Terms of Reference (TOR)

Provision of Training, Facilitation of Public Consultations, and Support for Establishing Local Action Group (LAG)-Type Structures
Under the “COMMUNITY+” Project

1. Background

The National Congress of Ukrainians of Moldova (NCUM) is implementing the project “COMMUNITY+: Strengthening Local Consultation Platforms for Inclusive Civic Engagement in Northern Moldova”, funded under the INSPIRED Moldova programme (Lot 2).

The project aims to institutionalize inclusive local consultation mechanisms, strengthen local governance capacity, and foster participatory development in four rural communes:

• Vasileuți (Rîșcani)

• Danu (Glodeni)

• Țețcani (Briceni)

• Unguri (Ocnița)

Key project components include:

• Mobilizing communities and mapping stakeholders
• Conducting public consultations to identify local priorities
• Establishing inclusive local consultation platforms
• Providing capacity building for local actors
• Developing participatory Local Action Plans (LAPs)
• Piloting two Local Action Group (LAG)-type structures

NCUM seeks an experienced service provider to deliver training, facilitate community consultations, and guide the establishment of LAG-type structures in two pilot communes.

2. Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to engage a qualified service provider to:

1. Facilitate inclusive, participatory public consultations in four target communes.
2. Design and deliver tailored capacity-building training for local authorities, CSOs, and community leaders.
3. Support the establishment and operationalization of two LAG-type structures, aligned with EU LEADER methodology and Moldova’s national rural development framework.

Language Requirement:
All materials (training content, facilitation tools, agendas, reports, handouts, communication materials) must be developed and delivered in Ukrainian (with special attention to the Ukrainian minority context), Russian, and Romanian, to ensure full accessibility for all target groups.

3. Approach and Methodology

The assignment must be implemented using a participatory, inclusive, and gender-sensitive approach, ensuring:

• Gender balance: minimum 50% women and 25% youth representation in all activities.
• Inclusion of vulnerable groups: refugees, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities.
• Transparency: open calls for participation, publicly shared agendas, and results.
• Participatory tools: visual ranking, group discussions, community mapping, thematic working groups.
• Accessibility: events scheduled at convenient times, venues with physical access, materials in all three required languages.
• Feedback integration: structured mechanisms to ensure participants see how their input influences outcomes.

4. Scope of Work & Tasks

Task 1 – Community Consultations & Stakeholder Engagement (September – October 2025)

• Develop 4 local stakeholder maps (one per commune) by 15 September 2025.
• Prepare 4 community engagement plans tailored to each commune by 15 September 2025.
• Prepare consultation agendas and facilitation plans ensuring inclusive topics and methods.
• Facilitate 12 consultation sessions (3 per commune) for at least 200 participants total by 31 October 2025.
• Compile 4 community priority reports and submit to local authorities by 31 October 2025.
• Establish a documented feedback loop by 31 October 2025.
• All tools, agendas, and reports in Ukrainian, Russian, and Romanian.

Task 2 – Establishment of Local Consultation Platforms (September – November 2025)

• Develop formally approved Terms of Reference (ToRs) for each platform by 15 November 2025.
• Facilitate transparent member selection ensuring gender and diversity balance.
• Support the establishment/reactivation of 4 local consultation platforms by 15 November 2025.
• All governance documents in Ukrainian, Russian, and Romanian.

Task 3 – Capacity Building for Local Actors (October – November 2025)

• Deliver 4 tailored 2-day training sessions (one per commune) — due 15 November 2025.
• Train 48 local stakeholders (minimum 50% women and 25% youth), including representatives of local authorities, civil society, and vulnerable groups.

• Training modules will cover:

• Participatory Governance and Platform Design – understanding the purpose and models of local consultation platforms, alignment with national legislation, and good practices in inclusive governance.
• Operationalizing Local Consultation Platforms – roles and responsibilities of members, meeting procedures, decision-making, accountability, and integration into local governance systems.
• Inclusive Representation and Communication – ensuring diversity in membership, techniques for inclusive facilitation, and addressing barriers for women, youth, refugees, ethnic minorities, and persons with disabilities.
• Participatory Planning and Resource Mobilization – engaging community members in co-creating development priorities, linking platform outcomes to Local Action Plans, and identifying funding opportunities to implement agreed priorities.
• Conduct pre- and post-training assessments to measure learning and confidence gains.
• Provide participants with facilitation handbooks, meeting templates, and feedback tools in Ukrainian, Russian, and Romanian.

Task 4 – Participatory Planning & Strategy Development (November – December 2025)

• Support communes in developing or revising 4 Local Action Plans or strategies by 31 December 2025.
• Prepare 4 policy briefs by 31 December 2025.
• Ensure alignment with Moldova’s development agenda and EU accession priorities.
• All strategic documents in Ukrainian, Russian, and Romanian.

Task 5 – LAG-Type Structure Establishment (January – March 2026)

• Formally establish 2 pilot LAG-type structures by 10 March 2026.
• Support adoption of internal governance and operating procedures by 10 March 2026.
• Facilitate drafting and validation of Local Development Strategies by 10 March 2026.
• Assist in aligning LAGs with national/EU funding mechanisms by 10 March 2026.
• Produce a summary report of good practices and lessons learned by 10 March 2026.
• All LAG documents in Ukrainian, Russian, and Romanian.

Task 6 – Final Assignment Reporting (March 2026)

• Submit a final assignment report covering methodology, activities, gender and inclusion outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations by 31 March 2026.

• Final report in Romanian and English.

5. Deliverables & Timeline

6. Qualifications & Experience Required

• Minimum 5 years in facilitation, participatory governance, rural development.
• Proven capacity building experience with LPAs, CSOs, and community groups.
• Experience with LAG/LEADER structures in Eastern Europe.
• Expertise in gender equality, social inclusion, and participatory planning.
• Fluency in Romanian and Russian; Ukrainian is an asset.

7. Evaluation Criteria

8. Administrative & Logistical Arrangements

• Fixed-price contract, inclusive of all fees, travel, accommodation, materials, taxes.
• NCUM will facilitate local introductions but not cover additional costs.

9. Application Requirements

Interested service providers should submit their proposals by email to: procurement@ncum.md no later than 24 August 2025, 23:59

Submit:

1. Technical proposal (max. 5 pages) with methodology, work plan, and gender/inclusion strategy.
2. CVs of key personnel.
3. Portfolio of similar assignments with references.
4. Financial proposal in MDL (exclusive of VAT).
5. Company/organization registration documents.