CLOSING DATE AND TIME: SEPTEMBER 08, 2019 @ 10.00 PM EST
The World Bank Scholarship Program of the World Bank Group (WBG), invites accredited institutions currently offering master’s degree programs in development to respond to a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the delivery of services related to hosting scholars funded by the Government of Japan through the Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJWBGSP).
The WBG seeks to identify:
i) five master’s degree programs offered by Japan universities, and approximately ten from non-Japan universities which will be selected to be partners of the Joint Japan World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJWBGSP);
ii) approximately fifty other master’s degree programs, which as a pool of programs will cover all major development topics, which will be selected to be JJWBGSP preferred programs.
JJWBGSP partners will be provided the opportunity of receiving a pre-determined number of JJWBGSP-funded scholars per year for the next five cohorts of students admitted to the master’s degree program. Being a preferred program opens the opportunity for developing country students admitted to the master’s degree program to receive JJWBGP funding, but it does not set forth a pre-determined number of scholarships for any preferred program.
Mandatory Criteria for both Partner and Preferred Master’s Degree Programs
Only institutions having programs which meet the following Mandatory Criteria should participate in this RFP. Programs that do not meet the criteria will not be considered.
(i) The master’s degree program has admitted at least three developing country nationals from at least three different countries for at least one out of the past three years’ cohorts of admitted students. For those universities located in a developing country, the three developing country nationals must be from outside the university’s country. Refer to the link below for a list of developing countries https://www.worldbank.org/en/where-we-work . [Note: If the master’s degree program is in existence for less than three years, the condition still needs to hold for at least one cohort].
(ii) Able to answer “yes” to all of the following:
1. Be an accredited master’s degree program or be delivered by a university that is accredited. The accrediting agency must be recognized by the appropriate government authority.
2. Be completed between 9-24 months (including the maximum number of months a student is permitted to submit a thesis or research paper after classes end).
3. Not be specifically designed to segue graduates into a PhD or other graduate degree.
4. Offer curriculum that is related to at least one of the following development topics:
- Finance, competitiveness and innovation
- Governance / institution building / public policy making process
- Macroeconomics, trade and investment
- Poverty reduction and equity/shared prosperity
- Education
- Health, nutrition and population
- Social protection and jobs
- Agriculture & Food
- Environment & Natural Resources
- Social, Urban, Rural & Resilience
- Water
- Infrastructure (including Digital Development)
- Energy & Extractives
- Gender
- Climate Change
- Development in context of Fragility, Conflict and Violence
5. Not confer a degree in Law, Business Administration, diplomacy/international affairs, or with a specific regional focus.
6. Not offer the option of a joint/dual master’s degree program with another university.
7. Not offer the option of a joint/dual master’s degree program that requires more than 24 months combined to obtain the dual degrees.
8. Not allow an internship* (either in or outside the host university country) to help fulfill credit requirements for the master’s degree program.
9. Not offer academic credit to help fulfill the program’s graduation requirements that could take place outside the country of the university’s main campus.
10. Be delivered in one of the seven World Bank official languages (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic, Russian).
11. Be offered by the academic institution in the 2020/21 academic year, with intent to continue for at least four more subsequent cohorts.
12. Offer basic medical health insurance (either free or for a fee) for enrolled students.
13. Offer health clinic services, including mental health services (either free or for a fee).
* An internship consists of the independent application of skills and knowledge in the workplace setting. Students are placed with on-site professionals who manage their workload and oversee their performance, much as an administrator in an actual employment setting would. Internships can be paid or unpaid.
The solicitation may be obtained by sending an email to the designated Category Manager, referencing the following information:
1. Solicitation Number
2. Company Name
3. Contact Person Name and Title
4. Address
5. Telephone Number
6. Fax Number
7. Contact's Email Address
8. Confirmation that the program the institution intends to propose meets the criteria outlined above.
A copy of the solicitation will be sent to organizations that have replied to and are eligible to receive this advertisement. All requests and questions regarding this solicitation shall be directed to the following designated Corporate Procurement Category Manager(s):
Catarina Thomaz at corporateprocurementrfp@worldbank.org (mailto:corporateprocurementrfp@worldbank.org)
The WBG reserves the right to publicly disclose contract award information, including but not limited to, name of company receiving the award, brief description of services, and contract award amount, for any contract award valued over US$250,000. Offeror's proposal and contractual documents will remain confidential and therefore not subject to disclosure.
The World Bank reserves the right to reject any or all responses without recourse.
