Consultancy services for the development of an Early Warning System (EWS) for National Phytosanitary Authority (ANF)

Project: P179786 - Romania Rural Pollution Prevention and Reduction Project (RAPID) Reference: 03-QCBS-2025 Procurement method: Quality And Cost-Based Selection Financing: World Bank ROMANIAN MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, WATERS AND FORESTS Rural Pollution Prevention and Reduction Project (RAPID), IBRD Loan no. 9505-RO REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST Assignment Title: Consultancy services for the development of an Early Warning System (EWS) for National Phytosanitary Authority (ANF) Reference No . (as per Procurement Plan): 03/QCBS/2025 The Government of Romania has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Rural Pollution Prevention and Reduction Project (RAPID Project), and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services. The consultancy services (“the Services”) include Custom-Designed Early Warning System (EWS) to serve as a digital platform for automating the forecasting, issuing, and dissemination of phytosanitary bulletins and warnings to farmers and local authorities. By integrating weather data, pests/diseases information, and geospatial information, the system will enhance efficiency, accuracy, and coordination in plant protection, supporting sustainable agricultural practices and regulatory enforcement The duration of the contract will be until March 31st, 2028, or any subsequent date, as agreed in writing by the Parties through a contract amendment. The Consultant is expected to commence performance of the services starting with a contract kick-off meeting. The implementation of the EWS is expected to fit within the 16-month timeline. The duration of the Analysis Phase will be three (3) months, the duration of the Phase 1 (pilot phase) will be ten (10) months and the durations of the Phase 2 (Final EWS Deployment) will be six (6) months. The commencement of Phase 1 and 2 is contingent upon the successful completion of previous phase. The detailed Terms of Reference (ToRs) for the assignment are published on the Ministry’s of Environment, Waters and Forests web site at the following link: https://mmediu.ro/informatii-de-interes-public/achizitii-publice/anunturi/ The Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests - Rural Pollution Prevention and Reduction Project, now invites eligible consulting firms (“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 shortlisting criteria are: I. General qualifications - 20 points The Consultants should have at least 5 years’ experience in providing consultancy services on IT systems development, preferably for public institutions. The Consultants should have experience in cloud, hybrid, and on-premises infrastructure. Furthermore, The Consultants should prove experience in developing at least one large-scale or enterprise-level IT system for public institutions or private sector (e.g., for at least 1,000 users or` under use in multiple locations), on: Business analysis, Software development, System integration, Performance testing. II. Specific experience - 80 points The Consultants should demonstrate previous experience in implementing at least one software application with the following capabilities: The ability to display GIS layers, ensuring geospatial visualization and analysis, Real-time data processing and integration from multiple external sources. Automated generation and dissemination of notifications or reports based on predefined rules, Reporting and compliance monitoring. Also, the Consultants should prove experience in at least two projects that involve: Data collection and processing, Forecasting and analytics, System interoperability, Mobile Applications Development, Reporting and compliance monitoring. Experience in Similar Projects: a strong track record in delivering EU-funded or internationally financed projects is highly desirable. Supporting documents should be provided (recommendation letters, copies of contracts, reception letters/approval documents issued by the Contracting Authorities for the deliverables / services / final reports etc.). The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, 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. Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications, but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected. Interested Consultants should clearly indicate in their Expression of interest the structure of their “association” and the duties and responsibilities of each of the partners and sub-consultants. Please note t