REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION
Republic of Serbia
Serbia Inclusive Primary Education Improvement Project (IPEIP)
Project ID No. P181557
Assignment Title:
Pedagogical and Methodological Support and Implementation of the National Assessments and Trainings
Reference No. SER-IPEIP-QCBS-CS-26-16
The Republic of Serbia has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Serbia Inclusive Primary Education Improvement Project (IPEIP) and intends to apply part of the proceeds to payments for consulting services to be procured under this project.
Scope of Services
The objective of this assignment is to provide the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Education Quality and Evaluation (IEQE) with comprehensive pedagogical, methodological, psychometric, organizational, and technical support for the preparation, piloting, implementation, analysis, and reporting of the national assessment in primary education.
The assignment is intended to ensure that the agreed conceptual and methodological framework is translated into a clearly planned, feasible, and standardized national assessment cycle capable of producing reliable data on student achievement and supporting the use of those data for improving education policies and school practice.
The consultant shall provide support in the development of the assessment methodology, assessment instruments, an item bank, test forms, and contextual questionnaires. The support shall also include the preparation of procedures for sampling, communication with schools, administration of the assessment, quality assurance, secure handling of assessment materials, and the protection of personal data.
The Consultant shall work closely with the IEQE and the Project Management Unit (PMU) team within the MoE in completing the following main tasks:
Estimated contract duration: 42 months.
The detailed Terms of Reference for the above referenced consulting services is posted on the website of the MoE/IPEIP https://ipeip.prosveta.gov.rs/konkursi-tenderi/ .
The MoE and Central Fiduciary Unit (CFU) now invite eligible Consultants to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services.
The assignment will require a qualified Consultant (consulting company or a joint venture) that can demonstrate extensive experience in the above Services.
The following shortlisting criteria will be applied to all consulting firms (individual company or joint venture overall) that have submitted EoI:
1. Criterion: General Experience in Implementing Complex Education Projects
Proven general experience and verifiable references in the implementation of complex projects in education, educational research, evaluation of education policies and programmes, institutional development, and/or related fields over the past ten (10) years.
Preference will be given to experience related to multi-component projects implemented at the national or system level, involving cooperation with educational institutions, a large number of beneficiaries/participants, and coordination of multiple technical and operational activities.
Scoring:
The Consultant will be awarded up to 20 points based on the relevance, scope, and complexity of the submitted project references.
2. Criterion: Relevant Experience in Educational Research, Evaluation, and Assessment of Learning Outcomes
The Consultant shall demonstrate at least two (2) successfully completed relevant assignments in the areas of educational research, evaluation of education systems, policies or programmes, assessment of student achievement, and/or other related areas involving the systematic collection, analysis, and use of data in education over the past ten (10) years.
Particular consideration will be given to experience in national, international, or other standardised assessments of student achievement, especially where previous assignments covered multiple stages of the assessment cycle, from preparation and instrument development, to data collection, to analysis and reporting.
Experience in the Western Balkans and/or in education systems with comparable institutional and regulatory environments will be considered an advantage.
Scoring:
The Consultant will be awarded up to 60 points based on the number, relevance, scope, complexity, and degree of similarity of the submitted project references to the subject of this assignment.
3. Criterion: Organisational, Technical, and Management Capacity
Organisational, technical, and management capacity to implement complex multi-year projects requiring the engagement of multidisciplinary expert teams, implementation of large-scale field activities, cooperation with educational institutions, data management, and organisation of training programmes.
The Consultant shall submit a document containing the firm’s organisational chart, a brief company profile, and a description of the relevant organisational, technical, and management capacities. If the Consultant applies as a Joint Venture, the above information shall be provided for each Joint Venture member.
Scoring:
The Consultant will be awarded up to 20 points based on demonstrated organisational, technical, and management capacity relevant to the subject of the assignment.
As evidence of experience, the Consultant shall provide information most relevant to the above criteria.
For each reference assignment, the following information shall be provided:
The maximum score that can be awarded to the Consultant is 100 points based on the cumulative evaluation of all criteria.
Submitted expressions of interest should be no larger than 30 pages of text, including reference forms.
The experience and record of any proposed sub-consultancy shall not be included in the evaluation. Key Experts' CV are not required and will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage.
The MoE, as Contracting Authority, intends to shortlist five to eight eligible firms to whom a subsequent Request for Proposals (RFP), both technical and financial, shall be sent.
Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected.
A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Quality and Cost-Based Selection as set out in the Regulations.
The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraphs 3.13, 3.15 and 3.16 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, Procurement in Investment Project Financing Goods, Works, Non-Consulting, and Consulting Services (Sixth Edition, February 2025) (“the Regulations”) setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.
Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 09:00 to 15:00 hours.
Expressions of interest in English language must be delivered in a written form to the email below, by October 15, 2026, 12:00 hours, noon, local time.
Contact: | E–mail: | Address: |
To: | dejan.jeremic@mfin.gov.rs Mr. Dejan Jeremi Procurement Specialist | Ministry of Finance Central Fiduciary Unit Balkanska 53 11000 Belgrade, Serbia Tel/Fax: (+381 11) 765 2565 |
Cc: | srdjan.brajovic@prosveta.gov.rs; biljana.krasavac@prosveta.gov.rs; bojan.komnenovic@prosveta.gov.rs |
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