"Ma Implic Phase 2" project seeks to contract a provider to develop and implement a public Information and Awareness Campaign

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Title: Public Information and Awareness Campaign on Waste Management

Project: MA IMPLIC – Project on Civic Engagement in Local Governance (Phase 2)

Contract duration: April 2025 – 31 December 2025

1. BACKGROUND

The Ma Implic project (Phase II) aims to contribute to improved local governance and better access and quality of public services for the population of Moldova. To this end, the Ma Implic project will support different stakeholders to improve three fundamental dimensions of a well-functioning local government unit: 

• Partner LPA clusters to manage resources and local development in a more sustainable, inclusive, and accountable way. 
• The Government to promote and coordinate the LG reform in an efficient, effective, and transparent manner. 
• People in partner communities to meaningfully engage in local governance processes and influence the provision of local public services. 

Phase II of Ma Implic project (2023 - 2027) will consolidate the results obtained in Phase I (2019 - 2023) and will broaden the area of interventions by supporting additional LPAs. At the local level, the project will support a in developing Service Improvement Plans (SIP). These Service Improvement Plans comprise a set of “hard” and “soft” activities aimed at improving the delivery of specific public (communal) services (e.g., waste management, water supply, sanitation, or street lighting) and other public services. 

The project is implemented by Skat Consulting Ltd., a Swiss consulting firm, and is financially supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

2. SCOPE OF WORK

One of the activity areas of the Ma Implic project aims to support partner LPA groups to actively engage the public in the development of waste management services through organization of public Information and Awareness Campaign. Despite existing regulations and initiatives, waste separation, recycling, and proper disposal practices remain a challenge. This campaign aims to increase public awareness, promote behavior change, and ensure better compliance with waste management regulations and practices at the local and national level. To reach as many people as possible, the campaign will use clear and simple language. In some regions, materials will also be provided in Romanian and Russian, depending on the language preferences of the local population. This inclusive approach ensures that everyone can understand the information and apply it in their daily lives.

The objectives of the campaign are (i) to educate the public about the importance of waste separation and recycling, (ii) to promote responsible waste disposal and reduction behaviors, (iii) to encourage partnerships between local public authorities, businesses and citizens initiatives for sustainable waste solutions. 

The Ma Implic project seeks to contract a provider/organization (further: Contractor) to develop and implement such a campaign. The Contractor will work in close collaboration with the Capacity Development & Citizen Engagement Project Manager, Public Service Project Manager & Communication Manager to design and deliver the public Information and Awareness Campaign.

The Campaign aim to directly reach the local public authorities, service providers, public institutions, businesses, and households from 11 LPA groups participating in Phase II (2023 - 2027) of Ma Implic Project, which are actively working to improve waste management public services.

The task will be implemented in a two-stage approach.

At the first stage the Contractor will conduct an assessment to understand the current situation in the partner communities on waste management practices and public awareness. The assessment will ensure that the campaign is effectively tailored to local needs. The Contractor will also make an inventory of available products and tools for similar objectives. Such tools and products shall be used to the maximum possible extent in the implementation of the campaign at a later stage. Available tools and products shall include such which were developed and produced (and, ideally, already applied and tested) by the Contractor itself, as well as those available on the website of the Ma Implic project. Tools and products developed by other organizations may also be considered. Any questions related to the re-use of such third-party tools shall be cleared by the Contractor.

Based on the findings, a Concept for the Campaign will be developed. The Concept will be discussed with the Contractor and the best suitable approach will be agreed between the Ma Implic project and the Contractor. The proposed Concept shall be specific enough to assess the:

• Expected outreach
• Expected input
• Planned duration
• Degree of implementation of already existing tools and resources (the Ma Implic project does not aim to produce new or unique material. We believe that many relevant tools and resources are already available, and we encourage the application of such tools and resources)
• Other factors deemed relevant by the Contractor

Stage 1 Needs Assessment & Campaign Design

Activity 1: Assessment of the Public Awareness needs and practices in the LPA groups

• Analyze past and ongoing waste management campaigns to determine their effectiveness and areas for improvement
• Conduct a cost-efficient survey or other research to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding waste management in the target communities

Activity 2: Stakeholder analysis

• Identify key groups of stakeholders and target audiences (households, businesses, public institutions, local authorities, etc.) for the Information and Awareness Campaign in the LPA groups
• Define the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders in implementing the campaign

Activity 3: Develop the Concept for implementing the Information and Awareness Campaign for the target LPA groups:

The requested offers shall outline the approach and the expertise of the bidders and the financial proposal for implementing the first stage described above. Only this will be assessed in the evaluation of the offers.  The awarded Contractor will also be expected to implement the second stage, which will be covered under a separate contract.

The second stage will focus on the implementation of the mutually agreed Concept.

Stage 2 Implementation of the Information and Awareness Campaign:

Activity 4: Develop a detailed Implementation plan

• to be used during the campaign

Activity 5: Implement the Campaign

• Conduct the public information and awareness activities in line with the selected option/approach (interactive events, door-to-door campaigns, competitions, social media campaigns, surveys to assess changes in awareness and behavior, local influencer engagement to promote messages, etc.) in all partner communities engaged in improving Waste management services

Activity 6: Submit a final report including lessons learned and recommendations for future initiatives

3. DELIVERABLES

4. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Interested organizations must meet the following criteria:

• Proven experience in environmental campaigns, public awareness programs, or waste management projects.
• Strong communication, media, and stakeholder engagement expertise.
• Capacity to implement activities at the local, regional, and national levels.
• Demonstrated ability to work with local communities, CSOs, and private sector partners.

5. AWARD CRITERIA/APLICATION PROCESS

Interested organizations should submit a proposal including:

The contract will be awarded to the bidder receiving the highest score according to the project evaluation committee. The final evaluation will be made using the following formula: Final Score = A+B+C (minimum 0 – maximum 100 points).

Bidding organizations may not contest the decisions of the evaluation committee regarding the results of the selection procedure. Upon written request of the bidder, the evaluation committee may communicate to it, in writing, the reasons for non-selection/rejection of its bid, without referring to the information regarding the evaluation procedure of other bids.

The complete dossier in English or Romanian languages has to be sent by April 13, 2025, to the following email address: tender@int.skat.ch with the mention "Public Information and Awareness Campaign on Waste Management". In case of clarifications from bidders, these shall be sent to the same email address until 30.03.2025.