The Delegation of the European Union in Georgia invites interested business organisations in Georgia to submit concept notes for a pilot project aimed at the promotion of European businesses and economic interests.

Objectives of the project

The project aims at encouraging coordinated and pro-active actions of business, support the implementation of Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) and, pursue the EU’s economic diplomacy interests.  In particular, objectives are

• Strengthening business relations between the European Union and Georgia, in particular as regards the elimination of obstacles to business;
• Promoting fair, open and long-term relationships between business, customers/beneficiaries and the authorities;
• Establishing a key interlocutor to the EU Delegation, the EEAS and European Commission, also relaying the views of other existing business organisations (general / sectoral / bilateral), and for Member States’ embassies, notably those with no bilateral chamber of commerce in Georgia.

Eligible applicants

• Business associations registered legally in Georgia, non-governmental organisations that can implement the project according to the objectives outlined above;

We encourage interested business associations to form consortia and applying jointly to this expression of interest.

Budget and content of the award

The indicative budget, which could be made available by the EU Delegation for the pilot project, is €100,000-150,000. The exact size of the grant will depend on the quality and scope of the proposal. The indicative implementation period is 1 year. Co-funding by the applicants is encouraged.

In addition, the EU Delegation may provide in-kind support on a case-by-case basis – for example: consultation of and liaison with EU Delegation and HQ, occasional availability of meeting rooms, public support or joint participation to some events or communication activities, and others.

Depending on the successful implementation of the project, the EU Delegation could consider providing publicity to the grantee as the main EU business association partner in Georgia. The awarded organisation, depending on the implementation of the project, could become a key interlocutor on European business and economic topics for the EU Delegation and HQ (notably DG TRADE and DG NEAR). In addition, a "verification/endorsement letter” could be considered to be issued at the end of the project implementation by the EU Delegation to the European Business Organisations Worldwide Network (EBOWWN – a network with over 250 experts on trade, investment, policy and representation of business in 45 markets outside the EU).

Applications

Should your organisation(s) be interested in implementing such proposed action, in accordance with the EU Financial Regulation[1] and the Practical Guide for EU external aid contracts (PRAG)[2], we would be grateful for an expression of interest in the form of a concept note and a presentation of your organisation(s) by 16 April 2021 to Julien.CRAMPES@eeas.europa.eu, Arne.KORTH@eeas.europa.eu and Ada.NARDAIA@eeas.europa.eu. We encourage interested applicants to consult with relevant stakeholders during the elaboration of the concept note to ensure coordination and synergies. The concept note should include the following elements, to allow a proper assessment and selection:

1. Description of the Action, including envisaged measurable results of the project and a list of planned activities;
2. Information about target group and beneficiaries, expressed in numerical terms;
3. Draft Budget and amount of possible co-funding from the applicant(s).

In addition, the applicants should submit a presentation of their organisation(s) with answers to the following questions:

1. Membership and representativeness:
   
   • By the end of 2020, who were the members of the organisation(s) and what level of membership did they hold in the organisation(s) (with what rights & obligations)        
   • What country are they registered in?     
   • What was the value of trade with the EU in 2020?           
   • What sectors do they operate in?           
   • Which locations in Georgia do they operate from?          
   • How many people do they employ (worldwide and in Georgia)?
   • What are the organisation(s) future membership expectations?             
2. Inclusivity and cooperation:
   
   • What is the current level of cooperation with other business organisations in Georgia?
   • What is the current level of cooperation with other business organisations outside Georgia, notably in the EU, in EU candidate countries and in other EU associated countries in the EaP (Ukraine, Moldova)?
   • What are the organisation(s) future plans in terms of inclusivity & cooperation?
   • If proposed by the EU Delegation, would your organisation(s) be ready to consider teaming up with other implementing partners (would there be exceptions)?
   • How will the organisation(s) incorporate other key voices of existing business organisations (general / sectoral / bilateral) in Georgia?
   • How will the organisation(s) ensure complementarity with the other individual bilateral chambers currently registered in Georgia (four for now)?
3. Organisational and financial capacity:
   
   • What are the founding documents (statutes, by-laws etc)?             
   • What are the structure & decision making processes of the organisation(s)?
   • How many people are permanently employed by the organisation(s) and what is their role?
   • How many external contractors are engaged and for what purposes?         
   • What is the level of annual income, from which sources and in which proportion?
   • What is the level of the running costs?
   • To what extent are the organisation(s) capable of developing a clear short/mid/long term strategy and business plan to enable it to accomplish its mission and have a vision on how they want to grow independently?
4. Aims and values:
   
   • What are the organisation(s) aims and values?  
   • What is the organisation(s) position on key DCFTA-related reforms in Georgia, such as the reform of the Labour Code, the Law on enforcement of judicial decisions, Company Law, energy efficiency.
5. Activities:
   
   • In 2019-20 what were the main activities, their frequency and the level of participation?
   • What are the activities foreseen for 2021?          
   • What are the communication channels used by the organisation(s)? What is the level of engagement?          
   • Which activities, past or planned may have been / may be an opportunity for the organisation(s) to promote the role of the EU in Georgia? 
6. Engagement with the EU:
   
   • What were the activities in which the organisation(s) engaged with the EU (HQ/EUDEL) and/or it’s Member States?

Concept notes and the presentations of organisation(s) will be evaluated by staff of the EU Delegation according to the following criteria:

• Contribution of the project to the objectives of this call;
• Sustainability;
• Inclusiveness and potential outreach to private business;
• Financial contribution made by the applicant(s);
• Operational and financial capacity of the applicant(s).

Please note that the decision of the EU Delegation whether and to what extent the implementation could be entrusted to which partners will only be made as a result of consultations and internal procedures.

Information session

An information session is envisaged to take place in an online format on Tuesday 23.03.2021 15.00 Tbilisi time. In case you have specific questions to this call for the expression of interest, please send them in writing to the emails Arne.KORTH@eeas.europa.eu and Ada.NARDAIA@eeas.europa.eu until Wednesday 17.03.2021, 12.00 Tbilisi time. In the information session, EU Delegation staff will provide answers to the questions submitted. A protocol of the information session will be available upon request.

We invite all applicants to register their interest for this call for the expression of interest by sending an email to Arne.KORTH@eeas.europa.eu  and Ada.NARDAIA@eeas.europa.eu. Please register your participation in the information session by sending an email Arne.KORTH@eeas.europa.eu  and Ada.NARDAIA@eeas.europa.eu until 17.03.2021 12.00 Tbilisi time.