Request for Proposal – Regional Trade for Development Program

Event Organisation and Management for an on-site event on AISP Project “Implementing AANZFTA Data Rules: Advancing Cross-Border E-Commerce.

About RT4D

The Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) initiative is funded by both 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 disabilities.

Also operating under RT4D is the Trade and Gender Equality Incubator (TGEI), an initiative funded by the Australian Government. The incubator tests ideas and methods, drawing on promising examples, that integrate gender in trade policy, technical cooperation, and development programming.

The Governments of Australia and New Zealand have committed up to AUD 48.7 million to fund RT4D from 2020-21 to 2027-28.

Project Summary

The AANZFTA Implementation Support Program (AISP), implemented RT4D Facility, aims to support AMS to realise the full benefits of AANZFTA through the provision of capacity-building support and access to technical expertise.

The following project is approved under AISP.

•Project Name: Implementing AANZFTA Data Rules: Advancing Cross-Border E-Commerce.

•Project Objective:

• The Regional Workshop is intended to deepen mutual understanding of the regulatory landscape, promote alignment, and support the development of business-friendly policies. It will also provide an opportunity to seek preliminary recommendations for best practice principles, ensuring their relevance and practicality for AANZFTA economies.
• To foster discussions on challenges, successes, and best practices in implementing cross-border data rules. This activity directly supports the project’s objectives of enhancing regulatory alignment and strengthening the implementation of cross-border data rules across the AANZFTA region.

KEY INFORMATION
Position: Knowledge and Learning Consultant
Sector: Inclusive Growth
Reports to: Team Leader
Indicate dates: Full-time, 12 month contract with possibility for extension
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia
 
SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT
The Australia-Indonesia Partnership Towards an Inclusive Society, or INKLUSI, is working to increase the participation of marginalised groups in, and their benefit from, Indonesia’s socio-cultural, economic and political development. INKLUSI works with government and civil society partners to advance their work in gender equality, the rights of people with disabilities and social inclusion. INKLUSI supports the Government of Indonesia’s agenda for inclusion, including through national development plans and the Sustainable Development Goals.
 
INKLUSI is a five-year bilateral Australian and Indonesian Government program (up to A$75 million over 2021-2026) with a possible 3-year extension of up to A$45 million (2026-2029). It is partnering with 11 Indonesian civil society organisations (CSO Partners), 8 research partner institutions (Research Partners) and their networks across 32 provinces, >120 districts, and around 800 villages in Indonesia.

Request for Proposal – Regional Trade for Development

Implementation Consultant and Event Organiser for Building Institutional Capacity for Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS) Implementation under RCEP

About RT4D

The Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) Facility supports ASEAN Member States to maximise benefits from the upgraded ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement. 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 disabilities.

Also operating under RT4D is the Trade and Gender Equality Incubator (TGEI), an initiative funded by the Australian Government. The incubator tests ideas and methods, drawing on promising examples, that integrate gender in trade policy, technical cooperation, and development programming. The Governments of Australia and New Zealand have committed up to AUD 48.7 million to fund RT4D from 2020-21 to 2027-28.

Project Summary

This project was created to implement activities that align with RCEP Chapter 5 on SPS. The objective is to enhance the practical application of SPS measures by promoting transparency and understanding of the development processes and applications among relevant stakeholders. The project seeks to strengthen coordination, communication, and consultation among the domestic parties involved in SPS measures, adhering to international standards, guidelines, and recommendations. With support from RCEP and the RT4D program, the fundamental goal of this project is to build the institutional capabilities of key stakeholders at the central and provincial levels under the leadership of FDD. This will set up a foundation to establish a modern, comprehensive, high-quality, and mutually beneficial economic partnership, facilitating regional trade and investment expansion and contributing to global economic growth.

Improving inter-departmental coordination is another crucial component of the project; it will establish a collaborative, dynamic platform for stakeholders such as the FDD, Department of Agriculture (DOA), Department of Livestock and Fisheries (DOLF), and Department of Planning (DOP) to monitor and evaluate the implementation of SPS chapters. This initiative aims to promote transparency, ensuring senior decision-makers and policy formulators have a unified understanding of the SPS chapter and the ASEAN Sectoral Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Inspection and Certification Systems on Food Hygiene for Prepared Foodstuff Products (MRA) guidelines, alongside developing implementation regulations that clarify procedural and operational parameters. This framework seeks to mitigate arbitrary decision-making while reinforcing compliance with national legal standards through stringent oversight and formalised inspection processes.

The specific objectives of this project are to:

• To provide capacity building on implementing the SPS measures and provisions, focusing on Chapter 5 of RCEP commitments
• To strengthen economic cooperation and dialogue that supports the implementation and utilisation of key provisions within the SPS agreement 
• To increase public and stakeholders’ awareness of the benefits and impact of the RCEP and SPS Chapter to enhance access to information for businesses, especially Micro-Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (MSMEs), on the SPS requirements as well as MRA on import-export 
• To strengthen cooperation and exchange experience with RCEP Parties in the SPS Chapter, particularly on the collective participation approach at the ASEAN SPS committee meeting.

Request for Proposal – Regional Trade for Development Program

Technical Consultant, Project “Advancing Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) in Regional Economic Integration and Trade in ASEAN – From Learning to Policy Actions”

About RT4D

The Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) Facility supports ASEAN Member States to maximise benefits from the upgraded ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement. Under the operation of the RT4D, the Trade and Gender Equality Incubator (TGEI), with funding support from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), tests ideas and methods, drawing on promising practice to advance gender equality within trade-related policies, technical cooperation, and development programming.

Project Summary

GEDSI-responsive trade policy is important to ensure that all economic actors benefit from regional trade and economic integration. This regional project aims to build ASEAN Member State (AMS) capacity in gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) and trade, such that relevant officials are better able to design and implement GEDSI-responsive trade policy and trade facilitation programs in their countries. TGEI intends a partnership with the World Trade Organization (WTO) to:

1. Adapt existing training materials on gender and trade to the ASEAN context.

2. Deliver these trainings to ASEAN officials (online and in-person).

3. Provide technical assistance to select AMS to implement GEDSI-responsive trade policy.

4. Foster a community of practice to support policymakers in these endeavours.

Tetra Tech International Development is looking for an experienced Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Specialist who will work collaboratively with the Senior Program Officers (SPOs) and other FAIR Justice team members to enhance accessibility to justice.

Contribute to a world where people, communities, and the planet thrive.

Tetra Tech International Development is a leading development consulting firm working with government, businesses, and NGOs to solve complex development challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. For more information, please visit our website.

The opportunity:

• Manila, Philippines
• Reserved for Philippine nationals
• Short term - up to 10 input days over a 12-month period

Reporting to the National GEDSI Lead and collaborating with the SPRING Program team, the GEDSI Officer will provide essential technical and operational support to the National GEDSI Lead in developing technical advice and recommendations for key implementing partners such as DSWD, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and other relevant stakeholders. This role will focus on supporting the National GEDSI Lead in delivering policy and technical assistance to relevant implementing partners to promote inclusion and gender equality, improve the responsiveness of delivery systems and enhance gender responsiveness in strengthening social protection systems.

Tetra Tech International Development is looking for a motivated Alumni Coordinator to play an active role in the coordinating the alumni network, professional development and outreach activities align to Aus4Skills program objectives.

Contribute to a world where people, communities, and the planet thrive.

Tetra Tech International Development is a leading development consulting firm working with government, businesses, and NGOs to solve complex development challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. For more information, please visit our website.

The opportunity:

· Location: Ha Noi, Viet Nam

· Reserved for Vietnam nationals

· Full-time contract until 31 December 2025

• Start date: Immediate

Aus4Skills: The goal of Aus4Skills is to support Vietnam in accessing and using high-level professional and technical knowledge, skills, and competencies to contribute to the country’s sustainable economic and inclusive development. The program also aims to deepen Vietnamese and Australian people-to-people and institutional links, thereby strengthening the partnership between the two countries. Aus4Skills is managed by Tetra Tech International Development on behalf of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

KEY INFORMATION
Job Title: Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Lead
Reports to: Team Leader
Direct Reports: GEDSI Officers (up to four)
Location: Manila, Philippines
Duration: 15 February 2025 to 14 February 2026 with possibility of multiyear extension.
Readvertised Positon
 
SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT
The DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) Social Protection, Inclusion and Gender equality (SPRING) program is Australia’s flagship investment of support to the Philippine Government on Social Protection, Gender Equality, Disability, Social Inclusion and Indigenous Inclusion. It is an AUD 40 million investment over 5 years that will support the joint Development Partnership Plan (DPP 2024-2029) between the Government of Australia and the Philippine Government. The investment will be the DFAT’s primary avenue in the Philippines for supporting poverty reduction and bilateral funding on gender equality and social inclusion at the national level and with some select Local Government Units (LGUs). SPRING will support efforts under Australia’s new International Development Policy and DFAT’s forthcoming new strategies on gender equality, disability equity and rights, and translate these into implementation in the Philippines.  
 
SPRING will contribute to the goal that the social and economic transformation in the Philippines reduces poverty and provides equal opportunities to all Filipinos in line with the Philippines Development Plan.
 
The objective of SPRING is that Australia works in partnership with the Philippine Government to improve systems and structures that reduce poverty and inequality and advance gender equality and the rights of people with disabilities.
 
SPRING has four mutually reinforcing End of Program Outcomes (EOPOs):

1. Philippine Government social protection plans, policies and programs increasingly close gaps in the social protection floor.
2. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and select LGU systems increasingly deliver quality social protection that is inclusive, gender and shock responsive, and climate sensitive.
3. The Philippine Government increasingly invests in gender responsive policies, plans, programs and systems.
4. The Philippine Government improves data, systems and targeting to enable people with disability and Indigenous Peoples improved access to targeted services.

KEY INFORMATION
Job Title: MRM and Systems Development Coach
Sector: Facility Management, Expert Deployment Mechanism and Framework Agreements
Position Type: Part-time
Duration/Level of Effort: Short-term
Position Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contractual arrangement: International recruitment
 
SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT
The CAPRED Facility is Australia’s flagship bilateral economic development program in Cambodia, focusing on economic recovery and resilience over the next four years, with a possible three-year extension.
 
The Facility supports Cambodia in implementing a range of necessary economic interventions and reforms to maintain the country’s economic transition. These interventions and reforms are primarily aimed at encouraging more productive and inclusive public and private investment, which promotes a resilient, inclusive and sustainable economy (RISE).
 
CAPRED interventions fall under three technical components including: Agriculture and Agro-processing; Trade, Investment and Enterprise Development and Infrastructure Development; and one Cross-Cutting component comprising: Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), Climate Resilient initiatives, and policy support. and policy support. GEDSI is at the heart of all that CAPRED does.

The Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officer will be engaged full-time. They will assist in the regular quantitative and qualitative monitoring and reporting of SPRING’s activities, as per the MEL system. They will ensure baseline data collection is conducted as planned and that data is collected regularly against SPRING’s logical framework indicators. The M&E officer will assist in data collection, data handling, protection, and analysis, as well as in producing regular monitoring and evaluation reports, evidence-based case studies, and success stories for dissemination. Additionally, they will support partners to ensure application of performance monitoring, and evaluating the success in all planning, budgeting, implementation, reporting and knowledge management activities of the program.