• Performance Management. HoldCo will enter into a performance contract with the
Government that transparently documents the measurable targets HoldCo is
expected to achieve. These targets should align directly with the Government’s
policy objectives for the sector. It will also specify the resources Government
commits to HoldCo in order to fulfil these responsibilities (e.g. capital funding and
baseline tariff levels). The provisions of the Government-HoldCo performance
contract will cascade down to individual HoldCo-Subsidiary performance contracts,
and ultimately to individual employees throughout the Group (i.e. HoldCo and its
subsidiaries together). Performance against targets will be monitored, reported
and rewarded through an integrated performance management system covering
all levels of the Group (building up from individual employee to HoldCo itself as a
corporate entity). HoldCo will take remedial actions as appropriate to improve
weak performance in subsidiaries, including provision of technical advice to
subsidiaries and, if necessary, replacement of subsidiary management.
Each performance contract will reflect powers and restrictions stipulated in the relevant
Articles and Memoranda of Association. Each will define the measurable targets for the
entity, consistent with the authority it has been granted and the resources it will receive. It
will also define how performance against these targets is to be measured and reported,
and the rewards (or sanctions) that will accompany achievement (or failure). Employee
performance management will follow an analogous process and rely on similar
documentation.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
Executive Summary…
Exhibit ES.8 shows how HoldCo will implement these functions with respect to
Government and its Subsidiary Companies (SubCos). HoldCo will have a business
orientation, not an engineering orientation. It will not be directly involved in the physical
production or delivery of electricity, but will hold its operating subsidiaries accountable for
their annual performance. These roles are institutionalized through the Articles and
Memorandum of Association for HoldCo.
Exhibit ES.9 enumerates HoldCo’s core functions as well as subsidiary support functions.
HoldCo should be organized internally around the work that it does. Exhibit ES.10
identifies the principal organizational units that will execute the various elements of its
value chain. Based on this, Exhibit ES.11 depicts the proposed high-level organizational
structure of HoldCo. In addition to these structural units, there will be various ad hoc
teams that are constituted to perform work of a temporary or intermittent nature (e.g.
annual preparation or updating of the Government-HoldCo performance contract). It is
anticipated that HoldCo will require only 50 to 100 professional personnel.
xiv
Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
Executive Summary…
xv
Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
Executive Summary…
Internal Audit
HR & Training
GM Funding Project
GM IT & Systems
Monitoring
GM Accounting GM Performance
Monitoring Project Team 1
GM System
Planning Review Project Team 2
xvi
Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
Executive Summary…
Out of the 13,649 employees reported for BPDB in 2007, 10,561 will be transferred to
corporatized generation and distribution subsidiaries. Of the remaining 3,088 BPDB
employees, 2,232 will be transferred to a Support Services company.
Of the remaining 856 employees, all of whom are from the BPDB Head Office, it is
estimated that 268 will also be transferred to subsidiaries. The remaining 588 personnel in
the BPDB Head Office will be responsible for the preparing remaining BPDB operations
for corporatization and performing the single buyer function. Over time, as operations are
corporatized, BPDB will be left with only the single buyer function.
The single buyer function currently employees about 238 personnel. Consequently, there
could be as many as 351 excess personnel once corporatization of operating units is
complete. However, it is not clear how much natural attrition will have occurred by that
time, either through retirement or successful application to HoldCo. In any case, this
number of employees can be maintained without compromising the financial viability of
the HoldCo concept. Creation of HoldCo as proposed does not result in loss of
employment or redundancy. This is consistent with Government policy that no one will
lose his or her job as a result of power sector reform. (Given the limited number of
employees involved and problems with recent Voluntary Retirement Schemes in
Bangladesh, creation of a VRS to facilitate corporatization of BPDB is not recommended).
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
Executive Summary…
As noted above, BPDB should continue to serve as the single buyer until the PPAs are
assigned to a corporatized successor, at which point all personnel should transferred on
an as-is, where-is basis to the newly corporatized single buyer company.
BPDB currently conducts all of these functions except for procurement. While it
participates in the procurement process for new independent power producers (IPPs),
Power Cell leads this process on behalf of the Government of Bangladesh. BPDB
employees participate with the Power Cell team for procurement and contracting.
Like HoldCo, the residual BPDB will not have an operating role for the physical delivery of
power. It will fulfill purely planning and commercial functions. Though it may participate in
monthly system operation coordination meetings with generators and PGCB, dispatch
should remain solely under PGCB’s National Load Dispatch Center (NLDC). The purpose
of the monthly coordination meetings will be to share information on the monthly load
forecast, plant operating costs, system constraints and scheduled maintenance so that the
NLDC can establish a supply curve against which merit order dispatch can be conducted.
The BPDB single buyer can contribute information on expected variable costs per the
PPAs it holds, as well as take note of forecast plant availability.
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Executive Summary…
Chairman
Energy audit, security
Secretary
& investigations
Director
Finance
Reliability of power supply remains a major concern for the Government and other
stakeholders. These stakeholders seek to understand how corporatization (in particular
the establishment of HoldCo and focusing of BPDB as single buyer) can contribute to
improved power system reliability.
Reliability depends directly on two sets of activities: system control and operations, which
are conducted on the short-term time scale of real time, hours, days and weeks, and
planning procurement, construction and commissioning, which occurs over the longer
term time scale of months and years.
This report presents several recommendations regarding planning and procurement that
are intended to enhance system reliability in addition to other benefits. These
recommendations include:
System control and operations, on the other hand, are not directly performed or affected
by HoldCo or the residual BPDB functioning as single buyer. These entities provide
commercial functions, not technical functions. They are not responsible for physical
operation of the system. More generally, corporatization is about long-term management
of the power sector, not short-term operational control of the grid system. Both are
necessary for a successful sector, and they should be mutually reinforcing.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
Executive Summary…
As noted above, system operations should be the responsibility of PGCB (which includes
the NLDC). To perform this role, generators and distributors must follow the instructions of
the NLDC. Certainly implementation of Automatic Generation Control (AGC), transmission
SCADA and distribution automation systems can help centralize system control and
ensure compliance with instructions. However, such technology is not essential for
effective NLDC control. The fundamental requirement is that generators and distributors
comply with NLDC instructions regardless of how those are delivered.
Normally the specifics of such compliance would be documented in a grid code, which
ultimately would be enforced by a regulator. Although PGCB has developed a grid code, it
has not been fully introduced and the BERC is not yet in a position to formally adopt the
code and compel compliance.
These observations and suggestions are consistent with the findings of the Fact Finding
Committee convened by Power Division to investigate the grid failures resulting Cyclone
Sidr on 16 November 2007. That report concluded that there were both technical as well
as managerial reasons for the duration and extent of the system outages resulting from
Cyclone Sidr. Technical causes included unreliability of telecommunications facilities, poor
operator controls and displays, absence of AGC and inadequate number of self-starting
units. (These inadequacies could perhaps be addressed through optimal capex allocation
as envisioned under HoldCo). Managerial causes include lack of responsiveness by some
generators to NLDC instructions, imprecise or unheeded load allocation commands to/by
distributors, as well as poor internal processes and controls within NLDC itself (including
absence of contingency plans and emergency training).
Therefore, until a grid code is formally adopted and enforced by the regulator, the Minister
of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, or the Secretary (Power) as appropriate, should
establish a grid system operations committee, chaired by the head of system operation.
The instruction establishing this committee should:
• Mandate that that all entities connected to the transmission system must
take timely action on instructions issued by the head of system operation
regarding real-time operation of the system
System operation is but one element of the electricity value chain. Exhibit ES.12 depicts
the complete value chain.
Exhibit ES.12: The Electricity Value Chain
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
Executive Summary…
Ultimately, reliability of power supply depends upon execution of each element of this
value chain. The table in Exhibit ES.13 shows how responsibilities for performance of
each element of the chain may be allocated across the power sector entities described in
this report. The exhibit also indicates the document(s) that govern the execution of each
element of the chain. Not all of these documents have been prepared, but eventually the
sector will require the development of and adherence to these documents to guide each of
the sector entities in fulfilling its role.
Metering, Billing Bills Single Bills Performs retail Bills distributors & -
& Collections Buyer for power distributors for customer pays generators
(Grid Code, Supply produced transmission metering, billing for bulk power
Code) services & collections supply
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
Executive Summary…
xxii
Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword i
Abbreviations ii
Executive Summary v
1. Introduction 1-1
1.1 Background and Objectives 1-1
1.2 Key Concepts 1-4
1.3 Prevailing Industry Structure 1-8
1.4 Prevailing BPDB Structure and Staffing 1-10
1.5 Power Sector Corporatization Experience in Bangladesh 1-12
xxiii
Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
TABLE OF CONTENTS…
Appendices
xxiv
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TABLE OF CONTENTS…
xxv
Government of Bangladesh / ADB.1/8/08
1. INTRODUCTION
Exhibit 1.1 summarizes key electricity generation and consumption statistics for
Bangladesh for the past several years.
Despite economic growth averaging some 5.1% annually over the past 10 years,
Bangladesh continues to face daunting problems in the power sector, notably:
The electrification ratio can be improved by extending rural electrification, and load
shedding can be reduced by adding and rehabilitating generation capacity, and where
necessary, upgrading transmission and distribution capacity. However, these actions
require capital investment, which is not available in sufficient quantities to make major
progress in addressing these problems.
The lack of capital investment is but a symptom of more fundamental problems within the
sector. Specifically, tariffs and Government subsidies are inadequate to recover the cost
of supply. The average retail tariff is approximately US cents 5.1/kWh. Though IPPs such
as Haripur and Meghnaghat produce power for as little as 2 US cents/kWh, IPPs
represent only about one-third of total generation. The overall cost of supply is relatively
high due to high technical losses and other inefficiencies in the sector. For example, some
23% of net generation is lost through the transmission and distribution system, and state-
sector generation far less efficient than IPP generation.
1-1
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
1. Introduction. . .
The best way to obtain an overall picture of the sector’s finances is to identify the total
revenue earned from retail sales and deduct the out-of-pocket cash expenses incurred by
all entities in the process. The difference indicates the sector’s net funds available
annually to reward owners and lenders, repay debt capital and contribute towards growth.
This simple but fundamental analysis shows that the Bangladesh power sector is
insolvent. It generates insufficient cash to finance all the necessary major rehabilitation
work and needed new generation capacity let alone service its long term debt capital.
Exhibit 1.2 summarizes the sector funds flows on revenue account for FY 2005. BPDB’s
expense includes the cost of power purchased from IPPs, which, as private parties, are
outside the sector for the purpose of this analysis, which is based on revenue billed to
consumers. The resulting surplus, i.e. operating profit before depreciation and before
interest on long term debt capital (BDBI), was about Tk 4,100 million.
Exhibit 1.3 summarizes the fundamental problems of the Bangladesh power sector.
1
The depreciated replacement cost may well be more than half as much again based on
BPDB’s asset values restated to 2005.
2
This is the target return on net fixed assets used in the Financial Restructuring and
Recovery Plan (FRRP) recently adopted by GOB. This metric is commonly used by
multilateral lending agencies.
3
The only direct Government subsidy to the sector is Tk 80 million to REB. The sector is
indirectly subsidised to the extent of unpaid debt service, capital grants, and the like.
4
Although IPPs represent 27% of total nameplate capacity of 4,680 MW and 33% of total
generation, these plants have been constructed largely on the basis of sovereign
guarantees and multilateral bank partial risk guarantees rather than on the basis of the
fundamental commercial attractiveness of investing in the power sector.
1-2
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
1. Introduction. . .
These have been chronic problems for Bangladesh. To simply increase tariffs without
improving the efficiency of the sector would disregard the Government’s obligation to
properly manage the sector, and would be politically untenable. Conversely, simply
increasing efficiency without adjusting tariffs to ensure financial viability is unsustainable.
To be effective in the long term, any restructuring (including corporatization) must
go hand-in-hand with tariff reform. Hence, the Government vision for the sector
contains three elements that implicitly recognizes the linkage between tariffs, access,
quality of service and efficiency:
The Government has taken a comprehensive approach to achieve this vision. In 1994, the
Government issued a policy statement titled Power Sector Reforms in Bangladesh
(PSRB). The PSRB envisioned:
The Government further defined the goals and means of sector reform in 2000 with its
Vision and Policy Statement. Among other things, this statement called for:
1-3
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
1. Introduction. . .
More recently, the Government published Power Sector Reform Road Map in 2005, which
laid out a three-year time-bound action plan to implement policy. A principal element of the
Road Map was corporatization of BPDB as a holding company by June 2007. A number of
other assignments have been conducted over recent years to support other Government
objectives for the sector. These reports are summarized in Supplemental Appendix A.
To assist the Government with the corporatization of BPDB as a holding company, this
ADB technical assistance project aims to:
The complete terms of reference for the Assignment are given in Appendix A along with a
table of compliance.
Over the years, Government policy in the sector has referred to three elements as noted
above:
• Unbundling
• Corporatization
1.2.1 Unbundling
Unbundling is the process of breaking up a single entity into smaller ones. There are two
principal motivations to unbundle an entity:
• To improve business focus. Breaking an organization into smaller ones can help
limit the span of control to what can be (cost) effectively managed. Consequently,
unbundling is typically conducted on either a geographic basis, or along the value
chain.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
1. Introduction. . .
Supplemental Appendix B provides case studies of utility unbundling from other countries.
1.2.2 Corporatization
Corporatization, in this context, is the transfer of the role of a public body to a company
established under the Companies Act 1994. The new company may remain fully state-
owned, or could accommodate any degree of private sector ownership the Government
may deem.
Corporatization enables:
• Commercial funding. A profitable company can tap private sources of capital. This
is particularly important in Bangladesh, where the Government (in the Vision and
Policy Statement) has explicitly recognized inadequate government funding as a
major impediment to improved sector performance. Moreover, continued nearly
exclusive reliance on Government funding only keeps the sector subservient to
political, rather than commercial, interests, which has enabled abuse in the past.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
1. Introduction. . .
The transfer of assets and liabilities is frequently referred to as the financial transfer
scheme. This will determine the opening balance sheet for the new entity. Contracts, of
course, also need to be assigned from the legacy public body to the new entity. The
transfer of people (and the acceptance of most likely new conditions of service within the
new entity) is referred to as the human resource transfer scheme. These transfers need
not necessarily happen in any particular order, but none the less must be planned in a
comprehensive manner to ensure that linkages are taken into account (e.g. settlement of
pension liabilities – a financial transfer scheme issue – as people are transferred.
Human Resources
Wind-up
Contracts
Liabilities
Assets
Legal Time
establishment
Finally, the process of corporatization need not take place only as a complete transfer of
roles from one public entity to a single new company. Certainly that can be
accommodated but many other arrangements are possible: the roles of a public body
could be transferred to a number of new companies (e.g. as part of a process of
unbundling), or only certain roles could be transferred to a new company, while the legacy
public body retains only a subset of functions and continues to operate.
The Government has stipulated, and ADB agreed to support, the establishment of BPDB
as a holding company. A holding company is a company that owns other companies, i.e.
subsidiaries. A holding companies ownership is not passive, however. At a minimum, it:
1-6
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
1. Introduction. . .
• Provides strategic guidance and coordination for operations across the group, i.e.
the holding company together with all its subsidiaries. The aim is for the Group as
a whole to achieve better results than the companies would individually.
The degree to which a holding company may function as an operating holding company
depends on several factor, which may sometimes overlap:
1-7
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
1. Introduction. . .
business as a subsidiary limits the potential risk to the rest of the group from
events that could affect that particular part of the business.
• Liquidity and access to capital. A holding company can serve as a conduit for
funds between various operating subsidiaries, and can function as a “bank” to the
rest of the companies in the group, borrowing on the strength of its balance sheet.
Alternatively, it may be possible to segregate subsidiaries by financial
performance, so that at least some operations may be able to pursue private
financing. In Bangladesh, by establishing DESCO and PGCB as financially-viable
subsidiaries, they have been able to float shares and issue bonds. That would not
have been possible if these operations had remained part of larger, loss-making
operations.
Exhibit 1.6 depicts the roles and various issues that must be resolved at each level in
setting up a state-owned holding company structure for a power utility. The following
sections of this report propose solutions to address these issues in the establishment of a
BPDB holding company.
Other
Subsidiaries
Firms
Contracts
Can be other Payments
subsidiaries Service
Customers
The Government of Bangladesh (GOB) plays a major role in supplying power. The state
ownership structure of the industry is shown in Exhibit 1.7. The state is involved in the
sector operations through the following entities:
• Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MPEMR). MPEMR sets sector
policy and controls the statutory boards with operating responsibility (BPDB, REB,
DESA) through its Power Division. The Power Cell is a separate unit established to
manage the reform program and tenders for Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
1-8
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
1. Introduction. . .
• The Ashuganj Power Station Co. Ltd (APSCL) is a subsidiary of BPDB that owns and
operates 724 MW of the 3,420 MW of capacity under BDPB. It is not considered as an
IPP.
• The West Zone Power Distribution Company Ltd (WZPDCL) is responsible for
distribution in the western part of the country, while the North West Zone Power
Distribution Company Ltd (NWZPDCL) will take over distribution in the northwestern
part of the country.
• The Dhaka Electric Supply Authority (DESA) is a statutory authority responsible for
distribution in the greater Dhaka area. Some distribution areas of DESA were broken
out and corporatized as the Dhaka Electric Supply Company Ltd. (DESCO). DESA
itself is in the processes of being corporatized as the Dhaka Power Distribution
Company Ltd. (DPDC).
• The Rural Electrification Board (REB) is responsible for rural electrification, either
directly or through the establishment and monitoring of the 70 Palli Bidyut Samiti (PBS,
or Rural Electrification Cooperatives).
• Rural Power Company Ltd (RPCL) is an IPP established as a joint venture between 5
of the PBS and REB.
Corporatization of other parts of BDPB as subsidiaries, such as the Central and South
Zone distribution operations, is also underway.
Establish &
BPDB DESA/DPDC* REB monitor
Single Other Dist Other
Buyer Zones Generation
DESCO PBS
PBS
PBS
PBS
Entities already established Existing Government * DPDC, which has been established under the Companies
under the Companies Act agency or body Act, will be the corporatized successor to DESA
1-9
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
1. Introduction. . .
Power and financial flows are shown in Exhibit 1.8. BPDB plays a key role in the sector as
the single buyer. This exhibit also shows the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission
(BERC), which was established under the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission
Act 2003 (BERC Act) to, among other things:
The Government nonetheless retains the authority to promulgate overall sector policy. In
practice BERC has been slow to function effectively as a regulator. For example, although
BERC was established 4 years ago and despite the chronically poor condition of the
sector as described above, BERC did not issue its first retail tariff order until March 1,
2007. (That order raised tariffs 5 to 15% depending on the tariff class).
Power Flows
Issues licenses
Financial Flows
BERC
BPDB
REB DESCO
Sets tariffs, codes Distribution
& standards DESA / Consumers
IPPs
IPPs WZPDCL NWZPDCL DPDC
PBSs
Distribution
1-10
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
1. Introduction. . .
Members of the Board. They are responsible not only to their respective Member but to
the Board as a whole including the Chairman.
GOB
Chairman
Exhibit 1.10 shows the number of sanctioned positions and actual number of employees
for principal BPDB units and subsidiaries.
1-11
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
1. Introduction. . .
Although the concept of a holding company is new to the Bangladesh power sector, there
is considerable experience with corporatization of power sector entities. PGCB and
DESCO were legally incorporated in 1996, APSCL in 2000, and WZPDCL in 2003. These
companies began functioning one to two years after incorporation. Companies
incorporated more recently such as EGCB, NWPGC, and DPDC have yet to become
commercially operational, or are at early stages of operation.
1-12
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
1. Introduction. . .
Experience with PGCB, DESCO and WZPDCL shows the benefits of corporatization.
PGCB and DESCO, for example, have raised equity through minority listings on the
Bangladesh Stock Exchange. Exhibit 1.11 shows the reductions in losses and
improvements in service quality that have been achieved subsequent to corporatization.
As described in Section 1.2.2, corporatization in itself does not create these benefits, but
rather when properly carried out creates the environment in which such benefits can be
realized. Corporatization is a necessary, but alone not sufficient, condition for improved
power sector performance. The remainder of this report suggests how BPDB may be
corporatized as a holding company to achieve further performance improvement.
Transmission Losses
6%
Percent Losses
5%
4% BPDB
Transmission
3%
PGCB
2%
1%
0%
20 0
19 7
19 /8
99 9
20 1
20 2
20 3
20 4
20 5
/6
00
19 8/9
/
/
96
97
00
01
02
03
04
05
/2
9
19
Year
Transmission Interruption
1200
Hours per Year
1000
800 BPDB
Transmission
600
PGCB
400
200
0
20 0
19 7
19 /8
99 9
20 1
20 2
20 /3
20 4
20 /5
/6
00
19 8/9
/
/
96
97
00
01
02
03
04
05
/2
9
19
Year
1-13
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
1. Introduction. . .
Transmission Interruption
99 9
20 1
20 2
20 3
20 4
20 5
/6
00
19 8/9
/
/
96
97
00
01
02
03
04
05
/2
9
19
Year
Distribution Losses
35%
Percentage Losses
30%
25%
BPDB
20% Distribution
15% DESCO
10%
WZPDCL
5%
0%
20 0
19 7
19 /8
99 9
20 1
20 /2
20 /3
20 4
20 5
/6
00
19 8/9
/
/
96
97
00
01
02
03
04
05
/2
9
19
Year
1-14
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
2. STRUCTURE OF THE HOLDING COMPANY
The first step in establishing a power sector holding company is to determine its target
corporate structure, i.e. the identification of the companies that make up the industry and
the shareholding relationships between them. By defining this “destination” from the
outset, the Government can then plan the restructuring journey to reach that destination
accordingly.
There are many options for a target structure. It is therefore necessary to establish
selection criteria by which these options can be compared and one ultimately selected.
Exhibit 2.1 describes the overall process used to reach a proposed target structure for the
holding company successor to BPDB. (For the remainder of this report, we refer to this
new company as “HoldCo”).
Financial optimization
Autonomy
Degree to which option G,T,D differentiation
overcomes constraints Criteria for selection of HR Availability
identified in Policy target structure Institutionalization of accountability
Simplicity
Consistency with laws & policies
No HoldCo
Operating HoldCo
Five options representing Candidates assessed
Non-Operating HoldCo
different final end-points against criteria Non-Operating HoldCo with
Single Buyer separate
Multiple HoldCos
The Government’s Vision and Policy Statement provides the starting point for the
selection process. Among other things, the Vision and Policy Statement defines five
principal constraints affecting performance of the power sector as follows:
• High losses and receivables, combined with prevailing tariffs, limit the
attractiveness of domestic and foreign investment in the sector, i.e. private sector
financial resources are scarce as well. This is the poor sector financial viability
constraint.
2-1
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
2. Structure of the Holding Company. . .
• Lack of autonomy and incentives for operating entities to perform better. This is the
limited autonomy constraint.
The introduction of HoldCo can address at least three of these constraints as follows:
• Financial coordination & optimization. Given the scarcity of both public and
private financing for the sector, HoldCo can help ensure that whatever limited
financial resources are available are allocated optimally across generation,
transmission and distribution parts of the business. Moreover, by establishing a
HoldCo structure that facilitates a comprehensive and strategic view of funding
needs across the sector from a commercial perspective in place of the
Government’s current project-by-project approach, the financial optimization role
can enhance the operational autonomy discussed below.
The degrees to which the structure of HoldCo facilitates each of these three
characteristics indicate the effectiveness of that HoldCo design in overcoming constraints
to better performance described in the Government’s Vision and Policy Statement. These
parameters can therefore serve as criteria for evaluating target HoldCo designs.
In addition, any design of HoldCo must be feasible and sustainable. Three additional
criteria have been identified accordingly:
2-2
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
2. Structure of the Holding Company. . .
Finally, any HoldCo structure must comply with prevailing laws and policies, and
accommodate existing contractual arrangements with other parties such as IPPs.
Therefore, the seventh criterion for the selection of HoldCo’s target structure is
compliance with laws, policies and contracts.
In assessing compliance with prevailing laws, Presidential Order 59 (PO 59) specifically
designates BPDB as responsible for system planning & system operations. It is
understood that a simple amendment was prepared to facilitate the transfer of the system
operations function to PGCB. Since HoldCo will be a different entity from BPDB, if HoldCo
were to take the system planning function a similar amendment would be required.
If HoldCo were to be an operating holding company and take on any activities that require
a license per the BERC Act, it would of course need to apply and receive the necessary
licenses. However, as with the amendment to PO 59 in the event of taking on the system
planning function, this is a straightforward requirement.
Contractual issues, particularly with respect to power purchase agreements (PPAs) may
pose more challenging issues. PPAs such as those for Haripur and Meghnaghat may be
assigned only with mutual consent, though it is specifically anticipated that an IPP may
assign to lenders or qualified operating company. BPDB may assign to any entity provided
the Government provides the same guarantees.
Therefore, the process for BPDB to assign a PPA to a new Single Buyer (whether HoldCo
or another new company performs this function) entails the following:
• The Government must decide whether it will extend the sovereign guarantee to
the new Single Buyer company. This would likely require input and agreement of
the Prime Minister’s Office, MPEMR, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Law,
et al.
2-3
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
2. Structure of the Holding Company. . .
• Once the Government decides to extend the guarantees, it negotiates with the
IPPs
• The associated legal documents are drawn up, circulated and reviewed by all
parties
• Assignment of the PPA would follow signing by both parties, and the new
company takes over the Single Buyer function.
These steps would require considerable time given the number of parties involved.
Moreover, the process could be used by IPPs as a negotiation re-opener to secure
additional concessions or benefits. While transfer of the single buyer function to a new
company as part of the corporatization process should be considered, it should probably
not be on the critical path for the overall restructuring effort. If it were, it could delay other
changes of greater potential significance.
Five options spanning the entire spectrum of HoldCo configurations have been identified.
Given the numerous changes that have taken place in Bangladesh since the Terms of
Reference for the assignment were originally agreed between the Government and ADB,
options to forego a holding company altogether, and to create multiple holding companies
have been defined. Each option is discussed in turn below, and evaluated against the
criteria defined in the previous section.
Evaluation is conducted relatively between the options rather than against some absolute
standard.
• All existing BPDB operations are corporatized as companies directly owned by the
Government.
• The remaining (residual) part of BPDB can continue as the Single Buyer, which
can be corporatized later once PPAs can be assigned to the new entity.
The resulting structure is shown in Exhibit 2.2, and evaluation of this option against the
seven criteria is shown in Exhibit 2.3.
2-4
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
2. Structure of the Holding Company. . .
GOB
This option in effect represents continuation of the status quo. Under this option HoldCo is
created, and all existing BPDB operations and subsidiaries are transferred to it.
Presumably HoldCo business processes, internal organization, and employee conditions
of service would differ from current BPDB practice and standards, but the corporate
structure otherwise remains unchanged. Exhibit 2.4 depicts this option, and Exhibit 2.5
evaluates it against the seven criteria.
2-5
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
2. Structure of the Holding Company. . .
GOB
Ashuganj
West Zone
PGCB Power EGCB
Station Dist New company
The Operating Holding Company option does little to advance the objectives of the reform
process. The Government notes in its Vision and Policy Statement that “…desirable
results could not be achieved as DESA was created without addressing the fundamental
institutional deficiencies.” Similarly, this option replaces BPDB with a HoldCo design that
does not address the basic problems of the sector.
2-6
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
2. Structure of the Holding Company. . .
• The Single Buyer is established as HoldCo subsidiary from the residual BPDB
once PPAs can be assigned to the new entity.
Exhibit 2.6 depicts this target structure, and Exhibit 2.7 summarizes the evaluation of the
option.
DESCO PBS
This option compares well with others, except for the dependence on corporatization of
the Single Buyer, which requires assignment of the PPAs.
2-7
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
2. Structure of the Holding Company. . .
Exhibit 2.8 depicts this target structure, and Exhibit 2.9 summarizes the evaluation.
Exhibit 2.8: The Non-Operating Holding Company with Single Buyer Separate
GOB
West Ashuganj
Support Distribution Other
PGCB Zone Power EGCB New company
Services Station Zones Generation
Dist
Exhibit 2.9: Evaluation of the Non-Operating Holding Company with Single Buyer
Separate
2-8
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
2. Structure of the Holding Company. . .
This option seeks to achieve the benefits of the Non-Operating Holding Company Option
without depending on assignment of PPAs to a new company. However, this benefit
comes at the expense of financial optimization and autonomy.
Under this option, separate non-operating holding companies are established for
Generation and Distribution, which hold operating subsidiaries accordingly (including
DESCO and DESA/DPDC). PGCB is moved to direct ownership by Government, and the
residual BPDB would continue to serve as Single Buyer, which could later be corporatized
as a directly Government-owned company once PPAs can be assigned. Exhibit 2.10
shows depicts this option and Exhibit 2.11 presents the evaluation.
GOB
Residual REB
Distribution HoldCo Generation HoldCo
PGCB BPDB (Single
Buyer)
PBS
Option 5: Multiple Holding Companies with Single Buyer & PGCB Separate
Criterion Rating Rationale
Financial optimization No corporate coordination across sector. Requires greater
and coordination coordination role by Power Division
Provides a layer of corporate insulation between Government
Autonomy
and operations, except for Single Buyer and PGCB
Business focus Provides focused holding companies
Requires boards and staffing for two holding companies, plus
HR availability
greater capacity within Power Division
Performance monitoring role formally defined for holding
Institutionalization
companies, except for PGCB and Single Buyer
Some duplication of compliance and support functions between
Simplicity the two holding companies. Establishing & communicating
about two holding companies may be more difficult.
Compatibility with Single Buyer can maintain PPAs without renegotiation.
Laws, Policies & However, not clear if multiple holding companies are
Contracts compatible with government policy.
2-9
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
2. Structure of the Holding Company. . .
1. No Holding Company
2. Operating HoldCo
3. Non-Operating HoldCo
4. Non-Operating HoldCo
with separate Single Buyer
5. Multiple HoldCos
• Options 3 and 4 enable the Government to still play a role in monitoring, planning
and funding the sector, but provide a foundation for that role to shrink over time.
• Options 3 and 4 trade-off the difficulty of assigning PPAs with coordination and
autonomy
2-10
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
2. Structure of the Holding Company. . .
To reach the interim target of a non-operating holding company with the single buyer
separate, there are two options for migration from the existing structure:
Four criteria were identified as a basis for selecting between these two migration options:
• Speed. The migration path should minimize dependencies on outside events, such
as assignment of PPAs, amendment of PO 59, etc.
• Operational Risk. The migration path should minimize the likelihood of service
disruptions.
Exhibit 2.13 evaluates these two migration options against these four criteria. Green
indicates areas in which that option meets the criteria, yellow where there may be some
question, and red where it does not meet the criteria. Based on this analysis, Migration
Option 2, the establishment of a non-operating HoldCo first, appears the preferred
approach. Exhibit 2.14 shows the stages by which this migration will take place.
2-11
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
2. Structure of the Holding Company. . .
2-12
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
2. Structure of the Holding Company. . .
MPEMR
Establish &
BPDB DESA/DPDC REB monitor
Single Other Dist Other
Buyer Zones Generation
PBS
PBS
DESCO PBS
PBS
Ashuganj
West Zone Rural Power
PGCB Power EGCB
Station Dist Co. Ltd.
MPEMR
Establish &
New HoldCo BPDB DESA/DPDC REB monitor
Single Other Dist Other
Buyer Zones Generation PBS
PBS
PBS
DESCO PBS
Ashuganj
West Zone Rural Power
PGCB Power EGCB
Station Dist Co. Ltd.
2-13
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
2. Structure of the Holding Company. . .
MPEMR
Establish &
HoldCo BPDB DESA/DPDC REB monitor
Single Other Dist Other
Buyer Zones Generation PBS
PBS
DESCO PBS
PBS
Ashuganj
West Zone Rural Power
PGCB Power EGCB
Station Dist Co. Ltd.
Establish &
HoldCo BPDB DESA/DPDC REB monitor
Single Other Dist Other
Buyer Zones Generation
DESCO PBS
PBS
PBS
PBS
Ashuganj New
New
New Rural Power
West Zone
PGCB Power EGCB Gencos Co. Ltd.
Dist Operating
Gencos
Station
Companies
2-14
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
2. Structure of the Holding Company. . .
Once all operations of BPDB have been migrated to the new entities
or otherwise disposed of, the residual BPDB will continue to function
as the single buyer.
MPEMR
Establish &
HoldCo Residual BPDB DESA/DPDC REB monitor
(as Single Buyer)
DESCO PBS
PBS
PBS
PBS
2-15
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. HOLDING COMPANY ROLES, FUNCTIONS AND ESTABLISHMENT
Section 2.4 builds the case for HoldCo to function as a non-operating holding company.
As defined in Section 1.2.3, a non-operating holding company performs the following two
functions:
• Provides strategic guidance and coordination for operations across the Group, i.e.
that the Group as a whole achieves better results than the companies would
individually. (“Group” refers to the holding company together with all its
subsidiaries). Since system planning is a single buyer function, and HoldCo will not
serve as the single buyer, it will not coordinate via the system planning process.
On the other hand, the scarcity of funding is a major constraint to better sector
performance, and consequently a premium on financial planning, particularly
allocation of capital expenditure (capex allocation). Given that the gap between the
optimal investment requirements as determined by the system plan and the
feasible investment determined by availability of funds is so large, capex allocation
is arguably the most important planning function in the sector today. HoldCo’s
principal mechanism for financial optimization ad coordination will be capex
allocation. The design and execution of this process is discussed further in Section
7.
Exhibit 3.1 depicts in further detail how HoldCo will execute the financial planning
and performance management functions. This represents HoldCo’s value chain.
Each element is discussed below. Financial planning precedes performance
management, since the resulting capex allocation determines the resources
available to each subsidiary, and hence is an important input towards establishing
what each subsidiary is accountable for.
3-1
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
• Understand System Plan. The Single Buyer (the residual BPDB, at least initially)
will be responsible for the development of a system plan. Such plans are
developed on the basis of minimizing the costs of developing and operating the
power system subject to meeting demand at some level of reliability. System plans
are therefore optimal, but because they do not take into account financing
constraints, may not be feasible. Nonetheless, to determine which projects should
receive financing when financing is scarce, it is essential to fully understand the
dependencies implicit in the system plan. For example, investments in the least
cost generation expansion plan might only make sense if accompanied by
investments in transmission. The first step in financial planning is therefore to
understand the optimal configuration of the system suggested by the system plan,
and the inherent dependencies between various elements of the plan.
• Allocate Capital. Once HoldCo understands the system plan and has determined
how much funding is available (and for what projects, if any of it is tied), it will need
to allocate the available capital amongst the subsidiaries. This would typically
entail screening candidate projects on the basis of return on investment, taking into
account any tied funding and technical dependencies between projects.
3-2
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
• Establish HoldCo Personnel Targets. Once HoldCo has fully documented the
targets and resources granted each Group company, it will establish performance
targets for its own personnel to align with relevant corporate targets.
• Monitor and Report Performance. Over the course of the year, HoldCo will
monitor the performance of each subsidiary, itself, and the Group as a whole, and
report these results to stakeholders on a regular basis as agreed with the
Government.
In addition to the core activities described above, HoldCo will also need to perform
supporting activities in the areas of:
• Legal services. Not only will HoldCo have its own legal issues to look after, but as
part of its performance management mandate will ensure that subsidiaries are also
in compliance with applicable regulations.
• Human Resources (HR). HoldCo will need to manage its own HR, as described in
detail in Sections 5, 6 and 7. In addition, it will have a policy function for the Group.
Another supporting function that could have been included is Stakeholder Management,
e.g. investor relations, public relations, regulatory interaction, advertising/branding, etc.
However, these functions are more appropriately lodged with the subsidiaries as they are
responsible for interaction with all stakeholders except the Government shareholder, as
suggested in Exhibit 1.6.
More generally, given that several subsidiaries have already been created under BPDB
and some of these have already established their own supporting systems, it appears
more practical for HoldCo to take strategic oversight of support functions across the Group
companies, rather than deliver these services on a centralized basis.
Exhibit 3.2 summarizes the above discussion, and provides an overview of HoldCo
functions. Details on the specific functions proposed for each activity area are provided
elsewhere in the report. Unlike the other functions, the financial coordination role is
expected to evolve over time as Government funding of the sector moves from project-
3-3
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
3-4
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
It is also useful to highlight activities and functions that HoldCo will not undertake:
• It will not be directly involved in the physical deliver of power or party to the
associated commercial transactions. It is a business organization
functioning as a shareholder, not a technical organization functioning as an
operator.
Each of these steps is discussed below in turn, followed by a discussion of the need to
assign contracts to HoldCo and treatment of Government obligations under loan
agreements and sovereign guarantees.
There are little or no fixed assets, receivables, employment liabilities, or debt capital to be
transferred to be transferred to HoldCo since it is a non-operating holding company. The
valuation and transfer of such items, and the creation of corresponding opening balance
sheets, are typically referred to as a financial transfer scheme. In the case of HoldCo, the
financial transfer scheme consists simply of the initial capitalization of the company and
the acquisition of shares in power companies as part of items (1) and (6) above.
3-5
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
Under prevailing law, the capital structure of HoldCo requires that it be formed as a public
limited company5. A public limited company must have a minimum of 7 shareholders, and
as such 7 subscribers to the memorandum and articles of association.
The Memorandum of Association (MOA) describes the objects of HoldCo, i.e. its principal
purposes and functions. The Articles of Association (AOA) on the other hand describe the
shareholding and governance of the company. These documents have been prepared
taking into account the expected role and activities of HoldCo as described above.
Appendix B contains the proposed MOA, and Appendix C the proposed AOA. A list of
other documentation, licenses, registrations, permits and approvals required to
operationalize HoldCo is given in Appendix D. Appendix E provides responses to specific
queries and comments received from BPDB pertaining to company establishment issues.
The capital of the company is to be Tk 150,000 million divided into 150 million shares of
Tk 1,000 each (see Section 3.5.6). Apart from qualifying shares to be held by the directors
(in trust for the Government), the remaining shares will be unallocated at time of
incorporation.
Government will subscribe and pay for Tk 15 million initial capital to permit the company to
commence operations and to tide it over until it receives dividend income from SubCos.
The subscribers to the memorandum for the purposes of getting the company
incorporated become the first directors of HoldCo. Since HoldCo is wholly state-owned,
these subscribers, and hence the initial directors, will be Government officials.
This is only a temporary arrangement. HoldCo directors will be appointed on the basis of
their professional qualifications, regardless of whether they come from Government or
elsewhere. Therefore, while the process for incorporation is proceeding, Government is to
appoint a Search committee the sole task of which is to prepare and maintain a long list of
potential candidates from which nominees for the first elected Board (and subsequent
additional or replacement directors) will be selected.
The Search committee will comprise representatives of the state and various prominent
institutions or their nominees:
• a Government representative;
• the President of the Institution of Engineers;
• the Vice-Chancellor of BUET;
• the President of the Bangladesh Institute of Chartered Accountants; and
5
Securities and Exchange Commission Notification No. SEC/CMRRCD/2006-159/Admin-03/23
dated 8 February 2006
3-6
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
Government will indicate its choice of future directors from the list provided to it by the
Search committee. The initial directors will, as soon as practicable after receipt of the
Government’s choices, convene a special General Meeting at which they will elect the
nominees and immediately following tender their resignations so that the number of
directors remains within the limits in the Articles.
Those directors in turn will be responsible for electing a Chairman from among their
number, and selecting and appointing a chief executive to be appointed to the position of
Managing Director. They will be responsible on a continuing basis:
• Appointing new directors from the current long list–should any become
necessary or desirable in the best interests of the company–to hold office until
the General Meeting next following appointment, at which time their
appointments will be subject to shareholder scrutiny and vote.
SubCos’ boards will have similar responsibilities with respect to their companies, except
that the appointment of new directors to SubCos will always be the responsibility of
HoldCo’s Board.
The articles provide a term of three years for each director, who may be re-elected for not
more than three consecutive terms. They also provide that one third of their number shall
retire each year in rotation.
Provided that directors are not employees of HoldCo or SubCos or employed by or have
an interest in major suppliers they will be deemed to be ‘independent’ within the meaning
of the Security and Exchange Commissions (SEC’s) Notification regarding corporate
governance.6
The Board will enter into a suitable employment contract with the MD for a period not
exceeding five years.
6
Notification dated 20th February, 2006: No. SEC/CMRRCD/2006-158/Admin/02-08.
3-7
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
Several of the existing BPDB subsidiaries have issued powers of attorney (POA) to their
respective managing directors to enable them to carry out certain activities in the day-to-
day running of the companies. POAs must be spelt out very carefully to give all necessary
powers yet not to mislead third parties as to the extent and scope of the powers. In case
such a POA include dealings with real property, it must contain in a schedule the specific
description of the property, and be registered. Any revocation of a registered POA also
has to be by way of a registered deed.
However, standard corporate practice is to provide the powers and authorities required by
a managing director to run the day-to-day affairs of a company in the AOA of the company
itself. The AOA presented in Appendix C for HoldCo take this approach:
• the control of the Company shall be vested in the Directors and the
business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors.
The delegation of authority may be general in nature and made by a board resolution. In
addition, the AOA spell out several authorities automatically delegated to the Managing
Director. This approach removes the necessity of providing POAs to each succeeding
managing director, and revoking them after the end of service of each managing director.
The MD, in consultation with the Board, will secure suitable premises for HoldCo and its
staff and other necessary assets, including office furniture and fittings, vehicles, computer
services, etc.
The MD will be responsible for confirming the positions to be filled in HoldCo and for
recommending to the Board suitable appointees to immediately subordinate positions The
MD will be solely responsible for appointments to all other positions. Chapter 5 discusses
transfer and recruitment of personnel in detail.
The MD will proceed as soon as possible to cause HoldCo to acquire the shares in all
Government power companies that are to become subsidiary companies and to have
HoldCo shares issued by way of consideration.
Ideally, he should ensure that the following conditions are met before any company is
acquired:
• Profitability of the company is at or near the level projected in the FRRP
• The company’s debt service and trade purchase payments are up to date
• The ability to provide financial information in the detail necessary for
consolidation in Group financial statements has been established
• An adequate and effective management structure exists.
3-8
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
As a practical matter it may be difficult to fulfill the first two conditions by the target date.
The Government may wish to proceed with the transfer of subsidiaries to HoldCo before
these conditions are met, but targets in the relevant Performance Contracts should be
modified accordingly.
d. Check if any third party approvals are required or if the transaction has to be
notified to any body; if so, comply accordingly8
7
The Stamp Act 1899 provides that an instrument of transfer of shares in a company shall be
stamped with adhesive stamps to the amount of 1.5% of the value of the consideration for the
transfer, unless the shares are of a company listed in a stock exchange, in which case no
stamp duty is chargeable. The contracting parties may agree in the contract as to who will bear
the expense of the stamp duty, and in the absence of such agreement, in the case of such a
transfer the stamp duty would be borne by both parties equally. By an order made under
Section 9 of the Stamp Act 1899 and published in the official Gazette, the Government may
reduce or remit in the whole or in part the stamp duties on the instrument of transfer.
8
Although the constitution of HoldCo prohibits the reduction of the Government’s interest below
51 per cent, there is no such provision in existing SubCos.
3-9
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
To ensure that the shares in the existing qualifying subsidiaries of BPDB are registered in
the name of HoldCo by 1 July 2009, the Company Secretary of BPDB should commence
the transfer process as soon as financial statements for the preceding financial year are
available
Review of the MOA and AOA of the existing BPDB subsidiaries listed below indicates that
no amendments are required for the transfer of shares in the subsidiaries by BPDB to
HoldCo:
However, several of the subsidiaries have articles in their respective AOA detailing the
composition of the Board of Directors. These articles may need to be amended to provide
for HoldCo to nominate [majority] directors on to the Board of each subsidiary, thereby
providing shareholder control through Board composition. Currently, these articles
typically provide for the Government to nominate all or a majority of directors, or for some
directors to be selected from among designated fields of occupation or expertise. A list of
these articles is given in Exhibit 3.4.
3-10
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
9
Article 62(a) Stamp Act 1899 (SA 1899), as amended by the Finance Act 1998.
10
Section 12, SA 1899.
3-11
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
North West Zone “72. (i) Until otherwise determined by the Company in General
Power Distribution Meeting the number of directors shall be not less then 4 (four)
Company Limited and not more than 12 (twelve) excluding the Managing Director.
The Managing Director shall be the ex officio member of the
Board of Directors.
(iv) Any vacancy in the office of Director shall be filled in from the
nominees of the Government.
11
The meaning of this provision is not clear. The Subscribers would have all the shares of the
company. Who would sell what shares to whom for this article to come into operation?
3-12
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
West Zone Power “72. Until otherwise determined by the Company in General
Distribution Meeting the minimum 3 (three) and maximum 12 (twelve)
Company Limited number of Directors, out of which 6 (six) from Subscribers12 of
the Company, 3 (three) shall be person representing consumer
or professional interest and 3 (three) from Ex-officio of WEST
ZONE POWER DISTRIBUTION COMPANY LIMITED i.e.
Managing Director, Director (Technical) and Director (Finance).”
An instruction13 was issued by the Power Division, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral
Resources on 15.11.07 in relation to the boards of directors of state-owned companies
formed in the power sector. That instruction stipulates the following. All power sector
companies were asked to amend their memoranda and articles of association to give
effect to the instruction:
12
The word “Shareholders” overwritten by hand.
13
Memo No.BiJaKhoSho/BiBi/Pro:-2/2Bi-1/2007/668
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
iii) No official of the Power Division or its agencies shall be on the board of
directors of more than 2 companies.
iv) No executive officer other than the managing director of a company shall be
permitted to be on the board of directors.
xi) The Director (Finance) and Director (Technical) of the companies, even though
not members of the board, shall be present at all its meetings.
Since HoldCo will not be an operating company, it will not be necessary to assign PPAs,
fuel supply agreements, or other trading contracts from existing BPDB operations. The
principal agreements necessary for the day-to-day operation and management of HoldCo
may include:
• supply arrangements and contracts for gas and other fuel for purposes
other than generating electricity;
14
The number is not specified, and may be determined on a case to case basis.
15
This provision is not clear. It may relate to the subject areas of generation, transmission and
distribution.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
• insurance contracts for employee and third party accident and injury.
These are largely expected to be new contracts, though in certain cases they could be
assigned by BPDB to HoldCo.
The Government of Bangladesh has entered into several loan and other financing
agreements with various multilateral and bilateral donors and lenders such as the World
Bank and the ADB in respect of BPDB, its various plants and operations. Some of these
loan agreements are specific to individual power stations. Some are accompanied by
subsidiary loan agreements, whereby the Government has re-lent the borrowed funds to
BPDB.
Standard terms in World Bank and ADB loan agreements provide, for example, that BPDB
cannot sell, lease or otherwise dispose of any of its assets without the prior approval of
the lender, be it World Bank or ADB. Moreover, BPDB is usually prohibited from assigning
any rights or obligations under any subsidiary loan agreement in relation to any of the loan
agreements, without the approval of the lender. Some of these loan agreements may have
sovereign guarantees attached to them. They may also have terms and conditions
prohibiting or restricting the amendment of the constitutional documents of BPDB and/or
its restructuring.
These provisions would restrict the right of BPDB to transfer relevant assets as it is
unbundled. Further, there may be similar clauses in any or all the other existing loan
agreements to which the Government and/or BPDB are a party, and any transfer of assets
or liabilities, or restructuring envisaged in this corporatization project could trigger off a
default in such loan agreements, which in turn may trigger off cross-default clauses in any
or all of these loan agreements. Each of these loan agreements would have to be
reviewed for such express or implied bars on the envisaged restructuring, and transfers of
assets and liabilities of BPDB.
It is expected that no loans or other financial obligations will be assigned to HoldCo, since
HoldCo will be a non-operating company. Rather, existing BPDB loans and obligations will
be transferred to the relevant operating company that is spun off from BPDB. In some
cases it may not be possible to identify a single new operating company to which a given
loan or obligation should be transferred. In such cases, the liability should be allocated
among operating entities following a clear rationale, e.g. proportionally to the assets
transferred. Even so, it is not expected that HoldCo will be involved in any such transfers.
On the other hand, this will remain an issue for the establishment of new HoldCo
subsidiaries from BPDB operations.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
Following several major enquiries and legislative decisions in various countries over the
last 20 years the need for specific actions, policies and disclosures by companies in the
interest of investors and participants in the capital markets has been well defined. The
Bangladesh Enterprise Institute published in April 2004 The Code of Corporate
Governance for Bangladesh. In December 2005 the SE Asian Association of Accountants
published Best Practices on Corporate Governance. It incorporated ideas and
contributions from member Institutes including the Institute of Chartered Accountants in
Bangladesh. The OECD has also published a code of practice.
The minimum for companies’ Codes of Corporate Governance in Bangladesh has been
specified by the Securities & Exchange Commission.16 The Notification sets out certain
conditions that are to be included in each company’s code on a ‘comply or explain’ basis.
The principal requirements are:
• The size of boards of directors should lie between 5 and 20
• Independent directors should number at least 10 per cent of the total with
a minimum of one
• The positions of Chairman and CEO should, preferably, not be held by
the same person
• Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Head of Internal Audit and Company
Secretary should have defined responsibilities; the CFO and Secretary
should attend Board meetings.
• The Directors’ Annual Report to shareholders should include statements
concerning the fairness and the bases of the presentation of the
company’s affairs in the financial statements, the adequacy of the books
of account and internal control processes; the ability of the company to
meet its debts; disclosures on major plans, prospects and risks; three
years’ performance data; details of directors’ shareholdings and meeting
attendance; the voting interest of holders of per cent of shares or more;
the reasons for not declaring a dividend; and explanations of non-
compliance with conditions of the Notification.
• Audit and Risk Management committees should be established with
specified minimum obligations, including reporting to the SEC of failure to
rectify shortcomings or inadequacies relating to conflicts of interest,
internal control systems; infringements of relevant laws; anything having a
material impact on the company. The external and group internal auditors
should report to this committee.17
16
Notification Dated the 20th February, 2006 No. SEC/CMRRCD/2006-158/Admin/02-08,
17
We recommend that HoldCo should have one committee covering both audit and risk issues.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
Considering the nature and situation of the BPDB Group and the need to secure uniform
policies and action on key issues such as capital works, funding, and the need to prepare
consolidated accounts, certain other Board committees should be established:
• Finance & planning
• Information technology
• Human resources, nomination and remuneration
• Technical
The roles and responsibilities of the Board collectively, directors severally, and the
committees established to assist the Board in its work need to be set out in manuals.
Amongst other things, the extent to which the Board reserves to itself or limits the exercise
of powers assigned to the MD in the Articles of Association need to be spelled out very
clearly. The Board manual should also set out the desirable composition of the Board in
terms of skills and resources, procedures for identifying candidate directors and the
performance appraisal of directors collectively and severally.
A Code of Conduct should be prepared setting out the standards of corporate and
personal behavior expected of all directors, employees and contractors with respect to
customers, shareholders, Government, the environment and the public.
The Audit committee should also be responsible for oversight of risk management and
compliance throughout the Group because at HoldCo level the Group’s financial risks
(e.g., exchange rate, interest rate, counterparty) will become increasingly more significant
as the Group becomes progressively less reliant on Government and aid agencies for
finance and should be managed with the other risks faced by the Group, e.g., major plant
failure, public and personnel injury, fire and earthquake.
3-17
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
3.3.7 Technical
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
• Reviews SubCos’ asset management plans and ensures that they are
economic, mutually consistent and support the Group’s long term power
supply strategy
• Makes appropriate recommendations to the Board
The Articles of Association grant extensive powers to the MD to expedite the business of
HoldCo. Since the Articles is a public and statutory document it may be relied upon by
third parties doing business with the company as evidence of the MD’s power to deal with
them on HoldCo’s behalf. However, the Board should consider what decisions should be
reserved to itself.
The following are examples of matters decisions on which the Board should consider
reserving to itself. Quantitative limits in them are purely illustrative.
• Appointment, termination and remuneration of the immediate
subordinates of the MD of HoldCo
• Appointment, termination and remuneration of directors and chief
executives of subsidiary companies
• Signing off major reports to Government
• Commitment of capex in excess of Tk 100 million per project
• Executing contracts in excess of Tk 500 million
• Capital raising in excess of Tk 100 million per occurrence
• Investment in new generation etc including contracts with IPPs
• Sale of shares in HoldCo or any of its SubCos
• Sale of any of SubCos’ major plant items
• Amendment of the Articles or Memoranda of Association of any SubCos
As discussed above in Section 3.1, HoldCo will have two principal functions: to help
ensure optimal allocation of scarce capital across its subsidiaries, and to drive improved
performance of those subsidiary operating companies. Proposed mechanisms for capital
allocation are discussed in Section 8.3. This section describes HoldCo’s performance
management function.
The 2000 Vision and Policy Statement highlights the lack of effective operational
performance evaluation as a major constraint to improved sector performance. While
there has been some focus to help improve commercial viability through setting up targets
at the corporate level, these targets have neither been derived systematically nor linked to
individual performance. In some companies (e.g. DESCO, PGCB) bonuses are paid on
achievement of corporate targets but the allocation of bonus amount is not linked to level
of individual achievement. In BPDB, bonuses are paid against set targets on zonal basis
under a Punishment and Reward Scheme. However, there has been no case of penalties
in case of underachievement of targets.
3-19
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
Given that HoldCo will have sector-level objectives, the goal for the company should be to
wield individual efforts into a common effort where, while each member of the organization
(subsidiaries) contributes something different but in all they must all contribute to a
common Goal or Vision for the sector. Such contributions must be mandated through
performance contracts where targets for achievement are clearly laid out and are
measured on a regular basis. Achievements must be rewarded and corrective actions
taken in situations of non-performance.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
Therefore, HoldCo’s performance management system will define the key relationships
that will exist between HoldCo and the Government, HoldCo and its subsidiaries and
HoldCo and its employees. Promoting this performance culture will enable sector-level
gain in efficiencies and achievement of goals that the government has set for itself.
The framework is a three-step model where performance contracts are drawn between the
following:
The targets in these performance contracts must cascade down from the performance
contract drawn between the Government and HoldCo to the employees of HoldCo in the
end. In this way both the goals of the Government (sector level goals) and the goals laid
down for the subsidiaries by HoldCo will be linked to the employees of HoldCo. In
addition, HoldCo must influence and promote adoption of similar performance
management framework in its subsidiaries. This framework is shown in Exhibit 3.6.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
A performance contract is a document that clearly lays down goals / targets for
achievement within a specified timeframe (milestone). Such achievement or non-
achievement is then reviewed and analyzed, and appropriate actions taken to either
reward the achievement or set corrective actions for improvement. The aim of creating a
performance contract as a document is to ensure it is always available for reference and
review and it removes ambiguity and bias from the performance process / framework.
The Performance Contract prepared annually by the Board of Directors and “negotiated”
with the shareholder. It shall contain:
• Objectives of company
• A summary of the nature and scope of commercial activities of the group
• Details of capital structure
• Accounting policies to be followed
• Operational and financial performance targets and measures to be met over the
next five years
• Dividend policy and estimates
• Information to be reported
• Procedures for share subscriptions or purchases
• Assumptions regarding factors outside the control of HoldCo, including obligations
of the Government, that will affect target performance, including (i) fuel prices,
inflation, force majeure events, etc. (ii) availability/provision of financing, (iii) tariff
levels, and (iv) subsidies.
3-22
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
When the Performance Contract is agreed and signed by the parties it will constitute a
statement of the targets against which a company’s achievements will be judged and of
the obligations Government has undertaken to meet. An example is given in Appendix F.
Exhibit 3.7 depicts the three steps for preparing a performance contract. Each is
discussed in turn below.
The process for Performance Contract starts with setting performance expectations or
Goals. Performance contracts should include Routine, Stretch and Development goals
that incorporate expectations or specific actions to be taken.
Routine goals include actions that encompass performance expectations that are
expected to be completed in the normal course of work, business or project.
Stretch goals include actions that challenge the skills, abilities and knowledge
(competencies) and resources of an individual or collectively as group or company.
Attempt must be at all times to make the Stretch Goals realistic and not unreasonable.
Development goals include actions that are directed at development and which enhance
current and future value of the organization.
While devising goals it must be kept in mind that the goals are:
• Simple and specific – so that everyone in the company, from the top management
to the field staff, can easily comprehend and relate to them, and work to achieve
them. The targets should also not be unnecessarily complicated in their design or
applicability.
• Measurable - so that all targets are objective and not subject to too much
interpretation or discretion. The calculation of the achievement should be
transparent and easily defined. The means by which the data will be compiled
must be explicitly considered.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
• Attainable – so that the target is within reach with a reasonable amount of stretch
and time, and with the resources that have been made available. Targets should
be such that they are do-able and acceptable to all concerned, especially the
implementing agencies. It is not prudent to set targets that are beyond reach and
unattainable in a reasonable timeframe.
• Relevant - so that they reflect the priorities of the sector, the company and its
subsidiaries. Targets over which there is little or no, control would not be relevant,
and one of the principles in setting targets is to pick areas where there is control,
and the means to meet the targets.
SET MILESTONES
Milestones or dates for specific actions to be completed for each goal are critical to accept
accountability. And, the overall contract should extend to a reasonable time in order to
promote systematic accountability checks. It must be ensured that the timeframe is not
too large as it would weaken the commitment to a goal. This dimension of timeliness,
together with the four characteristics noted above, suggest that targets need to be
SMART: Simple and specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely
SET ACCOUNTABILITY
Accountability sessions are important components of the contracting process and include
reviewing progress, determining what additional resources may be needed, adjustments
of the milestones and performance coaching. Schedule a final review to establish
completion of the contract, negotiate a new contract and deliver any rewards associated
with contract completion or set corrective actions to improve performance.
The performance contract between HoldCo and the Government is a two step process.
On one hand the contact must represent a cumulative target of the subsidiaries and on the
other it must also incorporate the goals that the Government has set for the power sector
overall. It must also be noted here that many of the goals / targets set under this
performance contract will be more long term and a minimum time frame of yearly reviews
or updates should be set up.
The 2000 Vision and Policy Statement and the Three Year Roadmap for the Power Sector
Reform updated in 2005 should serve as a guiding document for framing the goals at the
sector level. These sector-level goals will cascade down to the subsidiaries and in turn to
the employees of the HoldCo, hence they must be free from ambiguity; as noted
previously, they should be SMART targets. In addition, the targets should indicate the
baseline information against which performance is measured, and also the prioritizing of
targets. These are detailed further below.
Exhibit 3.8 provides some examples of targets that could be used in the Performance
Contract between HoldCo and the Government. A sample Performance Contract is
provided in Appendix F.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
This can be then used to set up a yearly target for the HoldCo which can state:
• ‘Achieve electrification of 40,000 (or X number) household in the financial year
2008 – 2009’
The above target in itself could lead to or be set in conjunction with other targets for the
HoldCo such as the following:
• ‘Commission a 40 Km (or X Km) Transmission Line extension at 132 kV during
the financial year 2008 – 2009’
• ‘Ensure an overall plant availability factor of Y% during the year 2008-2009’
The performance contract between HoldCo and a subsidiary is linked directly to the
subsidiary’s activities and must be more operational in nature. For each subsidiary a
separate performance contract must be drawn up, which will be dependent on the nature
of business of the subsidiary. Distribution, transmission and generation companies will
each have a separate set of targets but they must also carry some targets that are drawn
from or are derived from the sector-level targets which HoldCo has agreed with the
Government. Such linkage is also to some extent based on the sector-level priorities. A
note on this linkage is mentioned in another chapter later.
The nature of the targets in this performance contract may be more near-term and the
goals / targets set under this performance contract should have a yearly timeframe with a
six monthly review mechanism built in. Again, the performance contract process must be
used as a guide for setting targets at all levels, and the targets must be SMART.
Some examples of targets to be laid down in the Performance Contract between the
HoldCo and different types of subsidiaries are given in Exhibit 3.9. These Performance
Contracts would utilize the same format as that between HoldCo and Government, as
shown in Appendix F. A complete list of candidate key performance indicators (KPIs) are
provided in Exhibit 3.10.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
Other targets related to SAIFI, SAIDI, Customers Serviced per Employee may also be set as
targets for a Distribution Subsidiary
Where, Actual Energy Transferred = Total Energy transferred (including wheeling) in a Year
And, Total Energy Available for Transfer = Actual energy transferred and the energy lost
during outage (million Units)
Other targets related to Km of Lines serviced per Employee, MVA per Employee, Revenue to
Current Expenditure Ratio may also be set as targets for a Transmission Subsidiary
3-26
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
Essentially the EPMS must be a three step process and must entail;
• A face to face meeting between the staff member and line manager to discuss the
Individual Performance Contract
• Mid term Review of Performance
• Final Appraisal at end of term
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
In an EPMS the performance contract must cover elements of both quantitative and
qualitative targets. The assessment process must cover both quantitative and qualitative
elements of the work carried out to date and must be rated on a well defined rating scale.
All increments or salary increases must be set as a percentage of salary, dependent on
the performance level achieved against agreed targets at start of performance period.
At the end of each performance period and upon completion of the review, all employees
must be advised in writing of salary increases, bonus payments, and promotions. It must
also be set that continued non performance could lead to corrective actions which may
also lead to termination in situations of no improvement.
It is also proposed to introduce Forced Ranking in the EPMS as a first step towards
adopting a modern system. Forced Ranking eliminates bias in the administration of any
employee performance system that may result on account of inter-personal dynamics
within the organization. It also provides direct incentive for higher performance and
motivates individual employees towards achievement of individual goals.
For the HoldCo to meet its targets, each Subsidiary must meet its own targets, which in
turn is possible only if all or most of the units under each Subsidiary and their employees
are able to meet their own targets. Thus, the targets for most activities must be set in such
a way that if the units under the subsidiary achieve their targets, then the Subsidiary will
also achieve their targets, ultimately leading to the HoldCo meeting its goals. Such a
cascading of targets is an important element of the structure of the Performance
Management Framework.
The system of cascading of targets links the various companies in the sector together and
brings them under a common framework. It promotes the culture of performance to
permeate across the sector and motivates different companies to achieve common goals.
An example of cascading of targets is given below in Exhibit 3.11 and the linkages
represented diagrammatically in Exhibit 3.12.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
This can be then used to set up a yearly target for HoldCo which can state:
• ‘Achieve electrification of 40,000 (or X number) household in the financial year
2008 – 2009’
The above target in itself could lead to other targets for the Subsidiaries which could be as
follows; (Assume 30,000 household electrification works goes to WZPDCL)
WZPDCL can also set target for its Project Implementation team
• Complete all surveys and material requirement specification for additional
30,000 household electrification by April 2008
• Award contracts for electrification works for 30,000 households by August
2008
WZPDCL can also use this for setting targets for its Employees (Say the Project Manager for
Project Implementation Team)
• Ensure completion of 3,0000 household electrification by March 2009
Similarly the HoldCo can set target for its employees which could be;
• Secure capex funding for electrification of additional 40,000 households by July
2008
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
Another feature of the target setting is that the performance targets for various activities
must generally be made more stringent from year to year. Such a ratcheting of targets will
lead to progressively improved performance. However, for certain activities, once a
specified minimum/maximum level is reached, ratcheting may not be possible (e.g. once
overall losses in a unit are brought to the level of allowable technical losses; it may be
difficult to lower them further without substantial capital investment). Thus, in setting
targets at the various levels, the unique characteristics of each unit should be considered
along with the principles of cascading and ratcheting.
At a very basic level the overall mechanism of the Performance Management Framework
is straightforward - set targets at the beginning of the year; measure achievement against
the targets at the end of the year; and provide bonus/incentive payments based on how
much of the targets have been realized. The Performance Management Framework
creates a direct link between achieving targets/results and receiving rewards in the form of
end-of-year incentive/bonus payments. It promotes a work culture that values results over
bureaucratic processes, and encourages dynamism and initiative.
1. The link between performance and reward must be strong enough to actually
incentivize employees to work harder, perform better, and, in some cases, change
their attitude or behavior. This means that, as far possible, the rewards should be
targeted so that it is not the case that all receive the same payouts (as has been
the practice for corporate entities in Bangladesh, e.g. a 2 months bonus across-
the-board). Ideally, the bonus payouts should differ, and be tied to individual and
overall company performance.
2. The overall well-being of the company must be kept in mind. Even if certain
employees, units or subsidiaries perform well, if overall Group or company
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
performance declines substantially, then bonuses for all (even good performers)
will be affected, perhaps even to the point that no bonuses are paid.
The basis for an initial baseline can be derived from HoldCo’s first business plan.
This business plan is drafted from the point of view of the first Board of HoldCo and is
designed to help the directors to identify and to consider the main issues that confront
them and to decide the priorities for the new company and group. The business plan will
be amended or redrafted as appropriate by the Vice President Finance & Planning to
reflect their decisions.
HoldCo’s business plan sets out its strategic roles & functions within the Bangladesh
power sector. It includes the major strategies to be followed over a planning period that
corresponds with the power system planning period, i.e., 10 years, and indicates the
amount and timing of investment requirements of the Group. It summarizes the expected
means of financing them, including firm sources of funds and unsourced amounts for
which sources need to be found. It sets out target performance criteria and objectives for
the group.
3.5.1 Situation
The latter three companies are in the course of being established as going concerns.
DESCO has taken over part of DESA’s business in the Greater Dhaka region and a new
company, Dhaka Power Distribution Co Ltd, has been formed to take over the remainder.
It is not Government’s intention that these companies should become subsidiaries of
HoldCo at the same time as BPDB’s subsidiaries.
18
As surrogate for such other companies that may be established to acquire and operate the other
generation assets of BPDB.
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3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
The role and functions of HoldCo have been discussed in Section 3.1. The starting point
for the Business Plan is a SWOT analysis relative to these functions, the results of which
are summarized below.
STRENGTHS
• The Group enjoys the support of Government and international aid agencies
such as the World Bank and the ADB
• The group is a monopoly supplier of power in its zones
• It is inheriting subsidiary companies that in part reflect the financial and
operational recovery and rehabilitation plan (FRRP)
WEAKNESSES
• The power sector as a whole, including HoldCo’s areas of operations, is
undercapitalized and does not generate sufficient cash to support growth and
to service capital
• The tariff structure has been excessively politicized and current tariffs are
inadequate to ensure the operational and financial viability of the entities in the
sector
• The sector plant and infrastructure have not been maintained adequately and
effective plant utilization is low
• The public holds the power sector in low esteem because of its chronic inability
of meeting its needs
• While SingleBuyerCo remains outside the HoldCo group HoldCo will not itself
have the capacity to identify future national needs for power and plan to meet
them
OPPORTUNITIES
• The new corporate structure frees management from the restrictive controls
pertaining to personnel and procurement that prevail in the Government sector
• Improved governance practices and improved credit ratings will enable
additional funds to be secured for investment in the sector by various means
including bond issues, share sales, joint ventures, etc
THREATS
• A large inventory of run down assets places system reliability and therefore
income at risk and raises O&M costs
• Uncertainty about the availability and cost of primary fuels may delay power
station commissioning and require continuation of load shedding
• If timely, soundly argued and documented tariff requests cannot be submitted
to the Regulator, or if the Regulator is tardy in making satisfactory tariff orders,
group revenue will be at risk resulting in difficulties in establishing both financial
and operational standing in the community
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3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
Major issues to be resolved progressively by HoldCo and its subsidiaries include the
following:
• Establishing group-wide policies on key issues such as:
o Evaluating and financing capital works
o Accounting and financial and operational reporting
o Risk management
o Incentive remuneration, retirement benefits
o Health, safety and environmental protection
• Establishing a uniform basis reporting the value of fixed assets in service and
providing for depreciation and major maintenance
There are four factors critical to the success of the HoldCo group:
• Right people
• Right performance management
• Right policies and procedures
• Right, i.e. optimal, capital allocation.
The general nature of the strategies required to meet these critical factors are set out
below.
RIGHT PEOPLE
HoldCo should ensure the highest level of direction and management of all companies in
the group. It should employ capable professional staff to implement its policies.
SubCos’ boards will have similar responsibilities with respect to their companies, except
that the appointment of new directors to SubCos will always be the responsibility of
HoldCo’s Board.
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3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
The Performance Management Framework has been described at length in the preceding
section. It stipulates that the Group business plan, the strategies to put it into effect and
the planned results should be agreed with the shareholder and the essential features
incorporated in a Performance Contract between the Board and the shareholder. The
business plan objectives become contract targets against which results will be regularly
measured and reported and remedial action taken if necessary.
In like manner SubCos’ business plans will be the basis for performance contracts
between their boards and HoldCo.
Business plans should not be confined to managing assets, customers and money–they
need to have regard to personnel and environmental issues as well as Government’s
objectives for the power sector. They should include finding and adopting innovative ways
of working with the private sector to achieve Government’s reform objectives.
People and plans need to be supported by sound policies and procedures in all important
fields, including:
• Human resources management
• Health, safety and environmental protection
• Accounting and financial and operational reporting
• Information and communications technology
• Evaluating and financing capital works
• Risk management
• Procurement
The power system master plan sets out the least cost means of achieving Government’s
objectives for the power sector, the principal of which is to make electricity available to all
by 2020. The plan will be updated from time to time to reflect changes in demand and
implementation progress amongst other factors.
The power system master plan provides basic inputs to SubCos’ long term physical and
financial planning. An important role of HoldCo is to ensure that capital and other funds
available for investment by the group are directed to the most effective projects. This will
require stringent economic and financial evaluation of projects and the proposed means of
financing them.
Meeting the goals of the business plan depends on two main factors in addition to having
right people:
• Having funds available to meet the planned expenditures on planned works
o Funds from operations and known capital sources
o Government paying for each year’s tranche of capital on time
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
Other group operating performance measures are illustrated in Exhibits 3.13 and 3.14.
SubCos’ business plans may also identify non-financial constraints to meeting the plan
objectives, e.g., lack of gas supplies at the place of a proposed power station.
Selected major items from SubCos’ plans may be included or appended in HoldCo’s, e.g.,
major additions or extensions to plant, new external financing arrangements.
Consolidated financial and operational projections for the Group have been prepared
based on the projections in the FRRP. They indicate the impact of the group’s strategies
on financial and operational performance.
CAPITALISATION OF HOLDCO
The projected net asset value of the group on 1 July 2009 is Tk 106,000 million including
PGCB shares valued at market price in June 2006. The authorized capital should provide
for future expansion and fund raising as may be decided from time to time. The nominal
capital of HoldCo is therefore recommended to be 150 million shares of Tk 1000/- each.
Shares should be issued paid up to the value of shares acquired and initial operating
funds.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
The performance measures for the group shown in 3.12 and 3.13 are selected from a
more extensive range of targets used at the SubCo level. Where practical, projected
measures have been taken from the FRRP.
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3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
Productivity
Revenue : Total Capital Employed % 31% 34% 36% 37% 39% 39%
Return on Total Capital Employed % BTBI 7.9% 8.9% 9.2% 9.3% 9.3% 9.2%
Liquidity
Current assets : current liabilities ratio 1.50 1.47 1.61 1.70 1.71 1.74
Trade debtors Days' av revenue 49 45 49 50 50 51
Long Term Debt : Equity ratio 2.4 2.3 2.1 2.0 1.8 1.7
LT Liabilities : (LT Liabilities + Equity) % 71% 70% 68% 67% 65% 63%
Debt Service Cover % 10% 11% 13% 13% 14% 14%
Selffinancing % 3 yr CapEx
Commercial financing % Cap Ex
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3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
Government has adopted the recommendations of the FRRP; the following have therefore
been assumed for the purpose of preparing indicative financial projections for the group:
• HoldCo will be in a position to acquire its first subsidiaries by 30 June 2009
• All prerequisites will be met by that date and all companies will exist by that
date and will be taken over with effect from 1 July 2009.
Accordingly, the figures from Appendix G to the FRRP have been drawn on to prepare
summary financial statements for FYs 2010-2015. The total equity shown in the balance
sheets is divided between HoldCo’s shareholders and the minority shareholders in PGCB.
(Because the statements were prepared from the printed Appendix G of the FRRP some
rounding errors have accumulated; they do not detract from the general financial situation
portrayed.)
Major assumptions made in the FRRP (and therefore in the projections that follow)
include:
• Financial reconstruction recommendations are implemented
• Macro economic parameters (inflation and exchange rates and fuel prices)
as stated in FRRP Table 6-1
• Expansion of generation in line with the Power System Master Plan19 as
summarized in FRRP Table 6-4 and the energy balance in FRRP Table 6-2
• Sector CapEx and financing as set out in various tables
• O&M costs of each part of the sector also as set out in various tables
• Retail tariffs raised to give full cost recovery (or Government will make
revenue up to full cost recovery if necessary) including a return of 10 per
cent of net fixed assets in service. 20
Consolidated income statements for the HoldCo group are in Exhibit 3.15. PGCB’s
wheeling income derived from DisCos has been offset against the corresponding expense
in DisCos’ income statements.
Consolidated balance sheets are in Exhibit 3.16. In like manner, amounts owing between
PGCB and DisCos have been eliminated. The assumed goodwill paid on the acquisition of
PGCB’s shares at market value (being the difference between the value assigned to the
shares allotted and 75 per cent of the net assets of the PGCB) is shown as a deduction
from shareholders’ equity. The amount of shareholders’ equity attributable to the minority
shareholders in PGCB is shown separately.
Consolidated cash flows of the Group are in Exhibit 3.17. An analysis of projected capex
by SubCo is in Exhibit 3.18.21
19
Power System Master Plan Update, 2006, ADB TA 4379-BAN: Power Sector Development Program II,.
Component B:
20
The FRRP assumes that operating subsidies will not be required from Government after FY 2008.
21
It is noted that the level of capex projected in the FRRP for SZDPC is some 40 per cent greater than that
in the projections made by Soluziona in their corporatisation report.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
3. Holding Company Roles, Functions and Establishment. . .
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
4. ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN
Organizational structure is the configuration of the hierarchical levels and specialized units
and positions within an organization, and the formal rules governing these arrangements.
This section describes some of the principles of organizational design that are relevant to
HoldCo.
ORGANIZATION
WORK Processes People organized into groups
to Achieve Purpose to perform work
Financial Planning Performance Management
Work
Work defined by the conducted by
enterprise value chain
people Teams Fixed Units
• Perform ad hoc • Perform
work continuous and ad
• Single clearly- hoc work
defined purpose • May perform
• Temporary multiple tasks
• Permanent
• Adaptable. As the business environment changes, the work that is done changes.
By designing the organization around work performed facilitates adaptation of the
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
4. Organizational Design. . .
By designing the HoldCo organization in this manner, HoldCo can serve as a role model
for organizational effectiveness and become a leader in the sector. In will enable it to
focus on its core activities and deliver outstanding results for others to emulate.
Exhibit 4.2 maps the HoldCo value chain to high-level organizational units as follows:
• HoldCo Performance Contract Team. On the other hand, negotiation with the
Government regarding the Government-HoldCo performance contract will occur
during only a single, intensive period each year, and will draw upon many
different parts of the organization for input. It is therefore structured as an ad
hoc team.
• HR Cell will take some of the outputs from the Performance Management
Department to develop targets and implement the EPMS for HoldCo staff.
However, since this is a relatively small supporting activity, it is relegated to a
cell rather than a full-fledged department.
In addition to these units corresponding to elements of HoldCo’s value chain, the CEO’s
office will also be supported by the following Cells or units:
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
4. Organizational Design. . .
- Corporate Communications
Further there shall be an Internal Audit cell reporting directly to the Board of Directors.
Exhibit 4.2: Defining Key HoldCo Units Around Its Value Chain
Financial
Planning Performance
Dept. Management
Dept.
Exhibit 4.3 provides a complete picture of the entire HoldCo structure building out from
this value chain analysis. This organizational structure has only been proposed down to
the level of Manager. As senior managers are recruited and the organization starts to
operate, it would be prudent for them to decide their down-the-line staff requirements
based on the actual load of work. Nonetheless, the addition of staff should be based on
the overall organization design principles described above.
The functions of each of these departments and cells are described in further detail in the
following sections. In addition, the complete organogram of each of these departments
and cells are also given.
Positions like that of Office Help, Peons, Drivers etc. should all be outsourced to a
Facilities Management company to keep overall costs down and the organization lean. It
will also help the HoldCo in focusing on the core and ensuring efficiency of such staffers
through a contract with such Facilities company.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
Exhibit 4.3: HoldCo Organizational Structure
Board of Directors
President &
Chief Executive Officer
Corporate Communications
Manager Manager
Transmission Planning Review Compliance Performance Monitoring
Manager
Generation Planning Review
Manager
Distribution Planning Review
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
4.2.2 Financial Planning Department
Board of Directors
President &
Chief Executive Officer
Vice President
Financial Planning
Manager
Generation Planning Review
Manager
Distribution Planning Review
The Finance Planning Department will have the following distinct functions, each led by a
General Manager:
• Funding
• Accounting
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
4. Organizational Design. . .
o Short and Medium term financial projections and cash flow budgets
o Analyze the system plan and query SubCos to ensure consistency and
understanding of dependencies
Board of Directors
President &
Chief Executive Officer
Vice President
Performance Management
Manager Manager
MIS Technical Performance Monitoring
Manager
Financial Performance Monitoring
Manager
Compliance Performance Monitoring
• IT & Systems
o MIS
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
4. Organizational Design. . .
• Performance Monitoring
o Set benchmarks
The Program and Projects Department will have few regular employees. Special Project
teams will be formed either through deputation or secondment from either other
departments within HoldCo, from the subsidiaries, or from subcontractors and consultants.
These project teams will be staffed by specialists in different areas who will bring their
expertise for the duration of the project. The regular employees of the department are
likely to be power sector generalists with solid project management skills. Typically the
Project Team will get disbanded on completion of the project and employees will return to
their original employment.
President &
Chief Executive Officer
Vice President
Program & Projects
• Projects Monitoring
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
4. Organizational Design. . .
The President and CEO’s office is supported by distinct cells / units. These units shall
directly report to the CEO’s office independent of the other departments. These cells /
units will usually be headed by a Manager / Senior Manager and are classified as support
function and will generally have fewer staff down the line.
Board of Directors
President &
Chief Executive Officer
Corporate Communications
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
4. Organizational Design. . .
• Corporate Communications
o Liaison with and build relations with media and other bodies to manage
the corporate image including preparation of publicity and press
materials
o Manage internal and external corporate events and ensure the event
meets its intended objective
• Internal Audit
o Advise on, formulate internal audit policy and monitor the achievements
of the organizational objectives including identification, assessment and
management of risks to those objectives
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
4. Organizational Design. . .
BPDB personnel also put forward an alternative HoldCo structure for consideration. This
alternative is shown in Exhibit 4.8. The principal differences between the proposed
structure presented in the preceding section and this alternative are as follows:
• In the alternative, performance monitoring is split into two departments, one for
generation and transmission, the other distribution. There are three concerns
with this approach:
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
4. Organizational Design. . .
• Within each of these new departments, divisions are established for O&M and
Commercial. But the HoldCo is not involved in operations. There is no need for
O&M or Commercial divisions as these only replicate the structure of the
operating companies. Rather, it is more appropriate to arrange these divisions
according to their performance monitoring functions such as
accounting/finance, technical, and other compliance (e.g. environmental).
Accounting/finance monitoring and other compliance monitoring is likely to be
largely the same across subsidiaries. An accountant can review the financial
reporting of a distribution company as well as a generation company, and an
environmental engineer needs to be familiar with overall environmental
regulations than any particular value chain segment of the electricity industry.
Performance monitoring of technical parameters will take place at a relatively
high level. It is not necessary to have experts in generation or distribution, but
rather generalists who can set up effective reporting systems within the
subsidiaries.
• In the alternative, the system planning review is moved out of the Financial
Planning Department, and clubbed with programs & projects in a new Planning
and Design Department, which replaces the Program and Projects
Department. This modification would be a concern because there would no
longer be a single department responsible for preparation of the financial plan.
The financial plan is based on the integration of system planning
considerations (the optimal expansion plan) with funding constraints (which
determines feasibility). This split would dilute accountability for sound financial
planning and coordination across the Group.
Overall, the alternative structure defeats the purpose of HoldCo, since HoldCo is intended
to promote autonomy with accountability, not command and control the subsidiaries. It is
supposed to drive performance of the operating companies, not be the operator. It
provides optimal financial coordination, not system planning. In short, it is a model for
better governance and commercial orientation of the sector, rather than a continuation of
the status quo.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
Exhibit 4.8: Alternative HoldCo Organizational Structure Proposed by BPDB Personnel
Board of Directors
CEO
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
4.4 GRADING STRUCTURE
A lean grading structure has been formulated to keep the organization hierarchy flat as
much as possible while at the same time allowing staff enough growth within a reasonable
time to keep them motivated to achieve the organizational goals.
In the prevailing system, most corporations in the power sector follow a twenty grade
hierarchy which at times can become a hindrance to career growth. The proposed
grading system reflects a reduction in the number of layers in the management hierarchy
and also widens the span of command of senior roles. This will provide the staff with
enough responsibility and authority to perform their roles better.
In line with the above, a fourteen grade structure for Line and Support staff has been
formulated. The grades are laid down in the HoldCo Human Resource Manual presented
as Supplemental Appendix C.
Entry point qualifications have been created as a reference and guideline for HoldCo to
undertake fresh recruitment from the market. These indicative qualifications across each
grade serve as means to define qualifications for new hires in the HoldCo organization.
HoldCo requires highly trained employees and will likely need to seek qualified resources
from the market to help build its human capital, since at least some of the functions of
HoldCo are not currently performed by BPDB.
There could be situations where the required qualification may not be readily available in
the market, or entry grade criteria are not met in cases of transfer of otherwise qualified
staff from BPDB. In such situations the practical experience of the candidate must be
taken into account in addition to his/her basic qualification. HoldCo management must
exercise their wisdom whether to lower the qualification requirement in order to hire a
particular individual who brings the relevant experience in the required field. The aim at all
times must be on organizational capacity building.
The entry point qualification across each grade is mentioned in the HoldCo Human
Resource Manual presented in Supplemental Appendix C.
The proposed compensation and benefits for HoldCo are based on analysis of salary and
benefit data from the following organizations:
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
4. Organizational Design. . .
Proper performance related rewards must not be diluted to make them appear more
"equitable" to employees, attempt must be to reward good performance and set measures
for improvement in situations of non-performance.
The HoldCo salary structure should be set at a market competitive level to attract key
skills and to reward the increased levels of performance that will be required. In order to
develop a total rewards framework it is necessary to consider the following:
• Individual needs and aspirations - ensuring the successful recruitment, reward and
retention of staff in order to meet organizational goals
• External Relativities – ensuring that similar positions with other organizations in the
market are rewarded in similar ways.
ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES
The key reasons for the creating the HoldCo are to:
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
4. Organizational Design. . .
HoldCo will face an immediate challenge in attracting personnel with the appropriate skills
and capabilities. Its attractiveness as an employer will depend on the opportunities it as
an organization can offer to potential applicants. As a performance-oriented organization it
will need to attract the highest performers, to operate in possibly the most sophisticated
commercial environment in the Bangladesh power sector. Remuneration and rewards will
be key, together with job satisfaction and opportunity for development as individuals.
INTERNAL RELATIVITIES
An initial assessment of recommended positions has been carried out on the basis of:
Most of the employees will have to bring a significant amount of not only years of
experience but preferably cross-sectoral experience in their respective functional fields.
For example it is assumed that some of the Vice Presidents of the HoldCo will hold Board
of Director positions in the Subsidiaries which would mean that the Managing Directors of
these Subsidiaries will report to them in the course of corporate governance. It is
therefore important that they bring in experience by virtue of which they can contribute
effectively to the operation of the Boards they sit on, hence a distinction in salary needs to
be made because of additional job complexity.
EXTERNAL RELATIVITIES
Supplemental Appendix E presents approximate salary data collected from both private
and public sector organizations within Bangladesh. Comparisons have been made to
match positions as accurately as possible however this data is indicative only. Jobs have
been matched on the basis of job scope, not necessarily job title.
The comparisons shown are on the basis that these are corporate structured institutions in
the sector and have similar complexities in attracting and recruiting the right level of staff.
However it is important to note that none of them face the complexity of operations of the
new HoldCo, which must have a very strong strategic, managerial and commercial focus
for the sector.
HoldCo must provide market competitive salaries and benefits if it is to attract the correct
caliber of staff, and it being one of the most complex entities in Bangladesh, must pay at a
rate which is better if not the best in the market. HoldCo will be a sophisticated
organization, and significantly more so than any other entity in the power sector and the
pay structure should be reflective this.
The proposed salary structure along with principle assumptions are described in
Supplemental Appendix F.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
4. Organizational Design. . .
The staffing plan puts forward the expected number of employees required to fill out the
organizational structure, consistent with the functions of the organization. As mentioned
previously, drivers, peons, and other low-level workers can be contracted from an agency,
and hence are not included in this analysis.
The HoldCo will not be a large organization by nature of its operations. It is there mainly
to provide strategic and financial guidance to its subsidiaries and to monitor their
performance, taking remedial action where appropriate. Most of its employees will be in
the senior management category. It is anticipated that HoldCo will have between 50 to
100 professional staff.
The exact number of HoldCo staff must be determined by the Board of Directors in
consultation with the President & CEO and where required the Vice Presidents of the
HoldCo. It is therefore important that these senior positions are first filled in the HoldCo
subsequent to which the future staffing needs of the organization in terms of people can
be determined. The management cadre may determine that additional analysts or other
professional staff are required. However, the principles of organization design must be
maintained when assessing future manpower requirements, i.e. the organization must be
lean and performance-focused. HoldCo must avoid evolving into a large, complex
organization as this would defeat the purpose of its formation.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
5. PERSONNEL TRANSFER AND RECRUITMENT
Automatic transfer of employees from BPDB to HoldCo is not envisioned for the following
reasons:
• BPDB does not currently perform the functions envisioned for HoldCo. HoldCo
will be functionally different from any existing organization within the
Bangladesh power sector. BPDB does not conduct integrated financial planning
to optimize capital allocation, nor does it manage performance of its subsidiaries
in the structured manner envisioned for HoldCo. BPDB maintains an
engineering orientation, whereas HoldCo will aim for a business orientation.
Rather, it is proposed that HoldCo staff be hired afresh from the market. BPDB employees
(or employees from the other power sector companies) are of course encouraged to
apply. But selection should be based on the overall fit of a candidate with not only the
specific requirements of the position, but also HoldCo’s strategic direction, as articulated
in its mandate, values, strategic planning and human resource planning.
The selection of staff should be based on the principle of Merit and Fairness. Merit will
determine the applicants’ competence and ability to do the job and refers to the closest
possible match between the needs of the organization and the knowledge, skills, abilities,
experience and personal attributes of a candidate. Fairness refers to a staffing process
that is unbiased, impartial, just and honest and that treats all candidates consistently.
In assessing the skills and abilities necessary for HoldCo to meet its organizational
objectives, the competencies listed below will help drive improved business performance.
These personal qualities are required in the workplace to deal effectively with self,
colleagues, and stakeholders. These competencies are in addition to the technical
competencies noted in the job descriptions that are required to carry out specific work
tasks, e.g. finance, accounting, planning, project management, etc.
These core competencies can be used for assessment, recruitment, performance, and
managerial development purposes. The competencies will initially be applied at senior
level management staff in HoldCo, but should be progressively cascaded down through
the entire organization.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
5. Personnel Transfer and Recruitment. . .
• Teamwork. Leads, contributes to, and co-operates willingly with the team and
promotes team spirit. Communicates needs clearly and effectively by clarifying
responsibilities, goals and outcomes to be achieved.
All positions including the President and CEO and down the line should be done through a
competitive recruitment process. As mentioned above, no internal automatic transfer
process from BPDB to HoldCo is envisioned. External help of an executive search
company may be employed to identify potential candidates for different vacant positions
as it will speed up the process and reduce the administrative burden. All recruitment must
be done using the principles of Merit and Fairness and must incorporate the competencies
framework as part of the evaluation criteria. As mentioned earlier, BPDB employees will
be given due consideration during the selection process but they will have to apply for
positions which are created within the HoldCo.
The recruitment process has been detailed in the Human Resources Manual presented in
Supplemental Appendix C. The process follows these steps:
• Vacancy Announcement
• Preliminary Screening
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
5. Personnel Transfer and Recruitment. . .
• Functional Screening
• Shortlist Announcements
• Appointment letter
• Probation period
To help speed up the process as well as help reduce the administrative burden generally
associated with senior level recruitment, an external executive search company may be
engaged, especially to identify and assist in hiring of senior level staff in the HoldCo.
Once the Board of Directors has been appointed the next step would be to conduct search
for the President and CEO. The Board will constitute a selection committee that will be
responsible for conducting interviews and making recommendations on suitable
candidates. The Board will meet to consider the recommendations of the committee and
make the appropriate choice and determine the terms and conditions of service for the
incumbent and make an offer of appointment. The appointing authority shall be the Board
of Directors. This process should be complete within 3 to 4 months of the Board taking up
its duties.
The next step would be to appoint the Vice Presidents in the HoldCo. The Board of
Directors will constitute another selection panel to select the Vice Presidents in the
HoldCo. The President and CEO shall be a part of this selection committee and will make
recommendations to the Board. The Board will then make appropriate choice and offer
appointment to selected candidates as per rules. The appointing authority shall be the
Board of Directors. This process could begin in parallel with the search for the President
and CEO, but will not be finalized until the new President and CEO has had the
opportunity to review and provide inputs on the candidates for Vice President. Therefore, it
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
5. Personnel Transfer and Recruitment. . .
is expected this process will be complete within 4 to 6 months of the Board taking up its
duties.
Once the President and CEO and the Vice Presidents have been inducted into the HoldCo
they will go ahead with the recruitment of other members of the organization down the
line. Such recruitment shall be based on the proposed organogram and will be guided by
both the principles of organization design and the principle of staffing. Authority to recruit
and appoint may be given to down the line staff through the written permission of the
President and CEO for all positions below the rank of General Manager. For all positions
up to the level of General Manager the President and CEO shall be the appointing
authority. The Vice President will be the appointing authority for all positions below the
level of a General Manager. This process can only begin once the President and CEO as
well as the Vice Presidents have been appointed. It is expected this will be complete 7 to
12 months after the Board first takes up its duties.
The creation of HoldCo is motivated by the goals of improving financial coordination within
the Bangladesh power sector, and driving the performance of operating entities through
greater accountability. As described in Chapter 2, HoldCo will be established as a non-
operating holding company that owns the current and future operating companies created
from BPDB. As discussed further in Section 10.1, the vast majority of BPDB personnel will
be transferred to the new operating companies. Those remaining in the BPDB Head Office
will remain with the residual BPDB, which at some point may be corporatized as a new
Single Buyer Company. As part of that process, these employees may be offered a
voluntary retirement scheme (VRS), but as also discussed in Section 10.1, given the
limited number of employees that will be affected relative to total BPDB employees, these
all employees could likely be absorbed in the successor entities. However, none of these
employees will be directly affected by the creation of HoldCo.
Unlike many corporatization efforts in which existing organizations are made public
companies thereby leading to direct impact on the workforce including retrenchment, the
current effort of BPDB corporatization is to create a new company as a holding company
and bring different power sector entities under the umbrella of this holding company as
these entities become ready for changes. BPDB retains its single buyer role.
This effort effectively minimizes the direct social impact. None of the existing employees
in the near term in BPDB will be affected. There will be no direct loss of employment or
repositioning because of this effort. Further, it will provide the current employees with an
opportunity to seek new jobs with the HoldCo through a competitive hiring process.
Establishment of HoldCo will have a positive impact. It will entail creation of higher-quality
jobs. It will also help provide broader social benefits as these changes will contribute to
meeting the Government’s aim of bringing efficiency in the sector and promoting social
and economic growth in the country by making power available to all.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
6. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
The conditions of service lay down the general terms on which employees will be
appointed to employment in HoldCo. The newly corporatized bodies of the power sector
have adopted a system of hiring regular staff on contract. Generally these contracts vary
in tenure from one year to three years. In some cases a newly corporatized company took
employees on lien from the BPDB and retained on lien for a few years before an option
was given to them to either remain with BPDB or transition to regular employment with the
corporatized body. This was done to promote continued satisfactory performance among
the employees.
It is proposed that this system of hiring on contract be done away with in HoldCo except
when the employment is genuinely of a fixed duration, or except when it is for lower level
support staff contracted through an agency. All other employees should be hired on a full
time basis if the nature of employment is regular and permanent. Performance is not
driven by the threat of losing one’s job. Rather, the organization must build up a
comprehensive performance management system which should drive performance with
positive incentives, and this should be linked to an employment agreement which allows
the organization to take action against continued non-performance. Regular employment
provides security to the employees enabling them to take long-term view about their
individual careers and helps the organization in building competencies over a sustained
period of time.
All regular employees must be appointed through an appointment order which must be
signed by the appropriate Appointing Authority. The appointment order must contain the
following information. A sample appointment order is enclosed in Supplemental Appendix
G:
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
6. Human Resource Management. . .
• Full salary details with reference to all components of salary and deductions
thereof
• Probation period
• Confidentiality
The appointment order requires the candidate to accept and abide by the HoldCo Human
Resources Manual presented in Supplemental Appendix C.
The HR management cycle as shown in Exhibit 6.1 represents the entire range of HR
management activities. The chapters indicated in the exhibit refer to the corresponding
section of the HoldCo Human Resource Manual presented in Supplemental Appendix C.
The Manual addresses all elements of the HR management cycle.
Promote/ Plan
Separate/ Hire
Retire Chapters 5, Chapter 3
6,7,9 & 13
Chapters 4 & 5
Reward/ Chapters
8 & 12.4
Incentive Set
Chapter 8
Expectations
Chapter 8
Evaluate Chapters
1,2,10,11,12,
Performance 15 & 16
Perform
Chapter 14
Chapter 8 Task
Train/ Provide
Develop Feedback
The Human Resource Cycle starts with planning of HR needs, and proceeds to hiring
(recruitment or transfer) and the various elements of the EPMS. In addition, there are
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
6. Human Resource Management. . .
elements that govern the actual performance of tasks, as well as training and
development.
This manual is ready to use and can be implemented in the new company right from the
time it is formed or comes into existence. It details various processes under the Human
Resource Management Cycle in depth and lists various levels of Authority and
Accountability in the new company.
6-3
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
7. TRAINING NEEDS ASSESSMENT
This review of the training and development needs of the HoldCo is based upon the
following review, data, analysis, and research:
• A review of the proposed organizational structure of the HoldCo
• The HoldCo staffing plan
• HoldCo roles and functions
• Review of the various training institutions under BPDB
The programs conducted by the Training Directorate are heavily weighed in favor of
technical programs though some management programs are conducted too, the latest
being programs on total quality management (TQM) conducted by the Regional Training
Center, Tongi.
Feedback on training programs and their applicability and response of the participants is
mostly missing. Based on discussions and investigations conducted during the project it
appears there is shortage of Trainers at these institutes.
The Directorate of Training & Career Development office was created in the year of 1968
within the then East Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (EP WAPDA).
With the increasing demand for computer literacy, initiative was taken to start computer
training for the BPDB’s personnel from this Directorate office. With this end in view a
computer-training program was undertaken at the end of the year 1999 with a basic level
course at the Directorate office. Initially training course on basic computer was conducted
with only three or four PC computers. In 2006-2007, 230 personnel were trained on
various courses of basic computer literacy at this training directorate. Courses available
under the institute include training on Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, MS Project and
Auto CAD
Engineering Academy Kaptai was established in 1964 by EP WAPDA. The main objective
of the Academy is to conduct training for creating skilled manpower in the Water
Development Board (WDB) and the Power Development Board (PDB). A committee
formed with the officers from BPDB and WDB, runs the Management of the Academy,
though administration of the Academy is controlled by BPDB. The institute runs courses
on foundation or post-joining training for newly recruited officers, re-orientation course for
officers having service experience of few years, and higher courses for officers having
service experience of eight to ten years and seminars for senior officers.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
7. Training Needs Assessment. . .
The Regional Training Center (RTC), Tongi is one of the most important training
installations under BPDB. The institute is within short periphery of the 80 MW Tongi Gas
Turbine Power Plant, the Tongi 230/132/33KV Grid Sub-station and ZRS (Zonal Repairing
Shop). RTC, Tongi has been playing a distinctive role in imparting technical as well as
management, environment, occupational health related training to all sections of officers &
staff of BPDB. RTC, Tongi has the best available opportunity to demonstrate the practical
repairing & testing works of power & distribution transformers, calibration & testing of
energy meters. TQM is the latest edition to the yearly training program of this training
centre.
Regional Training Centre, Chittagong was established in 1976. The first official activities of
this Training Centre were started at Rahmatgong Sub-Station building premises in
Chittagong. The main objective of this Training Centre is to conduct different training
courses for both technical & and non technical officers/staffs of Chittagong, Comilla,
Mymensingh and Sylhet region. To cope up with current needs, new courses like Total
Quality Management, Training of Trainers. Fire Fighting Courses are conducted these
days.
Ghorasal Training Centre is intended for training on power station operation and
maintenance (O&M). It is located within the compound of the 950 MW Ghorasal Power
Station (GPS). The Training Centre started in 1977 with an objective of training officers &
staff of Ghorasal Power Station power station in O&M. Since then technical personnel at
GPS as well as other power stations are being trained at this training centre.
Regional Training Centre, BPDB, Rajshahi was established in 1975 to train linemen
serving under BPDB. It is located at two residential building of 33/11 KV Horogram
(Mollapara) Sub-Station in Rajshahi. It has also been training helpers, security guards,
linemen, foremen, and other support staff on technical & non-technical matters.
• High Technical Orientation - The current programs at the various training institutes
under PDB has very high technical orientation. As such development of
management skills is limited at best.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
7. Training Needs Assessment. . .
• Knowledge Capture - When training has been granted there has been no
coordinated strategy to capture that learning by the BPDB. Therefore unless each
individual has used his/her own initiative to disseminate the knowledge gained, the
knowledge gets lost with the participant finishing his/her course. There is no
organized repository of know-how available to all staff for reference.
• Post-Training Application - When new skills are gained there is no clear strategy to
ensure training skills are practiced and improved upon. In many cases staffs do not
have the opportunity to put training into effect at the local offices either because of
lack of proper facilities or lack of initiative.
A specific training needs assessment can only be conducted once employees are in place
and their job descriptions have been finalized. This will be the responsibility of the
proposed Human Resource Cell. More broadly, it will cover all human resource
management matters for HoldCo, including training and development and will cover
technical, managerial, and competence based development as follows:
• Arrange twinning and internship to provide impetus to the training regime and
provide experience/exposure to working operations.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
8. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
The latter three companies are in the course of being established as going concerns.
DESCO has taken over part of DESA’s business in the Greater Dhaka region and a new
company, Dhaka Power Distribution Co Ltd, has been formed to take over the remainder.
It is not Government’s intention that these companies should become subsidiaries of
HoldCo at the same time as BPDB’s subsidiaries, though HoldCo could acquire the
controlling interest in them at some future time.
On the basis of the value of fixed assets used in the FRRP (a mixture of historic cost and
cost restated prior to 2005) the net asset value of the above companies at 1 July 2009 is
projected to be Tk 914,400 million. (Since the FRRP figures were prepared BPDB has
adopted the IVVR values for fixed assets as at 30 June 2000. During this technical
assistance fixed asset movements were updated to 30 June 2005 and values were
restated to the same date.22 These adjustments were not been taken into account in the
FRRP projections, but have been incorporated here.)
For the purposes of HoldCo’s financial projections the shares in the above companies
other than PGCB have been valued at the projected net asset value at 1 July 2009. After
excluding the minority shareholders’ share of equity in PGCB23 and valuing the remaining
shares at market the total value of shares to be acquired is Tk 90,600 million.
HoldCo may purchase sundry items required for its offices from BPDB, or it may purchase
new items. Either way, the amount to be spent is minor compared to the investment
assets.
22
See Discussion Paper Valuation of Fixed Assets & Investments in Appendix H.
The total value of net fixed assets in service at 1 July 2005 was put at Tk 136,000 million. The restated
IVVR value of the BPDB Group’s fixed assets in service at the same date was Tk 193,465 million.
23
25 per cent. Since there is no basis for predicting the market value of PGCB shares in 2009 the existing
premium is assumed to remain.
8-1
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
8. Financial Management. . .
HoldCo’s working capital requirements are limited to the items mentioned above:
purchase of initial assets and operating costs from commencement of business until
dividends flow from SubCos.
The amount required will be minimized by recharging net operating costs to subsidiaries in
proportion, say, to the value of investment in each. This should also ensure that the costs,
although relatively small, are recovered in selling prices.
It could be argued that the capital structure of HoldCo should be similar to that
recommended for operating companies, viz, 60 per cent long term debt capital and 40 per
cent equity. However, this raises issues of (a) interest rate and repayment term and (b)
cash flow out of which to meet interest and principal repayments. While the FRRP
projections indicate overall profitability of the sector and the possible extent of dividend
payments experience suggests that delays in raising tariffs and securing other increases
in sector cash flows may once again make debt servicing difficult or impossible.
SubCos should prepare capital investment plans and estimates of capital requirements,
indicating clearly what portion they cannot finance internally or from capital markets and
therefore need HoldCo’s assistance. HoldCo’s financial planning will take into account
proposed capital contributions to be received through Government and may indicate the
desirability of raising new debt or equity capital from the markets itself. It will do this only
when it is assured of its, i.e., the Group’s, ability to service it.
Based on the above considerations, the opening balance sheet as of 1 July 2009 shown in
Exhibit 8.1.
The FRRP covers the sector excluding REB. The plan is supported by recommendations
that include tariff reforms as well as balance sheet unbundling and restructuring and
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
8. Financial Management. . .
financial projections for 2006-2015 that are set out fully in Chapter 6.2 of the FRRP report.
Major assumptions on which HoldCo’s dividend stream depend include:
• Financial reconstruction recommendations are implemented
• Macro economic parameters (inflation and exchange rates and fuel
prices) as stated in Table 6-1 of the FRRP
• Expansion of generation in line with the Power System Master Plan24 as
summarized in Table 6-4 and the energy balance in Table 6-2
• Sector CapEx and financing as set out in various tables
• O&M costs of each part of the sector also as set out in various tables
• Retail tariffs raised to give full cost recovery (or Government will make
revenue up to full cost recovery if necessary) including a return of 10 per
cent of net fixed assets in service.
The principal income of HoldCo is dividends from its subsidiaries. The FRRP includes
financial projections and details of proposed dividend payments by the proposed
subsidiaries of HoldCo.
In making financial projections for HoldCo the following other main assumptions are made:
• The opening balance sheet consists of shares in operating companies
acquired from Government plus a small amount for fixed assets and
working capital, all acquired in return for fully paid shares issued to
Government25
• Net operating costs are recovered from subsidiaries
• Income tax is payable at 15% of net income before tax.
Dividends are paid by operating companies under the FRRP only if the following
conditions are met by each company: it makes a profit; it has sufficient cash available; and
has a debt/(debt + equity) ratio of less than 70 per cent.
The FRRP is otherwise silent on dividend policy. In the financial projections the average
proportion of net profits distributed over the 10 years of projections by GenCos is 35 per
cent and by DisCos 15 per cent. These proportions seem to reflect fairly the need for
SubCos to retain funds to finance expansion, etc. PGCB does not meet the debt ratio
condition during the projection period and as a result retains all its profits.
24
Power System Master Plan Update, 2006, ADB TA 4379-BAN: Power Sector Development Program II,
Component B.
25
The investment consists of the shares of companies other than PGCB at the net asset value shown in the
FRRP plus the market value at June 2007 of 75 per cent of the shares in PGCB.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
8. Financial Management. . .
The HoldCo Group’s dividend policy should be agreed with Government and documented
in the Performance Contract.
Projected financial statements are presented in Exhibit 8.1. The balance sheet for 2009 is
the opening balance sheet as at 1 July 2009. These projections are based on the FRRP
(which was prepared in 2005), with subsequent incorporation of the above points.
Changes that have occurred since the time the FRRP was prepared that are not
specifically noted in the above points have not been reflected in these projections.
The projections allow for some small growth in operating costs over the period, all of
which are recharged to SubCos.
HoldCo’s profitability is low. It averages one per cent during FYs 2010-2012 and just over
four per cent over the following three years. This reflects the projected dividend paying
ability of SubCos.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
8. Financial Management. . .
Provision also needs to be made for accounting and budgetary control of HoldCo’s own
income and expenses, asset register, management reporting, filing financial returns, etc.
HoldCo’s financial management structure should provide for the following functions:
• HoldCo financial accounting and consolidation of group financial
statements
• Group financial and operational budgeting and performance reporting,
monthly, quarterly and annually
• Group internal audit and risk management
• Group taxation, insurance, & compliance
• Oversight of group financial accounting systems
• Eventually, Group treasury operations.
The last two functions are expected to evolve as the working relationships between
HoldCo and SubCos are developed and as the Group becomes progressively more reliant
on its own ability to finance growth. Financial planning will involve close consultation with
Government while the Group continues to remain dependent on it to fund the Group’s
cash deficits.
8.3.1 Planning and Arranging (where not delegated to SubCo) Group Finances
Planning and arranging Group finances – especially for new capital expenditure - is one of
the principal functions of HoldCo. It is a function currently not performed in any systematic
fashion across the Bangladesh power sector. Given the limited availability of capex
funding for the sector relative to its needs, this is a critical function, necessary to optimize
the allocation of these scarce financial resources.
HoldCo would prioritize capex projects proposed by the subsidiaries based on the
overarching sector-level objectives laid out in its performance contract with the
Government, and serve as the clearinghouse or coordinator between the SubCos and
Government for securing these funds. This financial planning process entails the following
activities:
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
8. Financial Management. . .
• Present and drive consensus for the plan among Government, SubCos,
and Development Partners.
26
In fact, there may be iteration between the setting of targets in the Government-HoldCo
performance contract, and agreement on the amount of capex to be provide to the Group, as the
feasibility of achieving targets depends in part on the financial resources extended to the Group.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
8. Financial Management. . .
While the poor financial performance of the sector necessitates the Government’s
continued role in funding it (i.e. operating companies are unable to go to the international
or domestic capital markets for funds), the Government’s current modality of vetting
funding on a project-by-project basis is incompatible with the fundamental objectives of
power sector reform in Bangladesh, and provides continued opportunity for abuse of
power and graft (as there is no transparent performance contract mechanism in place).
The idea therefore is to transform Government’s current role as a CFO for the sector to
become the bank to the sector. The authority to allocate funds must coincide with
accountability for performance. This transformation will happen in stages over time.
Currently, BPDB depends 100% on Government (including foreign sources) for capex
financing; PGCB depends on Government for about 80%. The Planning Commission
allocates capex budget to BPDB and PGCB on a line-item (project-by-project) basis.
Disbursed but unspent budget must be returned to the Government at year end. This
current process is shown in Exhibit 8.2.
Government can still discharge its fiduciary responsibility through a performance contract
with HoldCo. And in the interests of moving towards greater commercial-orientation, capex
financing should be provided as true corporate debt and equity, not as a “use it or lose it”
project-based line-item budget.
Other sector
Project Transmission Proposed
organizations PC guidelines PGCB Plan
PGCB ADP
Proposed
ADP
Revised
program
PGCB
• For portions they cannot finance from capital markets or out of cash flow, they
request funding from HoldCo.
8-7
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
8. Financial Management. . .
• HoldCo receives debt & equity from Government under terms of its performance
contract.
• HoldCo prioritizes subsidiary funding requests, and allocates debt and equity to
SubCos under terms of the HoldCo-SubCo performance contracts
Exhibit 8.3: Ultimate Vision for HoldCo Financial Planning and Funding
Performance
contract
Sector Debt &
MPEMR Debt &
MOF Block
equity HoldCo equity
& other shareholders
Grant allocations
Dividends
Performance
Dividends contracts
Single Load Single System Investment
Forecast Plan
Subsidiaries Plans
Buyer Buyer
Subsidiaries
Revised
programs
HoldCo may sell shares in a SubCo for various reasons, e.g., to raise capital, to secure a
strategic alliance with a new shareholder, or to implement Government policy to make
shares available for trading in the share market. It may sell more or less than a controlling
8-8
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
8. Financial Management. . .
interest or divest itself of its complete interest. As indicated in the draft Articles of
Association, such divestiture requires shareholder (i.e. Government) approval.
The main financial criterion for divestment should be that the sum received for the sale of
shares in a SubCo exceeds the net worth to HoldCo of the expected future cashflows. If it
vacates a controlling interest it also needs to be clear that the independent company will
continue to play its part in the development of the power sector and in meeting customer
demand.
The divestment process for a controlling interest should include reports by independent
investment advisers (with independent technical support, if necessary) on:
• the options for divestment, e.g., a public offering, a trade sale, a sale to a
‘cornerstone’ shareholder; and the costs and benefits of each option
• an appraisal of bids for the shares, should such be sought, and an
opinion on the preferred bid
• the fairness of the consideration to the vendor, HoldCo – the aim should
always be to maximize the return to the shareholder.
Sale of a minority interest should also be subject to independent reports on the fairness of
the consideration. In either case, it may be desirable to make use of the resources and
experience of the Privatization Commission.
The legal requirements for divestment of shares in subsidiaries HoldCo are similar to
those described for the acquisition of shares in Section 3.2.6, Acquisition of Shares in
Power Companies.
Non-core activities of BPDB should not be transferred to HoldCo or one of its proposed
subsidiaries unless there is a clear and demonstrable advantage in so doing. Advantage
should be taken of the resources and experience of the Privatization Commission to
facilitate the disposal of non-core activities in the event no such advantage exists.
These could be placed in one (or more) “Services Company”. The migration described in
Chapter 2 anticipates creation of such a subsidiary.
8-9
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
8. Financial Management. . .
• Security
• Clearing/logistics offices
BPDB should set up a small cell to identify candidates for divestment and recommend that
Government include them among public industrial or commercial units to be notified to the
Privatization Commission for privatization. If accepted, the Commission will in due course
call upon BPDB to assist it to plan and execute the divestment of non-core activities.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
9. MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM NEEDS
This section reviews the present use of IT in BPDB and its subsidiaries and examines the
expected functions of HoldCo to determine:
• the required IT application and support systems that the staff will use,
• the IT installation in HoldCo that will be necessary to support those systems and to
produce the management reports that HoldCo staff will produce/receive to monitor
and improve subsidiary performance and report to the Government
An implementation plan is included setting out the steps for HoldCo to follow once the
decision to proceed has been made.
BPDB has more than 16 years experience with installing IT systems, principally in the
areas of consumer billing and customer accounting. This section summarizes the IT
systems currently employed in BPDB itself. The following section reviews the IT systems
in BPDB subsidiaries.
BPDB head office (HO) IT manages the development and maintenance of the systems
using outsourced resources while the various data centers around the country perform the
actual systems operation. In some cases outsourcing contracts have been let to IT
organizations to provide operational support for some of the smaller centers.
Exhibit 9.1 describes the present structure of the BPDB IT operation including staff and
consumer numbers being processed at each centre. The manager of the BPDB HO IT
section reports to the BPDB General Manager Commercial as the focus for work to date
has been within the Distribution Division of BPDB. The GM Commercial reports to
Member Finance. Of these staff 16 BPDB officers have IT qualifications while the balance
are BPDB-trained operational and administration staff.
An overall staff allocation is established at 85 full time equivalents. The present staff
complement supplemented by contract and casual staff is approximately 140.
The HO IT expenditure, excluding salaries for the year to June 2007 was Tk 11 million.
The budget for the current year is Tk 50 million to take into account the need to develop
and update the present situation as covered in the Systems Development Plan as
described in below. Note this development plan includes replacement of Chittagong and
Comilla computers.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
9. Management Information System Needs. . .
BPDB
Head Office
IT Section
36 staff
By Dec 07 200,000
700,000
After an initial start in the early 1990’s that computerized billing and collections for 30,000
BPDB consumers, the Financial Management Upgrade (FMU) project funded by ADB
successfully installed a BPDB designed system in 2001. Since the completion of the FMU
project, the continued rollout of this system has been managed by BPDB’s Systems
Management Unit (SMU). This system is now processing 1.4 million consumers from
multiple locations. The last 200,000 consumers are expected to be transferred to this
system by the end of 2007. Basically the same system is also used by DESA to process
0.5 million consumers.
The two major centers in Comilla and Chittagong use IBM midrange RS 6000 AIX based
servers with associated peripheral equipment. These represent mid 1990’s technology.
The smaller centers use Intel Xeon PC based servers and peripheral equipment.
The package modified billing system was originally written based on an Oracle database
to operate in the main centers. A PC based billing system written in Oracle has later been
developed for the smaller centers with basically the same functionality as the system at
the large centers. In 2001 application systems for finance, purchasing, asset
management, cash management and loan accounting were also developed and tested but
have not been implemented.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
9. Management Information System Needs. . .
A number of enhancements have been added to the billing system since first installed
such as:
• Prepaid meters have been installed for 20,000 consumers in Chittagong, Sylhet
and Sirajganj,
• Development of a BPDB Web page containing static data relating to HR, daily
generation and load shedding.
• Payroll
• Stores
• Job Costing
• Meter management
• Asset management
• Budgeting
• Operational reporting
Extensive use is made of Excel spreadsheets to collect, analyze and report data.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
9. Management Information System Needs. . .
The IT Section has had approved a Systems Development Plan for 2007/8 comprising 24
tasks that range from standard systems maintenance to hardware replacement and new
application systems development.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
9. Management Information System Needs. . .
• BPDB has had a number of instances of IT projects being started but not completing
because of capital, resource or management reasons which indicates the lack of
proper IT governance and an agreed IT strategic plan that is part of the overall
business plan.
• In some districts of BPDB the total meter reading, billing and collection functions have
been outsourced.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
9. Management Information System Needs. . .
• The IT Section has managed to retain staff so today has a number of staff that both
understand the systems as well as BPDB business processes.
• The HO IT section handles all IT expenditure for BPDB. Any IT project needs to get
HO IT approval before commitment.
• The HO IT section approves any staff recruitment for any IT role in BPDB.
• IT section believes the implementation of the customer billing system and processes
has been responsible for reducing BPDB’s system loss to approximately 18% and
bringing average outstanding debtors to less than 3 months for the 25% of total
generation that is being distributed though BPDB distribution zone.
• When 100% of the distribution is taken into account the average outstanding
increases. For example DESA, as a bulk customer to BPDB, is outstanding
approximately 33 months.
Further details of the IT systems in the BPDB subsidiaries are given in Appendix J.
West Zone distribution has a mixture of billing systems. Some divisions still use the PC
version of the BPDB system that was implemented during West Zone formation. They
have their own PC hardware and software but rely on outsourcing to obtain system
support and operation of the system. Other divisions have their own PC hardware and
software that is operated by their own contracted temporary staff. Still other divisions have
their own PC hardware while software and operation is outsourced.
West Zone inherited at inception the existing system of monthly reporting of selling and
distribution activities called “Commercial Operating Statistics” that is still used.
West Zone has recently gone to tender for an integrated solution for billing and financial
systems although they also tendered unsuccessfully in 2004
West Zone has two engineers that oversee IT operation but is also advertising for
recruitment of dedicated program and systems support staff at the moment. West Zone
has had no formal assistance from HO IT since incorporation.
The “Tally” package used within West Zone HO for preparation of monthly accounts but
only manual systems are used within divisions.
This company operates independently from BPDB and has a software system based on
spreadsheets that handle its own financial reporting needs. They have one staff member
with an IT responsibility to provide technical support for the desktops installed for
administrative and spreadsheet purposes.
PGCB compiles and sends daily load dispatch reports to BDPB via spreadsheets..
PGCB use the CYME package software for technical analysis and transmission planning
to determine least cost generation options for dispatch.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
9. Management Information System Needs. . .
PGCB has recently acquired a package solution ‘Open Sesame” to maintain General
Ledger, asset management, accounts receivable, accounts payable. This system may
also be used for stores in the future.
PGCB maintains a SCADA system to supervise and control transmission and collect and
analyze technical data.
PGCB owns fiber optic cabling running through its HT lines that could be used for
telecommunications in the future. Bangladesh Telecom is considering leasing these lines
to enable diverse routing for their network.
The generation subsidiaries have limited IT systems. No IT staff are employed. Daily and
monthly reports are produced using Excel.
Ashuganj has recruited a Deputy Manager for IT and has recently implemented the “Tally”
system for use in general ledger processing. All reports are prepared using spreadsheets..
9.3.1 Introduction
As outlined in Chapter 3, HoldCo will be a small organization based in Dhaka that employs
highly trained staff for the purpose of financial planning across the Group, driving and
monitoring the performance of SubCos, and reporting on a regular basis to Power
Division.
Exhibit 9.3 shows again the HoldCo Value Chain will be as follows and require the
performance of the associated business functions.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
9. Management Information System Needs. . .
9-8
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
9. Management Information System Needs. . .
To undertake its functions HoldCo staff will need to be supported by fast, reliable IT
processes. There should be a clear association between the business objective of
management and the information available to management.
HoldCo staff will need to collect electronic data and printed material at regular intervals
from each subsidiary, store it, analyze, take action and prepare reports based on the data
for presentation to the Ministry, Power Division and its own executives. These functions
should be supported by IT processes to assist the productivity of staff. The collected
information should be stored in a secure data storage environment that permits users to
extract data according to their authorization levels and format reports as required via a
HoldCo intranet.
HoldCo staff will require access to a secure IT system on their own desk that can be
accessed throughout the day. Printed data will be accessed from a central information
store, though over time this should be entirely digitized and available through a document
management system. The individual terminal will need to be connected to a secure
HoldCo Intranet that stores collected data and allows interchange of data and messages
between all staff in a fast secure and managed environment. The network will also require
access to the Internet to allow staff to interrogate other sources of data and to
communicate via e-mail with colleagues in Dhaka, Bangladesh and worldwide.
Exhibit 9.5 shows how the subsidiaries will interact with HoldCo and the IT systems which
it will use to support its business functions.
The following are descriptions of the IT application systems that will be needed to support
HoldCo staff in performing their responsibilities:
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
9. Management Information System Needs. . .
• This system needs to perform two functions. The first is to account for the
cashflows and expense transactions through HoldCo via a chart of accounts to
provide monthly expense and budget comparison reporting for HoldCo itself.
• HoldCo must keep track of loan applications, loan receipts, disbursements and
re-payments. This information will also be required for audit purposes.
• This system will be a subsystem of the IMS for the purpose of collecting and
storing data from each subsidiary that ensures they have complied with all legal
requirements for Health, Safety, Environmental, Labor, Tax, Establishment,
Accounting and Industry regulations.
HUMAN RESOURCES
• HoldCo will have its own staff but will still need to keep HR information and
produce and store payroll data in a small HR system.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
9. Management Information System Needs. . .
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
• HoldCo staff will need access to a range of individual IT tools to assist their
productivity. Products such as Word Processing, Excel, PowerPoint and Internet
require to be made available. HoldCo will need to establish an internal Local
Area Network (LAN) or Intranet to connect all users to a server which will act as
a gateway to the internet via an internet service provider (ISP). The system will
need to include security to manage access, eliminate attacks by computer
viruses and Spam e-mails.
WEB PAGE
• HoldCo needs to establish a Web page that provides access to static data about
the group and available in the public domain. The web page can also be used
for electronic collection of regular financial and non financial data from
subsidiaries as a front end to the MIS system above. The following are to be
considered while developing the webpage :
o simple but impressive page ensuring smart interfaces that are easy
to navigate.
HoldCo needs to have access to necessary data on a regular basis from each subsidiary
to enable it to perform its functions to drive and monitor subsidiary performance as well as
to inform Power Division of subsidiary performance. HoldCo must not get involved in the
day-to-day management activities of its subsidiaries or take over the role of subsidiary
management by collecting too broad a range of subsidiary data. On the other hand it
needs to collect enough data to effectively carry out its business functions.
Another benefit from requesting regular selected data from subsidiaries is that it will
encourage the subsidiaries to understand the data being collected knowing that it is also
being reviewed by HoldCo.
Appendix M suggests a listing of data requirements from each subsidiary type and the
frequency that the data will need to be submitted. These data items can be added or
deleted as experience dictates. Once these data items have been agreed they should be
included in the Performance Contract for each subsidiary. All these data items are
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
9. Management Information System Needs. . .
GENERATION
The following are items that each subsidiary generating company will be required to report
to HoldCo. A single report that summarizes all the generation under that subsidiary will be
required from Ashuganj, EGCB and all other generation companies developed as
subsidiaries.
• Annual data
- Audited Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet
- Internal and external audit reports
- Financial Budget for new year
- Capital projects investment plan approved and planned
- Maintenance program
- IT Development Plan
In addition, each generation company should provide HoldCo the following operational
data on a daily basis. The purpose of this data is not for HoldCo to become involved in the
day-to-day operation of the subsidiary, but to have a complete record of subsidiary
operations in case of queries from stakeholders about operating issues:
- The daily, weekly, monthly ahead forecast they supply to PGCB each day.
- Details of any major system problems experience during the day
TRANSMISSION
The following are items that the transmission company will be required to provide to
HoldCo:
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9. Management Information System Needs. . .
• Annual data
- Audited Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet
- Financial Budget for new year
- Internal and External audit reports
- Capital projects investment plan
- Maintenance program
- IT Development Plan
In addition, PGCB should provide HoldCo the following operational data on a daily basis.
The purpose of this data is not for HoldCo to become involved in the day-to-day operation
of the subsidiary, but to have a complete record of subsidiary operations in case of
queries from stakeholders about operating issues:
- Grid availability/operations problems
- Peak demand
- Loadshedding / Unsupplied demand
- Days, weeks, months ahead forecast
- Daily transmission compared to load schedule
- Plant dispatch
- Export units to each distribution company
DISTRIBUTION
The following are the areas of reporting that the distribution subsidiary companies will be
required to provide to HoldCo:
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
9. Management Information System Needs. . .
• Annual data
- Audited Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet
- Internal and external audit reports
- Financial Budget for new year
- Capital projects investment plan
- Maintenance program
- IT Development Plan
In addition, each distribution company should provide HoldCo load shedding data on a
daily basis. The purpose of this data is not for HoldCo to become involved in the day-to-
day operation of the subsidiary, but to have a complete record of subsidiary operations in
case of queries from stakeholders about operating issues:
HoldCo will need to develop MIS reports to monitor the performance of SubCos against
their performance contract targets.
Appendix K shows an example of a monthly report for the Ashuganj generation, Power
Grid transmission and West Zone distribution subsidiaries. These formats should evolve
or be developed further once HoldCo is formed and management appointed. Each
subsidiary will produce the report within an agreed timetable at the end of the month.
HoldCo has a number of options to obtain the functionality defined by the above
requirements. The options range from HoldCo centrally providing all IT services for the
entire Group, to leaving IT to the subsidiaries and allowing each HoldCo department to
look after its own internal IT needs on an ad hoc basis. In the middle, HoldCo could play a
leadership role, and implement systems to facilitate data consolidation while allowing
subsidiaries to continue to develop and utilize their own systems. This spectrum is shown
in Exhibit 9.6.
In the course of the assignment, the consultants investigated how other Bangladesh
holding companies were addressing IT needs. PetroBangla was the only example found of
relevance. Currently, PetroBangla subsidiaries each have their own IT application systems
and IT staff. PetroBangla HO has a small IT function that manages the provision of IT
services to the HO staff through a local area network and internet connectivity.
Subsidiaries send daily and monthly data to HO for collection, analysis and reporting to
HO executives and MPEMR. A project is underway to implement a common stores system
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
9. Management Information System Needs. . .
at all locations and a project is planned to develop common General Ledger and HR
systems that will be installed in all subsidiaries.
PetroBangla offers one model of how HoldCo could evolve its IT function within the
spectrum of options.
At one end of the spectrum, for HoldCo to establish a central IT function would require
development and implementation of what would effectively serve as an enterprise
resource planning (ERP) system. This would be costly and disruptive for both HoldCo and
its subsidiaries. Moreover, the principal challenges faced by HoldCo and the sector more
generally are not going to be solved through implementation of an ERP. This would be a
distraction to the fundamental issues that HoldCo and its subsidiaries must focus on. The
subsidiaries already have legacy systems that perform their functions adequately, hence
this would be something of a ill-afforded luxury.
At the other end of the spectrum, for HoldCo to treat IT on an ad hoc basis, leaving it for
organic development, would make it more difficult (or impossible) to integrate in the future.
It would complicate HoldCo’s function of ensuring time and accurate data collection for
performance monitoring, and would fail its obligation to guide subsidiaries towards the
best performance possible.
The preferred approach is for HoldCo to provide some centralized guidance on matters
such as overall Group IT strategy, including IT principles and policies. While specific
standards and applications can be left to the subsidiaries, HoldCo can at least ensure that
each subsidiary follows an approach that will yield long-term benefits to the Group while
not interfering with the day-to-day operational IT requirements of the subsidiaries.
Since HoldCo’s own needs are not particularly large but are highly specialized, and since
there is not a well-developed IT outsourcing industry in Bangladesh, HoldCo should not
consider outsourcing all of its own IT needs but rather develop its own in-house capacity
with outsourcing for only specific development functions. As part of this function it will also
provide strategic IT leadership for the Group.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
9. Management Information System Needs. . .
The rest of this section describes the resources HoldCo needs to carry out these
functions.
HoldCo will need a range of IT and management skills to support the proposed group IT
strategy development, IT systems and MIS reporting functions. As the provision of IT
services to support HoldCo staff will be vital for the success of the business IT will need to
be led by a skilled IT practitioner and manager who can participate with the senior
management group of HoldCo on an equal basis. In this section we describe the
organization structure that will be needed and the roles to be undertaken by the
participants. In the next section we indicate the training needed to enable the participants
to make best use of these systems.
IT Manager
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9. Management Information System Needs. . .
HoldCo has a number of options to provide this support structure: it can employ the full
complement of staff; it can recruit for key positions; it can engage from the outsourcing
market; it can transfer from the present BPDB HO IT resource.
The roles of IT Manager and MIS Officer are roles that should be filled by HoldCo
executives who would fully participate in the overall management decision making of
HoldCo.
The technical support function will require competent engineers on site to attend to
security issues related to staff access to the systems, provide a HelpDesk response to
hardware or software problems and undertake system back-ups on a regular basis. Given
that HoldCo is not a large organization, this could probably be covered by one or two
HoldCo IT staff.
Major roles for this position will be to provide IT leadership to HoldCo and the Group; lead
IT strategy in the subsidiary companies and manage the HoldCo IT section in the
collection, storage and reporting of subsidiary information. The IT Manager will be a
member of the senior management team and play a leading role in driving the strategy of
HoldCo.
Major roles for this position will be to manage and understand HoldCo’s database of
electronic and printed information, ensure its accuracy and secure it against damage,
understand the subsidiaries business processes and assist staff to access data for
reporting purposes.
Major roles will be to analyze needs, develop and maintain systems for HoldCo, select,
implement and maintain application package software.
Major roles will be to implement and maintain new hardware at HoldCo premises; provide
day to day supervision of the network and systems, provide a Help Desk to assist users
resolve system faults and handle any bulk data input.
This role will be delivered in conjunction with the HR function. It will ensure all staff are
competent to use the available systems to undertake their own business processes. A four
terminal training room has been included in the configuration to enable live training to be
undertaken to best simulate the real working conditions.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
9. Management Information System Needs. . .
9.4.3 Training
When HoldCo staff are given IT tools it is important to ensure they are properly trained to
use them at an individual level. HoldCo executives will need to develop their own
computer literacy skills. A series of training courses will be provided for all initial staff and
new recruits during their induction phase to ensure they understand the data that is
maintained by the system and how to access and manipulate it. PA recommends that a
training centre is established with four screens and keyboards that can be dedicated to the
training function. This facility can be used for both IT and general in house training. IT
training will be coordinated by HR.
• Courses for:
- Using e-mail
- Using Excel
- Using PowerPoint
9.4.4 IT Infrastructure
Exhibit 9.8 shows a draft network layout plan for an installation for the HoldCo building
that will need to be revised when the actual site has been chosen and planned staff
numbers are finalized. This draft allows for a secure server room and 32 user screens
supported by printer and a scanner for every five user screens. Provision has been made
for the inclusion of 5 laptop computers for off site executive use.
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9. Management Information System Needs. . .
Once HoldCo is formed a revised version of these specifications can be used as part of a
tender document to select a vendor for this equipment and supporting services.
Exhibit 9.9 estimates the costs involved in implementing the hardware, network
connectivity, systems software and building costs for wiring and server room air
conditioning. It does not cover application software development. The number of items will
need to be adjusted in accordance with the staffing numbers employed by HoldCo and the
physical requirements of the building that HoldCo will use.
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9. Management Information System Needs. . .
9-20
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9. Management Information System Needs. . .
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9. Management Information System Needs. . .
Once HoldCo has been formed and senior staff engaged the Implementation Plan in
Exhibit 9.10 should be reviewed, updated by the IT Manager, agreed by the senior
management team and a project to manage the implementation established.
Supplementary local consulting expertise should be engaged to assist the IT Manager and
MIS Officer during the development and implementation stages.
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10. THE FUTURE OF BPDB
The foregoing chapters describe the structure and internal processes of HoldCo as the
corporatized successor to BPDB for the holding company function. However, this is just
one of several functions currently held by BPDB. This chapter describes BPDB’s evolution
and continuing role in the Bangladesh power sector after HoldCo is established.
Exhibits 1.9 and 1.10 show the current structure and distribution of manpower within
BPDB. In particular, Exhibit 1.10 shows the distribution of manpower according to the
Head Office (1,588 employees), Generation (4,141 employees), Distribution (6,420
employees) and Others (1,500 employees).
The remaining 1,588 employees are based in the BPDB Head Office. Exhibit 10.1 shows
the distribution of employees by unit in the BPDB Head Office or associated field office.
Many of these personnel will be transferred to the Support Services (especially for training
or engineering services) or to Generation subsidiaries. These are shaded in solid blue,
and represent a total of 732 personnel. In addition, there are some units from which a
portion of the personnel could be transferred to Support Services and other subsidiaries,
with the balance retained in BPDB. These are shaded in the diagonal blue pattern.
Assuming that half of the personnel from these units go to the subsidiaries would account
for another 268 personnel.
Of the 588 personnel remaining in BPDB, some would be well-qualified to apply for
positions in HoldCo, e.g. personnel from the Total Quality Management (TQM) Promotion
Office and the Program Directorate would be good candidates for the Program & Projects
Department and the Financial Planning Department respectively. However, most of the
remaining staff are required to (i) help prepare the remaining BPDB operations to become
subsidiary companies, and (ii) to perform the single buyer function.
As noted in Section 2.4, this residual BPDB may be eventually corporatized as the single
buyer company once the prevailing PPAs have been assigned to the new entity. That
process would largely follow the same process as outlined in this report for the creation of
HoldCo. (The term “residual BPDB” refers to BPDB after HoldCo has been established
and generation and distribution operations have been corporatized).
The single buyer function, and hence the related personnel, would be required for as long
as Bangladesh maintains that industry structure. Personnel from units required for the
single buyer function are shaded gold in Exhibit 10.1. These account for 104 personnel.
Personnel remaining from the units with the diagonal blue shading would also be required
to support the single buyer function. Assuming retention of half of these 268 personnel
would leave the single buyer function with a total of 238 personnel.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
10. The Future of BPDB. . .
It is unclear exactly how many personnel would actually be affected by this. The expected
rate of attrition and retirement of personnel in these units, as well as the success of
personnel from these units transferring to subsidiaries is unknown. Provided BPDB does
not hire new personnel, it would be safe to assume that less than 200 would be affected.
This number could be retained within one or more of the successor companies without
significantly compromising the financial performance of those companies. More generally,
these changes should be implemented within the context of a communications plan, as
described in Supplemental Appendix H.
One of the most recent major VRS schemes in Bangladesh was conducted in the middle
of 2007 as part of the Biman restructuring. Out of some 5,000 employees, management
set a target of VRS uptake of approximately 1,600. In fact, 2,267 employees submitted
applications, which management then screened down to 1,877. While this initially
appeared to be a successful VRS program, hundreds of employees are now suing the
company to get their jobs back, asserting that they were coerced into taking the VRS
packages. Introducing a VRS scheme in the wake of this experience could result in more
problems than it solves, and would need to be carefully considered. Given the limited
number of employees who potentially could be eligible for such a program as part of the
corporatization of BPDB, it may be best to simply absorb them into successor companies,
with retraining as required.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
10. The Future of BPDB. . .
10-3
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10. The Future of BPDB. . .
The most important function of the residual BPDB is that of single buyer. As the name
suggests, as single buyer is the sole offtaker (purchaser) of all bulk power produced by
generators. Conversely, it is the sole seller of bulk power to distribution/supply companies.
As noted in Section 2, transferring the single buyer function from BPDB to another entity
(even a corporatized successor) will require assigning the PPAs. This should not be on
the critical path for any restructuring program as it could result in lengthy delays. Hence,
BPDB should continue to serve as the single buyer until the PPAs are assigned to a
corporatized successor, at which point all personnel should transferred on an as-is,
where-is basis to the new corporatized entity.
BPDB currently conducts all of these functions except for procurement. While it
participates in the procurement process for new independent power producers (IPPs),
Power Cell leads this process on behalf of the Government of Bangladesh. BPDB
employees from participate with the Power Cell team for procurement and contracting.
Frequently the single buyer is kept separate from the transmission or generation
companies to prevent the potential for self-dealing, i.e. the conflict of interest that would
occur if an entity were responsible for both identifying least-cost investment and benefiting
from it. The structure envisioned here follows that approach.
The residual BPDB will not have an operating role for the physical delivery of power. It will
fulfill purely planning and commercial functions. Though it may participate in monthly
system operation coordination meetings with generators and PGCB, dispatch will remain
solely under PGCB’s National Load Dispatch Center (NLDC). The purpose of the monthly
coordination meetings will be to share information on the monthly load forecast, plant
operating costs, system constraints and scheduled maintenance so that the NLDC can
establish a supply curve against which merit order dispatch can be conducted. The BPDB
single buyer can contribute information on expected variable costs per the PPAs it holds,
as well as take note of forecast plant availability.
Following the organizational design principles presented in Section 4.1, the structure of
the BPDB Single Buyer should follow its value chain. The existing structure of BPDB
follows the electricity value chain, at least at a high-level. The structure shown in Exhibit
10-4
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
10. The Future of BPDB. . .
Chairman
Energy audit, security
Secretary
& investigations
Director
Finance
The functions of each department would be much the same as in the existing BPDB.
Chairman
• Energy Audit, Security & Investigations will check metering, billing and
collections
Administration
Finance
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
10. The Future of BPDB. . .
• Procurement & Contracting will prepare and supervise contracting for all
generation, and will support Power Cell for procurement of new IPPs.
Reliability of power supply remains a major concern for the Government and other
stakeholders. These stakeholders seek to understand how corporatization (in particular
the establishment of HoldCo and focusing of BPDB as single buyer) can contribute to
improved power system reliability.
• System control and operations. In the short term (real time, hours, days
and weeks), system reliability depends upon the monitoring and
management of system operation. This includes dispatch scheduling,
control of voltage, frequency and stability, load shedding and restoration,
feeder control, real-time balancing of connected load and generation,
system protection, etc.
This report presents several recommendations regarding planning and procurement that
are intended to enhance system reliability in addition to other benefits. These
recommendations include:
System control and operations, on the other hand, are not directly performed or affected
by HoldCo or the residual BPDB functioning as single buyer. These entities provide
commercial functions, not technical functions. They are not responsible for physical
operation of the system. More generally, corporatization is about long-term management
10-6
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
10. The Future of BPDB. . .
of the power sector, not short-term operational control of the grid system. Both are
necessary for a successful sector, and they should be mutually reinforcing.
System operations should be the responsibility of PGCB (which includes the NLDC). It
must fulfill this responsibility by actively coordinating grid users, including generators and
distributors as well as any large consumers connected directly to the transmission system.
Standard international practice suggests that NLDC should convene monthly coordination
meetings attended by all generators (including IPPs), PGCB transmission, all distributors
and large direct consumers, as well as the single buyer. These meetings would review
planned maintenance, the operational load forecast, and cost inputs for merit order
dispatch. This would enable NLDC to prepare supply curves for each dispatch period over
the coming month, incorporating any dispatch constraints, as a basis for dispatch
scheduling on a merit order basis to the extent it is possible.
In addition, generators and distributors must follow the instructions of the NLDC. Certainly
implementation of Automatic Generation Control (AGC), transmission SCADA and
distribution automation systems can help centralize system control and ensure compliance
with instructions. However, such technology is not essential for effective NLDC control.
The fundamental requirement is that generators and distributors comply with NLDC
instructions regardless of how those are delivered.
Normally the specifics of such compliance would be documented in a grid code, which
ultimately would be enforced by a regulator. Although PGCB had developed a grid code, it
has not been fully introduced and the BERC is not yet in a position to formally adopt the
code and compel compliance.
These suggestions are consistent with the findings of the Fact Finding Committee
convened by Power Division to investigate the grid failures resulting Cyclone Sidr on 16
November 200727. That report concluded that there were both technical as well as
managerial reasons for the duration and extent of the system outages resulting from
Cyclone Sidr. Technical causes included unreliability of telecommunications facilities, poor
operator controls and displays, absence of AGC and inadequate number of self-starting
units. Managerial causes include lack of responsiveness by some generators to NLDC
instructions, imprecise or unheeded load allocation commands to/by distributors, as well
as poor internal processes and controls within NLDC itself (including absence of
contingency plans and emergency training).
Therefore, until a grid code is formally adopted and enforced by the regulator, the Minister
of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, or the Secretary (Power) as appropriate, should
establish a grid system operations committee, chaired by the head of system operation.
The instruction establishing this committee should:
27
Fact Finding Committee formed by Power Division, Presentation on Report on National Grid
Failures on 16 November 2007, 30 December 2007. This report drew heavily on a technical study
conducted by the Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET).
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
10. The Future of BPDB. . .
• Mandate that that all entities connected to the transmission system must
take timely action on instructions issued by the head of system operation
regarding real-time operation of the system
System operation is but one element of the electricity value chain. Exhibit 10.3 depicts the
complete value chain.
Exhibit 10.3: The Electricity Value Chain
Ultimately, reliability of power supply depends upon execution of each element of this
value chain. The table in Exhibit 10.4 shows how responsibilities for performance of each
element of the chain may be allocated across the power sector entities described in this
report. The exhibit also indicates the document(s) that govern the execution of each
element of the chain. Not all of these documents have been prepared, but eventually the
sector will require the development of and adherence to these documents to guide each of
the sector entities in fulfilling its role.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
10. The Future of BPDB. . .
Metering, Billing Bills Single Bills Performs retail Bills distributors & -
& Collections Buyer for power distributors for customer pays generators
(Grid Code, Supply produced transmission metering, billing for bulk power
Code) services & collections supply
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
APPENDIX A: TERMS OF REFERENCE
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
FOR THE
1. In close consultation with various stakeholders and in close collaboration with the
Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources (MPEMR), BPDB, and the task force to be
established by the Government to corporatize BPDB, the consultants will undertake, but not be
limited to, the following tasks:
A. Phase I
2. The legal and commercial corporatization tasks will comprise all of the procedural, legal,
and operational requirements for establishing a corporation, effecting the transfer and insuring
that the company has the rights and authorities needed to conduct the business. The tasks will
include the following:
(iv) Review all relevant studies, reports, and policies related to corporatization
of power sector entities in Bangladesh including the final report of ADB’s
TA3343-BAN: Corporatization of the Ashuganj Power Station and ADB’s
report on Country Assistance Program Evaluation for Bangladesh (CAP:
BAN2003-03);
(v) Based upon existing conditions and the studies made above, suggest an
appropriate methodology and approach to corporatization of BPDB as a
holding company. This should include a timetable and schedule of
activities to be completed, and a clear assignment of
duties/responsibilities to ensure each step is completed. The
methodology should include legal as well as physical transfers of assets,
personnel, and liabilities;
(vi) Determine what, if any, additional legal documents and/or instruments
would be required to effect the corporatization of BPDB as a holding
company;
(vii) Recommend the roles and functions of the proposed BPDB holding
company;
(viii) Define the functions and responsibilities of the new company after
corporatization and the relations of BPDB holding company and its
subsidiaries with other entities in the power sector;
(ix) Identify transactions between the corporatized company and other power
sector entities in the post corporatization period; review existing power
purchase agreements and gas purchase agreements signed between
BDPB and other relevant entities; recommend any changes in the
agreements, if any, for use by the corporatized company;
(xiv) Establish performance criteria, and develop a summary business plan for
the corporatized company; and
(i) Review the existing BPDB’s accounting system, internal control policies
and procedures, and recommend required improvements, if any;
(ii) Review of the general ledgers of BPDB to identify the relevant accounting
transactions and balances;
(iii) Complete a physical inventory count including fixed assets and inventory.
Assets should be categorized as operational or administrative;
(iv) Review financial structure of BPDB, such as assets and liability structure,
debt/equity ratio, identify existing contracts and obligations, and
investment needs; and identify issues related to transfer of assets and
liabilities to the corporitized BPDB; and recommend any actions to
address the issues;
(v) Appraise and recommend any adjustments to the assets and liabilities,
estimate the necessary working capital for the corporatized company and
prepared a proposal for the funding of the working capital requirements;
(vi) Prepare the disposal/divesture plan for the non-core business activities, if
any; and
(vii) Prepare financial projection for the corporatized company for the next 5
years.
4. The scope of human resources management in Phase I is to carry out a due diligence of
the organizational structure of BPDB, staffing issues, and employment rules and personnel
procedures. The tasks will include:
(i) Develop a realistic staffing plan for the corporatized BPDB, assess
BPDB’s existing staffing capabilities, and evaluate impacts of
corporatization on the existing staff of BPDB;
(ii) Prepare draft job descriptions and qualification requirements for key
positions of the corporatized company;
(iii) Propose a draft salary structure suitable for the corporatized BPDB;
(v) Prepare need analysis of management training for the new managers;
and
B. Phase II
5. Building on the work conducted in Phase I and taking into account the comments of the
Government, ADB on the Phase I work as well as the outcome of the workshop, the consultant
will undertake the following activities during Phase II.
(i) Determine the MIS system requirements for the corporatized company
including human resources management, physical asset management,
inventory management and financial management;
(ii) Design MIS system including determination of daily and monthly MIS
reporting formats to enable management of the corporatized company to
focus on key issues;
(iv) Determine staffing requirements and training needs of MIS personnel for
the corporatized company.
(iii) Finalize corporate governance issues including (a) the roles and
responsibilities of the Board of Directors, approval/authorizations,
stockholder rights; (b) financial operations such as funding, controllership,
banking/trustee; and (c) responsibilities, incentives, and accountability of
management;
(iv) Finalize human resources plans including (a) employee transfer scheme;
(b) voluntary early retirement plan; and (c) new employment terms and
conditions, and (d) organizational structure and staffing for the new
company; and propose recommendations on the issues related to
implementation of human resources plans;
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
The Companies Act, 1994
(Act No.XVIII of 1994)
MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION
OF
III) The principal objective of the Company is to own, establish, set up, found, form,
incorporate and promote subsidiary companies. Without prejudice to the generality of
the foregoing provision, the Company shall, in particular have the following object
and powers:
1. To take over, acquire and own the shares of the following companies, which are
engaged in the business of generating, transmitting, trading, supplying, storing,
distributing and/or marketing of electrical energy, or in the business of providing
support services for the above activities, namely:
a) West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited
b) Electricity Generating Company of Bangladesh Limited
c) Ashuganj Power Station Company Limited
d) Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Limited
e) Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited
f) Dhaka Electric Supply Company
g) North West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited
h) South Zone Power Distribution Company Limited
i) Central Zone Power Distribution Company Limited
2. To invest in the power sector in all or part of the equity of existing and/or new power
generation, transmission trading, supply, storage, distribution and/or marketing
companies, or in companies providing support services for the above activities..
4. To merge with and amalgamate for the betterment of the Company with any other
company whose objects are or include objects similar to those of the Company,
whether by sale or purchase (for fully or partly paid-up shares or otherwise) of the
undertaking, subject to the liabilities of the Company or any such other company as
aforesaid, with or without winding-up or by sale or purchase (for fully or partly paid-
up shares or otherwise) of all or a controlling interest in the shares or stocks of the
Company or any such other company as aforesaid, or by partnership or any
arrangement of the nature of partnership or in any other manner.
5. To take part in the formation, promotion and/or supervision of any company (other
than subsidiary companies) or undertaking consistent with the objects of the
Company.
6. To acquire, hold, purchase, take on lease, exchange, hire, sell, transfer, let, mortgage,
pledge, assign and/or otherwise dispose of property, both movable and immovable,
including land or interest in land, buildings, easements, rights, privileges, concessions,
patents, patent rights, trademarks, trade names, licences, processes, machinery, plant,
equipment, stock-in-trade and any other moveable or immovable property of any kind
whatsoever necessary or convenient for the purpose of or in connection with the
business of the Company and to pay for the same either in cash or shares, with or
without preferred rights in respect of dividend, the repayment of capital or otherwise
or by any securities which the Company has power to issue or partly in one mode and
partly in another and generally on such terms as the Company may determine.
7. To enter into any partnership, arrangement for sharing profits, union of interests,
reciprocal concession or co-operation with any company, firm or person carrying on
or proposing to carry on any business within the objects of the Company and to
acquire and hold, sell, deal with or dispose of shares, stocks or securities of any such
company and to guarantee the contracts or liabilities of or the payment of the
dividend, interest or capital of any shares, stocks or securities of such company and to
subsidise or otherwise assist any such company.
8. To purchase or otherwise acquire and undertake all or any part of the business,
property and transaction of any company carrying on any business which the
company is authorised to carry on or which is otherwise suitable for the purpose of
the Company.
10. To enter into any arrangement with any Government or other authorities (supreme,
municipal, local, statutory or otherwise) and to obtain from any such Government or
authority for the Company or its subsidiaries all rights, concessions and privileges that
may seem conducive to any or all of the Company’s objects.
11. To represent all its subsidiary companies in public financing matters, including
project finance, with the Government and all its agencies, organizations and
authorities concerned, including without limitation the Power Division and the
Planning Commission of the Government.
12. To negotiate with and obtain from the Government or any other lawful source on its
own behalf or on behalf of its subsidiaries funds and financing in the form of grants,
loans, equity or any other legally permissible form, and determine the allocation
thereof, including without limitation to arrange, borrow, raise, receive, seek, obtain
and accept grants, gifts, monies, funds, loans, donations, technical and financial
assistance and foreign aids of any nature whatsoever required for the purposes of the
Company from the Government, local authorities, banks and financial institutions,
foreign donors and international and other bilateral and multilateral financing
institutions, with or without security, for the Company and transfer such monies to the
subsidiary companies at agreed terms as and when deemed necessary and expedient.
13. To appoint, engage, employ, maintain, provide for, recruit, take on lien/deputation or
on contract and dismiss, terminate or discontinue the services of any chairman,
managing director, director, secretaries, managers, accountants, staff, employees,
officers, superintendents, advisers, consultants, attorneys, engineers, technicians,
experts, agents, clerks and labourers of the Company and to remunerate any such
person at such rate and in such manner as may be thought fit.
15. To make, monitor and enforce performance contracts with its subsidiary companies or
other investments.
16. To monitor and evaluate performance of the subsidiary companies, investments and
undertakings for continuous improvement and development of the affairs and
businesses of these holdings.
17. To hold powers of attorney in financial matters on behalf of its subsidiary companies.
18. To open and operate bank accounts (current, savings or otherwise) with any scheduled
banks or financial institutions and obtain the facility of overdraft, cash credit, term
loan or otherwise with such banks or financial institutions and to pay money from any
such account.
19. To invest and deal with the money of the Company, not immediately required by the
Company for the purpose of its business, in or upon such securities or investments
and in such manner as may, from time to time, be determined by the Company.
20. To draw, make, accept, endorse, negotiate, discount and execute promissory notes,
bills of exchange and other negotiable instruments and commercial or trading
documents.
21. To guarantee, indemnify or become liable for the payment of money or for the
performance of any obligation by any of its subsidiary companies in respect of all
debts, contracts and facilities granted or to be granted by any bank or financial
institution to any of its subsidiaries and to give any kind of security for the payment of
such money or the performance of such obligation by such companies and for the
aforesaid purposes to enter into any contract(s) of surety either alone or with co-
sureties and in any such contract of surety to waive all or any of the privileges to
which sureties are by law entitled and to secure, if necessary, any obligation(s)
undertaken by the Company as guarantor or co-guarantor or otherwise by mortgage,
charge, assignment or otherwise of the whole or any part of the undertaking, property,
assets or revenue of the Company, present or future, including its uncalled capital.
22. To prepare consolidated financial statements for the Company in accordance with
Bangladesh Accounting Standards and/or International Accounting Standards.
23. To appoint external auditors for its subsidiaries and ensure that their audit programs
are in accordance with Bangladesh Standards on Auditing and/or International
Standards on Auditing.
24. To co-ordinate, monitor and review the internal audit function in all its subsidiary
companies.
25. To monitor and review compliance with and performance of any performance
contract entered into between the Company and any subsidiary thereof or with the
directors of those subsidiaries, conduct any inquiry into or carry out an audit of
performance contract related issues, and review periodically the internal audit report
of any such subsidiaries.
26. To receive for itself by transfer from the Government, local or other competent
authorities, organisation, body, bank or financial institution, within Bangladesh or
outside, any project, equipment and/or assets whether movable or immovable.
27. To promote, organize, establish and maintain branch or liaison offices and agencies of
the Company in Bangladesh or in any other part of the world as may be necessary or
useful for carrying on the business and objects of the Company and to manage and
control such branch or liaison offices and agencies and to delegate such powers and
functions to such branch or liaison offices and agencies as may be considered
necessary.
28. To mortgage and charge the undertaking of all or any of the moveable and immovable
property and assets, present or future, and all or any of the uncalled capital for the
time being of the Company issued at a premium or discount and for such
consideration and with and subject to such rights, powers, privileges and conditions as
may be thought fit, debentures or debenture stock, either permanent or redeemable or
repayable, and to make and issue other forms of security and collaterally or further to
secure any securities of the Company by a trust deed or other assurances.
29. To subscribe for, buy, sell, hold in the name of the Company or any nominee, or
transfer shares, stocks, promissory notes, bonds, obligations and securities issued or
guaranteed by any body (whether corporate or not), person, association or
Government Authority (including legal agency or sub-division thereof).
30. To grant pensions, allowances, gratuities, bonuses and other benefits to the officers,
ex-officers, employees (including directors and ex-directors) of the Company or the
dependants or connections of any such persons and to establish, contribute to and
maintain or concur or join with any other companies, corporations, firms or persons in
establishing, contributing to and maintaining trusts, fund or schemes (whether
contributory or non-contributory) with a view to providing pensions, provident fund
benefits, sickness or compassionate allowances, life assurances or other benefits to
any such persons as aforesaid.
31. To sell, improve, manage, develop, exchange, mortgage, dispose of, turn to account,
let, lease (whether on rent, royalty or with share of profits or otherwise) and, in any
other manner, deal with all or any part of the undertaking, property, asset and right of
the Company and to grant licences, easements and other rights in or over the same and
to sell or dispose of the business, undertaking, property, right, asset, liability and
transaction of the Company (including shares, stocks, bonds, debentures, mortgage
and other obligations or any of them) and in any of such cases to accept payment for
the same either in cash (by instalments or otherwise) or in fully or partly paid-up
shares of any other company or corporation, with or without preferred or deferred or
guaranteed rights in respect of dividend or repayment of capital or otherwise, or in
debentures, mortgage, debenture-stocks or other securities of any company or
corporation, or partly in one mode and partly in another, or for such other
consideration and generally on such terms as the Company may determine and to
hold, dispose of or otherwise deal with any shares, stocks or other securities so
acquired.
32. To enter into and perform all such contracts as it may consider necessary or
expedient.
33. To train personnel, cause studies, surveys, experiments or research to be made and to
contribute towards the costs of any such studies, surveys, experiments or research
made by any other body, agency or organisation.
34. To support, conduct and arrange training programs, seminars, workshops and
meetings for the promotion of interaction amongst government organizations, trade
associations and similar types of businesses, professional societies, individuals and
institutions for advancing the objectives of the Company.
35. To become a member of and represent the Company at meetings of local, national and
international organizations and bodies concerned with activities connected or
associated with any of the businesses of the Company and to provide services of all
kinds to such organizations and bodies and to negotiate and enter into national and
international agreements in matters of concern or interest to the Company.
36. To pay all expenses incidental to the formation or promotion of the Company or any
other company promoted wholly or in part by the Company and to remunerate any
person or company for services rendered or to be rendered with regard to the same.
37. To do all such other lawful things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of
the aforesaid objectives or any one of them and to further the value and growth of the
Company.
38. To do all or any of the matters and things mentioned in the preceding paragraphs in
any part of the world and either as principals, agents, trustees, contractors or
otherwise and either alone or, as in joint-venture, in conjunction with others and either
by or through agents, sub-contractors, trustees or otherwise.
It is declared that notwithstanding anything contained in the foregoing object clauses of the
Memorandum of Association nothing contained therein shall be construed as empowering the
Company to directly undertake the business of electricity generation, transmission, trading,
storage, distribution, marketing or supply on its own account.
V) The Authorised Share Capital of the Company is Tk._____ (Taka ______ only)
divided into __________ (__________) shares of Tk._____ (Taka __________ only)
each. The Paid-up Share Capital of the Company is Tk._____ (Taka ____ only).
We, the several persons whose names, addresses and descriptions are subscribed below, are
desirous of being formed into a company in pursuance of this Memorandum of Association
and we respectively agree to take the number of shares in the capital of the Company set
opposite our respective names and hereunder subscribe to the Memorandum:
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
C-1
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
The Companies Act, 1994
(Act No.XVIII of 1994)
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
OF
PRELIMINARY
1. The Regulations contained in Schedule-I to the Companies Act, 1994, shall not apply
to the Company except in so far as the same are repeated, contained or expressly
made applicable in these Articles or by the Act.
3. In these Articles, unless the context otherwise requires, expressions defined in the
Companies Act, 1994, shall have the meanings so defined and words importing the
singular shall include the plural and vice versa and words importing the masculine
gender shall be taken to include females and words importing persons shall include
bodies corporate and expressions referring to writing shall include references to
printing, typewriting, lithography, photography and any other mode of representing or
reproducing words in visible form.
PUBLIC COMPANY
4. The Company is a public limited company within the meaning of Section 2(1)(r) of
the Act.
SHARES
7. After shares are offered for public subscription by the Company, the shares which
have been offered for public subscription shall be classified as ‘Group-B Shares’ and
the shareholders holding the ‘Group-B Shares’ shall be classified as ‘Group-B
Shareholders’. The shares retained by the Government or its agencies,
instrumentalities, corporations, companies or nominees shall be classified as ‘Group-
A Shares’ and the holders of the ‘Group-A Shares’ shall be classified as ‘Group-A
Shareholders’. All the Group-A and Group-B Shareholders shall have equal rights.
8. Without prejudice to any special right previously conferred on the holders of existing
shares, the Company may, from time to time, by special resolution determine the
following matters:
(b) restrictions that may be imposed with regard to dividend, voting, return of
share capital or any other matter.
ALLOTMENT OF SHARES
9. The Board of Directors shall, as regards any allotment of shares, duly comply with
such of the provisions of Sections 148 and 151 of the Act as may be applicable
thereto.
10. Any issue of further or new shares at any time shall be made in such manner so as to
maintain the minimum 51% ownership of the shares in the capital of the Company by
the Government.
11. The shares in the capital of the Company shall be under the control of the Board of
Directors, who may allot them or otherwise dispose of the same or any of them to
such persons in such proportion and on such terms and conditions, and either at a
premium or at par or, subject to compliance with such of the provisions of Section
153 of the Act as may be applicable thereto, at a discount, and at such time as the
Board of Directors may, from time to time, think fit and proper.
SHARE CERTIFICATE
12. Every person whose name is entered as a Member in the Register of Members shall,
free of cost, be entitled to a certificate under the common seal of the Company
specifying the shares held by him and the amount paid up thereon: provided that in
respect of shares held jointly by several persons the Company shall not be bound to
issue more than one certificate and delivery of a certificate for one or more shares to
one of several joint holders shall be sufficient delivery to all.
13. If a share certificate is defaced, lost or destroyed it may be renewed and a duplicate
share certificate may be issued on payment of such fee as may be determined by the
Board of Directors and on such terms, if any, as to evidence and indemnity as the
Board of Directors may think fit.
CALL ON SHARES
14. The Board of Directors may, from time to time, make calls upon the Members in
respect of any moneys unpaid on the shares held by them, provided that no call shall
exceed one-fourth of the nominal amount of the share or be payable at less than one
month from the last call and each Member shall, subject to receiving, at least, 14
(fourteen) day's notice specifying the time of payment, pay to the Company at the
time so specified the amount called on his shares.
15. The joint-holders of a share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in
respect thereof.
16. If a sum called in respect of a share is not paid before or on the day appointed for
payment thereof, the person from whom the sum is due shall pay interest upon the
sum at a rate to be determined by the Board of Directors from the day appointed for
the payment thereof to the time of the actual payment, but the Board of Directors shall
be at liberty to waive payment of that interest wholly or in part.
17. The provisions of these Articles as to payment of interest shall apply in the case of
non-payment of any sum which, by the terms of allotment of a share, becomes
payable at a fixed time, whether on account of the amount of the share or by way of
premium.
18. The Board of Directors may make arrangements on the allotment of shares for
difference between the holders in the amount of calls to be paid and in the times of
payment.
19. The Board of Directors may, at its option, receive from any Member willing to
advance all or any part of the moneys uncalled and unpaid upon any shares held by
him and upon all or any of the moneys so advanced may pay to such Member interest
at such rate as may be agreed upon between the Member paying the sum in advance
and the Board of Directors.
20. The Company may, at any time, pay commission to any person for subscribing or
agreeing to subscribe (whether absolutely or conditionally) for any shares in the
Company or procuring or agreeing to procure subscriptions (whether absolute or
conditional) for any shares in the Company; provided, however, that the commission
shall not exceed 1.5% (one and a half per cent) of the value of the shares subscribed
for or to be subscribed in each case. The Company may also, with the prior consent of
the Securities and Exchange Commission, pay on any issue of shares such brokerage
as may be lawful; provided, however, that such brokerage shall not exceed 1% (one
per cent) of the value of the shares, debenture or debenture-stock paid up at the time
of issue.
21. The Company shall have a lien on the following shares and also on all dividends
payable thereon, namely:
(a) all shares other than fully paid-up shares, for all moneys whether presently
payable or not, called or payable at a fixed time in respect of that share; and
(b) all shares, other than fully paid-up shares, standing registered in the name of a
single person, for all moneys presently payable by him or his estate to the
Company.
The Directors may, at any time, declare any such share to be wholly or partly exempt
from the provisions of this Article.
22. The Company may sell, in such manner as the Board of Directors think fit, any share
on which the Company has a lien; provided, however, that no sale shall be made,
unless some money, in respect of which the lien exists, is payable in cash and a period
of 14 (fourteen) days had expired after a written notice, stating and demanding such
money, has been served upon the holder of the share registered for the time being or
upon the person entitled to the share by reason of the former shareholder's death or
insolvency.
23. The proceeds of the sale shall be applied in payment of such part of the amount, in
respect of which the lien exists, as is presently payable and the residue shall, subject
to a like lien for sums not presently payable as existed upon the shares prior to the
sale, be paid to the persons entitled to the shares at the date of the sale. The purchaser
shall be registered as the holder of the shares and he shall not be bound to see to the
application of the purchase-money, nor shall his title to the shares be affected by any
irregularity or invalidity in the proceeding in reference to the sale.
24. Where the Company sells any share in pursuance of the preceding Articles and the
former holder of the share does not deliver the share certificate for the share(s) to the
Company, the Board of Directors may issue a new certificate for such share(s)
distinguishing it, in such manner as they think fit, from the certificate not so
delivered.
25. If a Member fails to pay any call or instalment of a call on the day appointed for
payment thereof, the Board of Directors may, at any time thereafter as any part of
such call or instalment remain unpaid, serve a notice on him requiring payment of so
much of the call or instalment as is unpaid together with any interest which may have
accrued.
26. The notice shall name a further day, not earlier than the expiration of 14 (fourteen)
days from the date of the notice, on or before which the payment required by the
notice is to be made, and shall state that in the event of non-payment at or before the
time so appointed, the shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be
forfeited.
27. If the requirements of any such notice as aforesaid are not complied with, any share in
respect of which the notice has been given may, at anytime thereafter, but, before the
payment required by the notice has been made, be forfeited by the resolution of the
Board of Directors to that effect.
28. A forfeited share may be sold or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such
manner as the Board of Directors think fit, and at any time before a sale or disposition
of the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Board of Directors think fit.
29. A person whose shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Member in respect of
the forfeited shares, but shall, notwithstanding, remain liable to pay to the Company
all moneys which at the date of the forfeiture were presently payable by him to the
Company in respect of the shares, but his liability shall cease if and when the
Company receives payment in full of the nominal amount of the shares.
30. A duly verified declaration in writing that the declarant is a Director of the Company,
and that a share in the Company has been duly forfeited on a date stated in the
declaration, shall be conclusive evidence of the facts therein stated as against all
persons claiming to be entitled to the share. Such declaration and the receipt of the
Company for the consideration, if any, given for the share on the sale or disposition
thereof shall constitute a good title to the share. The person who becomes the
shareholder, under the provisions of this Article, shall be registered as the holder of
the share and shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase-money, if
any, nor shall his title to the share be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the
proceedings in reference to the forfeiture, sale or disposal of the share.
31. The provisions of these Articles as to forfeiture shall apply in the case of non-payment
of any sum which, by the terms of issue of a share, becomes payable at a fixed time,
whether on account of the amount of the share, or by way of premium, as if the same
has been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.
32. Subject to such of the restriction of these Articles as may be applicable any Member may
transfer all or any of his shares by instrument in writing in any usual or common form or
any other form which the Directors may approve.
33. The right to transfer the shares of the Company shall be restricted insofar as to ensure
that at no times shall the number of issued and outstanding shares of the Company
held by the Government of Bangladesh, its agencies or instrumentalities fall below
51% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company, and the Company shall not
register any transfer of shares which will result in such a fall in number of the shares
held by the Government of Bangladesh, its agencies or instrumentalities.
34. The instrument of transfer of any share in the Company shall be executed both by or
on behalf of the transferor and the transferee and the transferor shall remain holder of
the share until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register of Members in
respect thereof.
35. The Board of Directors may decline to register any transfer of shares, not being fully
paid-up shares, to a person of whom they do not approve and may also decline to
register any transfer of shares on which the Company has a lien.
36. The Board of Directors may suspend the registration of transfer of shares during the
14 (fourteen) days immediately preceding the Annual General Meeting of the
Company in each year.
37. The Board of Directors may decline to recognise any instrument of transfer or refuse
to register such transfer, unless:
(a) a fee not exceeding a sum as may be fixed by the Board of Directors is paid to the
Company in respect thereof;
(b) the instrument of transfer of share is accompanied by the certificate of share to
which it relates; and
(c) such evidence as the Board of Directors may reasonably require to show the right
of the transferor to make the transfer has been furnished.
38. If the Directors refuse to register or decline to recognise the transfer of any shares,
they shall, within 1 (one) month after the date on which the instrument of transfer was
lodged with the Company, send to the transferee and the transferor notice of the
refusal or non-recognition of the transfer.
39. The executors, administrators or legal heirs of a deceased sole holder of a share shall
be the only persons recognised by the Company as having any title to the share. In the
case of a share registered in the names of 2 (two) or more holders, the survivor or
survivors shall be the only persons recognised by the Company as having any title to
the share.
40. Any person becoming entitled to a share in consequence of the death or insolvency of
a Member shall, upon such evidence being produced as may, from time to time, be
required by the Board of Directors, have the right either to be registered as a Member
in respect of the share or to make such transfer of the share as the deceased or
insolvent person could have made: provided, however, that the Board of Directors
shall have the same right to decline to recognise the transfer or to refuse or suspend
the registration of the transfer as they could have done had the transfer been made by
the deceased or insolvent shareholder before his death or insolvency.
41. A person becoming entitled to a share, by reason of the death or insolvency of the
holder, shall be entitled to the same dividends and other advantages to which he
would be entitled if he were the registered holder of the share; except that, he shall
not, before being registered as a Member, in respect of the share, be entitled in respect
of it to exercise any right conferred by membership in relation to the meetings of the
Company.
42. The Board of Directors may, with the sanction of the Company in general meeting,
increase the share capital of the Company by such sum, to be divided into shares of
such amount, as may be prescribed in the general meeting.
43. The new shares shall be subject to the same provisions with reference to the payment
of calls, lien, transfer, transmission, forfeiture and otherwise as the shares in the
original share capital.
44. Subject to any resolution sanctioning the increase of share capital, all new shares
shall, before issue, be offered to such persons as at the date of the offer are entitled to
receive notices from the Company of general meetings in proportion to the amount of
the existing shares to which they are entitled. The offer shall be made by notice
specifying the number of shares offered and limiting a time within which the offer, if
not accepted, will be deemed to be declined and after the expiration of that time or on
the receipt of an intimation from the person to whom the offer is made that he
declines to accept the shares offered, the Board of Directors may dispose of the same
in such manner as they think most beneficial to the Company. The Directors may,
likewise, so dispose of any new shares, which, by reason of the ratio the new shares
bear to shares held by persons entitled to an offer of new shares, cannot, in the
opinion of the Directors, be conveniently offered under these Articles.
45. The Company may, by special resolution, reduce its share capital in any manner and,
with and subject to any applicable provisions of any law for the time being in force in
Bangladesh.
(a) consolidate and divide its share capital into shares of larger amount than its
existing shares;
(b) by sub-division of its existing shares or any of them, divide the whole or any part
of its share capital into shares of smaller amount than is originally fixed by
the Memorandum of Association subject, nevertheless, to the provision of
paragraph (d) of sub-section (1) of Section 53 of the Act; and
(c) cancel any shares which, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been
taken or agreed to be taken by any person.
BORROWING POWERS
47. The Board of Directors may, subject to the provisions of Section 121 of the Act, from
time to time, at their discretion, raise or borrow from any source any sums of money
required for the purpose of the Company and raise and secure the payment or re-
payment of such sums of money or loan in such manner and upon such terms and
conditions in all respects as they may think fit and, in particular, by the issue of shares
or debentures or by making, drawing, accepting or endorsing on behalf of the
Company any promissory notes, bills of exchange, or by giving or issuing any of the
securities of the Company or by the creation of mortgage, charge or hypothecation on
all or any of the properties of the Company, both present and future, including the
uncalled capital of the Company for the time being or by giving or creating mortgage,
charge or hypothecation on any property of any third party as collateral security, and
the Directors may, on behalf of the Company, guarantee the whole or any part of such
loan or debts incurred by the Company with powers to secure guarantee against the
liability in respect of such loan or debts and, generally, to borrow money on such
future terms and conditions as may be mutually agreed to by the lenders and the
Board of Directors of the Company.
48. The Company shall, within a period of not less than 1 (one) month and not more than
(six) months from the date at which the Company is entitled to commence business,
hold a general meeting of the Members of the Company, which shall be called the
Statutory Meeting and in connection therewith, the Directors shall comply with the
provisions of Section 83 of the Act. All the existing Directors of the Company shall
retire at the Statutory General meeting and new directors shall be elected from among
persons selected by the Selection Panel in accordance with Article 73 below.
49. A general meeting of the Company shall be held within 18 (eighteen) months from the
date of its incorporation and, thereafter, once at least in every calendar year at such
time not being more than 15 (fifteen) months after the holding of the last preceding
general meeting, and at such place as may be prescribed by the Company in general
meeting. Such general meeting shall be called Annual General Meeting and all other
general meetings of the Company, other than the Statutory Meeting, shall be called
Extraordinary General Meeting.
50. The Board of Directors may, whenever they think fit, call an Extraordinary General
Meeting and Extraordinary General Meetings shall also be called on such requisition,
or in default, may be called by such requisitionists, as provided by Section 84 of the
Act. If at any time there are not within Bangladesh sufficient Directors capable of
acting to form a quorum at a meeting of the Board of Directors, any Director or any
two Members of the Company may call an Extraordinary General Meeting in the
same manner as nearly as possible as that in which meetings may be called by the
Directors.
51. Subject to the provisions of sub-section (2) of Section 87 of the Act relating to special
resolution, 14 (fourteen) days notice shall be served specifying the agenda, place, the
day and the hour of meeting and, in case of special business, the general nature of that
business, shall be given, in manner hereinafter mentioned, or in such other manner, if
any, as may be prescribed by the Company in general meeting, to such persons as are,
under the Act or these Articles, entitled to receive such notice from the Company; but
the accidental omission to give notice to or the non-receipt of notice by any Member
shall not invalidate the proceedings at any general meeting.
52. In reckoning the 14 (fourteen) days the day on which the notice is served or deemed
to be served is excluded but the day for which notice is given shall be included.
53. In the case of a general meeting where a special resolution is proposed to be passed,
21 (twenty-one) days notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a
special resolution must be given.
54. All business shall be called special business that is transacted at an Extraordinary
General Meeting, but the sanctioning of a dividend, the consideration of the accounts,
balance-sheets and the ordinary report of the Directors and Auditors, the election of
Directors and other officers in the place of those retiring by rotation and the fixing of
the remuneration of the Auditors shall not be called special business.
55. No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum of Members
is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to transact business and, save as
herein otherwise provided, 5 (five) Members personally present shall be a quorum.
56. If within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not
present, the meeting, if called upon the requisition of Members, shall be dissolved. In
any other case, it shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week at the same
time and place, and if, at the adjourned meeting, a quorum is not present within half
an hour from the time appointed for the meeting, the Members present shall be a
quorum.
57. The Chairman shall preside at general meetings. If the Chairman is unavailable to
attend a general meeting, the Board of Directors shall select one of their Members to
preside as Chairman at a general meeting of the Company.
58. If at any meeting the Chairman is not present within 30 (thirty) minutes after the time
appointed for holding the meeting, the Members present shall choose some one of
their number to be the Chairman of that meeting.
59. The Chairman may, with the consent of any meeting at which a quorum is present,
and shall, if so directed by the meeting, adjourn the meeting from time to time and
from place to place, but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting
other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment
took place. When a meeting is adjourned for 10 (ten) days or more, notice of the
adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting. Save as
aforesaid, it shall not be necessary to give any notice of an adjournment or of the
business to be transacted at an adjourned meeting.
60. At any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on
a show of hands unless a poll is, before or on the declaration of the result of the show
of hands, demanded by 5 (five) Members present in person or by proxy or the
Chairman or any Member(s) holding not less than one-tenth of the issued capital of
the Company which carries voting rights. Unless a poll is so demanded, a declaration
by the Chairman that a resolution has, on a show of hands, been carried or carried
unanimously or by a particular majority or lost and an entry to that effect in the book
of the proceedings of the Company shall be conclusive evidence of the fact without
proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of, or against, that
resolution.
61. If a poll is demanded, it shall be taken in such manner as the Chairman directs, and
the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the
poll was demanded.
62. In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, the
Chairman of the meeting at which the show of hands takes place, or at which the poll
is demanded, shall be entitled to a second or casting vote.
VOTES OF MEMBERS
64. On a show of hands, every Member present in person shall have 1 (one) vote. On a
poll, every Member shall have 1 (one) vote in respect of each share held by him.
65. In the case of joint-holders, the vote of the senior who tenders a vote, whether in
person or by proxy, shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint-
holders and for this purpose, seniority shall be determined by the order in which the
names stand in the Register of Members.
66. No Member shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting unless all calls or other
sums presently payable by him in respect of shares in the Company has been paid.
67. On a poll, votes may be given either personally or by proxy, but a member company
shall not vote by proxy so long a resolution of its directors, in accordance with the
provisions of Section 86 of the Act is in force.
(a) in writing under the hand of the appointor, or of his attorney duly authorised in
writing, or:
(b) if the appointor is a body corporate, either under its common seal or under the
hand of an officer or attorney so authorised; or
(c) if the appointor is a Government ministry, under the hand of the Secretary to the
Ministry, so authorised.
69. The instrument appointing a proxy and the power of attorney or other authority, if
any, under which it is signed, or notarially certified copy of that power or authority,
shall be deposited at the registered office of the Company not less than 48 (forty
eight) hours before the time for holding the meeting at which the person named in the
instrument proposes to vote and in default the instrument of proxy shall not be treated
as valid.
70. Every instrument appointing a proxy shall, as nearly as circumstances will admit, be
in the form or to the effect following and shall be retained by the Company.
MINUTES
71. The Board of Directors shall cause minutes of all proceedings of general meetings and
meetings of the Board to be entered in books kept for that purpose. Any such minutes,
if purporting to be signed by the Chairman of the meeting at which the proceedings
took place, or by the Chairman of the next succeeding meeting, shall be evidence of
the proceedings.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
72. Unless otherwise determined by the Company in general meeting, there shall be a
Board of Directors of the Company consisting of, at any given time, not less than 5
(five) and not more than 9 (nine) Directors, including the Managing Director.
73. Save for the first Directors, no shareholder shall be eligible to become a Director
unless he is selected by the Selection Panel constituted by the Government for this
purpose. The Selection Panel shall be comprised of the following persons, or their
nominees not more than one grade below in rank:
a) a Government representative;
The Selection Panel shall be assisted by an executive search firm as its secretariat.
The Company shall bear all the expenses of the Selection Panel.
74. Once a person is selected by the Selection Panel, he shall not be required to be
selected by the Selection Panel each time he becomes or is elected by the shareholders
to become a Director.
75. After shares are offered to the public for subscription, the Group-B Shareholders shall
elect Directors to the Board representing their shareholding. In such an event, the ratio
of Directors representing Group-A Shareholders and Group-B Shareholders shall
always be 3:2.
76. Subject to Articles 77 and 78, the directors representing the Group-B Shareholders
shall not be required to be selected by the Selection Panel and shall be elected at the
Annual General Meeting of the Company from amongst the Group-B Shareholders.
77. The Directors of the Company must be independent business persons or persons
representing independent consumers or professional interests. and shall not be persons
who are current employees of the Government or members, employees, office-bearers
or officers of any of its instrumentalities or agencies, or of any statutory authority or
who have been employees of the Government or members, employees, office-bearers
or officers of any of its instrumentalities or agencies, or of any statutory authority in
the preceding 2 (two) years. For so long as the Government or its nominees are
majority shareholders of the Company, the requirements of any notification issued by
the Government in respect of the composition of the Board of Directors shall be given
effect to.1
78. The qualification of a Director of the Company shall be the holding of, at least, 1000
(one thousand) shares in the Company in his own name. A shareholder may act as a
Director without obtaining the qualifying shares provided he obtains the required
qualifying shares within 60 (sixty) days after his appointment. A Director nominated
by a shareholder need not hold qualifying shares in his own name provided that the
nominating shareholder holds the qualifying shares.
79. The Chairman of the Board of Directors shall be elected by the members of the Board
from amongst themselves.
80. The Managing Director of the Company shall be appointed by the Board of Directors
either from amongst its members or from outside and in the latter case shall be an ex-
officio member of the Board with voting rights.
81. The remuneration of the Directors shall be set by the Company in the Annual General
Meeting.
82. The Directors shall be reimbursed for expenses reasonably incurred by them in
attending and returning from any meeting of the Directors, any committee of the
Directors or any general meeting of the Company in connection with the business of
the Company, and shall be entitled to a reasonable fee, to be determined by the Board
of Directors, for attending each such meeting.
83. If any Director, being willing, is called upon to perform any extra services for any of
the purposes of the Company, or to give any special attendance to the business of the
Company, he may be paid such remuneration for those services as may be determined
by the Board.
84. The business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors, who may pay all
expenses incurred in forming and registering the Company and may exercise all such
powers of the Company as are not, by the Act or by the Articles, required to be
exercised by the Company in general meeting, subject nevertheless to any of the
Articles or to the provisions of the Act and to such provisions being not inconsistent
with the aforesaid Articles as may be prescribed by the Company in general meeting:
but no provision made by the Company shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors
which would have been valid if that provision had not been made.
85. Without prejudice to the general powers conferred by the last preceding Article and
the other powers conferred by these presents, it is hereby expressly declared that the
Board of Directors shall have the following powers, that is to say:
1
This is with reference to the instructions of the Government issued by memo no, BiJaKhoSho/BiBi/Pro:-2/2Bi-
1/2007/668 dated 15.11.07, which lays down guidelines for the composition of government-owned companies in
the power sector. The existing power companies have been instructed to amend their memoranda and articles of
association accordingly.
a) To pay the cost, charges and expenses preliminary and incidental to the
promotion, formation, establishment and registration of the Company.
b) To manage all concerns and affairs of the Company, to appoint, recruit and
employ officers, organizers, workmen, day labourers for the purpose of the
Company and to remove or dismiss them and appoint others in their place and
to pay such persons as aforesaid such salaries, wages or other remuneration as
may be deemed fit and proper.
l) Subject to the provisions of Sections 58, 103, 120(1), 121 and 122 of the Act,
to invest and deal with any of the purposes thereof upon such securities (not
being shares in this Company) and in such manner as they think fit, and from
time to time vary or realise such investment.
n) From time to time to make, vary and/or repeal all rules and regulations of the
Company, including service rules, organizational structure and codes of
conduct for the business of the Company, its officers and servants as the Board
may deem fit.
o) To create any provident fund in such or any other manner as the Directors may
deem fit.
p) To enter into all such negotiations and contracts and rescind and/or vary all
such contracts and execute and do all such acts, deeds and things in the name
and on behalf of the Company as they may consider expedient for or in
relation to any of the matters aforesaid or otherwise for the purpose of the
Company.
q) To make, draw, endorse, sign, accept, negotiate and give all cheques, bills of
lading, orders, bills of exchange, letters of credit and promissory notes and
other negotiable instruments required in the business of the Company.
r) To insure and keep insured against loss or damage by fire or otherwise in such
manner and for such period and to such extent as they may think proper for all
or any part of the buildings, machinery, goods, stores, produce and other
movable and immovable property of the Company either separately or jointly,
also to insure all or any portion of the goods, produce, machinery and other
articles dealt with by, imported or exported by the Company, and to sell,
assign, surrender or discontinue any policy of insurance effected in pursuance
of this power.
s) To open accounts with any bank(s) or financial institution and to pay money
into or draw money from any such account from time to time as the Directors
may think fit.
t) To attach to any shares to be issued as the consideration for any contract with
or property acquired by the Company, or in payment for services rendered to
the Company, or to the transfer thereof, such conditions as they think fit.
u) To establish branch offices and agencies in any part of Bangladesh or aboard.
v) The Board of Directors may from time to time delegate all or any of their
powers and authorities herein to the Managing Director, Directors, officers of
the Company and or any other person(s) as they may decide.
86. The amount for the time being remaining un-discharged of moneys borrowed or
raised by the Directors for the purposes of the Company, otherwise than by the issue
of share capital, shall not at any time exceed an amount whereby the ratio of long-
term debt to paid-up shareholders’ equity of the Company shall be in excess of 70:30
without the sanction of the Company in general meeting.
87. The Directors shall cause minutes to be made in books provided for the purpose:
(b) of the names of the Directors present at each meeting of the Directors and of any
committee of the Directors; and
(c) of all resolutions and proceedings at all meetings of the Company and of the
Directors and of committees of Directors.
88. The office of a Director shall ipso facto be vacated if the Director:
(a) fails to obtain within 60 (sixty) days, or at any time thereafter ceases to hold, or in
the case of a nominated director, the nominator fails to obtain within 60(sixty)
days, or at any time thereafter ceases to hold, the share qualification necessary for
his appointment; or
(b) has his nomination withdrawn by the nominator by notice in writing to the
Company for any reason whatsoever, or being a Director or member of the
company ex officio, immediately upon relinquishment of or removal from the said
office;
(c) fails to perform his duties in accordance with his performance contract; or
(f) fails to pay calls made on him in respect of shares held by him within six months
from the date of such calls being made; or
(g) without the sanction of the Company in general meeting accepts or holds any
office of profit under the Company other than that of the managing director or
manager, or legal or technical adviser or banker; or
(h) absents himself from 3 (three) consecutive meetings of the Directors without leave
of absence from the Board of Directors; or
(j) is concerned or participates in the profits of any contract with the Company; or
Provided, however, that no Director shall vacate his office only by reason of his being
a member of any other company which has entered into contracts with or done work
for the Company, but a Director shall not vote in any meeting of the Company or the
Board of Directors in respect of any such contract or work and if he does so vote, his
vote shall not be counted.
ROTATION OF DIRECTORS
89. At the first annual general meeting of the Company, all the Directors of the Company
shall retire from office. At the annual general meeting in every year after the first
annual general meeting of the Company, one-third of the Directors for the time being,
or if their number is not three or a multiple of three, then the number nearest to one-
third shall retire from office.
90. The Directors to retire each year shall be those who have been longest in office since
their last election, but as between persons who became Directors on the same day
those to retire shall, unless they otherwise agreed among themselves, be determined
by lottery.
91. A retiring Director shall be eligible for re-election for multiple terms with a maximum
of three consecutive terms. Each term shall not be more than 3 years.
92. The Company at the general meeting at which a Director retires may fill in the
vacated office by electing a person thereto.
93. If at any meeting at which an election of Directors ought to take place, the offices of
the vacating Directors are not filled in, the meeting shall stand adjourned till the same
day in the next week and shall be held at the same time and place, and if at the
adjourned meeting the offices of the vacating Directors are not filled in, the vacating
Directors or such of them as have not had their office filled in shall be deemed to be
have been re-elected at the adjourned meeting, subject to their consent to continue to
act as Directors of the Company.
94. Any casual vacancy occurring in the Board of Directors may be filled in by the
Directors but the person so chosen shall be subject to retirement at the same time as if
he had become a Director on the day on which the Director in whose place he is
appointed was last elected a Director. A Director so chosen shall be known as an
Alternative Director.
95. The Directors shall have power at any time to appoint a person, subject to
confirmation of the Selection Panel, as an additional Director who shall retire from
office at the next following ordinary general meeting but shall be eligible for election
by the Members at that meeting, as a Director.
96. The Company may, by extraordinary resolution, remove any Director before the
expiration of his period of office, and may by, an ordinary resolution appoint another
person in his stead; the person so appointed shall be subject to retirement at the same
time as if he had become a director on the day on which the director in whose place he
is appointed was last elected a Director.
97. The Directors may at the request of a Director appoint any person approved by such
Director to be an alternate Director to represent such Director during the absence of the
Director from Bangladesh for a continuous period of not less than three months and such
appointment shall have effect and such appointee while he holds office as an alternate
director shall be entitled to notice of Meetings of Directors, and in the absence of the
Director from Bangladesh whom he represents to attend and vote thereat accordingly,
and he shall ipso facto vacate office immediately after he receives information that the
original director has returned to Bangladesh, and also if and when the Director whom he
represents vacates office or the alternate Director is removed from office at the request of
the Director whom he represents. Any appointment or removal under this article shall be
effected by the Directors upon the request in writing to the Company under the hand of
the Director whom the alternate Director is to represents. Every person acting as an
alternate Director shall be an officer of the Company and he shall not be deemed to be
the agent of the Director whom he represents. A person shall not act as alternate for
more than one Director. Such appointee shall not be required to hold qualifying shares
in accordance with Article 76.
98. The Board of Directors may meet together for the disposal of business and adjourn
and otherwise regulate their meetings, as they think fit. Questions arising at any
meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In case of an equality of votes, the
Chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote. A resolution or circular
in writing signed by all the Directors shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been
passed at the meeting of the Directors duly called and constituted. A meeting of the
Board of Directors may be held through audio or audio visual or other electronic
media, provided the identity of the participants can be satisfactorily ascertained.
99. The Managing Director or a Director may, and the Secretary on the requisition of a
Director shall, at any time, summon a meeting of the Board of Directors.
100. The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the Board of Directors
may be fixed by the Directors and unless so fixed shall be three.
101. The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body but, if
and so long as their number is reduced below 5 (five), the continuing Directors may
only act for the purpose of increasing the number of Directors to 5 (five) or of
summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose.
102. The Board of Directors may delegate any of their powers to committees consisting of
such Member(s) of their body, as they think fit. Any committee so formed shall, in the
exercise of the powers so delegated, conform to any restrictions and regulations that
may be imposed on them by the Directors.
103. A committee may meet and adjourn, as they think proper. Questions arising at any
meeting of any committee shall be determined by a majority of votes of the Members
present and, in case of an equality of votes, the Chairman shall have a second or
casting vote.
104. All acts done by any meeting of the Board of Directors, or of a committee of the
Directors, or by any person acting as a Director shall, notwithstanding that it be
afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any such
Directors, or persons acting as aforesaid, or that they or any or them were
disqualified, be as valid as if every such persons had been duty appointed and was
qualified to be a Director.
MANAGING DIRECTOR
105. The Board of Directors shall appoint a Managing Director for a period of 5 (five)
years at a time and upon such terms and conditions as they think fit and may vest in
the Managing Director such of the powers of the Directors as they think fit and such
powers may be made exercisable for such period, subject to such restrictions, and
upon such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Board.
106. The remuneration of the Managing Director shall be fixed by the Board and may be
made payable by way of salary, stock options, commission, participation in profits or
partly in one mode and partly in another, as may be determined by the Board or
Directors.
107. The Managing Director shall be an ex-officio member of the Board and shall have
voting power in the Board or in any general meeting of the Company and shall enjoy
all the privileges and advantages enjoyed by a Director.
108. Without prejudice to the general powers conferred by these Articles and to any other
powers or authorities conferred on the Directors, the Managing Director shall have the
following powers subject to the superintendence, control and direction of the Board:
a) to hire or terminate staff and officers in accordance with any association or union
agreements and to appoint, and at his discretion, remove or suspend such
manager, secretary, officer, clerk, employee, agent, adviser and consultant for
permanent, temporary or special services as he may, from time to time, think fit,
and to determine their powers and duties and fix their salaries, emoluments and
remuneration, and require security of such instances and to such amount as he
may think fit: provided, however, that the appointment, removal, discharge or
termination of immediate sub-ordinate officers of the Managing Director, in
whatever name called, including vice-presidents and head of legal, shall be made
by the Managing Director with the concurrence of the Board;
d) to manage, look after and supervise the business and all other affairs of the
company;
f) generally to do all acts and things as may be necessary from time to time in
connection with the business of the Company in different departments under the
Government of Bangladesh, all commercial bank's import and export offices,
custom office, shipping office, railway office, post office and other public or
private offices;
h) to purchase or otherwise acquire for the Company rights or privileges which the
Company is authorized to acquire up to the price considered to be fair market
value and generally on such terms and conditions as he thinks fit and to sell, let,
exchange or otherwise dispose of all or any part of the properties, privileges and
undertakings of the Company at a price not less than fair market value and upon
such terms and conditions and at such considerations as he may think fit;
j) to pay for any property, rights, privileges acquired by, or services rendered to, the
Company, whether wholly or partly in cash or in shares, debentures or other
securities, either specially charged upon all or any part of the property of the
Company and its uncalled capital for the time being, or in such other manner as he
thinks fit;
k) to insure all such property and immovable effects, goods or belongings of the
Company which may be of an insurable nature against such risks and
contingencies as he may deem fit;
l) to appoint, employ and instruct counsel, legal adviser, advocates and any other
legal practitioner in the interest and for the purpose of the Company, to act for and
on behalf of the Company before all Courts (civil, criminal, revenue or otherwise),
whether original or appellate, to sign petitions, applications, affidavits, pleadings
and vokalatnama authorising legal practitioners to act for and on behalf of the
Company and to conduct and institute or defend any suit or case instituted by or
against the Company;
m) to open bank accounts, make, draw, endorse, sign, negotiate and give cheques,
bills of lading, drafts, orders and promissory notes, securities and negotiable
instruments required in the business of the Company, and may also sign and give
effectual receipt and other discharges of money payable to the Company and for
the claims and demands of the Company, and pay money into and draw money
from any such account, from time to time, as he may think fit;
n) to comply with the requirement of any local law which, in his opinion, is
necessary and expedient to comply with in the interest of the Company; and
o) to enter into all such negotiations for the purposes of the Company.
109. The Board may specifically grant the following powers to the Managing Director by
resolution:
a. to borrow or raise any sum of money by loan or on mortgage or by
hypothecation or otherwise on such securities and terms as may deem fit and
execute, sign, seal or deliver all necessary documents or do any other act or
acts on their behalf;
b. to settle, compound, submit for arbitration and compromise and withdraw all
actions, demand, whatsoever arising in any legal proceeding or otherwise;
c. to pay the costs, charges and expenses, preliminary and incidental to the
promotion, establishment and registration of the Company;
d. to pay monthly salary, remuneration and other allowances as may be
determined from time to time by the Board for the employees of the company
as well as for the Directors;
e. to purchase or otherwise acquire for the Company immovable property which
the Company is authorized to acquire up to the price considered to be fair
market value and generally on such terms and conditions as he thinks fit and to
sell, let, exchange or otherwise dispose of all or any part of the properties,
privileges and undertakings of the Company at a price not less than fair market
value and upon such terms and conditions and at such considerations as he
may think fit;
f. to secure the fulfillment of any contracts or engagement entered into by the
Company by mortgage or charge of any of the property of the Company and
its uncalled capital for the time being or in such other manner as he thinks fit;
g. to institute, conduct, defend, compound or abandon any legal proceedings
by, or against the Company, or its officers, or otherwise concerning the affairs
of the Company, and also to compound and allow time for payment or
satisfaction of any debt due, or of any claims or demands by, or against, the
Company;
h. to refer any claim or demand by, or against, the Company to arbitration and
observe and perform the awards;
i. to act on behalf of the Company on all matters relating to bankruptcy and
insolvency;
j. to invest and deal with any of the money of the Company, not immediately
required for the purpose thereof upon such securities and in such manner as he
may think fit and, from time to time, vary or realize such investments;
k. to provide for the welfare of employees and ex-employees of the Company
and their dependents in such manner as the Board may deem fit;
110. The Board may open a bank account or accounts with any scheduled bank or banks,
or financial institutions, or with any foreign bank in or outside Bangladesh subject
where necessary to the grant of authorisation from Bangladesh Bank, and borrow
money from such banks or any other financial institutions for the purposes of the
Company. The Board of Directors may authorise any person or persons, including the
Managing Director, to operate such bank accounts either solely or jointly with any
other Director of the Company, or any other person so designated by the Board of
Directors.
THE SEAL
111. The common seal of the Company shall not be affixed to any instrument except by the
authority of a resolution of the Board of Directors and in the presence of the
Managing Director and the Managing Director shall sign every instrument to which
the seal of the Company is so affixed in his presence.
112. The Company may, for its use outside Bangladesh, have an official seal which shall
be a facsimile of the common seal of the Company with the addition on its face of the
name of the territory, or place where it is to be used.
113. The Company in general meeting may declare dividends, but no dividend shall exceed
the amount recommended by the Directors. No dividend shall bear interest against the
Company. Dividends may be paid in cash or in kind.
114. When a dividend is declared, it shall be paid within 60 (sixty) days from the date of its
declaration, provided that the period of 60 (sixty) days shall not apply, in case, where:
b) the dividend has been lawfully adjusted by the Company against any sum due to it
from the shareholder.
115. The Directors may, from time to time, pay to the Members such interim dividend as
appear to the Directors to be justified by the profits of the Company.
116. No dividend shall be paid otherwise than out of the profits of the year or any other
undistributed profits of the Company, nor shall be paid if the Company is insolvent or
if doing so would result in the insolvency of the Company.
117. The Company shall not pay any dividend on its shares until all its capitalised
expenditure, including preliminary expenses, organisation expenses, share selling
commission, brokerage and loss incurred and any item of expenditure not represented
by tangible assets, has been completely written off, and that current liabilities for staff
retirement benefits have been fully funded or otherwise satisfied.
118. Subject to the rights of persons, if any, entitled to shares with special rights as to
dividends, all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid on
the shares; but, if, and so long as nothing is paid upon any of the shares in the
Company, dividends may be declared and paid according to the nominal value of the
shares. No amount paid on a share in advance of calls shall, while carrying interest, be
treated for the purpose of this Article as paid on the share.
119. The Board of Directors may before recommending any dividend, set aside out of the
profits of the Company such, sums as they think proper as reserve or reserves which
shall at the discretion of the Board be applicable for meeting contingencies, or for
equalizing dividends or for any other purpose to which the profits of the Company
may be properly applied and pending such application may, at the like discretion,
either be employed in the business of the Company or be invested in such investments
as the Directors may from time to time think fit.
120. If several persons are registered as joint-holders of any share, any one of them may
give effectual receipts for any dividend payable on the share.
ACCOUNTS
121. The Board of Directors shall cause to be kept proper books of account with respect to:
a) all sums of money received and expended by the Company and the matters in
respect of which the receipts and expenditure take place;
122. The books of account shall be kept at the registered office of the Company or at such
other place as the Directors shall think fit and shall be open to inspection by the
Directors during business hours.
123. Within three (3) months after the end of each financial year, the Board shall deliver to
the Members:
a) a report of the operations of the Company including its subsidiaries for that
financial year;
b) audited consolidated financial statements for that financial year consisting of the
statement of financial position (balance sheet), profit and loss, changes in
financial position, and such other statements as may be necessary to show the
financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries and the financial results of
their operations during that financial year prepared in accordance with Bangladesh
Accounting Standards and/or International Accounting Standards; and
c) the Auditor’s report on those financial statements.
124. Within two (2) months after the end of the first half of each financial year, the Board
shall deliver to the Members a report of its operations during that half-year.
125. The Board may decide to form or maintain a reserve fund out of the initial investment
or from profits. This fund may be utilized for the expansion of investment in a new
venture or for paying up company's liabilities as decided by the Board.
126. The Directors shall cause to be prepared and to be laid before the Company in general
meeting such profit and loss accounts or income and expenditure accounts, balance-
sheet and reports as are, referred to, and, required by Sections 183 and 184 of the Act.
127. The profit and loss account shall, in addition to the matters referred to in Section
185(2) of the Act, show, arranged under the most convenient heads, the amount of
any provision made to the satisfaction of the auditors for bad and doubtful debts
distinguishing the several sources from which it has been derived, and the amount of
gross expenditure distinguishing the expenses of the establishment, salaries and other
like matters. Every item of expenditure, fairly chargeable against the year's income,
shall be brought into account so that a just balance of profit and loss may be laid
before the meeting, and, in cases where any item of expenditure which may in fairness
be distributed over several years has been incurred in any one year, the whole amount
of such item shall be stated, with the addition of the reasons why only a portion of
such expenditure is charged against the income of the year.
128. A balance sheet shall be made out in every year and laid before the Company in
general meeting. The balance sheet shall be made up to a date not more than 6 (six)
months before such meeting. The balance sheet shall be accompanied by a report of
the Directors as to the state of the Company's affairs and the amount, if any, which
they propose to carry to a reserve fund.
129. A copy of the balance sheet and report shall, 14 (fourteen) days prior to the meeting,
be sent to the persons entitled to receive notice of general meetings.
AUDIT
130. Once, at least, in every year the accounts of the Company shall be audited in
accordance with Bangladesh Standards on Auditing and/or International Standards on
Auditing and the correctness of the profit and loss account and balance sheet
ascertained by Auditors appointed in accordance with the provisions of Sections 210
to 213 of the Act.
131. Auditors and their remuneration shall be proposed to the shareholders by the Board at
the annual general meeting for the ensuing year, except that the remuneration of the
first Auditors appointed by the Board may be fixed by the Board. The auditors so
nominated must be qualified chartered accountants and the firms must have adequate
resources to undertake the audit. The Company shall require the Auditors to provide a
management letter in respect of each year of accounts audited by them, which sets out
the results of the systems review and recommendations for improvement the Auditors
shall be required by the Company to perform as a part of their engagement.
132. A retiring Auditor shall be eligible for re-appointment.
NOTICE
133. A notice may be given by the Company to any Member either personally or by
sending it by registered post to him to his registered address, or if he has no registered
address in Bangladesh to the address, if any, within Bangladesh supplied by him to
the Company for the giving of notice to him.
134. Where a notice is sent by post, the service of such notice shall be deemed, to be
effected by properly addressing, prepaying and posting a letter containing the notice
and, unless the contrary is proved, to have been effected at the time at which a letter
would have been delivered in the ordinary course of post.
135. If a Member has no registered address in Bangladesh, and has not supplied to the
Company an address within Bangladesh for the giving of notice to him, a notice
addressed to him and advertised in a newspaper circulating in the neighbourhood of
the Registered Office of the Company shall be deemed to be duly given to him on the
day on which the advertisement appears.
136. A notice may be given by the Company to the persons entitled to a share in
consequence of the death or insolvency of a Member by sending it through the post by
a prepaid letter addressed to them by name, or by the title of representatives of the
deceased or assignee of the insolvent, or by any like description, at the address, if any,
in Bangladesh supplied for the purpose by giving the notice in any manner in which
the same might have been given if the death or insolvency had not occurred.
137. A notice may be given by the Company to the joint-holders of a share by giving the
notice to the joint-holder named first in the Register in respect of the share.
138. Notice of every general meeting shall be given, in such manner as has been mentioned
above, to:
139. Any notice to be given by the Company shall be signed by the Secretary or by such
officer as the Director may appoint. Such signature may be written, printed or
lithographed.
WINDING UP
140. Subject to the provisions of these Articles, if the Company shall be wound up and the
assets available for distribution among the Members as such shall be insufficient to
repay the whole of the paid-up capital, such assets shall be distributed so that, as
nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by the Members in proportion to the shares
held by them respectively. And, if in a winding up, the assets available for distribution
among the Members shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the capital
paid up at the commencement of the winding up, the excess shall be distributed
amongst the Members in proportion to the shares held by them respectively. But this
Article shall be without prejudice to the rights of the holders of shares issued upon
special terms and conditions.
141. If the Company shall be wound up, whether voluntarily or otherwise, the liquidators
may, with the sanction of an Extraordinary Resolution, divide amongst the
contributors in specie kind, any part of the assets of the Company and may, with the
like sanction, vest any part of the assets of the Company in trustees upon such trusts
for the benefit of the contributors or any of them as the liquidators with the like
sanction shall think fit.
SECRECY
142. No Member shall be entitled to require discovery of any information respecting any
detail of the Company's trading or any matter, which may be in the nature of a trade
secret, mystery of trade or secret process which may relate to the conduct of the
business of the Company and which in the opinion of the Directors will not be
inexpedient in the interest of the Company to communicate to the public.
143. Every Director, Managing Director, secretary, Auditor, accountant or any other
persons employed in the business of the Company shall have to observe strict secrecy
respecting all matters which may come to his knowledge in the discharge of his duties
except when required as to do so by resolution of the Company or by a court of law or
where the person connected is required to do so in order to run the Company with
provision(s) of the law or in these Articles.
144. The Company shall keep secret and confidential all transactions with its clients.
145. Every Director, manager, Auditor, trustee, member of a committee, officer, servant,
agent or other persons employed in the business of the Company shall, if so required
by the Directors, before entering upon his duties, sign a declaration pledging himself
to observe strict secrecy respecting all transactions of the Company with its customers
and in the matter relating thereto and shall by such declaration pledge himself not to
reveal any of the matters which may come to his knowledge in the discharge of his
duties except when required so to do by the Directors or by a court of law and except
so far as may be necessary in order to comply with any of the provisions of these
Articles.
146. Subject to the provisions of Section 102 of the Act, every Director of the Company
including its Chairman, Managing Director or officer or employee of the Company
shall be indemnified by the Company against, and it shall be the duty of the Directors,
out of the funds of the Company to pay, all costs, losses and expenses, including
travelling and living expenses, which the Chairman, Managing Director, Director,
officer or employee aforesaid may incur or become liable for by reason of any
contract entered into or act or deed done by him in such capacity or in any way in the
proper discharge of his duties.
147. Subject as aforesaid, every Director, including the Chairman, Managing Director or
officer of the Company, shall be indemnified against any liability incurred by him in
defending any proceeding, whether civil or criminal, in which judgement is given in
his favour or in which he is acquitted or in connection with any application under
Section 396 of the Act in which relief is given to him by the Court.
We, the several persons whose names, addresses and descriptions are subscribed below, are
desirous of being formed into a company in pursuance of this Articles of Association and we
respectively agree to take the number of shares in the capital of the Company set opposite our
respective names and hereunder subscribe to these Articles:
1)
2)
Listed below are the documents, certificates and licenses required for the formation and
basic operations of HoldCo. The specific requirements for obtaining that particular
document are noted beneath each.
1. Certificate of Incorporation from the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms
(RJSC)
• Forwarding Letter
• Name Clearance Certificate
• Resolution of Promoters’ Meeting
• Memorandum and Articles of Association (3 Copies)
• Forms:
o Form I: Declaration on Registration
o Form VI: Registered Office
o Form IX: Consent of Director to Act
o Form X: List of Persons Consenting to Act as Directors
o Form XII: Particulars of Directors
• Directors’ TIN Certificates
• Challan (5,000/- TK), original and photocopy
• Fees (Calculated on the authorized capital)
• Consent of Securities and Exchange Commission for issuing capital
4. Value Added Tax (VAT) Registration Certificate from the National Board of
Revenue
• Application Form (Mushak-6)Copy of TIN certificate
• Copy of Trade License
D-1
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
D: Other Documents for HoldCo Operations. . .
5. Trade License from the City Corporation/Municipal Corporation where the office
premises are situated
• Copy of the land title deed/lease agreement for the office premises
• Copy of the Certificate of Incorporation of the company
• Memorandum and Articles of Association of the company
• Two photographs of the person signing the application forms (usually the
Managing Director of the company)
• Bank solvency certificate
• Nationality certificate of the Managing Director of the company from the
local Ward Commissioner, if he is a Bangladeshi national.
• Work Permit from BOI, if the country chief of the company is a foreign
national
• Photocopy of passport with foreign address including father’s and mother’s
names, if the country chief of the company is a foreign national.
• Bank solvency certificate
• Commercial permission for the office premises and photocopy of the
Commercial Plan attested by RAJUK
In addition to the above, in varying circumstances HoldCo may require one or more of the
permits/licenses/authorization or other documents listed in Appendix D.
OTHER REGISTRATIONS, LICENSES, CONSENTS AND PERMITS WHICH MAY BE REQUIRED FOR
OPERATIONALIZING HOLDCO AND THE RELEVANT AUTHORITY
D-2
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
D: Other Documents for HoldCo Operations. . .
“Certificate of Registration” of Plant (if any) under the Factories Act, 1965 (Act IV of 1965) CIFE
Consent for opening and operating on-shore foreign exchange (FX) or offshore Foreign Currency bank accounts BB
Consent for the purchase of FX for Taka through normal commercial banking channels in Bangladesh and for the transfer of
such FX from bank accounts inside Bangladesh into bank accounts outside Bangladesh BB
Consent to make or remit payments in FX from bank accounts in Bangladesh or outside Bangladesh BB
All import permits, certificates, licenses and other consents allowing the Company to import into Bangladesh all plant,
machinery, equipment, spare parts, materials and supplies required for the plant CCIE
Statutory notifications granting exemption from Customs Duties and VAT on the importation of plant and equipment
(including spare parts) for incorporation into the Company’s plant and the temporary importation of erection materials,
machinery and equipment (subject to re-export) NBR
Statutory notification granting the Company exemption from taxation on its income related directly to the plant/tax holidays
NBR
No objection certificate to obtain export permit to export any imported equipment not forming a permanent part of the plant
BB
Permission for transporting chemicals, toxic wastes and hazardous materials on land and water routes DOE/DOEXP
Approval of installations for boilers at the Plant under Sections 6 and 7 of the Boilers Act, 1923 (Act V of 1923)
Department of Explosives/CIFE
License for the Company to obtain and have arms for the purposes of the security of the Plant MOHA
License under the Petroleum Act, 1934 (Act LXIX of 1934) for storage of petroleum products at or proximately to the Plant
Department of Explosives
Approval of the Plant as satisfying the fire safety and protection standards under the Fire Service Ordinance, 1959 (Ord. No.
XVII of 1959) and Civil Defence Act 1952 (Act. XXXI of 1952) DFSCD
Consent to operate the Plant based on the implementation of measures identified in the EIA (“Environmental Clearance
Certificate”) DOE
Consent for the execution of any financing documents, including approval of the term sheets for the Company’s foreign
currency loans MOF (ERD)/BOI
Registration for availing infra-structural facilities and institutional support including TIN Certificate, Trade License,
Incorporation Certificate etc BOI
Work permits for foreign personnel including the Company’s employees and residence visas BOI
Consent for remittance of up to fifty percent (50%) of salaries and savings by expatriate employees of the Company without
restriction BB
Registration of agreements under which royalties, technical know-how fees and technical assistance fees are payable by the
Company BOI
Statutory notification granting foreign collaborators, companies and experts exemption from tax or withholding tax on such
of their income as is paid as “royalties”, “technical assistance fees” and “technical know-how fees” by the Company in
connection with the Plant NBR
Exemption from Section 3D(2) of the Insurance Act 1938 (Act IV of 1938) to permit the Company to obtain insurance for
the Plant from companies outside Bangladesh MOC/CI
Certificate under Section 3D(1) of the Insurance Act 1938 (Act IV of 1938) to enable the Company to obtain reinsurance for
the Plant from companies outside Bangladesh CI
D-3
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
D: Other Documents for HoldCo Operations. . .
Exemption for insurers (other than the SBC) from the obligation to reinsure all or any part of insurance cover relating to the
Plant with the SBC and permissions allowing the Company to effect such reinsurance with reinsurers outside Bangladesh on
terms whereby:
Statutory notification granting the Foreign Investors of the Company (if a public limited company) exemption from capital
gain tax in respect of any transfer or disposal of shares in the Company NBR
Statutory notification granting foreign employees of the Company exemptions from taxation on their personal income in
Bangladesh NBR
Statutory notification granting the Company an exemption from any tax on the sale of electricity to BPDB NBR
Statutory notification that any foreign lenders will be exempted from taxation on their income in Bangladesh NBR
Statutory notification granting exemption from stamp duties in respect of the registration of all deeds, documents and
instruments contained in any financing documents and conveyances of land NBR
Consent for payment by the Company to persons outside Bangladesh under Section 6 of the Foreign Exchange Regulations
Act, 1947 (Act VII of 1947) (“FERA”) in respect of all transactions of the Company as may be necessary BB
Consent for the issuance, export and transfer of securities in Bangladesh or outside Bangladesh under Section 13 of FERA,
purchased in Taka or in Foreign Currency. BB
Consent to lend money to the Company or purchase the Company’s securities under Section 16 of FERA (transactions
involving foreigners) BB
Easement or lease agreement and approval for construction of shoreline work, jetty, intake and outfall structures of once
through cooling system and dredging of river IWTA
Approval for construction of shoreline work, jetty, intake and outfall structures including sheet piling and dredging or rivers
BWDB/Local authority
Abbreviations:
BB - Bangladesh Bank
BOI - Board of Investment
BPDB - Bangladesh Power Development Board
BSTI - Bangladesh Standards Testing Institute
BTTB - Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board
BWDB - Bangladesh Water Development Board
CCIE - Chief Controller of Import and Export
CI - Controller of Insurance
CIFE - Chief Inspector of Factories and Establishment
DFSCD - Department of Fire Service & Civil Defence
WASA - Water and Sewerage Supply Authority
DOE - Department of Environment
DOEXP - Department of Explosives
FERA - Foreign Exchange Regulation Act 1947
GOB - Government of Bangladesh
IWTA - Inland Water Transport Authority
MOC - Ministry of Commerce
MOF - Ministry of Finance (Economic Relations Division)
D-4
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
D: Other Documents for HoldCo Operations. . .
Using land as collateral for borrowings raises a set of registration-related issues which may
be addressed separately.
D-5
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
APPENDIX E: RESPONSES TO BPDB QUERIES ON CORPORATE ESTABLISHMENT
The following are responses to the queries and observations of BPDB forwarded to the
Country Director, ADB BRM, by letter dated 06.01.08. The queries/observations are in
italics.
a) It is known to all that BPDB has undertaken all undertakings and properties of the
then East Pakistan Power Development Authority by the President’s Order 59 of 1972.
Therefore, before finalization of this ‘Draft Final Report’ we should examine the
establishment process of different subsidiaries (Subsidiary companies) of BPDB. In other
words we should examine whether the subsidiaries have been established or are going to
be established lawfully. We also need to scrutinize the process or system we have
followed in transfer of properties and undertakings of BPDB to subsidiary companies.
P.O.59 provides that BPDB shall be a body corporate, having perpetual succession and a
common seal with power, subject to the provisions of the Order, to acquire, hold and
dispose of property, both movable and immovable, and shall by its name sue and be
sued. This provides the legal basis for BPDB to set up and hold shares in subsidiary
companies.
HoldCo will be incorporated in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act, 1994
as well, and will be authorized by its memorandum of association to “own, establish, set
up, found, form, incorporate and promote subsidiary companies”. Any subsidiary of
HoldCo to be formed in the future would also be formed in compliance with the provisions
of the Companies Act, 1994. Therefore, it may be clearly stated that the existing
subsidiaries of BPDB have been established lawfully, and the future subsidiaries, it must
be presumed, will also be set up lawfully.
E-1
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
E: Responses to BPDB Queries on Corporate Establishment. . .
Internally, the Rules of Business, 199628, in Chapter IV, Para 16 provides the following
matters, among others, to be brought before the Cabinet: proposals relating to the
creation of new corporations or companies wholly owned by the government or by a public
sector undertaking, and participation by the government or a public sector undertaking in
providing share capital to a new corporation/company or any existing corporation or
companies. While “public sector undertaking” is not defined in the Rules of Business, it
would appear that BPDB is treated as a public sector undertaking, as the Ministry of
Energy and Mineral Resources is given the task of “[A]dministration and control of
Bangladesh Power Development Board...”.
The valuation of the property to be transferred is as yet provisional in all cases. A value is
computed on the basis of BPDB’s books of accounts. In some cases, such as APSCL, a
committee has been formed by BPDB to finalize the valuation of the assets.
b) We need to review further whether the acquisitioned land has been transferred to
subsidiary companies or the value of the transferred land has been determined as per the
government Rules and Procedures. Whether the vetting/Agreement of the land Ministry
was needed for that. It should be looked into.
Once the valuation of the assets to be transferred, including immovable property, i.e. land,
has been determined, the land will be transferred to the subsidiary company as agreed in
the vendor’s agreement, upon compliance with the necessary requirements for registration
of the deed of transfer. The vendor’s agreements have been vetted by the Ministry of Law.
This presumes that the land to be transferred now belongs to BPDB, in which case the
vetting of the Ministry of Land is not required for the land transfer. If the land is owned by
the Government, then questions of lease may become relevant, in which case the
Government’s internal policies for vetting of such lease agreements, which may involve
the Ministries of Land and Law, would be followed by the Government.
Under the Rules of Business, Cabinet approval would be required for establishment of
HoldCo as a company wholly owned by the Government. Particular matters would need t
be reviewed in light of the Rules of Business to ascertain whether any Ministry would be
required to approve of the matter.
d) How the following matters are to be accommodated or which Authority will take the
responsibility of the following:
28
Issued by the President in exercise of powers conferred by Article 55(6) of the Constitution for
allocation and transaction of business of the Government.
E-2
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
E: Responses to BPDB Queries on Corporate Establishment. . .
“All debts, liabilities and obligations incurred, all contracts entered into, all matters
and things engaged to be done by, with or for the BPDB and all suits and other
legal proceedings instituted by or against the BPDB after the commencement of
P.O. 59 of 1972”.
P.O. 59 provided that on the commencement of the Order, all debts, liabilities and
obligations incurred, all contracts entered into and all matters and things engaged to be
done by, with or for, the said Authority before the commencement of this Order shall be
deemed to have been incurred, entered into, acquired or engaged to be done by, with or
for BPDB, so far as they relate to the undertakings transferred to BPDB. Since BPDB will
continue to exist, and HoldCo is intended to be formed as a new company with a clean
slate, such a vesting of debts, liabilities and obligations may not be required. If the HoldCo
is required to replace BPDB as a party to any contract, this may be done either by an
amendment to P.O.59 by insertion of a section vesting such contractual obligations upon
BPDB, or by novation of contract.
A vendor’s agreement may be required between BPDB and HoldCo in respect of the sale
and transfer of the shares held by BPDB in the subsidiary companies to HoldCo. No such
agreement will be required between the Government and HoldCo unless it is intended for
the Government to transfer any property, including shares, owned by the Government
(rather than BPDB) to the HoldCo.
f) How the Sponsor Company will be selected by the Holding Company and what
sorts of formalities are to be maintained with the Government for that?
The term “Sponsor Company” is not understood. If the intention is “Subsidiary Company”,
then all of BPDB’s existing subsidiaries as well as future operations to be corporatized are
to be transferred to HoldCo following the processes described in the Final Report.
E-3
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
E: Responses to BPDB Queries on Corporate Establishment. . .
E-4
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
E: Responses to BPDB Queries on Corporate Establishment. . .
E-5
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
APPENDIX F: SAMPLE PERFORMANCE CONTRACT
F.1 INTRODUCTION
This document sets out the intentions of the Board of HoldCo with respect to the
operations of the Group over the years 2010-2015. It has been prepared and submitted to
the Shareholders and, when accepted (possibly after negotiation and amendment), will
constitute a performance contract between the Board and the Shareholder.
HoldCo’s purpose is to play a major part in giving effect to the Government’s power sector
reform objectives as set out in the Government’s 1994 publication Power Sector Reforms
in Bangladesh and the subsequent 2000 Vision Statement.
HoldCo’s principal function is to own controlling interests in companies that exist or will in
future exist to own and operate the Government’s power sector assets that are at present
directly or indirectly owned and operated by BPDB and its subsidiaries or other
Government entities. It may take interests in other power companies as well.
HoldCo’s principal objective is to ensure that its subsidiary companies are efficiently
directed, financed and managed.
F-1
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
F: Sample Performance Contract. . .
The effectiveness of HoldCo will be reflected in the operational and financial results of its
subsidiaries. Group-wide operational performance ratios reflect commercial performance.
The consolidated financial statements of HoldCo reflect the financial performance of the
Group.
Distribution: [here are summarized major capital works by completion date and impacts on
performance]
[Note that HoldCo commences operations with effect from 1 July 2009, so the first
reporting year is FY 2010. Although the planning period is five years, projections below
run to FY 2015, which is the end of the FRRP projections.]
F-2
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
F: Sample Performance Contract. . .
Capital works
Expenditure % budget
Completed works % on time by value
Completed works % budget
Productivity
Revenue : Total Capital Employed % 35% 38% 41% 43% 47% 48%
Return on Total Capital Employed % BTBI 8.0% 9.0% 9.3% 9.3% 9.4% 9.4%
Liquidity
Current assets : current liabilities ratio
Trade debtors Months' rev
Long Term Debt : Equity ratio 2.4 2.3 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.8
LT Liabilities : (LT Liabilities + Equity) % 71% 69% 68% 67% 65% 64%
Debt Service Cover % 10% 11% 13% 13% 14% 14%
Selffinancing ratio % 3 yr CapEx
F-3
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
F: Sample Performance Contract. . .
Long term liabilities & provisions 228 481 230 293 230 963 227 464 224 305 222 965
Total Capital Employed M Tk 326 436 336 782 346 691 349 065 354 515 359 247
[The Group performance targets stipulated above are predicated on a number of factors
outside the control of the Group. In certain cases, performance will depend on delivery on
commitments by the Government, e.g. financing and subsidies, or on decisions by the
Regulator, e.g. tariff levels. While the Government has the authority as Shareholder to
change or reward the management of HoldCo, it also has an obligation to provide support
or resources that have been promised. The Performance Contract must make these
mutual obligations between HoldCo and Government explicit. In addition, other key
exogenous factors should be highlighted to help determine ex-post whether a deviation
from target performances is the result of Board performance or factors outside its control]
The financial and operational performance targets have been developed based on
assumptions regarding various exogenous factors, financing availability, tariff levels, and
subsidies. Each set of assumptions is discussed in turn below.
[The financial and operational objectives have been established on the basis of various
factors outside the control of HoldCo. Such factors include fuel prices, inflation, the
frequency and intensity of cyclones, other force majeure events, etc. These assumptions
should be enumerated here]
[Tariffs are set by the Regulator, and hence are outside the control of HoldCo.
Nonetheless, they are a critical driver of financial performance, and indirectly, of
operational performance. Assumed tariff levels can be expressed as a sales-weighted
average annual tariff yield. However, SubCos obligations to prepare tariff filings in
compliance with regulations should also be noted here.]
F-4
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
F: Sample Performance Contract. . .
F.6.4 Subsidies
[Any Government subsidies that are included in the financial projections should be noted
here. An example is given below]
HoldCo’s distribution subsidiaries provide a first block of power to their customers below
cost as mandated by the Regulator. Based on the forecast sales for each of the following
years, the following table sets out the amount of assumed Government compensation in
the form of subsidies. Details have been submitted to the Regulator for confirmation of
reasonableness.
F.7 REPORTING
• Within three months of the end of each financial year: audited financial
statements and accompanying directors’ and CEO’s reports.30
The Chairman shall keep the Shareholders informed about any significant matters that
arise, especially matters affecting public expenditure, safety of staff and public, and the
supply of power.
The directors to propose to pay dividends when the following conditions are met:
29
It is proposed to follow US practice and have the auditor review the reports and make
limited comment on them.
30
Contracts with auditors incorporate these deadlines.
F-5
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
F: Sample Performance Contract. . .
Dividends are expected to be payable from FY 2011 at five per cent of paid up capital,
approximately one third of tax paid profit
The Board has elected to follow the fair value approach of presenting the value of fixed
assets in service and therefore of shareholder’s equity, generally in accordance with BAS
16. The cost of fixed assets in service will be restated not less often than three-yearly to
reflect changes in replacement cost depreciated at rates that reflect capital consumption
over the economic lives of plant items.
The commercial value of the Government’s investment in the HoldCo Group as at 30 June
2010 is estimated to be Tk 100,200 million, based on market value of shares of PGCB
plus the lesser of depreciated replacement cost of fixed assets plus working capital and
the present worth of future cash flows.
[The Group’s five year financing plan will show the extent, if any, to which it is proposed to
finance its operations by the sale of equity in subsidiaries or the issue of shares in
HoldCo.]
Per the Articles of Association, and subject to Shareholder approval and the requirements
of the Companies Act:
• A & B shares in HoldCo will be issued on the same basis but in proportions
that retain the Government’s minimum controlling interest of 51 per cent.
The Board has reviewed the requirements and recommendations of the SEC, the
Bangladesh Enterprise Institute and the OECD and drawn up a set of principles and
practices that will be incorporated in a manual that reflects the Board’s view of the best
interests of the Group’s stakeholders. Major subjects to be included in the manual are
noted hereunder.
The Board will draw up and issue a code of practice for directors, managers and all
employees of the Group. It will include directors’ obligations; director and employees
standards of behavior; conflicts of interest; receipt and use of company information, gifts
and property; compliance with HoldCo’s policies and processes, relevant legislation and
regulations; disciplinary measures and processes.
F-6
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
F: Sample Performance Contract. . .
The HoldCo’s constitution limits Government employees as directors to not more than one
third. The majority of directors is therefore always independent.
The Chairman of directors will be non-executive. The President (Managing Director) is the
Group’s chief executive officer.
The Board will set up the following committees with appropriate terms of reference:
• Information Technology
• Technical
F.12.5 Auditors
The Group’s auditors shall be independent, qualified and appointed by the shareholder for
terms not exceeding three years. They will not normally be employed to provide any other
services than advice on taxation.
The Audit & Risk Management Committee, assisted by an executive subcommittee and
such technical advisers as may be necessary, will oversee the establishment of
procedures within the Group for identifying financial, operating and other risks and policies
and procedures to mitigate them
[Subsidiary companies and the scope of activities of each are enumerated here.]
[A set of consolidated financial statements taken from the Business Plan would be
appended here indicating the planned results and key assumptions on which they are
based.]
F-7
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
APPENDIX G: KEY JOB DESCRIPTIONS
G-1
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
JOB DESCRIPTION
Position Responsibilities
• Develop and recommend long term strategies and business plans to the Board of
HoldCo to ensure the viability of HoldCo and the Subsidiaries.
• Implement all strategies and plans approved by the Board of HoldCo.
• Be the Boards representative on the Board of the Subsidiary.
• Submit financial statements, budgets and reports for consideration by the Board.
• Ensure that the HoldCo achieves its financial and long-term business objectives
through effective management of functional departments.
• Ensure that appropriate strategies are in place to manage the company's resources
effectively.
• Ensure the effective financial management of the HoldCo and the Subsidiaries,
including all treasury functions, financial reporting, and planning.
• Ensure that HoldCo fulfills all it statutory obligations
• Ensure that HoldCo and the Subsidiaries keeps abreast of current market,
economic, technology and political trends to maximize business opportunities and
minimize risk.
• Establish effective relationships and performance contracts with the Government
and the Subsidiaries ensuring the delivery on performance contracts are of the
highest quality while meeting the laid objectives.
• Build and maintain an effective working relationship with all senior managers
ensuring all functional groupings align with other organizational priorities and
initiatives
• Provide leadership, vision and direction for all employees of HoldCo and the
Subsidiaries.
Position Competencies
Some of the competencies required for the position are:
• Performance Focus
Committed to exceeding targets and improving performance and does this by
being creative and innovative. Links business plan goals and key result
areas with stakeholder needs in order to achieve goals.
• Commercial Orientation
Develops and implements innovative and robust business strategies which
explore opportunities and display a thorough appreciation of the market and
industry conditions, risks and anticipated stakeholder needs.
• Managing Change
Displays a positive attitude to change and persists in the face of ongoing
obstacles and challenges by maintaining morale and enthusiasm.
• Teamwork
Leads, contributes to, and co-operates willingly with the team and promotes
team spirit. Communicates needs clearly and effectively by clarifying
responsibilities, goals and outcomes to be achieved.
• Leadership & Vision
Actively promotes HoldCo’s principles and the organization's strategies and
goals internally and externally. Represents policies and decisions of HoldCo
positively. Inspires others to adopt the principles and goals of the
organization. Promotes and adopts the creation and implementation of
innovative approaches, new ideas and methods. Is able to consider requests
to change plans and goals with an open mind; and to evaluate others’ views
logically.
Qualification
Position Responsibilities
• Responsible for the internal management of the financial planning department
ensuring that all financial objectives, requirements and timeframes are met.
• Obtain information from Government System Planner, review Subsidiary technical
plans and designs and conduct techno feasibility studies on subsidiary plans for
better financial planning. Evaluate proposed projects and provide technical
expertise as required related to financial planning and management.
• Identify the financing requirements including Capex, loans, repayments etc. for the
subsidiaries.
• Identify sources of funds and conduct negotiations with funding agencies on terms
and in turn negotiate terms with subsidiaries for their financing requirements.
• Provide senior management with financial reports, statistics, forecasts and other
information necessary for effective financial planning, management and control of
the HoldCo and the subsidiaries including monitoring of net position and develop
strategies for managing surpluses or shortfalls.
• Participate in the development of the HoldCo accounting policies and ensure that
accounting methods and procedures are used in accordance with HoldCo policies.
Develop financial reporting procedures for the subsidiaries.
• Oversee production of financial and management accounts, budgeting and
forecasting, treasury, financial decision making and tax responsibilities
• Understand and anticipate financial risks, putting in place appropriate strategies to
avoid and/or alleviate negative outcomes
• Manage and maintain effective relationships with Banking and Insurance service
providers and negotiate best terms / rates with them. Insure the subsidiary and
where applicable HoldCo assets.
• Member of Senior Management team and contributor to strategic direction and
development of the HoldCo's long range strategies and business plans.
Position Competencies
Some of the competencies required for the position are:
• Performance Focus
Committed to exceeding targets and improving performance and does this by
being creative and innovative. Links business plan goals and key result
areas with stakeholder needs in order to achieve goals.
• Commercial Orientation
Develops and implements innovative and robust business strategies which
explore opportunities and display a thorough appreciation of the market and
industry conditions, risks and anticipated stakeholder needs.
• Managing Change
Displays a positive attitude to change and persists in the face of ongoing
obstacles and challenges by maintaining morale and enthusiasm.
• Teamwork
Leads, contributes to, and co-operates willingly with the team and promotes
team spirit. Communicates needs clearly and effectively by clarifying
responsibilities, goals and outcomes to be achieved.
• Leadership & Vision
Actively promotes HoldCo’s principles and the organization's strategies and
goals internally and externally. Represents policies and decisions of HoldCo
positively. Inspires others to adopt the principles and goals of the
organization. Promotes and adopts the creation and implementation of
innovative approaches, new ideas and methods. Is able to consider requests
to change plans and goals with an open mind; and to evaluate others’ views
logically.
Qualification
Position Responsibilities
• Develop performance parameters for evaluation and Monitoring of performance of
HoldCo and Subsidiaries.
• Negotiate between the parties concerned on drawing up of performance contracts
and the targets laid therein. Present the results of the negotiations on performance
to the management and Board of the HoldCo.
• Assist development of performance contracts and evaluation criteria including
promoting adoption of best practices.
• Set procedures for monitoring of performance contracts and ensure collection,
collation and analysis of data with regard to evaluating performance against set
targets.
• Use data available and create a detailed set of Benchmarks related to performance
targets.
• Ensure compliance across HoldCo and subsidiaries in meeting norms related to
environment, human resources etc.
• Audit performance contract related issues across subsidiaries.
• Develop IT policy across the HoldCo and the subsidiaries. Identify and develop MIS
requirements between HoldCo and Subsidiaries and ensure compliance.
• Ensure IT enablement of services and data across the HoldCo and the subsidiaries.
• Member of Senior Management team and contributor to strategic direction and
development of the HoldCo's long range strategies and business plans.
Position Competencies
Some of the competencies required for the position are:
• Performance Focus
Committed to exceeding targets and improving performance and does this by
being creative and innovative. Links business plan goals and key result
areas with stakeholder needs in order to achieve goals.
• Commercial Orientation
Develops and implements innovative and robust business strategies which
explore opportunities and display a thorough appreciation of the market and
industry conditions, risks and anticipated stakeholder needs.
• Managing Change
Displays a positive attitude to change and persists in the face of ongoing
obstacles and challenges by maintaining morale and enthusiasm.
• Teamwork
Leads, contributes to, and co-operates willingly with the team and promotes
team spirit. Communicates needs clearly and effectively by clarifying
responsibilities, goals and outcomes to be achieved.
• Leadership & Vision
Actively promotes HoldCo’s principles and the organization's strategies and
goals internally and externally. Represents policies and decisions of HoldCo
positively. Inspires others to adopt the principles and goals of the
organization. Promotes and adopts the creation and implementation of
innovative approaches, new ideas and methods. Is able to consider requests
to change plans and goals with an open mind; and to evaluate others’ views
logically.
Qualification
Position Responsibilities
• Review, monitor and implement multi lateral donors / government funded projects
at HoldCo and Subsidiary level
• Develop procedures for project planning and monitoring as per donor guidelines.
Report on a regular basis progress and achievements. Present the report to the
HoldCo management and the Board.
• Prepare project plan, terms of reference for new projects in coordination with the
donors.
• Identify and Initiate new efficiency improvement programs with subsidiaries.
• Develop project plan for such programs with subsidiaries and monitor
implementation and success. Identify key resources across the sector to work on
these special program
• Develop and document key processes to ensure better coordination between the
Subsidiaries and the HoldCo.
• Member of Senior Management team and contributor to strategic direction and
development of the HoldCo's long range strategies and business plans.
Position Competencies
Some of the competencies required for the position are:
• Performance Focus
Committed to exceeding targets and improving performance and does this by
being creative and innovative. Links business plan goals and key result
areas with stakeholder needs in order to achieve goals.
• Commercial Orientation
Develops and implements innovative and robust business strategies which
explore opportunities and display a thorough appreciation of the market and
industry conditions, risks and anticipated stakeholder needs.
• Managing Change
Displays a positive attitude to change and persists in the face of ongoing
obstacles and challenges by maintaining morale and enthusiasm.
• Teamwork
Leads, contributes to, and co-operates willingly with the team and promotes
team spirit. Communicates needs clearly and effectively by clarifying
responsibilities, goals and outcomes to be achieved.
• Leadership & Vision
Actively promotes HoldCo’s principles and the organization's strategies and
goals internally and externally. Represents policies and decisions of HoldCo
positively. Inspires others to adopt the principles and goals of the
organization. Promotes and adopts the creation and implementation of
innovative approaches, new ideas and methods. Is able to consider requests
to change plans and goals with an open mind; and to evaluate others’ views
logically.
Qualification
Position Responsibilities
• Prepare accounting statements and reports in compliance with the requirements as
set by the Bangladesh Accounting Standards.
• Ongoing contribution to and evaluation of, legislative and financial report
requirements, and modification to accounting procedures and systems where
necessary
• Consolidation of Accounts of the HoldCo and the Subsidiaries and preparation of
consolidated financial statements.
• Provide financial reports inputs for preparation of Annual report of the HoldCo
• Responsible for Treasury Asset Management.
• Ensure financial priorities are identified and actioned swiftly
• Maintain overall accuracy of the accounting system including all ledgers
• Coach, lead and supervise accounts and support staff
Position Competencies
Some of the competencies required for the position are:
• Performance Focus
Committed to exceeding targets and improving performance and does this by
being creative and innovative. Links business plan goals and key result
areas with stakeholder needs in order to achieve goals.
• Commercial Orientation
Develops and implements innovative and robust business strategies which
explore opportunities and display a thorough appreciation of the market and
industry conditions, risks and anticipated stakeholder needs.
• Managing Change
Displays a positive attitude to change and persists in the face of ongoing
obstacles and challenges by maintaining morale and enthusiasm.
• Teamwork
Leads, contributes to, and co-operates willingly with the team and promotes
team spirit. Communicates needs clearly and effectively by clarifying
responsibilities, goals and outcomes to be achieved.
• Leadership & Vision
Actively promotes HoldCo’s principles and the organization's strategies and
goals internally and externally. Represents policies and decisions of HoldCo
positively. Inspires others to adopt the principles and goals of the
organization. Promotes and adopts the creation and implementation of
innovative approaches, new ideas and methods. Is able to consider requests
to change plans and goals with an open mind; and to evaluate others’ views
logically.
Qualification
Position Responsibilities
• Carry out design review of engineering plans of the subsidiaries through application
of the knowledge of engineering theory and practice.
• Identify any problems in the design if any and provide recommendations
• Conduct and present techno feasibility of the reviewed design as input for financial
planning activity.
• Review master plan of the government as obtained from Single buyer. Ascertain
feasibility of subsidiary plans ensuring that it is in line with the master plan.
• Prepare preliminary and/or detailed estimates cost estimates for the submitted plan.
Position Competencies
Some of the competencies required for the position are:
• Performance Focus
Committed to exceeding targets and improving performance and does this by
being creative and innovative. Links business plan goals and key result
areas with stakeholder needs in order to achieve goals.
• Commercial Orientation
Develops and implements innovative and robust business strategies which
explore opportunities and display a thorough appreciation of the market and
industry conditions, risks and anticipated stakeholder needs.
• Managing Change
Displays a positive attitude to change and persists in the face of ongoing
obstacles and challenges by maintaining morale and enthusiasm.
• Teamwork
Leads, contributes to, and co-operates willingly with the team and promotes
team spirit. Communicates needs clearly and effectively by clarifying
responsibilities, goals and outcomes to be achieved.
• Leadership & Vision
Actively promotes HoldCo’s principles and the organization's strategies and
goals internally and externally. Represents policies and decisions of HoldCo
positively. Inspires others to adopt the principles and goals of the
organization. Promotes and adopts the creation and implementation of
innovative approaches, new ideas and methods. Is able to consider requests
to change plans and goals with an open mind; and to evaluate others’ views
logically.
Qualification
• Engineering Graduate
• Minimum 12 – 14 years experience preferably in the power sector
• Past experience in System design and review is a must
JOB DESCRIPTION
Position Responsibilities
• Develops, together with the Vice Presidents of the HoldCo a cost effective and
sustainable IT strategy for the HoldCo through consultation and collaboration with
all Departments.
• Implement practicable cost effective Information Technology Solutions to ensure
strategic goals of the HoldCo are realized.
• Develop MIS parameters and develop mechanism of data exchange between the
HoldCo and the Subsidiaries including IT enablement of this process.
• Manage and coordinate the maintenance of the operating systems and software to
ensure user requirements are being met as effectively as possible from a systems
perspective
• Implement procedures and controls to effectively manage the use of the Information
Technology System
• Create, implement, maintain and review Information Technology specific
processes, methods, principles of working, systems and models that are the most
effective and reflect the business needs and develop and enhance them on a
regular and on-going basis, to generate continuous improvement in quality and
service.
Position Competencies
Some of the competencies required for the position are:
• Performance Focus
Committed to exceeding targets and improving performance and does this by
being creative and innovative. Links business plan goals and key result
areas with stakeholder needs in order to achieve goals.
• Commercial Orientation
Develops and implements innovative and robust business strategies which
explore opportunities and display a thorough appreciation of the market and
industry conditions, risks and anticipated stakeholder needs.
• Managing Change
Displays a positive attitude to change and persists in the face of ongoing
obstacles and challenges by maintaining morale and enthusiasm.
• Teamwork
Leads, contributes to, and co-operates willingly with the team and promotes
team spirit. Communicates needs clearly and effectively by clarifying
responsibilities, goals and outcomes to be achieved.
• Leadership & Vision
Actively promotes HoldCo’s principles and the organization's strategies and
goals internally and externally. Represents policies and decisions of HoldCo
positively. Inspires others to adopt the principles and goals of the
organization. Promotes and adopts the creation and implementation of
innovative approaches, new ideas and methods. Is able to consider requests
to change plans and goals with an open mind; and to evaluate others’ views
logically.
Qualification
Position Responsibilities
• Monitor the achievements of the organizational objectives
• To identify, assess and manage risks to those objectives
• To advise on, formulate internal audit policy
• To ensure compliance with policies, laws and regulations
• To ascertain the integrity and reliability of financial and other information provided
to management and stakeholders, including those used in decision making
• To ascertain that systems of control are laid down and operate to promote the most
economic, efficient and effective use of resources and to safeguard assets
• Lead and manage a team of auditors to conduct regular audit and checks across
the HoldCo and in some situations the subsidiaries.
• Review Subsidiaries Internal Audit Report and present findings to the Board.
• Trains staff and creates a positive learning and working environment through
delegation and coaching.
• Add value by acting as a facilitator in business risk management and carrying our
value for money reviews, thereby assisting the management and the board of the
HoldCo in the effective discharge of their responsibilities.
Position Competencies
Some of the competencies required for the position are:
• Performance Focus
Committed to exceeding targets and improving performance and does this by
being creative and innovative. Links business plan goals and key result
areas with stakeholder needs in order to achieve goals.
• Commercial Orientation
Develops and implements innovative and robust business strategies which
explore opportunities and display a thorough appreciation of the market and
industry conditions, risks and anticipated stakeholder needs.
• Managing Change
Displays a positive attitude to change and persists in the face of ongoing
obstacles and challenges by maintaining morale and enthusiasm.
• Teamwork
Leads, contributes to, and co-operates willingly with the team and promotes
team spirit. Communicates needs clearly and effectively by clarifying
responsibilities, goals and outcomes to be achieved.
• Leadership & Vision
Actively promotes HoldCo’s principles and the organization's strategies and
goals internally and externally. Represents policies and decisions of HoldCo
positively. Inspires others to adopt the principles and goals of the
organization. Promotes and adopts the creation and implementation of
innovative approaches, new ideas and methods. Is able to consider requests
to change plans and goals with an open mind; and to evaluate others’ views
logically.
Qualification
Position Responsibilities
• Create, implement and oversee communication programs that effectively describe
and promote the organization and its objectives
• Prepare presentations for effectively communicating company programs and
policies to employees and other stakeholders
• Liaison with and build relations with media and other bodies to manage the
corporate image including preparation of publicity and press materials
• Manage internal and external corporate events and ensure the event meets its
intended objective
• Provide corporate communications support to subsidiaries as and when required
• Develop confidence in HoldCo involving various public stakeholders and positioning
the HoldCo as a company of choice through communication activities.
• Regularly communicate, coordinate and create and maintain good and cordial
contacts with administrative, legislative and judicial members of the Royal
government.
• Keep the employees informed of the important sector (industry) changes at all unit
levels that could have impact or affect HoldCo or its Subsidiaries.
Position Competencies
Some of the competencies required for the position are:
• Performance Focus
Committed to exceeding targets and improving performance and does this by
being creative and innovative. Links business plan goals and key result
areas with stakeholder needs in order to achieve goals.
• Commercial Orientation
Develops and implements innovative and robust business strategies which
explore opportunities and display a thorough appreciation of the market and
industry conditions, risks and anticipated stakeholder needs.
• Managing Change
Displays a positive attitude to change and persists in the face of ongoing
obstacles and challenges by maintaining morale and enthusiasm.
• Teamwork
Leads, contributes to, and co-operates willingly with the team and promotes
team spirit. Communicates needs clearly and effectively by clarifying
responsibilities, goals and outcomes to be achieved.
• Leadership & Vision
Actively promotes HoldCo’s principles and the organization's strategies and
goals internally and externally. Represents policies and decisions of HoldCo
positively. Inspires others to adopt the principles and goals of the
organization. Promotes and adopts the creation and implementation of
innovative approaches, new ideas and methods. Is able to consider requests
to change plans and goals with an open mind; and to evaluate others’ views
logically.
Qualification
Position Responsibilities
• Design, develop and implement Human Resource Strategies consistent with the
business objectives of the HoldCo.
• Provide HoldCo expert knowledge of human resource activities and processes
including recruitment, human resource planning, training and development,
performance management, remuneration and staff benefits.
• Ensure compliance with the obligations of the HoldCo to meet its legislative and
contractual obligations as an employer.
• Identify long-term staffing resource issues, including planning for succession and
development and delivering training strategies to resolve resource issues.
• Training needs analysis to determine organizational and individual training needs
including preparation of annual training plans including monitoring and evaluation of
training and development programs
• Ensure that the Human Resources Cell achieves its targets and business
objectives through effective and integrated leadership and management of all its
functions
Position Competencies
Some of the competencies required for the position are:
• Performance Focus
Committed to exceeding targets and improving performance and does this by
being creative and innovative. Links business plan goals and key result
areas with stakeholder needs in order to achieve goals.
• Commercial Orientation
Develops and implements innovative and robust business strategies which
explore opportunities and display a thorough appreciation of the market and
industry conditions, risks and anticipated stakeholder needs.
• Managing Change
Displays a positive attitude to change and persists in the face of ongoing
obstacles and challenges by maintaining morale and enthusiasm.
• Teamwork
Leads, contributes to, and co-operates willingly with the team and promotes
team spirit. Communicates needs clearly and effectively by clarifying
responsibilities, goals and outcomes to be achieved.
• Leadership & Vision
Actively promotes HoldCo’s principles and the organization's strategies and
goals internally and externally. Represents policies and decisions of HoldCo
positively. Inspires others to adopt the principles and goals of the
organization. Promotes and adopts the creation and implementation of
innovative approaches, new ideas and methods. Is able to consider requests
to change plans and goals with an open mind; and to evaluate others’ views
logically.
Qualification
Position Responsibilities
• Develop and oversee systems that ensure company’s compliance with all legal and
statutory requirements
• Ensure the Group's compliance with legal and regulatory requirements
• Provide advice in relation to the Group's acquisitions, disposals and other corporate
and contractual transactions, whether financial or otherwise
• Providing legal support to the Subsidiaries as and when required.
• Responsible for maintaining Shareholder relations including register of
shareholders and monitoring changes in share ownership
• Represent the HoldCo at the Registrar of Companies on all company related
matters.
• Arrange Annual General Meetings, prepare agendas, Minutes of the meeting and
assist in the production of company annual reports
• Monitor changes in relevant legislation and regulatory environment and take
appropriate action
Position Competencies
Some of the competencies required for the position are:
• Performance Focus
Committed to exceeding targets and improving performance and does this by
being creative and innovative. Links business plan goals and key result
areas with stakeholder needs in order to achieve goals.
• Commercial Orientation
Develops and implements innovative and robust business strategies which
explore opportunities and display a thorough appreciation of the market and
industry conditions, risks and anticipated stakeholder needs.
• Managing Change
Displays a positive attitude to change and persists in the face of ongoing
obstacles and challenges by maintaining morale and enthusiasm.
• Teamwork
Leads, contributes to, and co-operates willingly with the team and promotes
team spirit. Communicates needs clearly and effectively by clarifying
responsibilities, goals and outcomes to be achieved.
• Leadership & Vision
Actively promotes HoldCo’s principles and the organization's strategies and
goals internally and externally. Represents policies and decisions of HoldCo
positively. Inspires others to adopt the principles and goals of the
organization. Promotes and adopts the creation and implementation of
innovative approaches, new ideas and methods. Is able to consider requests
to change plans and goals with an open mind; and to evaluate others’ views
logically.
Qualification
The GoB’s plan for development of the power sector envisions that all entities in it will in
time become operating subsidiaries of a holding company. It is therefore necessary to
examine briefly the policies that have been followed to date in the sector, notably in the
bifurcation of BPDB to create DESA and, subsequently, DESA’s spin-off of DESCO, as
well as in the formation of BPDB’s present subsidiaries, APSC, PGCB and WZPDCL.
This paper examines policies adopted and recommendations made in the past, identifies
issues relating to the valuation of assets intended for long term holding and prior to their
transfer to a NewCo31 and options for dealing with them.
In principle, the valuation of fixed assets in all companies in the sector should be made on
bases that are mutually consistent, economically justified and commercially sound. It is
essential that the accounting policies employed by a group of subsidiaries of one holding
company are the same.
Achieving a consistent and logical basis of fixed asset valuation throughout the HoldCo
group is an issue that will need to be resolved in due course by the Board of HoldCo. The
financial projections in the FRRP, which have been adopted for the purpose of presenting
HoldCo’s and the HoldCo group’s opening balance sheets and financial projections, are
based on the existing (2006) book value of fixed assets in the various companies.
H.2 SITUATION
BPDB’s fixed assets have been valued on various bases for establishing total capital
employed32 in NewCos. They differ from one another and from the values in BPDB’s
books. Most differ from the customary methodology for assessing current values of
infrastructure assets for financial reporting purposes.
Since an important aim of restructuring the power sector into companies is to make the
sector financially viable, efficient and commercial33 it is important that realistic values are
placed on the capital employed in each company. The major component of capital
employed in the power sector is electrical plant and equipment, i.e., fixed assets.
H.2.1 BPDB
BALANCE SHEET
The value of BPDB’s fixed assets in its balance sheet was restated in 1992. Since that
time additions have been included at cost. Thus, the value in the latest accounts (2005) is
a mixture of taka of differing purchasing power, it is understated in 2005 taka, and the real
31
‘NewCo’ refers to any subsidiary of BPDB or DESA whether already existing or to be
formed. The proposed holding company is referred to as ‘HoldCo.
32
Total Capital Employed = Working Capital + Fixed Assets = Long term liabilities + Owners'
Equity; Working Capital = Current Assets - Current Liabilities.
33
As stated in the GoB’s Policy Statement on Power Sector Reforms, January, 2000.
H-1
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
H: Valuation of Fixed Assets & Investments. . .
cost of capital consumption is likewise understated each year while the operating profit is
overstated. It follows that, if the tariff were constructed to reflect book costs, the rates in it
would also be understated.34
It should be noted that there is an asymmetry in BPDB’s accounting for fixed assets and
the foreign currency denominated loans that financed a large part of them: loans not yet
due for repayment are revalued annually and the resulting gain or, more usually, loss due
to devaluation of the taka, is charged to revenue. No corresponding restatement of the
foreign content of fixed assets is made. The effect is to understate the value of reported
equity when, in fact, losses on foreign debt are complemented by an (unrecorded)
increase in replacement cost of the assets they financed.
Transfers from capital works in progress to fixed assets in service are not supported by
schedules that identify the works in the detail needed, for example, to identify clearly all
the distribution assets created within the Zones in which they exist. Total fixed assets are
not subdivided further than by the main functions of generation, transmission, distribution
and ‘other’.35
IVVR
In 2000 BPDB set up a project–the asset Identification, Verification, Valuation & Recording
(IVVR) project–to undertake a country-wide inventory of fixed assets and stores.36
This was a major project and resulted in a complete inventory and up-to-date valuation of
BPDB’s fixed assets and stores. The 2000 valuation was based on assessed replacement
cost of assets and remaining service lives. Table 1 gives the book values of BPDB’s fixed
assets at 30 June 2000. Table 2 gives the values resulting from the reappraisal made as
at the same date.
Table 3 compares the appraised value of fixed assets with BPDB’s balance sheet values
at 30 June 2000.
Overall, the appraised value of assets in 2000 is 43 per cent higher than the book values
at the same date and about the same as the increase in the GPI between 1992 and 2000.
The IVVR values at 2000 have been updated in the following way:
• Additions and disposals37 shown in BPDB’s financial statements were taken
into account in the relevant year
34
We understand that BPDB decided in June 2005 to adopt the IVVR 2000 valuation of fixed
assets in its financial statements for FY 2006.
35
However, additions since 2000 are mostly identifiable by project and those that affect more
than one distribution zone were allocated on rational bases.
36
The intention was not only to establish reliable asset records but to integrate the asset and
stores systems with the general ledger established under the FMU project. However, like
the FMU systems, the IVVR system lapsed for want of management commitment to
funding and extending it country-wide. It has not been updated since 2000.
37
Mainly to Ashuganj Power Station Co Ltd and Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Ltd.
H-2
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
H: Valuation of Fixed Assets & Investments. . .
• Additions were depreciated using average overall rates derived from BPDB’s
financial statements
• Movements in the 12 month average General Inflation Index published by the
Bangladesh Bank were used to express the resulting replacement costs and
depreciation provisions in terms of 2005 purchasing power.
Table 4 compares the book value of fixed assets as per the financial statements for
FY 2005 with the value restated in terms of 2005 purchasing power. Table 5 shows the
allocation of fixed assets to actual or proposed NewCos after restating the values. Some
assets of PGCB and WZPDC are still in BPDB’s 2005 balance sheet.
Table 3: Comparison of Appraised & Book Values of Fixed Assets at 30 June 2000
Land Buildings Plant Other Total
Sector
Appraised Value % of Book Value
H-3
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
H: Valuation of Fixed Assets & Investments. . .
The agreement for the transfer of fixed assets dated 22 May 2003 records a value of
Tk 19,892 million. A paragraph in the agreement notes that BPDB and the Ashuganj
Power Station Co Ltd agreed to finalize the value of net assets and liabilities with
assistance from an IVVR consultant on the basis of “international commercial norms and
international accounting standards”.40
Based on updated IVVR data, the replacement cost of assets transferred to APSC as at
the end of FY 2003 was Tk 52,705 million and accumulated depreciation was Tk 28,526
million, a net value of Tk 24,179 million, 60 per cent greater than the value used to
capitalize APC and not out of line with the independent valuation of Tk 21,130 million.
The value of assets acquired from BPDB has been settled at Tk 15,117 million, a figure
reduced to make the company appear profitable while selling prices are held down.41
The Consultant for the corporatization of the West Zone distribution operations
summarized the IVVR value of assets to be taken over by WZPDCL at Tk 7176 million.
38
Consortium of M R Hasan & Associates for the IVVR Project. See later Note re Power
Stations.
39
Nexant under TA 3343-BAN.
40
The valuation of plant is an accounting matter only to the extent that Bangladesh
Accounting Standard 16, Property, Plant and Equipment, requires values reported in
financial statements to be based on either DHC or DRC and prescribes the treatment of
appraisal surpluses and deficits.
41
See later Note re Relationship Between Asset Values & Energy Prices
H-4
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
H: Valuation of Fixed Assets & Investments. . .
Some adjustments were made to reflect the results of check inspections of significant
assets to verify the reliability of the IVVR quantities and remaining asset service lives.
The first basis gave a total value of Tk 4308 million; the second, recommended value was
Tk 4754 million.42
The IVVR valuation of fixed assets employed by WZPDCL at 30 June 2005 is Tk 8204
million, 70-90 per cent greater than the Consultant’s valuations.43
The consultant’s Final Report for the corporatization of SZPDC44 gives in the opening
balance sheet, without explanation, fixed assets a value of Tk 20,716 million.. Since the
first projections made are for FY 2009, we infer that the date of the opening balance sheet
is 1 July 2008.
No information is given in the report to enable reconciliation of this value with the results of
the updated IVVR value given in Table 5, which assessed the DRC of fixed assets in the
South Zone at 30 June 2005 at Tk 8639 million.
A series of five agreements between BPDB and PGCB records the transfer of assets at
historic cost less depreciation. Some of the assets were formerly owned by the East
Pakistan Power Development Board and no records remained. Estimates of cost of some
assets were made by working backwards from the pre-1992 revaluation of assets in
BPDB’s books.
Based on updated IVVR data, the current depreciated replacement cost of assets
transferred from BPDB to PGCB as at the end of FY 2003 plus the balance remaining in
BPDB’s books at FY 2005 is Tk 47,969 million. This sum does not include assets taken
over from DESA. The total is almost twice the net book value shown in PGCB’s financial
statements as at FY 2005 and reflects the understatement of asset values acquired by
PGCB as a result of using depreciated historic costs.
H.2.7 DESA
At the time of writing (June 2006) we had not received information about the basis on
which DESA’s fixed assets are valued.
42
British Power International’s report Review of Existing Fixed Assets, March 2004, did not
disclose how revenue was calculated in its cash flow model. The discount rate used was
6.6 per cent.
43
It is noted that BPDB’s financial statements for FY 2005 show the transfer of fixed assets to
WZPDC at a net Tk 4600 million (IVVR value Tk 7041 million); at the same time, further
assets with a net IVVR value of Tk 1163 million remain in BPDB’s FY 2005 balance sheet.
44
Soluziona, Development of South Zone Power Distribution Project, 3 June 2007.
H-5
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
H: Valuation of Fixed Assets & Investments. . .
H.2.8 DESCO
The Mirpir area fixed assets taken over by DESCO from DESA were valued by ADB-
appointed consultants45 as at 30 June 1997 on the DRC basis. Subsequent transfers were
brought into the books at DRC assessed by DESCO’s engineers.
Ideally, the final value of the physical assets transferred from DESA to DESC should
represent their market value.. Market value can be defined as the estimated amount for
which an asset should exchange on the date of valuation between a willing buyer and a
willing seller in an arms length transaction after proper marketing wherein the parties had
each acted knowledgeably, prudently and without compulsion.
In this case, however, there is no open market for the assets, and therefore they cannot be
valued in accordance with the market value definition. For this reason, the Depreciated
Replacement Cost (DRC) method has been applied. DRC is based on an estimate of the
current market value of land for its existing use, plus the current gross replacement costs of
network assets less allowances for physical deterioration and obsolescence. The result is
an estimate of the value to DESC in taking over DESA’s Mirpur operations at the valuation
date of 30 June 1997.
The DRC method must always be expressed as subject to adequate potential profitability.
Therefore it combines elements of market and non-market considerations. However,
because the DRC method is concerned with the valuation of individual assets rather than
the business as a whole, it is essentially different from Going Concern Value methods and
concepts and is properly used in this asset valuation for financial statements.
It was suggested to us that the assets be valued at historical replacement cost. If assets
are valued at their historic cost then depreciation and return on capital are recovered on
this basis. Although the capital cost of the assets will be recovered, an inflationary
environment will lead to insufficient return being generated to replace the assets at current
costs. By adopting a depreciated replacement cost regime the market value of equity is
maintained through the periodic revaluation of the asset base. Thus sufficient funds are
able to be provided to renew the asset base. In principle, nominal returns on historic cost
should yield the same net cash flow as real returns on replacement cost.
We considered the use of “deprival” value for this valuation but rejected the concept as
inappropriate in this case. A deprival value is a forward-looking valuation in which assets
are valued at the lesser of their capitalized future earnings or their optimized DRC.
Determination of a future tariff path is necessary for use of this method. Note that a
circularity of argument arises if a price-determined value is adopted and then used as the
base for future tariff fixing.
45
Worley International, TA 2715-BAN. At the time the US dollar equalled Tk 45/-.
H-6
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
H: Valuation of Fixed Assets & Investments. . .
is possible to make a rough estimate of the need for optimization if any and this we have
done in Section 3 of the report. Our experience on other valuations suggests that such
adjustments, if necessary, seldom amount to more than around 5% of the total value of the
assets.
The values of electrical plant and equipment in sector entities’ financial statements are
expressed in various ways, few consistent with the policy of BPDB from which each
entity’s initial assets were transferred. Even BPDB’s subsidiary companies have been
permitted to adopt lesser values than those in BPDB’s books. Not all assets employed by
subsidiaries have been reflected in their respective books.
BPDB has decided to update the values it uses for financial reporting purposes and its
subsidiary companies should adopt the same basis. It would be contrary to good
accounting practice to consolidate subsidiary assets valued on dissimilar bases.
It is sound commercial accounting practice for capital intensive industries (such as power,
steel, pulp & paper) to restate the value of fixed assets from time to time, especially during
periods in which the currency is rapidly losing value. By restating fixed asset values the
value of shareholders’ equity more nearly reflects the current economic value of the
investment. Total capital employed is more realistically stated.
In the absence of markets for power system plant and equipment in service it is not
possible to base valuations on market prices. Other bases of setting values are required.
Those available include:
• Book value (BV)
• Depreciated historic cost (DHC)
• Depreciated replacement cost (DRC)
• Going concern value (GCV)
• Optimized deprival value (ODV)
BV is simply the amount showing the in the entity’s ledger and reported in its balance
sheet. It is often the depreciated balance of the cost of assets acquired at widely differing
times and therefore includes values recorded in currencies of differing purchasing
power.46 It is not suitable basis for capitalizing capital-intensive industries. It is generally
the same as DHC.47
46
The significance of this may be seen by considering an item of plant purchased in one year
for $1000 and a second one of identical specification and service life purchased later for
$2000: the annual depreciation charge for the first machine will be half that for the second,
but it will cost at least twice as much to replace
47
Under BAS, a company’s ‘books’ may also reflect DRC.
H-7
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
H: Valuation of Fixed Assets & Investments. . .
Under DRC policy, asset values are restated from time to time by substituting for the
historic cost of assets the cost of replacing them with modern assets that provide the
same service and depreciating the higher values. It thereby overcomes the weaknesses in
DHC.
Profitable businesses are often valued by reference to the free cash flows that they
generate, i.e., the funds available after meeting debt service obligations, income tax and
normal levels of capital investment for maintenance of system capability.. The present
worth of the free cash flows is the current value of the business. Deduct the value of
working capital and cash and the balance of the value may be attributed to the fixed
assets. However, this is an oversimplification as profitable businesses often have an
intangible asset, goodwill, that is also reflected in the present worth of the free cash flows.
The value of goodwill is not depreciable as plant, so plant values have to be established to
determine the goodwill component and the depreciable asset base.
Going concern values so obtained may be cross-checked against share market valuations
of companies in similar lines of business, using the ratio of market prices to earnings.
It should be noted that the ODV method takes the value of future cash flows into account.
The ODV methodology is a two-stage one. First it values system assets by assuming that
the owner is ‘deprived’ of the elements of the supply system which are then notionally
replaced with new assets that will provide equivalent service using modern equivalent
equipment in an ‘optimized’ system (i.e., the lowest cost system that would provide the
same level of service.) The elements of the replacement system are then depreciated
according to age and remaining life of the equipment they replace.
Optimizing the assets of the system requires a level of technical inputs that is beyond the
scope of this technical assistance. An approximation sufficient for present purposes is the
DRC of assets that are to continue in service.48
The second step in valuation is to ensure that the results of the first stage are not
overstated. This requires an assessment of the present worth of the free cash flows49 that
48
Assets not required for efficient operation of NewCos should be retained by BPDB and
disposed of to the best advantage.
H-8
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
H: Valuation of Fixed Assets & Investments. . .
asset combinations (such as a power plant or distribution network) are likely to produce in
future.
The commercial value to be assigned to assets is the lower of these two values.
The real–or economic–value of BPDB’s gas fired power plants can be better estimated by
reference to the prices paid for the output of the IPPs. The ‘revenue’ stream is derived
from the sum of capacity payments and output projections over the service life of the plant
multiplied by the price paid to IPPs; net cash flow is obtained by deducting O & M costs,
including the cost of major overhauls. The resulting cash flows are discounted to arrive at
their present worth, i.e., the value of the power plant. As with ODV, the commercial value
is the lower of DRC or the present worth of the cash flows.50
Valuation of utility company shares that are not traded in financial markets differs from the
methods described above only in that all assets and liabilities need to be taken into
account. The principal assets are valued as described. Other assets are valued at
realizable value, i.e., what they can be converted into cash for. Deductions are made for
liabilities at the date of valuation and the result is the total value of the shareholders’
interest. If a sale of shares is contemplated, share values may be adjusted to reflect
price/earnings ratios of similar businesses listed on stock exchanges and other market
factors.
Working papers indicate there was some dissension over the calculation of price for use of
PGC’s system. All calculations were based on costs derived from BPDB’s financial
statements. One paper referred to ‘the abnormal and excessive mark-up based on return
on net fixed assets has arisen due to revaluation of assets in 1991’.. The rate in use
reflects the historic cost of assets and is about 40 per cent below the rate derived from the
higher asset values.51
The Ashuganj consultants rejected asset values derived from DRC methodology,
describing the result “unrealistic and unsustainable in terms of the future revenue earning
capacity of the plants” and therefore based their valuation on the historic cost of assets.
The WZPDCL consultant made valuations on two bases: written down original cost having
regard to expected residual lives and on earnings capability, i.e., present worth of net
future cash flows. The second value was about 10 per cent higher than the first and was
49
Free cash flows are the funds remaining after deducting O & M costs and major
maintenance costs from revenues; their present worth is assessed by discounting the
annual free cash flows at the firm’s weighted average cost of capital (WACC).
50
A valuation of power station assets on this basis is beyond the scope of this technical
assistance.
51
It is noted that PGCB’s UOS charge is based on energy delivered, despite the fact that
none of its costs is incurred on this basis. The main determinants of cost of a transmission
grid are capacity provided (MW) and circuit length (km). Most recurring costs are time-
related. UOS charges commonly reflect these factors.
H-9
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
H: Valuation of Fixed Assets & Investments. . .
recommended. However, since the difference in value was so small it is likely that the
recommended value was still below DRC. Additionally, the basis of calculating revenue
was not given but it is inferred from the relatively low valuation that a continuation of tariffs
similar to existing levels was assumed.
All the examples indicate a view that the cost of supply–as opposed to the price that is
charged–depends inter alia on the value placed on fixed assets. This is not so. The cost of
supply is the real cost of the resources consumed valued in the currency of the day and
that cost is independent of any balance sheet figures. A commercial selling price is one
that recovers the real costs of supply, including the return of the present worth of the
capital sunk into fixed assets and a return on total capital employed.
It is the depression of selling prices below the real, economic level that results in the
commercial value of fixed assets to the business falling below their real value. The
reduction in value so caused is equivalent to a one-off deprecation charge (or write-down)
that is not accounted for in the entity’s income statement nor disclosed to the owners. It is
not recovered from customers either, thereby reducing the internal funds available for
reinvestment and increasing future capital costs.
H.7 ISSUES
A major issue is: what is to be done to value the capital employed by BPDB’s successor
holding and subsidiary companies on a rational and consistent basis? As pointed out, one,
major, determinant of the value of business assets is future net cash flows, but there is not
at present a rational retail pricing policy that enables cash flows to be estimated. Historic
cost is not appropriate given the very large changes in the purchasing power of the
currency over the long lives of electric plant and equipment.
Another issue is BPDB’s failure to adopt the asset records of the IVVR project and to
update them as assets are built, augmented, transferred to other companies or taken out
of service. The longer the interval before incorporating the IVVR asset records in BPDB’s
accounting system and updating them, the greater the effort that will be required to make
inventories of assets transferred to NewCos at vesting date and to place a value on them.
There needs to be a uniform basis that reflects current values used consistently across
the BPDB/DESA groups. The most appropriate basis is depreciated replacement cost
(DRC) of assets that continue in use, restated from time to time to keep them up-to-date.52
52
An alternative for generation plants is suggested above, based on the value of output from
IPPs’ plants.
H-10
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
APPENDIX I: PROPOSED SECTOR FUNDING MODALITIES
PROPOSED
POWER SECTOR INVESTMENT FUNDING PROGRAM (PSIFP)
Rationale
Power demand is growing at a rate of about 10% per annum. A sector wide assessment
indicates that power generation capacity and energy generation will have to be further
increased to support higher GDP growth rates of 6.5% in 2007 and 7% in 2008. By the
year 2015, the required power generation will be 15,000 MW merely to keep pace with
present demand growth. This certainly warrants efficient and timely investment in the
sector. The current public sector investment procedure is extremely time consuming and
cumbersome producing delayed and suboptimal results and pushing the sector further
behind the required schedule in terms of increasing generation capacity. Measures are
needed to address constraints to current public sector funding procedure in the power
sector because power sector investment by nature takes relatively long time and the current
approach makes it more lengthy and protracted as well.
There will be three principal constraints that would impede realization of the corporate
goal if investment of public resources in the power sector has to continue under the current
mode of Government bureaucratic funding procedure:
The proposed Power Sector Investment Funding Program (PSIFP) will be a corporate plan
based initiative to increase flexibility to deploy public resources for meeting more
compelling power sector investment need. The creation of this new program of funding
under a sector-wide approach will also complement actions being in parallel by the private
sector investment activity and to rehabilitate public sector power plants. The funding
nature will be a ‘common pot’ of GoB and donor contribution/outlay. Taken together, this
I-1
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
I: Proposed Sector Funding Modalities. . .
approach of investment will bring about overall improvement in the generation and
delivery of electricity services to the people of Bangladesh.
PSIFP Description
The overall objective of the investment funding program is to provide the much needed
corporate and market emphasis on the investment capital even though it is sourced from
public resource allocation and thereby to highlight appropriate cost of capital and ensure
efficient and timely investment in the sector.
The objectives are sought to be achieved through creation of a power sector program fund
(named Power Sector Investment Funding Program-PSIFP) of ten years term from a mix
of:
(i) GoB outlay;
(ii) (ii) donor assistance; and
(iii) surplus of the entities channeled through Holdco framework.
The fund size will be about the quantum of power sector investment requirement in the
coming ten years. This will be better decided on the basis of the corporate investment plan
of the Holdco. This will be imbued with the spirit and philosophy of productive capital
investment and surplus generation. Fund will be lent to the subsidiary companies and the
lending component will address the project financing constraint through government.
The lending will be operated through the funding mechanism (the Power Sector Investment
Funding Program -PSIFP). This will be established in a form consistent with GoB’s power
sector development objectives. Its design and operation will take account of corporate
culture and institutional experience of the GoB sponsored donor assisted development
funding mechanism such as Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) in the
infrastructure sector and Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) in the social sector of
Bangladesh.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
I: Proposed Sector Funding Modalities. . .
The important thing to note is that the proposed Power Sector Investment Funding Program
(PSIFP) is meant to be a transitional facility and geared to meet GOB’s objectives of
promoting investment in critical power sector projects over the next 6-10 years. The
financing support from the PSIFP will provide up to 80 percent to subsidiaries’ demand,
i.e., project costs as medium-term debt for sound investment. By proving long term debt
finance to the subsidiaries, the Holdco will enable timely investment in projects. There will
be guidelines to help establish a ‘Fund Facilitation Unit’ (FFU) in the Holdco for
interfacing with subsidiaries and of potential projects.
However structured, the PSIFP would have four basic components, an oversight
mechanism (referred to as the Steering Committee), a decision-making body -the Board of
the Holding company, a fund facilitation unit (FFU) and a suitable mechanism to house the
fund preferably in the Bangladesh Bank. In order for the PSIFP to act prudently and enjoy
the confidence of the GoB, it needs to operate on clearly spelled out guidelines and
articulated commercial principles, be professionally and transparently managed and
maintain an efficient interface with the subsidiaries and the Holdco. It is envisaged that in
the near term the PSIFP will be sourced from the commercial sources both home and
abroad.
Fund Facilitation Unit (FFU): The PSIFP will complement ongoing and planned initiatives
for sector development in terms of generation capacity and generation. In general, there
will be scheme for project and fund management skill development training for HoldCo
staff through a TA for capacity building at the FFU and in other relevant units of the
HoldCo. The FFU is expected to house the expertise and skills necessary to
appraise/reappraise and package projects proposed by subsidiary companies, including
facilitation of private participation under different model. A workshop may be organized to
conceptualize and articulate the role and institutional and operational framework of the
proposed PSIFP and FFU at the HoldCo before completion of the first phase (the major
episode) of the migration process of the coporatization program.
Given BPDB’s overall financial situation and enormous power sector investment need
whereas the existence of underdeveloped capital market and the constraints of the private
investment, such financing of capital investment through PSIFP mechanism would lead to
better investment potential and framework within the sector itself. This mechanism would
provide long-term funding window to qualifying projects of the subsidiary companies until
capital markets are more established and other sources particularly the private commercial
ones are forthcoming. Most importantly, it would help GOB leverage scarce resources to
maximum advantage and also the corporatized BPDB play a more integrated and meaning
role in the development of power sector.
Under the program, Government and donor funds (multilateral and bilateral) would be
provided as a credit to the HoldCo which would be placed in the proposed Power Sector
Investment Funding Program (PSIFP). The FFU of the HoldCo or the HoldCo will be/have
the institutional mechanism to manage the PSIFP as per the laid out corporate policies and
strict commercial principles. The HoldCo would place loans from PSIFP to eligible
projects from the subsidiaries, on the basis of terms to be determined. The FFU of the
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
I: Proposed Sector Funding Modalities. . .
Basically, three options are suggested here to structure the PSIFP. It has been clarified by
the Ministry of Finance that the Fund itself can be maintained as an account in the
Bangladesh Bank (BB) without having to be a part of the Government's Consolidated
Fund. Thus the PSIFP would be established as a Special Purpose Fund, through which
donor funds would be accounted for and into which loan repayments would be received. It
is recognized that due to the difference in the borrowing rates of GOB from donors, and the
lending rates from the PSIFP (which would be close to long term market lending rates) and
the difference in the maturity of loans between donor/GOB and GOB/HoldCo, the PSIFP
would accumulate a substantial build-up of funds. These would be employed to lend for
other new power projects, as they materialize, thereby ensuring sustainability and future
expansion of such financing. Once established, the Steering Committee would represent
GOB's interest in making decisions about strategic placement of PSIFP funds for candidate
projects. On the other hand, the HoldCo Board should have a clear mandate to apply
commercial principles for choosing investments and make independent decisions.
Government's involvement in investment decision making by the Steering Committee
should be minimized, as it may create a risk of noncommercial decisions and detract from
timely response. Therefore, all operational and institutional implementation shall be
handled/decided by the ‘Board’ of the Holding Company (HoldCo).
Donors GOB/PSIFP
Steering
Committee
Repayments Fund -overseeing function
HOLDCo
(PSIDF) BOARD
Approvals
Loan disbursement & Recommendations
and Control
Repayment
SubCos FFU
& Projects
Project reappraisal &
Monitoring
Negotiation & Agreement I-4
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
I: Proposed Sector Funding Modalities. . .
The FFU of the HoldCo has to perform several critical functions. Besides being the
interface institution between the HoldCo and the subsidiary companies, it needs to have the
capacity and expertise to reexamine/reappraise and negotiate investment funding proposals
from the subsidiary companies and other entities, particularly in the form of projects. The
current BPDB structure has experience of project appraisal and management in line with
Government criteria and guidelines. But the HoldCo would need to sharpen that expertise
and would also need to understand and adopt more professional approach, market
perspective and commercial criteria in managing the fund of the PSIFP. This may require
some training and technical assistance as well, once the fund is structured and established.
As a matter of fact, it may require a high degree of technical, financial and legal acumen to
be performed effectively. Since HoldCo and PSIFP is the lender to the subsidiary/project, it
is in its interest need to ensure that the FFU has the capacity and skills necessary to carry
out these tasks diligently and make sound recommendations to be placed to the Board on
financing/loan proposals. The Manager and staff of the FFU of the HoldCo should have
experience with non-recourse lending for power projects, the ability to participate with
other leading international lenders in project appraisal and loan negotiations, and have a
sound understanding of international procurement practices and standards.
The FFU will necessarily be small; a Manager supported by maximum 5-6 professionals
command in the financial community, definitely domestic but also preferably international.
Although it would be empowered to engage short-term consultants for more specialized
work if specific purposes/projects require so, it would normally be expected that FFU
should be able to marshal these within itself and also obtain such expertise from the
institutional capacity of the HoldCo.
Under this option, the Fund and the FFU are both housed in the incorporated BPDB-the
Holding Company. The company may be wholly or partially owned by the Government
and manage the PSIFP. The fund utilization, financing and placement and other
management decisions of the Company will be made by the Company's Board of Directors.
It would be overseen and strategically guided by the Steering Committee. In order to be
effective, the Board should have a two Government representation, one is the line
Ministry-the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the other is the Ministry of
Finance. It should be vested with the necessary autonomy and authority to make fund
utilization and placement decisions, without having to refer the recommendations to GOB
for review and final approval. This is necessary to ensure that decisions are not delayed and
are taken only on the basis of corporate and commercial principles. It would also ensure
that GOB does not have to spend resources in carrying out a review of the appraisal already
done by the FFU. The Board will appoint a General Manager, experts and staff at the FFU
to appraise, negotiate and monitor financing proposal and projects and generally facilitate
financing as per the given guidelines. The General Manager of the FFU should ideally be a
professional investment banker, with international project finance experience. Quality and
expertise of the GM and his staff will be ensured if an international recruitment is carried
out and the HoldCo is authorized to pay competitive private sector salaries. It has been
indicated that it is difficult to introduce these arrangements for a Government Company.
Subject to the HoldCo being able to secure such arrangements on service conditions and
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
I: Proposed Sector Funding Modalities. . .
salaries, the principal advantages of this option would be professional management of the
Fund and the creation of expertise and capacity over time.
GOB-PSIFP
& Steering Committee
Charter and
Capital/Endowment
Decisions,
Fund/Financing Interface, Appraisal,
Monitoring
SUBSIDIARY
COMPANY/PROJECTS/
FINANCING
Under this option, the PSIFP is placed as an off-balance sheet account in the Bangladesh
Bank, the fund will be managed by a specialized unit set up within the Bangladesh Bank,
with a separate Fund Manager newly appointed or seconded staff. The Fund Manager
should ideally be a professional investment banker, with international project finance
experience. The Bangladesh Bank will just administer the fund on the basis of the
recommendation of the Board of the holding company. The FFU of the HoldCo will do
appraisal, negotiation and monitor financing proposals, projects and generally facilitate
financing for the subsidiary sponsored projects. The Bangladesh Bank will make the
placement on the recommendation of the HoldCo.
The Bangladesh Bank will be allowed a small percentage spread on the on-lending rate to
pay for its services and take placement and disbursement responsibility. The principal
advantages of the arrangement are professional management of the Fund and at the same
time confidence that fund are secured and well administered provided the personnel at the
FFU and the Central Bank are chosen carefully.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
I: Proposed Sector Funding Modalities. . .
GOB-PSIFP
&Steering
Charter/ Committee
BANGLADESH BANK PSIFP
Capital/
ADMINISTRATION AND
Endowment
DISBURSEMENT
Interface,
Appraisal,
Decisions Monitoring
SUBSIDIARY
COMPANY/PRO Funding
Under this option, a number of commercial banks will be contracted to manage the Fund
by GOB, on a fee plus incentive basis. Selection of the bank would be dictated by the
relative financial strength and standing of available banks, and may require detailed
assessment of a number of banks short-listed for this purpose. The selection of the agent
banks will be made by the Bangladesh Bank through competitive solicitation. However, to
ensure that the Bank exercises due diligence in placing PSIFP funds as loans on HoldCo’s
recommendations to its subsidiaries, there could be a stipulation that it also cofinance a
percentage of each sub-loan placed, from its own resources (say 20% of the loan, subject to
a ceiling). By stipulating this financial stake, Steering Committee of the PSIFP would
ensure that there are appropriate incentives for the participating Bank (s) to be more
responsible in making loan/fund placement and compensated appropriately. This will be
incentives to the agent bank(s) to exercise due diligence through the deployment of its own
funds in conjunction with the PSIFP.
The FFU as well as the Agent Banks jointly undertake reappraisal of the project or funding
proposal, negotiate and monitor and generally facilitate financing. The FFU will also
manage and maintain the individual sub-loan accounts and effect transfers of principal
repayments and interest to the PSIFP main account of the Government. The oversight of
the FFU and loan placement decisions will be taken by a HoldCo Board under the general
and strategic guidance of the Steering Committee. The Agent Banks will periodically
report to the HoldCo Board and Bangladesh Bank about the status of the utilization of the
PSIFP funds and make demand for further replenishment which will in turn be decided in
the Steering Committee with appropriate recommendation of the HoldCo Board.
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I: Proposed Sector Funding Modalities. . .
The Agent Bank's compliance record in guarding against potential conflicts of interest will
be an issue to be considered, e.g., if the principal lending arm of the Agent were to
participate in senior debt and/or equity financing of a subsidiary company which is also
applying for PSIFP funding. Strict standards and compliance requirements in this respect
would be prescribed as part of the solicitation. The principal advantages of the arrangement
are competitive and professional management of the Fund, incentives to banks to manage
the fund through the fee and commission structure, and the ability to avoid creating or
perpetuating of new government institution. Furthermore, the prospect of independent and
fully commercial management of the Fund will provide comfort to potential applicants.
The option also has the advantage that a wide range of staff expertise will be available
from the parent institution of the Agent Bank.
However, given the generally weak state of the financial sector, the problems with DFIs
and the need for tailoring management arrangements in existing institutions to the
requirements of the PSIFP, this may not be a highly preferred option.
GOB-PSIFP Bangladesh
&Steering Bank
Charter/
Capital/ Committee
Endowment
Contract
The four parties involved in the Program, namely Government, Donor(s), HoldCo and the
Subsidiary Companies will be governed by the following legal relationships:
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I: Proposed Sector Funding Modalities. . .
(b) The HoldCo-Subsidiary relationship. Once sub-projects have been approved for
financial support from the PSIFP, the necessary funds will be made available to the sub-
project borrowers by the HoldCo, on behalf of the Government/PSIFP, pursuant to
standard sub-loan documentation).
Administration
Agreement
Holding
Company
Decision Making
function
Audit
Committee
Administrative Management
function function
FFU
Fund
Operations
Subsidiary/
Sub-project
Borrowers
The overall supervision and implementation of the proposed Power Sector Investment
Funding Program will be done by a Steering Committee to be set up in the MPEMR. The
Steering Committee will provide strategic guide line to the Holding Company for
implementation of the Funding Program keeping in view the Government policy, road
map and sectoral development milestones. The Holding Company Board will devise
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I: Proposed Sector Funding Modalities. . .
corporate policy and procedure for efficient utilization of the funding and in line with
that the Fund Facilitation Unit (FFU) of the HoldCo will conduct the operation of the
fund and funding but primarily on the basis of commercial criteria and sound analysis,
judgments and monitoring.
The HoldCo Board could have sufficient representation from the Government and
constituted in a way so that it is empowered to make decisions without a need to refer the
recommendations to GOB for review and final approval. This is necessary to ensure that
decisions are not delayed and are taken only on the basis of commercial principles.
Under the PSIDF, the Government will make available very large sums of money to
finance large power projects. It is important that adequate safeguards exist to ensure the
proper and efficient deployment of these funds. It is to be noted that the sub-projects
considered by the HoldCo for financing would have already been evaluated by the
Government during the Power Sector Program (PSP) development process. That is, on the
basis of ten year corporate investment plan entailing potential projects, the Power Sector
Program (PSP) will be developed and PSIFP will be designed with the one time but final
appraisal, programming and approval of the Finance Division/Ministry of Finance and the
Planning Commission under the concept of Sector Wide Management (SWM) as was done
in the case of Health and Population Sector Program (HPSP) for the five year period from
1997 to 2001. Thus candidate sub-projects would have received Government approval for
implementation, before the HoldCom is asked to make a determination on its suitability for
financing.
The proposed PSIFP amount will be made available to the HoldCo on a 10 year term, with
a 5 year grace period. The funds required for approved sub-projects will be made available
by the HoldCo to subsidiary companies at prevailing market rates of interest and on terms
of between 12-15 years maturity, with a maximum grace period of 5 years.
Repayment of principal and interest amounts on sub-loans will be made by the sub-project
borrowers to the HoldCo. Where foreign currency loans will be involved, payment will be
in Taka equivalents of the currency in which the loan was made and on the basis of the
exchange rate prevailing on the repayment date. In this way, the foreign exchange risk on
all sub-project loans will be borne by the HoldCo and will be paid into a “Collection
Account”. For the Donor assistance component, the interest element of such repayments
will consist of the service charge on bi-lateral or multi-lateral credit and the spread between
that service charge and the applicable sub-project lending rate. The principal and interest to
be applied in repayment of the Donor loan will be paid out from the Company’s
“Collection Account” into a Government account with the Bangladesh Bank, and repaid to
Donor as per normal practice. The balance of funds in the “Collection Account” less funds
required for the operational activities of the HoldCo, will be transferred to the Fund. Such
moneys will be administered by the HoldCo and will be made available for new sub-
I-10
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
I: Proposed Sector Funding Modalities. . .
projects in the same way as the original money supplied by the PSIFP was administered,
i.e., in accordance with the terms of the Administration Agreement. Thus the HoldCo will
not carry any loan funds on its books. It will not retain any earnings received in the form of
fees or transfers from the interest spread in excess of its own operational requirements and
would thus function on a no-profit basis.
The proposed structure for the PSIFP incorporates the following further safeguards. First,
the Board of the HoldCom will include both public and private sector representatives, and
independent experts. Second, all utilization of fund will be audited by an independent
Audit Committee. Third, it should be emphasized that on a case by case basis the PSIFP
will provide 80 to 90 percent of total financing package. A 10 to 20 percent of financing
will be provided by international and domestic commercial banks and other financiers
involved – all of who may be expected to carry out their own diligence – which will be as
thorough, if not more so than that of the FFU. Thus, projects that fail the market test of
financial viability will not come to fruition at all. Finally, the Fund Manger at the FFU will
be carefully selected and monitored by the Company and will be subjected to a
performance-based contract, which should also ensure that sub-projects are properly
structured and implemented so as to avoid any risk to the Government.
On the proposed PSIFP some discussions were made with high officials of relevant
Ministries and agencies to gather views regarding the practicality and Government position
about the scheme. The general view has been found mixed, however, detailed description
of the nature and operation of the proposed PSIFP scheme and mechanism elicited mostly
positive views of the officials in those institutions. The brief account of the gathered view
comes as under.
The Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resource (MPEMR): Such proposal and
approach of Sector Wide Management (SWM) would be regarded new and thus would
require extensive analysis and trial phase of implementation before putting into for full-
fledged under the proposed 5 or 10 investment funding program. The proposal of
constituting a Steering Committee with strategic responsibility has received acceptance and
has been reiterated for two aspects: (a) balanced representation; and (b) regular
functioning, with some required technical assistance.
Planning Commission (PC): Planning Commission in the past did approve such Sector
Wide Program, that is, for the health sector under a five year program named Health and
Population Sector Program (HPSP), and it was a single final approval by the Planning
Commission for a five financing outlay. It was a program instead of hundred specific
projects but the Ministry of Health and Family was mainly responsible for implementation
of the program (HPSP) through evaluation and approval of annual operational plan form
I-11
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
I: Proposed Sector Funding Modalities. . .
line designated line directors. The proposed PSIFP may be a program but should consist of
annual program to be reviewed and approved by the line ministry, here the Power Division
of the MPEMR.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
APPENDIX J: CURRENT BPDB SUBSIDIARY IT SYSTEMS
It contain information on sale, import of electricity, sale and system loss, Collection/Import
ratio, Collection/bill ratio, receivable, receivable by equivalent month. Information provided
in the report provides a good basis for performance monitoring and timely measures for
improvement. Spread sheet is used to prepare the consolidate report on commercial
operation and statistics Two of its officer ranks Asstt. Engineer level is entrusted to
monitor computerized billing activities performed by contractors.
West Zone floated a tender for integrated Information Management during year 2004
however the tender process was abandoned later at year 2005.
Recently they are developing a fresh requirement list for computerization of its activity.
Presently it uses Tally an off the shelve software at head office level for preparation of
Accounts. At fields office Accosting data’s are manually prepared.
It prepares commercial statements using spread sheet detailing import, sale, system loss,
receivable Collection/input ratio etc.
WZPDCL
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
J: Current BPDB Subsidiary IT Systems. . .
7. Payroll Manual
PGCB maintains a SCADA system. Though this SCADA it supervises and control
transmission and analyses technical data.
PGCB has recently procured an off the shelve Software ‘Open sesame’ and maintain
General Ledger, Asset, Receivable management and supplier management.
Implementation of store management system using open Sesame is at initiation stage.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
J: Current BPDB Subsidiary IT Systems. . .
Spread sheet based budget, payroll is maintained. They do not have any dedicated IT
manpower except a network engineer.
Maintain Manual Register at Grid Substation for recording and follow up of Maintenance.
Load dispatch center of PGCB collects and prepare daily generation data from all
generation plants under National Grid, data, includes fuel uses, load shedding, maximum
demand information etc. They prepare formatted report using spread sheet. The report
contains daily energy curve, daily load curve etc.
The Company is listed on the stock exchange and it prepares report as per the guideline
of Security and Exchange Commission.
PGCB also prepares reports on maximum and minimum voltage in some selected
substation.
PGCB’s main source of revenue is wheeling charge through its transmission line.
Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh Ltd. (EGCB) has been formed as on out
come of Power Sector Reform.
At presents information system are not computerized, except it has introduced accounting
software ‘Nikash’ for general ledger.
EGCB
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
J: Current BPDB Subsidiary IT Systems. . .
7. Payroll Manual
APSCL operates as a subsidiary of BPDB. Recording and reporting system exists are
register based and manual, except it started using “Tally” an off the shelve accounting
software for preparation of accounts data i.e. General Ledger.
Recently in order to benefit from information technology it has recruited a Deputy Manager
entrusted to assess and priorities introduction of IT.
APSCL has started processing of official approval for computerization of its store
transaction and do a physical verification of stock.
Reports are prepared using spreadsheet main reports are on Daily Generation containing
Fuel use, auxiliary use, Type of Fuel, Energy export to grid.
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Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
J: Current BPDB Subsidiary IT Systems. . .
APSCL
7. Payroll Manual
J-5
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
APPENDIX K: SAMPLE MIS REPORTING FORMATS
MWh………………………………………………………………………
MWh………………………………………………………………………
MWh………………………………………………………………………...
MTk………………………………………………………………………
MTk………………………………………………………………………
MTk……………………………………………………………………….
%................................................................................................
%…………………………………………………………………………
Hours……………………………………………………………………….
Hours………………………………………………………………………….
No.……………………………………………………………………….
GWh………………………………………………………………………….
K-1
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
K: Sample MIS Reporting Formats. . .
MKWh……………………………………………………………………
MKWh……………………………………………………………………
MKWh……………………………………………………………….......
MTk ……………………………………………………………………….
MTk ……………………………………………………………………
MTk ..............................................................................................
Hours/No…………………………………………………………………….
No …………………………………………………………………
Circuit-km/empl………………………………………………………
MVA/empl.…………………………………………………………………
K-2
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08
K: Sample MIS Reporting Formats. . .
MTk …………………………………………………………………
MTk …………………………………………………………………
Distribution &
Commercial Loss Month Target % YTD Target %
% …………………………………………………………………
% …………………………………………………………………
MTk …………………………………………………………………
Hours/No…………………………………………………………………
No …………………………………………………………………
No …………………………………………………………………
No …………………………………………………………………
Consumers/
Employees Month Target % YTD Target %
No …………………………………………………………………
K-3
Government of Bangladesh / ADB 1/8/08