TERMS OF REFERENCE

Logistic services to deliver high-quality support in organizing and managing international travel arrangements for EUACI 

General background

The EU Anti-Corruption Initiative in Ukraine (EUACI) is the European Union’s technical support program in the area of anti-corruption in Ukraine, co-funded and implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Denmark. The overall objective of the EUACI is to achieve significant progress in preventing and countering corruption, ensuring the coherence and systemic anti-corruption activities of state and local self-government bodies, and to empower civil society and citizens to contribute to the combatting of corruption, as well as the proper process of Ukraine’s post-war recovery. The program runs till April 2027.

Objective

The purpose of this assignment is to select a logistics services company capable of delivering high-quality support in organizing and managing international travel arrangements for EUACI staff and partners.

Scope of work

EUACI requires comprehensive travel arrangement services for international trips, covering all stages of travel management. On average, EUACI organizes approximately 25 international trips annually and anticipates a similar volume and distribution during the contract period.

Services required include but are not limited to the following:

Planning International Travel Options

• Identify and recommend optimal travel options for international trips using rail, bus, flights, or their combination, ensuring suitability for participants traveling from/to Ukraine.
• Purchase round-trip international tickets and/or arrange transportation for individual and group trips.
• Ensure seamless coordination of travel schedules with planned activities for participants in destination countries.

Accommodation Booking

• Identify and secure suitable accommodation options for participants in destination countries, ensuring safety, hygiene, and comfort standards are met.  
• The Supplier must ensure that the price for a proposed accommodation does not exceed the allowance for accommodation (“Hotel ceiling”) in the country, as stated in the Danish Ministry of Finance’s annual circular regarding official journeys. The circular will be provided by EUACI.

Local Transportation Abroad

• Arrange intra-destination transportation, such as bus rentals, for participants in the destination country.
• Provide safe, reliable, and comfortable transport solutions for group travel within the destination.

Advisory Support and Assistance

• Conduct pre-departure briefings for participants, providing essential travel information, including border crossing requirements, local customs and regulations, emergency procedures, and important contacts.
• Offer continuous support and assistance to participants during trips, including handling unforeseen and/or emergency situations.

Additional Services

• Ensure compliance with EUACI’s budgetary and operational policies.
• Provide flexible and responsive service to handle changes in travel requirements.

The selected provider must demonstrate the capability to manage these tasks effectively and align with EUACI’s expectations for professionalism, responsiveness, and cost-efficiency.

Deliverables

The Consultant will provide the following deliverables:

• Provision of travel-related documentation, including tickets, booking confirmations, accommodation details;
• Comprehensive pre-trip travel plan with a detailed breakdown of the entire trip, including routes, destinations, and timing for each segment, ensuring clarity and adherence to schedules;
• Post-trip evaluation report, including observations and key findings, prepared after each trip;
• Detailed invoice and act of acceptance, provided to EUACI once the trip is completed;
• Primary documentation confirming the expenses and services rendered;
• Semi-annual report, summarizing all trips organized during the reporting period.

Language of deliverables: English.

Qualifications

Tenderers shall demonstrate that they fulfil the following criteria:  

• Official registration as a legal entity in accordance with Ukrainian legislation;
• Proven track record (no fewer than 5 years) of relevant experience aligned with the required scope of work;
• Proven expertise in organizing group trips from Ukraine to international destinations;
• Experience in cooperation with EU-funded or other donor-funded projects is an advantage;
• Commitment to confidentiality and resolution of conflicts of interest.

Budget, timeframe, and location

The estimated value of the framework agreement is EUR 33,000 excluding VAT, with an expected duration of 12 months from the date of contract signing. Should the estimated value be exceeded, a new call for proposals shall be announced.

The service fee to the Supplier is included in the estimated value of the framework agreement.

Please note that the EUACI is VAT exempted; hence, the invoices must be exclusive of VAT.

Reporting and management  

The performance of the Contractor will be judged upon reaching the purpose of this contract as well as obtaining its results, as indicated in the section “Objective” and “Deliverables” herein respectively. Moreover, the performance of the Contractor will be judged upon the successful implementation of all the specific activities indicated in Section “Scope of work” of this document

By signing the contract, the Consultant agrees to hold in trust and confidence any information or documents ("confidential information") disclosed to the Consultant or discovered by the Consultant or prepared by the Consultant in the course of or as a result of the implementation of the contract, and agrees that it shall be used only for the contract implementation and shall not be disclosed to any third party. The Consultant also agrees not to retain copies of any written information or prototypes in its archive and for its use.

How to apply

The deadline for submitting the proposal is April 7th 18:00 Kyiv time.

All interested candidates should submit:  

1. Portfolio showcasing relevant projects and experience;
2. CVs of core team (no more than three pages per expert, up to 3 experts);
3. Company's service fee.

The proposal shall include the aforementioned information and should be submitted within the above deadline to [email protected] cc to [email protected] indicating the subject line: Logistic services for EUACI.  

You will receive an auto-reply from the [email protected] mailbox when the offer has been received. If you do not receive an auto-reply, your offer was not received and you should additionally contact the EUACI by email requesting confirmation that your documents are received.

Bidding language: English.

Any clarification questions regarding the terms of reference should be addressed to [email protected], not later than April 1st, 18:00 Kyiv time.

Evaluation criteria

Bids will be evaluated under the criteria provided below: