Tender Advertisement #1055045

CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR AN E-COMMERCE ASSESSMENT IN TONGA

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) is inviting tenders from interested English-speaking international Trade Consultants to undertake an e-Commerce Assessment in Tonga.

The main activities for this technical assistance are to prepare and disseminate a questionnaire to Tongan stakeholders to collect information on the country's readiness for e-commerce, undertake desk research, carry consultations in Tonga, produce draft report and action matrix, incorporate comments from Tonga and other relevant stakeholders, and submit a final e-Commerce Assessment.

The technical assistance requires economy class travel to Tonga to gather relevant information and data.

The Trade Consultant will be required to work closely with the PIFS through its Geneva Office and the Tonga's Ministry of Commerce, Consumer, Trade, Innovation and Labour.

The Trade Consultant will be assisted by a local consultant selected by the PIFS with the view of supporting the assessment.

The requirements for the Consultant are:
Qualifications
• Post-graduate qualifications in Development Studies, International Economics, International Trade Law, or related areas; or equivalent working experience in the field in the areas covered by this programme; or equivalent experience.

Experience
• Preferably ten (10) years, but at least five (5) years of experience in trade policy development
• Working experience in the Pacific region
• Five (5) years of professional experience in policy areas related to e-Commerce;
• Professional experience in leading one of UNCTAD's e-Trade Readiness Assessment

Language skills
• Good command of spoken and written English

The suitability of the proposed local expert to undertake consultations on trade-related matters and supporting drafting of technical reports in the area of trade will also be assessed.

Expression of interest for the technical assistance should include a brief outline of the proposed activities, the proposed fee and a 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 4pm on Wednesday 13 March 2019 (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 Friday 8 March 2019 (Fiji time).

All queries will be responded to via the Question and Answer Forum on www.tenders.net/forumsec before 5pm on Monday 11 March 2019 (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.