EXTENSION OF THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF EoIs

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT

Selection of an Individual Consultant: User experience (UX) Designer

World Bank Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Competitiveness Project

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA Sector: General industry and trade sector IDA Credit No. 71740 IBRD Loan No. 94230 Project ID No. P177895 Reference No. MD-CEP- 521786-CS-INDV

The Republic of Moldova has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Competitiveness Project (MSME) and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.

The consulting services (“the Services”) include services aimed to design user-centric, accessible, and reusable interface components for the eKYC and MMIP platforms, ensuring optimal usability, accessibility, and consistency with the national design system for digital government services.

The assignment will be implemented in the period February - December 2026.

The Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment is attached to this request for expressions of interest.

The Project Implementation Unit of the MSME Competitiveness Project now invites eligible individual local consultants (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services.

The qualifications requirements are:

Mandatory Qualifications  Bachelor’s degree or specialized courses in one of the following fields: Graphic Design, UX/UI Design, Visual Communication, or other relevant disciplines.  At least 5 years of experience designing complex web platforms or digital services, ideally with form-heavy, multi-step, or data-sensitive user flows (e.g. banking apps, digital onboarding, government service portals).  Strong knowledge and demonstrated experience with:

• Design tools: Figma (advanced), FigJam
• UX principles, wireframing, prototyping, and accessibility (WCAG).  Experience in collaborating within design systems and maintaining design documentation.

Preferred Qualifications  Previous experience in digital transformation projects within the public sector or in collaboration with governmental institutions.  Relevant certifications in Product Design, UX, or User Research.  Familiarity with Agile methodologies and Design Thinking frameworks The Consultant shall provide relevant references to confirm the experience and qualifications. The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” November 2020 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the „Open Competitive Selection of Individual Consultants” method set out in the Procurement Regulations and to be specifically set out in the Request for submission of the technical and financial proposal.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours.

The applications should include a letter of Expression of Interest, CV, and related recommendation letters, if any, together with a copy of CV in MS WORD format.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by e-mail) by February 06, 2026, COBD, indicating the assignment title in subject line.

Project Implementation Unit of the MSME Competitiveness Project 180, Stefan cel Mare Ave., office 815, MD-2004, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova Tel: + 373 22 296-723; + 373 22 296-724; e-mail: piu@mded.gov.md web: https://uipac.md/   TERMS OF REFERENCE Selection of an Individual Consultant: User experience (UX) Designer

A. Background The Government of the Republic of Moldova (GoM) is pursuing a policy agenda to support export-led economic growth. In this regard, an improved business environment is essential to foster sustainable private sector growth. Significant regulatory and institutional weaknesses in the business environment have been identified by the recently conducted Investment Climate Assessment as major obstacles to the private sector’s ability to perform efficiently and grow, and they also negatively affect investor confidence. The presence of cumbersome regulations undermines the competitiveness of private Moldovan enterprises and prevents increased investment by increasing the cost of doing business, and ultimately providing fertile ground for corruption, favoritism, and the informal economy. The World Bank has been supporting the Government in its competitiveness and reform efforts through two Competitiveness Enhancement Projects, which closed successfully and focused on: (i) regulatory reform; (ii) small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) access to business development services and quality certifications, through a matching grant facility (MGF); (iii) access to finance, through a line of credit (LoC) for exporters; and (iv) quality infrastructure, including equipment and institutional reform in the area of metrology, standards, testing, and quality. B. Project Description The MSME’s project development objectives (PDO) are: (i) to reduce the regulatory burden, increase access to finance, increase the export competitiveness of Moldovan enterprises, and (ii) in case of an Eligible Crisis or Emergency, to respond promptly and effectively to it. The PDO will be achieved through a set of activities that aim to: (a) digitize government-to-business services and inspections, streamline permissive documents, and enhance national quality infrastructure to reduce the regulatory burden enterprises face; (b) support access to finance for enterprises through credit guarantees and enhance the capacity of CGF, and (c) support the development of MSMEs and enhance their export competitiveness; d) support project management; e) support the government's response in case of an emergency. C. Background of the assignment Moldova is developing a national reusable eKYC (electronic Know Your Customer) platform to enable secure, fully digital identity verification and onboarding processes for both public and private sector services. This platform will act as a shared component across government and financial systems, ensuring full compliance with national legislation and EU standards on digital identity, data protection, and information security. In parallel, the government plans to upgrade the existing MMIP system and transform it into an integrated digital platform for automating and managing permitting processes across the Republic of Moldova. Modernization will align the platform with the latest technological, organizational, and legal requirements, while improving efficiency, transparency, and user satisfaction. To ensure both platforms deliver an intuitive, consistent, and user-centered experience across all digital channels, the Agency seeks to engage a Senior UX/UI Designer who will lead the design of user interfaces, interaction flows, and experience patterns for these national systems. D. Objectives of the Assignment The objective of this assignment is to design user-centric, accessible, and reusable interface components for the eKYC and MMIP platforms, ensuring optimal usability, accessibility, and consistency with the national design system for digital government services. E. Scope of Work – Tasks and Responsibilities During the implementation, the UX/UI Designer will be responsible for: • Collaborating with cross-functional teams to define user needs and translate them into design solutions. • Ensuring consistency and scalability by aligning all designs with the existing design system. • Conducting design QA to verify that implemented interfaces match approved designs and meet usability standards. • Providing feedback and recommendations throughout the development process. The Consultant’s deliverables and responsibilities The UX/UI Designer is expected to go beyond task execution. To think strategically, identify opportunities for improvement, and propose solutions that simplify complex user flows. The role requires analytical thinking, curiosity, and the ability to connect user needs, business goals, and technical realities. The designer will be part of the core team, helping to shape decisions and deliver outcomes, not only interfaces.

During the implementation of the assignment the Consultant will be expected to submit the following deliverables: • Information architecture and user flow diagrams. • Wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes. • Complete UI kit and component library aligned with the design system. • Usability testing reports and improvement recommendations. • Final design documentation ready for implementation. • Design QA report summarizing findings and corrective actions F. Reports / Deliverables The Consultant will submit monthly reports and timesheets, which will state activities performed by the Consultant as defined in these TORs, during the reported month and the time spent on each activity (in days). The monthly reports will include links to the developed materials. The UX/UI Designer will work under the supervision of the Head of Design from the E-Governance Agency and work in cooperation with eKYC and MMIP Product Owners. Monthly activity reports will be submitted in Romanian language. G. Duration (Timeline) of the Assignment The assignment will be implemented in the period from February to December 2026 with a level of effort of 11 man-months. The contract can be extended beyond this term, subject to the Consultant’ satisfactory performance, eGA’s and PIU ’s needs.

  H. Client’s inputs eGA will provide working space, office equipment, as well as any other necessary means and support in order to carry out this assignment successfully.

I. Selection Criteria (Qualification Requirements) This assignment will require a local individual Consultant, who has: Mandatory Qualifications  Bachelor’s degree or specialized courses in one of the following fields: Graphic Design, UX/UI Design, Visual Communication, or other relevant disciplines.  At least 5 years of experience designing complex web platforms or digital services, ideally with form-heavy, multi-step, or data-sensitive user flows (e.g. banking apps, digital onboarding, government service portals).  Strong knowledge and demonstrated experience with:

• Design tools: Figma (advanced), FigJam
• UX principles, wireframing, prototyping, and accessibility (WCAG).  Experience in collaborating within design systems and maintaining design documentation.

Preferred Qualifications  Previous experience in digital transformation projects within the public sector or in collaboration with governmental institutions.  Relevant certifications in Product Design, UX, or User Research.  Familiarity with Agile methodologies and Design Thinking frameworks The Consultant shall provide relevant references to confirm the experience and qualifications. J. Terms of payment The Contract will be a time-based contract for small assignments, in compliance with World Bank requirements. The consultant’s payments/compensation will be made by the PIU based on the reports approved by the focal point (nominated person) from the eGA.