Expert in Financial Risk Monitoring Supporting the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine

Background and context

Supporting anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine remains a high political priority for the European Union, the United Kingdom and Denmark. By combating corruption and strengthening preventive controls, the international partners contribute to the consolidation of democracy, sustainable economic growth, effective reconstruction and Ukraine’s successful approximation with the European Union.

The European Union Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) in Ukraine is a joint programme funded by the European Union and UK International Development, and co-financed and implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. The EUACI supports Ukraine’s efforts to reduce corruption at national and local levels by empowering citizens, civil society, businesses and state institutions. In early 2024, the EUACI entered Phase III, which runs until mid-2027.

The EUACI works with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (hereinafter – the Ministry) and other public authorities to strengthen transparency, accountability and integrity in the management of public resources. Effective monitoring of budget programmes and subventions is important to ensure that public funds are used for their intended purposes, deliver expected results and are protected against financial, implementation and corruption-related risks.

The Ukraine Facility is a European Union programme of EUR 50 billion for 2024-2027 intended to support Ukraine’s financial stability, recovery, reforms and preparation for EU membership. In the education sector, funding supports the development and modernisation of education infrastructure. Relevant investment areas in 2026 include modern learning spaces, shelters and safe learning conditions (including fire-safety systems), vocational workshops and laboratories, school canteens and meals, and school buses. The monitoring scope may also cover relevant state budget subventions and other education financing instruments, including those supporting the New Ukrainian School (NUS) reform, as applicable.

The Ministry has requested expert support to strengthen its institutional capacity in monitoring budget expenditures, managing financial risks, improving reporting, and ensuring transparency and accountability in the use of public funds. The requested support includes analysing financial risks associated with budget programmes; monitoring the use of subventions and inter-budget transfers; identifying potential ineffective, improper or non-integrity-based use of budget resources; and preparing analytical findings and recommendations for management decisions.

Against this background, the EUACI intends to engage an Expert in Financial Risk Monitoring (hereinafter – the Expert) to provide analytical and advisory support to the Ministry, with a focus on risk-based monitoring of relevant budget programmes and subventions, including those related to school canteens, shelters and school meals, as well as other related EUACI activities. The assignment may also cover analysis of subventions supporting NUS implementation and other education recovery and modernization priorities, including school transport and inclusive education, where requested by EUACI.

Objective

The overall objective of the assignment is to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Ministry to monitor budget expenditures and subventions, identify and assess financial risks, and promote the transparent, accountable and effective use of public funds.

The Expert will support the Ministry in analysing financial and budget data, improving monitoring and reporting tools, preparing evidence-based assessments and recommendations, and coordinating with relevant stakeholders to prevent and mitigate risks related to the implementation of budget programmes and subventions. Where data allow, the analysis should connect financial inputs and expenditure to implementation progress, outputs and outcomes, including coverage, timeliness, efficiency, effectiveness and regional disparities.

Scope of work:

The scope of work of the assignment includes different tasks, including, but not necessarily limited to:

Monitoring and analysis of financial risks

1. Analyse available financial, budgetary and implementation data related to selected budget programmes, subventions and inter-budget transfers, including allocations, commitments, expenditures, execution rates and progress against planned objectives. Where relevant data are available, the analysis may include comparisons of planned and actual financing and implementation across regions and communities, assessment of allocation patterns, and scenario-based forecasting. Where relevant to the selected programmes and available data, assess the alignment of the allocation and use of public funds with the objectives, measures, milestones and targets set out in the Ukraine Plan under the Ukraine Facility.
2. Identify and assess potential risks of ineffective, improper, non-transparent or non-integrity-based use of public funds, including unusual trends, inconsistencies, deviations from approved plans and other financial risk indicators. Assess potential risks of non-compliance with applicable requirements and commitments under the Ukraine Plan, including discrepancies between planned allocations, actual expenditures, implementation progress and reported results.
3. Prepare risk assessments, analytical notes and practical recommendations to support the Ministry in prioritising follow-up actions and management decisions.

Monitoring of budget programmes and subventions

1. Support the monitoring of the use of subventions and other public funding allocated to education-related programmes, including, as relevant, the provision of school meals, modernisation of school canteens, shelters and other education infrastructure or activities. This may include funding for the construction, reconstruction, repair or equipping of shelters; modernisation of school canteens and organisation of school meals; procurement and use of school buses; New Ukrainian School-related learning environments and equipment; and other relevant education infrastructure priorities.
2. Analyse whether reported expenditure and implementation progress are consistent with the objectives, eligibility requirements and applicable procedures of the relevant budget programmes and subventions. The review should also consider whether expenditure and implementation data demonstrate intended outputs and outcomes, and whether funding reaches eligible institutions and communities in a timely and equitable manner.
3. Review available data and supporting documentation to identify gaps, differences, potential irregularities and issues requiring clarification or further examination by the Ministry or other competent bodies. Where relevant, identify discrepancies between financial reports, procurement or implementation records, physical progress and reported results, and identify additional data or verification needed.
4. Support the analysis of inter-budget transfers and information provided by local authorities and other participants in the budget process. Where relevant, the analysis should cover: transfers from the state budget to local budgets, allocation and redistribution patterns, and differences in implementation capacity or results across regions and communities.
5. Cooperate with EUACI experts involved in related monitoring activities, including financial and procurement-related analysis of selected projects, where relevant to the assignment.

Reporting, data analysis and recommendations

1. Support the preparation and improvement of reporting on budget programme implementation, subvention allocation and use, identified financial risks, implementation challenges and follow-up measures. Where relevant data are available, reporting may include indicators on financial inputs, implementation outputs and outcomes, such as funds allocated and spent, budget execution rates, the number of facilities repaired or equipped, shelter capacity and readiness, canteen functionality, meals provided, buses delivered and operational, and progress against relevant NUS-related objectives.
2. Prepare analytical reports, briefing notes, summaries, presentations and other materials for the Ministry, EUACI and relevant stakeholders, as agreed.
3. Use analytical findings to prepare clear recommendations and identify cases where more information or clarification is needed, further monitoring is required, or the matter should be referred to the relevant authority.

Monitoring toolsand procedures

1. Contribute to the development or improvement of monitoring methodologies, reporting templates, checklists, risk matrices, data collection tools and other practical instruments. Tools may include standardised Excel-based trackers, data validation rules, performance indicators, regional comparison tables and risk matrices that combine financial, procurement, implementation and results-based information.
2. Assist in preparing draft procedures, guidance, regulatory proposals or other documents related to the monitoring of budget programmes, subventions and financial risks, in coordination with the Ministry and EUACI.
3. Support the Ministry in the processing, systematization and analysis of the received data, as well as provision of practical recommendations on the use of the developed Excel tool, etc;
4. Creation of an automated Excel tool with necessary formulas, data validation rules, and protection mechanisms to ensure data integrity and minimize the risk of errors or manipulation (in case of necessity).

Coordination and other support

1. Organise and participate in meetings, consultations, workshops and technical discussions.
2. Respond to information requests and contribute to professional communication and coordination among the Ministry, local authorities and other participants in the budget process.
3. Support other related EUACI activities within the Expert’s area of competence, including relevant monitoring of subventions for school canteens and meals, shelters and fire-safety systems, school buses, NUS-related subventions, modern learning spaces, vocational workshops and laboratories, and other priority education financing instruments, as requested by EUACI.

Other tasks

The Expert may perform other tasks relevant to the assignment as agreed with the Ministry and EUACI.

Expected Deliverables

The Expert shall deliver the outputs listed in Table 1. All substantive outputs are expected to be provided in Ukrainian unless otherwise agreed. The final report shall be submitted in Ukrainian and English. Editable electronic copies shall be provided to the designated EUACI contact person.

Table 1.

Qualifications

The contract will be awarded to the Expert who meets the following criteria:

General qualifications:

1. A minimum of a Master’s degree in finance, economics, accounting or audit, law, public administration, social sciences or a related field.
2. At least five years of relevant professional experience in public finance, budget planning or execution, financial analysis, financial risk assessment, monitoring of budget programmes or subventions, or a related area.
3. Experience in preparing analytical reports and recommendations based on financial, budgetary or other administrative data.
4. Fluency in Ukrainian and working knowledge of English sufficient for professional communication and the preparation or review of working documents.
5. Ability to work independently, manage several assignments and deliver high-quality results within deadlines.
6. Strong professional integrity and the ability to work constructively with public authorities, experts and other stakeholders.

Adequacy for the assignment:

1. Knowledge of Ukrainian budget process, including budget programmes, subventions, inter-budget transfers and other matters regarded to the public financial management.
2. Practical experience in financial risk identification, expenditure monitoring, data analysis, reporting or development of monitoring methodologies and tools. Experience with results-based monitoring, performance indicators, financial modelling, expenditure forecasting or analysis of regional differences in programme implementation would be an advantage.
3. Experience in legal or regulatory drafting, or in developing procedures, guidance, methodologies or institutional documents.
4. Experience working with public, regional and local authorities, communities will be an advantage.

Budget, timeframe, and location

The intended commencement date is the date of signature of the contract with the Expert. The period of implementation of the contract will be 9 months.

The maximum budget available for this assignment is 30 000 EUR (up to 153 EUR daily rate for up to 196 working days).

During this period, the Expert will be expected to deliver a maximum of 196 workdays.

Proposals, where the Contract Price offered, exceed the above maximum budget will be rejected.

Payments will require verification of deliverables and approval by the EUACI Component Team Leader of the Expert’s progress report.

The Expert will primarily be based at the Ministry in Kyiv and will work in close coordination with the Ministry and EUACI.

Reporting and management

Definition of indicators

The performance of the Expert will be assessed upon reaching the purpose of this contract as well as obtaining its results, as indicated in the sections “Objective” and “Expected Deliverables” herein respectively.

Special requirements

By signing the contract, the Expert agrees to hold in trust and confidence any information or documents (“confidential information”), disclosed to the Expert, discovered by the Expert or prepared by the Expert in the course of or as a result of the implementation of the contract and agrees that it shall be used only for the purposes of the contract implementation and shall not be disclosed to any third party without EUACI authorization.

The Expert will work in close coordination with the designated representatives of the Ministry and the EUACI. The Expert reports to the EUACI and shall de-brief the EUACI prior to finalizing the assignment.

Bidding Details

The bidder must submit the following information to be considered:

1. A CV (no more than three pages long) that should include a description of the relevant previous assignments, and key duties on this assignment.
2. Information on the proposed daily fee, inclusive of all taxes or other such charges (Annex 1).

If these documents are not submitted in line with the request above, the bid will not be considered.

Please be aware that the EUACI will publish the name of the winner of this tender.

The contract budget cannot exceed 30,000 EUR.

How to apply

The deadline for submitting the proposals is 9November 2026, 18:00 Kyiv time.

The proposals shall be submitted within the above deadline to [email protected] with copy to [email protected], indicating the subject line “Expert in Financial Risk Monitoring”.

Bidding language: English

Any clarification questions for the bid request should be addressed to [email protected], no later than5 November 2026, 18:00 Kyiv time.

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Evaluation criteria

Bids will be evaluated under the criteria provided below: