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 RCEP Implementation Support Program (RISP), implemented through the Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) Facility, supports ASEAN Member States to realise the benefits of RCEP through capacity-building support and access to technical expertise.

The project ‘Policy Review of the RCEP E-Commerce Chapter to enhance MSME engagement’ is approved under the RISP. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of government agencies and relevant stakeholders to review, interpret and implement the RCEP E-Commerce Chapter, while supporting greater participation of MSMEs in regional digital trade. It will:

  • undertake a comparative review of Viet Nam’s implementation of the RCEP E-Commerce Chapter, including relevant legal and regulatory developments, implementation gaps and emerging policy issues;
  • benchmark Viet Nam against selected RCEP Parties, where data permit, to identify relevant regulatory approaches and good practices;
  • develop two illustrative case studies, including one from an ASEAN Member State and one from a non-ASEAN RCEP Party;
  • conduct targeted consultations with government agencies, business associations, private-sector representatives and organisations representing MSMEs, women entrepreneurs and other relevant groups;
  • develop a Policy Review Report with evidence-based recommendations to strengthen the implementation of RCEP e-commerce commitments, inform policy and regulatory reforms, and support Viet Nam’s preparation for the 2027 RCEP General Review; and
  • deliver a two-day regional policy validation and capacity-building workshop to validate the findings of the Policy Review Report, exchange implementation experiences and identify priority actions.

The Opportunity

RT4D is seeking a consulting firm/organisation or consortium (hereinafter referred to as “the Consultant”) to manage and deliver both technical and event organisation services for the project, in close collaboration with the RT4D Facility and the Project Proponent. The final Project outputs will be subject to comments, amendments, and approval from the RT4D Facility Team, the Project Proponent and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The services will be delivered in accordance with the requirements set out in the Request for Proposal (RFP) and Terms of Reference (ToR).

Closing Date for Queries: 27 October 2026

Queries

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:

  • Qualified and experienced team: A suitably qualified and experienced expert or team of experts with sufficient technical expertise, organisational capacity and availability to deliver all technical and event-related outputs within the scope, quality standards and timelines set out in the ToR.
  • International trade, e-commerce and digital trade expertise: Demonstrable expertise in international trade, e-commerce and digital trade, particularly in relation to FTAs, regional economic integration, cross-border e-commerce and digital trade policy, with a strong understanding of relevant legal and regulatory frameworks, FTA implementation and emerging digital trade issues, including data protection and privacy, cybersecurity, electronic transactions, cross-border data flows and other relevant aspects of the digital economy and e-commerce regulatory environment. Experience specifically related to RCEP, its E-Commerce Chapter or the implementation of RCEP commitments would be considered an advantage.
  • Policy research and regulatory analysis: Strong experience in policy research, comparative regulatory analysis and benchmarking, including assessment of implementation of international commitments, identification of regulatory and implementation gaps, analysis of regional good practices and development of practical, evidence-based policy recommendations.
  • Stakeholder engagement and regional experience: Proven experience in stakeholder consultation and engagement, particularly with government ministries and agencies, business associations, MSMEs and the private sector in Viet Nam. Experience working with iDEA/MOIT or relevant Vietnamese digital economy and e-commerce stakeholders is highly desirable. Experience working with ASEAN Member States, the ASEAN Secretariat and/or RCEP Parties is a distinct advantage.
  • Local presence: A strong local presence and demonstrated local capacity to undertake in-country consultations, coordination and event delivery.
  • Report writing and analytical capacity: Excellent analytical and report-drafting capabilities, including demonstrated experience preparing high-quality policy reports, comparative case studies and recommendations for government and/or international development programs.
  • Workshop and event delivery: Demonstrable capacity and experience in professional event organisation, including end-to-end planning and delivery of high-quality national or regional events involving government officials, international participants and private-sector stakeholders. The Consultant must have the capacity to provide both technical and event organisation services for the two-day regional policy validation and capacity-building workshop in Da Nang.
  • Policy dialogue and facilitation: Demonstrated experience designing and facilitating regional policy dialogues and capacity-building workshops, including developing agendas and technical materials, identifying and coordinating speakers/facilitators, facilitating validation and technical discussions, and effectively engaging diverse stakeholder groups.
  • GEDSI integration: Demonstrated ability and expertise within the proposed team to integrate GEDSI considerations into research, stakeholder consultations and event delivery, including consideration of MSMEs, women-led enterprises, people with disability and other disadvantaged or underrepresented groups where relevant and supported by evidence.
  • RT4D programme requirements: Strong understanding of and ability to operationalise RT4D requirements relating to Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), GEDSI, communications, event management and program management throughout project implementation.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Apply before 05 November 2026

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