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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The core objective of this Twinning project is to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of public finance management and the implementation of the EU acquis in the area of Financial Control within Moldova. - Target recipients are Public Administrations and Mandated Bodies from EU Member States. - This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, focusing on finance, public finance management, internal control, internal audit, and anti-fraud. - The geographic scope involves EU Member States as applicants and the Republic of Moldova as the beneficiary country. - This is a specific call under the NDICI/2024/ACT-62645 Support for EU integration programme.

Financial Structure

Total EU funded budget: 1,250,000 EUR.
Maximum Grant Amount: The total project budget is 1,250,000 EUR.
Currency: EUR.
Funding Rate: 100.0% of eligible costs are covered by the EU budget, as this is a Twinning project focusing on direct technical assistance and expertise transfer.
Eligible Costs: Costs related to the implementation of the project activities, including personnel costs for Project Leader, Resident Twinning Adviser, Component Leaders, Short-Term Experts, RTA Assistant, and a full-time translator/interpreter, as well as associated operational expenses for project implementation. Specific details on eligible costs would be in the Twinning Manual, but are implicitly covered by the overall budget for the specified activities and personnel.
Co-financing Requirements: Not explicitly stated as a cash co-financing requirement for the applicant EU Member State. The nature of a Twinning project implies that the EU Member State provides expertise and administrative capacity, funded by the grant.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Eligibility

Eligible Organization Types: Only Public Administrations and Mandated Bodies from European Union Member States.
Geographic Location: Applicants must be from an EU Member State. The project activities will be implemented in the Republic of Moldova, which is the beneficiary country.

Personnel Requirements

Project Leader (PL):
Must be a public servant or equivalent staff of a Member State administration.
Preferably a Head of Department, engaged in PFM, risk management, internal control, internal audit, or protection of EU financial interests.
Minimum 8 years of relevant working experience.
Proven contractual relation to a public administration or mandated body.
Minimum university degree in finance, public administration, law/political science, economy, or internal/external auditing.
Excellent knowledge of EU policies, legislation, and institutional setup related to PFM, internal control, and/or internal audit.
Fluent written and spoken English.
Resident Twinning Adviser (RTA):
Must be a civil servant or equivalent staff seconded to work within departments dealing with PFM, risk management, internal control, audit, or protection of EU financial interests in EU Member State bodies.
Proven contractual relation to a public administration or mandated body.
Minimum university degree in finance, public administration, law/political science, economy, or internal/external auditing.
Minimum 3 years of experience in Public Finance Management.
Good knowledge of EU policies, legislation, and institutional setup related to the project areas.
Fluent written and spoken English.
Component Leaders (CLs):
Must be a national of a Member State of the European Union.
Proven contractual relation to a public administration or mandated body.
At least a university degree in law/economics or another relevant discipline, OR equivalent professional experience of 5 years.
At least 5 years of specific experience linked to the relevant component.
Fluent written and spoken English.
Short-Term Experts (STEs):
University degree in economics/law/public administration/IT or a discipline relevant to the project.
Professional experience of 8 years.
At least 5 years of working experience in the field of automation of PFM/PIFC/IA processes, fighting fraud, or irregularities of EU funds, as per the required assistance field.
Fluent written and spoken English.

Exclusion Criteria

A single negative evaluation on the operational capacity criteria for the Project Leader, Resident Twinning Adviser, or Component Leaders will disqualify the proposal.

Application Process

Application Deadlines and Submission

Application Deadline: 2025-10-15 12:00:00+0000 (Brussels time). This is the deadline for National Contact Points to submit proposals to the Contracting Authority.
Submission Process: Twinning proposals must be submitted by the Lead Member State Administration to the EU Member States National Contact Points for Twinning. Only one Twinning proposal can be submitted per Member State National Contact Point to the Contracting Authority.
Submission Format: Via email through the Member State National Contact Points for Twinning.

Required Documentation

Twinning proposal, strictly observing the Twinning Manual's instructions and template.
Curriculum Vitae (CVs) for the designated Project Leader (PL), Resident Twinning Adviser (RTA), and potentially Component Leaders (CLs).

Timeline and Evaluation

Project Duration: Maximum 36 months.
Evaluation Committee Meetings: Tentative start date is 2025-10-16.
Provisional Notification Date of Results: November 2025.

Reporting and Monitoring

Reporting Schedule: Interim quarterly reports and a final report are required.
Report Content: All reports must include both a narrative and a financial section, detailing progress against mandatory results and providing recommendations.
Monitoring: A Project Steering Committee (PSC) will oversee implementation, verify progress, ensure coordination, finalize interim reports, and discuss updated work plans.

Evaluation Criteria

Selection Criteria (Yes/No)

Operational Capacity: Evaluation of the proposed Member State Project Leader, Resident Twinning Adviser, and Component Leaders. A 'No' for any of these criteria results in disqualification.

Award Criteria (Scoring 1-5)

Proposed Methodology: Assessment of the strategic approach, methodology, and indicative timetable.
Experience of Personnel: Evaluation of the experience of the proposed RTA and PL.
Administrative Experience: Assessment of the applicant administration's experience in cooperation projects.
Member State Presentation: Quality of the overall presentation.

Substantial Criteria (Scoring Breakdown) Each subsection within the main sections is scored between 1 and 5 points. Total scores are summed for each section, then for the overall proposal. - Section 1: Strategic & Methodology - If the total score for Section 1 is lower than 27 points (out of a possible 45), the proposal will be eliminated. - Section 2: Experience of PL/RTA/CLs & Administrative Structure - If the total score for Section 2 is lower than 16 points (out of a possible 25), the proposal will be eliminated.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

EU Acquis: Alignment with Chapter 32 'Financial Control', particularly regarding Public Internal Financial Control (PIFC) and protection of EU financial interests.
International Standards: Conformance with COSO Internal Control Integrated Framework and International Internal Audit Standards (including the updated Global Internal Audit Standards).
Anti-Fraud Frameworks: Compliance with Regulation 883/2013 (AFCOS) and Directive (EU) 2017/1371 (fight against fraud to the Union's financial interests by criminal law).
OLAF Regulations: Compliance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).
National Legislation: The project aims to support the implementation and update of Moldova's national legislation in PIFC (e.g., Law № 229, MoF orders).

Project Conditions and Facilities

Beneficiary Commitments: The Ministry of Finance of Moldova (the main beneficiary) must:
Appoint counterpart personnel and guarantee their continuity before the call launch.
Allocate working space and facilities for the RTA and assistants for the entire secondment duration.
Provide adequate conditions for short-term experts during their missions.
Provide training and conference venues, presentation, and interpretation equipment.
Participate in the selection process as per EU regulations.
Organize, select, and appoint members of working groups, steering, and coordination committees, and seminars.

Cross-Cutting Themes and Strategic Alignment

Sustainability: Project embedded in Moldova's Public Administration Reform (PAR) and Public Finance Management (PFM) Strategies 2023-2030, and the PIFC Programme 2024-2027. Focus on capacity building and knowledge transfer to ensure long-term impact.
Gender: The PFM Strategy 2023-2030 emphasizes considering gender-specific medium-term budgeting. While not a direct focus, the project promotes understanding of social groups' needs in public fund allocation and spreading resources equally.
Environment and Climate Change: The project promotes environmental suitability by encouraging electronic communications, paperless delivery, and digitalizing processes. Environmental protection risks can be integrated into risk assessments and internal audits.
Civil Society Engagement: Publicly available PIFC reports aim to allow civil society to use information, suggest measures, and provide observations to improve PFM and internal control.
Strategic Alignment: The project aligns with the EU-Moldova Association Agreement and recommendations from the European Commission's report on Financial Control for Moldova.

Grant Details