In the context of the European Union’s policy for the development of national strategies for Roma integration, the Greek state has developed the "National Strategy for Roma Integration".

The primary goal of the Action Plan has been the removal of the conditions of social exclusion of the Roma and the creation of the conditions for their social inclusion.

The above strategic goal is served through three general objectives:

1. Securing and guaranteeing of “housing",
2. Development of a supportive network of social intervention (in the fields of employment, education, health and social inclusion),
3. Development of social dialogue and consensus, through the social emancipation and the participation of the Roma themselves.

These general objectives are being implemented in the framework of the five-year national action plan for the social inclusion of Roma for the period 2017-2021 and will continue to be implemented during the next operational programme.

The programme “Roma inclusion and empowerment” is co-funded by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area Grants and by national resources and is consists of the implementation of two independent but mutually reinforcing predefined projects and of three Small Grant Schemes

The Predefined Project 1 provides for the creation of a Task Force which will serve as the main tool for strengthening, monitoring and implementing the national strategy for Roma inclusion and the related policies and measures, equally at regional and local level.

For this reason, the Task Force will develop collaborations, mechanisms, and coordination and communication tools for:

1. Strengthening, monitoring and evaluating the policies of the National Strategy and Action for Roma Inclusion.
2. The empowerment of the Roma to actively participate in the social integration process. In addition, the Task Force will strengthen Roma communities to be actively involved in the design, monitoring and implementation of policies that affect them.

The Predefined Project 1 concerns the establishment of a Task Force, which will be led by the Program Partner (PP), namely the General Secretariat for Social Solidarity and Fight against Poverty, and which will consist of one Central Unit / Steering Committee and four Regional Task Force Units located in four regions with a high concentration of Roma population: Attica, Central Macedonia, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and Western Greece), according to the study conducted and published in the National Strategy for Roma Social Inclusion (December 2011).

The Call requires services to be provided to the Programme Operator in support of the following Actions:

SERVICES A:

Support actions by Technical / Legal Advisor. The work of the Consultant will be:

I. According to Article 5.7. of JM 13249 / 04-02-2020 (Government Gazette 526 / Β / 19-02-2020), for the implementation of the Programme "Social Inclusion and Integration of Roma", which must, among other things, cover:

(a) the verification, control and monitoring systems established by the aforementioned JMC

(b) the system for the prevention, detection, reporting and correction of irregularities; and

(c) the system who was created to comply with the audit trail of all supported activities .

II.  The preparation and design of the invitations (calls) which must be issued under the programme, for example the preparation and design of the invitations for the three Small Grant Schemes.

The estimated value of the above actions may amount to forty thousand euros (€ 40,000.00)  including the legal VAT.

SERVICES B:

• Actions by External Consultants / experts for the support of the Programme Operator in the process of evaluation and selection of submitted Proposals for each of the three small grant schemes, the estimated value of which support actions can amount to six thousand euros (6,000.00 €), including the legal VAT.
• Support actions to the Programme Operator, by an External Technical Consultant regarding the monitoring, the review, the report of the progress of the implementation of the physical object of the project actions, the verification of the outputs of the operation, the ongoing and ex post evaluation, throughout implementation of the programme until its final expiration. The estimated value of which may amount to sixty thousand euros (60,000.00 €), including legal VAT.
• Support actions to the Programme Operator in any objection examination procedures, the estimated value of which may amount to three thousand euros (€ 3,000.00), including the legal VAT.
• Support actions for the control of the eligibility i) of project costs (administrative verification of costs on the recommendation of a chartered accountant), which will be submitted by the Implementing Bodies to the  Programme Operator for the approval of progress payments in Predetermined Act 1, Predetermined Act 2 in the three small grant schemes (SMSs), ii) the management costs, as well as the administrative control of the costs that will be carried out until the completion of the programme, the estimated value of which may amount to ninety thousand euros (90,000.00), including legal VAT.
• Support actions to the Programme Operator by an External Communication Consultant. The Consultant's task will be: The design, specialization, updating and organization of the communication strategy for Predetermined Act 1, for Predetermined Act 2, for the three small grant schemes, as well as for the preparation and organization of three (3) events of information and publicity in the context of the promotion of the Programme, the estimated value of which may amount to fifty thousand euros (50,000.00 €) including the legal VAT.
• Actions for translation and interpretation services, the estimated value of which may amount to forty-nine thousand euros (€ 49,000.00), including legal VAT.

SERVICES C:

• Actions related to the provision of technical, legal and accounting support to the Implementing Agency of the Predetermined Act 1, in order to comply with the requirements of the Programme Operator during the implementation of the operation, to develop procedures, to design and prepare invitations, to submit the necessary reports and confirms the costs to be sent to the Programme Operator until the project is completed.
• Actions related to the provision of technical, legal and accounting support to the Implementing Agency of the Predetermined Act 2, in order to comply with the requirements of the Programme Operator during the implementation of the operation, to develop procedures, to design and prepare invitations, to submit the necessary reports and confirms the costs to be sent to the Programme Operator until the project is completed.

 The estimated value of the above services may amount to one hundred and twenty thousand euros (120,000.00 €) including the legal VAT.

SERVICES D:

• Cooperation and bilateral relations activities, including: (a) expenditure relating to travel, accommodation or other expenditure relating to the strengthening of bilateral relations; (b) travel expenditure, hospitality and, in general, facilitation of the work of the Cooperation Committee (c) expenditure relating to meetings for the exchange of good practice between the bodies involved in the program and others, either within the territory or with international organizations. The expenses of this category also cover the travel expenses of the representatives of the Programme Operator for the technical meetings with the representatives of the EEA CM, the International Programme Partner, the National Contact Point and other bodies involved. The estimated value of the above services may amount to sixty eight thousand euros (68,000.00 €) including legal VAT.
• Actions related to the conduct and organization of meetings and travels between the involved national bodies and parties of the Programme, the estimated value of the above services may amount to five thousand euros (5,000.00 €) including the legal VAT.
• Actions related to costs of conducting on-site inspections and verifications by the program administrator, the estimated value of the above services may amount to sixteen thousand euros (16,000.00 €) including the legal VAT.

ACTIONS E:

• Actions related to the supply of equipment, necessary for the performance of the work of the Programme Operator regarding the specific project which includes three (3) laptops and four (4) scanning and printing devices The estimated value of the above equipment may be to amount to three thousand euros (€ 3,000.00) including legal VAT.
• General Expenses, the estimated value of which may amount to the amount of ten thousand euros (10,000.00 €) including the legal VAT.

Where the provision of the above services is provided to follow award procedures, it may be assigned to one or more Contractors, in accordance with the provisions of Law 4412/2016 (A '147) "Public Procurement of Works, Procurement and Services" and with number 91761 / 03-09 / 2020 (Government Gazette 4027 / BD / 21-09-2020) Financing Decision of the Deputy Minister of Development and Investment. The actions follow the National and European institutional framework.

The estimated value of all the actions described above, may be up to the amount of five hundred and twenty thousand euros (€ 520,000.00), including the legal VAT.