10
TRADE AND TRANSPORT FACILITATION IN SOUTHEAST EUROPE PROGRAM
Terms of Reference
March 10, 2001
Provision of Consulting Services in User Survey Design and Implementation
I. BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW
1.1 The decade since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the break-up of the Yugoslav Federation has seen radical changes in the direction of traffic flows, economic dislocations, and the creation of new frontiers and customs services in Southeast Europe. Since then the countries in the region have sought economic stabilization and recovery with the hope of moving on the path to economic growth. The flow of traffic across national borders in the region has been constrained during the transition period, however, and traffic has been subject to long waiting times, raising the cost of transport services and making these services unpredictable. The collection of Customs revenues has fallen short, and smuggling and corruption have become widespread. These deficiencies have amounted to bottlenecks to trade. The macro-economic effects have been similar to those of protectionist trade policies, undermining incentives to improve competitiveness and deterring foreign direct investment.
1.2 To address these problems, the EU has been advising Romania and Bulgaria on customs reform and computerization, as part of its pre-accession assistance. In Bosnia and Herzegovina it has provided substantial direct operational support to build up the customs administrations after the war and likewise in Albania after the civil unrest of 1995-97. The Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) has, in parallel, set up national “PRO” Committees to mobilize the public and private sectors to simplify procedures and otherwise facilitate trade. Within this setting the governments of Albania, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYR Macedonia and Romania have each asked the World Bank to finance reforms of their Customs administrations and/or improvements to border crossing points under the Trade and Transport Facilitation in Southeast Europe (TTFSE) Program.
[for additional information see: http://www.seerecon.org/RegionalInitiatives/ttfse.htm].
1.3 The border crossing problem, by its nature, requires coordinated and mutually reinforcing action in many areas. The TTFSE Program, therefore, aims to integrate the efforts of the Governments, the EU, SECI, and the World Bank Group for: (i) physical improvements to border crossings; (ii) technical assistance to strengthen the customs administrations; (iii) the computerization of procedures at the border crossings and electronic filing of customs declarations; and (iv) improved exchange of information between the border control agencies and the business community, through seminars and the development of Internet web sites (“trade facilitation component”).
1.4 The countries participating in the TTFSE Program have signed a common Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a Regional Steering Committee (RSC). The RSC is to serve as a forum for: (i) the exchange of experience among the countries; (ii) the collective aligning of procedures to EU standards; and (iii) the coordination of operating practices at “paired” crossing points. The TTFSE Program, thereby, aims to meet its primary development objectives of: (i) reducing costs to trade and transport; and (ii) reducing smuggling and corruption at border crossings.
1.5 In conjunction with the preparation of the respective country projects, the world Bank staff of the TTFSE Team conducted stakeholder analysis and extensive interviews and surveys to identify trade impediments and their remedial actions (for a generic list of the stakeholders identified see Attachment 1, a sample of the format used for the focus groups is provided in Attachment 2, and a summary of the findings common to all countries is provided in Attachment 3). On the basis of consultations with freight forwarders, the PRO Committees, and the local Chambers of Commerce, the team also prepared comparative data on transport costs and waiting times for various key trading routes in the region. The activities planned under the Trade Facilitation Development Component of the respective projects under the TTFSE Program will build upon the participatory approaches used in the preparation of the projects and will annually update the data and information first obtained through survey instruments. This process is intended to foster opportunities for closer, more frequent, and more transparent contact and feedback between Customs and the trading community on a continuing basis.
1.6 In order to track progress in meeting the objectives of the national strategies for customs reforms prepared by each Customs administration, pilot sites have been identified for each project country. Performance indicators will be tracked through the gathering of data at these sites and surveys of users relating to corruption ( See Annex 1 of the respective country Project Appraisal Documents). The monitoring at these sites is the responsibility of the US Customs Advisory Team (hereafter the Advisory Team) the USA is providing as part of its assistance to the TTFSE Program. The PRO Committees have agreed to assist the Advisory Team in the survey of users concerning corruption. [1]
II. OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY
2.1 The objective of the Consultancy is to collect data and obtain feedback from such users of Customs services as freight forwarders and road transport firms and thereby (i) assist the monitoring of the reform of the respective Customs agencies and (ii) strengthen the capacity of the local Chambers of Commerce and PRO Committees to assist in the provision of such information. The Consultancy will build upon the participatory approach used in the preparation of the TTFSE Program.
2.2 The national Chambers of Commerce and the PRO Committees in each country have already indicated their interest in using their established relations with the commercial sector to track the progress of the TTFSE. In order to better represent the interests and concerns of this community, they have initiated dialogue with user organizations as well as with specific individual users. The process followed, however, needs to be strengthened and regularized and fit to the specific monitoring requirements of the TTFSE Program. As a side benefit, the transfer of skills during this assignment is expected to assist the local partners establish the conduct of such surveys as sustainable parts of their regular annual program operations.
III. APPROACH
3.1 In order to carry out the monitoring function of the TTFSE Program, the World Bank will contract for the services of a specialist in survey methodology (hereafter the Consultant). The Consultant will also assure the transfer of appropriate methodology to local partners in each country, first during Cycle One by providing the design, approach, delivery, and analysis of the findings for the survey instruments indicated below and then, during Cycle Two and Cycle Three, by monitoring the implementation of these tasks by the local partners.
3.2 The Consultant will provide designs for (i) the collection of comparative economic data on the costs and time related to cross-border trade (See Attachment 4), and (ii) the identification of general issues and constraints to regional trade by means of user focus groups and periodic surveys, following an adaptation of the model provided in Attachment 2 and including a focus on the incidence of corruption. [2] These designs will be presented to the Governments and the World Bank for review as part of the inception report.
3.3 The Consultant will then visit each of the TTFSE countries to consult with the Chambers of Commerce, PRO Committees and other local stakeholders. The existing programs and feedback mechanisms of these groups will be reviewed, and the Consultant will conclude agreements with the local partners for their collaboration in the delivery of the survey instruments.
3.4 The Consultant will provide the design for the survey instruments to be used, oversee their delivery, review the results, adjust the instruments according to the findings, prepare national and regional summations of the findings, and facilitate a discussion of the findings at the regional level. Presentations at the regional level will be made to both the regional Steering committee of the TTFSE and regional meetings of SECI-PRO.
3.5 The surveys will be conducted once a year for three consecutive years. The Consultant will take the lead in the initial cycle of actions, but in the two subsequent cycles the Consultant will play a monitoring role, facilitating the transfer of survey skills to the Chamber of Commerce and/or other local partners in association with the national PRO Committees. The consultancy should lead to the sustainability of the survey methodology. During all three cycles the Consultant will be responsible for quality control of the survey process.
3.6 In order to facilitate comparison over time and within the region, the survey instruments are to follow a common pattern and frequency (See Sections IV and VII).
IV. SCOPE OF WORK
4.1 The Scope of Work (SOW) for the Consultant is as follows:
Cycle One
(A) Mobilization, Familiarization with Project Documents, and Preliminary Consultations: The Consultant will be prepared to mobilize the resources required to perform the assignment within thirty (30) days or less of the signing of the contract. The Consultant will become familiar with the Project Appraisal Documents (PADs), especially Annex 1, the user surveys conducted in conjunction with project appraisal, and any other documents suggested and provided by the World Bank TTFSE Team. The Consultant will analyze the survey needs to be met by the assignment.
Preliminary consultations at this step should include the World Bank Senior Customs Specialist in Sophia. These consultations would take into account (i) methodological issues, (ii) linkage to other TTFSE objectives, and (iii) coherence with the reform plans of the respective Customs Administrations, ensuring the applicability of the macro-indicators and feedback as management tools.
(B) Design of Survey Instruments: Based on the requirements indicated in the PADs, the Consultant will design (i) the data collection methodology to update the economic and cost figures, and (ii) the format for stakeholder focus groups. The data and concerns identified will be compared to the previous year. The baseline will be the data in the PADs and the findings of the surveys during the preparation of the project. The data to be tracked include the data on the map in the PADs and regional indicators and transport data indicated in Annex 1 of the PADs (see Attachment 4 for details).
(C) Preparation of Inception report: The Consultant will provide an overview of the approach to be taken, including any variations on the original proposal and time schedule, and the design of the survey instruments. This report will be provided to the TTFSE Regional Trade Facilitation Coordinator in Washington for review and clearance.
(D) Consultation with Local Partners and Stakeholders: The Consultant will meet with the national Chambers of Commerce and PRO Committees, which will serve as the local partners for the delivery of the survey instruments. Particular consideration relative to the delivery of the instruments will be given to determining existing skills, areas of deficiency, and the means of developing an integrated approach. The Consultant will consider the comparative advantage of the local partners in determining their role in the survey process. The national Chambers of Commerce may be more skilled in the conduct of focus groups and the Pro Committees may be more helpful in the collection of economic data. Consultations will also be held with:
-the director of the Advisory Team (US Customs)
-the World Bank Senior Customs Specialist (Resident in Sofia)
-the Project Implementation Team for each national project
-professional organizations for road transport operators and other user organizations
(E) Delivery of Cycle One Survey Instruments: During the first cycle, the Consultant will work with the local partners, supervising the delivery of the instruments.
(F) Preparation of the National Summaries: The Consultant will prepare a summation of the data collected, in tables and narration, indicating any new trends or shifts and summarizing the concerns and conclusions identified in the Focus Groups. Comparison will be made to the base and previous years.
(G) Review and Adjustment of Instruments: The Consultant will review the design of the instruments based on the results obtained and make recommendations for changes in the design for use in Cycle Two.
(H) Preparation of the Regional Synthesis: The Consultant will prepare a regional synthesis, in tables and narration, based on the national summaries. Comparison will be made to the base and previous years.
(I) Presentation to Regional Forums: The Consultant will prepare and provide a presentation of the Regional Synthesis to the Regional Steering Committee of the TTFSE and SECI PRO meetings.
(J) Preparation of interim Report # 1: The Consultant will prepare and provide an interim report that (i) includes an overview of activities to date, including an attachment of all reports submitted to date, (ii) identifies any concerns or issues that need to be resolved before the next cycle of surveys is undertaken, and (iii) indicates any adjustments to the schedule or survey methodology.
Cycle Two
(K) Monitor Delivery of Cycle Two Survey Instruments: The Consultant will monitor the delivery of the survey instruments by the local partners.
(L) Monitor the Preparation of National Summaries: The Consultant will monitor the preparation of the National Summaries by the local partners.
(M) Monitor the Preparation of Regional Synthesis: The Consultant will monitor the preparation of the Regional Synthesis by the local partners. Comparison will be to the base and previous years.
(N) Presentation to Regional Forums: The Consultant will prepare and provide a presentation of the Regional Synthesis to the Regional Steering Committee of the TTFSE and SECI PRO meetings.
(O) Prepare Interim Report # 2: The Consultant will prepare and provide an interim report that (i) includes an overview of activities during Cycle Two, including an attachment of all reports submitted during Cycle Two, (ii) identifies any concerns or issues than need to resolved before the next cycle of surveys is undertaken, and (iii) indicates any adjustments to the schedule or survey methodology.
Cycle Three
(P) Monitor Delivery of Cycle Three Survey Instruments: The Consultant will monitor the delivery of the survey instruments by the local partners.
(Q) Monitor the Preparation of the National Summaries: The Consultant will monitor the preparation of the National Summaries by the local partners.
(R) Monitor the Preparation of the Regional Synthesis: The Consultant will monitor the preparation of the Regional Synthesis by the local partners. Comparison will be to the base and previous years.