Technical Assistance to operationalize the Road Asset Management System (RAMS)

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION) Country: Moldova Name of Project: Moldova Rural Connectivity Project Project ID: P180153 Assignment Title: Technical assistance for the further development of Road Asset Management System in Moldova Reference No . (as per Procurement Plan): MRCP/CS/08 The Government of the Republic of Moldova has received financing from the World Bank (the “Bank” or the “WB”) in the form of a loan/credit toward the cost of the Moldova Rural Connectivity Project. The S.A. ”Administraia Naional a Drumurilor” (“NRA” or JSC “National Road Administration”), an implementing agency (the “Client”), intends to apply part of the proceeds of this loan/credit to eligible payments under the contract for which this Request for Expressions of Interest is issued. NRA has developed and operates a Road Asset Management System (RAMS). However, there are still many unresolved issues that prevent the proper use of the RAMS as a key pillar for the further effective road investment and maintenance planning processes, such as: lack of integration/interoperability of sub systems; manual intensive data collection; fragmentation of roles in RAMS related data collection and utilization; non-clear future alignment with the road register; lack of the sufficient legal regulation. NRA intends to retain a consultant to lay the strategic, technical, institutional, and legal groundwork for the modernization of NRA's Road Asset Management System, so that Moldova's national road network can be managed efficiently, cost-effectively, and in line with European standards. Specifically, consultant will be required to review business processes and recommend improvements; review of existing IT based tools, software, databases, etc. architecture and integration and recommendations for further improvement preparation; develop a future RAMS Roadmap; define the asset inventory scope and data governance framework required for the future RAMS; Policy Framew