Request for Proposal (“RFP”) – Micro-Credentials Design Services

Background

JA is the largest non-profit in Europe dedicated to preparing young people for employment and entrepreneurship. JA Europe is a member of JA Worldwide which for 100 years has delivered hands on, experiential learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy. Last school year, the JA network in Europe reached 6 million young people across 42 countries with the support of nearly 100,000 business volunteers and over 140,000 teachers/educators.

Initiated with the support of the European Commission, the Entrepreneurial Skills Pass (ESP) was the first JA micro-credential. It was created in 2014, and it quickly grew from 9 to 30 countries in Europe and currently being delivered in 52 countries globally.

The ESP certifies that youth, who have had a real entrepreneurship experience, hold the necessary knowledge, competences and skills to start a venture of their own or be successfully employed. It is closely linked with the learning outcomes of the JA Company Program and assesses all components of entrepreneurship as a competence (knowledge, skills and attitudes).

Since 2014, the JA Network expanded their portfolio of learning experiences (own or in partnership) and therefore we are looking to expand our micro-credential portfolio to be able to assess and recognize the full range of learning outcomes we cover as well as AI as an industry domain.

Thus, we invite qualified consulting firms, research organizations, or academic institutions to submit a proposal to support JA Europe to design and launch its new micro-credentials portfolio.

Scope of Work

JA Europe is seeking a consulting firm, research organization, or academic institution with significant expertise and experience in assessment and micro-credentials to design and launch the new micro-credentials portfolio.

More precisely, JA Europe is looking to:

1. Convert ESP into stackable micro-credentials linked with different learning pathways
2. Add optional AI industry domains within the different micro-credentials

Activities / Deliverables

Below outlines overall project activities, deliverables, and timeline however applicants are invited to propose changes aligned with different research approaches proposed.

Activity:

1. Research – Validate the micro-credentials strategy (through mapping, interviews, focus groups, etc.) with relevant stakeholders (these include local JA organizations, teachers/educators, students, employers). Review technology solution in use for examination and propose adjustments needed for the new micro-credentials’ strategy (change of technology solution is not in scope). Lead – Sub-contractor. Timeline – November 2024 (1 month)

2. Design – Define the framework for the micro-credentials’ portfolio. Define syllabus with learning outcomes for each micro-credential (min. 2). Design assessment tools (e.g. question pool, grading) for micro-credential (min. 2). Design branding and related badges. Lead – Sub-contractor. Timeline – November 2024 – January 2025 (3 months).

3. Pilot – Test the micro-credentials with youth. Lead – JA network. Timeline – February – March 2025.

4. Review and Final Set-Up – Use collected data and feedback to review and finalize all the elements. Lead – Sub-contractor. Timeline – April – May 2025 (2 months).

Timeline

The activities should start on 1st November 2024 and be finalized by 31st May 2025.

• RFP issued – 3 October 2024
• Proposal Due – 18 October 2024 31 October 2024 DEADLINE EXTENDED
• Potential Consultant Interviews – 22 to 25 October 2024
• Contract Execution – 30 October 2024
• Yearly report sign-off – 10 June 2025

The contracted team will adhere to the proposed timeline to ensure timely completion of deliverables.

Elements of the Proposal

A submission must, at a minimum, include the following elements:

• Background and Expertise: Information about the team’s expertise in designing micro-credentials for educational programs, particularly those related to entrepreneurship and skills development.
• Experience: Evidence of previous experience in similar projects, along with references from previous clients or organizations. A description of at least three (3) similar projects completed by the bidder within the past three (3) years. Include personal references with contact information for each.
• Work Plan and Timeline: A detailed timeline with activities, milestones, and deliverables, highlighting the estimated duration for completing each task.
• Budget: A comprehensive breakdown of costs, including data collection, analysis, reporting, and any other relevant expenses associated with the evaluation.

Budget

The allocated budget for the services is 60,000EUR.

Evaluation Criteria

The following criteria will be used in reviewing and comparing the proposals. The weight to be assigned to each criterion appears following each item.

• Responsiveness of the proposal to the submission requirements set forth in the RFP (20%).
• The technical ability, capacity, and flexibility of the bidder to perform the contract in a timely manner and on budget, as verified by, e.g., the quality of any demonstration, client references, demonstrated success in projects with similar requirements and any other contracts (50%).
• The total cost of the proposal solution based on disaggregated level of effort (30%).

Submission

Respondents to this Request for proposals must submit their proposal no later than 18 October 2024 and should be sent to offers@jaeurope.org including RFP – Micro-Credentials Design Services in the subject line. In the body of the email, please copy in: “I hereby consent that my personal data is processed by JA EUROPE ASBL for recruitment or contractual purposes” so that JA Europe has your written consent to follow up on your application. Only selected applicants will be contacted.

Data protection statement 

All of the information collected included in the email you will submit are necessary and relevant to the performance of the job/consultancy you applied for. JA Europe will use the information provided by you in the email, by the referees you have noted, and the educational institutions with whom we may undertake to verify your qualifications with, for recruitment/contractual purposes only. JA Europe will treat all personal information with the utmost confidentiality and in line with current data protection legislation. We rely on the lawful basis of Belgium to process the information provided by you by email. Should you be successful in your application/offer, the information provided, and further information which will be gathered at the relevant time, will be subsequently used for the administration of your employment/consulting contract and in relation to any legal challenge which may be made regarding our recruitment/procurement practices.  

Declaration 

By submitting your offer to the email offers@jaeurope.org you confirm that the information you provide is complete and correct and that any untrue or misleading information will give JA Europe the right to terminate any employment or consultancy offered. You understand that any offer of employment or consultancy is subject to JA Europe being satisfied with the results of series of relevant checks including references, eligibility to work, criminal convictions, probationary period. You have the right to request cancellation of your data at any time, by contacting JA Europe at privacy@jaeurope.org. For more information, please read JA Europe’s Privacy Policy.