Foreign Policy Association of Moldova (APE) seeks four experts to conduct studies in the framework of the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation of the German Marshall Fund of the United States funded program “Strengthening civil society partnership between both banks of Nistru River through implementing joint research projects”.
Terms of Reference
1. Purpose of the research
The overall objective is to undertake research on the following four topics: 1) Trade: DCFTA implications for Moldova and Transnistrian region; 2) Education: Exploring benefits and opportunities of the Bologna process; 3) Energy: Mapping-out joint energy projects; 4) Regional development: Identifying joint regional development opportunities;
2. Methodology and coordination with the beneficiary
During the research, the experts are expected to apply the following approaches for data collection and analysis (but not limited to):
• Desk review of project documents;
• Review of existing researches in the field;
• In-depth interviews with stakeholders in Moldova (including Transnistria)
• Focus groups with local actors in project countries;
• Consultation meetings.
Coordination with the beneficiary
The selected experts will coordinate all the activities with the APE Programs Director
.
3. Experts
• Experts should have relevant experience in the field;
• Experience working in Transnistria is highly desirable;
• Proper understanding of the current situation in Transnistrian issue;
• Minimum three years of related experience;
• Qualified experience in working with civil society organizations (CSO);
• Working experience with international organizations would be an advantage;
• Experts will have excellent oral and written skills in English, Romanian and Russian.
4. Selection criteria:
• Experience of the consultants in relevant fields;
• The quality and applicability of the proposed methodology;
• The proposed time-frame for executing the assignment;
• The requested price for services.
5. Deliverables
The key products expected from this research are:
A. The research methodology and tools;
B. A comprehensive analytical report. The report should, as a minimum, include the following contents:
• Executive summary;
• Introduction;
• Description of goals and objectives;
• Description of the methodology and data collection tools;
• Description of the data analysis process, based on the purpose of the current research;
• Presentation of key findings (including best practices and lessons learned)
• Presentation of main conclusions and recommendations, according to the purpose of the research announced in this document;
• Annexes: field visits, people interviewed, documents reviewed, etc.
C. Power Point Presentation, summarizing the report outputs.
D. Participation in the presentation of the report, which will be done during an event organized in Chisinau.
The company will also provide to APE all primary documents gathered during the research
All deliverables will become the property of APE. The final report and Power Point Presentation will be provided in English, Russian and Romanian. Translation costs may be included in the budget. Costs of participation in the presentation event (such as accommodation, transportation and meal allowance) should be included in the budget, if any.
6. Application package
The applicant should submit the following documents:
• A CV reflecting the relevant experience of the applicant with at least 3 references;
• Examples of previous researches conducted by the applicant;
• Research methodology;
• A tentative timetable for preparation, field-work, analysis and finalization of the Report;
• Detailed budget for the evaluation in USD (total price, daily fee, travel costs, communications, translation fees, etc.)
7. Submission of applications
The deadline for submissions of applications is March 1st, 2013.
The applications should be sent to the following address: 64, Sciusev str, MD 2012, Chisinau, Moldova, or alternatively by e-mail: radu.vrabie@ape.md with the name of the research in the subject line.
All questions regarding this task shall be addressed in written to Radu Vrabie, APE Programs Director, at radu.vrabie@ape.md
