1. BACKGROUND
1.1 Rationale
Starting January 2021, the “Local Civil Society Contributes to Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Development in Moldova” project has been launched. The initiative is funded by the European Union and co-funded by Sweden and is jointly implemented by East Europe Foundation, European Business Association and CONTACT Center.
The aim of the project is to empower vulnerable women and men to exploit sustainable economic opportunities, reap the benefits provided by the AA/DCFTA and to be better prepared to manage economic risks (such as Covid-19 pandemic) through active society engagement.
The project provides support to regional businesses through development of the policy analysis aimed to advance the access to opportunities offered by the AA/DCFTA and comprising concreate solutions on issues/legal provisions that significantly affect trade and entrepreneurial activity in Moldova. Also, within the project, regional SMEs will benefit from practical webinars on accessing EU markets, EU know-how and COVID issues.
2. ASSIGNMENT
EBA Moldova is seeking expert/experts (legal entity or individuals) in three areas of interest:
1. Development of the policy analysis and position papers in various areas related to the improvement of the business climate and proper implementation of the AA/DCFTA;
2. Delivery of the practical webinars / coaching sessions for regional SMEs and business community on accessing the EU market, especially under the Covid-19 and post Covid-19 environment;
For the completion of the assignment the following activities/tasks can be undertaken by the expert/experts, but not limited to that:
- Identification of the needs expressed by the businesses;
- Examination of the international/European experience, including EU acquis and international best practices;
- Participation at the B2G discussions;
- Elaboration of position papers and policy analysis on the topics mentioned below during the assignment implementation period;
- Participation at the consultation of the position papers/policy analysis with relevant interested stakeholders.
1. The expert/expertsresponsible for the development of the Policy analysis and Position papers when drafting these documents will consider the PPD dialog and Government policy agenda related to AA/DCFTA implementation, covering the topics below - but not limited to that:
- Proper ensuring of the regulatory framework in the field of internal trade law, fair competition, permissive acts and state control, GDPR, AML, etc.;
- Trade in goods and market access (export of animal origin products, approximation of the conformity assessment, import checks and inspection fees and improvement of food safety legislation, customs procedures, etc.);
- Trade in service and electronic commerce, including financial services and digitization;
- Improvement of the education system through updating the education curricula, promotion of the lifelong learning programs, development of the financial formula for secondary and tertiary institutions, other related issues;
- Sustainable development (waste management related provisions);
- Fiscal issues related to DCFTA implementation;
- Labor related improvements.
2. The expert/experts responsible for the delivery of Practical Webinars/Coaching sessions for SMEs will have experience in:
- Digital marketing and visibility;
- E-commerce platforms;
- Sales, digital sales;
- Communication with international supply chains, requirements set by the chains;
- Partnership in EU;
- Food safety rules/Customs procedures;
- Labor related/HR solutions
- Increase of company visibility (website, advert/promo video spots);
- Business plan development;
- Quality infrastructure systems;
- Other support requested by the company.
The expert/experts must keep evidence in written form of each coaching session and as well, will provide a final report on coaching sessions.
3. SELECTION CRITERIA
- Experience of the expert(s)/legal entity in relevant fields;
- The requested price for services, in accordance with the area of interest:
1. Price per day for development of position papers and policy analysis;
2. Price per day for webinars/coaching delivery, including materials development and delivery of the sessions;
4. APPLICATION PROCEDURE
- The applicant (individual/legal entity) may apply for more than one specific area;
- To qualify the applicant (individual/legal entity) should submit the following documents:
- CV / company profile reflecting the relevant experience of the applicant with at least 3 references;
- Examples of previous assignments performed by the applicant if applicable;
- Short vision of achieving the task, including the number of days needed to deliver a specific assignment;
- Financial offer in EUR (for legal entities / day rate in EUR, by clearly mentioning the price with and without VAT; for individuals - NET amount will be indicated.
5. DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT
The services will be provided in the period from March 2023 to May 2024.
6. REQUIREMENTS TOWARDS QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Proposed experts are expected to meet the following requirements cumulatively:
- Relevant education in the main area of specialization;
- At least 5 years of relevant work experience in the area of specialization;
- Experience in planning and conducting of online training is an asset
7. SUBMISSION
The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2023. The application should be sent to the e-mail address: info@eba.md , defining clearly for what type of services is applying. All questions regarding this task shall be addressed in written to Ion Cebanu, Project Assistant, at ion.cebanu@eba.md . Only selected candidates will be contacted. Incomplete applications will not be considered.