Background and context

Supporting anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine remains a high political priority for the European Union and Denmark. By combating corruption and strengthening preventive controls, the EU contributes 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, the United Kingdom 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, and state institutions. In early 2024, the EUACI entered Phase III, which runs until mid-2027. One of the Programme’s priorities is to ensure that reconstruction in war-affected areas is implemented within a framework of transparency, accountability and integrity.

During Phase III, the EUACI has developed significant practical experience in identifying, monitoring and minimising corruption, integrity, financial, sanctions, managerial and technical risks in construction and reconstruction projects. The EUACI’s engagements now cover a diverse and growing portfolio, including modernisation of school canteens, monitoring of large-scale kitchen-factory facilities, construction of social housing for internally displaced persons, reconstruction of sports facilities, and other social infrastructure initiatives. Future engagements may also include shelters and additional types of public infrastructure.

The most mature model has been developed through cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the School Nutrition Reform Team. The model covers the full project cycle: review of design and project documentation, analysis of public procurement, sanctions and integrity checks, and distance monitoring of construction works. Between 2024 and 2026, the EUACI experts analysed 465 projects before construction and identified UAH 362.9 million in unjustified expenditure, enabling the financing of 39 additional projects. The experience was consolidated in a practical guide for public investment projects. The existing approach provide an important starting point for this assignment, but they were developed primarily in the context of school canteen modernisation and do not yet constitute a fully unified methodology for the EUACI’s broader construction portfolio. 

The methodology developed under this assignment will consolidate the EUACI’s internal practices and serve as a practical working tool for partner institutions, Chief Public Funds Administrators, and other relevant public authorities. 

Reference:Existing THE EUACI methodology / practical guide for school canteen projects.

The EUACI currently applies a range of effective practices, templates, risk indicators, checklists, dashboards, reporting arrangements and expert-review procedures. Some elements are documented, while other important operational knowledge remains dispersed across project files or is held by individual experts and project managers. This creates continuity, consistency and institutional-memory risks, especially as the number and diversity of construction engagements increase and the Programme prepares for a possible Phase IV, subject to approval and financing. Development partners and donors have also demonstrated growing interest in practical, preventive and scalable integrity tools for reconstruction.

A systematic approach is therefore required to consolidate the existing experience, define clear monitoring stages and entry points, establish a coherent system of indicators, clarify roles, and embed a risk-based approach across the EUACI construction engagements. The methodology must be practical and operational: it should guide day-to-day work, support consistent professional assessment, preserve institutional knowledge and be usable by new experts and, where appropriate, by partner institutions.

Ukraine has a comprehensive legal framework for public finance, investment, procurement, construction, technical supervision, internal control, and audit. However, the relevant requirements are set out in different laws and regulations. There is no single methodology explaining how a Chief Administrator of Budget Funds (Chief Public Funds Administrator) should organise risk-based monitoring of construction projects at all stages, including projects financed by development partners or under the Ukraine Facility.

Another challenge is that the recipients of these funds are often legal entities outside the Chief Administrator’s management structure. As a result, the Chief Administrator has limited direct influence over their decisions and activities, which makes it more difficult to monitor the use of funds, prevent risks, and ensure timely corrective action.

The legal context is also changing. The new Law of Ukraine “On Public Procurement” No. 4888-IX of 27 May 2026 entered into force on 24 June 2026, with most provisions scheduled to take effect on 24 March 2027. The assignment must therefore analyse the transition from the current framework, including Law No. 922-VIII and Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1178, to the new framework; identify how the changes affect construction procurement monitoring; and update or develop risk indicators accordingly. The methodology must also reflect relevant Ukraine Facility requirements, public investment management reforms, applicable sanctions restrictions, construction legislation, cost-estimation rules, and the operational use of Prozorro and DREAM data.

Against this background, the EUACI intends to engage a multidisciplinary Service Provider to develop two mutually reinforcing products:

(i) a unified internal EUACI methodology and operational toolkit for monitoring of construction projects; and

(ii)   a model methodology that can be used as the basis for a regulatory or methodological instrument of a Chief Public Funds Administrator for organising risk-based monitoring of construction projects financed from public funds.

Objective:

The overall objective of the assignment is to strengthen the accountable, transparent and efficient use of public funds in construction projects by developing unified, risk-based methodological approaches for monitoring stages of construction projects.

The specific objectives are to:

• consolidate and systematise the EUACI’s practical experience, methodologies, tools, risk indicators and lessons learned from monitoring construction projects;
• develop a unified and practical approach to monitoring construction projects throughout the project cycle; and
• create a practical basis that will enable EUACI partners, public funds administrators and other relevant public institutions to conduct risk-based monitoring independently and consistently.

Scope of work

The scope of work under this assignment includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the following tasks.

The assignment shall include the following main stages:

1. Inception and review

• Hold a kick-off meeting with the EUACI and agree on the workplan, responsibilities, information needs and timeline.
• Prepare an interview plan and conduct at least five interviews with the EUACI experts.
• Conduct interviews with construction customers, representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Regional Development, where possible, and other relevant stakeholders (up to 10 interviews).
• Review the EUACI’s existing methodologies, indicators, tools, reports, templates, dashboards and lessons learned.
• Review the relevant legal framework, including construction, public finance, procurement, sanctions, Ukraine Facility requirements and the new Law of Ukraine “On Public Procurement” No. 4888-IX.
• Identify gaps, challenges and areas that require improvement or further development.

2. Development of the unified methodology

• Develop a common risk-based approach for monitoring construction projects at all main stages, including cases where monitoring begins after project selection, procurement or the start of construction.
• Define the roles and responsibilities of the EUACI, beneficiaries, Chief Administrators of Budget Funds, contracting authorities, experts and other participants.
• Define procedures for information exchange, reporting, recommendations, follow-up and escalation, including cases where the recipient of funds is not under the direct management of the Chief Administrator of Budget Funds.
• Develop a risk matrix, risk levels, preventive measures and response procedures.
• Develop indicators for project documentation, cost estimates, procurement, financial monitoring, construction progress, quality, payments, acceptance and project completion.
• Divide the construction indicators into:
  • General indicators applicable to all construction projects; and
  • Specialized indicators tailored to the project type, stage, financing conditions, specific features and identified risks. They shall cover school canteens and kitchen factories, shelters, social infrastructure, social housing and other agreed construction types. These indicators shall help experts identify key risks and determine whether a detailed technical review is required.
• Ensure that the methodology complements, but does not replace, technical supervision, author supervision, internal control, audit and state financial control.

3. Development of the practical working tool – two methodology products

The Service Provider shall prepare two methodology products:

• Product A – Unified EUACI Methodology: an internal methodology and practical working tool for risk-based monitoring of the EUACI construction projects.
• Product B – Model Methodology for a Chief Administrator of Budget Funds: a model methodology that may serve as the basis for a regulatory or methodological document on monitoring public funds used for construction projects.

Product B shall include the recommended legal form, implementation process, standard annexes and practical tools. It shall also cover relevant donor and Ukraine Facility requirements, including eligibility, origin of goods, sanctions, reporting and record-keeping.

Methodologies shall cover: 

• description of the construction monitoring process at each stage;
• use of existing mechanisms for monitoring;
• monitoring of project documents, procurement, contracts, payments and construction progress;
• recommendations and corrective-action tracking.

• The editable working tool shall be an integral part of Product A – the EUACI Methodology. It shall build on the EUACI’s existing methodology, which the Service Provider shall review, update and adapt as necessary.
• The tool shall include:
  • monitoring checklists for each of three construction cycle stages;
  • risk register and risk matrix for each stage;
  • general and specialised indicators for each stage;
  • templates for reporting identified risks form the EUACI to stakeholder.

The tool must be practical and suitable for daily use by the EUACI experts and, where appropriate, partner institutions.

4. Pilot testing, validation and finalisation

• Together with EUACI experts pilot   the draft methodology and working tool on at least four projects covering the relevant areas of activity.
• Assess whether the indicators, risk scoring, reporting and response procedures are clear and practical.
• Record the testing results, information gaps, user comments and proposed changes.
• Conduct at least two validation workshops with the EUACI staff and experts.
• Update and finalise both methodology products and the working tool.

The Service Provider shall participate in coordination meetings and perform other tasks directly related to the assignment, as agreed with the EUACI.

Other tasks agreed with the EUACI.

Other tasks related to the scope of work.

Expected Deliverables

The Service Provider shall deliver the outputs presented in Table 1.

All methodology products and tools shall be provided in Ukrainian unless otherwise agreed with the EUACI. The final report and executive summary shall be submitted in Ukrainian and English. All deliverables shall be provided in editable electronic format.

Table 1. Expected Deliverables

The timelines are indicative and may be adjusted in agreement with the EUACI. Draft deliverables shall be updated based on the EUACI comments and pilot-testing results.

All deliverables shall be provided in editable electronic format. The methodology products and working tool shall be prepared in Ukrainian unless otherwise agreed with the EUACI. The final report shall be submitted in Ukrainian and English.

Qualifications:

The contract will be awarded to an expert or team of experts that collectively meets the following minimum requirements. The assignment is expected to be delivered by a multidisciplinary team. A bidder may propose one individual only if that individual demonstrably meets both mandatory key-expert profiles.

Legal Status

The Service Provider must be an officially registered individual entrepreneur or legal entity in Ukraine.

The team shall include the following mandatory key experts:

• Team Lead / Legal Expert;
• Construction and Technical Monitoring Expert.

A Public Finance / Financial Risk Expert

The bidder may propose additional experts where needed, including specialists in data analysis, sanctions, public investment, construction costs.

A. Team Lead / Legal Expert

• A bachelor’s degree in law, public administration, economics, public finance or a related field.
• At least seven years of relevant professional experience, including at least five years in construction.
• Experience in preparing at least two methodologies, procedures, guidelines, regulatory acts or similar documents.
• Experience in developing risk indicators, monitoring procedures or corruption-risk prevention measures will be an asset.
• Experience analysing tender documents, procurement decisions, contracts, additional agreements and procurement risks will be an asset.

B. Construction and Technical Monitoring Expert

• A bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, construction, architecture or a related field.
• At least 5 years of professional experience in construction, technical supervision, design review, cost-estimate analysis or quality control.
• Strong knowledge of Ukrainian construction standards, technical supervision, construction documentation and acceptance requirements.
• Experience in technical monitoring, construction audit, quality control or risk assessment of public or donor-funded construction projects will be an asset.

C. Public Finance / Financial Risk Expert

• A bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, public administration or a related field.
• At least five years of experience in public finance, budget execution, financial control, audit, public investment.
• Experience developing financial indicators, risk matrices, dashboards or preventive controls will be an asset.
• Knowledge of Ukraine Facility, donor or international financial institution requirements will be an advantage.

Budget, timeframe, and location:

The intended commencement date is the date of signature of the contract with the Construction Expert and the period of implementation of the contract will be 5 months with a tentative start in September 2026 and completion in the end of January 2027.

The maximum budget available for this assignment is 27 000 EUR.

During this period, the Service Providerwill be expected to deliver 21 workdays per month (105 working days).

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

The total Contract Price shall be disbursed in accordance with the following schedule:

An advance payment of 30% of the total Contract Price shall be made upon approval of the Work Plan, confirming the agreed methodology, implementation approach, stakeholder engagement plan, and detailed work schedule.

A final payment of 70% of the total Contract Price shall be made upon approval of the validated and consolidated methodological system, and submission of all final deliverables in their approved format.

The Service Provider will mainly be placed in Ukraine to conduct offline meetings with stakeholders and experts.

Reporting and management

Definition of indicators

The performance of the contractor will be judged 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 contractor (and its representatives) agree to hold in trust and confidence any information or documents (“confidential information”), disclosed to the contractor or discovered by the contractor or prepared by the contractor 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 the EUACI authorization.

The contractor reports to the EUACI. The contractor shall de-brief the EUACI prior to finalizing the assignment.

Bidding Details:

The bidder must submit the following information to be considered:

1. The CV (no more than three pages long) that should include a description of the previous relevant assignments, and key duties on this assignment.
2. Portfolio with the similar activity.
3. Information about the level of 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 27 000 EUR.

How to apply: The deadline for submitting the proposals is 22 September 2026, 18:00 Kyiv time.

The proposals shall be submitted within the above deadline to the [email protected] with copy to [email protected], indicating the subject line “Service Provider to Develop a Unified Risk-Based Methodology ”.

Bidding language: English

Any clarification questions for the bid request should be addressed to [email protected], no later than16 September 2026, 18:00 Kyiv time.

To ensure your documents were successfully received, please check that you receive an auto-reply from our system. If your application is properly received, you will receive an auto-reply from the EUACI mailbox.

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Evaluationcriteria

Bids will be evaluated under the criteria provided below: