Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) is one component of the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Programme entitled, "Support to CARIFORUM States in Furthering the Implementation of their Economic Partnership Agreement Commitments and in Meaningfully Reaping the Benefits of the Agreement".
The overall objective of the 11th EDF EPA Programme is to contribute to the integration of the CARIFORUM into the world economy. The Programme’s specific objective is to facilitate the effective operation of the EPA. In line with the programme objectives, the objective of the TBT component is to "increase the use of internationally recognised Regional Quality Infrastructure (RQI) by the regional and national quality institutions and by the private sector.”
By utilising the available Regional Quality Infrastructure (RQI) the expected result is that stakeholders in key economic sectors will have been supported to solve their quality related challenges thereby improving intra and extra-regional trade of CARIFORUM goods. It is also expected that the region's access to international markets will be increased thereby increasing the international competitiveness and sustainable production of goods and services within CARIFORUM States.
The expected result can be differentiated into the following three expected specific results:
R1: Quality related gaps identified in key value chains, sectors and organisations have been closed.
R2: The definition, relevance and application of Quality Infrastructure has been communicated throughout CARIFORUM States.
R3: The regional frameworks in standards development, metrology, accreditation, conformity assessment and awareness have been strengthened.
The CROSQ Marketing Information Knowledge Management and Education (MIKE) Committee, is a technical grouping comprising representatives of the 15 NSBs in CARICOM, with a mandate that governs the promotion of quality infrastructure and guidance and suport to Members States and their national stakeholders in understanding the benefits.
With the advent and increasing impact of pandemics like COVID-19 and other challenges, and as businesses and target markets move increasingly online for information and to seek services, quality institutions must respond to these online trends in savvy and interactive ways that retain current clients and attract new ones. As such, the online presence of NSBs and their abilities to communicate effectively using the existing and developing online platforms have become necessary for continued survival of these quality-related entities, and to demonstrate their relevance to national development.
As a result, the TBT Component of the 11th EDF-EPA Programme aims to develop the skills of the Marketing, Information, Knowledge Management and Education (MIKE) Committee, comprised of representatives who are charged with the quality promotions of their respective NSBs, in the area of Digital Marketing and Social Media Management.
To outfit the MIKE Committee Representatives with the basic knowledge regarding the purpose and importance of an online presence, their online interactions and building sustainable methods of engaging audiences successfully. In so doing, the NSBS can increase the awareness, knowledge and exposure of stakeholders to quality infrastructure and available services and resources to enhance quality-competitiveness and safety of goods and services produced or used in CARIFORUM.
The objective of this consultancy is to train quality promotions officers in the National Standards Bodies within CARIFORUM, in the management of online resources used for the purposes of marketing, information and knowledge enhancement, and education.
This consultancy should therefore:
- Enhance the knowledge base of officers in the area of promoting and awareness-raising utilizing popular online platforms;
- Educate officers on the use of digital marketing campaigns;
- Enhance the knowledge of officers in managing online marketing/social media platforms with specific marketing objectives in mind.
In order to carry out this consultancy, it will be necessary for the consultant to display an excellent understanding of current social media trends and platforms and how to utilise them for the purpose of marketing of services and general awareness-raising, and the ability to communicate this knowledge to a core of professionals.
Specifically, the consultant will be required to:
- Host an Inception Meeting
An initial meeting (medium to be decided by the parties involved) is to be held with representatives of the CROSQ Secretariat, the MIKE Committee Executive and the consultant to clarify the responsibilities of the consultant and the level of support which will be provided in the execution of the exercise. A proposed agenda for a one (1)-day workshop to cover the aforementioned areas should be submitted and approved by the CROSQ Secretariat ahead of the actual event. Timeline for submission can be discussed.
A follow-up meeting is to be held with the representatives of the CROSQ Secretariat and the consultant to the discuss materials and approach with consultant for approval.
- Presentation of approach to be used to guide participants through best practices in digital marketing and social media management, incorporating specific scenarios similar to what National Standards Bodies (NSB) encounter, as part of the training.
To ensure that the training is not just beneficial to participants but practical in nature, it will be necessary to build practical deliverables into the training to ensure it is as hands-on as is possible. As such, the consultant will be asked to utilise three scenarios:
- a campaign for company’s anniversary celebrations;
- a digital campaign for the sale/introduction of a specific standard;
- an information campaign explaining or informing on the role of their NSB and its’ importance to a specific target group;
These scenarios are to be used in the training to assist participants in understanding how to approach the scenarios, inclusive of campaign team composition, campaign ideation, content creation, content dissemination and evaluation. Participants should use these scenarios to think through a campaign of their choosing, and submit activities as proof of having participated and applied the lessons learnt.
- Host a face-to-face training session in Digital marketing and social media management
Host a one-day training session in digital marketing and social media management, for approximately 25 individuals of 16 NSBs.
This training is to be conducted at the end of October and a post-training report with recommendations is to be submitted to the CROSQ Secretariat for approval, no more than one (1) week after completion of the training execution.
This consultancy generally requires the services of one key expert and is open to nationals of CARIFORUM Member States. The appointed consultant must meet the following minimum requirements:
Qualifications and Skills
- A post-graduate degree in Marketing, Social Media Management, Communications, Information and Communications Technology or relevant discipline
- Professional training in social media management or use of online platforms
- At least five (5) years of practical, demonstrative experience in digital marketing, communications, or public relations, or information technology would be an asset.
- Demonstration of work in social media management will be considered a plus.
CARICOM-related Professional Experience with:
- The CARICOM system and its organs and bodies
- CARIFORUM Quality Infrastructure Institutions
- Demonstrated and practical experience in delivering training in digital marketing and social media management
- Good communication skills, both orally and in writing, interpersonal skills and the ability to work well with others in a collaborative environment
The consultant is required to deliver the following for approval, with times shown as benchmarked from the date of the start of the assignment:
- Proposed areas to be covered in a one-day training workshop
- Presentation of approach and materials to be used for the training of individuals in digital marketing and social media management, utilizing select scenarios during execution of training and group work
- Post-training workshop report with recommendations
The consultancy is expected to be completed within five (5) man days.
The proposal is required in English. The deadline for submission of Proposals is no later than 4:00 pm (AST) on October 10, 2022 and sent by email to Mr. Terry Hutchinson at terry.hutchinson@crosq.org and copied to Ms. Patrine Hinds at patrine.hinds@crosq.org and Ms. Latoya Burnham at latoya.burnham@crosq.org. Any proposal received after this deadline will not be considered. CROSQ reserves the right to negotiate rates with the most technically eligible respondent.
*Download full TOR for Evaluation Guidelines.
Offer ended on October 10, 2022
