Overview
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) actively support the enhancement of the public financial management systems of their Client countries, including in the area of public procurement. To further this mission, CDB and IDB are pleased to offer scholarships for a total of four (4) candidates to complete the International Master’s in Public Procurement Management (IMPPM) degree programme at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy, for the academic year 2024/2025.
Specifically, CDB and IDB will provide financing respectively for two (2) and two (2) scholarships.
For the third consecutive year, CDB's financing of the scholarship is made possible through Technical Assistance funds provided by the Government of the Republic of Italy. This year, for the first time ever, CDB has increased its support to provide two (2) scholarship.
Given the positive results and interest generated, this marks the second year that CDB and IDB are collaborating to jointly support this initiative, initially piloted by CDB in 2022. The IMPPM scholarship programme aims to facilitate the establishment of a potential route for Caribbean countries to build procurement capacity and enhance the professionalisation of the public procurement workforce, while raising awareness of best international practices in procurement. The two partner institutions are dedicated to supporting the development of skilled procurement professionals capable of delivering the best value for money from scarce public funds, while ensuring the highest standards of integrity in their Client countries. This is essential for achieving the intended development outcomes under CDB/IDB-financed projects and realising national strategic priorities.
The IMPPM Programme
The International Master in Public Procurement Management (IMPPM) is a full-time, postgraduate programme which takes place at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy. The one-year programme typically runs from March to February and includes classroom lectures held in Rome from March to July, followed by a distance learning Module and a mandatory, professional internship in the home company/institution and a final thesis.
The programme is delivered completely in the English language and takes the form of traditional class units for a total length of 4.25 consecutive months. It is comprised of 13 modules covering relevant topics in public procurement, procurement law and economics, integrity and anticorruption, negotiations, sustainable and innovative procurement and PPPs, among others. Due to the formal requirements of the University in Italy, and the design of the program, attendance of all modules is compulsory and students are required to actively participate. For each module, students must take the relative exam to evaluate the acquisition of the skills.
The upcoming edition is expected to start in March 2025 and terminate in February 2026.
Further information on the programme structure can be found at: Program Structure - Public Procurement Management International Master (masterprocurement.eu)
Scholarship
The scholarship would cover:
- the full tuition fee for the postgraduate programme;
- travel costs to and from Italy for the programme;
- an allowance to live on campus at the University and for subsistance costs;
- coverage of visa fees and other essential bureaucratic expenses required to travel and study in Italy[1].
The selected candidate would be required to:
- be based in Rome for a period of 4.25 consecutive months;
- be released by their employer from professional duties for the duration of the in-lecture period in Rome, and to have their employer’s support to undertake the associated distance learning module free from professional duties;
- complete a professional internship of 500 hours within their home organisation;
- write a final dissertation which shall consist of a case study on procurement issues related to their own organisation and/or country and/or the Caribbean region;
- continue to serve their employer for a period of at least 12 months following the completion of this programme. If selected, as a condition to confirmation of scholarship award, an acceptable agreement must be arranged with the successful candidate’s employer whereby the participant would reimburse the full value of tuition costs for the programme should the candidate serve for less than the stipulated period; and
- meet the eligibility and selection criteria described below.
[1] Up to a ceiling of USD500.
Eligibility and selection criteria
To be eligible for the scholarship, candidates must:
- be a citizen of an eligible country. Eligible countries are Borrowing Member Countries of CDB and IDB in the Caribbean region: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands.
- meet the Admission Requirements defined by the University, including: (i) having at least[1] 5 years of in-depth experience in a public procurement professional role in a goveClient country of the CDB/IDB government or Caribbean regional institution; (ii) having achieved at least a recognized Master’s level University degree; (iii) be proficient in English;
- demonstrate their intention to fully utilise this opportunity to learn so they can give back to their country/organisation and further the professionalisation of public procurement in the Caribbean; and
- not have any business or personal relationships with CDB, IDB or the Tor Vergata University that would create an actual or perceived conflict of interest.
- Only one (1) candidate from the same country will be eligible for a scholarship award from each sponsor;
- Candidates employed in the same public institution where other employers were awarded an IMPPM scholarship funded by CDB or IDB for two or more consecutive years will not be eligible for award of a scholarship for more than two consecutive years. Past award information can be found here.
CDB and IDB reserve the right to make exceptions to the above requirements in the event of a lack of eligible candidates.
[1] Applications from motivated individuals who have recently graduated from a Master’s program and/or with limited professional experience in procurement might still be considered.
Application submission and selection
Applications should be in PDF format and sent at MasterIPPM@caribank.org in copy to procurement@iadb.org .
Submissions must include:
- An updated Curriculum Vitae;
- A motivational cover letter highlighting applicant’s interest in the scholarship programme; and
- A signed Declaration that the candidate meets the above-stated eligibility requirements, including absence of conflict of interest.
The selection process will be as follows:
- Upon deadline expiration, a joint CDB-IDB evaluation panel will review submissions, taking into account the Caribbean member countries of each Bank, and select up to ten (10) best-ranked candidates who fully meet the eligibility and qualification criteria[1].
- The ten (10) above-mentioned candidates will then be individually interviewed by a CDB/IDB panel to assess their motivation and suitability for the programme. A final shortlist of up to six (6) candidates[2] will be identified and submitted to the University for final interview and confirmation of compliance with requirements;
- The University will interview each candidate and select four (4) successful candidates for scholarship award who will pursue the Master programme.
Interested candidates may at any time request further information on the process by emailing procurement@caribank.org, in copy to Procurement@iadb.org.
[1] To be included in the initial shortlist, candidates will be first screened on a pass/fail basis for checking compliance with eligibility/procedural requirements outlined in Section C above. Applications passing the preliminary assessment will then have their submission scored on the basis of a range of technical criteria, including experience and technical knowledge of public procurement.
[2] Upon notification of having been shortlisted, candidates will be asked to submit the Letter of Release from professional duties to the University, as well as to confirm their commitment to sign a bond agreement with their employer for a period of minimum 12 months following the completion of the programme.
Closing Date
The closing date for applications is September 9th, 2024 at 5pm AST.