Second Social Services Improvement Project

Project: P180350 - Second Social Services Improvement Project Financing: World Bank GENERAL PROCUREMENT NOTICE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA SECOND SOCIAL SERVICES IMPROVEMENT PROJECT Sectors: Social Protection & Labor IBRD Loan No. 96330-MK Project ID No. P180350 The Republic of North Macedonia has received financing in the amount of EUR 27.5 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of the Second Social Services Improvement Project (SSIP II) and it intends to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, works, related services and consulting services to be procured under this project. The project will include three main components, as described in the following paragraphs. Component 1: Expanding access to quality social services This component will finance technical assistance, goods, works and grants needed to improve the quality of services and strengthen the associated delivery systems to promote access of vulnerable groups: 1.1: Expanding the coverage of social services through provision of: technical assistance to: (i) updating the pricing for publicly funded social services; (ii) determining eligibility for and targeting of publicly financed services, the categories of services to be covered, and the extent to which cost sharing will be introduced; (iii) establishing a mechanism to promote private service provision. Grants for Social Services Subproject to Selected Municipalities through Service Providers to fund the provision of in-home care and day centers for elderly and person with disability. 1.2: Improving the quality of social services through: (a) revising the legislation that governs the licensing of social service providers and their staff. (b) introducing more standardized data collection and reporting tools and procedures. (c) strengthening the capacity of the Inspection Department for Social Protection and Child Protection of the Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth (MSDY) to more effectively assure compliance with the 2019 Social Protection Law. (d) improving the ability of the Institute for Social Activities (ISA) to oversee the process quality for the selected social services. (e) review of the existing needs assessment tools to facilitate the timely referral of elderly people to health and/or social services, including provision of training to medical doctors and Centers for Social Work (CSW) staff. 1.3: Enhancing access for the vulnerable through investments in the social protection system through: providing support to MSDY to strengthen the case management. providing support to strengthen the capacity of MSDY and CSW staff on the new Integrated Social Welfare Information System Covering both Social Assistance Benefits and Services in the Republic of North Macedonia (SWIS) and carrying out the modification to the databases and information system of the others relevant ministries and agencies to which the Integrated System for administration of social (SWIS) links, as well updating the associated rulebooks. carrying out the capacity building on social protection policy revisions and development. carrying out an outreach strategy to inform vulnerable groups on their rights to social protection providing support to the MSDY to activate Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMA) beneficiaries. Component 2: Improving access to quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) This component will finance technical assistance, goods, works and grants needed to improve access to quality ECEC in a way that further supports teacher professional development and promotes the inclusion of poor and marginalized children: 2.1: Expanding the supply of ECEC through: (a) providing of In -kind Grants for Preschool Infrastructure Subprojects to Selected Municipalities. (b) piloting new models to extend and improve the supply of ECEC. (c) providing support to establish a mechanism to include financial incentives for parents formalize in-home childcare. 2.2: Improving the quality of ECEC through: (a) improving pre- and in-service training of teachers and caregivers working with children ages 0-6 years and strengthening the capacities of the three Centers for Excellence. (b) promoting collaboration and knowledge-sharing within and between ECEC institutions. (c) providing support for institutionalizing a national system for measuring child outcomes and the quality of the learning environment, including supporting the implementation of the nationally representative survey on Measuring Early learning Quality and Outcomes (MELQO), and integrating the survey into the routine assessments carried out by the National Examination Center (NEC). 2.3: Promoting more inclusive ECEC to improve inclusion of poor and marginalized children by further strengthening links with GMA beneficiaries and CSWs and improving parenting practices and community engagement through piloting parenting programs to include: (a) Read@Home which delivers reading, learning, and play materials to homes of children ages 3-5 ye