Expert on International Relations for SARDI |  EU4Reconstruction Stream 2 

General background 

EU4Reconstruction. The European Union (EU), together with Denmark, Germany, France and Lithuania, launched EU4Reconstruction, a €37 million Team Europe Initiative (TEI) 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 TEl is divided in two parallel streams; one stream is composed of GIZ (Lead Organisation) and Expertise France (Partner Organisation) and the other gathers the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (Lead Organisation) and Central Project Management Agency (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 or Agency), 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. 

Denmark together with Lithuania implements Stream 2 of the EU4Reconstruction programme aimed at strengthening the capacity of the SARDI and its subordinated entities to act as contracting authority and Project Implementation Unit for major reconstruction projects. 

This assignment concerns Output 2 of Stream 2 of the EU4Reconstruction: “SARDI has the capacity to operate as a transparent, efficient, and EU-compliant institution, effectively managing sustainable and accountable reconstruction efforts”. 

SARDI and its ecosystem. SARDI was established by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, dated 13 January 2023. It was created through the renaming of the State Road Agency of Ukraine and the merger with the State Agency for Infrastructure Projects. 

SARDI is structured around a central authority in Kyiv and a broad network of regional and subordinate entities, including 24 Regional Offices for Restoration and Infrastructure Development (the SARDI ecosystem). 

SARDI is currently responsible for prioritisation, planning and implementation of road infrastructure projects, as well as implementation of other reconstruction projects delegated by the Cabinet of Ministers. 

SARDI plays a central role in designing, implementing, and monitoring infrastructure projects that are critical to national resilience and recovery. Given the scale of needs and the diversity of international actors involved, effective external engagement is essential to mobilize resources, ensure alignment with priorities. To mobilize resources more effectively, SARDI needs to strengthen its capacity to manage donor relations, prepare high‑quality reporting in English, and introduce innovative approaches to international project coordination. 

In view of the above, the Agency – supported by the EU4Reconstruction – seeks an Expert on International Relations for SARDI, who will be embedded within the Agency, refer to the SARDI Deputy head responsible for international relations and work closely with relevant SARDI departments. 

Objective 

The objective of this assignment is to provide expert support to increase SARDI’s capacity to coordinate international projects, introducing new approaches to donor relations, preparing high-quality reporting in English, and facilitating communication with international organisations, partner governments, agencies, and the private sector. 

Scope of work 

The scope of work of the assignment includes different tasks, including, but not necessarily limited to: 

• Mapping and prioritizing key international partners and assessing their thematic priorities and decision‑making processes. 
• Setting up clear processes and cooperation mode between various SARDI departments and SOEs involved in the international cooperation. 
• Supporting SARDI with institutional transformation in relation to introduction of modern approaches and best practices for international cooperations. 
• Providing support, methodological consultations and expert recommendations to SARDI staff responsible for international cooperation. 
• Advising SARDI management on the development of international cooperation and its integration into operational activities in accordance with strategic priorities. 
• Draft and review documents for external use: donor briefs, concept notes, MoU, talking points, and negotiation briefs; ensure high-quality reporting in English for donors and partners. 
• Provision of specialized consultations to the SARDI management on maintaining the achieved level of international cooperation and further development of international cooperation. 
• Support and expert guidance to the SARDI management during international visits, negotiations, round tables and other events in Ukraine and abroad. 
• Ensuring close engagement and coordination with the EU4Reconstruction team. 
• Performing other related tasks as required. 

Deliverables 

It is expected that the Consultant will demonstrate tangible progress through the implementation of agreed activities and the provision of analytical and coordination outputs, as detailed below: 

• Mapping reports of international stakeholders working with SARDI on recovery projects (donors, governments, agencies, IFIs), including their thematic priorities, decision‑making processes, and engagement opportunities. 
• Written process flow and guidelines for interactions with international partners; 
• Inputs to the SARDI strategy in relation to international cooperation; 
• Strategic advisory notes to SARDI management on development and integration of international cooperation into operational activities. 
• Drafted and reviewed external partnership documents, including donor briefs, concept notes, memoranda of understanding, talking points, and negotiation briefs. 
• Mentoring and methodological guidance outputs for SARDI staff responsible for international cooperation. 
• Agendas, briefing and debriefing notes, other materials for meetings with international partners, including international visits, negotiations, round tables, and other high-level events. 
• Periodic coordination and progress reports documenting engagement with EU4Reconstruction and key international partners. 
• Final report summarizing all activities, deliverables, lessons learned, and recommendations for the future periods. 
• Other deliverables as agreed upon with the Agency and EU4Reconstruction. 

Written deliverables should be in Ukrainian, unless otherwise specifically indicated herein or agreed with the EU4Reconstruction. Deliverables should be translated into English upon request of the Agency / EU4Reconstruction. 

Qualification 

The contract will be awarded to the expert meeting the following criteria: 

General qualifications: 

1. Minimum of a Master’s degree in international relations, law, social sciences, public administration or related discipline. 
2. At least 3 years of professional experience in international cooperation, donor relations, or external partnerships. 
3. Proven experience working with state or local governments, international donors, development partners, IFIs (e.g., the World Bank, EBRD), or bilateral cooperation programmes. 

Adequacy for the assignment: 

1. Proven ability to provide strategic advisory support to senior management on international cooperation and its integration into institutional and operational priorities. 
2. Ability to provide high-level support during international visits, negotiations, and high-level events in Ukraine and abroad. 
3. Strong written and verbal communication skills, ability to prepare donor briefs, concept notes, MoUs, talking points, and negotiation materials. 
4. Prior experience in recovery, reconstruction, or infrastructure-related public sector assignments is considered an asset. 

Experience with the region and languages: 

1. Practical experience working in Ukraine. 
2. Fluency in Ukrainian and English (written and spoken). 

Budget, timeframe, and location 

The maximum budget available for this assignment is EUR 30,000 (inclusive of all applicable expenses and taxes). 

Payments to the Consultant shall be done on a monthly basis against Consultant’s timesheet and invoice for the respective period. Payments shall be based on the actual days worked, the agreed daily fee rate, and the expenses occurred by the Consultant during the period (if any). Payments will require verification of completion of deliverables and approval of the 

Consultant’s timesheets and expense outlay by the Project Manager for SARDI strategic development. Reimbursable costs will only be accepted if they are in compliance with the guidelines in the contract. 

The intended commencement date is the date of signature of the contract with the Consultant and the period of implementation of the contract will be 10 months, with a start in January 2026. The assignment includes up to 210 working days per full term of the Contract (up to 21 working days per month). 

The expert is expected to work from the premises of the Agency with possible business travels in Ukraine. 

Reporting and management 

The performance of the Consultant will be judged upon reaching the purpose of this contract as well as obtaining its results, as indicated in the section “Objective” and “Deliverables” herein respectively. Moreover, the performance of the Consultant will be judged upon the successful implementation of all the specific activities indicated in Section “Scope of work” of this document. 

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. 

Consultant will be embedded within the Agency, refer to the SARDI Deputy head responsible for international relations and work closely with relevant SARDI departments. Consultant will report to the Project Manager for SARDI strategic development, who will review / approve deliverables indicated above. 

How to apply 

The deadline for submitting the proposal is 11 February 2026, 18:00 Kyiv time. 

All interested candidates should submit the following documents in English: 

• Completed Annex 1, including: CV for Key staff (Section 3), Supplier’s Technical Proposal / Methodology (Section 4), Workplan (Sections 5) 
• Financial offer (Annex 2, forms 1 and 2) in EUR, including daily fee and other related expenses (taxes, if applicable), with calculation of maximum 210 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] indicating the subject line: “Expert on International Relations for SARDI_SURNAME NAME”. 

Bidding language: English. 

Any clarification questions regarding the terms of reference should be addressed to [email protected] cc to [email protected], not later than 6 February 2026, 18-00 Kyiv time. 

Evaluation criteria 

Read more details in the TOR Expert on International Relations for SARDI.