About RT4D The Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) initiative is funded by the Governments of Australia and New Zealand. It assists ASEAN Member States (AMS) in meeting their commitments and realising 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 disability. The Governments of Australia and New Zealand have committed up to AUD 53.3 million to fund RT4D from 2020–21 to 2027–28. Project Summary The AANZFTA Implementation Support Program (AISP), implemented through the Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) Facility, supports ASEAN Member States to realise the benefits of AANZFTA through capacity-building support and access to technical expertise. The project ‘ Promoting AANZFTA through Communications and Business Engagement ’ is approved under the AISP. The project aims to strengthen understanding and utilisation of AANZFTA among government and business stakeholders by communicating the value, relevance and practical benefits of the AANZFTA Upgrade and AISP. It will: conduct stakeholder consultations with government representatives, business associations, chambers of commerce, MSMEs, women-led enterprises, disability-inclusive enterprises and other relevant organisations; assess how businesses, including MSMEs, understand, access and use relevant AANZFTA provisions, including Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation, E-commerce and MSME-related provisions; deliver two business roundtable discussions to strengthen dialogue between government bodies and private-sector stakeholders, and capture business-relevant insights, barriers and recommendations; develop three business explainers on priority topics identified through stakeholder consultations and roundtable discussions; adapt existing AANZFTA information materials produced through previous projects, including the MSME Handbook, to strengthen their practical value and accessibility for business audiences; develop four case studies demonstrating the success and practical benefits of AISP-supported activities; produce one video highlighting the key benefits and achievements of the AANZFTA Upgrade after one year of implementation; and The Opportunity RT4D is seeking a consulting firm/organisation (hereinafter referred to as “the Consultant”) to provide and coordinate technical, event management, communications and multimedia-production services for the project, in close collaboration with the RT4D Facility, the ASEAN Secretariat External Economic Relations Division and the AANZFTA Economic Cooperation Sub-Committee. The services will be delivered in accordance with the requirements set out in the Request for Proposal (RFP) and Terms of Reference (ToR). Answers to Bidder Questions Request for Proposal (RFP) Terms of Reference Financial Proposal Template Services Agreement Template To ensure the above can be effectively managed and completed in alignment with the ToR, it is recommended that interested organisations have: AANZFTA and ASEAN expertise : Strong understanding of AANZFTA, the AANZFTA Upgrade, AISP, ASEAN institutional processes and the practical information needs of government and business stakeholders. Experience with free trade agreements, trade facilitation, e-commerce, MSME support, sustainable trade or related economic-cooperation initiatives would be highly relevant. Stakeholder consultation and public–private dialogue : Demonstrated experience designing and facilitating consultations, interviews, focus group discussions and public–private dialogues involving ASEAN Member States, government agencies, business associations, chambers of commerce, MSMEs and regional organisations. Business engagement capability: Proven ability to engage diverse private-sector stakeholders, including MSMEs, women-owned and women-led enterprises, entrepreneurs with disabilities, sectoral associations, cooperatives and business-support organisations. Communications and editorial expertise : Demonstrated experience developing clear, accurate and practical communications products for government, business and public audiences, including explainers, toolkits, case studies, factsheets, web content, presentation materials and other knowledge products. Plain-language and accessible content development : Demonstrated ability to translate technical trade and economic-cooperation information into plain-language, visually engaging and accessible materials tailored to diverse business audiences. Event management and roundtable delivery: Demonstrated capability in planning and coordinating regional workshops, roundtables and stakeholder events, including participant outreach, registration, venue and logistics arrangements, accessibility assessments, audiovisual and hybrid-event requirements, travel coordination, on-site support and event reporting. Multimedia production: Demonstrated experience managing photography, videography and multimedia communications products, including stakeholder interviews, case studies, promotional videos, impact storytelling and social media content. ASEAN regional experience : Demonstrated experience working with ASEAN institutions, ASEAN Member States, regional economic-cooperation mechanisms, development partners and cross-border business networks. GEDSI and safeguarding integration: Demonstrated capacity to integrate Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), safeguarding/PSEAH and inclusive-communications principles across consultations, events, communications products and stakeholder-engagement activities.
