Tender Advertisement #1242494

CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR THE ACCELERATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PACIFIC REGIONAL E-COMMERCE STRATEGY AND ROADMAP

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) is inviting tenders from interested English-speaking applicants to provide technical assistance to the Pacific region to enhance its digital trade readiness.

The main activities for this technical assistance assignment comprise:

• Development of a National E-commerce Strategy for Samoa, including by developing a scoping paper, undertaking an online survey, conducting consultations (focus group discussions and bilateral meetings), preparing an annotated outline, preparing successive drafts of the strategy, supporting national validation, and providing graphic design services.

• Deliver regional training on E-commerce laws and regulations for Pacific negotiators including by reviewing E-commerce disciplines in relevant trade agreements, with particular reference to those discussed as part of the WTO Joint Statement Initiative on E-commerce, undertaking capacity needs assessment for target audiences, develop capacity development plan and training curriculum, establishing a community of practice, deliver training modules and support the development position papers for FIC-WTO members.

This project will be undertaken by a consultancy team comprising three international experts, nine regional experts, and one service provider. The consultancy team will work under the direction and supervision of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) and the Ministry of Commerce Industry and Labour (MCIL) of Samoa.

The consultancy team must have recognized qualifications Economics, Business, Trade/WTO Law; relevant national and international experience on Trade Development, and strong understanding of E-commerce issues, as well as the necessary experience and technical capability to provide high quality, graphic design services.

The Terms of reference (ToR) for this Consultancy can be downloaded at: www.tenders.net/forumsec.

INFORMATION

Only applicants who meet the following criteria are eligible to take part in tenders issued by the Secretariat:

• Are financially solvent and able to conduct business operations in a professional and successful manner;
• Are not involved in any court proceedings which may affect their ability to conduct business or deliver the services tendered; and
• Do not appear on the World Bank’s listing of ineligible firms.

HOW TO APPLY

Method of Submissions:

Tender applications with resume, proposed fee and resume with required qualifications and relevant work experience are to be submitted in PDF format following the instructions at www.tenders.net/forumsec.

All applicants will need to register at www.tenders.net/forumsec to make a submission.

Deadline for Submissions:

Submissions need to reach the Secretariat by 5pm on 12 November 2021 (Fiji time).

Late or incomplete tenders will not be considered.

All queries or requests for information must be submitted via the Question and Answer Forum on www.tenders.net/forumsec before 5 November 2021 (Fiji time).

All queries will be responded to via the Question and Answer Forum on www.tenders.net/forumsec before 9 November 2021 (Fiji time).

Note:

The Secretariat will not be responsible for non-receipt/non-delivery of the submissions due to any reason whatsoever.

Any complaints regarding the Secretariat’s tender must be directed to the following email: Tender.Complaints@forumsec.org. This email address will forward your complaint to a person that is independent and removed from the tender process. Complaints must be well founded and should not be used as a mechanism for notifying displeasure with the outcome of a tender award.

In the event that further information is required by the Secretariat in relation to the tender for consultancy, the Secretariat reserves the right to seek the required information without the need for calling for resubmission of proposals.