Individual Consultant- Field Consultancy PPP for ECEC in BiH and Montenegro - 61 working days, Home-based with travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up.

 

For every child, a champion.

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Montenegro, two EU pre-accession countries in the Western Balkans, continue to face challenges in ensuring equitable access to high-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC). In BiH, enrolment rates for children aged 3 to 6 remain alarmingly low—with only 42 percent of children aged 3 to 5 enrolled and 59 percent enrolled in the year prior to school entry—reflecting infrastructural constraints, insufficient investments, and regional disparities, as evidenced by extensive waiting lists. In Montenegro, despite achieving an 80 percent enrolment rate for children aged 3 to 6, a shortfall persists relative to the national target of 90 percent. Addressing these disparities demands enhanced investment in infrastructure, targeted policy reforms, and strategic interventions to promote inclusive quality ECEC.

Global evidence underscores the high returns of investing in ECEC. In BiH, every USD invested is estimated to yield a seven-fold return through increased future income potential and enhanced female labour market participation. UNICEF BiH projects that accessible and affordable childcare could enable approximately 4,000 additional women to enter the workforce each year. Nevertheless, substantial investments remain necessary—BiH alone requires an estimated USD 77 million more annually to achieve universal enrolment for children aged 3 to 6. Both BiH and Montenegro have signalled strong governmental commitment to ECEC through its prioritization under the Western Balkans and Türkiye EU Growth Plan.

While current ECEC financing is predominantly sourced from public sector funding and parental contributions, significant opportunities exist to leverage additional resources through public-private partnerships (PPPs). These partnerships—encompassing collaborations with private ECEC providers, large private enterprises, and international financial institutions (IFIs)—offer a strategic avenue to mobilize innovative financing. Stakeholders across both sectors recognize the transformative potential of such investments to generate immediate benefits in human capital development and female labour market participation, as well as long-term economic growth and poverty reduction.

 

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The purpose of this assignment is to provide expert support to UNICEF country offices in BiH and Montenegro to assess the PPP landscape and the potential for mobilizing innovative financing solutions for expanding access to quality ECEC services, part of a broader initiative to leverage resources and results in ECEC in the Western Balkans. Further, the assignment will entail designing tailored public-private engagement pathways to inform and shape forthcoming UNICEF interventions in these countries.

 

How can you make a difference? 

The consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables:

 

Deliverable 1: Support mapping and analysis for PPP for expanding access to ECEC (BiH and Montenegro):

Task 1.1: Support stakeholder consultations by organizing and documenting meetings with education sector partners, municipalities, and private sector representatives to assess service delivery gaps.

Task 1.2: Assist in data collection and mapping of private sector stakeholders—including small businesses, large private entities, philanthropists, high net worth individuals, IFIs, and EU-related financial instruments- that have the potential to invest in or support ECEC initiatives in BiH and Montenegro.

Task 1.3: Conduct background research on existing PPP models in ECEC in two countries and financing mechanisms deployed within the ECEC sector. This includes the overview of legal and institutional framework for implementation of PPP.

 

Deliverable 2: Support the development of PPP solutions for expansion of ECEC services in the two countries- models for PPP financing and private investing (BiH and Montenegro);

Task 2.1: Gather and analyze relevant data on financing mechanisms used for PPPs in ECEC in two countries.

Task 2.2: Support the assessment of incentives that could attract private investment into the ECEC sector.

 

Deliverable 3: Contribute to development of a compelling business case to demonstrate the impact and scalability of financing ECEC through PPPs (BiH and Montenegro