Procurement Notice

Request for Proposal (RFP)

Development of Demonstration Project on Digital Kaizen for SMEs in the Manufacturing Sector

The project aims to develop model companies for digital kaizen in a selected APO member to serve as a benchmark in the Asia-Pacific region, equip productivity practitioners with advanced knowledge and skills in digital kaizen, and enhance understanding and promote implementation of digital kaizen by disseminating best practices and case studies across APO member economies.

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

Rapid advances and widespread adoption of digital technologies offer significant opportunities to improve productivity across all sectors, including the manufacturing industry. Despite this potential, considerable disparities exist among APO member economies in the implementation of digital transformation. Addressing these gaps is critical to ensuring inclusive growth and competitiveness in the region.

To bridge these disparities, it is essential to promote the importance and practical benefits of digital kaizen, particularly among SMEs, which often face challenges such as limited resources and high costs of digital adoption.

This DMP project will develop model companies in a selected APO member country and address those gaps and challenges.

The APO will select a team of individuals or an institution with extensive expertise and experience in digital kaizen to develop model digital kaizen companies in a selected APO member economy. Extensive knowledge of digital kaizen, particularly based on the APO guidebook, will be an advantage.

Preparing and proposing project methodology, approach, scope, etc. through close consultation with the APO Secretariat, NPO of the project venue, and demonstration company(ies); 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 company(ies); assisting the NPO of the project venue and demonstration company(ies) in developing dissemination materials and 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 company(ies) in acting as a role model(s); and preparing a publication documenting the productivity journey of the demonstration company(ies).

• ・Cover letter of interest (Annex 1).
• ・Institutional resource person(s) details (Annex 2).
• ・Profile of institutional resource person(s) (maximum 1 A4-sized page).
• ・Experience in conducting similar projects (Annex 3).
• ・Financial proposal to indicate the cost of services.
• ・Total costs and breakdowns for conducting the project should be given only in US dollar amounts.
• ・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.
• ・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.

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 afunakoshi@apo-tokyo.org.

The subject line of the email message should be: Proposal for Development of a Demonstration Project on Digital Kaizen for SMEs in the Manufacturing Sector by <Institution name>.

1. The selected institutional resource person(s) will be awarded a project contract with the APO for conducting the project, based on the following selection criteria:
   1. Qualifications:
      1. Proven knowledge of and experience in digital kaizen based on the APO guidebook, with the ability to develop and manage digital kaizen projects effectively, including planning, scheduling, and resource allocation;
      2. Expertise in kaizen and digital transformation for SMEs in the manufacturing sector.
      3. Expertise and experience in guiding SMEs through technical, cultural, and organizational changes that enable digital transformation. Preference will be given to those with experience working with companies in APO member economies; and
      4. Excellent English verbal and written communication skills to convey complex technical concepts to nontechnical stakeholders as well as ability to build and maintain relationships with NPOs and other stakeholders throughout project implementation.
   2. Methodology
   3. Prior experience in conducting similar projects
   4. Quality of output from similar projects
   5. Project quotation
2. Only the selected teams of individuals/institutions will be notified via email within one month of the submission deadline of the acceptance of a proposal.

• ・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).
• ・The APO is not obligated to respond to any objections or to inform the affected individual/institution(s) of the grounds for its decisions.
• ・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.

• ・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 bidders for sending proposals to the APO.
• ・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: mzainuri@apo-tokyo.org and afunakoshi@apo-tokyo.org