Tender Advertisement #1108854

REQUEST FOR TENDERS

REVIEW OF CRITERIA AND GUIDELINES FOR FORUM OBSERVERS AND FORUM DIALOGUE PARTNERS

Background

The Review of Criteria and Guidelines for Forum Observers and Forum Dialogue Partners is set, to provide an opportunity to ensure the criteria and guidelines for Forum Observers and Forum Dialogue Partners are up-to-date and fit-for-purpose. It would consider the Forum Leaders’ agenda, the Forum’s guiding policy frameworks and mechanisms, and the shifting geopolitical context. It also provides opportunity to ensure a transparent and robust process around the assessment of new applications, as well as a process to assess the ongoing alignment of current Forum Observers and Forum Dialogue Partners to the criteria and guidelines, and a process for considering the retirement of partners who are no longer relevant or aligned to Forum priorities.

This review is timely given that the Forum Observer policy dates back to 2005, and has never been reviewed, and that while the Forum Dialogue Partner mechanism has been the subject of reviews in recent years, they have not considered the criteria and guidelines to be a Forum Dialogue Partner.

Purpose

In alignment with the Blue Pacific narrative and principles, the Framework for Pacific Regionalism and the Forum agenda, the main purpose of the Review is to review the criteria and guidelines for Forum Observers and Forum Dialogue Partners to ensure they clearly articulate: the criteria for membership; assessment process for new applications; roles and responsibilities once a country or agency is accepted and admitted as a dialogue partner or observer; a regular process of partner review; and a process for retirement of a partner.

The ultimate goal is to ensure the effective engagement, alignment and support of Forum partners for the regionalism agenda of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Scope of Work

Successful consultant will need to provide a succinct report narrative that sets out background/context, analysis, findings and recommendations including proposed criteria and guidelines for i) Forum Observers and ii) Forum Dialogue Partners.
Detailed specifications are set out under the Terms of Reference (TOR) document which can be downloaded from www.tenders.net/forumsec.

Qualifications

Academic

• Post-graduate qualifications in international relations, public policy, political science or a related field

Experience and skills

• At least 15 years of experience in international relations
• Knowledge of regional architecture, and related regional mechanisms such as the Framework for Pacific Regionalism
• Strong network and highly respected among key stakeholders within the region – including Member countries, external partners (such as multilaterals, Dialogue Partners etc.)
• Demonstrable skills in primary and secondary research and stakeholder consultation
• Demonstrable experience in high quality policy analysis and report writing

Language skills

• Excellent command of spoken and written English

HOW TO APPLY

Submissions should be entitled:

REQUEST FOR TENDERS – REVIEW OF CRITERIA AND GUIDELINES FOR FORUM OBSERVERS AND FORUM DIALOGUE PARTNERS

Method of Submissions:

Submissions must be forwarded in PDF format following the instructions at www.tenders.net/forumsec
Submissions should include 1) cover letter setting out how the consultant/s meet the qualifications above; 2) resume of consultant/s; 3) one-page summary of the approach the consultant/s would take to the assignment and proposed budget; 4) examples of two recent and relevant pieces of work.

The electronically submitted documents should be converted to the PDF format.

Deadline for Submissions:

Submissions need to reach the Secretariat by 5pm 23 December 2019 (Fiji standard time).

Late or incomplete tenders will not be considered.

Questions and Answers

All queries or request for information must be submitted via the Question and Answer Forum at www.tenders.net/forumsec. Tenderers may submit questions in writing to the mentioned Question and Answer Forum 5 working days before the stated “deadline for requesting clarifications” 16 November 2019. The Secretariat has no obligation to provide clarification after this date.

Note: The Secretariat will not be responsible for non-receipt/non-delivery of the Bid documents 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. Further information on making a complaint can be found on the Policies & Information page at http://tenders.forumsec.org.

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.