Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Through its programmes and projects, UN Women is providing technical assistance to national partners (governmental and non-governmental), including private sector, in the implementation of existing international and national commitments to women’s rights and gender equality, it facilitates networking and exchange of good practices and advocates for women’s rights and gender equality in all areas of life.

The work of UN Women in the Republic of Moldova is guided by its Country Strategic Note 2023 – 2027, aligned to the UN-Moldova Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2023-2027 and the UN Women Global Strategic Plan (SP) (2022-2025), and aims to contribute to the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The overarching vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is inclusive and sustainable growth with its promise to leave no one behind.  Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, target 5.5. calls to “ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of the decision-making in political, economic and public life”. Gender equality is mainstreamed throughout the SDGs, including SDG 8 “Decent Work and Economic Growth”. Gender equality by 2030 requires urgent action to eliminate the many root causes of discrimination that still curtail women’s rights in private and public spheres. At its core, the economic empowerment of women depends on the quantity and quality of paid employment, the provision or absence of public services, the amount of unpaid care work borne by women, as well as coverage or lack thereof under core social and labor protections.

The Country Strategic Note 2023 – 2027 focuses on four impact areas: 1. Governance & participation in Public Life 2. Economic Empowerment & Resilience, 3 Ending Violence against women & girls, 4 Peace& Security, Humanitarian Action & Disaster Risk Reduction. To achieve progress under these areas, UN Women works with variety of national and international partners and as part of different national and regional initiatives.

Contributing to the realization of these results, UN Women works to strengthen capacities of the Parliament and Government to develop, adopt and implement legal, regulatory and policy frameworks, as well as care service provision models that create decent work for women and that support the reduction and redistribution of unpaid care work and more equal sharing of care and domestic work between women and men. UN Women works to improve women’s access to male dominated professions, notably in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and build their ICT skills and promote women’s increased access to economic opportunities through trainings, coaching and financial support, as well as through supporting best practices of the private sector. The cooperation with the private sector covers the work on promotion the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). Companies are becoming more aware about the WEPs and knowledge products and tools to guide private sector institutions on WEPs implementation and monitoring in their workplaces and industries etc. were developed. Further work is required to continue promotion of WEPs within the private sector.

Starting from 2018, WEPs engagement entered into a new phase, with the active awareness and  involvement of over 30 companies, out of which 7 companies ended with the formulation of individualized action plans. Further, collaboratively with company representatives, a collection of noteworthy local practices was identified, alongside the identification of constraints and deficiencies. Subsequently, these findings informed the development of targeted policies and recommendations for modifying the legislative framework.

Two years in a row (2022 and 2023), a National Conference dedicated to WEPs was organized, where the Government of Moldova, civil society organizations, academia and the private sector discussed women empowerment in Moldova, best practices and challenges. At the conferences best corporate practices were awarded by UN Women and, subsequently 17 companies already signed WEPs, including 7 companies that developed the self-assessment and action plans.

Building on these achievements and recognizing the evolving landscape of women’s empowerment, UN Women is seeking a consultant with practical expertise in the application of women empowerment principles. The consultant will play a pivotal role in providing support and guidance to further advance the implementation of WEPs and contribute to the ongoing progress in promoting gender equality in Moldova.

Scope of Work

The primary objective of this consultancy is to enhance the implementation of Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and related initiatives in Moldova. The scope of work encompasses a range of activities aimed at building capacity, developing resources, and promoting WEPs principles in the corporate sector. She/he will work in close collaboration with the operations and Programme staff in the UN Women Moldova CO. The consultant will collaborate with a national company and national consultant, actively endorsing and advancing the principles of Women’s Empowerment (WEPs). The main focus will be on enhancing the skills and knowledge of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in relation to WEPs and fostering gender-sensitive policies and practices, but also empowering local consulting company (selected by UN Women) in implementation and promotion of WEPs.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct collaboration with UN Women WEE team, the following major tasks shall be undertaken by the consultant:

Tasks and activities		Deliverables	Estimated workload (workdays)
Empowering the WEPs Community and Strengthening the Capacities of National Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)
Conduct 3 (three) targeted training sessions for the WEPs community in Moldova to enhance their understanding of key principles and practices; Develop comprehensive templates tailored for companies in WEPs, including templates for surveys assessing employee perceptions on various issues such as the pay gap, etc		Training materials (agenda, presentations, handouts) Monthly & final reports	Up to 10 days
Conduct consultations up to 5 companies in Moldova, offering guidance on WEPs implementation; Facilitate the development of a minimum of two gender-related policies per participating company; Assist companies in integrating the developed policies into their organizational structures; Arrange and actively participate in up to five meetings with the companies. Prepare a comprehensive presentation summarizing lessons learned during the consultation process, providing insights to help other companies build their expertise.		Consultations, meetings reports Up to 10 policies developed. Monthly & final reports Presentation of lessons learned	Up to 20 days
Offer guidance to company/ association in promotion and implementation of WEPs principles		Monthly & final  reports	Up to 15 days
Strategic contribution to WEPs related events and initiatives
Development of the concepts of National Conference & Award on WEPs; WEPs Accelerator Program		2 concepts presented. Event agenda approved	Up to 5 days
Develop of up to 5 concepts/ scenarios for the online courses of WEPs implementation designed for MSMEs		5 developed scenarios	Up to 10 days
Total			Up to 60 days

Note: The mentioned number of working days has been estimated as being sufficient/feasible for the envisaged volume of work to be completed successfully and is proposed as a guideline for the duration of assignment. It cannot and shall not be used as criteria for completion of work/assignment. The provision of envisaged deliverables approved by the UN Women responsible staff shall be the only criteria for the Consultant work being completed and eligible for payment/s.

Note: All the deliverables should be agreed with the UN Women responsible staff and provided in English electronic copy.

Duration of the assignment

The total duration of the contract is tentatively planned for up to 10 calendar months starting with February 2024 with the possibility of extension subject to funds availability.

Management arrangements

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the UN Women Programme Coordinator and in close cooperation with Programme Associate.

The consultant should work in close cooperation with the company/ association promoting and implementing, WEPs principles and adapt its activities based on the needs of the association.

Travel

In the case of travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UN Women and the Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Performance evaluation

Consultant’s performance will be evaluated against such criteria as: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

Financial arrangements

Payment will be disbursed on a monthly basis, upon submission and approval of deliverables and timesheets with actual days worked and certification by the UN Women responsible staff that the services have been satisfactorily performed.

Competencies

Core Values:

· Respect for Diversity

· Integrity

· Professionalism

Core Competencies:

· Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues

· Accountability

· Creative Problem Solving

· Effective Communication

· Inclusive Collaboration

· Stakeholder Engagement

· Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree in economics, social science, human rights, gender equality, management, or other related areas.
• Professional specialization in WEPs will be considered a strong advantage.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience at national or international level in managing complex and multi-component programmes and projects, preferably in CSR and/or gender equality, or women’s economic empowerment.
• Strong analytical and writing skills and experience.
• Experience in the UN system, agencies and international organizations is an asset.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems.

Language skills:

• Fluency in English required. Knowledge of Romanian and/or Russian is an advantage.

Evaluation

Initially, individual consultants will be short-listed based on the following minimum qualification criteria:

• Master’s degree in economics, social science, human rights, gender equality, management, or other related areas.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience at national or international level in managing complex and multi-component programmes and projects, preferably in CSR and/or gender equality, or women’s economic empowerment.

The short-listed individual consultants will be further evaluated based on a cumulative analysis scheme, with a total score being obtained upon the combination of weighted technical and financial attributes. Cost under this method of analysis is rendered as an award criterion, which will be 30% out of a total score of 100 points.

Evaluation of submitted offers will be done based on the following formula:

where:

T	is the total technical score awarded to the evaluated proposal (only to those proposals that pass 70% of 70 points obtainable under technical evaluation);
C	is the price of the evaluated proposal;
Clow	is the lowest of all evaluated proposal prices among responsive proposals; and
X	is the maximum financial points obtainable (30 points)

Technical evaluation will be represented through desk review of applications. Interviews and/or written tests will be organized if needed only, depending on the short-listed candidates’ qualifications.

Technical Qualification Evaluation Criteria: The technical part is evaluated on the basis of its responsiveness to the Terms of Reference (TOR).

Nr.	Criteria	Maximum points
1	Master’s degree in economics, social science, human rights, gender equality, management, or other related areas. (master degree –10, specialization in WEPs or SCR – 5 points)	15
2	Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience at national or international level in managing complex and multi-component programmes and projects, preferably in CSR and/or gender equality, or women’s economic empowerment. (5 years – 20 points, each year over 3 years –3 pts, up to a max of 40 pts);	40
3	At least 3 years of experience in consulting companies or developing capacity building materials in the fields of CSR and/ or WEPs; ( 3 years –20 pts, each year over 3 years – 5 pts, up to a max of 30 pts);	30
4.	Extensive experience in developing and conducting training programs related to WEPs and/or CSR, coordination of  WEPs related activities and events ( 2 years –10 pts, each year over – 5 pts, up to a max of 20 pts);	20
5.	Previous experience with UN Women and engaging with diverse stakeholders, including CSOs, NGOs, national governments, and other UN agencies an advantage;	10
6.	Fluency in English required. Knowledge of Romanian and/or Russian is an advantage. (English -5 pts, Russian – 5 pts, Romanian – 5 pts)	15
	Maximum total technical scoring:	130

Financial Evaluation Criteria: In this Second Stage, the financial proposal of candidates, who have attained minimum 70% score in the technical evaluation (at least 70 points), will be compared.

Selected Candidate

The selected candidate will be the candidate, who has accumulated the highest aggregate score (technical scoring + financial scoring).

Application Procedure: 

Interested candidates are invited to submit applications with the following documents.

• Letter of Intent to include a brief overview about which of your previous experiences makes you the most suitable candidate for the advertised position;
• Duly filled Personal History Form P11 including records on past experience in similar projects/ assignments and specific outputs obtained; P11 can be downloaded at https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form-en.doc ;
• Financial proposal – specifying a total lump sum amount for the task specified in Terms of References. Please see ANNEX I and ANNEX II.

Please note that only applicants who are short-listed will be contacted. 

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The United Nations in Moldova is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non-citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply.

Annex I: Price Proposal Guideline and Template

The prospective Consultant should take the following explanations into account during submission of his/her price proposal.

1. Daily fee

The daily price proposal should indicate a “lump sum amount” which is “all-inclusive”. All costs (professional fees, communications, consumables during field related missions, etc.) that could be incurred by the Contractor needs to be factored into the proposed price.

UN Women will not withhold any amount of the payments for tax and/or social security related payments. UN Women shall have no liability for taxes, duties, or other similar charges payable by the Individual Contractor in respect of any amounts paid to the Individual Contractor under this Contract, and the Contractor acknowledges that UN Women will not issue any statements of earnings to the Individual contractor in respect of any such payments.

2. Travel costs

UN Women will not cover transportation cost within Chisinau.

3. Daily Subsistence Allowance

Not applicable.

4. Currency of the price proposal

The applicants are requested to submit their price proposals in MDL. In case of proposals in other currency, these shall be converted into MDL using the official UN exchange rate for currency MDL conversion to MDL at the date of applications’ submission deadline.

Annex II: Price Proposal Submission Form

To: United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

Ref: International consultant to provide support in the application and promotion of WEPs

Dear Sir / Madam,

I, the undersigned, offer to provide professional consulting services to UN Women within the scope of the referred Assignment.

Having examined, understood and agreed to the Terms of Reference and its annexes, the receipt of which are hereby duly acknowledged, I, the undersigned, offer to deliver professional services, in conformity with the Terms of Reference.

My maximum total price proposal for the assignment is given below:

Deliverables	MDL
Daily fee all inclusive
Total price

I confirm that my financial proposal will remain unchanged. I also confirm that the price that I quote is gross, and is inclusive of all legal expenses, including but not limited to social security, income tax, pension, etc., which shall be required applicable laws.

I agree that my proposal shall remain binding upon me for 30 days.

I understand that you are not bound to accept any proposal you may receive.

[Signature]

Date:

Name:

Address:

Telephone/Fax:

Email: