Public Reaction
Democracy Plus (D+) calls on the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI) and the Agency for Vocational Education and Training (AVET), under MESTI, to cancel two procurement activities for consultancy services, as they are against the Law and the Public Procurement Regulation No. 002/2024.
- MESTI in December 2024 initiated a tender for hiring one (1) contractor in the human resources division, procurement number “208 Udheheqesi-24-13480-2-2-1”, with an estimated value of €14,400 and a duration of 10 months.
- AVET in December 2024 initiated a tender for hiring eight (8) external consultants to meet the needs of AVET, procurement number “97500-24-13619-2-2-1”, with an estimated value of €33,600 and a duration of 12 months.
The Public Procurement Regulation stipulates that consultants can only be engaged for the procurement of specific services that cannot be provided through recruitment procedures according to the Law on Public Officials. It is worth noting that institutions are already recruiting regular staff through external procedures, as required by the Law on Public Officials, which can be verified through the Human Resources Management Information System (HRMIS).
The Public Procurement Regulation further specifies that the contracting of consultants can be done only for specific needs that the institution cannot fill with existing staff. However, MESTI and AVET have opted to engage consultants for routine administrative services. These include, among others, advice on implementing legislation and managing human resources at MESTI, as well as implementing new curricula and methodologies in line with education standards and laws at AVET.
MESTI and AVET should cancel these two procurement activities and initiate regular recruitment procedures as outlined in the Law on Public Officials, instead of using public procurement legislation. Spending approximately €50,000 on hiring nine (9) individuals for a period of 10 and 12 months is mismanagement of public funds and does not ensure sustainable in recruitment of staff for the ministry and agency.
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+).