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 'Review of Viet Nam’s Regulatory Framework and Status of Trade in Services under RCEP' is approved under the AISP.  The project aims to support the effective implementation of Viet Nam’s commitments under the RCEP Trade in Services Chapter by strengthening institutional capacity, improving understanding of the regulatory framework governing trade in services, and providing evidence-based recommendations for future policy improvement. The project will:

  • review Viet Nam’s implementation of its commitments under the RCEP Trade in Services Chapter, including relevant legislation, regulations, policies and trade data;
  • assess the alignment between Viet Nam’s domestic regulatory framework and its RCEP commitments;
  • identify implementation gaps, opportunities and relevant good regulatory practices;
  • analyse Viet Nam’s trade in services with other RCEP Parties and, where data permit, benchmark Viet Nam against selected RCEP economies;
  • consider relevant gender dimensions of selected services subsectors where sufficient evidence is available;
  • undertake consultations with relevant ministries, government agencies, business associations and organisations representing women entrepreneurs or women-led businesses; and
  • deliver a capacity-building workshop for relevant government officials and stakeholders. 

The Opportunity

RT4D is seeking a consulting firm/organisation or consortium (hereinafter referred to as “the Consultant”) to manage and deliver the abovementioned 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: 15 October 2026 

Queries

Request for Proposal (RFP)

Terms of Reference

Financial Proposal Template

Services Agreement Template

 

     

The general competencies and qualifications that the Consultant should demonstrate include (but are not limited to): 

  • 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.
  • Demonstrable expertise in international trade and trade in services, particularly RCEP and its Trade in Services Chapter, including experience analysing trade agreements, domestic regulatory frameworks, services trade policies and data, and regional trade developments.
  • Strong experience in policy research, comparative regulatory analysis and benchmarking, including the ability to assess implementation of international trade commitments, identify regulatory and implementation gaps, analyse good practices and develop practical, evidence-based policy recommendations.
  • Proven experience undertaking stakeholder consultations and engagement with government ministries and agencies, business associations and private-sector stakeholders in Viet Nam. Experience working with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and other relevant Vietnamese ministries and trade-related stakeholders will be highly regarded.
  • Experience working with ASEAN Member States, the ASEAN Secretariat and/or RCEP Parties will be considered an advantage.
  • A strong local presence and demonstrated local capacity to undertake in-country consultations, coordination and event delivery.
  • Excellent analytical, report-writing and communication skills, including demonstrated experience preparing high-quality policy reports for government or international development programs.
  • Demonstrable capacity and experience in professional event organisation, including the end-to-end planning and delivery of high-quality national or regional policy workshops involving senior government officials, international participants and private-sector stakeholders.
  • Demonstrated experience designing and facilitating policy dialogues, consultations and capacity-building workshops, including development of agendas and materials, identification and coordination of appropriate speakers/facilitators, facilitation of technical discussions, and effective engagement of diverse stakeholder groups.
  • Demonstrated ability to integrate Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) considerations into research, consultation and event delivery, including consideration of women, people with disability, MSMEs and other underrepresented groups where relevant.
  • Strong understanding of, and ability to operationalise, RT4D requirements relating to Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), GEDSI, communications, event management and program management throughout implementation.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.


Apply before 25 October 2026

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