Translation Services to Support the Selection Competition for the Position of the Deputy Head of SAPO

General background

The EU Anti-Corruption Initiative in Ukraine (EUACI) is the European Union’s technical support program in the area of anti-corruption in Ukraine, co-funded and implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Denmark. The overall objective of the EUACI is to achieve significant progress in preventing and countering corruption, ensuring the coherence and systemic anti-corruption activities of state and local self-government bodies, and to empower civil society and citizens to contribute to the combatting of corruption, as well as the proper process of Ukraine’s post-war recovery. The program runs till April 2027.

One of the beneficiaries of the EUACI is the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). Established in 2015 and reconstituted as a separate legal entity in 2024, SAPO is a prosecutorial agency with a primary mandate to prosecute top-level corruption, including criminal offences committed by senior public and local officials and cases that threaten national security. The Law “On the Prosecution Service” determines SAPO’s status, mandate, powers, and organization, while the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine defines its investigative jurisdiction.

In accordance with the Law on the Prosecutor’s Service, the organisation and conduct of the competition for the positions of Deputy Prosecutor General – SAPO Head, First Deputy Head, and Deputy Head of SAPO are carried out by the Selection Commission (hereinafter – the Selection Commission) that consists of six members:

• three persons appointed by the Prosecutor General based on proposals from the Council of Prosecutors of Ukraine, and
• three persons appointed by the Prosecutor General based on proposals from international and foreign organisations that, in accordance with international or intergovernmental agreements, have been providing Ukraine with international technical assistance in the field of preventing and combating corruption over the past three years.

Following the voluntary resignation of Deputy Head of SAPO Andriy Syniuk on 14 November 2025, a vacancy arose for this position. Accordingly, on 19 March 2026, the Selection Commission was established, primarily to conduct the competition for the position of Deputy Head of SAPO.

The upcoming selection of the Deputy Head of SAPO will be the first application of substantially reformed rules provided by Law No. 3509-IX, adopted in December 2023, as part of the IMF and the EU conditionalities.

In accordance with Article 29-1 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Prosecutor’s Service”, the financing and logistical support of the activities of the Selection Commission and its members, including the Secretariat established to assist in their work, may be provided through international technical assistance.

Given that the Selection Commission consists of three Ukrainian members and three international members, there is a need to ensure both written translation and interpretation services to support the Commission’s activities.

Objective

The objective of this assignment is to support an effective communication among national and international Selection Commission members, ensure translation of documents and access of international members to all documents in Ukrainian in accordance with Article 29-1(3) of the Law of Ukraine “On the Public Prosecution Service,” through the engagement of the interpreters and translators as a part of the Secretariat established to assist the Commission in its work.

The Interpreter(s) shall facilitate clear, accurate, and professional communication between Ukrainian and international members of the Selection Commission, the Secretariat, invited experts, and other participants involved in the selection process on all stages. The provider shall also ensure simultaneous interpretation support during all internal meetings of the Selection Commission, consultations, briefings, and other events related to the selection process except public interviews stage of selection process.

The simultaneous interpretation services during interviews with candidates will require specific advanced qualification of interpreters with strong accent on legal English terminology and will be procured separately.

In doing so, the Interpreter(s) shall fully respect the independence, impartiality, and decision-making autonomy of the Selection Commission, ensure the confidentiality of all personal data and sensitive information, and protect all information related to the selection process from unauthorized disclosure.

Scope of work

The Interpreter(s) shall provide oral and written interpretation services in English and Ukrainian in support of the Selection Commission for the selection of the Deputy Head of SAPO as part of the Secretariat support arrangement. The Interpreter(s) shall perform assigned tasks in coordination with the Coordinator and Administrative Assistant of the Secretariat and shall fully respect the independence, impartiality, and decision-making autonomy of the Selection Commission.

The Interpreter(s) is expected to:

• Provide high-quality simultaneous interpretation between English and Ukrainian during meetings of the Selection Commission, working meetings, briefings, consultations, and other events related to the selection process, except public interviews with candidates.
• Provide interpretation during online and offline meetings in Kyiv and through remote communication platforms, as required.
• Ensure accurate, impartial, and complete transmission of the meaning, tone, and intent of statements made by the participants, including in discussions involving legal, procedural, and institutional terminology.
• Interpret for members of the Selection Commission, representatives of the Secretariat, invited experts, and other stakeholders involved in the selection process, as requested.
• Support interpretation during practical-case related sessions, briefings on special vetting and integrity checks, and other procedural stages where the Selection Commission requires language support.
• Prepare in advance for assignments by reviewing agendas, reference materials, legal or procedural documents, terminology, and background information provided for the purposes of the assignment.
• Maintain strict neutrality and refrain from providing opinions, commentary, explanations, or other substantive input beyond the interpretation function.
• Coordinate with the Selection Commission and the Secretariat regarding interpretation schedules, meeting logistics, technical requirements, and preferred modality of interpretation.
• Immediately notify the Secretariat/Selection Commission of any actual or potential conflict of interest, inability to attend a scheduled assignment, or any circumstance that may affect the quality or impartiality of the services.
• Perform any other interpretation-related duties assigned by the Selection Commission or the Coordinator of the Secretariat in support of the SAPO Deputy Head selection process.
• Ability to work with MS office formats, pdf, power point, open-source freeware “Linux”) and if necessary to convert provided text files into workable format.
• Reassure the consistency of translated text and that the quality and deadlines are met. Editing shall be part of the service given large volume and necessity to engage a group of translators to ensure cohesion and consistency of translated texts, terminology;
• Ability to perform beyond standard working hours and during weekends when there is an urgent need;
• Ability to ensure large throughput for minimum 25 pages a day (not limited to) within a tight deadline.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

In carrying out these duties, the interpreters/translators shall ensure strict protection and confidentiality of any personal data, sensitive information, or restricted materials obtained in the course of work. Such information shall be used solely for the purpose of fulfilling responsibilities related to the SAPO Deputy Head selection process and shall not be disclosed or used for any other purpose.

Deliverables

The Interpreter(s) shall ensure the timely delivery of the following outputs throughout the duration of the Selection Commission’s work:

• Interpretation services provided for meetings, briefings, consultations, and other events of the Selection Commission, as requested.
• Availability for assignments in line with the agreed schedule and operational needs of the Selection Commission and the Secretariat.
• Accurate and impartial interpretation/translation between English and Ukrainian, including in legal, procedural, and institutional discussions related to the selection process.
• Timely coordination with the Selection Commission and the Secretariat on meeting schedules, interpretation modality, technical arrangements, and any preparation materials required for the assignment.
• Advance familiarization with the agendas, background materials, and terminology relevant to scheduled assignments.
• Compliance with confidentiality, data protection, and professional ethics requirements throughout the assignment.
• A brief summary of interpretation support provided during the assignment, including dates and types of meetings interpreted, prepared upon completion of the assignment (up to 2 pages), if requested.

Qualifications

1. Key qualifications:

1. A university degree in linguistics, translation, interpretation, law, public administration, international relations, or a related field is preferred.
2. At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in providing translation/interpretation services (English-Ukrainian / Ukrainian-English), including for high-level meetings, interviews, or official events.

2. Adequacy for the assignment

3. Proven experience in interpretation/translation related to legal, law enforcement, judicial, anti-corruption, or public sector reform issues will be considered a strong advantage.
4. Previous experience supporting selection commissions, competitions, vetting or assessment procedures, or donor-funded projects will be considered an asset.
5. Excellent command of legal, procedural, and institutional terminology relevant to the assignment.
6. Excellent organizational skills, reliability, and respect for deadlines.
7. Ability to work under pressure, maintain concentration during lengthy meetings, and ensure consistently high quality of interpretation.

Budget, timeframe, and location

Payments to the Consultant shall be made on a monthly basis against Consultant’s reports and invoice for the respective period. Payments shall be based on the actual hours’ rates for oral interpretation and rates for translation of number of pages of written text.

The intended commencement date is the date of signature of the contract with the Consultant, and the period of implementation will be approx. 7 months, commencing in the end of April 2026. Should the Selection Commission’s work extend beyond the anticipated timeframe, the contract may be extended accordingly.

The work would be conducted online and offline in Kyiv.

Reporting and management

The performance of the Contractor 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 Contractor 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.

How to apply

The deadline for submitting the proposal is 22 April 2026, 18:00 Kyiv time.

The bidder must submit the following information to be considered:

1. A brief profile (maximum two pages) of the company
2. Provide the total number of personnel.
3. The CVs (no more than three pages for each person) of the key team members who will be involved in the project. List the names, project titles, key duties on this assignment and amount of time dedicated to this project.
4. A list of assignments, similar to this project, executed in the last five years.
5. Provide budget for the services in EUR, inclusive of all taxes or other such charges.

Budget should contain the following categories:

• *Written translation from/into English EUR/page (1800 characters)
• Consecutive interpretation EUR/1 translator/hour
• Whispering interpreting EUR/1 translator/hour
• Simultaneous interpretation EUR/hour (1 interpreter working in pairs)
• Price for supplementary services (proofreading and editing of the externally translated text) EUR/page (1800 characters)
• Terms (hours/days) for written translation using specific terminology 1 page (1800 characters)
• UAH payments without VAT acceptance Yes/No
• Payment terms

* Rates for written translation can be given on standard and urgent terms. The provider should indicate max number of pages that can be rated as standard, and the price of the page for urgent translation.

If these documents are not submitted in line with the request 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: Interpretation for SAPO Deputy Head selection process.

You will receive an auto-reply from the [email protected] mailbox when the offer has been received. If you do not receive an auto-reply, your offer was not received and you should contact the EUACI by phone.

Bidding language: English.

Any clarification questions regarding the terms of reference should be addressed to [email protected], not later than 12 April 2026, 17:00 Kyiv time.

Evaluation criteria