Project name: Improving governance of protected areas in Moldova through institutional development, capacity development and habitat restoration

Project location: Republic of Moldova

Donor: The Austrian Development Agency (ADA) with funds of the Austrian Development  Cooperation (ADC)

Assignment Name: Providing support in improving governance of protected areas in Moldova

The project “Improving governance of protected areas in Moldova through institutional development, capacity development and habitat restoration”, further known as “the Project”, is financed by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), with funds of the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC).

The grant agreement for the implementation of the Project was signed on 7 August 2023, between the Austrian Development Agency and the Public Association Ecological Society “BIOTICA” and Public Association EcoContact from the Republic of Moldova and a portion of these funds are intended to be applied for eligible payments under the contract for which this Request for Proposals is issued.

Public Association Ecological Society “BIOTICA” and Public Association EcoContact now invites proposals to provide the following consulting services: Consulting services for providing support in improving governance of protected areas in Moldova. More details on the services are provided in the Terms of Reference part of the tender documents.

Implementation of this assignment will require a Consulting Company, which is familiar with protected area management, specifically applying international standards including IUCN methodologies and is specialized in providing the above services.

The Consulting Company shall propose a team of international and local experts to perform the required services.

The company should fulfil the following criteria:

• Minimum 10 years of general experience
• 3-5 years of specific experience in the field
• Proven capacity in preparing and applying internationally approved methodologies, including IUCN methodologies, in protected areas management, forest management, natural resources management and conducting environmental restoration possibilities assessments on different levels
• Proven knowledge of EU legislation on PAs
• Proven work experience in international projects financed by ADA, EU, EBRD, BM, USAID, GIZ, etc. of similar complexity
• Proven organizational and financial management skill
• Proven organizational and financial management skill
• Proven skill to complete projects on time, and within the agreed budget
• Work experience in Moldova would be considered as an advantage

The Consulting Company should describe it´s team and its competencies. The Consulting Company is free to organize its team as it seems the most appropriate, but including the key experts requested in the ToR, part of the tender documents. The Consulting Company should express the number of working days of each mobilized individual consultant as part of the team.

The consultancy is expected to be undertaken over a period of 11 months (with a level of effort equal to 10 person-months).

Interested and qualified candidates (companies) must send a request for the tender documents (Request for Proposals/RFP) to the following e-mails: procurement@ecocontact.md, copy to liliana.josan@gmail.com

The Proposals must be submitted electronically to the e-mails: procurement@ecocontact.md, copy to liliana.josan@gmail.com no later than the following date and time: 9 February 2023, 17-00, (Chisinau time).