INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT PROCUREMENT NOTICE. Individual Contract (IC) Customs and Trade Facilitation Expert (International)

Transcription

1 INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT PROCUREMENT NOTICE Date: February 28 th 2018 Post Title: Individual Contract (IC) Customs and Trade Facilitation Expert (International) Starting Date: March 27 th, 2018 Duration: Location: Project: 220 working days for over period of 12 months Home based with possible travel to Arab countries Strengthening Arab Economic Integration for Sustainable Development CONTEXT/BACKGROUND The project of Strengthening Arab Economic Integration for Sustainable Development (AEISD), by UNDP, sets as objective, provision of technical assistance to the League of Arab States, specifically Economic Sector and relevant organs, and member states of Pan Arab Free Trade Agreement (PAFTA) in working towards a deepened integration, including preparations for the Arab Customs Union. The second important component relates to strengthening the Arab connectivity among economies in the region with the expectation, these efforts would be translated into more contribution of economic integration for better livelihood of people, more employment opportunity and participation by the private sector. Trade has significant potential to fight poverty in Arab countries through generation of more income and access to markets. Upgrading current preferential trade arrangements will contribute to the realization of strategic visions of Arab Common Market. Built on the progress achieved in the previous program of support to implementation of PAFTA (Executive Program), the current project focuses on specific aspects of making trade an engine of inclusive and sustainable growth guided by the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The Project will focus on helping countries and the main sub-regional and regional integration entities to accelerate the pace of trade reforms and regional economic integration, to strengthen the employment effects of those reforms, with particular focus on women and youth, and to mobilize additional resources for this purpose. The project aims to address specific challenges and complexities that Arab countries (and League of Arab States) face to enhance regional economic integration, more specifically in the transition from an FTA- based framework towards making the customs union a reality. The following presents major areas of focus: 1. Provide a structured and targeted technical support to LAS Secretariat and Arab negotiators on trade policy formulation and reform under PAFTA. 2. Provide assistance to the LAS Secretariat with a view of strengthening its organizational capacity in the pursuit of further facilitation of the regional economic integration agenda as well as promotion of trade liberalization. 1 P r o c u r e m e n t N o t i c e - C u s t o m s & T r a d e F a c i l i t a t i o n E x p e r t - A E I S D

2 3. Assist target Arab countries with collaboration with national policy makers in trade and economic fields in efforts of modernization and reform of trade policy in taking into consideration new developments. 4. Facilitation of transport and trade activities constitutes one of key areas to support national programs of enhancement of national competitiveness and better market access and more integration of the value chain. 5. Promotion of gender equality and women empowerment as well as generation of business and job opportunity for youth is also a key target of project activities. Moreover, good governance is a pre-requisite in deepening Arab economic integration with inclusiveness and sustainability. These priority dimensions form the basis of the work program of the project. Specifically, the project targets the following result-oriented activities: 1. Development of the technical framework and instruments for the PAFTA Upgrading - a upgrade from the existing PAFTA, and for the Arab Customs Union (ACU) preparations, to deepen Arab economic integration. 2. Reinforcement of mechanisms of policy design, measures of implementation and of systems of documenting the progress of implementation to secure smooth acceleration of realization of regional commitments. 3. Building the technical capability and capacity of policy makers of Arab countries to support accelerated implementation of the PAFTA Upgrading and preparations for the ACU. 4. Introduction of institutional arrangements that are necessary for the LAS to respond to the requirements of implementation of the PAFTA Upgrading, and consequently of designing and establishing the ACU. 5. Delivery of awareness raising activities and provision of technical guidance on good governance and integrity approaches. 6. Promotion of regulatory transparency, open dialogues and consultations with related stakeholders, targeting all social groups but particularly women, for more active participation to cross border operations and related economic activities, among others. The project team also cooperates with several national authorities and regional organizations in the implementation of defined activities in taking into account requirements and priorities of national socioeconomic development plans and strategies of Arab economic integration. The execution will be carried out under rules and regulations by the UN applicable for Delegated Direct Implementation and fully aligned to UNDP Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures (POPP). Specifically, project activities have as target, provision of support to efforts of Arab countries in the modernization of border control measures, introduction of good practices of coordinated border management and trade facilitating measures under the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (as amended) or the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC), and international instruments related facilitation of trade and transport. These serve to put the mandates by Arab Leaders concerning trade facilitation into practice towards better economic competitiveness of Arab goods and services as well as deepening the regional economic integration. 2 P r o c u r e m e n t N o t i c e - C u s t o m s & T r a d e F a c i l i t a t i o n E x p e r t - A E I S D

3 Based on the needs of customs authorities in the region and the integration of various customs-related matters within the supply chain, for example, promotion of the Authorized Economic Operators, the project will assist target Arab countries with technical advice and activities of capacity building to concerned national authorities, and those of raising awareness and collaboration with businesses and industries. To that end, the project seeks provision of related services by the Expert in customs and trade facilitation matters with detailed knowledge in specific areas such as facilitation of flows of goods and commodities, protection of customs revenues and human resource development, among others. S/he forms part of the expert team, responsible for the implementation of the project of AEISD starting in January The Expert discharges her/his duties under the supervision and guidance of the Chief Technical of the project or CTA AEISD, and would be supported by the team of domain experts as appropriate. These services and concerned efforts aim to achieve Outcomes 2 and 3 of the project as described in the project document: Outcome 2: Members States are capacitated and technically prepared for regional economic integration. Outcome 3: Engagement of key development actors ensured through inclusive and transparent processes for regional economic integration. Specifically, the activities are jointly and collectively designed and consulted between the technical team of UNDP and the beneficiary organizations for high impacts. In effect, the Expert would focus on works towards achievement of goals set by Output 4 (Outcome 2) of the project - Provision of country-based technical assistance to policy makers for the modernization of the supply/value chain in preparations for the Arab Customs Union - while providing support to project activities in respective Outputs under the guidance of the CTA AEISD. This support serves to develop technical proposals and supply analytical advice for Arab countries, and areas of work will be defined in the subsequent session of Scope of Work as below. It is expected that the Expert, with support by the UNDP Technical team, will assist Egypt Customs Authority in the implementation of adopted strategies of , and Customs authorities of target Arab countries, as well as agencies in charge of border management with a view to make trade facilitation a reality. SCOPE OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES The scope of the assignment will cover the following areas, among others: A. Improvement of facilitation to legitimate flows of goods and commodities A1. Provide technical assistance in the preparation of the technical report on the implementation of Strategies of Egypt Customs Authorities (ECA) in areas of simplification, and harmonization of customs practices and processes in line with the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (WTO TFA), WCO Revised Kyoto Convention (WCO RKC) and related international instruments. It would aim at uniform application of national regulations in customs offices and institutions in Egypt in partnership with the private sector. A2. Conduct the need assessment of ECA in the light of the WTO TFA, WCO RKC, WCO HS Convention and practices under WTO instruments, among them, the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement with a view to improve effective collection of customs revenues. 3 P r o c u r e m e n t N o t i c e - C u s t o m s & T r a d e F a c i l i t a t i o n E x p e r t - A E I S D

4 A3. Coordinate organization of consultations with business and industries to support the implementation of the strategies in Arab countries, starting with Egypt. A4. Develop technical papers aimed at the modernization of customs practices on the basis of international standards and practices, such as WTO TFA, WCO RKC for the adoption of Advance Rulings and Authorized Economic Operators. A5. Coordinate the organization and delivery of trainings on Customs Valuation and Transfer Pricing. A6. Provide technical advice on activities related to Egypt National Single Window. B. Enhancement of Risk Management for regulatory control B1. Analyze the application of risk management for customs and trade facilitation in function of streamlined processing of data and information in the digital environment. B2. Establish technical consultations with concerned authorities in the formulation, adoption and implementation of pertinent recommendations. C. Support to modernization and reform of customs practices and policies related to border management C1. Prepare a technical report on the progress of implementation of the ECA Strategies. C2. Organize one consultation with customs officials to review the findings and recommendations of improvement of the technical report. C3. Facilitation the conduct of consultations with the private sector, particularly logistics operators and customs clearance agents, or customs brokers/freight-forwarders, with a view to promote voluntary compliance and transparency. C4. Provide technical advice to national authorities in charge of border management to consider adoption of Authorized Economic Operators or AEOs and Advance Ruling. D. Strengthening institutional arrangements and human resource development D1. Conduct the review of activities of the Training Academy of Egypt Customs Authority to formulate directions of improvement of functions and operations. D2. Provide assistance to design the training programs for Authorized Economic Operators in Customs and concerned agencies as well as in businesses and industries. E. Other matters concerning customs modernization, reform and trade facilitation E1. Undertake the assignments by the Chief Technical (CTA) as defined by the project document and corresponding Annual Work Plans to support target Arab countries in the operationalization of trade facilitation and improvement of customs revenues. E2. Undertake other assignments as requested by the Chief Technical to assist the AEISD implementation to realize the project Outcomes. EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND DELIVERABLES 4 P r o c u r e m e n t N o t i c e - C u s t o m s & T r a d e F a c i l i t a t i o n E x p e r t - A E I S D

5 Deliverables Target Due Dates Expected number of working days for each deliverable 1. Prepare the Inception Report showing the work plan and a detailed explanation of the work methods that are used for the delivery of respective assignments. 2. Conduct the review and prepare the technical report on the application of risk management in Egypt Customs Authority and GOEIC. It includes the analysis of the structure of risk management towards relevant recommendations on the basis of information and data provided by Egypt Customs Authority. 3. Coordinate the development of criteria of risk management with a view of applying these in the country. That includes preparation of a pilot application at one of Egyptian Customs offices. 4. Design and coordinate activities for the activation of the pilot of application of risk management. 5. Prepare the review report of needs of upgrading of training materials and of any infrastructure of Egyptian Training Centers. 6. Coordinate the organization of specialized trainings on customs valuation and transfer pricing. 7. Coordinate the organization of specialized trainings on business process re-engineering for 10 experts of ECA and relevant entities in function of requirements of Egypt NSW. 8. Coordinate the organization of specialized trainings on data harmonization, standardization and simplification for Egypt NSW. Review and Approvals Mid-April Working days. Chief Technical Mid- May Working days. Chief Technical Mid June Working days. Chief Technical End of June Working days. Chief Technical Mid -July Working days. Chief Technical End of July Working days Chief Technical Mid-August Working days Chief Technical End of August Mid-term Progress Report. End of September Two technical papers on strengthening the operations of Authorized Economic Operators and on Advance Rulings. 11. Organize and coordinate public forum of consultation with businesses and industries to promote voluntary compliance, regulatory transparency and good governance. End of November Working days Chief Technical 10 Working days Chief Technical 40 Working days Chief Technical End of Jan Working days Chief Technical Payment Schedule 10% after 10% after 10% after 20% after 15% after 15% after 5 P r o c u r e m e n t N o t i c e - C u s t o m s & T r a d e F a c i l i t a t i o n E x p e r t - A E I S D

6 12. Coordinate and follow up on the activation of the activation of cross border operations between Egypt and Jordan. End of Feb Working days Chief Technical 20% after 13. Final report and others End of March Working days Chief Technical INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT The Expert will work under the guidance and direct supervision of the Chief Technical of AEISD. The supervision by the CTA will include approvals/acceptance of the outputs as identified in the previous section. She/he/ will report and consult with the CTA on regular basis, and ad hoc as needs arise. DURATION OF THE WORK The duration of the work is 220 working days over a period of twelve months from the date of the contract signing with the expert. For the deliverable, the Expert should expect about a week s lead time to review outputs, give comments, certify approval/acceptance of outputs, etc. In case that the finalization of any deliverable suffers of any delay, the Expert should duly report the incident to the CTA with legitimate justifications. DUTY STATION The Expert will deliver the works at her/his residency location with possible travel that will be covered by the project. FINANCIAL PROPOSAL Interested candidates should provide lump sum fees for requested services with detailed breakdown (consultancy fees* number of working days.) All proposals must be expressed in a lump sum amount. This amount must be all-inclusive. Please note that the terms all-inclusive implies that all costs (professional fees, travel costs, living allowances, communications, consumables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred are already factored into the final amounts submitted in the proposal. Also, please note that the contract price will be Deliverables/Outputs based - not fixed - subject to change in the cost components. The contractor will be paid an all-inclusive Deliverables/Outputs based lump sum amounts over the assignment period, subject to the submission of Certification of Payment (CoP) duly certified and confirmation of performance of achieved work (/outputs). QUALIFICATIONS OF THE SUCCESSFUL INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTOR I. Academic qualification: Bachelor s degree, in international trade, business administration, economics, trade and development or related fields, preferable a Master Degree in these fields or equivalent. Specialized trainings in customs and trade/investment facilitation, or the equivalent are desirable. II. Work Experience: 6 P r o c u r e m e n t N o t i c e - C u s t o m s & T r a d e F a c i l i t a t i o n E x p e r t - A E I S D

7 1- Minimum 15 years of practical experience in international trade and preferential trade arrangements in the Arab countries as well as on matters concerning customs operations, trade facilitation, and determination of rules of origin of goods, among other relevant works. 2- Demonstrated experience in performing similar assignments in trade facilitation, customs modernization, customs automation and/or application of risk management, in the Arab region is an asset. III. Technical experiences: 1) A solid experience in the areas of international and regional trade, economic development, trade policy, development/formulation and planning, trade negotiations, determination of rules of origin in goods and services, and trade policy making; 2) Proven experiences with work completed in customs techniques, trade facilitation, management of international trade; 3) Expertise and proven track record in trade facilitation, Rules of Origin negotiations, economic analysis, analytical works and public-private dialogue, application of Information and Communication Technology into management of international trade; 4) In-depth understanding of the WTO Agreements and rules, PAFTA and detailed understanding of Human Resource Development and promotion of good governance 5) Excellent writing, editing, reporting and oral communication skills in English and Arabic. III. Language Requirements - Excellent writing, editing and oral communications in English and Arabic in a clear and concise manner, strong analytical and synthesis skills, presentation and drafting skills; - Fluency in English and Arabic. IV. Key Competencies Corporate Demonstrates integrity and fairness, by modeling the UN/UNDP s values and ethical standards; Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP; Proven ability to work independently with minimum supervision in a dynamic environment; Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability. Functional Background knowledge about the SDGs, United Nations and UNDP; Demonstrates ability in conducting creative-thinking and innovation learning events; Good teamwork and interpersonal skills; Flexibility and ability to handle multiple tasks and work under pressure; Strong communication, analytical and presentation skills; Excellent computer skills especially Word, Excel and Power Point; Ability to meet deadlines and prioritize multiple tasks; 7 P r o c u r e m e n t N o t i c e - C u s t o m s & T r a d e F a c i l i t a t i o n E x p e r t - A E I S D

8 Leadership Demonstrated ability to think strategically and to provide credible leadership; Demonstrated intellectual leadership and ability to integrate knowledge with broader strategic overview and corporate vision; Demonstrated flexibility in leadership by performing and/or overseeing the analysis/resolution of complex issues; Strong managerial/leadership experience and decision-making skills with proven track record of mature judgments; Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of development experience. Managing Relationships Demonstrated well developed people management and organizational management skills; Strong ability to manage teams; creating an enabling environment, mentoring and developing staff; Excellent negotiating and networking skills with strong partnerships in academia, technical organizations and as a recognized expert in the practice area; Strong resource mobilization and partnering skills and ability to accept accountability for management of large volume of financial resources. Managing Complexity Ability to address global development issues; Substantive knowledge and understanding of development cooperation with the ability to support the practice architecture of UNDP and inter-disciplinary issues; Demonstrated substantive leadership and ability to integrate knowledge with broader strategic, policy and operational objectives; Knowledge Management and Learning Ability to strongly promote and build knowledge products; Promotes knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example; Seeks and applies knowledge, information and best practices from within and outside of UNDP; Provides constructive coaching and feedback; Demonstrates a strong capacity for innovation and creativity in providing strategic policy advice and direction. Judgment/Decision-Making Mature judgment and initiative; Proven ability to provide strategic direction to the project implementation process; Independent judgment and discretion in advising on handling major policy issues and challenges, uses diplomacy and tact to achieve result. DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Candidates that fail to submit the information will not be considered. 8 P r o c u r e m e n t N o t i c e - C u s t o m s & T r a d e F a c i l i t a t i o n E x p e r t - A E I S D

9 a) Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP; b) Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details ( and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references; c) Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive Deliverables/Outputs based total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided. Interested candidates should provide lump sum fees for requested services with detailed breakdown (consultancy fees* number of working days) for 220 working days over a period of 12 months. If there is any travel during the contract period, it will be covered by the project. If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP. d) A sample of professional work completed by the candidates in the technical areas of customs modernization and control techniques, trade facilitation and management of international trade All necessary information including: Complete Procurement Notice, The Selection Criteria, and Annexes are found on the following link under Procurement Interested candidate shall apply the CV/P11 to Job advertisement website, hence consultant should submit to proc.contract.rscjo@undp.org not later than 24 th March The following documents are: Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability; CV/P11; Financial Proposal; and A sample of a technical work completed by the candidate in areas of customs modernization and control techniques, trade facilitation and management of international. EVALUATION Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodologies: Step I: Screening and desk review: Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology. Applications will be first screened and only candidates meeting the following minimum criteria will progress to the pool for shortlisting: Bachelor degree, in international trade, business administration, economics, trade and development or related field, preferable a Master Degree in these fields or equivalent; Minimum 15 years of relevant work experiences in the management of international trade and the related areas; Previous experience working for the UN; Language proficiency in both written and oral English and Arabic is ; Shortlisted Candidates will be then assessed and scored against the following evaluation criteria. 9 P r o c u r e m e n t N o t i c e - C u s t o m s & T r a d e F a c i l i t a t i o n E x p e r t - A E I S D

10 Technical evaluation Criteria at max 100 points (Weighted 70): Detailed understanding of economic development, trade policy, development/formulation and planning, trade negotiations, determination of rules of origin in goods and services, and trade policy making (20%) 10 P r o c u r e m e n t N o t i c e - C u s t o m s & T r a d e F a c i l i t a t i o n E x p e r t - A E I S D

11 Detailed understanding of application of Information and Communication Technology into management of international trade (20%); Sample of work reflecting the in-depth knowledge of customs modernization and control techniques, trade facilitation and management of international trade. (25%); In-depth understanding of the WTO Agreements and rules, PAFTA and detailed understanding of Human Resource Development and promotion of good governance (15%); Previous experience working for the UN (10%); Language proficiency in both written and oral English and Arabic is (10%); Financial Criteria at max 100 points (Weighted 30) total evaluation For those offers considered in the financial evaluation, the lowest price offer will receive 30 points. The other offers will receive points in relation to the lowest offer, based on the following formula: (PI/Pn)*30 where Pn is the financial offer being evaluated and Pl is the lowest financial offer received. Step II: Final evaluation The final evaluation will combine the scores of the desk review and financial proposal with the following weights assigned to each: Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis methodology (weighted scoring method), where the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation while taking into account the suitability to the assignment as per the present document. Technical Criteria weight: 70% Financial Criteria weight: 30% Only Individual Consultants obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70%) in the technical evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation. Approval This Procurement Notice is certified and approved by: Signature Name Quang Anh Le Designation Chief Technical Date of Signing March 14 th P r o c u r e m e n t N o t i c e - C u s t o m s & T r a d e F a c i l i t a t i o n E x p e r t - A E I S D