International Procurement Consultant for Bhutan Transport and Trade Connectivity Project

ACCELERATING TRANSPORT AND TRADE CONNECTIVITY IN EASTERN SOUTH ASIA (ACCESS) – BHUTAN PROJECT REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (REoI) for Hiring Individual International Procurement Consultant

• Royal Government of Bhutan has secured the financing from the World Bank towards the cost of the proposed Accelerating Transport and Trade Connectivity in Eastern South Asia (ACCESS)-Bhutan Project , to be implemented partly the Department of Surface Transport (DoST), Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MoIT) and Government Technology (GovTech) Agency and intends to apply a part of the proceeds of this financing for the services of hiring of Individual International Procurement Consultant to be engaged with Project Management Unit, Department of Surface Transport.
• Scope of Services ;

The International Procurement Consultant will take part, as a member of the evaluation committee(s), in the evaluation of Bids/Proposals/Applications for Prequalification/Initial Selection, Request for Bids/Request for Proposals (RFB/RFP), Expressions of Interest, Technical Proposals, and Financial Proposals received from business entities competing for contracts, and prepare bid/proposal evaluation reports in case of international works/consultancy procurements following World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, Fifth Edition, September 2023 (“Procurement Regulations”) and the provisions stipulated in the Project Procurement Strategy for Development (PPSD) and the Procurement Plan (PP). In addition, s/he will also carry out the following activities, but not limited to

• Prepare/Review procurement documents, as necessary (periodic updates to the PPSD and Procurement Plan, proposals and standardized checklist, negotiation/clarification minutes templates, complaint log template etc. as appropriate.) and assist PMUs in finalizing the documents;
• Take part, as a member of the evaluation committee(s), in the evaluation of Bids/Proposals/Applications for Prequalification/Initial Selection, Request for Bids/Request for Proposals (RFB/RFP), Expressions of Interest, Technical Proposals, and Financial Proposals, and prepare bid/proposal evaluation reports in case of international goods/ works/consultancy procurements following World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, Fifth Edition, September 2023 (“Procurement Regulations”);
• Assist the PMU in drafting and finalizing contracts using World Bank SPDs, ensuring full consistency with the approved bidding documents;
• Provide advice and training to PMUs & PIUs members on procurement related matters on a need basis and as determined by the PMU. Develop reusable procurement tools, templates, checklists, and standard operating procedures;
• Provide assistance regarding contract management (during the performance of the contracts) issue if necessary;
• Review and operationalize Rated Criteria (where required), including drafting scoring guidance;
• Play active role to mitigate complaints (if any) arising out of the procurement activities, which may include review of the complaints vis-à-vis the respective procurement processes and documents.

The International Procurement Expert Consultant will have a significant role in assuring the integrity, fairness, and overall quality of procurement in conformance with the requirements of the guidelines of the World Bank and the procurement laws of Bhutan.

• Duration of services and Reporting

The Consultant shall be engaged on an intermittent, on-call basis over a period of two (2) years. The estimated level of effort required under this assignment is approximately one hundred fifty (150) person-days, to be utilized as and when services are requested by the Client in accordance with the agreed work plan. The International Procurement Consultant shall report to the Project Director, PMU-DoST, ACCESS Bhutan Project. The Consultant will be responsible for preparing required reports, maintaining timesheets, and developing presentation materials related to the assigned tasks.

• Selection Procedures

The ACCESS Bhutan Project now invites the eligible Applicants to submit the Expressions of Interests (EoI) for providing the services, as mentioned under scope of services. The Interested Applicants need to provide information demonstrating that s/he has the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the services. The selection criteria are: Education

• Graduation in Law / Finance / Procurement / Economics / Engineering/Statistics/Business Administration/ Management or any other relevant subject. A Master degree on related field shall have a preference
• Training on Public Procurement.
• Membership of professional body of international repute in Procurement / Purchasing / Supply Chain is preferred.

Experience

• 15 years’ general experience in public/private procurement.
• 3 years’ experience outside home country as procurement professional.
• In depth knowledge of technical, commercial and legal aspects of procurement in development projects, financed by international agencies and/ or the World Bank.
• Experience in procurement including evaluation of bids/proposals for internationally advertised complex goods/ works/ services contracts, particularly for large works procurement following FIDIC conditions of contract.
• Experience in procurement including evaluation of bids/proposals for internationally advertised complex contracts following the World Bank/other Multilateral Development Banks’ Procurement Guidelines. Experience in use of Rated Criteria and non-price attributes in international procurements; and Bank SPDs (RFB, RFP,) are desired.
• Prior experience in procurement in transport/infrastructure sector.
• Experience of working in the South Asia region is desired.
• Fluency in English is necessary.

Applicants are required to submit their Expressions of Interest (EoI), comprising of a CV (including employment history with duties and responsibilities) and a forwarding letter describing briefly the reasons that the applicant considers him/her-self best suited to perform the assignment.

• The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraphs 3.13, 3.15, and 3.16 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, September 2023” (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.
• Detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) and other information will be available upon request from the address provided below either through email or in person. TOR is also available in www. moit.gov.bt.
• The consultant will be selected following the Selection of Individual Consultant method of the World Bank Procurement Regulations.
• Expression of Interest needs to be submitted (either through e-mail or in person or by mail) to the following address by 1400 hours (Bhutan Time, GMT +06 hours) on or before January 28, 2026. Please clearly mention “Expression of Interest (EOI) for Selection of Individual International Procurement Specialist in the e-mail’s subject line or on the top of the envelope.
• The authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all EOIs without assigning any reason, whatsoever.
• For any clarifications contact following during office hours;

Dechen Norbu, Procurement Specialist at dechennorbu@moit.gov.bt Agency: Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport Procurement method: Individual Consultant Selection Notice type: Request for Expression of Interest Status: Published Value: 80000.0 USD