Questions and Answers regarding the procurement of Regional Consultancy Services

Application deadline: 05 October 2026, 10:00 EEST. 

Further information on the required documents, evaluation criteria, Lots and application procedure is available in the Terms of Reference. 

Q1: Item 8.7 of the Terms of Reference provides for fluent oral and written knowledge of both Romanian and Russian as a minimum requirement applicable to bidders. Please confirm whether this requirement constitutes an eliminatory criterion for all nine geographical lots, regardless of the language profile of the local public authorities and beneficiaries in that lot.    

A1: According to the Terms of Reference, knowledge of Romanian and Russian is a minimum eligibility requirement applicable to all lots within the procurement procedure. This requirement has been set uniformly for all lots, given the nature of the activities to be carried out by the Regional Consultants. The activity involves continuous interaction with local public authorities, community representatives, institutions and other relevant actors at local and regional level, as well as the possibility to work with information, documents or situations where the use of both languages may be necessary. At the same time, each lot covers a large and diverse geographical area, which may include localities, beneficiaries or relevant actors with different linguistic profiles. Therefore, even if the Russian language is not predominantly used in all localities or in all activities, situations may arise when the Regional Consultant will have to communicate or understand information in Russian as well. In this regard, the requirement of knowledge of the Russian language is maintained for all lots and constitutes a minimum condition of eligibility. Knowledge of Russian at the native level is not required, but the applicant must demonstrate the ability to use the Russian language in oral and written communication at a sufficient level to fulfill the responsibilities set out in the Terms of Reference. Therefore, an applicant who does not know Russian will not meet the minimum eligibility requirement set out in point 8.7 of the Terms of Reference. 

Q2: The Terms of Reference provide that the Regional Consultant will organise and facilitate meetings, consultations, workshops and training activities for local public authorities and other relevant actors.  Please confirm whether any logistical costs related to these activities – such as hall rental, catering for participants, work materials for participants, equipment or other expenses necessary for the organization of the events – are covered separately from the project budget by Solidarity Fund PL in Moldova or must be included in the daily rate offered by the Regional Consultant.    

A2: According to the Terms of Reference, the daily rate offered by the Regional Consultant must include the own costs necessary for the provision of services, including the costs related to field trips, communication, own supplies, meals and other personal operational expenses related to the execution of the activity. It is not envisaged that the Regional Consultants will independently organize events or trainings that involve additional logistical costs, such as room rental, catering for participants, equipment, materials or other similar costs related to the organization of events. The activities foreseen for the Regional Consultants mainly refer to the organization or participation in working meetings, consultations, facilitation, field visits and direct interaction with beneficiary local public authorities and other relevant actors, within the limits of the duties described in the Terms of Reference, which will take place at the headquarters of the municipalities or other relevant institutions. If, during the implementation, it will be necessary to organize larger activities that involve logistical costs for the participants or for the conduct of the event, these aspects will be coordinated in advance with the Solidarity Fund PL in Moldova. Such costs should not be included by the applicants in the daily rate offered. 

Q3: If the tax residence certificate cannot be obtained by the deadline for submitting the file, is it acceptable to submit my own statement on tax residency, accompanied by relevant identity documents, provided that the tax residence certificate issued by the competent authority is presented before the contract is signed (in case of selection of the tender)?  

A3: In order to be able to submit your application by the deadline, you can include in the file a signed statement confirming that you are a tax resident of a foreign state, accompanied by copies of your passport and identity card. Please note that the Official Tax Residence Certificate is a mandatory document for the formal assessment stage. In this regard, after the deadline for submitting the files, you will be granted an additional period of 15 calendar days to present the official certificate issued by the competent tax authority. We inform you that, if the certificate is not submitted within the additional deadline, your application will not be admitted to the next stage of the evaluation process. 

Q4: In Section 1, it is said that eligible individuals are invited to apply, would this imply that there will be an individual employment contract signed with each natural person? On the other hand, in item 11.4, sub-item (ii), I quote: "e.g. the Declaration of Conformity for a legal entity or legal person", which would imply that legal entities could also apply.   So, I respectfully ask you to tell me what is the form of contracting? Individual employment contract, service contract, or are both options valid?    

A4: In Section I "Organizational context" of the Terms of Reference it is mentioned that: "Solidarity Fund PL in Moldova invites eligible individuals to submit offers for the provision of [...]". Therefore, the form of contracting of individuals will be the Service Contract. With regard to the Declaration of Conformity (referred to in item 11.4, sub-item (ii)), we would like to specify that this is a standard document used by Solidarity Fund PL in Moldova for both legal entities and natural persons. At the same time, as mentioned in Section VIII "Requirements for bidders", " individual applicants who meet the qualification and experience requirements [...]". Therefore, natural persons are eligible to participate in this call, in compliance with the requirements set out in the procurement documentation.