Status: CLOSED
Deadline of submission: 9 September 2024, 12.00 PM Jakarta time (GMT+7)
DESCRIPTION:
This Terms of Reference (TOR) is issued for the purpose of retendering the Development of the APASTI 2026-2035: Phase II. This is due to an expansion of the scope of work from the original TOR.
The expanded scope includes:
Final Review of APASTI 2016-2025: A comprehensive analysis that incorporates impact-based solutions and customized insights into the STI landscape of ASEAN Member States, along with curated recommendations on technical approaches for AMS consideration.
Strengthened Social Inclusion and Gender Analysis: An enhanced focus on social inclusion and gender analysis in the Final Review of APASTI 2016-2025, including a dedicated section on social inclusion and gender mainstreaming in the APASTI 2026-2035 policy document.
Alignment with AEC Strategic Plans Post-2025: Ensuring harmonization between APASTI 2026-2035 and the AEC Strategic Plans Post-2025.
Terms of Reference: Retendering_TOR_APASTI Phase II
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
Tenderers shall send their Technical Proposal and Financial Proposal via two separate emails, attaching the respective cover letters and materials specified in Section VIII above and other supporting documents to tender@aus4aseanfutures.org and aus4aseanfutures@asean.org, no later than 9 September 2024 at 12:00 PM Jakarta time (GMT +7). Large documents (>5MB) can be submitted in parts through several emails. Late submissions will be disqualified.
Tenderers shall use the following email subjects when separately submitting their technical and financial proposals:
⟩ Technical Proposal_”Development of the APASTI 2026-2035: Phase II”_Name of Vendor
⟩ Financial Proposal_”Development of the APASTI 2026-2035: Phase II”_Name of Vendor
For Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), please visit https://www.aus4aseanfutures.org/tender-frequently-asked-question/. Any queries on the TOR should be sent by email to query@aus4aseanfutures.org before 31 August 2024. Please use the subject line: “Query – APASTI 2026-2035.”
Response to received queries will be published at Aus4ASEAN Futures’ website (https://www.aus4aseanfutures.org/). No individual responses or replies will be provided for queries. Please check the page regularly for updates.
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RESPONSES TO QUERIES
1. Seeking for the extension for the deadline of submission (Posted on 28 August 2024)
Deadline has been extended to 9 September 2024, 12.00 PM Jakarta time (GMT+7)
2. Scope of Deliverable 1: Review of APASTI 2016 – 2025: APASTI 2016 – 2025 captured several key topics including strategic collaboration among stakeholders, innovative system and smart partnership to nurture STI enterprises, raise awareness and strengthen STI enculturation. However, the project ToR, under “Output and Deliverable” section, emphasizes the analysis of gender disparities and social inclusion & gender equalities implementation. Could you please confirm whether this project will specifically focus on Thrust 2 of APASTI 2016 – 2025 “Enhance mobility of scientists and researchers, people-to-people connectivity and strengthen engagement of women and youth in STI”? (Posted on 30 August 2024)
The project is not solely focused on Thrust 2 of APASTI 2016-2025. Instead, it encompasses a broader range of objectives as will be outlined in the APASTI 2026-2035, a crucial policy document for advancing STI in the region. While the analysis of gender disparities, social inclusion, and the implementation of gender equality are key elements, they are cross-cutting issues that should be mainstreamed across all components of the APASTI 2026-2035.
3. Project approach and data gathering methodology: We understand that stakeholder consultation will play a significant role in the data and insight-gathering phase, in addition to secondary research, literature study, and comparative benchmarking. Will ASEAN or Aus4ASEAN Futures support this phase further? For instance, will there be consultation workshops or sessions where the selected consultant/firm can connect with relevant stakeholders from member states? (Posted on 30 August 2024)
Yes, a series of workshops will be conducted to gather input from various stakeholders. These workshops will be organized and managed by the selected consultant.
4. Continuation from Phase 1: Under section “Relationship to other activities” its mentioned that this project will be developed upon the groundwork lain by Phase 1; would you please advise what is the main items/areas/topics that has been determined in the phase 1, so we could analyse the impact for phase II project plan and adjust our approach accordingly? (Posted on 30 August 2024)
Phase 1 included a mid-term review of the current APASTI (2016-2025), conducted by the previous consultant. The review report, along with related documents, will be shared with the selected consultant.
5. Collaboration with CSIRO: In the ToR document, it’s also highlighted that the selected firm will collaborate with CSIRO — who are engaged to develop the foresight product. Could you please clarify the specific collaboration scheme mentioned in the document? Will CSIRO and selected firm work simultaneously or will CSIRO product development begin based on the result of this project? (Posted on 30 August 2024)
CSIRO has already begun work on developing the foresight report, which will support the development of APASTI 2026-2035. The completed report is expected to be ready by November 2024 and will be shared with the selected consultant at that time.
6. Is it a requirement to use the templates provided (ie.for CV’s), or would it be acceptable to use our own ensuring all of the detail is still provided? (Posted on 30 August 2024)
Whenever possible, kindly use the templates that we provided to allow the panel members provide consistent review for all technical proposals submitted.
7. Please confirm that the requirements of Form E (Technical Proposal (of up to 50 pages on an A4-sized page)) – was the 50 pages to be used for the Methodology section only, or are we to include all non-Financial information into the 50 page Technical proposal (as per page 11)? (Posted on 30 August 2024)
Kindly refer to the TOR. The Form E (page 21-25) should consist of all information specified in the template, including the consultant’s general information, approach and methodology, work plan and others. We also provided proposal checklist for your reference.
8. What (if any) non-publicly available information will we be provided with to support the analysis? Or, will we be provided with the required non-publicly available data to support the analysis? (Posted on 30 August 2024)
Please note that any requests for access to non-publicly available information will be reviewed, and can only be shared once they are approved by the ASEAN Secretariat and relevant sectoral bodies.
9. As per the Workplan on section IV, it is noted that the project will run from September 2024 to July 2025 (10 months). However, Section VI, notes that “The consultancy will be undertaken over a continuous effective period of 13 Calendar Month with approximately 480 person working days of various professional services. Work will need to commence immediately after contract signing.” Please clarify this. (Posted on 3 September 2024)
To clarify, the project is currently set to conclude by July 2025, as stated in Section IV of the Workplan. However, the consultancy period mentioned in Section VI, covering a continuous effective period of 13 calendar months, is intended to provide flexibility in case additional time is required to meet the project’s objectives and ensure satisfactory completion.
The actual duration may depend on the quality of the work and the satisfaction of the ASEAN Committee of Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI) with the outputs produced. Should the committee determine that the desired outcomes have been achieved earlier, the assignment may conclude by the specified date of July 2025. Conversely, if further work is deemed necessary, the period could extend up to 13 months, as stated.
For now, the project remains set to conclude by July 2025 unless further adjustments are needed.
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