• 04.12.2025

Introduction and scope of this Request for Proposals

Pivara Skopje is a company with more than 10 decades of history, whose growth has been closely intertwined with the development of our country. From its establishment in 1922 to the present day, Pivara Skopje has not only been a leading producer of beer and non-alcoholic beverages, but also a strong supporter of the local community, culture, and economy. Through its operations, the company contributes to job creation, the development of the domestic economy, and the creation of opportunities for future generations.

Guided by the values of responsibility, sustainability, and innovation, Pivara Skopje continuously invests in social initiatives that deliver long-term benefits to the community.

As part of Coca-Cola HBC’s global Youth Empowered initiative, Pivara Skopje has built a strong platform for supporting young people, providing access to knowledge, resources, and networks that help them prepare for the challenges of the future.

The subject of this Request is the implementation and further development of the existing Youth Empowered youth-support platform, which the company has been delivering for almost 30 years. Bidders are expected to design and implement the Youth Empowered platform  “Pivara Skopje Youth Academy” as the next step in advancing a modern, dynamic, and inclusive program that will enable young people from all regions of the country to develop digital and leadership skills, become familiar with sustainability and ESG concepts, and strengthen their capabilities for personal and professional development.

Through this Request for Proposals, Pivara Skopje invites qualified organizations to become partners in delivering the platform, sharing our vision: to ensure that young people have access to tools, knowledge, and inspiration that support their employment opportunities and the creation of their own businesses.

Context and needs analysis related to the subject of this procurement request

According to data from the State Statistical Office and relevant research by international organizations, young people in North Macedonia face several challenges:

• High youth unemployment (over 25% in some regions)
• A lack of practical skills demanded by employers, particularly in digital technologies and communication
• Limited access to modern educational resources in rural areas
• Low levels of digital and media literacy, making young people vulnerable to disinformation and limiting their ability to think critically
• Insufficient representation in decision-making processes, despite young people constituting a significant share of the population

In this context, the Youth Empowered – Pivara Skopje Youth Academy platform is designed as a solution that will enable young people to acquire knowledge and skills for:

• Greater competitiveness in the labor market
• Active participation in society and public life
• Stronger digital adaptation and the ethical and productive use of new technologies

Objectives of the Youth Empowered Platform – Pivara Skopje Youth Academy

The objectives of the Youth Empowered – Pivara Skopje Youth Academy platform focus on the integrated development of young people by covering eight thematic areas:

1. Digital Skills
   Use of software tools, data handling, and management of online platforms. Examples: creating an e-portfolio or building a simple website; developing skills across the full spectrum of digital marketing, responsible influencer practice, storytelling, etc.
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
   Introduction to the practical use of AI in everyday life, learning, work, and career development. Examples: analysis of real, applicable use cases and building skills for effective AI use.
3. Leadership and Personal Development
   Development of skills for team management, communication, and goal setting. Examples: decision-making simulations; inclusion; application of EU practices and competencies in this field.
4. Sustainability and ESG Standards
   Familiarization with concepts of environmental responsibility, social justice, and transparent governance. Examples: mini-projects for the local community and learning from successful Macedonian and regional campaigns and projects.
5. Corporate Social Responsibility
   Encouraging volunteering and activism. Examples: organizing a municipal clean-up and greening initiative supported by Pivara Skopje; how to design a successful CSR campaign; CSR principles and their practical application; CSR through digital platforms and social media.
6. Media, Digital, and AI Literacy
   Identifying fake news, critically assessing information, safe use of online tools, and everyday AI use based on ethical rules and standards.
7. Modernized Soft Skills
   Preparing a CV and cover letter, interview practice, and creating a professional LinkedIn profile. Using AI tools to find the desired job, build a personal and digital portfolio, and advance one’s career.
8. Presentation Skills
   Public speaking, visual presentation, and persuasive communication of messages. Traditional versus digital communication, virality, online language, and achieving impact.

Scope of Work and Methodology of the Youth Empowered Platform – Pivara Skopje Youth Academy

SCOPE

• 22 in-person trainings (12 in Skopje, 10 in other cities)
• 2,000+ participants per year, with equal representation of women and men, including the participation of youth at risk
• Promotional activities for the overall program via youth-focused digital platforms, traditional media, and online portals
• Project duration: 2026 (1 year), with the possibility to extend the signed contract for an additional 1+1 year

METHODOLOGY

• Interactive workshops – exercises, discussions, and assignments
• Guest lectures – delivered by local and international experts
• Masterclasses – with international speakers
• E-learning platform – webinars and learning materials
• Mentorship – the top 50 Academy participants receive mentoring support
• Capstone project – a real-life challenge solved by participants

EXPECTED RESULTS AND DELIVERABLES

Deliverables

• A detailed curriculum and/or report on implemented activities, including a consolidated summary of results
• Delivery of all trainings and activities
• At least 10 webinars produced, recorded, and made available online
• A structured mentorship program for the top 50 Academy participants
• A final event with certificate awarding
• Nomination of two contact persons for platform implementation, along with a plan for their regular weekly and monthly coordination with Pivara Skopje
• Preparation of detailed monthly reports and a final report, and presentation of these reports to Pivara Skopje

Expected outcomes

• Engagement of 2,000+ young people in Pivara Skopje’s CSR activities and acquisition of soft skills essential for their personal and career development
• Building concrete synergies between the private sector, youth, the Academy, public institutions, and international experience and networks
• Inclusion of youth at risk and provision of equal opportunities to acquire the soft skills necessary for personal development and a higher level of labor-market readiness
• Increased digital skills
• Improved employability of participants
• Strengthened leadership and communication competencies

Eligibility Requirements

To be considered, bidders must meet the following mandatory requirements:

1. Proven experience working with young people
   At least three implemented projects or programs within the last five years that include trainings, workshops, or youth-focused activities, including work with digital platforms.
2. Capacity to operate in both urban and rural settings
   Demonstrated logistical capability and an established network to implement activities across different regions of the country.
3. Mandatory existing cooperation with relevant youth organizations
   The bidder must provide written evidence (e.g., a memorandum of cooperation, contract, letter of intent, or a similar document) confirming partnerships with at least three youth organizations that:
   • represent students / secondary school students
   • work with youth at risk
   • have established cooperation with influential digital platforms popular among young people, with a particular emphasis on university and secondary school students
4. Partner network
   The involvement of educational institutions and NGOs as project supporters is encouraged.

These requirements are set to ensure that the bidder has a genuine implementation capacity and that the platform achieves maximum reach and impact toward the expected objectives.

Risks and mitigation measures in project implementation

POTENTIAL RISKS REQUIRING PROPOSED MITIGATION MEASURES:

• Low participant turnout – Risk of an insufficient number of registrations or attendees.
• Logistical challenges – Inability to deliver trainings on time due to technical issues or weather conditions.
• Limited availability of experts – Difficulties in engaging qualified speakers (domestic and international).
• Technical issues with the online platform – Interruptions or unavailability of digital materials.
• Other potential risks identified by the bidder – Please specify.

PROPOSED BID FORMAT AND MANDATORY DOCUMENTATION:

• Company registration document.
• A brief company profile, including experience and capacities relevant to this Request.
• A detailed methodology for implementing the program, including a comprehensive plan for expanding the platform’s partner network.
• A calendar of clearly described activities with defined timelines and deadlines.
• A detailed budget, with an explanation of each line item and its percentage share, in accordance with Annex 1.
• CVs of the core team members and trainers/speakers.
• Evidence of compliance with the eligibility requirements, including signed supporting documents confirming cooperation with relevant youth organizations and youth-focused digital platforms.
• A document outlining proposed mitigation measures for potential risks, in detail.
• A detailed promotional plan for activities across youth digital platforms, traditional media, online portals, and social media.
• A plan for the inclusion of youth at risk and the method of implementation.
• A detailed plan for delivering the mentorship program intended for the top 50 participants of the Youth Empowered – Pivara Skopje Youth Academy.
• A plan for the delivery of the e-learning platform.

Note: Except for the budget, there is no standard template—documents should be submitted in a free format.

1. If the bidder expects to enter into a sub-contract for any part of the services with sub-contractors, the bidder must clearly identify all sub-contractors and their respective roles and responsibilities within the scope of service delivery. The bidder is expected to accept responsibility for the actions of its sub-contractors and remains solely responsible for providing the requested services to Pivara Skopje AD. The Procuring Entity reserves the right to request additional documentation for sub-contractors as well;

1. Information on active EcoVadis registration, if available. For more information, please refer to Section 6.5 on EcoVadis;
2. A creditworthiness/solvency document (balance sheet and profit and loss statement) issued by the Central Registry of the Republic of North Macedonia (not older than six months), submitted as a scanned copy of the original;
3. ISO certificates, if applicable;
4. References for at least three similar projects implemented within the last five years, as well as references for comparable projects and programs. All references must be comparable to Pivara Skopje AD’s requirements regarding the size and scope of the requested services. At its sole discretion, Pivara Skopje AD may contact the listed references. Therefore, if required, the bidder must obtain permission from its references to use their names prior to submitting the proposal. Pivara Skopje AD assumes no liability regarding the data provided in the references and their content and/or confidentiality; such information will be used solely for the purposes of the procedure set out under this Request and for the evaluation of potential bidders;
5. Any additional information the bidder deems important or that could add value to the proposal.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE

Each bidder shall submit the proposal in written form to the contact email address of the Pivara Skopje AD representative responsible for this Request for Proposals. Proposals must be submitted within the required deadline. Pivara Skopje AD reserves the right not to accept proposals that are not submitted within the required timeframe.

Bidders are not permitted to amend their proposals after submission, unless requested by Pivara Skopje AD. An extension of the proposal submission deadline may be granted only at the sole discretion of the Procuring Entity.

PROPOSED TIMELINE – KEY DATES

Pivara Skopje AD provides an indicative timeline (as set out below), but reserves the right to amend this indicative timeline at its sole discretion. Any change to these dates will be communicated to all bidders.

General Terms

Preparation of the Proposal

The proposal must be prepared in accordance with the terms and information set out in this Request for Proposals. If the proposal is not prepared accordingly and does not contain the required information, it will be considered incomplete and will be rejected.

The proposal must be clear, concise, and complete. Pivara Skopje AD reserves the right to assign a low score to a bidder or exclude the bidder from the process if the proposal contains ambiguities. Except for documents that may be treated as “improvement” documents, bidders should submit only the information necessary to respond effectively to this Request. Unless explicitly requested, the submission of additional materials or presentations is not required.

The proposal must be signed by an authorized representative of the legal entity.

If the bidder is already registered with EcoVadis (www.ecovadis.com), this should be stated in the proposal. An existing EcoVadis registration will be considered an advantage under the Sustainability criterion.

If the selected bidder is not registered with EcoVadis, they are required to register with EcoVadis within three (3) months from the notification that they have been selected as the most favorable bidder. The cost of EcoVadis registration depends on the company size, package level, country, and package duration and can be checked via:
Business Sustainability Ratings Plans and Pricing | EcoVadis.

The EcoVadis registration cost shall be borne by the selected bidder. The selected bidder is required to maintain an active EcoVadis membership for the entire duration of the engagement/contract under this procurement.

If the selected bidder fails to register with EcoVadis within the timeframe stated above, this will be considered a breach of the procurement procedure and grounds for contract termination without notice.

Bidders who do not have an active EcoVadis registration at the time of proposal submission are required, after submitting the proposal, to provide a completed Pre-qualification Form for Contractors and Suppliers, this annex will be shared after proposals are received. Bidders must submit the completed Pre-qualification Form for Contractors and Suppliers within no more than three (3) days after it has been sent to them.

In addition, the Procuring Entity may contact any bidder to request corrections or clarifications regarding the submitted proposal, in order to enable a fair comparison of all received proposals.

Proposal Submission Costs

Any costs incurred, obligations assumed, or any work or effort undertaken by the bidder, whether successful or not, and regardless of whether the process is modified in any way, are undertaken solely at the bidder’s own commercial judgment and remain the bidder’s sole responsibility. Pivara Skopje AD will not reimburse any costs, expenses, or liabilities, including, but not limited to, any loss of profit or economic losses incurred by any bidder or any other person in connection with the bidder’s preparation to participate in this tender. Pivara Skopje AD assumes no responsibility for the outcome of this Request, including, without limitation, any loss of profit or economic loss incurred by the bidder or any other person arising from or in connection with this tender or any delay to this Request.

Pivara Skopje AD reserves the right to request that the bidder present the systems, services, and processes described in the proposal at the bidder’s own expense, as well as the right to visit the bidder’s premises.

Evaluation of Proposals

Proposals will be opened without the presence of bidders.

The Procuring Entity will select the proposal evaluated as the most favorable and reserves the right, without obligation, to accept the lowest-priced proposal or any proposal submitted, as well as the right to cancel this Request.

Following the evaluation procedure, the Procuring Entity may contact the selected bidder(s) for further negotiations regarding the proposed contractual terms. The Procuring Entity will notify all bidders by email of the outcome of their participation in the Request for Proposals process.

The Procuring Entity will not disclose to other bidders which proposal was awarded the contract. The Procuring Entity also assumes no obligation to disclose the reasons or any details used as the basis for identifying the winning bidder and for ranking bidders.

Evaluation Criteria

After proposals have been received from all bidders, Pivara Skopje AD will evaluate all proposals based on objective selection criteria. Prices and costs will not be the sole factors, but they will play a significant role in the evaluation.

Pivara Skopje AD will evaluate bidders on the basis of several criteria, which may include, but are not limited to:

• Financial proposal
• Payment terms
• Sustainability
• Delivery timelines
• Evaluation of the submitted proposals
• Professional liability insurance policy

Note: The criteria listed in this clause are not presented in order of priority and are neither exhaustive nor will they be assigned equal weight during the evaluation.

Final Provisions

Key Contacts

Maja Kotevska (maja.kotevska@cchellenic.com) is the contact person for all technical and commercial terms (the “Project Leader”).

Without the Project Leader’s prior written approval, the bidder may not disclose or discuss its proposal with any employee(s) of Pivara Skopje AD. The bidder must ensure that all discussions and communications related to this Request are conducted through the Project Leader, unless otherwise agreed. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification from the procurement process.

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NO PUBLICITY

No bidder shall issue any announcement or generate publicity in connection with this Request for Proposals, any submitted proposal, discussions of any kind, or activities related to the selection of a bidder, without the prior written consent of Pivara Skopje AD.

BIDDER CONDUCT AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Any attempt by a bidder or its advisors to influence the bidder selection process in any way may result in the bidder being disqualified. In particular, bidders must not, directly or indirectly, at any time:

• make amendments to or supplement the content of their proposal pursuant to any agreement or arrangement with any other person;
• enter into any agreement or arrangement with any other person regarding the definition of the form or content of this Request, or offer to pay any sum of money or anything of value to a person to make changes to the form or content of the proposal;
• enter into any agreement or arrangement with any person that has the effect of preventing or excluding that person from submitting a proposal;
• canvass within Pivara Skopje AD or with employees of Pivara Skopje AD in relation to this Request;
• attempt to obtain information from any employee of Pivara Skopje AD or its advisors regarding another bidder or another proposal.

Bidders are responsible for ensuring that no conflicts of interest exist between the bidder and its associates/partners and Pivara Skopje AD and its employees/partners/associates. Any bidder that fails to comply with this requirement may be disqualified from the procurement process at the sole discretion of Pivara Skopje AD.

CONFIDENTIALITY

In order for proposals submitted under this call to be considered, bidders must comply with the obligations arising from the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) provided by Pivara Skopje AD. The NDA will be supplied to each bidder participating in this call. In the event of non-compliance with the NDA, any bidder may be excluded from this process.

Pivara Skopje AD will respect the confidentiality of proposals submitted by bidders. The information provided by the bidder will be reviewed and evaluated by the project team comprised of employees of Pivara Skopje AD.

For the avoidance of doubt, each bidder agrees that Pivara Skopje AD is entitled to use personal data, where such data is provided or contained in the bidder’s respective proposals, to the extent necessary for Pivara Skopje AD to effectively achieve the objectives of this Request and to select a potential supplier for the purposes of this process.

Pivara Skopje AD is entitled to use any bidder proposal to achieve these objectives, regardless of whether or not it enters into a contractual relationship with the bidder.

DATA PRIVACY AND OWNERSHIP

Pivara Skopje AD shall retain ownership of the data from both a legal and an operational perspective. The bidder is expected to:

• implement appropriate technical and operational measures to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Pivara Skopje AD’s data and systems;
• implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure the security and confidentiality of any personal data obtained by the bidder, directly or indirectly, during the proposal submission process and/or during contract performance, should the bidder be selected;
• configure its systems in a manner that prevents unauthorized access, whether accidental or intentional to Pivara Skopje AD’s systems, applications, and data for purposes unrelated to service delivery, by bidder personnel who are not involved in providing the services and/or by any other third parties;
• access Pivara Skopje AD’s systems and business data only to the extent necessary to perform the services;
• not duplicate or otherwise reproduce Pivara Skopje AD’s data (e.g., scanning, photographing, etc.) for any purpose outside the scope of the services. The bidder is expected to copy and/or reproduce Pivara Skopje AD data only for backup/disaster recovery purposes, as described in this document;
• manage portable media and any copies related to Pivara Skopje AD in a manner that prevents unauthorized access to them (as defined above), through methods such as labeling, physical segregation, and/or physical destruction when such media/copies are no longer required to be retained; and
• ensure that Pivara Skopje AD has the right to monitor access by other business units of the bidder that may have access to Pivara Skopje AD’s data.

RETURN OF DATA

Any bidder that is not selected in the process must return or destroy (in which case the bidder shall provide the relevant destruction documentation) all documents and data provided to it, by a date to be determined by Pivara Skopje AD.

RESERVED RIGHTS

In addition to any other rights, Pivara Skopje AD expressly reserves the right, without any cost/obligation/liability, to:

• make decisions in connection with this Request, including the right to accept or reject all or part of any bidder’s proposal (or all proposals);
• withdraw from or terminate the process set out in this Request at any time, for any reason, and without prior notice to bidders (and, at its discretion, re-issue a request on the same or any other basis);
• amend or supplement this Request, or introduce additional or revised specifications, requirements, and/or legal provisions and terms at any time during the process;
• change the basis on which Pivara Skopje AD will evaluate proposals (including changes to the evaluation criteria and weighting);
• extend the proposal submission deadline for all bidders, if deemed necessary for any reason;
• postpone, repeat, or cancel the proposal collection process at any stage of the cycle (from the issuance of this Request through to selection of the best proposal/contract award);
• enter into further negotiations regarding terms and other conditions of engagement with the selected bidder(s);
• disqualify any bidder found guilty of material misrepresentation in relation to its proposal, breach of confidentiality obligations, or infringement of intellectual property rights;
• disqualify any bidder that directly or indirectly canvasses any employee of Pivara Skopje AD who is involved in the bidder selection process;
• decide whether or not to disclose the name of the selected bidder to other bidders; and
• retain information relating to the final selection process.

ANNEXES

Annex 1 – Budget

Annex 2 – YE Tender Questions