Procurement Notice

Request for Proposal (RFP)

Development of Demonstration Companies (DMP) Project on Advancing Sustainable Productivity through Environmental, Social, and Governance Adoption in the Manufacturing Sector

The project aims to assist the Commission for Standards, Metrology and Quality (STAMEQ), Vietnam, in establishing demonstration companies on implementing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) measures for sustainable productivity in the manufacturing sector, showcase the benefits of ESG principles and practices to manufacturing enterprises, and create benchmarks and replicable case studies for adoption by other APO members.

For more details, please see the PIP and Implementation Procedures.

ESG principles have become essential for enterprises to align with global sustainability goals and meet growing expectations from regulators, investors, and consumers. Enterprises with strong ESG performance tend to outperform peers in growth, profitability, and long-term value creation (McKinsey, 2023).

Manufacturing, which contributes around 24% of Vietnam’s GDP (World Bank, 2024), faces growing pressure to reduce environmental impacts and improve transparency due to tightening international trade policies and the national net-zero commitment and green growth strategy. However, ESG integration in Vietnam remains limited, and 82% of private businesses have no or limited external ESG reporting (PwC Vietnam and Vietnam Institute of Directors, 2023). As a result, they risk falling behind in global value chains and losing access to green finance and export markets.

This DMP project addresses those gaps by building ESG capabilities and guiding implementation and reporting in the selected demonstration companies.

The APO will select a team of individuals or an institution with proven expertise and experience in ESG, in accordance with the requirements outlined in Annex 1 of this RFP, to deliver training and consultation for this project.

Preparing and proposing the project methodology, approach, scope, etc. through close consultation with the APO Secretariat, STAMEQ, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), and demonstration companies; undertaking all necessary duties to achieve the intended output(s) as per the agreed arrangement; monitoring and evaluating the performance and progress of the productivity enhancement activities of the demonstration companies; assisting STAMEQ in developing dissemination materials, organizing a dissemination event, etc. as per the agreed methodology and project timeline; submitting the report to the APO Secretariat by the deadline; assisting the demonstration companies in acting as role models; and preparing a publication documenting the productivity journey of the demonstration companies.

• 1. Cover letter of interest (Annex 2).
• 2. Basic individual or institutional resource person details (Annex 3).
• 3. Profile of individual or institutional resource persons (maximum 1 A4-sized page).
• 4. Experience in conducting similar projects (Annex 4).
• 5. Financial proposal to indicate the cost of services.
• 6. Total costs and breakdowns for conducting the project should be given only in US dollar amounts.
• 7. All national taxes and levies applicable should be stated and included in the total costs. The APO will consider the inclusive costs as the final quoted prices when evaluating proposals.
• 8. All rates and costs quoted in financial proposals should be written in both numeric and alphabetic forms, e.g., USD3,500.00 (three thousand five hundred US dollars).

Download: Annexes.

• 1. Proposals with all required information specified should only be sent via email in password-protected PDF file attachments signed by authorized representatives no later than 17:00 (Japan Standard Time), 31 August 2025 to sphan@apo-tokyo.org and skozuka@apo-tokyo.org.
• 2. The subject line of the email message should be: Proposal for Development of Demonstration Companies (DMP) Project Advancing Sustainable Productivity through Environmental, Social, and Governance Adoption in the Manufacturing Sector by <institution name>.

• 1. The selected individual or institutional resource person(s) will be awarded a project contract with the APO for conducting the project, based on the following selection criteria:
  • Qualifications: meeting requirements outlined in Annex 1 of this RFP
  • Methodology
  • Prior experience in conducting similar projects
  • Quality of output from similar projects
  • Project quotation.
• 2. Only the selected individual/institution will be notified via email within 1 month of the submission deadline of the acceptance of the proposal.

• 1. The APO reserves the right to annul the RFP or the vendor selection process, or to accept or reject any or all proposals in whole or part at any time, without stating any reason and without incurring any liability to the affected individual/institution(s).
• 2. The APO is not obligated to respond to any objections or to inform the affected individual/institution(s) of the grounds for its decisions.
• 3. The APO also reserves the right to change the scope of work in case of need or depending upon changes in requirements before or during the implementation phase. However, if changes are made during the implementation phase, the APO will negotiate the costs for the additional work separately with the selected individual/institution.

• 1. The APO will not bear any costs related to research, planning, design, or any other such activity related to the preparation of proposals in response to this RFP by individual or institutional resource persons for sending proposals to the APO.
• 2. The APO may, at its own discretion, extend the submission deadline by notifying all bidders of the extension in writing. Any proposal received after the deadline will be rejected.

A prospective individual/institution requiring any clarification of this document, or the process itself, should submit queries in writing only to the following email address by the deadline of 31 August 2025:

In-country Program Division
Asian Productivity Organization (APO Secretariat)
1-24-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
Email: sphan@apo-tokyo.org and skozuka@apo-tokyo.org