Moldova - P144103 - MD Second Competitiveness Enhancement Project - MD-CEP-124837-CS-CQS

Country: Moldova

Project Id: P144103

Project Name: MD Second Competitiveness Enhancement Project

Loan/Credit/TF Info.: IDA-55090

Notice Version No.: 0

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REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES)

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
Sector: General industry and trade sector
Project ID Number: P144103
Expression of interest: MD-CEP-124837-CS-CQS

Title of Assignment: “Tourism Market Segmentation and Marketing Journey profiling”

The Republic of Moldova has received financing from the International Development Association and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for implementation of the Second Competitiveness Enhancement Project (CEP). The project's development objective (PDO) is to increase the export competitiveness of Moldovan enterprises and decrease the regulatory burden they face. This PDO will be achieved through a set of measures that aim to: (i) improve the business environment through regulatory reforms that reduce the cost of doing business; (ii) help SMEs and exporters to get access to business development services; and (iii) improve access to medium and long term finance for export oriented enterprises.

The project consists of the following three components:

Component 1: Regulatory Reform

The objective of the Regulatory Reform component is to support Government of Moldova (GoM) in improving the business-enabling environment in Moldova, and specifically in implementing its regulatory reform strategies over the next five years.

Component 2: Small and Medium Enterprise Development

The objective of the SME Development component is to strengthen Moldovan SMEs’ linkages to markets and ability to compete in those markets through:

Sub-component 2A. Strengthening the institutional capacity of the Organization for SMEs’ Enterprise Sector Development (ODIMM) and Moldovan Investment and Export Promotion Organization (MIEPO), so that they can play a more effective role in facilitating market-based SME growth and

Sub-component 2B. Providing matching grants to SMEs to implement business improvement projects focused on export competitiveness.

Component 3: Access to Finance

The objective of the Access to Finance component is to improve access to medium and long-term finance for export-oriented enterprises, reduce barriers to finance due to perceived high credit risk in SME finance and high collateral requirements, and promote suitable models for value chain financing.

Context of export-led growth for Moldova

A key challenge facing the Government of Moldova is the need to promote economic growth and job creation based on robust private sector activity, exports and enhanced investment. In this regard, an improved business environment is essential for stimulating sustained private sector growth and consequently a favorable business climate for local and foreign investors. The core instruments to reach these priorities are efficient policies of investment attraction and export development. The sustainable economic growth of the country is possible only by the implementation of coordinated and pro-active incentive policies in the field of export development and investment activity.

In accordance with its development agenda, the Government wants to steer the economy towards export-oriented production activities and better exploit the country’s potential as a natural transit point between the East and West.

An important element of the country economic development and growth is tourism, which stimulates trade, income and entrepreneurship especially in small business sectors, increases regional development particularly in rural areas and generates greater collection of taxes and revenues and promotes cultural awareness and also helps to preserve local culture and traditions. Tourism industry is important for the benefits it brings and due to its role as an activity that creates demand and growth for almost 23 connected industries.

The Government of Moldova is seeking the services of a professional consultancy firm (Consultant) with experience in research and strategy creation, market segmentation, tourism marketing and value chain analysis, to support the Investment Agency of Moldova to identify, prioritize and describe the outbound market segments that have the most potential for growth for tourism to Moldova, as well as apply targeted approach for investment attraction to develop long term the sector.

The global COVID-19 pandemic situation that dramatically has restricted/closed the international borders and the State of Emergency declared by the Government of the Republic of Moldova, which restricted certain activities and fully stopped the tourism & HoReCa activities, affected unprecedently the sector. Due to a global countries’ lockdown, eventual fall down of low-cost air companies, among many reshapes in the socio-economic field, including lost of jobs in the SME’s, the current market research will have a crucial role to make the after-pandemic radiography of the sector in connection to the assignment, becoming first source of reference for after-pandemic recovery.

Objectives of the Assignment

The objective is to fill a knowledge gap around the nature of tourist demand, including current demand, forecasted demand for existing source-markets, and untapped demand from markets that are not currently visiting the country and the interventions that would be needed to tap into these demands.

The Consultant should examine markets in the following categories:

Existing markets that are already visiting Moldova, both dominate and emerging; and

Outbound markets that are not visiting Moldova but could be enticed to visit given adequate interventions.

Interventions should specifically examine policy changes, marketing and promotional activities, product development, locations with potential to satisfy the demand, if investment offered, service improvements and skills developments required to grow tourism from key markets.

The Project Implementation Unit of the World Bank Competitiveness Enhancement Project now invites eligible consultant firms to indicate their interest in providing the services. At least one firm should have core capabilities in consumer market research beyond Moldova (we are looking for a more international experience) and one firm has core capabilities in tourism development beyond Moldova (we are looking for a more international experience).  Interested consultants must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, CVs of the key staff to be involved in the assignment, etc.). This Request for Expression of Interest will lead to the preparation of a Short List of consultants. For evaluation of the expressions of interest for this assignment, the following evaluation criteria will be applied by the Evaluation Committee:

The Consultant will be selected on the basis of its qualifications for the assignment (Selection based on Consultants Qualifications) in accordance with the procedures set out in the World Bank’s Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers, published in January 2011.

The assignment will be implemented during a nine months period tentatively from July 01 2020 to March 31, 2021 or any other period depending on the evolution of pandemic situation. The assignment will require an estimated level of effort of approximately 200 man-days.

The Consultant will act under the supervision of and shall coordinate the progress status with the Investment Agency and the PIU.

Interested consultants may obtain further information at the address below during office hours from 09:00 to17:00 hours (Chisinau time).

Expressions of interest must be delivered to the address below or electronically not later than May 27, 2020.

Project Implementation Unit of the World Bank Competitiveness Enhancement Project

180, Stefan cel Mare Avenue, office 813, MD-2004, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova

Tel:  + 373 22 296723;  e-mail: [email protected]