Job Description
Funded by Global Affairs Canada, the Expert Deployment Mechanism for Trade and
Development (EDM provides technical assistance to Official Development Assistance
(ODA)-eligible countries to maximize trade and investment development impacts. Over
seven years (2018-2025), EDM will invest CAD 16.5 million to support Canada’s developing
country trading partners to negotiate, implement and benefit from and adapt to trade and
investment agreements with Canada.
EDM is a demand-driven project that will benefit potential partners – including governments,
local private sector groups and local civil society organizations – through capacity building
and technical advisory support on policy reform issues that have a high potential to reduce
poverty and gender inequalities and support progress in trade and investment agreement
negotiations.
Since the end of its 20-year civil war in 2000, Peru has seen strong economic growth and
poverty reduction. However, that growth has relied heavily on resource extraction (principally
copper, gold and silver) and is vulnerable to global demand and price fluctuation. Economic
growth has also been centered on Lima, with little reaching the regions and rural populations.
Regional inequity has been mirrored by social inequity, witnessed by Peru’s GINI score of
43.3 and rural poverty rates that dwarf the rates of urban centres.
Recent economic assessments (e.g. World Bank Multi-Dimensional Review) suggest the
central challenge to Peru is the “middle-income trap” – a prolonged slowdown at middle-income status as the competitive advantage of low-cost labour and natural resource
endowments driving growth reach their limits. Further growth must then come from
increased productivity and innovation, diversifying its exports, connecting to global value
chains, and moving production higher up the value chain. Deepening regional integration
also holds opportunities for economic growth by creating more viable markets. Regional
trade is underdeveloped due in part to the similarity of the export baskets of Andean
countries.
Trade and investment are important pillars of Peru’s national development strategy, and the
country has pursued an ambitious agenda of negotiations to integrate regional and global
economies. Harvesting the benefits of these agreements will require technical assistance to
implement their obligations and seize their opportunities. In the context of Canada-Peru
trade and investment relations, this agenda includes the implementation of the CPTPP and
the Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement, as well as advancing the Canada-Pacific Alliance
negotiations.
Peru’s National Strategic Plan for Exports 2025 sets out four priorities for supporting export
growth: engaging more Peruvian companies in exporting and diversifying export markets,
diversifying export products, improving trade facilitation and logistics, and capacity building
for export development. Among the goals of the Plan is to increase trade through greater
use of international standards.
Standards play an important role in trade by strengthening consumer confidence in the
quality and safety of imported goods. Despite the positive impact, a recent study of Peruvian
exporters found that only 18.5% used international standards in their production processes.
The barriers to adopting standards are a lack of information, technical capacity and
infrastructure, and recognized certification bodies. Given their limited resources, these
challenges are greatest for small and medium-sized enterprises.
To address these challenges, the National Institute for Quality has developed “Strategic
Guidelines to promote the use by Peruvian companies of international standards.” These
guidelines provide detailed information on national and international standards. Promoting
the use of the guidelines, however, requires evidence of the economic benefits in export
sectors of relevance to Peru.
Many studies of the economic impacts of standards have been conducted by the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and by national governments. An
impact assessment of the use of standards in the asparagus production industry in Peru was
conducted in 2011. The ISO has recently introduced a new methodology, expected to
become the standard for impact assessment.
Linkage to EDM Performance Measurement Framework
Technical assistance to increase the use of international standards is consistent with the
approved EDM Country Needs Assessment Plan for Peru, Mandate 1: Trade Policy Capacity
Building.
This assistance is also aligned with the EDM Performance Management Framework,
intermediate outcome 1220: Increased capacity of partner country ministries, departments
and agencies to expand access to export-oriented economic opportunities for SMEs,
particularly those led by women, indigenous or other under-represented groups.
The direct beneficiaries of this assistance will be officials of the Ministry of Foreign Trade
and Tourism and the National Institute for Quality. Representative exporters will participate
in the technical assistance activity to provide input and validate the analysis. In the longer
term, the assistance is expected to benefit all Peruvian exporters, including SMEs, through
increased exports.
Description of Technical Assistance Request
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru (MINCETUR) has requested expert
assistance to assess the economic impact of international standards in sectors of export
interest to Peru. In delivering this assistance, the technical expert(s) will conduct studies of
the garment and fruit production industries and draft two written gender-sensitive and
inclusive reports:
- Describing the value chains in each industry;
- Identifying the main impacts of technical standards;
- Analyzing the value drivers and key indicators of performance; and
- Measuring the economic benefits of technical standards,
The expert(s) will conduct consultations with representative companies in Peru's garment
and fruit production industries, ensuring the meaningful participation of those led by women,
Indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups.
The studies will be based on the new ISO methodology for assessing the economic impact
of international standards.
The analysis should include an examination of technical standards to ensure environmental
sustainability/ low carbon development, as well as to promote gender equality and social
inclusion. It is essential that the roles/concentration of women, Indigenous peoples, and other
relevant marginalized groups within the value chains are identified in the analysis, and the
specific challenges, impacts and economic benefits resulting from technical standards for
these groups are identified. The written reports should address the benefits of standards in
promoting these policy objectives.
The experts will design and deliver a workshop to present and discuss the studies with
officials of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, the National Institute for Quality and
representatives of participating companies.
Technical Expert Profile/Expertise Required
Bidders will be evaluated based on their demonstrated expertise and experience in
economic impact analysis, research methods, and their application to trade policy. The
evaluation criteria include:
- Advanced university degrees and professional certifications in economics, research
methods, international business, trade, public affairs, or other relevant studies;
- Extensive professional experience in the design and execution of research studies and
economic impact analysis;
- Experience in the design and conduct of research and analyses of trade policy and
export development, including value chain analysis;
- Experience in the impact of trade on gender/social inclusion and environmental
protection/ climate change and the formulation of policies and programs to promote
their integration in trade; and
- Experience in the delivery of trade technical assistance to developing countries.
Before starting activities, the successful consultant(s) will be required to complete the
Government of Canada’s online Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) training
(approximately 2 hours).
Timelines
The recruitment of experts is expected to be completed in early October 2022. The study
and final narrative report are expected to be completed by March 31, 2023.
Deliverables
- A detailed work plan, work schedule and budget for the delivery of activities.
- Workshop materials include but are not limited to presentations, interactive group
exercises, and supporting documents (in Spanish).
- Delivery of a workshop to present the written reports on the economic impact of
international standards on the garment and fruit production industries in Peru.
- Completed EDM Performance Measurement Framework template for the TA,
including baseline data and targets against EDM indicators.
- Final Narrative Report: Due within 30 calendar days of completing all TA activities.
The report shall describe activities delivered; results achieved (versus initial expected
results and baseline); approaches taken with regards to gender equality and social
inclusion, the environment, and human rights; lessons learned of relevance to future
EDM activities; expenses incurred by the Consultant in carrying out the activities;
document officials trained/participating in activities (name, gender, job title,
institutional affiliation). This report will be reviewed and approved by EDM prior to
being shared with Global Affairs Canada.