Consulting Services for the Development of an Institutional Strengthening Strategy, Roadmap, and Action Plan for Sustainable Agricultural Land Management in Georgia

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION) GEORGIA Georgia Resilient Agriculture, Irrigation and Land Project (GRAIL) – P175629 Loan No. 9504-GE Assignment title: Consulting Services for the Development of an Institutional Strengthening Strategy, Roadmap, and Action Plan for Sustainable Agricultural Land Management in Georgia

Reference No . GR/CS/CQS/15 Georgia has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of Georgia Resilient Agriculture, Irrigation and Land (GRAIL) project and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services. The project cost is USD 150.00 million comprising of an equal share of USD 75.00 million by each co-financer. The project development objectives are to: (a) improve irrigation, and drainage services, and agricultural production in project areas; and (b) strengthen national irrigation and land management institutional capacity for climate resilient planning. The primary project beneficiaries comprise farmers and agricultural enterprises across the project targeted regions. Overall, the rural population will benefit from enhanced services provided by land management, irrigation services, and agricultural support. In the public sector, the project will support institutional strengthening of Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture (MEPA), including Georgian Amelioration (GA), Rural Development Agency (RDA) and Land Management Agency (LMA). The Project consists of the following two main components: Component 1. Resilient Irrigated Agriculture and Component 2: Improved Land Management Capacity. To ensure the long-term sustainability of agricultural resources, the Government seeks to strengthen the institutional framework and develop a clear roadmap supporting sustainable land management (SLM). Therefore, this assignment is designed to provide the technical assistance necessary to assess existing capacities and establish a robust Institutional Strategy and Action Plan for the LMA and relevant MEPA departments, specifically the Hydro-melioration and Land Management Department (MLMD) of MEPA. The overarching goal of the assignment is to guide the strategic, technical, and institutional empowerment of the LMA and the MLMD of MEPA, ensuring they can effectively execute their statutory responsibilities through modern, data-driven frameworks. The primary objective of the Institutional Strengthening Strategy and the accompanying 5-year strategic roadmap is to provide MEPA and the LMA with a comprehensive, evidence-based blueprint for institutional modernization. Rather than dictating immediate technical execution, these strategic deliverables will be designed to logically sequence necessary administrative reforms, optimize business processes and align with statutory land management mandates, establish the conceptual prerequisites for future digital transformation, and define a clear, costed path for long-term operational and financial sustainability. Rather than redefining mandates already set by their statutes, the Strategy and Action Plan will structure and phase interventions across four core components:

Institutional Strategy: Defining what the entities