Consultant for the development of the methodological framework for the preparation of City Development Strategies in Ukraine | EU4Reconstruction (Steam 2)

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

The EU4Reconstruction. The European Union (EU), together with Denmark, Germany, France and Lithuania, launched EU4Reconstruction, a €37 million Team Europe Initiative that unites the strength, experience and solidarity of the EU to support Ukraine’s ongoing recovery and reconstruction.

The initiative aims to strengthen governance, improve public investment management, and enhance coordination across levels of government, with a strong emphasis on EU values. The Team Europe Initiative is divided into two parallel and communicating streams; one stream will be composed of GIZ (Lead Organisation) and Expertise France (Partner Organisation) and the other will gather the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (Lead Organisation) and CPVA (Partner Organisation).

EU4Reconstruction will reinforce the leadership of the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development, strengthen the State Agency for Reconstruction and Development of Infrastructure (SARDI), empower local governments to manage reconstruction professionally and sustainably, and support civil society and independent media to play an active role in oversight, ensuring public trust and reducing corruption risks.

The programme will strengthen the policy dialogue around reconstruction and recovery and will focus in particular on the governance of public investment management, public infrastructure management at national, regional and local levels and how to link this with necessary capacity development to make the system work. Part of this process will ensure that the stakeholders in the programme and their policy and regulatory setup are prepared for EU accession. This will, in particular, ensure resources are allocated effectively, transparently, accountably and with broad inclusion in infrastructure planning and execution, reflecting the subsidiarity principle.

This assignment concerns specific sub-output of Stream 2 of the EU4Reconstruction programme, namely “Capacities in cities to undertake strategic long- and medium-term planning and monitoring of strategic plans related to reconstruction is enhanced”.

Ukrainian cities require a comprehensive transformation of their approaches to strategic planning, development management, and performance monitoring. As a result of the war, significant demographic shifts, and growing reconstruction needs, municipalities face challenges that demand professional support to update their strategies, define investment priorities, and modernize governance systems to meet the principles of the Public Investment Management reform.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this Terms of Reference (ToR) is to develop a unified, modernised, and EU-aligned methodological framework for the preparation of City Development Strategies (CDS) in large municipalities of Ukraine.

In the context of ongoing recovery and reconstruction, as well as Ukraine’s EU integration trajectory, municipalities require a shift from fragmented and sectoral planning practices toward an integrated, evidence-based, and investment-oriented urban development system. City Development Strategies shall serve as the central coordination instrument linking spatial planning, public investment management, sectoral policies, environmental sustainability, digital governance, and stakeholder participation.

This assignment will establish a standardised national methodology for large cities that ensures consistency, comparability, and quality across municipalities while strengthening strategic planning capacities at the local level. The methodology will be fully aligned with:

• Ukrainian strategic, spatial, and public investment planning legislation
• EU integrated urban development principles, including the Leipzig Charter and the Urban Agenda for the EU
• OECD territorial development and governance standards
• Public Investment Management reform in Ukraine
• Requirements and best practices of international financial institutions, including the World Bank, EIB, and EBRD
• Ukraine Recovery Framework and the DREAM digital ecosystem

The resulting methodological framework will enable Ukrainian cities to prepare integrated, resilient, and investment-ready development strategies that support sustainable recovery, long-term urban transformation, and alignment with European planning standards.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this assignment is to develop and validate among key stakeholders a comprehensive methodological framework for the preparation of City Development Strategies in large municipalities of Ukraine, ensuring that strategies are:

• evidence-based and data-driven
• spatially integrated
• investment-ready and financially feasible
• participatory and socially inclusive including private sector
• in line with the specifics of the budget process and PIM
• environmentally sustainable and SEA-compliant
• digitally enabled and monitorable
• aligned with EU and international standards 

The assignment shall result in a complete national methodological system for City Development Strategy preparation, enabling large municipalities in Ukraine to develop integrated, investment-ready, and EU-aligned strategies supporting sustainable development, recovery, and long-term resilience.

SCOPE OF WORK

The objective of this assignment is to support the development of a comprehensive and integrated methodological framework for the preparation of City Development Strategies in large cities of Ukraine. The methodology shall provide a coherent, practical, and standardised approach to strategic urban planning, ensuring alignment with Ukraine’s multi-level governance system, national recovery priorities, and the European integration agenda.

The Consultant’s work shall be structured into the following components:

Component 1. Conceptual Framework for City Development Strategies

The Consultant shall develop a conceptual framework defining the role of City Development Strategies within Ukraine’s multi-level governance and planning system. The framework shall be aligned with EU policy frameworks, OECD principles, as well as Ukraine’s recovery priorities and European integration agenda.

The conceptual framework shall define:

• the role of City Development Strategies as instruments of integrated territorial development;
• the position of strategies within the hierarchy of national, regional, and municipal planning systems;
• linkages with spatial planning systems, sectoral policies, and public investment frameworks;
• alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), EU policies, including the principles of the New Leipzig Charter and New European Bauhaus;
• legal and institutional requirements governing the development of strategies in Ukraine.

In addition, the Consultant shall define:

• core principles for the development of City Development Strategies;
• key sectoral and cross-sectoral areas of urban development forming the core structure of strategies for large cities;
• principles for prioritisation and territorial adaptation of strategies.

Component 2. Institutional and Governance Framework for Strategy Preparation and Implementation

The Consultant shall define the institutional and governance framework required for the preparation, approval, coordination, and implementation of City Development Strategies.

This includes:

• roles and responsibilities of city councils, mayors, executive bodies, and administrative departments;
• roles of stakeholders (private sector, civil society, academic institutions, communities);
• intergovernmental coordination mechanisms (alignment between local, regional, and national levels);
• models of inter-municipal and metropolitan cooperation;
• governance structures for strategy preparation (steering committees, working groups);
• implementation management systems (programme management, coordination mechanisms);
• accountability and reporting structures.

Component 3. Integrated Strategic Planning Methodology

The Consultant shall develop a complete step-by-step strategic planning methodology that forms the core process for preparing a City Development Strategy.

The methodology shall include:

• preparatory phase (political mandate, establishment of the governance system, stakeholder mapping, and process roadmap);
• baseline and diagnostic analysis;
• SWOT analysis with spatial and cross-sectoral dimensions;
• development of development scenarios;
• formulation of vision, mission, and values;
• definition of strategic priorities and objectives (SMART, results-oriented, with consideration of the spatial dimension);
• operationalisation of the strategy into programmes and flagship projects;
• development of an action plan (phasing, responsibilities, linkage to budgeting);
• monitoring and evaluation system (indicators, baseline values, target values, reporting system).

Component 4. Integration Modules

The development of a City Development Strategy is linked to a set of interrelated processes (modules) that ensure its effective implementation, including:

• stakeholder and public engagement;
• digitalisation and data management.
• spatial planning;
• Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA);
• public investment and financial management;
•  

The Consultant shall develop methodological guidelines ensuring the systematic integration of these modules into the process of preparing and implementing City Development Strategies.

The Consultant may also propose additional relevant modules and define approaches for their integration into the strategy development process.

4.1. Stakeholder and Public Engagement

The Consultant shall develop a methodology for stakeholder and citizen participation in the strategic planning process, including:

• identification and mapping of stakeholders;
• mandatory public consultation procedures;
• participatory workshops and co-creation methods;
• mechanisms for engaging business and investors;
• inclusion tools for vulnerable population groups.

A key element shall be the use of sociological surveys as a public consultation instrument to obtain statistically representative data on public needs, priorities, and perceptions.

The methodology shall also define:

• systems for documenting feedback;
• requirements for transparency and reporting;
• mechanisms for integrating participation outputs into the strategy development process.

4.2. Digitalisation and Data Management

The Consultant shall define the data management infrastructure supporting strategic planning and monitoring of strategy implementation.

This includes:

• development of municipal data infrastructure and integration of sectoral data;
• approaches to spatial analysis and mapping systems (including GIS-based tools);
• principles of open data, transparency, and accountability;
• data quality assurance and data governance procedures;
• development of digital dashboards for monitoring strategy implementation;
• interoperability standards between municipal and national systems.

4.3. Spatial Planning

The Consultant shall develop a methodology for integrating spatial planning documents into urban strategic planning.

This includes alignment with:

• comprehensive spatial development plans;
• general plans of settlements;
• zoning and land-use regulation documentation.

The methodology shall define:

• the functional relationship between the strategy and spatial planning;
• spatial interpretation of strategic priorities using GIS tools;
• procedures ensuring spatial consistency;
• coordination mechanisms between strategic and spatial planners.

4.4. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)

The Consultant shall develop methodological guidelines for integrating SEA into the strategic planning process.

The methodology shall include:

• integration of SEA across stages of strategy development;
• requirements for public consultations within the SEA process;
• standards for SEA reporting and documentation.

4.5. Public Investment and Financial Management

The Consultant shall develop a methodology for integrating PIM and financial management into strategic planning.

This includes:

• integration of the public investment management system, including consideration of the DREAM platform;
• integration of budget planning and public finance management systems and tools into strategy implementation;
• mechanisms for engaging the private sector and applying public-private partnership (PPP) models;
• alignment with requirements of international financial institutions (World Bank, EIB, EBRD), EU programmes, and international technical assistance instruments.

4.6. Integration with National Strategic and Policy Frameworks

The Consultant shall develop a methodology for ensuring the alignment of City Development Strategies with national strategic and policy documents of Ukraine.

The objective of this module is to ensure vertical coherence between municipal strategies and state-level priorities, policies, and investment frameworks, enabling access to national funding instruments and supporting coordinated multi-level governance.

This shall include:

• identification and mapping of relevant national strategic and policy documents, including sectoral strategies, state programmes, recovery frameworks, and public investment priorities;
• analysis of linkages between municipal strategic priorities and national development objectives;
• development of mechanisms for aligning city-level strategic objectives, programmes, and projects with national priorities and funding frameworks;
• integration of City Development Strategies with the state public investment management system and national budget planning processes;
• guidance on ensuring consistency with Ukraine’s EU integration commitments and international obligations;
• definition of procedures for incorporating national policy requirements into local strategic planning processes;
• development of tools for demonstrating alignment (e.g. compliance matrices, policy alignment tables);
• recommendations for coordination mechanisms between municipalities and national authorities during both strategy preparation and implementation.

Component 5. Validation and Endorsement of the Methodological Framework

The Consultant shall organise a structured validation process for the methodological framework to ensure its robustness, institutional feasibility, operational applicability, and broad stakeholder support.

The process shall ensure the practical usability of the methodology for large municipalities and its compliance with national institutional and legal frameworks.

This includes:

• identification and engagement of key stakeholders (large cities, ministries, regional authorities, professional associations, academic institutions, and international partners);
• development of a validation plan and feedback mechanisms;
• organisation of national workshops, expert roundtables, and thematic consultations;
• pilot testing of selected methodological elements (where feasible);
• systematic collection and analysis of feedback and comments;
• integration of agreed revisions into the methodology;
• support to institutional approval procedures;
• presentation and dissemination of the final version of the methodological guidelines.

Component 6. Finalisation and Packaging of the Methodological Framework

Following the validation process, the Consultant shall finalise, consolidate, and package the methodological framework to ensure its coherence, usability, and readiness for official adoption and practical application by large municipalities.

The finalisation process shall ensure that all methodological components are internally consistent, technically sound, and aligned with stakeholder feedback, national regulations, and international standards.

This shall include:

• consolidation of all methodological components into a single, coherent and user-friendly document;
• integration of validated comments and agreed revisions resulting from the stakeholder consultation process;
• harmonisation of terminology, structure, and methodological approaches across all components and modules;
• refinement of methodological guidance to ensure clarity, practical applicability, and ease of use by municipal practitioners;
• alignment of the final methodology with national legal, institutional, and policy frameworks.

Additionally, the Consultant shall ensure that the methodological guidelines include applied case studies of best international and Ukrainian practices in urban strategic planning, demonstrating the practical application of the proposed methodology across different institutional, economic, and spatial contexts.

These case studies shall illustrate, in particular, approaches to:

• integrated urban planning and its alignment with spatial development;
• development of investment portfolios based on strategic priorities;
• implementation of multi-level governance systems;
• effective stakeholder and public engagement;
• use of digital tools and data in strategic management;
• integration of environmental and climate-related approaches into urban strategies.

The Consultant shall also develop annexes to the methodological guidelines containing standardised document samples, templates, and tools required for the practical application of the methodology.

The annexes shall include, in particular:

• a template for a City Development Strategy (document structure with section descriptions);
• a template for a city analytical (diagnostic) report;
• a SWOT analysis matrix;
• a template for city development scenario analysis;
• a template for defining vision, mission, and strategic values;
• a template for a tree of purposes (including strategic goals and objectives) and SMART indicator frameworks;
• a template for an operational strategy implementation plan (with assignment of responsibilities and timelines);
• a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework template for strategy implementation;
• a template for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) reporting;

DELIVERABLES

The key deliverable of the assignment is a comprehensive methodological system for the preparation of City Development Strategies in large municipalities of Ukraine, aligned with relevant EU policies and international development frameworks, developed through inclusive stakeholder engagement, validation and endorsement.

Table 1: Summary of specific deliverables/outputs and the tentative timeline for delivery

All outputs developed shall be submitted to EU4Reconstruction both in Ukrainian and English languages.

TIMING

The assignment is expected to commence upon signature of the contract in June 2026. The indicative implementation period is six (6) months, with completion expected in November 2026.

Within this period, the Consultant shall deliver all outputs in accordance with the sequencing of methodological components and the agreed work plan. Deliverables shall be submitted progressively, reflecting the logical development of the methodological framework, starting from conceptual and institutional foundations and progressing through thematic modules, stakeholder validation, final consolidation, and dissemination.

The Consultant shall propose a detailed implementation schedule as part of the Inception Report, including internal deadlines, review periods, and validation milestones. The EU4Reconstruction reserves the right to adjust deadlines during implementation, in coordination with the Consultant, to ensure quality and coherence of outputs.

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCE OF STAFF

The Consultant shall mobilise a multidisciplinary team of experts with demonstrated expertise in integrated urban development, spatial planning, public investment management, governance systems, environmental sustainability, digital tools, and stakeholder engagement.

The team shall demonstrate proven capacity to design and deliver integrated methodological frameworks at national or large-city level, preferably in EU Member States, EU accession countries, or transition contexts.

The Consultant shall propose minimum four (4) Key Experts. Additional short-term or supporting experts may be mobilised as necessary to ensure full technical coverage of the assignment.

Key Expert 1: Team Leader / Lead Expert in Strategic Planning

General Qualifications

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in public policy, urban and spatial planning, economics, geography, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 10 years of professional experience in urban, territorial, or regional development.
• Proven experience managing multidisciplinary teams and complex technical assistance assignments.
• Strong leadership, coordination, and analytical skills.

Adequacy for the Assignment

• Demonstrated experience leading development of integrated urban or territorial strategies at city, regional, or national level.
• Proven experience designing methodological frameworks, national guidelines, or strategic planning systems.
• Demonstrated expertise in integrating:
  • strategic planning,
  • spatial planning,
  • investment programming,
  • governance arrangements.
• Experience working with EU urban policy frameworks, OECD territorial development principles, and international financing institutions.
• Proven experience coordinating multi-component assignments of similar scope and complexity.

Experience in the Region and Language

• Previous working experience in Ukraine is highly desirable.
• Experience in EU accession is an advantage.
• Excellent command of Ukrainian is required.
• Knowledge of English is an advantage.

Key Expert 2: Stakeholder Engagement 

General Qualifications

• University degree in sociology, social sciences, communications, public administration, political science or related discipline.
• Minimum 7 years of experience in stakeholder engagement and participatory planning.

Adequacy for the Assignment

• Proven experience designing and conducting stakeholder consultations and participatory processes.
• Experience conducting sociological surveys and analysing public opinion data.
• Experience engaging diverse stakeholder groups, including vulnerable populations.
• Experience applying participatory methods in urban or territorial planning processes.

Experience in the Region and Language

• Experience working in Ukraine is required.
• Working knowledge of Ukrainian is required.
• Knowledge of English is an advantage.

Key Expert 3: Public Investment and Municipal Finance Expert

General Qualifications

• University degree in economics, finance, public administration, or related discipline.
• Minimum 7 years of professional experience in public investment management or municipal finance.

Adequacy for the Assignment

• Proven experience designing investment pipelines and project prioritisation systems.
• Experience linking strategic planning with budgeting and financing mechanisms.
• Experience working with medium-term expenditure frameworks and capital investment planning.
• Familiarity with IFI project preparation methodologies (e.g., EIB, EBRD, World Bank).
• Experience supporting public investment management reforms is an advantage.

Experience in the Region and Language

• Experience working in Ukraine or comparable transition economies is required.
• Experience in reconstruction or resilience financing contexts is an advantage.
• Working knowledge of Ukrainian is required.
• Knowledge of English is an advantage.

Key Expert 4: Senior Spatial and Urban Planning Expert

General Qualifications

• Advanced university degree in spatial planning, urban planning, geography, or related discipline.
• Minimum 7 years of professional experience in spatial and urban planning.

Adequacy for the Assignment

• Proven experience integrating strategic and spatial planning instruments.
• Experience in development of land-use planning systems, zoning approaches, and spatial development frameworks.
• Demonstrated experience applying GIS-based planning tools.
• Experience preparing spatial components of development strategies and linking planning frameworks to implementation mechanisms.

Experience in the Region and Language

• Familiarity with spatial planning systems in Ukraine or comparable countries is required.
• Experience in Eastern Europe or EU Member States is an advantage.
• Working knowledge of Ukrainian is required.
• Knowledge of English is required.

Additional Experts (Optional)

The Consultant may mobilise additional short-term or supporting experts, as necessary, to ensure full technical coverage of the assignment. 

The inclusion of additional experts shall be justified in the Consultant’s proposal and reflected in the methodology and staffing plan.

General Team Requirements

• The team shall demonstrate strong multidisciplinary capacity covering strategic, spatial, institutional, financial, environmental, and participatory dimensions of the assignment.
• Strong preference will be given to teams with prior experience in assignments funded by international organisations (e.g., EU, EIB, EBRD, World Bank, GIZ).
• At least part of the team shall demonstrate strong working experience in Ukraine with large cities.
• The working language of the assignment shall be Ukrainian and English. All key experts shall demonstrate ability to work effectively in the required languages.

CONTRACT PRICE

The Contract Price shall be fixed and lump-sum, and shall be net of VAT. The Consultant shall provide all services and deliver all outputs specified in these Terms of Reference.

The Contract Price shall cover all professional fees, administrative costs, communication expenses, preparation of materials, organisation of consultations, workshops and and other validation activities, reporting, and any other costs necessary for full implementation of the assignment. No additional payments shall be made beyond the agreed Contract Price unless otherwise formally approved by the EU4Reconstruction.

The maximum available budget for this assignment shall not exceed EUR 30,000 (thirty thousand euros). Proposals exceeding this amount may be rejected.

The assignment is expected to require a total effort of 120 expert working days. This level of effort is expected to be distributed across the core expert(s) involved in the assignment and cover all components of the Scope of Work.

Payments under the Contract shall be made in installments linked to the satisfactory completion and approval of key deliverables. Each payment shall be processed upon acceptance by the EU4Reconstruction of the corresponding outputs submitted by the Consultant.

The total Contract Price shall be disbursed in accordance with the following schedule:

• An advance payment of 30% of the total Contract Price shall be made upon approval of the Inception Report and Work Plan, confirming the agreed methodology, implementation approach, stakeholder engagement plan, and detailed work schedule.
• A final payment of 70% of the total Contract Price shall be made upon approval of the validated and consolidated methodological system, including incorporation of feedback from stakeholder consultations and validation activities, the final presentation, and submission of all final deliverables in their approved format.

All payments shall be subject to the formal acceptance of deliverables by the EU4Reconstruction.

MANAGEMENT

The Consultant shall be fully responsible for the implementation of the assignment and for the timely and high-quality delivery of all outputs specified in these Terms of Reference. The Consultant shall ensure adequate internal coordination, quality control, and resource allocation to guarantee the successful execution of all tasks and deliverables.

The assignment shall be managed by the EU4Reconstruction under the overall supervision of the Project Manager of the Municipal component, who will  review/approve the deliverables indicated above. A Project Manager will act as the main contact person for day-to-day communication, coordination, and administrative matters related to the assignment.

The EU4Reconstruction shall provide overall technical guidance and strategic oversight throughout the implementation of the assignment. This shall include review and approval of deliverables, provision of consolidated feedback, and validation of key methodological outputs.

The Consultant shall maintain regular communication with the Project Manager of the Municipal Component and shall submit progress updates in accordance with the agreed work plan. Draft deliverables shall be submitted for review to the EU4Reconstruction, which shall provide consolidated comments within a mutually agreed timeframe. The Consultant shall incorporate feedback received and resubmit revised versions for final approval.

All deliverables shall be subject to formal acceptance by the EU4Reconstruction. Only outputs approved in writing by the EU4Reconstruction shall be considered final and eligible for payment under the Contract.

The EU4Reconstruction reserves the right to request clarifications, revisions, or additional information as necessary to ensure quality, consistency, and alignment of outputs with the objectives of the assignment.

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 27 May 2026, 18:00 Kyiv time.

All interested candidates should submit the following documents in English: 

1. Completed Annex 1, including: 

• CV for Key staff
• Technical Proposal / Methodology 

2. Financial offer (Annex 2, forms 1 and 2) in EUR, including daily fee and other related expenses (taxes, if applicable), with calculation of a maximum working days. 

If these documents are not submitted in line with the requirements above, the bid will not be considered. The proposal shall include the aforementioned information and should be submitted within the above deadline to [email protected] cc to [email protected] and [email protected], and indicating the subject line: “CDS Methodology”. 

Bidding language: English.

Any clarification questions regarding the terms of reference should be addressed to [email protected] cc to [email protected] and [email protected], not later than 25 May 2026, 18-00 Kyiv time.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Bids will be evaluated under the criteria provided below

Details in the TOR.