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Liberia Investment, Finance and Trade Project
Liberia
OP****
Request for Expression of Interest
Published
LR-MOCI-500831-CS-QCBS
Quality And Cost-Based Selection
English
Jul 31, 2025 17:00
Jul 11, 2025
Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Julius Saye-Kehnel
Ministerial Complex Congo Town Tubman Blvd, Monrovia,
Liberia
Liberia
****
REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA
MINISTRY OF COMMERCE INDUSTRY (MoCI)
Liberia Investment, Finance Trade Project (LIFT-P)
INSURANCE BUILDING, 5TH STREET-SINKOR, OPPOSITE CONEX GAS STATION
MONROVIA, LIBERIA
P.O. Box 9041, 1000 Monrovia, 10 Liberia
Email: ****@moci.gov.lr /www.moci.gov.lr
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (REOI)
(CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRM SELECTION)
Liberia Investment, Finance and Trade Project (LIFT-P)
Project ID: ****
Credit Number 7037-LR
Grant Number D9690-LR
Recruitment of Consultancy Firm to Collate the Information and Support the Implementation of a Functional Web-based Trade Information Portal (TIP) for Liberia
REF. No.: LR-MOCI-500831-CS-QCBS
The Republic of Liberia through the Ministry of Commerce Industry has received Financing from the International Development Association (IDA) towards the cost of implementing the Liberia Investment, Trade Finance Project (LIFT-P)
Key Objectives of the Assignment
The key objective of this assignment is to engage the services of an experienced consultancy firm to support the Government of Liberia in the development, population, and implementation of a functional, user-friendly, and sustainable Trade Information Portal. The portal will provide accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information on all trade-related laws, procedures, and documentation requirements in Liberia.
The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can found at the link below: hppt //: www.moci.gov.lr / www.emansion.gov.lr
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry now invites eligible Consulting Firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. The shortlisting criteria are listed as per the Terms of Reference provided below.
The Consulting Firm should have a minimum qualifications and experience as follows:
Key Experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage.
The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers dated July 2016, Revised November 2017, August 2018, November 2020, September 2023 and February 2025 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.
Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected.
The Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) method set out in the Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers (July 2016 as Revised in November 2017, August 2018, November 2020, September 2023 and February 2025).
Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours, i.e., 0900 to 1600 hours GMT, Monday to Friday.
Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by
mail, or by fax, or by e-mail) on or before Thursday July 31, 2025, with subject:
“Re: Recruitment of Consultancy Firm to Collate the Information and Support the Implementation of a Functional Web-based Trade Information Portal (TIP) for Liberia”.
Liberia Investment, Finance and Trade Project (LIFT-P)
Attn: Julius Y. Saye Keh-nel
Acting Project Coordinator
Insurance Building, 5th Street, Sinkor
Monrovia, Liberia
Tel: +231 88 682 2025 /776 654 713
Email: ****-lift@moci.gov.lr
Cc: /****@yahoo.com /****@yahoo.com
Terms of Reference
RECRUITMENT OF A CONSULTANCY FIRM TO COLLATE THE INFORMATION AND SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A FUNCTIONAL WEB-BASED TRADE INFORMATION PORTAL (TIP) FOR LIBERIA
| Post Title: | Recruitment of Consultancy Firm to Collate the Information and Support the Implementation of a Functional Web-based Trade Information Portal (TIP) for Liberia |
| Location of Post: | Department of Commerce and Trade |
| Contract Duration: | 12 Months |
| ing Line: | Deputy Minister for Commerce and Trade |
| Assignment Type: | Firm Recruitment (Open International) |
| Type of Contract | Lump Sum |
A. BACKGROUND
International trade plays an important role in the economic development of any nation, including Liberia. As such, the Government of Liberia (GOL) is set to create the enabling environment for Liberia to increase its share of international trade.
As a key part of efforts to make trade easier for the business community, the GOL has decided to operationalize and implement a functional web-based Trade Information Portal (TIP) for Liberia. A Trade Information Portal is recognized international good practice standard for transparent publication of trade information, aimed at fulfilling a country’s obligations under Article 1 of the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). This standard is published in UN/CEFACT’s Recommendation No. 38. Therefore, the objective of the Liberia TIP is to make all regulatory trade related information and other information useful to both foreign and Liberian importers and exporters easily and readily available in a single integrated website. The aim is to provide transparency and predictability of trade regulations and procedures and, in doing so, increase the compliance level and reduce the cost of doing business in the commerce of Liberia.
In this regard, the core functionality of the proposed trade information portal is to provide the business community complete, timely and up-to-date information relating to trade from a single website that is comprehensive in its scope, user-friendly, interactive and easily accessible by using a single search engine. The trade portal is expected to initially store information relating to existing trade regulations and procedures, including but not limited to laws, administrative procedures and regulations, guidance notes, applicable fees, forms, licenses, permits and penalties applicable in case of breach. In addition, the portal should catalogue international, regional, continental, or bilateral trade agreements to which Liberia is a party, including the applicable rules and requirements as well as the benefits devolving there from. It is envisaged that the LTIP would be linked to a National Single Window to facilitate the easy application for trade related certificates, licenses and permits required for the import, export and transit of goods.
This assignment will require the cooperation of all the government agencies involved in the trade process and border management, with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry serving as the lead government institution for the implementation of the LTIP.
This assignment is being implemented under the Liberia Investment Finance and Trade (LIFT) Project implemented by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with other sector institutions through a grant and loan initiative funded by the World Bank. To this end, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry seeks the services of an expert consultancy firm to carry out the data collection, populate and support the implementation of a functional web-based trade information portal.
B. OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
To engage the services of an experienced consultancy firm to support the Government of Liberia in the development, population, and implementation of a functional, user-friendly, and sustainable Trade Information Portal. The portal will provide accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information on all trade-related laws, procedures, and documentation requirements in Liberia.
C. SCOPE OF WORK
It is envisaged that the assignment will comprise four main components, namely:
The data will be collected and loaded by the Consultancy Firm onto a website provided by the World Bank Group (WBG), which the Ministry of Commerce and Industry will be entitled to operate under the terms of the WBG’s standard Licensing Agreement. The website has been developed by using a software toolkit (the “Toolkit”) designed by the WBG, which is pre-defined to accommodate all the required classes of information. For purposes of clarity, this assignment will not involve any software development.
The Consultancy Firm is required to engage a qualified sub-contractor (the “Sub-Contractor”), who is familiar with the Toolkit’s technology, and who is approved by the WBG. Contact details for approved Sub-Contractor(s) can be provided upon request. The Sub-Contractor is expected to provide installation services, hosting and support for the software for the duration of the project and, thereafter, for a period of 3 years to the client.
The Consultancy Firm will receive instructions and documentation materials by the WBG on how to upload and maintain data to the website. No special skills are required in this respect other than normal office automation capabilities.
The website will accommodate the following facilities and classes of information.
The website comprises a full-features CMS[7] with normal screen editing and content management facilities for uploading and editing information. However, use of standard office automation tools such as Word, Visio, Adobe Photoshop will also be required in order to prepare and format the information prior to uploading.
D. REPORTS/OUTPUTS/DELIVERABLES
Component 1: Inception
During the Inception phase, the Consultancy Firm will develop an Implementation Plan for the project taking into account the current situation in Liberia with regard to institutional arrangements for the assignment, availability of sources of information, availability of resources and other local constraints.
The Implementation Plan will comprise, inter alia:
An indicative list of these agencies and other institutions is enclosed at Appendix A. This list is enclosed for information only. Only those government agencies or bodies that currently carry out a regulatory function in relation to import/export/transit need be included in the scope.
Through consultation with the stakeholders, the Consultancy Firm will develop an estimate of the amount of information to be collected (e.g. legal texts, tariffs, measures, procedures, sample forms, etc.) in order to develop a detailed project plan with clearly defined work estimates, timetable and deliverables.
The Consultant Firm will propose a methodology for collecting and uploading data to the website which takes into account availability of local resources to support the effort.
In consultation with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Consultant Firm will also develop a Functional Specification for the website comprising a description of the structure of the pages of the website bearing in mind that all of the standard classes of information relating to trade already have a dedicated page within the standard structure of the website software that will be provided by the WBG.
The Consultancy Firm will develop a program designed to enable the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to operate and support the on-going operation of the website to ensure that the content of the website is kept current and accurate including a training program and a program of capacity building to enable the on-going collaboration between the stakeholder government agencies and a publicity plan aimed at disseminating information to the public, creating widespread awareness of the trade portal and encouraging its use by the private and public sector.
The Consultancy Firm will consolidate the above activities, as well as the activities described in Component 3 and Component 4 below, into a Project Plan which will constitute the baseline control instrument for the project. The Project Plan will clearly state the timeline, detailed tasks, resources, deliverables and dependencies and will be monitored and updated by the Consultant Firm’s team throughout the project.
Deliverable: Implementation Plan
Component 2: Collection and Upload of Data
Upon acceptance by the Client of the Implementation Plan, the Consultancy Firm will be responsible for collecting all the information required and defined in the Implementation Plan to enable the initial launch of the website. The Consultancy Firm may utilize personnel made available, by agreement, by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry or other stakeholders for this task but should not entirely rely on them in order to accomplish it. It will be the Consultant’s responsibility to ensure that adequate resources are dedicated to this task.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry will undertake to facilitate the operations of the Consultancy Firm in obtaining the information it requires where applicable; this will include submission of a list containing relevant trade related institutions and documents (laws, administrative policies, regulations, etc). The Consultancy Firm should not rely entirely on obtaining information that they have identified as relevant directly from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry or from the other agencies. Where, for whatever reason, information may be difficult to obtain, the Consultant Firm should endeavor to identify other potential sources, e.g. the private sector, sectoral organizations, other websites, etc.
It is envisaged that, inter alia, the following information will be collected:
The information collected should be formatted and loaded onto the LTIP as follows:
The Consultant will develop a Policies and Procedures Manual for the operation and maintenance of the LTIP including procedures for exchanging information with other government agencies.
The Consultant Firm will provide training of trainers (TOT) to at least 10 staff drawn from relevant government ministries and agencies or MACs to provide them with the necessary skills so that they become capable of running the LTIP independently after the termination of the contract with the Consultant Firm. The Consulting firm, together with the TOTs, will conduct basic training events (minimum 4) for other relevant stakeholders, including traders and other MACs on the use of the Portal.
The Consultant Firm will contribute content and advice in relation to any publicity materials (e.g. brochures, press releases, video, etc.) as defined and agreed in the Implementation Plan.
Deliverable: LTIP Website populated with all information identified and collected and ready for launch
Deliverable: Policies and Procedures Manual
Deliverable: Training Course and Training Materials
Component 3: Design of Publicity Campaign
The Consultancy Firm will engage with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in order to define a suitable publicity and awareness program leading up to the launch of the live website.
The program should be aimed at maximizing awareness among the trading public, both in Liberia and abroad, of the imminent launch of the trade portal and to encourage its use.
The Consultancy Firm will provide content and advice in relation to any publicity materials (e.g. brochures, press releases, video, seminars, etc.) as defined and agreed in the program.
The Consultancy Firm will provide logistic support to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in organizing the publicity campaign.
Deliverable: Publicity and Awareness Program
Component 4: Design of Evaluation Tools
The Consultant Firm will design and recommend a package of evaluation methods and tools aimed at measuring the effectiveness of the trade portal and the benefit to trade.
These methods are expected to focus on establishing a baseline ‘before’ the launch of the trade portal to be compared with the situation at various stages after the launch of the trade portal and on an ongoing basis.
The methods may include automated facilities such as website analytics as well as direct surveys of the trade. The Consultant shall design the tools required to conduct the initial surveys and the ongoing evaluation. In as much as possible, the methods will include measurable indicators or performance, e.g. time to complete procedures, time to release goods, time dealing with enquiries, etc.
The Consultant Firm shall conduct the initial baselines assessments and will design a program for continuous evaluation against the baseline to be used by the Ministry of Commerce Industry on an ongoing basis.
Deliverable: Evaluation Methods
Deliverable: Baseline Assessment E
E. DURATION AND REMUNERATION
| DELIVERABLE | TIMELINE | PAYMENT SCHEDULE |
| Inception including implementation plan | 4 weeks from contract signing | 20% |
| LTIP Website populated with populated with all information identified and collected LTIP website ready for launch | 24 weeks | 40% |
| Submission of final including: Policies and procedures manual Training Course and Training Materials | 48 weeks | 40% |
| Publicity campaign | ||
| Baseline evaluation and evaluation methodology . |
The Consultant Firm is expected to submit monthly progress reports.
F. LOCATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The consultancy Firm team will need to provide office accommodation in Monrovia for the team and the upload and data collection phase. In addition, there may be a need to spend time during the assignment at the offices of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry but may work from home in consultation with the designated assignment focal point.
G. FACILITIES TO BE PROVIDED BY CLIENT
The Consultancy Firm maybe required to work in close cooperation with other key stakeholders involved in trade facilitation in Liberia and representatives of the private sector through sectoral organizations such as the national or local Chambers of Commerce and the Liberia Business Association. These meetings will be organized and facilitated by the client, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
A work station at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry will be made available for the operations of the consultancy firm, with furniture support provided under the LIFT Project.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry will provide the Consultancy Firm with access to documents relevant to the assignment, including previous studies, legal texts and regulations, etc. and will assist in facilitating meetings with key counterparts.
The Consultancy Firm is expected to provide any computer and telecommunication equipment, stationery and other materials required throughout the period of the assignment.
The Consultancy Firm is responsible for providing transport for its employees within the city of Monrovia for official business.
During the course of the assignment, it is envisaged that a number of visits to the main offices of various ministries, agencies and commissions (MACs) may be required. The Consultancy Firm team will be responsible for estimating and covering the cost of these visits for its employees.
Contractual arrangements will be managed by the PIU.
H. REPORTING
On the technical level, the Consultancy Firm will work under the direct supervision of the Deputy Minister for Commerce and Trade of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The Consultancy Firm will provide monthly progress update to the Deputy Minister of Commerce and Industry through the LIFT PIU detailing the progress of all activities and any impediments encountered that may jeopardize the good progress of the assignment.
I. QUALIFICATION AND COMPETENCIES
a. Firm Qualification
b. Consultant Qualification
The Consultancy firm is free to propose the number of staff and for such duration that is considered appropriate in order to meet the Terms of Reference with detailed justification.
However, it is envisaged that the project team will comprise at least one full-time Team Leader and a National Trade Specialist, (the “Key Specialists”), plus one or more Business Analysts. Inclusion of an IT Specialist, preferably with relevant experience, would be highly desirable. Any additional support staff deemed necessary to complete the project successfully may be included.
The two Key Specialists should demonstrate ability and substantial experience of having worked on projects of similar scope with government authorities in Liberia or other countries comparable to Liberia in the context of trade facilitation and/or reform and modernization of border procedures.
The following is an indicative staffing schedule. Firms shall be free to propose alternatives and/or to combine positions if considered appropriate. Unless otherwise specified, these positions are open to either national or international candidates provided they meet the necessary requisites.
Team Leader
Full-time or near full-time over the course of the project.
The Team Leader should:
Trade Specialist -Near full-time over the course of the project.
The National Trade Specialist should:
Business Analyst/s
As required during the course of the project.
The Business Analyst/s should:
IT Specialist
The IT Specialist would provide support to the project team for matters relating to Information Technology (IT) and would liaise on technical matters with the Subcontractor, as required.
The IT Specialist should:
Data Entry Specialists
The Consultant firm may assign to the project the resources required in order to deliver the website content as specified. However, it is envisaged that substantial effort will be required to digitize information, e.g. converting from PDF to Word, creating diagrams and entering data by typing.
The Consultant firm should allocate suitable resources with the necessary technical skills and capable of typing fluently.
These resources may perform tasks on-site or remotely as appropriate. In their proposals, bidders should indicate the expected level of resourcing proposed and the technical qualifications of their staff.
Other Staff
The Consultant firm may propose additional supporting staff by indicating their intended role and justification for inclusion in the project.
Annex: Priority Sector List (Indicative)
| CBRA | Catejgory | Reason |
| 1. Liberia Revenue Authority - Customs Department (LRA) | Revenue collection Border Coordination | Integral role to enforce all regulatory requirements |
| 2. Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) | Trade Policy | High level of intervention Issuance of Import Permit Forms and Export Permit Declarations |
| 3. Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) | Fiscal Policy | High level of intervention |
| 4. Liberia Medical, Health Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) | Sector-Specific | Sensitive sector |
| 5. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Sector-Specific | Sensitive sector |
| 6. Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) | Sector-Specific | Facilitating Export and Sensitive sector |
| 7. National Fisheries Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) | Sector-Specific | Facilitating Export and Sensitive sector |
| 8. Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority | Sector-Specific | Facilitating Export and Sensitive sector |
| 9. Forest Development A Authority (FDA) | Sector-Specific | Facilitating Export and Sensitive sector |
| 10. Liberia Standard Authority (NSL) | Compliance Management | High level of intervention |
| 11. Liberia Telecommunication Commission (LTC) | Sector-Specific | Sensitive sector |
| 12. Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy of Liberia (MLME) | Sector-Specific | Facilitating Export |
| 13. Liberia Special Economic Zones Authority | Sector-Specific | Facilitating export and value addition |
| 14. Ministry Post and Telecommunications | Sector-Specific | Facilitating commerce |
| 15. Ministry of Transport | Sector-Specific | Facilitating trade |
| 16. Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs, and Tourism | Sector-Specific | Facilitating trade through tourism |
| 17. National Investment Commission | Sector-Specific | Facilitating trade and investment |
| Trade Operator | Category | Reason |
| 18. MTS Inspection Services | Compliance Management | High level of intervention |
| 19. APM Terminals | Cargo Management | High level of intervention |
| 20. Commercial Banks | Revenue Collection | High level of intervention |
It is expected that the website will initially operate in English only. However, basic translation facilities are available on the website via Google Translate as a standard
SPS: Sanitary-Phytosanitary
TBT: Technical Barriers to Trade
API: Application Programming Interface
SMS: Short Messaging Service
NSW: National Single Window
CMS: Content Management System
HS: Harmonized System
HTML: Hyper Text Mark-up Language
OCR: Optical Character Recognition
BPA: Business Process Analysis
PRINCE2: PRojects IN a Controlled Environment, Ver. 2
