Republic of Moldova

International Consultant in EU approximating the Official Control and the Products Certification Systems in the Wine Sector for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry

Vacancy Number: Pr14/00498

Location:	Chisinau, Moldova
Application Deadline:	10 Apr 2014, 23:59 (GMT+2:00)
Application Extended deadline:	18 Apr 2014, 23:59 (GMT+2:00)
Application Extended deadline:	25 Apr 2014, 23:59 (GMT+2:00)
Type of Contract:	Individual Contract
Starting date:	24 Apr 2014
Reference to the project:	Building Institutional Capacity of MFAEI
Expected Duration of Assignment:	30 working days
Submission Instructions: Proposals should be submitted online by pressing the "Apply Now" button no later than 10 April, 2014. Requests for clarification only must be sent by standard electronic communication to the following e-mail: traian.turcanu@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. This vacancy announcement was placed at: http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=45247 Important notice The applicant who has the statute of Government Official / Public Servant, prior to appointment will be asked to submit the following documentation:  a no-objection letter in respect of the applicant received from the government, and; the applicant is certified in writing by the government to be on official leave without pay for the duration of the Individual Contract.  A retired government official is not considered in this case a government official, and as such, may be contracted.
Supporting Documents: Terms of Reference Individual Consultant Procurement Notice Personal History Form (P11) UNDP General Conditions of Individual Contract

Contacts:

Mr. Traian Turcanu.

Background

Relations between the Republic of Moldova (RM) and the European Union (EU) formally started with the signing of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) in 1994 that entered into force in 1998. The PCA established the basic principles of cooperation between RM and EU and was designed for a10 year period.

The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement will soon be replaced by an Association Agreement which includes a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). The documents provide for political association and economic integration and have been initialed in Vilnius in November 2013.

For the Republic of Moldova the AA represents a reform agenda which is based on a comprehensive program of legal harmonization with EU norms.

Exceeding the classical arrangements of free trade, DCFTA provides not only a mutual opening of markets for most goods and services but requires a gradual rapprochement of norms and standards  such as quality standards and rules, sanitary rules, intellectual property rights, trade facilitation, public procurement and competition, energy trade and other.

Except for European Economic Area and EU candidate states, never before has the EU opened its internal market to such an extent to a third country. This reality is possible due to the commitment of the Republic of Moldova to take over the acquis communautaire.

In exchange to effective implementation of EU legislation Moldova will gradually become part of the EU internal market.

A deeper economic integration through DCFTA will boost the country's economic growth, will create business opportunities and promote real economic modernization and integration into the EU. The direct result of establishing free trade area with EU is that citizens will benefit from higher quality and safer goods and services while manufacturers will be supported to access international markets.

UNDP and its international partners are committed to assist Moldova, through technical and financial assistance, in promoting costly legal and institutional reforms that DCFTA entails.

The Project “Building Institutional Capacity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MFAEI)” aims at strengthening the institutional capacity of the MFAEI as lead institution in the AA negotiation process. In the same context, the Project seeks to contribute to developing EU integration capacities of key line ministries through aligning relevant policies, administrative and institutional arrangements, legislation, procedures and best practices to EU standards and requirements.

Scope of work

The Project will contract an International Consultant to provide assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry of the Republic of Moldova (further referred as MAFI) and to the State Inspectorate for Alcoholic Products Supervision (further referred as Inspectorate)  in consolidating the Official Control and Products Certification Systems in the Wine Sector, based on the EU norms and practices.

The expert will perform a regulatory needs assessment for the consolidation of the control system and quality certification of wine and wine products; advise and report on the EU best practices for control system regulation and wine products certification; draft relevant regulations and supporting documents on the official control in the wine sector; draft appropriate schemes and procedures on certification for wine and wine products; draft standard forms for the implementation of official control in wine sector; draft regulations and supporting documents, including regulatory impact assessment, on fraud and penalties relevant for the wine sector; widely discuss and coordinate the draft documents with key stakeholders; organize a workshop and present findings and recommendations to key stakeholders .

Requirements for experience

Academic Qualification

• Master’s degree in agriculture, winemaking, wine technology, EU law, or other relevant field. Bachelor and at least 7 years of experience relevant to the assignment would also be acceptable;

Experience

• Minimum 5 years’ work experience in the area of grape-growing and wine making.
• Specific experience in developing official control systems in the wine sector and certification of product's quality in line with EU law and practice.
• Experience in approximation EU legislation in the wine sector.
• Knowledge of and experience in assisting government institutions within projects funded by international organizations in the region of Central and Eastern Europe (experience in newer EU member states or candidate countries would be an asset).

Competencies

• Strong analytical and drafting skills.
• Ability to analyse, plan, communicate effectively with stakeholders and present ideas clearly and effectively.
• Demonstrated interpersonal and diplomatic skills.
• Ability to enter new environments, adapt quickly and produce immediate results.
• Computer literacy - competent user of Microsoft Office programs.

Language requirements

• Fluency in written and spoken English, knowledge of Romanian or Russian would be an asset.  

Documents to be included

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• Proposal: explaining why they are the most suitable for the work;
• Financial proposal; in (USD, specifying a total lump sum amount and the number of anticipated working days);  
• Personal CV including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references.

Financial proposal

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR.  In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals the financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including fee, taxes, travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).

 

Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel.  In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

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.

Up to two travel missions are envisaged under this assignment, with a minimum 20 working days in Moldova.

 

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