Terms of Reference: Contest for selection of nine partners from local media in Moldova within the project “Strengthening Independent Media in Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia”

1. General Information
The Independent Journalism Center in partnership with Internews is launching a cross-border project “Strengthening Independent Media in Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia”.

This new project aims to improve access to useful information for citizens of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia by improving capacity of local media, applying innovations in journalism, encouraging dialog among youth, training older people to get the most out of the internet, and stimulating collaboration between journalists from all three countries.

By means of all its activities, the project will promote the values of ethical and honest journalism, fact-based coverage, independence of media outlets’ editorial policy, freedom of expression, including online.
In Moldova, 9 local media outlets will be selected as partners for the project. They will be involved in preparing a series of multimedia packages titled “Moldova Plus”. Partner outlets will learn how to diversify their content and make it more engaging for the public. Partners will be chosen by a group of experts and will include media outlets from the Transnistrian region and Gagauz autonomy.  

The 9 partner media outlets (including online) will be involved in a series of activities: trainings on topics of media business and marketing held by international experts in order to learn how to efficiently promote themselves and gain more popularity among media consumers; documentation visits of experts to partner media outlets; mentoring sessions focused on sales, marketing potential and promotion of their media products.
Also, each of the 9 selected local partners will benefit from 7 multimedia packages titled “Moldova Plus”, which they will use in order to enrich their content. Project partners will have the task to adapt the multimedia packages to the interests of the community they work in. The period of production/adaptation of a multimedia package will be 1 month, beginning in April 2017.
 
Selected local media outlets will be partners for the entire duration of the “Strengthening Independent Media in Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia” project, assuming the responsibility to promote and engage in other activities, too, such as: multimedia innovations laboratory, “Grandmother Online” campaign, media literacy camp for teenagers, etc. The way of involvement into these activities will be established together with the Independent Journalism Center.
 
2. Obligations and Responsibilities of Partner Outlets
 - Participation in all activities of the project (7 briefings launching “Moldova Plus” multimedia packages, training program on media business and marketing, etc.);
 - Compliance with conditions and deadlines for production/adaptation of “Moldova Plus” multimedia packages, their publication and promotion on their own channels, including online;
 - Periodical reporting on activities and expenses in an established format. 

3. Conditions Needed to Apply for the Contest

4. Contents of the Application

5. Expected Products and Services
Each of the 7 multimedia packages “Moldova Plus” will cover a single topic, and the project will cover 7 different topics. Local partners will produce at least 3 local stories using modern tools of interactive visual journalism. Four of the topics for “Moldova Plus” packages will be suggested by organizers and the project’s coordination council, and three will be established together with project partners from local media after contracts with winners are signed.
 
6. Selection Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on:
 
 - The quality of the technical offer, including completion of all mandatory elements of the application;
 - The quality of the financial offer, which shall not exceed the amount of USD 4,500 for the adaptation and publication of “Moldova Plus” multimedia packages and for production of outlets’ own materials about project activities. 

Winners will be designated by the project’s coordinating council based on a points system, as follows:
 
1. The quality of the technical offer makes 90% of the total value of the application;
2. The quality of the financial offer makes 10% of the total value of the application. 

1.1 Technical offer evaluation criteria:
- Professionalism of the contest participant (the outlet/participant(s) have capacity to finalise the project; reputation and proven attachment to the standards of professional ethics; roles in the team are clear as regards the project; the proposed concept proves that the applicant has sufficient technical abilities and experience to produce successful multimedia packages; the concept shows that the applicant understands the goals of the project) – maximum 25 points;
 - Quality of portfolio (quality of materials in the portfolio, diversity of materials, previous experience of coverage of topics of major public interest) – maximum 25 points;
 - Quality of the general concept of adaptation and publication of multimedia packages (novelty/originality of the proposed concept; diversity of multimedia elements used; clarity and coherence of the concept proposed; sustainability (potential to develop/continue production of multimedia materials after the end of the project)) – maximum 40 points. 
2.1 Financial offer evaluation criteria:
 - Coherence and clarity of description of expense chapters (maximum 5 points);
 - Reasonable budget, as well as use to the maximum of resources available (maximum 5 points). 

7. Budget
The 9 media outlets will receive grants of USD 4,500 each, which will be provided in instalments during the project. A grant will cover, but will not be limited to, production, publication and salary costs.
 
8. Deadline for Submission of Offers
Offers shall be emailed in Romanian or Russian language to сoordonator@ijc.md by January 27, 2017, at 18.00, or presented in person at the IJC office at the following address: Independent Journalism Center,
53 Sciusev Street, MD-2012.
Contact person: Rodica Catareu, project coordinator, phone: 022 213 652.