1. The Alliance
The Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation (the Alliance) is a public-private partnership for trade led growth jointly hosted by the World Economic Forum, the International Chamber of Commerce and the Center for International Private Enterprise in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
The Alliance’s work is designed to contribute to nationally led efforts, in developing and least developed countries, to implement the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). It brings together public and private stakeholders as equal partners to identify trade facilitation issues and jointly design and deliver improvements that result in commercially quantifiable results.
The Alliance is supported by the governments of Canada, the European Union, Germany, and Sweden and works with private sector partners from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to the world’s largest multinationals.
2. Project Background
Following the conclusion of negotiations in September 2025, the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) is expected to be signed in the near future, with entry into force shortly afterwards. Alliance discussions with public and private sector stakeholders have confirmed the need to make practical preparations for the operationalisation of IEU-CEPA. It is understood that the need for a smooth transition is particularly acute in the strategic, export oriented sectors of Textiles, Apparel and Footwear (TAF).
The Alliance is working with Indonesian stakeholders to ensure that TAF export processes for are efficient and CEPA-ready. Several areas for investigation have been identified, including administrative processes around:
- Certification of origin for Indonesian TAF exports.
- Product classification (HS classification) of Indonesian TAF exports.
- Customs export declarations for TAF
- Export-related documentation for TAF processed by Other Government Agencies (OGAs)
Other issues raised by stakeholders to be investigated include:
- Potential variations in local process / documentation requirements between the major TAF manufacturing hubs of West, Central and East Java.
- Applying lessons from other Free Trade Agreements to both improve process effectiveness and avoid potential errors:
- Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) already operational in Indonesia
- Regional equivalents of IEU-CEPA (e.g. EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement)
3. Objective of the Assignment
The objective of the assignment is to provide the Alliance and Indonesian stakeholders with an independent, evidence-based assessment of whether TAF export processes are efficient and CEPA-ready and, if gaps are detected, what are the options for addressing them.
4. Scope of Work
The scope of work includes:
- Step-by-step mapping existing TAF export processes
- Actors involved
- Documentary requirements
- Other dependencies
- Approximate time and cost
- Potential variations between Greater Jakarta / Banten, West Java, Central Java, DIY and East Java hubs.
- Pain point identification within existing TAF export processes that increase time / cost and reduce reliability
- Analysis of the pain points’ root causes.
- Identification of gaps between current TAF export processes and those required to maximise IEU-CEPA benefits.
- Analysis of options for process changes to address identified pain points or gaps.
- The evidence, conditions, risks and dependencies that the Alliance should consider in determining whether to proceed with further project development.
5. Methodology
The consultant is expected to make use of a standard Alliance validation approach including:
- Desk review.
- Public and private sector consultation.
- Field interviews and site visits.
- Process mapping.
- Regulatory analysis.
- Prioritisation and feasibility assessment.
- Development of implementation recommendations.
6. Deliverables
Deliverable 1: Validation Plan
- Methodology.
- Workplan.
- Stakeholder engagement plan.
- Interview guide.
Deliverable 2: Validation Report
- Stakeholder mapping.
- Process maps.
- Diagnostic assessment.
- Root-cause analysis.
- Opportunity assessment.
Deliverable 3: Future Options Paper
- Assessment of alternative options for further Alliance work.
- Indicative cost-benefit findings.
- Prioritisation.
- Recommended approach.
Deliverable 4: Alliance Validation Workshop
Presentation of findings to stakeholders and elicitation of feedback.
7. Required Qualifications and Experience
Consultant Education / Professional Experience
- Degree in a relevant field
- 5 years of relevant experience in trade facilitation
Legal Status
- Bids are welcome from individuals, partnerships or companies
- Consultant / consultancy must be registered in Indonesia and legally permitted to carry out work there
Technical Competencies
- Strong understanding of:
- Trade facilitation reforms
- Rules of origin and certification methods
- Product classification
- Customs procedures and clearance processes (including OGAs)
- Operation of Free Trade Agreements
- Demonstrated ability to:
- Translate complex problems into clear diagnostic findings and preliminary project options.
- Design practical, implementable solutions
- Work across systems and stakeholders
Core Skills
- Strong analytical and structuring ability
- Excellent stakeholder management and facilitation skills
- Clear written communication style
8. Location and Duration
The consultant must be:
- Based in Indonesia
- Willing and able to travel to trade / commercial / logistics hubs within Indonesia as needed
It is expected that:
- Total effort for this assignment will not exceed 60 person days.
- The consultant will be available to commence activities in early Dec-26
9. Reporting Line
The successful applicant will report to the Alliance Indonesia Lead and work closely with:
- Alliance Asia Programme Team
- Alliance Management, M&E / M&B and Communications teams
- Local stakeholders
- Relevant Alliance private-sector partners
10. Submission of Proposals
Interested consultants should submit a Technical and Financial Proposal along with relevant CVs, in PDF format to: Christopher Holden (christopher.holden@iccwbo.org) with the subject line: “Request for Consultancy Services: Indonesia Project Validation [YOURNAME]” by 11:59pm on 18-Nov-26.
Please note that submission of a proposal in the manner described above will deem all terms and conditions of this Request for Services have been accepted by the Bidder and incorporated into its proposal unless specifically notified otherwise.
11. No Obligation to Award
The issuance of this Request for Services (RFS) does not constitute a commitment by the Alliance to award a contract to any respondent. The Alliance reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to reject any or all proposals, to cancel the RFS process at any time, and to take no action based on the proposals received.
