Tender Advertisement #1041053

REQUEST FOR TENDER

Technical Assistance for Papua New Guinea's World Trade Organisation Trade Policy Review

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) is inviting tenders from interested English-speaking international Trade Consultants to provide technical assistance to the Government of PNG for its first WTO Trade Policy Review (TPR) that is scheduled for 8 and 10 May 2019.

The main deliverables for this technical assistance is to prepare the Government of PNG's national report, review and recommend appropriate responses to the WTO Secretariat's TPR Report, assist in providing appropriate analysis and written responses to questions from WTO Members before, and during the TPR meeting, assist in drafting national statements for the TPR and any follow up issues after the TPR. The Technical assistance will also require economy class travel to PNG to gather relevant information and data.

The Consultant will be required to work closely with the PIFS through its Geneva Office and the Department of Trade, Commerce and Industry of PNG.

The qualification requirements for the Consultant are:

a) Advanced university degree (Masters' degree or higher) in international economics, international trade law, and development studies or similar fields from a recognised university;
b) Expertise in international trade law and/or economics with at least 7 years' experience in trade policy work with at least 5 years working on WTO issues;
c) Strong expertise and knowledge of the WTO Agreements and the Trade Policy Review process;
d) Strong experience in undertaking Trade Policy Reviews for WTO Members including relevant experience on WTO matters in Pacific WTO Members, or a small island developing state or small LDCs;
e) Good understanding and knowledge of challenges of small developing WTO Members on WTO implementation;
f) Should demonstrate a good understanding of the economic and trade policies of PNG and/or the Pacific countries and their Membership to the WTO. Work experience related to PNG and its priorities would be an advantage;
g) Strong analytical skills and has previous experience in undertaking analysis on trade policy including the implementation benefits and challenges of the WTO for small least developed or island developing countries;
h) Proven ability to synthesise complex technical WTO issues quickly and to present them in simple easily understood form;
i) Demonstrated experience in providing trade policy advice, technical guidance and analysis to senior trade officials and Ministers;
j) Good spoken and written English.

Expression of interest for the technical assistance should include a brief outline of the proposed activities, the proposed fee and resume outlining key qualifications and relevant work experience that respond to the above requirements.

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 Wednesday 12 December 2018 (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 5pm on Wednesday 5 December 2018 (Fiji time).

All queries will be responded to via the Question and Answer Forum on www.tenders.net/forumsec before 5pm on Friday 7 December 2018 (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.