Communication and training of accounting and audit staff on new requirements and information collection — Advancing Public Sector Accounting and Reporting in Albania

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (CONSULTING SERVICES – CONSULTANCY FIRM) ADVANCING PUBLIC SECTOR ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL REPORTING IN ALBANIA (IPSAS) For “Communication and Training of Accounting and Audit Staff on New Requirements and Information Collection” Ref. No: AL-PSA-2.1 ALBANIA Project: Advancing Public Sector Accounting and Financial Reporting in Albania TF No.: C7858 Assignment Title: “Communication and Training of Accounting and Audit Staff on New Requirements and Information Collection” Reference No.: AL-PSA-2.1 The Government of the Republic of Albania has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the project “Advancing Public Sector Accounting and Financial Reporting in Albania” and intends to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods and consulting services to be procured under this project. The project is implemented by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) of the Republic of Albania, which is responsible for the overall coordination and implementation of project activities. The consulting services (“the Services”) include the design and delivery of a comprehensive, competency-based capacity-building and communication program to support the implementation of the new Public Sector Accounting (PSA) framework in Albania. The Services will include the development and delivery of IPSAS-based training programs for accounting, finance, and audit staff and experts from central government institutions, including training on public sector financial accounting and reporting, opening balances and first-time adoption, financial reporting and consolidation, PPPs and concession arrangements, borrowings, revenue, and operational system usage (AGFIS). The Services will also include the preparation and validation of training needs, training curricula and schedules, training materials and e-learning content, delivery of face-to-face and live virtual training sessions, post-training webinars and targeted Q&A sessions, assessments and certification, coaching and mentoring of trainers, and the preparation of a Training Replication and Sustainability Toolkit and a Training Completion Report. The assignment will support the institutionalization and sustainability of PSA capacity-building activities, including the replication and scaling-up of training through trainers certified during the first phase of the Project. The training program is expected to reach approximately 600 public sector accountants and experts from central government institutions, including staff from general government spending units, line ministries, the Treasury, debt and revenue functions, controlling units, and units with direct access to AGFIS. Participants will be organized into cohorts based on their roles, competency levels, areas of responsibility, and operational functions. The training program will be delivered through a blended learning model, combining face-to-face training, live virtual instructor-led sessions, post-training webinars and targeted Q&A sessions, and on-demand e-learning modules. The program will include practical exercises, case studies, assessments, certification, and guidance to support the replication and sustainability of training within public sector institutions. The assignment is expected to commence in December 2026 and continue for a period of 15 months, through March 2028. The expected level of effort for the assignment is a maximum of 90 expert man-days and 130 trainer man-days spread over the implementation period. The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be found at the following website: https://financa.gov.al/ The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Albania now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. The shortlisting criteria are as follows. At a minimum, the firm shall meet the following requirements: A. Qualifications of the Firm: Relevant Professional Experience : At least five (5) years of proven experience in the design and delivery of training or capacitybuilding activities in accounting, financial reporting, and or public financial management. Accounting and Financial Reporting Knowledge: Demonstrated experience with IFRS or IPSASbased accounting frameworks, accrual accounting reforms, or comparable accounting standards (at least 1 experience). Experience supporting public sector institutions during accounting or financial reporting reforms will be considered an asset. Training Delivery Capacity Proven experience in delivering structured training programs on accounting and financial reporting and related business processes, including curriculum development, preparation of training materials, and facilitation of training sessions. (at least 2 experiences during the last 5 years). Experience delivering training to multiple cohorts or institutions is desirable. Knowledge Transfer: Experience in designing and delivering Training of Trainers (ToT) programs or similar capacitydevelopment approaches aimed at sustainability and replication within public institutions (at least 1 experience during the last 5 years). Operational Capacity: Demonstrated ability in project management which involves mobilizing qualified experts and managing logistics necessary to deliver the assignment within the proposed timeframe, evidenced by experience in at least one large-scale project involving the deployment of specialized expertise and complex logistical management. The consulting firms will be assessed as follows: General Qualifications, including core business and years in business (30 points) Relevant experience, including previous experience in the field of assignment (60 points) Technical, managerial, and operational capacity (10 points) Key Experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage. The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers: Procurement in Investment Project Financing Goods, Works, Non-Consulting and Consulting Services” (September 2023) (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. In addition, please refer to the following specific information on conflict of interest related to this assignment: in accordance with the Terms of Reference, the Consultant shall have no material interest in any of the outputs of this assignment. In addition, the Consultant shall comply with the applicable conflict of interest and confidentiality requirements under the consulting contract and shall be bound by the confidentiality arrangements agreed with the Ministry of Finance. All materials created under the Contract shall remain the sole property of the Ministry of Finance, and any re-use of such materials shall require formal written approval. Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Consultants’ Qualifications-based Selection (CQS) method set out in the Procurement Regulations, under a Lump-Sum Contract. Expressions of interest (CV, Cover letter and documentary evidence for fulfilling the qualifications) must be delivered in a written form to the address below in person, or by mail, or by fax, or by e-mail no later than 13:00 hours (Albania local time) on 27 October 2026. Mrs. Veronika KORKAJ, General Director General Directorate of Financing and Contracting (GDFC) Ministry of Finance Blvd. " Dëshmorët e Kombit " , No. 3, Tirana, Albania veronika.korkaj@financa.gov.al GDFC.Tender@financa.gov.al