Public Procurement and SME Participation Specialist – Management Consulting Services

Result of Service

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND TIMELINES / RESULT OF SERVICE

The International Consultant is expected to deliver the following key outputs throughout the contract period from 4 January 2027 to 15 March 2027.

All deliverables must be:

1. Submitted in English (unless otherwise specified).
2. Approved by the ITC Hiring Manager.
3. Delivered in line with the project timeline and standards.

Output 1: Current eligibility, qualification and award criteria are assessed, ensuring identification of principal bottlenecks. Timeline: 21 January 2027

Output 2: Draft technical note is prepared, providing practical recommendations for enhancing the eligibility, qualification, and award criteria, in line with international best practices. Timeline: 21 February 2027

Output 3: Principal findings and recommendations of the technical note are shared with national stakeholders, their feedback is collected and incorporated in the final version of the concept note. The final technical note is shared with ITC and national stakeholders, together with a brief plan of further actions. Timeline: 15 March 2027

Work Location

Home-based / International consultant / No travel

Expected duration

04/01/27 - 15/03/27

Duties and Responsibilities

BACKGROUND:.

The Making Trade Happen (MTH) programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC), supports Jordan in strengthening export competitiveness, improving market linkages with the United Kingdom, and advancing a more enabling environment for services trade. MTH builds on the achievements of previous UK Trade Partnerships (UKTP) cycles and introduces a more integrated, market-driven approach to supporting Jordanian firms and institutions. During the current project cycle, MTH is implementing targeted interventions in three priority sectors - agribusiness, management consulting services, and digital gaming - while also advancing trade policy dialogue and strengthening national capacities for services trade data collection. Within this framework, the programme is supporting the development and international competitiveness of Jordan's management consulting services sector. Under the 2025–2026 programme cycle, ITC has collaborated closely with government counterparts to assess the policy and regulatory framework governing management consulting services in Jordan. This work resulted in a comprehensive regulatory assessment and a roadmap identifying the key structural and regulatory constraints affecting the sector's competitiveness, growth, and export potential. Through a series of public–private dialogue sessions, stakeholders validated the findings and identified three priority areas for follow-up: (i) uncertainty surrounding the tax treatment of exported management consulting services, particularly under Mode 2 supply; and (ii) inconsistencies in business registration, licensing, and activity classification, which create administrative barriers and limit firms' ability to operate, grow, and export, and (iii) uncertain qualification and award criteria for participation of management consulting companies in public tenders. Against this background, ITC seeks to recruit an International Consultant to build on the previous work and facilitate the implementation of the priority action focusing on qualification and awards criteria for participation of management consulting companies in public tenders in Jordan. The Consultant will provide technical expertise and collaborate with the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply (MoITS) and other stakeholders in reviewing the existing criteria and suggesting the new classification of qualification and award criteria for participation of management consulting companies in tenders, based on international best practice examples.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

The International Consultant will work under the supervision of ITC and in close coordination with national counterparts to support the implementation of the roadmap developed during the previous phase of the project. The assignment will comprise the following activities:

1. Review the existing eligibility, qualification, and award criteria for participation in public tenders in Jordan, with focus on management consulting services. The Consultant will engage with the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply (MoITS) and other national stakeholders to assess the current classification of eligibility, qualification, and award criteria for participation of management consulting companies in public tenders in Jordan. In particular, the Consultant will:
   
   • Examine the current conditions for management consulting companies and companies from similar sectors.
   • Discuss the current situation with national stakeholders.
   • Identify principal bottlenecks, preventing small and medium-sized companies from more active participation in tenders.
2. Develop a technical note with recommendations for enhancing the eligibility, qualification, and award criteria. Drawing on the consultations and assessment undertaken under Activity 1, the Consultant will develop a technical note setting out practical recommendations for enhancing the eligibility, qualification, and award criteria, in line with international best practice examples. Particular attention should be given to:
   
   • Enhancing the criteria for assuring more active participation of small and medium-sized enterprises.
   • Identification of best-practice examples from countries using different sets of criteria.
   • Possibility of replicating sets of criteria already used for other service sectors.
   • Suggestion of different scenarios for consideration of national stakeholders.
3. Validate the technical note with national counterparts. The Consultant will participate in a validation process with MoITS and other relevant national institutions, to discuss and refine the proposed recommendations. The Consultant will:
   
   • Prepare the list of main findings and proposed scenarios and disseminate them among the relevant national counterparts.
   • Provide additional information, where requested by Jordanian stakeholders.
   • Incorporate feedback from national stakeholders and finalize the technical note, ensuring that the recommendations are practical, aligned with national priorities, and consistent with relevant international standards and best-practice examples.
   • Share the final version of the technical note with national stakeholders, together with a brief action plan outlining the next steps.

Copyright Clause: The consultant has to ensure that she has obtained the necessary permissions with regard to intellectual property rights required to perform her services under this consultancy contract and for the subsequent dissemination by ITC in any form. Documentary proof is to be submitted to ITC. Should any license fee be due for the use of copyrighted materials of third parties, the consultant shall request the prior written permission from ITC. ITC champions workforce diversity, inclusion, gender equality and gender parity and considers all qualified persons - of all genders - equally, including those with disabilities, without discrimination or prejudice of any kind.

Qualifications/special skills

• An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in public procurement, law, economics, public administration, business administration, public policy, management, or another relevant field.
• Additional training or specialization in SME development, regulatory reform, competition policy, or public sector governance would be an advantage.
• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in public procurement, procurement policy, regulatory reform, public sector advisory services, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience in reviewing and analyzing public procurement legislation, regulations, tendering procedures, and eligibility, qualification, and award criteria.
• Proven experience in developing policy recommendations, technical notes, analytical reports, or reform proposals related to public procurement or public sector governance.
• Previous experience in international development projects, technical assistance assignments, or institutional capacity-building initiatives would be an asset.
• Experience in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, particularly Jordan, would be an advantage.
• Strong command of international public procurement standards, best practices, and internationally recognized reference frameworks.
• Excellent writing skills, ability to convey technical topics to non-technical audience.

Languages

• Advanced level of English (spoken and written) is required.
• Knowledge of Arabic would be an asset, particularly for stakeholder consultations and analysis of national legislation and procurement documentation.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.