EDM - Short-term Consultant

Technical Expert - Terms of Reference Template

Technical Assistance (TA) Request:

Design of a training course on trade negotiation skills (Vietnam)

Expertise Required:

Conducting trade negotiations

Deadline to Apply

June 23, 2023

Background

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 the development impacts of trade and investment. Over seven years (2018-2025), EDM will invest CAD 16.5 million to support Canada’s developing country trading partners to negotiate, implement, 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.

Viet Nam’s development over the past three decades has been remarkable. Through sustained economic reform efforts, Viet Nam has increased per capita GDP tenfold; risen from one of the poorest nations in the world to Lower Middle-Income Country status; lifted tens of millions out of poverty; cut infant mortality in half; and increased life expectancy by almost 7 years.

An important part of its development strategy has been to integrate the global economy, including through membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Russian-led Customs Union, bilateral trade agreements with the European Union, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Global Affairs Canada has identified Viet Nam as a priority beneficiary of EDM technical assistance in implementing the CPTPP. Since its launch in 2019, EDM has provided support for multiple activities designed to: introduce new legislation, regulations, policies, and procedures to conform to the obligations of the CPTPP; to raise public awareness of the obligations and opportunities created by the Agreement, and to strengthen trade policy capacity. Viet Nam is also engaged in ongoing FTA negotiations with Canada through its membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Viet Nam’s ambitious trade negotiation agenda is handicapped by the limited number of experienced negotiators available to conduct FTA negotiations. Vietnamese negotiating teams are generally smaller than those of its major trading partners, and, as a result, negotiators are burdened by the responsibility for multiple chapters and FTAs at the same time. Vietnamese trade negotiators often have less experience and detailed technical knowledge of negotiating issues than their negotiating partners. Both factors can contribute to delays in the negotiating process and slow Viet Nam’s integration into the global economy.

To help strengthen and expand the cadre of Vietnamese trade negotiators, the Foreign Trade University of Viet Nam has requested technical assistance to design a training course on trade negotiation skills for government officials engaged in trade negotiations and students preparing for careers in trade policy.

Without limiting the issues included in the curriculum proposed by technical experts, the course content should include: the standard protocols and procedures in international trade negotiations; standard negotiation theory; the development of trade negotiation objectives and strategies; the conduct of inclusive public consultations; the management of communications; the application of intersectional gender-based analysis to the negotiating strategy; methodologies to assess the impact of the resulting Agreement on women, ethnic minorities, and other marginalized groups; methodologies to assess the potential environmental impact of the resulting Agreement: the drafting of legal text; negotiating strategies and tactics; the preferred negotiating approach of Viet Nam’s major trading partners; trends in the scope and legal structure of modern trade agreements, including gender equality and social inclusion provisions; and the implementation of trade agreements, including best practices in promoting the utilization of trade agreements.

Linkage to EDM Performance Measurement Framework

This assistance is consistent with the EDM Performance Management Framework, Immediate Outcome 1100: Enhanced ability of partner country MDAs to engage in exploratory discussions and negotiate sustainable and inclusive trade and investment agreements.

The assistance aligns with the EDM Country Needs Assessment Plan for Viet Nam, Mandate 1: trade policy capacity building.

Description of Technical Assistance Request

The technical expert(s) will:

1. design a training course (in English and Vietnamese), to be delivered by the Foreign Trade University of Viet Nam, on conducting international trade negotiations;
2. prepare the related teaching materials (in English and Vietnamese), including presentations, simulations/exercises, case studies, instructors’ guide, background readings, bibliography of additional resources available for self-directed learning, etc.;
3. deliver the training course (in Vietnamese), in the form of a train-the-trainer workshop, to government officials directly and indirectly engaged in trade negotiation and to students preparing for careers in trade policy; the workshop will include the participation of government officials and students, and will serve to pilot the training course and to gauge its effectiveness; and
4. finalize the course content and teaching materials based on the results of the pilot / train-the-trainer workshop.

Consistent with Canada’s inclusive trade approach, the EDM promotes gender equality and social inclusion as cross-cutting objectives of all technical assistance. Proposals should explain how these objectives will be integrated into the planning/approach, content and conduct of the seminar.

Similarly, bidders should consider how the promotion of environmental protection and climate change mitigation will be addressed in the course content.

Bidders should recommend delivery of this assistance in person or by electronic means and explain the rationale behind their proposed delivery approach.

The immediate beneficiaries of the guide will be the teaching staff of the Foreign Trade University and the participating government officials and students. In the longer term, the beneficiaries will be the officials and students to whom the course is delivered by the FTU and, over time, the Vietnamese businesses that benefit from new trade agreements negotiated by FTU negotiating skills training course graduates.

Technical Expert Profile/Expertise Required

Bidders for this technical assistance activity must demonstrate expert knowledge and extensive experience in the following:

• the conduct of international trade negotiations;
• the design and delivery of training courses for adult learners and related teaching materials;
• the design and delivery of trade technical assistance to developing countries;

• the impact of trade on gender equality/social inclusion and environmental protection, and the formulation of negotiating positions to promote their integration in trade.

Note: The EDM includes a core focus on gender and social inclusion as well as on environmental issues associated with trade activities. Successful applicants must research and integrate specific good and emerging practices in this area, partnering with other expert consultants if necessary. Any prior experience providing TA on gender equality, social inclusion, and the environment will be considered a strong asset.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 June 2023. The technical assistance activity is expected to be completed by June 2024.

Deliverables

• A detailed work plan, work schedule and budget for the delivery of activities.
• Completed EDM Performance Measurement Framework template for the TA, including baseline data and targets against EDM indicators.
• Draft and final texts of the seminar study guide, presentations and agenda.
• Final Narrative Report on Mandate: Due within 30 calendar days of completing all TA activities. The report shall describe activities delivered; results achieved (versus initial expected results and baseline); lessons learned relevant to future EDM activities, and expenses incurred by the Consultant in carrying out this mandate. This report will be reviewed and approved by EDM before being shared with Global Affairs Canada.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PROCESS

For your proposal to be considered, please name your document in the following format:

1.21- Consultant Last Name, First Name

(Proposals can be submitted by a single consultant or a consortium of consultants).

Your proposal should contain the following sections:

1. Cover letter
2. Proposal that includes the following:
   1. Your approach to implementing this TA. Provide as much detail as possible. (10 pages maximum);
   2. Describe your approach to ensuring that gender equality and social inclusion are considered in all aspects of the TA, including approach, content, and delivery. (2 pages maximum);
   3. Describe your approach to ensuring that environmental impacts are considered in all aspects of the TA, including approach, content, and delivery. (1-page maximum);
   4. Outline your project management and monitoring strategy for the implementation of the activities. (2 pages maximum)
   5. Indicate all proposed personnel to implement this project and their roles and responsibilities. Include all CVs of proposed personnel/experts. (20 pages maximum)
3. Estimated level of effort (in days) and provide consulting rates (in CAD$) for each proposed personnel and/or expert implementing the project.