Regional Trade for Development – Policy Review of the RCEP E-Commerce Chapter to enhance MSME engagement

⁠⁠⁠Through the AANZFTA Implementation Support Program (AISP) and the RCEP Implementation Support Program (RISP), RT4D provides tailored support to enhance the capabilities of ASEAN Member States by strengthening skills, building networks, facilitating policy options and ensuring that trade benefits everyone, including Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), women and people with disability.

The Governments of Australia and New Zealand have committed up to AUD 53.3 million to fund RT4D from 2020–21 to 2027–28.

Project Summary

The RCEP Implementation Support Program (RISP), implemented through the Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) Facility, supports ASEAN Member States to realise the benefits of RCEP through capacity-building support and access to technical expertise.

The project ‘Policy Review of the RCEP E-Commerce Chapter to enhance MSME engagement’ is approved under the RISP. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of government agencies and relevant stakeholders to review, interpret and implement the RCEP E-Commerce Chapter, while supporting greater participation of MSMEs in regional digital trade. It will:

• undertake a comparative review of Vietnam’s implementation of the RCEP E-Commerce Chapter, including relevant legal and regulatory developments, implementation gaps and emerging policy issues;
• benchmark Viet Nam against selected RCEP Parties, where data permit, to identify relevant regulatory approaches and good practices;
• develop two illustrative case studies, including one from an ASEAN Member State and one from a non-ASEAN RCEP Party;
• conduct targeted consultations with government agencies, business associations, private-sector representatives and organisations representing MSMEs, women entrepreneurs and other relevant groups;
• develop a Policy Review Report with evidence-based recommendations to strengthen the implementation of RCEP e-commerce commitments, inform policy and regulatory reforms, and support Viet Nam’s preparation for the 2027 RCEP General Review; and
• deliver a two-day regional policy validation and capacity-building workshop to validate the findings of the Policy Review Report, exchange implementation experiences and identify priority actions.

The Opportunity

RT4D is seeking a consulting firm/organisation or consortium (hereinafter referred to as “the Consultant”) to manage and deliver both technical and event organisation services for the project, in close collaboration with the RT4D Facility and the Project Proponent. The final Project outputs will be subject to comments, amendments, and approval from the RT4D Facility Team, the Project Proponent and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The services will be delivered in accordance with the requirements set out in the Request for Proposal (RFP) and Terms of Reference (ToR).

Timeline:

  Invitation Issue Date: Tuesday, 13 October 2026

Last Queries Date: 11:59 PM (ICT) Tuesday, 27 October 2026 

Closing Date and Time: 11:59 PM (ICT) Thursday, 5 November 2026

Please check RT4D’s website for complete ToR.

RFP – Policy Review of the RCEP E-Commerce Chapter to enhance MSME engagement | Regional Trade for Development