Framework Contract BENEF Lot 10 - Trade, Standards and Private Sector

2000 to 2005, 2009 to 2013

£ 41 million

European Commission

Identifying and sourcing consultants; bid preparation; logistical and financial management; and contract implementation.

Under this EC-managed Global Framework Contract system, each project can have a value of up to Euro 200,000.

Lot 10 - Trade, Standards and Private Sector encompasses a wealth of expertise falling under this broad heading and includes projects in the fields of:

Trade

• Trade policy development and reform, support to trade negotiations and regional economic integration
• Trade facilitation, customs reform
• Technical Barriers to Trade - legal and administrative framework, conformity assessment, metrology, standards and norms, support to producers
• Intellectual property
• Trade in Services (policy, legal, regulatory and institutional environment for business services, communication services, financial services, tourism and travel-related services, transport services and other services)
• Competition policy
• Trade and environment (assessment of environmental implications of production and trade, support formulation of mitigation merasures, integration of trade related issues in the formulation and implementation of environmental policies)
• Trade defence instruments, dispute settlement, transparenty and government procurement
• Trade Promotion
• Market Analysis and development

Private Sector

• Private sector development policy and reform
• Privatisation and industrial policy, including Public-Private Partnership
• Sector policies (textile, mining, pharmaceutical industry, agriculture, tourism etc.)
• SMEs policy development
• Regulatory reform for improving the business environment
• Investment promotion (domestic and foreign)
• Small and Medium enterprises (SME) support (inclusive advisory services for management, production, technology, r&d, marketing, partnership, export promotion, financing, human resources management)
• Commercial banking, inclusive financial services to Small, medium and microenterprises
• Financial sector regulation (including supervision of banking, insurance, pension funds, securities etc.)
• Corporate governance issues
• Supporting professional/commercial/advisory bodies (professional associations, decentralised advisory agencies, local consultancy strengthening, Chambers of commerce, European Information Correspondence Centres (EICC), business centres

The Framework Department is a dedicated unit at HTSPE, established specifically to administer, manage and implement Framework Contracts (FWC). With a track record of successful implementation since 1996, HTSPE has both wide and deep experience, supported by one of the largest in-house databases of consultants across the world.

HTSPE has been leading the consortium for Lot 10 since 2000 (with a break between 2006-9) as well as being active in Lot 1 Rural Development, Lot 6 Environment; Lot 9 Education, Employment & Social; and EC Frameworks COM 2007 Lots 2, 4 and 5.

Together with their consortium partners, HTSPE has worked on all main areas within the pre-defined scope of activities.

The expertise provided covers the entire project cycle from programme/project identification, preparation and formulation; programme/project implementation;  preparation of Terms of Reference or technical annexes or evaluation of offers; evaluation of grant proposals and evaluations (ex-ante, interim, and ex-post) and monitoring. The services provided also cover a number of cross-cutting issues, including:

• (cross-) sectoral policies and reforms;
• macro-economics;
• legislation, regulation and law enforcement;
• approximation of legislation (acquis communautaire);
• institution building;
• training and research;
• awareness raising, including information and communication; and
• public financial management.