81317025-Technical assistance for Support to Ukraine for Decentralisation and Regional Development

Technical assistance (including short-term expert pool) for Support to Ukraine for Decentralisation and Regional Development This tender involves the supply and management of expert services to support the implementation of the Project U-LEAD with Europe, Phase III, implemented by GIZ. U-LEAD with Europe: Local Empowerment, Accountability and Development Programme is a multi-donor action of the EU and its member states Germany, Denmark, France, Poland and Slovenia to support Ukraine on its path to strengthening local self-government. U-LEAD promotes transparent, accountable, resilient and responsive multi-level governance in Ukraine and empowers municipalities. The services will be delivered through long-term experts and a pool of national and international short-term experts in form of technical and administrative services related to the two key outputs of the project: Output 1 Ukrainian government and the Parliament are increasingly capable of advancing the decentralisation reform and aligning regional policy with the EU acquis; and Output 3 Ukrainian municipalities are enabled to implement regional and local development policies and reconstruction planning in the context of the EU accession process. The contractor"s services will follow the objectives of the project and support its implementation in two output areas. The key activities to be supported by the tender include: Support to central bodies on decentralisation and Multi Level Governance (MLG) - Supporting national authorities with the implementation and monitoring of the Local Self Governance-related parts of the Ukraine Plan (2024-2027) and the Action Plan for the Reform of Local Self-Government and Territorial Organisation of Power in Ukraine for 2024-2027. - Facilitating awareness raising events related to further development of the decentralisation reform. Support to key central bodies on regional development policy in the EU accession context - Supporting key stakeholders with EU accession negotiation on Chapter 22 "Regional policy and coordination of structural instruments" - Advising on improvements to the new regional policy model for the next programming period 2028-2034. Support at oblast and municipal level on regional development policy in the EU accession context - Strengthen administrative capacities at oblast level by preparing and implementing the Capacity Building Plan of strengthening of institutional capacity of regional and local administrations, supporting management of the Regional Development Strategies and Action Plans according to EU rules, advising on Public Investment Management Principles and DREAM platform, implementing partnership principle by involving representatives of local authorities, civil society organisations, business sector and other relevant stakeholders. Prepare and implement awareness raising measures (i.e. study visits, expert exchanges, conferences) and actively disseminate lessons learned. Supporting municipalities to prepare investment projects for reconstruction in accordance with Public Investment Management (PIM) principles Direct support to the previous work of U-LEAD with Europe which follows on from the municipal Project Preparation Facility (PPF) initiative. Of particular interest are the monies potentially available to the reconstruction projects on regional and municipal level under the Ukraine Facility. Activities anticipated include the following: - Disseminate information to Ukrainian municipalities concerning the opportunity to be supported in their development of investment projects for reconstruction. - Facilitate selection of beneficiary municipalities, taking into consideration project ideas received. - Deliver relevant capacity building to the selected municipalities with regard to their investment project ideas, with the goal of helping them on to maturity, financing, and construction. Such capacity building should take into account the principles of the New European Bauhaus, as well as the requirements of the most likely sources of national and international financing. All Project documents (reports, studies, trainings, analyses, assessments, strategies, etc.) have to be provided in English. Onsite technical advisory, workshops and certain documents need to be provided additionally in Ukrainian, on demand.