Tender Advertisement #1316635

REQUEST FOR TENDER
Open Tender – Technical Evaluator for Mid-Term Review (Pacific Quality Infrastructure Project)
Background
The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (’the Secretariat’) is an inter-governmental organisation headquartered in Suva, Fiji, responsible for, among other things, supporting regional cooperation and integration between 18 Member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum; providing advice, coordination, and assistance in implementing decisions made by Forum Leaders; and advancing partnerships between the Forum and its stakeholders within and beyond the Pacific region.
The Secretariat is responsible for implementing the Pacific Quality Infrastructure (PQI) project via its Programmes & Initiatives Division. The project is part of a broader Pacific Quality Infrastructure Initiative funded by the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), the European Union, Australia, Japan and Germany through PTB, the German Metrology Institute.
The PQI project aims to strengthen a demand-oriented QI and access to services that enhance trade competitiveness in the Pacific region. The project will achieve this by:
i. Establishing regional Quality Infrastructure (QI) frameworks for standardisation, metrology, and conformity assessment, and
ii. targeted project measures to enhance capabilities of local QI institutions and service providers and to boost the quality culture across the Pacific.
The overall objective is to generate change towards higher quality products and processes making products safer and more competitive on domestic and international markets.
Since 2021, collective project funding committed towards the project has been approximately USD 3M, of which approximately USD 1.5M is sourced as EIF contribution.
Purpose
The mid-term independent evaluation, as per the PQII EIF Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, is planned to assess the progress of the PQI Project since 2020. The purpose of the evaluation is to review all areas of project delivery, highlighting goal attainments, reviewing existing and potential risks and challenges, and making recommendations on areas of improvement.
Scope of Work
The evaluation will cover the implementation of the PQI project funded since October 2020 and is intended to be forward-looking to capture lessons learnt and provide recommendations for improving future programming for the remainder of the project period, including coordination, monitoring and evaluation, communication, capacity development, strategic partnerships, advocacy, and resource mobilisation.
The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) document which can be downloaded from www.tenders.net/forumsec.
Academic Qualifications & Experience
• Master’s degree in economics, agriculture, or related fields.
• Over 10 years of working experience in Quality Infrastructure (standards & conformance).
• Excellent ability to understand the Pacific context and to analyse and synthesize data and information from diverse sources.
• Ability to ensure ethics and integrity of the evaluation process, including confidentiality and the principle of doing no harm.
• Experience in presenting and communicating technical content in a structured manner (in reports, briefs, presentations, etc.).
• Computer literacy (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
• Fluency in oral and written English.
HOW TO APPLY
Submissions should be entitled:
REQUEST FOR TENDER
Open Tender - Technical Evaluator for Mid-Term Review (Pacific Quality Infrastructure Project)
Method of Submissions:
Submissions must be forwarded in PDF format following the instructions at www.tenders.net/forumsec
Note: Tenders must be submitted with clear labeling of the technical offer and the financial offer. The Technical Offer documents must be saved and submitted clearly labeled “T.25.22 – Bidder’s Response Template”
The electronically submitted documents should be converted to PDF format.
Deadline for Submissions:
Submissions need to reach the Secretariat by 4 pm, Friday 14th October 2022.
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 before the stated “deadline for requesting clarifications” by 4 pm Thursday, 13th October 2022. 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.