IEA INSIDER 2025
Securing Success: Inside IEA’s Tendering Journey
BY VIOLA WITTMANN & JULIANE HENCKE
Public tenders have become the primary pathway for winning contracts and launching new projects in our field. As a result, securing work today calls for formalized procedures, adherence to detailed specifications, strict compliance, and close collaboration across IEA. Since October 2024, IEA has participated in 14 public tendering procedures at the national and international levels, with contract values ranging from USD 14,000 to over EUR 7 million, and project durations ranging from three working days to six years. We are proud to have secured several major contracts of strategic importance to both IEA and the wider scientific community—among them, PISA 2029 Core C, StarS (Stark in die Grundschule starten / A Strong Start to Primary School), and Startchancen. These successes further reinforce IEA’s leadership in international education research. Another notable achievement is the award of a
UNESCO Participation Programme grant for a workshop held in February 2025 in Dakar, focused on transforming LaNA assessment results into relevant policy writing. Identifying relevant tender opportunities is a key task. We do this through a range of channels: monitoring international, EU, and national public procurement portals; receiving invitations from long-standing partners; and being approached by new partners to join consortia. Often, opportunities arise on very short notice—submission deadlines typically fall between two and six weeks, sometimes in multiple stages, and calls are frequently issued just ahead of the intended project start date. This
“Successful tenders lead to impactful projects that
advance education research, drive innovation, and connect us with new partners globally.”
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