Terms of Reference

Advisor to Nikopol City Mayor

on Integrity, Transparency and Accountability (part time)

1. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

General overview

The European Union Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) in Ukraine is a joint EU and Government of Denmark financed programme aimed at supporting Ukraine to reduce corruption at the national and local level through the empowerment of citizens, civil society, businesses, and state institutions. In January 2024, the EUACI entered into phase III that runs until mid-2027.

The partnership with Integrity Cities

The seven Integrity which are the EUACI partners are Chernivtsi, Sheptytskyi, Mykolaiv, Zhytomyr, Nikopol, Poltava and Mariupol.

During phases I and II, the EUACI worked with these cities to strengthen their systems and tools for enhancing integrity, transparency, and accountability. The partnership continues in the current III phase, focusing on the continued development of the various integrity tools launched during previous phases and the implementation of new tools.

Since 2018, Nikopol became one of five Ukrainian cities to join the "Integrity Cities" project of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI). The goal of this partnership was to build a transparent and accountable local self-government system and minimize corruption risks in the city's most vital areas.

Based upon the agreement reached with Nikopol City Mayor, the EUACI envisages embedding in the local municipality one expert as an Advisor to the Mayor to support the integrity transformation. The Advisor will be directly engaged in the development of the integrity plan for the city, as well as will assist the local municipality in coordinating effective implementation of integrity tools.

The security situation in Nikopol is very difficult and only a few activities are expected to be implemented during the coming months unless the situation will change considerably. It is not expected that the advisor lives or work in Nikopol.

These Terms of Reference (ToR) provide more details about the assignment.

2. OBJECTIVE

The objective of the assignment is to facilitate the implementation of a few component activities in general through the provision of high-quality technical assistance services and products as and when required by the cooperation between the EUACI and the city.

The Advisor to Nikopol City Mayor will support the integrity transformation within the municipality. The Advisor is seen as a bridge-builder between the EUACI and the Nikopol self-government.

The Advisor will work closely with both the EUACI office in Kyiv and the officials in the Nikopol City Council and Executive Committee to ensure coordination of actions over the implementation of Integrity Tools. For safety reasons, the Advisor will not be located in Nikopol. The Advisor is expected to provide services to other cities than Nikopol on ad hoc basis and budget will be set aside for travelling.

3. SCOPE OF WORK

1. Support the Mayor and the Executive Committee in integrating the Corruption Risks Assessment (CRA) methodology into the city’s overall strategic policy development and planning processes.
2. Provide advisory and operational support to the Mayor and designated representatives of the Executive Committee in updating and implementing the Municipal Integrity Plan for the city representatives of the Executive Committee in effective coordination and monitoring mechanisms for the implementation of the Municipal Integrity Plan.
3. Assist the Executive Committee in maintaining established activities (such as GIS, the E-Reception Hall, Multifunctional management and accounting system for municipally owned enterprise in the water supply sphere, etc.) and contribute to sustainability of these products.
4. Contribute to the drafting, review, and adoption of local regulations and procedures required for the implementation of integrity tools as well as actions envisaged under the city’s Integrity Plan.
5. Ensure effective cooperation between the EUACI contractors involved in the Programme implementation and the Executive Committee, and City Council.
6. Keep the Mayor, City Council members, and the EUACI informed about the status of Programme implementation, providing regular updates, presentations, and reports. Provide updates, presentations and reports on Programme implementation.
7. Serve as the primary point of reference for the Mayor and the Executive Committee in researching best practices in local self-government transparency, accountability, and corruption prevention. Initiate and support the Executive Committee and City Council in considering and applying such practices.
8. Promote the spread of Integrity Cities practices to other Ukrainian cities, including by contributing to project activities in other cities than Nikopol.
9. Support media visibility of the cooperation between the EUACI and the municipality.
10. Perform any other related tasks to support Nikopol City Administration management, and/ or tasks given by the EUACI management.

During the period of the service, the Mayor’s Advisor possess the following rights:

1. To request and obtain information (documents, certificates, and other materials) necessary for the fulfilment of his/her mandate from the structural units and public officials of the Executive Committee, City Council and municipal enterprises.
2. To participate in meetings of the Executive Committee, its advisory and collegial bodies, as well as meetings held at City Council.
3. To initiate discussions and proposals aimed at addressing transparency and accountability issues during meetings of the Executive Committee, its advisory and collegial bodies, and meetings held at City Council.
4. To use the premises of the Executive Committee allocated for Advisor’s work.

Deliverables

The above scope of work describes in a broad sense the Advisor’s role which is much about the support to, and facilitation of the Integrity Tools implementation. Although the specific deliverables/outputs are the subject for negotiations and approval between the EUACI, Advisor and the municipality, some of regular deliverables are as follows:

1) Progress reports, summarising the progress made and results achieved each month. These reports are to be submitted for the EUACI approval within five days after the end of the respective month;

2) Invoices and signed timesheets, detailing the actual days worked and expenses incurred, in accordance with the agreed work plans. Invoices and signed timesheets are to be submitted monthly together with the progress reports.

Other outputs might include, but are not limited to:

• Written and/or oral advices to the Mayor and the Executive Committee on the matters outlined in the Scope of Work (Section 3 of this Terms of Reference).
• Drafted local regulatory acts required to fulfil the duties and tasks specified in the Scope of Work (Section 3 of this Terms of Reference).
• Factsheets, updates, and presentations.
• Monitoring reports on the Municipal Integrity Plan implementation.

Reporting, management and payments

The EUACI will be involved in the Advisor’s work. Involvement can include, but is not limited to the following:

• Approval of the Advisor’s reports;
• Approval of the Advisor’s interventions;
• Approval of the local regulatory acts drafted by Advisor.

An annual performance evaluation, whether an interview with the Advisor, the Area 3 Team Lead, and the Mayor or another assessment method, should be conducted to assess the Advisor’s results.

Payments shall be made on a monthly basis. The Advisor will be remunerated by the EUACI according to the daily rate specified in the enclosed budget. The monthly payment will be calculated based on the actual number of working days spent on the assignment and the agreed daily rate, as well as any eligible expenses incurred during the period.

Each payment is subject to verification of deliverables and approval by the Component Team Leader of the Advisor’s progress report and expense statement. The Advisor shall submit an invoice and payment request together with a monthly timesheet and report, using the reporting templates provided by the EUACI.

The EUACI will cover all duty travel–related expenses in accordance with the EUACI travel policy.

4. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

1. Strong knowledge and understanding of central, regional, and local self-government processes and regulations.
2. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, suitable for interacting with a wide range of audiences within a complex political environment.
3. Fluency in Ukrainian is required, good English language skills are preferred.
4. In-depth understanding of transparency and accountability mechanisms of local self-government.
5. Strong organizational, management, and coordination skills.
6. Extensive experience in providing high-level analysis and strategic advice.
7. Proven experience in building and maintaining relationships with diverse stakeholders, including city council members, community groups, and other key contacts.
8. Resilience and professionalism when facing challenges from staff, media, or partner organizations.
9. Ability to maintain a positive attitude under external pressure and minimize negative impacts.
10. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
11. A keen sense of ethics, integrity, and credibility.
12. Ability to work effectively under pressure, meet tight deadlines, and demonstrate flexibility and an entrepreneurial mindset.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Master Degree in Political Science, Public Administration, Law, or another relevant field demonstrating the ability to perform the duties and responsibilities outlined.
• At least 4 years of professional experience in managing projects for, or in cooperation with, local self-government.

ESTIMATED BUDGET AND LEVEL OF EFFORT

The maximum budget available for this assignment is up to EUR 12 400 (up to 8 400 EUR Advisor’s fee and 4 000 EUR for business trips). This amount includes the Advisor’s fee, subsistence allowance and local travel expenses, as well as other project-related costs, such as printing.

The contract period is from January 2026 to March 2027. The Advisor will provide services for 15 months, up to 7 business days during the calendar month, up to 105 business days for the contract period in total, including 20 days for business trips. This position does not require the Advisor to spend working days in Nikopol.

5. SELECTION PROCEDURE

Candidates will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria provided below:
 

HOW TO APPLY

The proposals with

1) budget proposal for fee;

2) the CV and short motivation letter (up to 3 pages);

3) contact information of at least two persons for references.

To apply, please send all the documents listed above to [email protected], cc [email protected] indicating the subject line "Advisor to Nikopol City Mayor_NAME".

If the requested documents are not submitted in line with the request above, the bid will not be considered.

The deadline for submitting the proposals is 26 December 2025, 18:00 Kyiv time.

Any clarification questions for the bid request should be addressed to [email protected], cc [email protected] no later than 18 December 2025, 18:00 Kyiv time.

To ensure your documents were successfully received, please check that you receive an auto-reply from our system.

Please note that the name of the winner of the tender will be published on the EUACI’s website.

Bidding language: Ukrainian