TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR “COMMUNICATING THE STATE STANDARD OF BASIC SECONDARY EDUCATION”
Background
“Learning Together” is a four-year cooperation project that was launched between Ukraine and Finland in the summer of 2018. Currently, the project is scheduled to be completed by July 2022 with a possibility of extension till July 2023. It is implemented by FCG International.
The “Learning Together” Project focuses on supporting the New Ukrainian School (NUS) reform, especially in the primary education, and is designed around three main clusters and crosscutting elements. These clusters are (1) teacher preparation, (2) education promotion, and (3) education environment.
“Learning Together” seeks to enter into a contract with a qualified and experienced media company or other relevant organization to perform a task related to the development and implementation of a communication campaign in relation to the State Standard of Basic Education. This Terms of Reference (ToR) is an invitation to submit bids for this task. This task is aimed at promoting education. The campaign is part of the communication plan of the Learning Together Project.
As part of the reform of the New Ukrainian School, the Ministry of Education and Science approved the new State Standard for Basic Secondary Education on September 30, 2020. The document is published on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers. The list of key competencies and cross-cutting skills enshrined in the State Standard is based on the “Recommendations of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on the formation of key competences for lifelong learning.” Thanks to the support of the European Education Foundation, with the direct participation of leading European experts, these recommendations and related European documents (the so-called “Competence Framework”) have been carefully developed by the team of authors of the document.
There is no division into subjects in the State Standard, but there are fields of study – this means that developers of educational and training programs will be able to implement a particular field of study through a single subject, and combine them for integration.
The document contains a description of competency potential and requirements for compulsory education of students in 9 fields of study:
For each field, the State Standard describes the purpose and groups of overall results, which are determined through mandatory outcomes for each of the cycles. That is why every field of study has the potential for the development of every competence.
More details can be found on the MOES website on the page STATE STANDARD OF BASIC SECONDARY EDUCATION .
Objective
The task of the Service Provider will be to design a communication campaign to clarify and explain in detail the New State Standard of Basic Education for target groups through a campaign in the media and other communication channels.
Target groups: 1); 2) general audience (parents).
The target groups (TG) of the communication campaign will be:
The main purpose of the information campaign and information products: to explain to the target audiences - each through a specific communication channel, in specific format - that there is the New State Standard of Basic Education, why it is introduced, how they will benefit from it. For example, what will the new Standart provide for children? The approach, format and channels of communication should be in a clear language for children to communicate why they are learning according to the New Standard and what they can achieve, what set of skills and competencies they will have.
One of the main messages of the whole campaign: the new State Standard for Basic Education is a new approach to secondary education, based on the best European practices and EU recommendations, and provides all participants with practical and clear goals that meet the needs of the modern world.
The Service Provider should research and incorporate Finnish best practices for the implementation of the new education standards into various communication formats.
The communication campaign should start in in the first Quarter 2022.
Coordination and supervision of the campaign will be carried out by employees of the “Learning Together” project, RST and the Ministry of Education and Science.
Scope of work
A contract will be concluded with the service provider, under which the supplier will:
3.1. produce and effectively disseminate information materials among TGs in various forms, including, but not limited to, infographics, videos, interviews, success stories, etc.
The topics of such information materials may include several products:
3.2. Media campaign “the New State Standard for Basic Education” in partnership with national mass media channels (television, radio, press, social networks).
3.3. Conceptualization, structure, format, and design of all campaign information materials and events. This may include conducting communication using relevant media such as printing and posters, advertising in media (in newspapers, radio, television), web campaigns, social media campaigns, knowledge management activities such as workshops and seminars.
3.4. Involvement: the service provider can involve the school administration and teachers of pilot NUS schools who have already successfully worked as part of the reform of the New Ukrainian School in this campaign.
3.5. Visual identity compliance: in all information materials, the roles and visual identity of the Learning Together project and the Ministry of Education and Science must be clearly indicated and comply with the Visual Identity Guidelines of the Project to be provided.
3.6. Cooperate with representatives of the Learning Together Project and the press service of the Ministry of Education and Science in preparing press releases, blogs, brochures, as well as organizing press briefings (if necessary), media visits and articles in the media.
3.7. Collaborate with other possible actors, such as NGOs, think tanks, companies, brands, businesses, media professionals, key public opinion leaders, and donors.
3.8. Document and report on activities that highlight the progress, achievements, and impact of the campaign.
Expected Deliverables
The service provider must provide the following:
4.1. develop creative ideas and concepts, and indicate the expected key performance indicators (outputs and outcomes) of the campaign;
4.2. the human rights-based approach (HRBA) and the inclusion of vulnerable groups should be taken into account in the creative concept;
4.3. present ideas and a communication campaign plan to the media;
4.4. present key campaign ideas and explain how their implementation can be measured using key performance indicators (KPIs).
4.5. provide an inception report with a description of the campaign stages, activities, including the implementation plan, and the exact time frame.
4.6. implement the campaign;
4.7. make monthly progress reports on each task of each stage and coordinate them with the Project’s communication expert.
4.8. submit a final report reflecting the methodology used, activities undertaken, successes, challenges, results (planned and unplanned), lessons learned and future recommendations.
Budget
The maximum total budget provided for this task is 60,000 euro. The budget, task details, and terms and conditions will be specified in the contract between FCG International Ltd (customer) and service provider. Payment will be made in stages after the key results are approved by the project management team.
Requirements for submitting offers
The proposal should include the following:
6.1. A technical proposal of no more than 10 pages, including the proposed approach, key performance indicators and planned campaign management activities, including an operational work plan with timelines. The proposal must be in English.
6.2. Cost breakdown
The cost breakdown should include two separate sections: “expert fees” and “other expenses”. Fees are determined by the rates for working days or working months. Other costs should be broken down according to the Technical Proposal and Work Plan. The budget breakdown should be in euro.
6.3. CVs of the Consultant and each team member (if a team approach is used). It would be an advantage if service provider would have an expert with (at least) bachelor degree in pedagogy.
6.4. Official documents confirming the status of the organization and a document confirming the financial capabilities (annual statement of cash flows and statement of financial results) of the organization.
6.5. Copies of registration documents (including copies of certificates of registration of legal entities that the participant plans to attract for the provision of services, a copy of the tax certificate; an extract from the Charter indicating the activity).
Other relevant supporting materials may be provided as appendices.
Evaluation criteria
Offers will be evaluated based on quality (90%) and price (10%).
7.1. The quality of the offer will be evaluated based on the following:
7.1.1. Creative concept, ideas, expected key performance indicators (intermediate and final results) of the campaign and communication plan;
7.1.2. Technical proposal:
7.1.3. Organization
7.1.4. Service provider Team Qualification:
The interview, to which the best candidates will be invited, will consist of 30 minutes of presentation and 15 minutes of questions and answers.
Deadline for submitting proposals
The terms of the contest are as follows:
If participants would like to receive additional explanations about the contest, written questions should be sent to the following email addresses: [email protected], [email protected] before 1.03.2022.
All bidders will be provided with answers to all requests for clarification till 3.03.2022.
The final proposal must be submitted before 9.03.2022 to email addresses: [email protected], [email protected].
Please note that all written communications must be sent in English. Further instructions for conducting the tender will be provided only from the above email address. Recommendations received from other sources will not be taken into account when evaluating the tender offer.
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