ROMANIA
THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH – PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT – APL2
HEALTH SECTOR REFORM PROJECT – PHASE II
IBRD Loan no. 4760RO
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
“Technical assistance for realization of an ex ante Financial and Accessibility Impact
Assessment Study regarding the implementation of the new organization and functioning of
the Romanian health care system”
This request for expressions of interest follows the General Procurement Notice for this project that
appeared in United Nations Development Business No. 651 of March 31, 2005.
The Government of Romania has received a loan from the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB)
toward the cost of the Health Sector Reform Project –Phase 2 and intends to apply part of the
proceeds of the IBRD Loan for payment through the Ministry of Health – Project Management
Unit-APL2 under the Contract for providing “Technical assistance for realization of an ex ante
Financial/Fiscal Impact Assessment Study regarding the implementation of the new organization
and functioning of the Romanian health care system”. The Health Sector Reform Project’s
implementation is ensured by the Project Management Unit –APL2 (PMU –APL2).
In the present, the Romanian health system is regulated through the Law No. 95/2006
regarding the health sector reform, with the subsequent modifications and completions, a regulatory
act structured by domains, in XVII titles. The necessity of a new regulation is pointed out both by
the numerous modifications that were necessary to be brought to this law, and by the
disfunctionalities arisen and amplified in the functioning of the Romanian health system.
A first draft of a law regarding the organization and functioning of the health system was
elaborated and published on the website of the Ministry of Health for public debate on 28.12.2011.
The tensions arisen following the debates related to this draft law have caused its withdrawal,
resuming the consultation procedures and revision of the whole implementation schedule of the law.
The Ministry of Health has started at the beginning of 2012 the process of elaboration of a
new legislation for organization and functioning of the health system, process that is realized with
the technical support and with consultation of all actors from the health system. The ample and
extensive consultations and debates organized by the Ministry of Health starting with January 2012
have allowed the delineation of a new fundamental framework for the organization and functioning
of the Romanian health system, presented in a new project, which is included as a conditionality in
the agreements of Romania with the international financing institutions (IMF, WB and EU). At the
beginning of July 2012, the version of this new draft law that was elaborated following an extensive
consultation process was published on the website of the Ministry of Health, in Section “Forum –
Reforma în sănătate”, in parallel with starting an information and public awareness campaign,
realized with the support of the World Bank.
The general objectives of the new legislation are:
(a) ensuring the financial equilibrium of the health system
(b) increase of health services quality
The specific objectives of the new legislation are as follows:
i. reorganization of the compulsory and voluntary health insurance system by mutual
insurance societies and private insurance companies;
ii. remodeling of the basic services package;
iii. ensuring equitable accessibility to health services;
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iv. increase of efficacy of primary health care services and development of prophylactic
services;
v. increase of hospital units autonomy;
vi. establishment of a coherent system for evaluation and control in order to increase the
quality of health services.
The scope of the technical assistance is to realize an ex ante financial and accessibility impact
analysis of the regulations proposed by the new draft law, having the following components:
1. Comparative analysis between the existing situation and the reform proposals of the
draft law, identifying and measuring the costs and benefits of each option, as well as identifying and
evaluating of uncertainties of each option; if during this analysis the Consultant identifies examples
of formulas that are better than those proposed by the draft law, he my present these alternative
formulas with arguments.
2. Assessment of the equilibrium between options, taking into consideration the risk
analysis and sensitivity analysis.
The estimated duration of the assignment is of 3 months, including the time necessary for
preparation, trips in the field and monitoring activities. The project will imply missions in Romania,
including trips outside Bucharest. These shall be agreed upon in advance by the Steering Committee
and the consultant.
The assignment’s detailed program will be established following the assessment mission.
The consulting company shall provide experts having collectively the following
qualifications:
(a) Education: advanced studies in the relevant areas: medicine, economic / sciences and
experience and juridical sciences;
(b) Relevant work experience: experience in health systems analysis and in assessment of the
impact of health regulations/policies.
(c) Key qualifications shall include: excellent verbal and written communication and English
presentation abilities,
(d) The team manager, who will endorse the results, must have graduated medical studies with
experience in impact assessment of regulations and in public health.
The Ministry of Health, through the Project Management Unit – APL2, now invites eligible
Consulting firms/institutions (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing these Services.
The Expressions of Interest must provide information demonstrating that the Consultants have the
required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the above mentioned Services,
respectively:
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General information: core business and years in business, presentation of services provided,
address, contacts, and country of registration, etc.;
Specific information on the Consulting firm/institution experience in the field of the
assignment: number of years of professional experience, description of previous similar
assignments, references, experience in similar conditions, etc;
Information regarding the availability of appropriate specialized staff for the assignment:
qualifications and expertise of key staff, years of expertise in the areas above mentioned, etc.
The Expression of Interest will be analyzed against the following evaluation criteria:
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General qualifications of the Consultant – maximum 20 points;
Specific experience of the Consultant in the field of the assignment – maximum 60 points;
Availability of appropriate specialized staff to fulfill the assignment – maximum 20 points
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Consultants may associate to enhance their qualifications. The association may take the form of a
Joint Venture or a sub consultancy. In case of a Joint Venture (JV), all members of the JV will be
evaluated jointly for the purpose of short listing and shall be jointly and severally liable for the
assignment and shall sign the contract in case of award is made to that JV group. Interested
consultants should clearly indicate the structure of their “association” and the duties of the partners
and sub consultants in their application. Unclear expression of interests in terms of “in association
with” and/or “in affiliation with” and etc. may not be considered for short listing. Keeping one
expression of interest per firm/institution as principle, a consultant firm/institution may decide
whether it wishes to participate as a sub consultant or as an individual consultant or as a partner in a
joint venture. Please note that a firm/institution shall submit only one EOI in the same selection
process either individually as a consultant or as a partner in a joint venture. No firm/institution can
be a sub consultant while submitting an EOI individually or as a partner of a joint venture in the
same selection process. A firm/institution, if acting in the capacity of sub consultant in any
consultant or JV, may participate in more than one consultant, but only in the capacity of a sub
consultant.
The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Bank’s Guidelines:
Selection and Employment of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers, dated May 2004, revised
October 2006 and May 2010 (“Consultant Guidelines”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on
conflict of interest.
The Consultant will be selected in accordance with the CQS (Selection Based on the Consultants’
Qualifications) method set out in the World Bank’s Consultant Guidelines. Following the
evaluation of the Expressions of Interest the firm/institution with the most appropriate qualifications
and references will be selected. The selected firm/institution shall be asked to submit a combined
technical-financial proposal and then be invited to negotiate the contract.
Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the Project Management Unit –APL2,
Ministry of Health, in attention to Mr. Francisc Czobor at the address below (in person, or by mail,
or by fax, or by e-mail) by November 30, 2012, 1500 hours local time. Expressions of Interest
received by e-mail are accepted only on condition that they are promptly followed by a hard copy of
the document.
Ministry of Health
Project Management Unit – APL2
Attn. Mr. Francisc Czobor, PMU Director
1-3, Cristian Popisteanu Street, 2nd floor, room 235
Sector 1, 010024, Bucharest, Romania
Tel: 0040 21 307 26 41
Fax: 0040 21 307 25 87
e-mail: francisc.czobor@ms.ro
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