| Title: | International Expert in Standards Development Platform |
| Main Duty Station and Location: | Home based |
| Mission/s to: | Home Based |
| Start of Contract (EOD): | 16/03/2026 |
| End of Contract (COB): | 30/06/2026 |
| Contract Type: | 110 person-days |
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the specialised agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalisation, and environmental sustainability. Under the Programme “Supporting business‑friendly and inclusive national and regional policies, strengthening productive capabilities and value chains,” funded by the European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (Delegation Agreement FED/2018/403‑924), UNIDO has been entrusted with a Project that constitutes the meso‑level component of the Programme.
The project component, entitled “Supporting quality and regulatory infrastructure, value chain-specific quality infrastructure services and quality culture promotion in the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States”, will contribute to the overarching objectives of the Project, namely, to increase the economic and social impact from ACP participation in the multi-lateral trading system. This will be achieved through increased competitiveness of SMEs and their products on local, regional and international markets, increased ACP consumer safety, and increased contribution of OACPS to the operation of the multi-lateral trading system.
This specific project component is designed to contribute to the overall programme objective by achieving three key outputs:
- Enhancing regional quality and regulatory infrastructure (Q&RI) governance;
- Strengthening the availability of value chain specific quality infrastructure (QI) Services; and
- Promoting Quality Culture and Practices.
The CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) is the Regional Technical Counterpart in the Caribbean for the ACP QI Programme. CROSQ is a regional inter-governmental organisation established by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in February 2002 to support economic development within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and is headquartered in Warrens, Barbados.
CROSQ’s main objectives are the development and harmonisation of standards, metrology, mutual recognition of accreditation and certification systems and facilitation of the achievement of international competitiveness of regional goods and services produced and provided in the Community. Since the inception of CROSQ, the focus has shifted over the years from regional standards development and standards harmonisation throughout the region to the development of the basic regional quality infrastructure architecture and equivalence.
Organisational Structure and Governance
CROSQ is governed by the Council of CROSQ, comprising representatives from each of the 15 CARICOM Member States’ National Standards Body (NSB) and a representative from the CARICOM Secretariat. This Council is responsible for recommending standards for approval, policy decisions, and defining the strategic direction of the Secretariat of CROSQ. The Secretariat of CROSQ is led by the Chief Executive Officer.
Regional Standard Development
The regional standards development process is a structured, consensus-based mechanism through which Member States collaborate to develop harmonised regional standards that support trade, consumer protection, and sustainable development. It typically begins with the identification of regional needs and priorities, followed by the establishment of a regional technical committee comprising experts nominated by the National Standards Bodies (NSBs) and key stakeholders. Draft regional standards are developed in alignment with relevant international standards and best practices, subjected to regional public consultation to ensure transparency and inclusiveness, and revised based on stakeholder feedback. The final draft is then reviewed and approved through the appropriate regional governance structures.
CROSQ is seeking to procure the services of an expert to develop a Digital Standards Development Platform. This platform is expected to facilitate a paperless and more efficient process for regional standards development within CARICOM.
The purpose of the requested services is to enable CROSQ to have a dynamic, interactive IT application that digitalises the process for developing standards at the regional level. The expected impact of the required services is to modernise the regional standards development process through improved efficiency, transparency, and enhanced stakeholder participation.
Under the direct supervision of the Chief Executive Officer of CROSQ, the expert will perform the duties outlined in the table below.
| Main Duties | Concrete/ measurable Outputs to be achieved | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Inception Meeting | Inception Report. The report should detail the methodology to be adopted as well as a detailed work plan and timelines. | Home based |
| Assess the readiness and capability of CROSQ Secretariat, Member States’ National Standards Bureaux (NSBs), and regional technical committee members to utilise a digital regional standards development platform, including an assessment of: (i) regional-level institutional, technical, and human resource capacities required for platform administration and governance; and (ii) national-level capacities required to support effective participation in a digitised regional standards development process. | Assessment report on the readiness and capability of CROSQ, Member States’ NSBs, and regional technical committee members to use a digital regional standards development platform. The report should evaluate institutional, technical, and human resource capacities at the regional and national levels and provide recommendations on the most suitable platform design and implementation approach. | Home-based |
| Develop Platform – to include, but not limited to: • Digitalisation of process forms • Voting system (multilayered – Council, TMC and Committees) • Document repository/archival system • Collaborative workspace for regional committees to include, but not limited to, co-authoring of documents, integrated meeting space, document sharing (meeting agenda, minutes) • Stakeholder access and participation tools to enable document viewing and member state commenting • Workflow management/standards lifecycle development and tracking, including revision alerts • Standards catalogue • E-Commerce/webstore • Security and data protection • Reporting and analytics • Testing and debugging of the Platform • Possible language translations (French, Dutch) Additionally: • The platform should be constructed to accommodate expanded functionality in the future, such as e-learning and Member State use • Platform design should consider the ease of onboarding users. • Training materials and user manuals for all user groups must be provided. • Specify the requirements and make recommendations for maintenance, support and sustainability of the platform | Fully functional digital platform, tested, debugged, and ready for deployment, with supporting documentation for administrators and users. A comprehensive report should be submitted documenting all platform functionalities, design rationale (future expansion, onboarding, user roles), testing and debugging results, guidance on maintenance, support and sustainability, and user manuals/training materials. | Home-based |
| Conduct training workshops with CROSQ Staff, NSB representatives, and other relevant personnel on the platform’s functions and features to ensure ease of use and seamless adoption. This should include training in the management of the e-Commerce/webstore functionality. The following should be submitted for approval prior to the training: • Training outline and agenda • Pre- and post-training evaluation forms | Training report. The report should include, but not limited to: • Outline of content delivered • Participants list • Results of evaluation • Recommendations for additional training, if required | Home-based |
| Facilitate sensitisation sessions on the digital regional standards development platform, to include support for the official launch of the platform, consultations and engagement with relevant stakeholders. This should include NSBs and, where applicable, stakeholders outside the NSBs. | Sensitisation report detailing all consultation and engagement sessions conducted, including the participants, topics covered, key feedback or recommendations received, and any follow-up actions proposed. | Home-based |
| Prepare and present a Final Report. | Final Report summarising the outcomes of all consultancy activities, including platform development, training, promotion, key findings, lessons learned, and recommendations for sustainability and future enhancements. | Home-based |
| Total days: | 110 |
110 person-days within 5 months
The expert is expected to possess a combination of education, skills, and experience relevant to the design, development, and implementation of digital platforms for standards development or comparable multi-stakeholder processes. Specifically, the consultant should demonstrate:
1. Education
- At least a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Systems Development, or a related field.
- Formal qualifications or equivalent professional experience in web application development (front-end and back-end), databases, APIs, and document management systems.
- Qualification or certification in information security (e.g. ISO/IEC 27001, CISSP, CISM), responsible for data protection, access control, and system integrity.
2. Professional Experience
- A minimum of 5 years practical experience in the design, development, and deployment of digital platforms, preferably for standards development, regulatory, or multi-stakeholder technical processes. Experts are required to provide examples of relevant work demonstrating their role and contributions in such projects, which may include links, screenshots, or brief project descriptions.
- Demonstrated ability to integrate collaborative workspaces, workflow management, document repositories, and e-commerce modules into a single platform. Experts should provide examples of previous projects illustrating this capability, including a brief description of their role, the modules integrated, and outcomes achieved.
- Experience conducting training, onboarding, and user support for diverse stakeholder groups. Experts should provide examples of previous projects illustrating this experience, including the type of users trained, training methods used, and outcomes achieved.
- Experience working with regional or international organisations, multi-country workflows, or technical committees.
3. Skills and Competences
- Strong technical knowledge of digital platform development tools, databases, and user interfaces.
- Ability to translate complex technical processes into user-friendly digital solutions.
- Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication, and presentation skills.
- Capacity to provide practical recommendations on sustainability, maintenance, and expansion of digital platforms.
- Excellent command of written and spoken English Language.
Other - Familiarity with Caribbean or regional multi-country institutional arrangements is desirable.
- Experience in ISO, regional, or national standards development processes or similar regulated technical workflows would be an asset.
Other
- Familiarity with Caribbean or regional multi-country institutional arrangements is desirable.
- Experience in ISO, regional, or national standards development processes or similar regulated technical workflows would be an asset.
The proposal must include a technical proposal in compliance with the Terms of Reference, as well as detailed descriptions of sub-activities and a comprehensive work plan. A financial proposal outlining the breakdown of consultancy charges must also be provided.
Curriculum Vitae(s) should be annexed to the submission. Proposals are to be submitted to Ms. Mara Abraham, Technical Officer – Standards, at mara.abraham@crosq.org and copied to Ms. Teyonna Delice-Mayers, General Project Officer – Project Implementation, at teyonna.delicemayers@crosq.org by 4:00 PM AST on Monday, 2 March 2026.
CROSQ reserves the right to negotiate rates with the most technically eligible respondent.
****Note: Only the successful applicants will be contacted.
