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EU4MD/ National Consultant on Local Economic Development.

Vacancy Number: Pr20/02039

Location:	Chisinau, Moldova
Application Deadline:	25 Jun 2020, 16:00 (GMT+2:00)
Application Extended deadline:	01 Jul 2020, 16:00 (GMT+2:00)
Type of Contract:	Individual Contract
Starting date:	15 Jul 2020
Reference to the project:	EU4Moldova: Focal regions
Expected Duration of Assignment:	70 working days with possibility of extension between July 2020 – February 2021
Submission Instructions: Proposals should be submitted online by pressing the "Apply Now" button no later than 25 June 2020. Requests for clarification only must be sent by standard electronic communication to the following e-mail: liliana.caterov@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 OFFEROR’S LETTER TO UNDP CONFIRMING INTEREST AND AVAILABILITY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTOR (IC) ASSIGNMENT UNDP General Conditions of Individual Contract

Ms. Liliana Caterov.

Background

The EU4Moldova: focal regions Programme is based on the European Commission Implementing Decision on the Annual Action Programme 2018 in favor of the Republic of Moldova and is funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme.

The overall objective of the five-year Programme is to strengthen the economic, territorial and social cohesion in the Republic of Moldova through facilitating inclusive, sustainable and integrated local socio-economic growth and improving the standards of living of the citizens in the pilot micro- regions: Cahul and Ungheni.

To this end, this Programme will address the urban-rural divide and regional disparities, stimulate economic growth and job creation, refurbish and upgrade some social and technical infrastructure in selected pilot micro-regions (smaller towns and villages) while taking into account a gender perspective in the activities of the Programme.

Specific objectives:

1. To strengthen transparency, accountability of local public authorities and citizen participation in local governance processes in the pilot micro-regions.
2. To improve citizens' access to quality public services and utilities in the pilot micro-regions.
3. To create employment opportunities for men and women in the pilot micro-regions and improve the attractiveness of the pilot regions for investors and entrepreneurs,
4. To promote the smart specialization of the economy of the pilot micro regions through the development of the clustering and value chain approach in key economic sectors.

The Programme objectives will be achieved through measures targeted at: (i) capacity building to support the implementation and monitoring of local economic development plans; (ii) civil society engagement in local planning, governance processes and basic social service delivery; (iii) provision of investment funding in support of the creation and/or development of social and technical infrastructure which, combined with the outcomes from interventions (i) and (ii) above, will have an immediate, visible and tangible impact on employment creation, the standard of living of the population in the pilot micro-regions.

Scope of work

To ensure adequate implementation of all planned activities, the Programme is seeking for a National Consultant to provide consistent and comprehensive methodological guidance in implementing of project activities related to local economic development.

The overall objective of the National Consultant on Local Economic Development assignment (hereinafter Consultant) is to:

• Provide methodological support in setting up of the Territorial Economic Development Associations (TEDA) in Cahul and Ungheni municipalities.
• Provide methodological support in organizing PACA process in Ungheni and Cahul municipalities.

For detailed information, please refer to Annex 1 – Terms of Reference.

Requirements for experience

Academic Qualifications:

• University degree in economics, local development or other related field.

Years of experience:

• At least 10 years of practical experience in the fields related to local economic development (working with public and private actors)
• At least 7 years of experience in local economic development and working with the relevant multi-stakeholder economic environment in Moldova (evidence: list of relevant institutions the Consultant has been cooperating with, including the topic and year must be presented together with the application package).
• Advanced experience related to implementing PACA (Participatory Appraisal of Competitive Advantage) methodology (at least 2 projects/assignments).
• Experience of working with UN agencies and/or international organizations, and/or European/donor funded development projects/programmes will be considered a strong asset.

Competencies:

• Good knowledge of local development context in the applied focal regions;
• Knowledge and and skills of MS Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint;
• Fluency in Romanian, Russian and English are required.

Personal Qualities and other requirements:

• Demonstrated capacity of team-orientation work, excellent planning and organizational skills;
• Good interpersonal skills, solid judgment/decision making, initiative and creativity;
• Ability to analyse, plan, communicate effectively organize and meet expected results;
• Ability to achieve results and deadlines in a timely manner, maintaining a high standard throughout;

The United Nations Development Programme in Moldova is committed to workforce diversity. Women and men, persons with different types of disabilities, LGBT, Roma and other ethnic, linguistic 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. Proposal explaining how applicant responds to each of the qualification requirements and why he/she is the most suitable for the work. Also, describe the methodological approach to be used for the implementation of the tasks described in the ToR;
2. Evidence/List of relevant institutions the applicant has been cooperating with, including the topic and year must be presented together with the application package;
3. Personal CV including records on past experience in similar projects/assignments and concrete outputs obtained.
4. Financial proposal in USD, specifying a total lump sum amount and the number of anticipated working days, incorporated in the Offeror’s Letter to UNDP confirming interest and availability for the Individual Contractor (IC) assignment, and at least 3 reference persons.

Financial proposal

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount. The payment for services will be made post factum on a lump-sum deliverables basis, as per contract, after the work has been accepted by the Programme 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, mobile phone costs, number of anticipated working days, etc.).

This is a home-based assignment with frequent visits to Cahul and Ungheni municipalities. In-country transportation, will be provided by the Programme and, therefore, shall not be included in the consolidated financial offer. The meetings of the working team will take place in the Programme office

Travel

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Individual contractor who is over 62 years of age will be required, prior to contract signature, to undergo full medical examination and obtain medical clearance from an UN-approved doctor or his/her own preferred physician. The medical examination shall be issued and submitted to UNDP Moldova upon request.