Serbia has received a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Bank) in the amount of EUR 89,500,000 to improve the competitiveness and employment toward the cost of the Competitiveness and Jobs Project (Project) and intends to apply part of the proceeds to for consulting services.
The scope of the assignment for consulting services includes:
Background: The Project involves three ministries— the Ministry of Economy (MoE) (plus its development agencies), Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development (MoESTD), and Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs (MoLEVSA) and the Public Policy Secretariat (PPS) in the implementation and coordination role. Under Project framework, the three Ministries and participating agencies, with leadership and support from the PPS, are responsible to set performance targets on competitiveness and jobs, monitor and evaluate progress, conduct analysis, and contribute to policy development in the Republic of Serbia. The Project is expected to lead to better designed and coordinated policies, since it is anticipated that, through the Project implementation, they will become part of a clear, strategic framework with a robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system.
The Public Policy Secretariat is responsible, in close cooperation with the institutions participating in the Project, for coordinating the Project implementation including gathering and processing of results of the monitoring, reporting, fiduciary functions and safeguard procedures. The Project Implementation Unit (PIU) is established in the Public Policy Secretariat as a technical coordination unit of the Project.
Subject assignment is related to the activities performed under the Component A.3: Labour, which is implemented by the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Social and Veteran Affairs (MoLEVSA). This Component supports the implementation of the reform program in the field of labour, through enhancing the effectiveness of the National Employment Service (hereinafter: the NES), labour intermediation services for employers and the unemployed; improving the effectiveness of the active labour market programs (hereinafter: the ALMPs).
Objective: The aim of the assignment is to increase employment, investment and exports with created impact of increased placements for jobseekers through improved labour intermediation services, ALMPs and labour market participation incentives.
As such, the assignment has the following objectives:
- Designing and implementing a new methodology for labour market analysis;
- Developing the new evidence-based methodology for design of ALMPs, relying on the labour market analysis;
- Piloting of the new/redesigned ALMPs and
- Designing of the new profiling methodology, with statistical models and suggestions for a more effective software support.
Activities and Deliverables:
- Development of the detailed work plan and methodology to meet the desired objectives of the assignment
- Development of the methodology for analysis of the labour market
- Definition of predictions (forecasts) of the needs, analysis of trends in demand, supply, transitions or needs gap analysis
- Development of the methodology for design of ALMPs
- Identification of appropriate inputs from the labour market analysis
- Monitoring and evaluation of past and existing measures conducted by NES
- Design of a new ALMP for piloting, using new analytical framework, labour market analysis framework and new methodology for ALMPs
- Design of a proposal of the new organizational unit within NES (skill-set, resources needed, interface with other units) that would be necessary to sustainably apply introduced methodological framework for M&E
- Pilot the new ALMP measure
- Impact assessment and collection of data/qualitative information of achievement/performance of ALMPs currently implemented by NES
- Reviewing and analyzing the existing framework of the profiling system
- Revision of existing profiling methodology
- Addition and alignment of the existing methodology with the statistical profiling model
- Suggestions for providing more efficient software support
- Develop proposal for more comprehensive evaluation tools (e.g. randomized impact evaluation), taking into account possible data constrains.
The Consulting firm is expected to provide the following deliverables:
Deliverable 1: Work Plan and Methodology – to be delivered 2 weeks upon contract signing
Deliverable 2: Methodology draft for the labour market analysis – to be delivered 4 weeks upon contract signing
Deliverable 3: Workshop on methodology for the labour market analysis, finalized methodology – to be delivered 8 weeks upon contract signing
Deliverable 4: Methodology draft for new evidence based ALMPs – to be delivered 12 weeks upon contract signing
Deliverable 5: Workshop with NES and PPS – training for implementation of methodology that should equip NES to be able to prepare a proposal for introduction of new ALMPs and withdrawal of ineffective or not-needed ALMPs to the MoLEVSA; finalized methodology – to be delivered 16 weeks upon contract signing
Deliverable 6: Progress Report on the pilot ALMP – to be delivered 20 weeks upon contract signing
Deliverable 7: Profiling methodology draft – to be delivered 24 weeks upon contract signing
Deliverable 8: Workshop on profiling, with finalizing the methodology – to be delivered 26 weeks upon contract signing
Deliverable 9: Final report with recommendations – to be delivered 30 weeks upon contract signing.
Duration: The Consulting firm is expected to be engaged a period of 30 weeks with approximate time effort of 250-man days in total.
The Terms of Reference for this assignment can be found at the following link: https://bit.ly/341vNHA
For the purpose of this assignment, the PPS wishes to engage the services of a Consulting firm.
The PIU of the PPS now invites eligible Consulting firms to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested Consulting firms should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the services.
The shortlisting criteria are:
The Consulting firm must possess following qualifications:
- Be a legal entity
- At least ten (10) years of general experience in project management and implementation
- At least ten (10) years of specific experience in providing similar services in Western Balkan countries
- Proven record on successful completion of at least 3 (three) assignments in conducting monitoring and evaluation / design / assessment / implementation of active labour market policy measures, including piloting and/or profiling methodology, is required.
The Consulting firm should have capacity to assign a qualified and experienced team that will work on this assignment including at least one Lead Expert, two Senior Experts and one Specialist.
*The required qualifications and experience of the team is indicated in the Terms of Reference.
Consulting firms may associate with other firms in the form of a joint venture or a sub consultancy to enhance their qualifications, but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of joint venture and/or 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.
Expressions of Interest should contain following information:
- Profile of the firm including expertise available for the assignment (CVs are not required on this time);
- Information on general experience (in project management and implementation);
- Specific expericence relevant for the assigment and supportive material indicating qualification and competence of the firm to perform the services. Proven record on successful completion of at least 3 assignments in conducting monitoring and evaluation / design / assessment / implementation of active labour market policy measures, including piloting and/or profiling methodology(table listing following information: name of the relevant assignments, short scope of work, year of contract’s implementation, country/region, contact reference (name, e-mail, phone number).
The attention of interested Consulting firms is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Bank’s Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers January 2011 (Revised July 2014)., setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.
A Consulting firm will be selected in accordance with the Selection Based on the Consultants’ Qualifications (CQS) method set out in set out in the Section III of the World Bank’s Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers January 2011 Revised July 2014.
Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours: 9:00 -15.00h
Expressions of interest in English language must be sent in a written form by April 24, 2020, 15:00 h, local time, in electronic format to the following e-mail: milena.kostadinovic@rsjp.gov.rs (cc: piu@rsjp.gov.rs, snezana.djordjevic@piu.rsjp.gov.rs) with the exact title of the assignment in the “Subject” of the e-mail.
Contact:
Milena Kostadinovic
Project Implemantation Unit
Public Policy Secretariat
10 Vlajkoviceva St
11000 Belgrade
Republic of Serbia
Tel: +381 11 333 41 19
E-mail: milena.kostadinovic@rsjp.gov.rs