Provision of IT Consultancy Service for the EUACI

Background

The EU Anti-Corruption Initiative in Ukraine (EUACI) is the European Union’s technical support program in the area of anti-corruption in Ukraine, financed by the European Union, the United Kingdom International Development, and co-financed and implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. The overall objective of the EUACI is to achieve significant progress in preventing and countering corruption, ensuring the coherence and systemic anti-corruption activities of state and local self-government bodies, and to empower civil society and citizens to contribute to the combatting of corruption, as well as the proper process of Ukraine’s post-war recovery. The program runs till August 2027.

The EUACI implements and supports IT capacity building projects covering the planning, implementation, modernization and operation of information systems, digital services, IT infrastructure and related change management processes. These IT projects are aimed at supporting anti-corruption institutions (ACI) in strengthening their technical capacity and enabling more effective, transparent, and secure operations. In this regard, the EUACI’s interventions place a strong emphasis on institutional strengthening, aiming to enhance ACI’s ability to independently design, manage, and sustain modern digital solutions over time. This includes the transfer of knowledge, development of internal competencies, and promotion of best practices in IT governance, cybersecurity, and data management, thereby contributing to the long-term resilience and effectiveness of partner institutions.

Within the framework of these initiatives, there is a need for specialized technical expertise, including architecture, cybersecurity, integration, data, quality, infrastructure and technical risk and cost assessment.

The EUACI plans to engage external consultants (a company with relevant experience) based on a framework mechanism that will allow for the rapid involvement of relevant experts depending on specific tasks. The pool of experts is expected to cover the full lifecycle of IT solutions, from concept and architecture development to implementation, operation, quality assurance, and performance evaluation.

Objective

The objective of the project is to establish a framework mechanism for the provision of specialised IT consulting and expert services that will enable the EUACI to engage qualified experts to support the planning, design, implementation, assessment, and modernization of digital transformation initiatives for Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions.

The project aims to strengthen the quality, efficiency, and sustainability of the EUACI-supported IT interventions by providing timely access to multidisciplinary expertise across the full lifecycle of information systems and IT infrastructure projects, while enhancing the institutional capacity of partner institutions to implement secure, interoperable, and resilient digital solutions in line with international best practices.

Scope of work

The IT experts involved are expected to provide consulting, analytical and technical services in the following areas:

1. Architecture and Technology
   • Assessment of the architecture of existing information systems and IT solutions
   • Development or validation of the architecture of new solutions (target/transitional architecture)
   • Analysis of scalability, reliability and technological sustainability of solutions
   • Assessment of compliance of solutions with internal architectural principles and standards
   • Assessment of technology stacks and preparation of recommendations for modernization.
2. Business Analysis and Requirements Management
   • Analysis of business processes and user needs
   • Formation, refinement and validation of business and functional requirements for an IT solution
   • Preparation and examination of technical tasks/specifications of requirements
   • Assessment of compliance of proposed IT solutions with the goals and needs of EUACI
   • Analysis of the effectiveness of implemented IT solutions and preparation of recommendations for improvements.
3. Infrastructure and Platforms
   • Assessment of IT infrastructure (computing resources, networks, storage, operating environments)
   • Analysis of infrastructure reliability, performance and capacity
   • Assessment of cloud approaches and platforms, feasibility of migration, preparation of target optionsExpertise in DevOps/CI/CD practices, monitoring, logging and configuration management
   • Recommendations for optimizing operations, backup and recovery.
4. Integration and Interoperability
   • Analysis of integrations between systems, dependencies and data flows
   • Development or expertise of integration architecture
   • Assessment of APIs and data exchange mechanisms, recommendations on integration standards
   • Preparation of proposals for integration management, versioning, compatibility and exchange quality.
5. Data and Analytics
   • Assessment of data architecture, data models and data quality
   • Expertise of data storage, processing and access systems
   • Data migration planning (approaches, risks, quality control, validation)
   • Consulting on analytics and BI solutions (reporting approaches, KPIs, dashboards)
   • Recommendations on data management and roles/responsibilities (data governance).
6. Software Quality Assurance
   • QA and testing process assessment
   • Test strategy expertise (including test automation, regression testing)
   • Quality audit of development results (including analysis of compliance with requirements and acceptance criteria)
   • Recommendations for improving quality control and defect management processes.
7. IT governance and Investment assessment
   • Expert assessment of IT project plans, implementation status, technical risks and dependencies
   • Consulting on approaches to portfolio/project management, change planning and control
   • Assessment of compliance of IT initiatives with the EUACI strategic goals, preparation of IT roadmaps
   • Expert assessment of cost, resources and deadlines (if initial data is available), economic feasibility analysis
   • Recommendations on IT policies, procedures and management roles.

Other areas of work may be agreed between the EUACI and the Consultant depending on current needs and the subject of the expertise.

Deliverables

The list of outputs and products below is indicative and non-exhaustive. The EUACI reserves the right to request outputs that are not explicitly listed but are relevant to the subject matter of the expertise and the objectives of this assignment.

Indicative results and products may include:

• Preparing technical specifications/tasks/requirements, acceptance criteria, recommendations for non-functional requirements, terms of reference
• Conducting analysis and preparing analytical reports, including: architecture assessment, technical risk analysis, integration analysis, data model assessment, performance analysis, software quality assessment
• Preparing expert opinions, technical notes, memos, recommendations for modernization and defect elimination
• Developing or adapting methodologies/templates/tools, including for technical assessment, risk modelling, QA processes, requirements management
• Preparing architectural materials, including diagrams, component descriptions, integration models, data models, target solution options
• Preparing materials for making management decisions (comparison of alternatives, roadmaps, impact assessment of changes)
• Preparation and delivery of presentations, working sessions, trainings and other knowledge transfer events (in agreement with the EUACI).

During the assignment, the Consultant will work closely with the EUACI IT expert and/or, as necessary, with the involved teams of the EUACI’s partners.

The Consultant shall use the EUACI and/or partners policies, regulations, technical documentation, reports, project materials, event logs, other relevant data within the scope of the access provided.

Language of results and products: Ukrainian. Upon separate agreement with the EUACI, individual results may be prepared in English. Final texts of written results are subject to agreement with the EUACI (and/or the EUACI partners as necessary).

The Consultant ensures compliance with the requirements of confidentiality and proper handling of information. The use of the EUACI materials exclusively for the purposes of providing consultancy services, restriction of access on a need-to-know basis, transferring of results through agreed communication channels and return/deletion of materials after completion of the assignments.

Team Composition and Qualifications

The Consultant shall ensure the possibility of involving experts of various professional categories (expert pool) to provide consultancy service on the development and implementation of IT initiatives, in particular:

• IT Enterprise / IT Solution Architect
• Software / Technical Architect
• Business Analyst / IT Analyst
• Infrastructure / Cloud Architect / System Engineer
• Integration Architect
• Data Architect / Data Engineer
• Quality Assurance / Testing Expert
• DevOps / Agile ExpertDigital Transformation / Process Expert
• IT Governance / IT Strategy ExpertIT Financial / Cost Estimation Expert
• Other specialized experts (e.g., UX/UI, BI/Analytics, Digital Identity/PKI, Interoperability), depending on the needs of the EUACI.

Assignment of specific team members depends on the scope and complexity of tasks within the agreed support budget.

The Consultant shall confirm that the experts meet the following criteria:

• The proposed pool of experts has relevant higher education (information technology, computer science, engineering, information security or related fields) and/or equivalent proven professional experience
• Practical experience in providing consulting/expert services in the field of IT and/or cybersecurity, including performing assessments, audits, preparing technical opinions, terms of references and recommendations
• The availability of key experts with significant professional experience in relevant roles (taking into account the task profile), including experience working with complex information systems and IT infrastructure, integrations, data and/or security
• Availability of relevant international/industry certifications
• Ability to ensure the availability of experts of various profiles and promptly engage the appropriate specialist for a specific task, as well as to ensure the replacement of an expert in case of objective necessity without loss of quality and in compliance with confidentiality requirements
• Ability to prepare high-quality analytical and technical materials (reports, presentations, technical specifications, terms of references, conclusions) in agreed formats and deadlines
• Availability of developed communication skills and experience in interacting with stakeholders (including conducting working meetings/sessions/training events as needed)
• Fluency in Ukrainian for preparing results and interacting with the EUACI partners, proficiency in English (oral and written) is an advantage
• Physical presence in Kyiv is an advantage.

Budget, timeframe, and location

The duration of this assignment is estimated to be 12 calendar months to commence in August 2026. The total budget under a contract may not exceed EUR 30,000. We offer a framework contract where the EUACI reserves the right to order selected services under the concluded contracts according to needs identified by the EUACI. For each assignment the EUACI and the Consultant will agree on the number of working hours needed and the duration of the assignment.

The contract presumes to cover direct costs related to service provision. For the calculation of the total service cost, the Consultant applies a blended rate of EUR 50-60 per person-hour (hour rate is a subject of tender). The blended rate represents an average hourly cost covering different categories of specialists required for the assignment. The fees agreed during the conclusion of the contract are final and not subject to review.

Payments shall be made for each completed assignment via bank transfer to the Consultant’s account based on an issued invoice and signed Certificate of Completion. A certificate shall be signed for each completed assignment (subject to evaluation the scope of performed service by the EUACI and/or partner institution). Payments under the contract shall be made in UAH, calculated on the basis of the official exchange rate of the National Bank of Ukraine applicable on the date of invoice issuance and without VAT.

Confidentiality

By signing the contract, the Consultant agrees to hold in trust and confidence any information or documents disclosed to the Consultant or discovered by the Consultant or prepared by the Consultant in the course of or as a result of the implementation of the contract, and agrees that it shall be used only for the contract implementation and shall not be disclosed to any third party. The Consultant also agrees not to retain copies of any written information in its archive and for its use.

How to apply

The deadline for submitting the proposals is 12 August 2026,17:00 Kyiv time.

All interested expert(s) or companies should submit:

• Filled and signed Appendix 1 (portfolio of related projects, CV of experts, budget with identifying a daily/hourly rate)

The proposal shall include the aforementioned information and should be submitted within the above deadline to [email protected], CC [email protected] indicating the subject line: Framework IT support

To ensure your documents were successfully received, please check that you have received an auto-reply from [email protected] mailbox.

Bidding language: English.

Questions & Answers:

Any clarification questions regarding the bid request may be submitted in English via e-mail to the contact person mentioned above. Tenderers shall refrain from contacting the EUACI in any other way.

Tenderers are encouraged to submit all questions as soon as possible. The EUACI reserves the right to not answer questions submitted later than 5 days before the time limit for receipt of tenders.

The EUACI will send the questions and answers simultaneously and in anonymous form via
e-mail to the tenderers.

Evaluation

Bids will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria provided below:

For the evaluation of the relevant experience, skills and competencies of the proposed pool of experts the EUACI applies a set of the following criteria, namely: