Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study

The specific aims of the work will be to:

Act as National Research Coordinator (NRC) for Scotland: Serve as the primary liaison between Scotland and the TIMSS International Study Centre (ISC) at Boston College, IEA Amsterdam, IEA Hamburg, and RTI International.

Participate in International NRC Meetings: Engage in international NRC meetings conducted in English to collaborate on study protocols and procedures.

Prepare and Administer TIMSS 2027 Assessments for P5 and S2: Ensure that the TIMSS 2027 study instruments are prepared and administered according to IEA specifications and strict operational and response rate requirements, while aligning with Scottish Government research guidelines.

Manage Sampling, Data Collection, and Data Processing: Oversee the sampling, data collection, coding, and data cleansing processes for TIMSS 2027 in Scotland.

Provide Cleaned Data Sets: Deliver cleaned electronic data sets from TIMSS 2027 field trials and main studies to the ISC and the Scottish Government.

Contribute to the TIMSS 2027 Encyclopaedia: Prepare and submit a country chapter detailing Scotland’s educational context and practices.

Submit Reports to the Scottish Government: Provide one report on the TIMSS 2027 field trials and one on the main studies to the Scottish Government.

The contract does not include delivering Scotland’s national report as this will either be prepared by Scottish Government or commissioned to a service provider under a separate contract at a later date.

Tenderers are encouraged to propose cost-effective solutions that optimise the the available budget, focusing on efficient management of expenses, overheads, and profit to ensure successful delivery. While bids should generally align with this budget, some flexibility is expected where necessary, and the Scottish Government reserves the right to clarify any aspects of a price proposal.