EBRD GPA TC Facility: Development of Technical Cooperation with Azerbaijan, Jordan, Kazakhstan and Turkey - Legal Comparative Diagnostics and Policy Workshops in Azerbaijan

Country:Regional

Project number:49033

Funding source:EBRD Shareholder Special Fund

Contract type:Consultancy Services

Notice type:Invitation for expressions of interest (CSU)

Issue date:23 Jun 2016

Closing date:14 Jul 2016   at  23:59   London

Assignment Description: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development ("EBRD" or the "Bank") GPA Technical Cooperation Facility (the EBRD GPA TC Facility), launched in 2014, focuses on providing policy advice and assistance to countries negotiating accession to the Government Procurement Agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO GPA). In particular, the EBRD GPA TC Facility supports governments by providing legal compliance assessment, performing regulatory capacity building activities and delivering policy advice throughout the WTO GPA negotiation process. The EBRD GPA TC Facility also assists with alignment of national laws with the 2012 GPA standards as necessary.

Presently, the EBRD GPA TC Facility is working with Georgia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Montenegro, Moldova, Tajikistan and Ukraine. To this end, Montenegro is the first country to accede to the WTO GPA in 2015 that has benefitted from the EBRD support. In addition to this, Moldova and Ukraine have finalised negotiations and are awaiting the Agreement ratification.

In 2015 other EBRD countries expressed their interest in capacity building related to GPA accession under the EBRD GPA TC Facility. At this preliminary stage, policy workshops are planned to help lay down a solid foundation for identifying areas for cooperation with Azerbaijan, Jordan, Kazakhstan and Turkey.

The Bank now intends to engage a regulatory advisor (the "Consultant") to carry out the following assignment (the "Assignment") in Azerbaijan:

1. Perform a comparative legal/trade analysis of relevant trade and public procurement policy framework in Azerbaijan.

2. Develop presentations and other materials for the policy workshops planned in Baku, Azerbaijan, under the Assignment.

3. Act as a keynote speaker and contribute to workshop discussions at the policy workshops planned in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Status of Selection Process: Interested firms or group of firms (corporate or academic entities) are hereby invited to submit expressions of interest.

Assignments Start Date and Duration: The Assignment is expected to start in Q1 2016 with an estimated overall duration of 12 months.

Cost Estimate for the Assignments: EUR 30,000; exclusive of VAT. Subject to availability of funding, performance of the selected Consultant and specific needs of the Bank the Assignments may be extended beyond the current scope.

The Consultant must determine whether any VAT would be chargeable on the services and the basis for that determination, without taking into consideration the special status of the Bank as an IFI and state this to the Bank in their response to the Invitation for Expressions of Interest. To the extent that a Consultant incurs input VAT on goods and services purchased in connection with the provision of services (e.g. VAT on airline ticket) which is not otherwise recoverable by the consultant from the local tax authority, the gross cost to the consultant of such expenses shall be treated as a reimbursable expense.

Funding Source: It is anticipated that the Assignment will be financed by the EBRD Shareholder Special Fund. Selection and contracting will be subject to the availability of funding.

Eligibility: There are no eligibility restrictions.

Consultant Profile: The Consultant will be a firm or a group of firms (corporate or academic/educational institution) preferably with previous experience related to:

1. public procurement policy-making with practical experience in comparative legal analysis and developing policy documents for trade and for WTO system purposes

2. research and teaching experience in trade, the WTO system, public procurement and international development.

The Consultant’s team is expected to include an international policy expert and a legal analyst, as follows:

a. International policy expert with extensive policy skills and experience with preferably 7 years of professional experience in public procurement policy-making and/or at a globally recognised academic/educational institution with research and teaching experience in trade, the WTO system, public procurement and international development. The Consultant shall be working in English; fluent Russian will be an advantage.

b. Legal analysts with skills and experience in comparative legal analysis gained through implementing policy projects and/or at a globally recognised academic institution with research and teaching experience in trade, the WTO system, and public procurement. The Legal analyst is required to have a legal qualification from Azerbaijan and/or experience in legal/policy advice and to be able to work in English and Azeri or Russian.

Submission Requirements: In order to determine the capability and experience of the Consultant seeking to be shortlisted for these Assignments, the information submitted should include the following:

1. CV of key experts who could carry out the legal analysis and contribute as a key speaker to the policy workshops in Azerbaijan, detailing qualifications, previous trade, the WTO system and public procurement experience or similar assignments undertaken in the previous five years including information on contract value, contracting entity/client, project location/country, duration (mm/yy to mm/yy), main activities, objectives;

2. Completed Consultant Declaration Form and Contact Sheet, the template for which is available from the following web-link:http://www.ebrd.com/pages/workingwithus/procurement/notices/csu/contact_sheet.doc.
The above information should not exceed 10 pages including CVs and contact sheet.

The complete expression of interest (including CVs and Consultant Declaration and Contact Sheet) s should be submitted, in English, electronically through e-Selection (https://eselection.ebrd.com/suite/) to reach the Bank not later than the closing date. The expression of interest shall be one file (pdf). The EBRD reserves the right to reject applications of firms submitting more than one file. Only if the permissible file size is exceeded (4MB), the Consultant may split the expression of interest into further files.

Expressions of Interest shall be submitted, in English, electronically through e-Selection, to reach the Bank not later than the closing date and time indicated above.

Bank Contact Person:

Vivianne Headlam
Technical Cooperation
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
One Exchange Square
London EC2A 3JN
+ 44 20 7338 6885
+ 44 20 7 338 7451
Email: lewishev@ebrd.com (Expressions of Interest should be sent through eSelection and NOT to this email address).

 Notes:

1. The selection will normally be made from responses to this notification only. Consultants will not be asked to submit a proposal. The highest-ranked Consultant will be selected from a shortlist and be invited to negotiate the contract, subject to availability of funding.
2. The shortlist criteria are as follows:
a. Consultant’s internationally recognised expertise and experience in public procurement (30%);
b. Consultant’s practical experience in comparative legal analysis and developing policy documents for trade and the WTO system purposes (40%);
c. CVs of key experts (30%).