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Ref.
2026/ESNSGEGCWPEM/16668

Job offer type
Experts

Type of contract
Fixed-term contract (CDD)

Deadline date
2026/11/29 23:55

Duration
6 months

Mission description

The assignment aims to provide Expertise France with a procurement-ready tender package and a managed-service contract, with all annexes, for the selection of the prime ISP. Specifically, the expert shall:

Translate the WiFi4MD technical solution and the results of the market consultation into clear, measurable and comparable tender requirements;

Design a contract framework that makes the prime ISP accountable for service quality, security, data protection and continuity, and gives Expertise France effective control over site orders, acceptance, payments and changes;

Ensure full traceability between tender requirements, price lines, acceptance evidence and contractual obligations; and

Equip the Expertise France team with practical tools to manage the contract once signed.

Tasks

Phase 1 – Inception and review. The expert shall review the technical solution and delivery model, the market consultation materials and results, the Call for Applications methodology, Expertise France procurement rules, templates and general conditions, and reference programmes (WiFi4EU, WiFi4WB). The expert shall propose the architecture of the tender package and contract, the work plan and the review calendar.

Phase 2 – Market consultation analysis. The expert shall analyze responses from potential candidates, session minutes and the consultation summary, and recommend which requirements, quantities, service levels and price structures to confirm, adjust or drop.

Phase 3 – Tender package. The expert shall draft the technical and commercial parts of the tender: scope of work; technical specifications (site topologies and modifiers, equipment baseline, backhaul classes and capacity tiers, national portal and dashboard, cybersecurity, data protection and content filtering); service levels, acceptance procedures and test protocols; pricing schedule and bills of quantities; technical offer forms and compliance matrix; and a proposal for selection and award criteria, in coordination with Expertise France’s procurement team.

Phase 4 – Managed-service contract and annexes. The expert shall draft the special conditions and annexes, consistent with Expertise France general conditions, EU regulations and applicable law, covering: service levels and service credits; acceptance procedure; site ordering and change control; security schedule; data-protection agreement (Moldovan Law No. 195/2024 and GDPR); acceptable-use and content-filtering policy; national portal and dashboard, including data rights and domain ownership; reporting and governance; asset register and transfer to municipalities; exit, transition and continuation; and operational templates (site survey, site design, installation and monthly service reports).

Phase 5 – Tender and contract finalization support. If requested by Expertise France, the expert shall draft answers to bidders’ clarification requests, support the evaluation as a non-voting technical adviser in line with Expertise France procurement rules, and support the pre-signature finalization of the contract.

Phase 6 – Contract-management toolkit and handover. The expert shall prepare a practical toolkit (obligations and deadlines register, KPI and service-credit calculation sheet, site order and acceptance workflow, change-control register and monthly review checklist) and hold a handover session with the Expertise France team.

Expected deliverables and indicative delivery plan

The exact schedule will be agreed at inception and aligned with the tender timetable confirmed by Expertise France. Deliverables shall be submitted in English, in editable Word and Excel formats.

No.

Deliverable

Phase

Indicative timing

Content

1

Inception note and work plan

1

Within the first two weeks (December 2026)

Review findings, proposed architecture of the tender package and contract, use of days and review calendar.

2

Market consultation analysis

2

Within one week of receiving the consultation results (December 2026)

Recommended changes to requirements, quantities, service levels and price structure.

3

Draft tender package

3

Within five weeks of start (January 2027)

All documents listed under Phase 3.

4

Draft contract with annexes

4

Within seven weeks of start (January 2027)

Special conditions and all annexes listed under Phase 4.

5

Final tender package, including the draft contract

3–4

By the tender publication date set by Expertise France (indicatively February 2027)

Tender documents and draft contract revised after review and ready for publication.

6

Tender and contract finalization support

5

During the tender period and until contract signature (February–April 2027)

Draft answers to clarification requests, evaluation support as non-voting technical adviser, contract finalization inputs.

7

Contract-management toolkit, handover session and final note

6

By the end of the assignment (May 2027)

Toolkit under Phase 6 and a concise final note with recommendations.

 

Project or context description

EU4Innovation East is a regional project funded by the European Union, co-funded by France and implemented by Expertise France, supporting the competitiveness and maturity of startup and innovation ecosystems in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

Under Pillar 5 of EU4Innovation East, the WiFi4MD project will provide free, secure public Wi-Fi in municipal buildings, libraries, cultural centres, parks and public squares in at least 30 localities of the Republic of Moldova, with approximately 600 access points as an indicative planning scale, installed in two waves. Municipalities are selected through an open Call for Applications.

The service will be procured as one centrally managed, end-to-end contract with a single accountable prime national internet service provider (ISP). The prime ISP will be responsible for site survey and design, supply and installation of site equipment, connectivity, a national captive portal and project dashboard, operations, cybersecurity, data protection, acceptance evidence and transition. Connectivity is funded for 12 months per site from that site’s acceptance, after which project-funded equipment is intended to transfer to the municipalities.

The tender shall combine equipment supply, connectivity, a national platform and service obligations, priced through standard site packages, modifiers and recurring lines under an overall ceiling. Expertise France therefore seeks a senior expert to turn the validated technical solution into a complete, enforceable tender package and contract.

Required profile

Qualifications and skills

•       Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in telecommunications, electrical or computer engineering, information technology, law or business administration; three additional years of relevant experience may replace the advanced degree;

•       excellent drafting skills and ability to structure complex technical and contractual documents;

•       excellent command of English; knowledge of Romanian, Russian or French is an asset.

Professional experience

•       At least 10 years of relevant experience in telecommunications or ICT services, including at least 5 years designing, procuring or managing managed-service contracts for networks, connectivity or ICT services (SLA/KPI frameworks, service credits, acceptance and change control);

•       drafting of tender specifications and contract annexes for at least two ICT or telecommunications managed-service procurements (public, donor-funded or large enterprise); and

•       hands-on management of at least one multi-site network service contract, on the client or provider side.

Assets

Knowledge of EU-funded procurement rules (PRAG), EU public procurement directives or French public procurement rules; experience with public Wi-Fi programmes (WiFi4EU or similar), Wi-Fi 6 networks, captive portals and central network management; experience translating cybersecurity (NIS2, EU 5G Toolbox), product conformity (RED, EN 18031) and data-protection (GDPR) requirements into contract clauses; and knowledge of the telecommunications markets of Moldova or other Eastern Partnership countries will be considered an asset.

Additional information

The assignment will run for up to six months, indicatively from December 2026 to May 2027, with a maximum level of effort of 40 working days. Indicatively, about 5 days will cover inception and the market consultation analysis (Phases 1–2), 16 days the tender package (Phase 3), 9 days the contract and annexes (Phase 4), 7 days the tender and contract finalization support (Phase 5), and 3 days the toolkit and handover (Phase 6). The allocation will be agreed at inception and adjusted within the 40-day ceiling as needs evolve.

The assignment will be carried out home based or remotely, with missions to Chișinău as agreed with Expertise France, in particular for inception meetings, working sessions with the Expertise France team, Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization (MDED) and ARCOM (national regulator), and the handover session. Travel and expenditure require prior approval and must follow applicable contractual procedures.

The expert will work under the supervision of the WiFi4MD Project Manager (EU4Innovation East) and in close coordination with Expertise France’s procurement and legal teams. Expertise France approves all deliverables and retains all procurement decisions. The working language is English. Monthly timesheets and concise progress updates linked to work performed will be submitted to Expertise France. The expert shall respect confidentiality and applicable data-protection requirements; all documents produced belong to Expertise France.

Because the expert drafts the tender documents, independence from potential bidders is a condition of eligibility. The expert must not have, or have had in the last 12 months, any employment, consultancy or financial interest with internet service providers or integrators likely to take part in the WiFi4MD tender, and must disclose any earlier relationship. The expert may not take part in the tender or the resulting contract, directly or as staff or subcontractor of a bidder, and shall have no contact with potential bidders about the tender other than through Expertise France.

5. Application process

Interested candidates are invited to submit the following documents in English:

•        a CV, preferably in Europass format, highlighting managed-service, tender and contract-management experience, including examples of comparable assignments and the expert’s role;

•        a cover letter of no more than two pages describing two comparable assignments and the proposed approach, and disclosing any past or current relationship with internet service providers or equipment vendors; and

•        an indication of the expected daily fee rate in EUR, in accordance with the call for applications.

Only shortlisted candidates may be contacted for further assessment. The Contracting Authority may request supporting documents and references. Civil servants and other staff currently employed by a public administration institution of the beneficiary country are not eligible to apply as experts. Experts must be independent and free from conflicts of interest in the responsibilities defined by these Terms of Reference.

Applications should be submitted by November 29, 2026 end of business day.

Deadline for application : 2026/11/29 23:55

Expertise France is the public agency for designing and implementing international technical cooperation projects. The agency operates around four key priorities :

  • democratic, economic, and financial governance ;
  • peace, stability, and security ;
  • climate, agriculture, and sustainable development ;
  • health and human development ;

In these areas, Expertise France conducts capacity-building initiatives and manages project implementation, leveraging technical expertise and acting as a project coordinator. This involves combining public sector expertise with private sector skills to drive impactful results. 

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