REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT

Selection of an Individual Consultant for providing technical support and overseeing the implementation of the MMIP Platform

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- 531512-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 providing technical support and overseeing the implementation of the MMIP Platform. Consultant will lead the product development and rollout of MMIP version 2, ensuring that the platform is designed, developed, tested, and deployed in line with the agreed technical, functional, and regulatory requirements.

The assignment will be implemented in the period March - 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:

 Master’s degree in IT, Engineering Business Administration, Public Policy, or related fields;  Internationally recognized certification in Project Management (PMP, PRINCE2 or equivalent)  At least 5 years of relevant experience in managing software development projects for public and / or private clients in IT systems.  Proven experience delivering citizen-facing or business-facing digital platforms.  Strong understanding of government digital services, process digitalization, and interoperability.  Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments.  Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and reporting skills.  Fluency in Romanian and professional proficiency in English.

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 20, 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;
e-mail: piu@mded.gov.md with cc: procurementmgf@gmail.com, partnerships@egov.md web: https://uipac.md/  

TERMS OF REFERENCE Individual Consultancy services - providing technical support and overseeing the implementation of the MMIP Platform

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 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. B. Background of the Assignment The digitization component of the MSME Competitiveness Project builds on the results of the previous CEP II project. Since the launch of the digital system for Managing and Issuing Permits (MMIP) in 2018, 26 of 31 government agencies have been integrated into the platform, and more than 410,000 permit applications have been submitted through the MMIP. The system hosts 133 types of business permits and licenses, the private sector usage of the system is constantly increasing, hence the number of applications continues to grow. Of all applications submitted, 66 percent are submitted online, with a significant increase in the number of online applications since the the launch of the system. The system reports that it takes an average of 7 days to process an application and issue a permit, compared to 15 days previously. This component focuses on key activities related to expanding the digitization of Government-to-Business (G2B) services at the national and local (subnational) levels, improving digital licensing, permitting and inspection services, improving interoperability and integrated service delivery for businesses, and simplifying the regulatory environment to reduce the regulatory burden, as follows:

1. Upgrade the digital OSS known as the Mechanism for Managing and Issuing Permits (MMIP). Upgraded MMIP will provide an updated operating platform, better interoperability and data sharing, and increased regulatory efficiency in the processing of business permits and licenses.

2. Streamline and automate local level (municipal/subnational) permits. Building on the pilot project automating municipal/subnational construction permits and other business permits in Chisinau, the Project aims to streamline (redesign) municipal permits and related internal processes and procedures for all regional centers (municipalities) in the country. In this context, the Government of the Republic of Moldova is seeking the services of an experienced local individual ICT expert with expertise in project management and experience in monitoring and oversight of IT projects in order to assist the Moldova e-Governance Agency (MEGA), the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization (MEDD) and the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in monitoring the implementation of the MMIP System upgrades. C. Objectives of the Assignment The Consultant will act as the Project Manager for the MMIP version 2 project, being responsible for planning, coordinating, monitoring, and reporting throughout the entire project implementation cycle. The Consultant will lead the product development and rollout of MMIP version 2, ensuring that the platform is designed, developed, tested, and deployed in line with the agreed technical, functional, and regulatory requirements. In this role, the Consultant will have to ensure: • a significantly improved user experience for businesses and public officials; • reuse and compliance with the national e-Government architecture and core digital platforms; • overseeing the visual and functional integration with the EVO super app and web portal; • streamlining permit workflows through proactive data exchange and event-driven automation; • eliminating redundancy by aligning processes with existing government datasets and services; • that APIs are properly developed, standardized, and documented for use by internal and external systems; • applying Agile development practices and facilitating continuous feedback loops from users and stakeholders. D. Scope of Work – Tasks and Responsibilities The Consultant shall provide technical oversight of the various phases of the implementation, upgrades, and rollout of the IT system, and will ensure proper implementation of the quality audit and testing of the IT solutions. The Consultant’s tasks and responsibilities will include:

3. Product Strategy and Vision • Define and maintain the product vision and roadmap for MMIP v2 in coordination with MEGA and relevant authorities. • Translate regulatory, business, and citizen requirements into actionable product goals. • Contribute to the revision of the existing MMIP Technical Concept and the System Usage Regulations, ensuring full alignment with the applicable legal framework and proper documentation of all functionalities of MMIP v.II.

4. Delivery Oversight and Coordination • Lead the end-to-end delivery process from planning to deployment and iteration. Keep the traceability matrix to ensure the alignment of the development with the technical requirements foreseen in the Vendor’ contract. • Work closely with design, development, and QA teams to ensure product quality. • Organize backlog grooming, sprint planning, and sprint reviews with clear priorities. • Ensure that development reuses the national e-Government architecture, including shared services such as MConnect, MPass, MPay, MCabinet, and others where applicable. • Ensure reuse of components from the Unified Design System (Model Unitar de Design) to guarantee consistency and accessibility.

5. Integration and Interoperability • Oversee the development of REST APIs for internal system modules and external consumers (EVO Portal, business systems). • Ensure the platform supports data exchange with registries and other public platforms via MConnect. • Coordinate the inclusion of proactive services triggered by events (e.g., permit renewals, expiration alerts).

6. Optimization and Process Simplification • Identify and remove redundant data entry points and overlapping procedures. • Work with legal and institutional stakeholders to simplify underlying permit workflows. • Support pre-filling of data and “once-only” principles by leveraging government databases.

7. Stakeholder Engagement • Liaise with public institutions, business associations, and service providers to gather feedback and co-design workflows. • Ensure that the solution supports interinstitutional collaboration where permits span multiple authorities.

8. Quality Assurance and Compliance Ensure that the system complies with: • National eGov architecture principles and data models; • Security and privacy standards (ISO 27001, GDPR compliance, etc.); • Usability and accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1, OWASP Top 10, etc.). • Validate deliverables and test results in collaboration with QA specialists. • Ensure all documentation (technical, user-facing, API) is complete and up to date.

9. Assess LPA needs (in 35 regional/municipal centers across the country) for IT equipment, e.g., scanners, desktops, laptops, etc., to facilitate the proper functioning of the e-Permits platform. • Assist LPAs and the PIU in developing technical specifications of the IT equipment to be purchased. • Assist the Tender Committee and the PIU in the evaluation of the IT equipment proposed by the bidders in their technical and financial offers during the tendering process. Oversee and monitor the timely delivery of the IT equipment to the LPAs. The Consultant will perform its obligations being embedded in MEGA team and under MEGA and PIU’s supervision. He/she will consult with the PIU, and relevant Project stakeholders and beneficiaries as needed.

E. Reports / Deliverables • Product Vision Document and Roadmap • Functional Requirements and User Stories • Prioritized Product Backlog • Integration and API Specification Documentation • Regular Sprint Review Reports and Release Notes • Stakeholder Feedback Reports • Acceptance Criteria for Key Milestones • Final Product Delivery aligned with acceptance criteria F. Reporting Arrangements The Consultant will submit Monthly Activity Reports and Timesheets, which will state his/her activities performed according to this ToR, the time spent on each activity. The Consultant will attach to each report, the materials developed as he/she carried out the activities (deliverables) and the dynamics of the MMIP implementation. All reports will be submitted in Romanian and, as if case may be, in English languages. The Consultant will submit Monthly Activity Report to MEGA for final endorsement. The Consultant’s payments/compensation will be made by the PIU based on its approval by the MEGA.

G. Duration (Timeline) of the Assignment The assignment will be implemented in the period from March -December 2026. An estimated total level of effort of 15 man-days/month. The contract can be extended beyond this term, subject to the Consultant’ satisfactory performance, MEGA and PIU ’s needs.

H. Selection Criteria (Qualification Requirements) This assignment will require a local individual Consultant, who has: • Master’s degree in IT, Engineering Business Administration, Public Policy, or related fields; • Internationally recognized certification in Project Management (PMP, PRINCE2 or equivalent) • At least 5 years of relevant experience in managing software development projects for public and / or private clients in IT systems. • Proven experience delivering citizen-facing or business-facing digital platforms. • Strong understanding of government digital services, process digitalization, and interoperability. • Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments. • Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and reporting skills. • Fluency in Romanian and professional proficiency in English.