In 2018-2019, ENQA will undergo an external review of the ENQA agency reviews process. In October, a call was opened for a coordinator of this review process, and proposals were accepted until 16 November 2018. The call for tender was open to all agencies, organisations, or individuals with at least five years of quality assurance experience that has not been involved in the ENQA agency review process in the last three years. The external review has a budget of €30,000 (excluding VAT).
The ENQA Agency Review process is designed to formally demonstrate agency’s compliance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) so to meet the expectations of the ENQA Board for membership applications, and of the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR) for the purpose of registration. The process stimulates trust in quality assurance and quality of higher education internationally, and supports and adds to the legitimacy of the reviewed agency at the national level (where relevant).
Since 2011, ENQA has coordinated the large majority of the agency reviews in the European Higher Education Area. In spring 2018, the ENQA General Assembly decided that the ENQA Agency Review process should undergo an external evaluation in order to evaluate the transparency and independence of ENQA agency review process and to support the improvement of its usefulness and fitness-for-purpose. In order to do so, the external review will evaluate how the principles outlined in the standards of Parts 2 and 3 of the ESG are reflected in the reviews of agencies (while adapting them to the context and work of ENQA) and, on the other hand, how far the ENQA procedures contribute to improve the quality of the work of QA agencies and allow for innovative approaches to quality assurance processes.