Support to the Secretariat of the Investment Council of Moldova

Location:Moldova

Business sector:Other

Project number:75879

Funding source:UKCG - UK Investment Climate and Governance Fund

Contract type:Consultancy Services

Notice type:Invitation for expressions of interest (CSU)

Issue date:14 Nov 2018

Closing date:05 Dec 2018   at  18:00   London

Single Stage Open Competitive Selection

Project Description:

The Investment Climate and Governance Initiative (ICGI) was launched by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the EBRD or the Bank) in 2014 to enhance the Bank’s support for improvements to the investment climate and governance in its countries of operations. This is an area in which EBRD has demonstrated it can maximize its value-added and transition impact. The Bank’s private sector-oriented operational framework and enhanced policy dialogue in support of institutional reform can play a pivotal role in unlocking the economic potential in its countries of operations.

The Bank mobilizes donor funds to the Secretariats of the Investment Councils it supports, independent professional secretariats that identify constraints and help to broker solutions. Evidence provided by their annual reports suggests that the ICs can play an important role in providing a platform that brings government policymakers and business representatives together to address obstacles in the business environment.

In this regard, the overall objective of the Economic Council to the Prime Minister of Moldova is to improve the competitiveness of the Moldovan private sector and help it benefit to the maximum extent possible from the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement signed between Moldova and the European Union, and to bring a significant and visible improvement in the ease of doing business in Moldova by promoting business climate reforms crucial for economic growth and sustainable job creation.

The main task of the Secretariat of the Economic Council to the Prime Minister of Moldova is to support the activity of the Economic Council which promotes public-private sector dialogue to improve the business environment, eliminate major constraints to private sector development, ensure a clear, well-functioning, non-discriminatory and transparent regulatory framework, improve the quality of public services for the business sector, cut red tape and bureaucracy and minimize the risk of corruption.

Assignment Description:

Against this background, the EBRD now intends to select an. Business regulatory reform Expert (the Consultant or Expert) to be based in Chisinau, Moldova. The objective of this assignment is to strengthen the capacity of the Secretariat of the Economic Council in framing, designing and advocating the regulatory reforms aimed to improve business environment and ease of doing business in the country. The Secretariat of the Economic Council under the Prime Minister of Moldova is also responsible for coordinating the activities of several working/thematic groups.

The selected Business regulatory reform Expert shall provide, inter alia, professional advice and expertise in advocating business regulatory reforms in relations with the Parliament of Moldova, and serve as a liaison person in relationships with members of the Parliament, parliamentary standing committees and the parliamentary working groups.

The selected Consultant is expected to provide the following services:

1. Review economic / business implications of the legislation in the area of private sector and make recommendations to improve the business climate and foster investment;

2. Support the Head of the Secretariat in identifying key impediments to investment by local and foreign enterprises and the main drivers and agents for change;

3. In collaboration with Economic Council’s members, suggest and participate in preparing the agenda to be discussed at EC’s meetings and its working groups;

4. Identify upcoming pieces of legislation related to business climate and stimulate preparation of comments from public and private sector in the context of the EC working groups meetings;

5. Seek inputs from relevant authorities/bodies, the private sector, as well as IFIs and other donor organizations;

6. Advocate for the reforms/legislative initiatives proposed by the Economic Council to the PM, at different formats within the Parliament of Moldova, liaise with standing parliamentary committees and parliamentary working groups;

7. Play an important role in facilitating the process of promotion of the proposed regulatory reforms / initiatives by the Parliament of Moldova;

8. Support the Head of the Secretariat to manage the day-to-day operations of the Council;

9. Assist in preparing minutes of the EC meetings and, based on the recommendation of the EC, identify areas to be addressed and create working group for these areas;

10. Deliver presentations of conclusions and recommendations of the Economic Council and/or its working groups to relevant Government / Parliament bodies, private sector representatives and the Bank and other IFI and international organizations;

11. Help in summarizing the achievements of the Secretariat in quarterly reports to the Bank;

12. Draft annual reports for the Head of the Secretariat summarizing the achievements, lessons learned, future plans etc.;

Full Terms of Reference (TOR) of the Assignment can be found at the following link:

http://www.ebrd.com/documents/procurement/tor-75879.pdf

Consultant Selection Procedure: Single stage open competitive selection. Interested individuals are invited to submit a Technical Proposal and a Financial Proposal in the manner described in the submission requirements.

Assignment Start Date and Duration: The Assignment is expected to start in mid-December 2018 and has an estimated initial duration of 12 months (until mid-December 2019), subject to extension.

Cost Estimate for the Assignment: EUR 27,300.00 for the entire duration of 12 months, inclusive of all fees and reimbursable expenses (exclusive of VAT).

Subject to availability of funding, the performance of the selected Consultant and the business needs, the Assignment may be extended beyond the current scope.

Funding Source: It is anticipated that the contract will be financed by EBRD-UK Investment Climate and Governance Fund. Selection and contracting are subject to the availability of funding.

Eligibility: There are no eligibility restrictions based on the consultant's country of origin.

Consultant Profile: Individual services are required. The successful individual should have the following:

- University degree (Master’s Degree or higher) in Law, Economics, Business Administration or related field;

- At least 3 years of relevant work experience in elaborating policy papers, business-related regulations of primary and secondary legislation and amendments to the legislation;

- Expertise and experience of interactions with senior officials in Government and Parliament (members, committees etc.), business and donors and international communities;

- Good understanding of the economic reforms in the Republic of Moldova;

- Analytical skills, with the ability to interpret and report on complex issues;

- Ability to organize, prioritize and work with multiple stakeholders under the pressure of deadlines.

- Strong presentation, communication and teamwork skills.

- Fluency in written and spoken Romanian and English is essential. Fluency in Russian is desirable.

Submission Requirements: The consultants are now invited to submit a completed Technical and Financial Proposal as per the standard templates and instructions available at this link. Interested Consultants should make themselves familiar with these Standard Templates, Standard Instructions and Conditions of Contract in preparation of their proposals.

1. The Technical Proposal shall be submitted in English electronically via eSelection not later than the Closing Date, as one single PDF file.

2. The Financial Proposal (Form 2 – FP 1 and FP2) shall be submitted in English separately by email only to the Bank Contact Person. Financial proposal should ONLY indicate the Key Experts’ Daily Fee Rate in EUR. Consultants are reminded of the requirement to ensure the confidentiality of the Financial Proposals.

A Technical Proposal that contains elements of a financial proposal shall be declared non-responsive. A Financial proposal submitted together with the technical proposals via eSelection shall be declared non-responsive.

Bank Contact Person:

Sanda Jugo
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
One Exchange Square
London EC2A 2JN
e-mail: jugos@ebrd.com

For the avoidance of doubt, technical proposals should be sent through eSelection and NOT to this email address. Financial proposals should be sent to this email address and NOT through eSelection.

Deadline to Submit Clarification Questions: Via e-mail to the Bank Contact Person by 28/11/2018

Selection Method and Evaluation Criteria:

1. Technical Proposal Evaluation Criteria

(a) Expert’s previous experience in elaborating policy papers, business-related regulations of primary and secondary legislation and amendments to the legislation; (20%),

(b) Expert’s experience of interactions with senior officials in Government and Parliament (members, committees etc.), business and donors and international communities (20%)

(c) Expert’s education (15%)

(d) Quality of the brief technical proposal (30%)

(e) Fluency in Romanian, English, Russian (15%)

Interviews

Following the evaluation of technical proposals received based on the criteria above, up to five (5) highest-ranked consultants will be invited to attend an interview.

The Bank will consult with the consultant regarding the format (e.g. Skype call, meeting, conference call, etc.) and date of the interview at the time of the invitation. Please note that all and any costs incurred by the Consultant in connection with attendance to interviews will not reimbursed by the Bank.

The weights given to the Technical (T) and Interview (I) evaluation are:

T = 70, and

I = 30

Submissions will be ranked according to their combined technical (St) and interview (Si) scores using the weights (T=the weight given to the Technical; I = the weight given to the Interview; T+I=1) as following: Sti=St x T% + Si x I%.

The minimum combined technical and interview score (Sti) required to pass is 70.

2. Opening of Financial Proposals

After the technical evaluation is completed, only the submissions which score 70 or above of the total marks available for the technical criteria will be eligible to have their financial proposals opened.

3. Combined Technical and Financial Evaluation

The lowest evaluated Financial Proposal (Fm) is given the maximum financial score (Sf) of 100. The formula for determining the financial scores (Sf) of all other Proposals is calculated as follows:

Sf = 100 x Fm/ F, in which “Sf” is the financial score, “Fm” is the lowest evaluated Financial Proposal, and “F” the price of the Proposal under consideration.

Proposals are then ranked according to their combined technical (Sti) and financial (Sf) scores using the weights (T = 80; F = 20) T + F = 100 as follows: S = Sti x T% + Sf x F%.

Important Notes:

1. The proposal validity period is 120 days from the deadline date for the receipt of submissions. During this period, the Consultant shall maintain its original Proposal without any change, including the availability of the Experts, the proposed rates and the total price.

2. The selection will be made from the Proposals received in response to this notification only, on the basis of the submission requirements and selection criteria set out in this Procurement Notice. The highest-ranked Consultant will be selected and invited to negotiate the contract, subject to availability of funding.

3. Any updates of and clarifications on this procurement notice shall be announced as updates on this notice, without any other notification. In the event of changes consultants will need to download the updated versions. Consultants are required to periodically check the notice for updates. Failure to take the updates into account while preparing the Proposal may result in disqualification or penalties to the scores in the evaluation.