Development Executives needs to engage two technical experts, on short-term basis (26 person days each), for this short-term assignment in one of its co-managed projects.

1. Positions:

• Trade Consultant, Market Expert
• Trade Consultant, Sector Expert

2. Objectives:

The objectives of this study are as follows:

1. Provide a landscape assessment of US-Pakistan trade.
2. Provide an assessment of future trading needs of US and Pakistan.
3. Develop US-Pakistan trade market assessment and profiles for sectors/sub-sectors with high trade potential. 
4. Develop a medium-term roadmap for IPA’s trade related interventions.

3. Specific Tasks:

The deliverables of this study will be a draft and final report in the USAID report template. The consultant will ensure that these meet the standards set out in the USAID style guide and are free from spelling, grammar or formatting errors and are suitable to be published in the public domain.

The consultants may be requested to present initial findings to USAID and/or IPA team. During this briefing, the consultants will secure agreement with USAID/IPA team on the proposed stakeholder consultation plan as well as the list of high potential sectors/sub-sectors that will be analyzed and presented in the report. 

The report should include:

• Landscape Assessment 
  • Regulatory framework assessment which contains an analysis of laws, policies and treaties (e.g., TIFA, etc.) governing US – Pakistan trade. The analysis will also discuss how effectively the policy regime supports US- Pakistan trade and highlight any changes that can be expected in the short to medium-term.
  • Institutional framework assessment which will include analysis about public, private and international entities that play a role in facilitating flow of trade between US and Pakistan. Also, covered here will be other market participants, such as, transport companies, export and import businesses, quality and standard setting entities and any other entities that play a vital role in trading activities.
  • Trade infrastructure assessment which will cover physical infrastructure available for trading activities, technical infrastructure (e.g., Pakistan Single Window, etc.), and, financial infrastructure (e.g., availability of credit and financing for trade-related activities).
• Market assessment
  • Briefly discuss World trade trends and how they impact US – Pakistan trade.
  • Based on the analysis presented here, briefly discuss future trading needs of US and Pakistan in the short to medium-term. 
  • The market assessment will provide analysis around the trends and volume of trade between US and Pakistan. The assessment will highlight opportunities and constraints faced by domestic firms that want to trade with the US and will identify (based on evidence and analysis) those sectors/sub-sectors where there is significant potential for trade expansion.
• Sector profiles
  • Sector profiles will be developed for each sector/sub-sector where potential for trade expansion exists. These profiles will quantify the potential increases in trade volumes, discuss sectors/sub-sectors competitiveness, and assess the impact of increased trade in terms of economic growth, job creation, women’s economic empowerment, environmental impact, and/or other spillovers to the local economy.  In selecting these sectors/sub-sectors, special attention will be given to:
    • Sectors/sub-sectors where Pakistan can increase its share of US trade and/or increase its value addition in order to tap into the higer end market.
    • Sectors/sub-sectors where Pakistan can diversify trade from other markets to the US market.
    • Upcoming/non-traditional sectors/sub-sectors that have potential for diversification, value addition and ability to make significant contributions to the GDP.  
• Based on the above analysis, develop a medium-term roadmap for IPA’s trade related interventions. These recommendations should be achievable within the resources available to the program. The roadmap will also identify opportunities for synergies by leveraging support being delivered under the other program workstreams (e.g., business enabling environment support, FDI support, IP Fund, etc.).

Detailed Scope of Work is attached with this advertisement.

4.     Required Qualifications

Required qualifications for the Market Expert and the Sector Expert are as follows:

• Desk based research and in-country research methodology design
• Knowledge of business environment and trade reform
• Strong / excellent written english
• Extensive knowledge of one of the specified sectors, including knowledge of regional trade
• Experience of conducting sector based analyses
• Network of contacts in Pakistan for consultations
• Knowledge of trends in trade from likely source countries, including the US
• Experience leading international research work

5.       Duty Station:

The consultants will work with the related IPA personnel, based in Islamabad. Field visits to various locations for consultations may take place.

6. Duration of the Assignment: 

The assignment is planned to take place as per a start date of on, or around, July 15, 2022 and end-date of on, or around, September 1, 2022.