Romania Rural Pollution Prevention and Reduction Project (RAPID)

Project: P179786 - Romania Rural Pollution Prevention and Reduction Project (RAPID) Financing: World Bank GENERAL PROCUREMENT NOTICE ROMANIA RURAL POLLUTION PREVENTION AND REDUCTION PROJECT [environmental protection and agriculture] GENERAL PROCUREMENT NOTICE Loan No.9505-RO Project ID No. P179786 The Government of Romania has received financing in the amount of EUR 60.000.000 from the World Bank toward the cost of the RURAL POLLUTION PREVENTION AND REDUCTION PROJECT, and it intends to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, works, non-consulting services and consulting services to be procured under this project. The project will include the following components 1. Modernization of Public Institutions in Charge of Pollution Control 1.1. Strengthening the Institutional Capacity of MEWF Supporting the institutional capacity of MEWF to monitor, evaluate, and report on investments, including on the NRRP’s environment-related components, including through: (i) building capacity for carrying out internal audits; (ii) technical assistance for strengthening MEWF administrative capacity for monitoring and reporting NRRP investments; (iii) technical assistance for the development of software applications and licenses for NRRP, including development of software for M&E and reporting applications and interface software for enhancing integration and communication with governmental structures for NRRP; (iv) office equipment to support the monitoring and reporting capacity of MEWF; (v) vehicles for MEWF’s administrative capacity; and (vi) capacity building activities, including participation in trainings, organizing and attending conferences and knowledge-exchange meetings. 1.2. Enhancing the National Capacity for Monitoring, Prevention and Reduction of Pollution from Agricultural Sources in Rural Areas (a) Strengthening the institutional capacity of ANAR to monitor the quality of surface and groundwater bodies including through: (i) purchase of monitoring equipment and integrated database with hardware and software (including servers); (ii) development of an early-warning-system in case of rising pollution; (iii) development of a software to support Romania’s reporting obligations under the relevant legal framework, including on nitrates; (iv) purchase of equipment for sampling and testing pesticides, antimicrobials, heavy metals, and other pollutants, monitoring of water quality, determining biological indicators relevant to eutrophication, monitoring of nutrients in surface and groundwater resources; (v) training of relevant ANAR’s personnel responsible for the analysis of water quality; (vi) training of laboratory personnel; (vii) development of an IT tool for modeling the pollutant emissions from agricultural activities; (viii) development of integrated information management systems; and (ix) revising the Code of Good Agricultural Practices and its action program, as well the preparation of guidelines addressing the reduction of pollutants and emissions from agricultural sources. (b) Strengthening the institutional capacity of the NFA including through: (i) technical assistance and the purchase of equipment for the development of a national network to improve surveillance and alert system (collection of weather data) on plant diseases and pests, for an integrated pest management and sustainable use of pesticides and procurement of an accompanying software solution for a system of automatic data processing for surveillance/prognosis, real-time alert and recommendations on the use of pesticides; (ii) the purchase of mobile laboratories for inspection and calibration of pesticides field-application equipment; (iii) the purchase of equipment and digital solutions to strengthen the laboratories capacity for monitoring pesticide use that will improve to detect and identify plant diseases and pests; and (iv) the adoption of digital technologies and solutions dedicated to reduced green-house gas emissions, such as databases and IT applications to track the movement of pesticides, ensuring traceability of pesticides to strengthen their sustainable use, monitoring, and reporting capacity. (c) Strengthening the institutional capacity of MARD’s Directorate of Land Improvements and Land Fund including through: (i) carrying out a diagnostic analysis of the Romanian agriculture sector; (ii) developing a software for integrated collection, processing, analysis, mapping, and reporting of data; and (iii) capacity building activities to support the use of the software and digital technologies. 2. Knowledge-Sharing, Awareness, and Information/Innovation Transfer for Participating Farmers 2.1. Demonstrating role model farms and promoting innovation Supporting the upgrade and modernization of existing farms for demonstration purposes through the provision of Sub-grants to Participating Farmers for Eligible Sub-Projects. 2.2. Establishing national knowledge transfer networks Establishing national knowledge transfer networks for