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National Consultant to produce a guidebook for exporters from the Transnistrian region to the EU.

Vacancy Number: Pr19/01801

Location:	Chisinau, Moldova
Application Deadline:	31 Mar 2019, 23:59 (GMT+2:00)
Application Extended deadline:	14 Apr 2019, 23:59 (GMT+2:00)
Type of Contract:	Individual Contract
Starting date:	15 Apr 2019
Reference to the project:	Advanced Cross-river Capacities for Trade
Expected Duration of Assignment:	Up to 27 working days during April – September 2019
Submission Instructions: Proposals should be submitted online by pressing the "Apply Now" button no later than 31 March 2019. Requests for clarification only must be sent by standard electronic communication to the following e-mail: elena.olaru@undp.org. UNDP will respond by standard electronic mail and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.
Supporting Documents: Terms of Reference Individual Consultant Procurement Notice Personal History Form (P11) OFFEROR’S LETTER TO UNDP CONFIRMING INTEREST AND AVAILABILITY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTOR (IC) ASSIGNMENT UNDP General Conditions of Individual Contract

Ms. Elena Olaru.

Background

The “frozen conflict” situation in Transnistria, a region that accounts for one third of the country’s total industrial production and almost the entire energy production, has led to a decrease in living standard and its economy has not being able to fully benefit from the opportunities provided by the assistance offered to Moldova. For instance, the development opportunities offered by the Association Agreement, signed by Moldova with the EU, as well as the DCFTA arrangements, are significantly out of reach for the region’s economy. The Transnistria’s SME community, be it in traditional agricultural sector or in other emerging industries (IT, tourism, crafts), has the potential to grow, launch new products and services and export once they are ready. For the moment, most small and medium enterprises on the left bank are not ready to trade and so their share in the external regional trade is negligible.

The Project will facilitate cross-river cooperation and integration of exporters, will expand access of Transnistria enterprises (particularly SMEs), to export promotion mechanisms on the right bank, as well as provide tailored support and build necessary skills, taking into account specific needs of current and future exporters from the region.

The focus of the proposed initiative will be given to the SMEs as the development in the region is inseparably linked to this sector. As such it requires targeted investments in human capital development, lower costs for capital in the entire region, market intelligence aid and a support in marketing and promotion activities.

Scope of work

The overall objective of this assignment is to produce a guidebook for exporters from the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova to the EU by providing detailed necessary information regarding relevant legal and regulatory requirements to current and potential exporters from the left bank.

More specifically, the National Consultant will assess existing legal and regulatory framework related to exports to the European Union under Moldova-EU DCFTA as they apply to companies based in the Transnistrian region. This will be done by analyzing existing information and conducting relevant interviews The National Consultant will also assess availability of such information in Russian and based on the findings will draft a detailed guide in Russian for Transnistria-based exporters.

The Consultant's services will include, inter alia, a desk research, carrying out focus group meetings, interviews with companies from the left bank of the Nistru and the public presentation of the findings.

This is a part-time consultancy. The National Consultant will work under the direct supervision of and in cooperation with the UNDP Project Manager and project staff. The consultant will work outside the project premises and will participate in all assignments related working meetings organised by the project.

Requirements for experience

The consultant is expected to comply with the following qualification criteria:

I. Education:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) or Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of experience in Economics, Business Administration, Public Administration, Law or related areas. Additional training and certification in trade/DCFTA application is an asset.

II. Experience:

• Minimum 8 years of demonstrated experience in working in academic, research or public administration in the areas relevant to the assignment;
• Proven experience in conducting researches and drafting analytical reports.

III. Competencies:

• Good knowledge of Moldovan trade legal and regulatory framework;
• Understanding of Transnistria-specific aspects of operation of businesses;
• Good knowledge of the benefits of Moldova-EU DCFTA;
• Professional command of Russian, including excellent writing skills; fluency in Romanian; knowledge of English will be an asset;
• Ability to think creatively, and to draft in concise and comprehensive manner.

Personal qualities:

• Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills;
• Proven commitment to the core values of the United Nations;
• Responsibility, creativity, flexibility and punctuality.

All the costs related to carrying out the field research, interviews, needed travel and organization of focus group meetings, shall be borne by the Consultants and be included in the proposal.

The United Nations in Moldova is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non-citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply.

Documents to be included

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

1. Offeror’s letter to UNDP confirming interest and availability for the Individual Contractor (IC) assignment;
2. Proposal: explaining why they are the most suitable for the work and providing a list of relevant publications and a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work;
3. Personal CV including past experience in similar assignments, the duly filled Personal History Form (P11) and at least 3 names for a reference check.

Financial proposal

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). The payment for services provided by the Contractor under the Advanced Cross-river Capacities for Trade (AdTrade) project will be made post factum on a lump-sum deliverables basis, as per contract, after the work has been accepted by the AdTrade Project Manager.  In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of offers, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including fee per day, travel, per diem, mobile phone costs, number of anticipated working days, etc.)