Technical Consultants, Project “Effective application of Good Regulatory Practices”

About RT4D

The Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) initiative is funded by both the Governments of Australia and New Zealand. It assists ASEAN Member States (AMS) in meeting their commitments and realizing the advantages offered by the Agreement establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area, or AANZFTA, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP.

Through the AANZFTA Implementation Support Program (AISP) and the RCEP Implementation Support Program (RISP), RT4D provides tailored support to enhance the capabilities of ASEAN Member States by strengthening skills, building networks, facilitating policy options and ensuring that trade benefits everyone, including Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), women and people with disabilities.

The Governments of Australia and New Zealand have committed up to AUD 48.7 million to fund RT4D from 2020-21 to 2027-28.

Project Summary

The RCEP Implementation Support Program (RISP), implemented RT4D Facility, aims to support AMS to realize the full benefits of RCEP through the provision of capacity-building support and access to technical expertise.

The following project is approved under RISP.

• Project name: Effective application of Good Regulatory Practices (GRP) in developing technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures.
• Project Objectives: The objective of this project is to build capacity and a better understanding of (1) the effective application of GRP and (2) conducting Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) for Country officials who are involved in developing technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures in Viet Nam.

Through that, the project contributes to the strategic objectives of The RCEP Agreement as stated in Chapter 6, Article 2, namely, 6.2 (a), (b), (c), and (d).

• Project Structure: The project consists of four activities designed to deliver multiple outputs:
• Activity 1: Development of two Research Reports
• 1. One Research Report on GRP application
• 1. One Research Report on RIA implementation
• Activity 2: Development of two Guidelines acting as manuals for implementing organizations
• 1. One Guideline on GRP application
• 1. One Guideline on RIA implementation
• Activity 3: Organization of capacity building Training Courses
• 1. Three 1.5-day Training Courses on GRP: one in Vinh Phuc, one in Da Nang and one in Ho Chi Minh City.
• 1. One 1.5-day Training Course on RIA in Vinh Phuc
• Activity 4: Organization of one final Regional Workshop communicating project components’ findings.

The Opportunity

RT4D is seeking firms, individual technical experts, or teams of technical experts (hereafter referred to as “the Consultant”) to manage and deliver the following three distinct activity sets within the abovementioned project:

1. Activity Set 1: Local Consultant to manage and deliver Activity #1 and provide support to the international Consultants who deliver Activities #2, #3, and #4.
2. Activity Set 2: International Consultant to develop a guideline serving as a manual for applying Good Regulatory Practices (GRP) under Activity #2, provide technical training for three 1.5-day training courses on GRP under Activity #3, and provide technical training for Activity #4.
3. Activity Set 3: International Consultant to develop a guideline serving as a manual for implementing Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) under Activity #2, provide technical training for one 1.5-day training course on RIA under Activity #3, and provide technical training for Activity #4.

Each consultancy position corresponds to one activity set outlined above, with the selected Consultant being responsible for managing and delivering the assigned activity set, in close collaboration with the RT4D Facility and the Project Proponent. The final Project deliverables will be subject to comments, amendments, and approval from the RT4D Facility Team, the Project Proponent and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

General competencies and qualifications the Consultant should demonstrate, include (but are not limited to):

• Possession of a university degree or higher, preferably in disciplines such as trade, law, economics, technical regulations, standards, conformity assessment, laboratory testing, or certification.
• Skilled and experienced expert/team of Experts with the technical expertise, bandwidth, and capabilities to support the RT4D Facility to deliver all outputs in alignment with the remit and timelines set within this Scope of Services.
• Local technical Consultant must possess demonstrable technical expertise and subject matter proficiency with a minimum of 7 years of professional experience in capacity building, the effective application of GRP, implementation of RIA, trade agreements, international development, or business and economic development. For international technical Consultants involved in Activity Sets 2 and 3, a minimum of 10 years of professional experience is required.
• Demonstrable experience in technical writing, stakeholder engagement, feedback integration and being able to give a clear outline structure, with comprehensive feedback.
• Demonstrable experience in drafting and revising documents, iterative feedback incorporation, attention to detail with multiple revisions to ensure thoroughness and accuracy.
• Demonstrate ability to plan, organize and facilitate training courses and workshops, develop strategies to engage participants and be able to design and deliver effective training sessions.
• Experience working and engaging with ASEAN Member States, ASEAN Secretariat and/or AMS is a distinct advantage.
• Proven excellent report writing experience, with ability to incorporate comprehensive feedback at multiple stages.
• Experience working with Vietnam’s Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality (STAMEQ), and Australian and New Zealand officials is a distinct advantage. The organization must be comfortable with ASEAN stakeholders and following ways of working (or comparable governance arrangements).
• Strong understanding of and ability to operationalize the Monitoring & Evaluation, Gender Equality Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), Communications and Program Management considerations outlined ToRs.

For a complete Terms of References, please visit RT4D Website