Democracy Plus (D+) calls on the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI) to cancel the procurement activity titled “Engagement of experts according to the fields of the Kosovo Curriculum Framework for the educational process for the needs of the Education Inspectorate, according to the MESTI platform”, with procurement number 208 Udheheqesi-25-589-2-2-1, initiated in violation of the rules for contracting special services agreement (SSA). 

MESTI through this tender procedure aims to engage five (5) experts for the needs of the Education Inspectorate (EI) in the fields such as law, Albanian language, history, economics, and oriental studies (Turkish language), for a period of 12 to 36 months (depending on the lot), with a total value of 92,400.00 euros. 

According to the Regulation no. 002/2024 on Public Procurement, Article 57.2, it is stipulated that consultants can only be contracted for services that cannot be provided through recruitment procedures according to the Law on Public Officials (LPO). Meanwhile, analyzing the tasks and responsibilities defined by MESTI in the tender file and contract notice, supporting the EI in achieving objectives, performing tasks by the General Director or the EI leader, and reporting, do not require the engagement of external experts, as these are tasks that should be performed by staff engaged in MESTI and the EI. Furthermore, according to the Law on the Education Inspectorate, employees within this institution are civil servants, and as such, they should be recruited according to the LPO. 

Additionally, MESTI has set discriminatory and preferential criteria requiring that the expert (applicant) should have proof of work in EI for two or five years, depending on the lot. This means that the MESTI is utilizing SSA to engage civil servants who previously worked in the EI. 

In this context, D+ calls for the cancellation of this procurement procedure and urges MESTI to adhere to the rules for contracting special services in order to preserve the integrity of the procurement process and ensure the proper, transparent, and rational use of public funds. 

Disclaimer: 

This reaction has been published with the financial support of the European Union and Smart Balkans. The contents of this reaction are the sole responsibility of Democracy Plus (D+) and do not represent the views of the European Union and SMART Balkans. The project “Encouraging transparent, accountable and efficient public money spending through public procurement in Kosovo”, is funded by the EU and SMART Balkans, and implemented by Democracy Plus (D+).