Procurement Notice

To organize and deliver three GAIA Panel Discussions on AI-driven Productivity from April to August 2026; convene private-sector leaders, policymakers, and academic experts to exchange practical experiences, challenges, and enabling factors related to AI adoption across sectors; and generate actionable, policy-relevant insights and recommendations to inform the APO’s future program development and engagement with member economies.

These panel discussions will serve as preparatory and complementary activities for the upcoming APO–UNU GAIA Summit to be held in Tokyo in October 2026, in collaboration with the United Nations University (UNU).

Specifically, the panels will:

• ・Generate substantive inputs and case-based insights on the thematic focus of the summit;
• ・Facilitate early engagement with key stakeholders across the public and private sectors;
• ・Identify and engage key speakers and experts, many of whom will be invited as principal contributors and resource persons to the GAIA Summit;
• ・Contribute to shaping the summit’s policy dialogue by identifying emerging issues, best practices, and priority areas for AI-driven productivity; and
• ・Build momentum and visibility for the GAIA initiative, including generating publicity across government, industry, and academia.

In particular, these activities are expected to strengthen engagement with key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) of Japan and contribute to promoting the objectives of the Hiroshima AI Process (HAIP), especially in the areas of AI governance, capacity building, and information sharing on AI governance and transparency.

The outcomes of these panel discussions will be consolidated and reflected in the discussions and outputs of the APO–UNU GAIA Summit.

For more details, please refer to the Implementation Procedures.

Rapid advances in AI are reshaping productivity dynamics, industrial competitiveness, and public-sector performance worldwide. Across APO member economies, the level of AI adoption varies significantly. While some have made notable progress through investments in digital infrastructure, innovation ecosystems, and national AI strategies, others continue to face structural challenges, including limited technological capacity, workforce skill gaps, and institutional constraints.

These disparities highlight the need for structured platforms that facilitate knowledge exchange and dialogue among key stakeholders. In particular, there is a growing need to bridge perspectives across government, industry, and academia to share practical experiences, emerging use cases, and scalable approaches to AI adoption.

In this context, the APO Secretariat plans to organize a series of panel discussions, a half-day event, to promote informed dialogue on AI adoption and its implications for productivity enhancement across the region.

The APO will select a qualified institution or service provider with specialized knowledge of AI adoption, digital transformation, and productivity enhancement and with the capacity to engage relevant experts in AI policy, workforce development, and digital infrastructure to design, coordinate, and implement three GAIA Panel Discussions.

The selected institution or service provider will be responsible for the end-to-end design, coordination, and implementation of the three GAIA Panel Discussions. The scope of work will include, but not be limited to, the following:

• ・Developing the overall program design, panel themes, and discussion approach for the three sessions.
• ・Identifying, inviting, and coordinating moderators, speakers, panelists, and participants from the private sector, academia, government, and other relevant institutions in consultation with the APO Secretariat.
• ・Preparing an audience development and outreach plan to ensure suitable attendance and balanced stakeholder representation for each panel discussion.
• ・Coordinating all logistic and operational arrangements required for effective delivery, including venue-related arrangements, registration, audiovisual support, and onsite event management.
• ・Providing technical and organizational support before, during, and after each panel discussion session.
• ・Preparing concise summary notes on the key discussions, practical takeaways, and policy-relevant considerations from each session.
• ・Preparing a final consolidated report synthesizing cross-cutting findings, practical implications, and recommendations.
• ・The panel discussions are tentatively scheduled for April 2026, June 2026, and August 2026. The detailed dates and format of each session will be finalized in consultation with the APO Secretariat.

The selected institution or service provider should design and implement the series so that it delivers clear, measurable results. The following targets are indicative and may be refined with the APO Secretariat at the inception stage:

• ・An inception note and work plan outlining the implementation approach, timeline, and coordination arrangements.
• ・A proposed program design for the three panel discussions, including themes, draft agendas, and speaker/moderator profiles.
• ・A stakeholder engagement, outreach, and audience registration plan for each session.
• ・Implementation of the three panel discussions in accordance with the agreed schedule and format.
• ・Three concise session summary notes, one for each panel discussion, to be submitted within seven working days after each session unless otherwise agreed.
• ・One final consolidated report synthesizing the major findings, practical implications, and recommendations from the series to be submitted within 15 working days after the final session unless otherwise agreed.  The report will be used for the content development of the APO GAIA Summit scheduled to be held in October 2026 with the UNU.

1. 1. Cover letter of interest (Annex 1).
2. 2. Basic organizational details (Annex 2).
3. 3. Profile of institution (maximum 1 A4-sized page).
4. 4. Experience in conducting conferences in similar areas (Annex 3).
5. 5. Financial proposal to indicate the cost of services (Annex 4):
   1. 5.1 Total costs and breakdowns for conducting the research should be given only in JPY amounts.
   2. 5.2 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.
   3. 5.3 All rates and costs quoted in financial proposals should be written in both numeric and alphabetic forms, e.g., JPY2,500 (two thousand five hundred Japanese yen).

Download: Annexes.

1. 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 16:00 (Japan Standard Time), 21 April 2026 to kpark@apo-tokyo.org and sjung@apo-tokyo.org.
2. 2. The subject line of the email message should be: Implementation of Three GAIA Panel Discussions on AI-driven Productivity

1. 1. The selected institution or service provider will be awarded a contract with the APO for the implementation of three GAIA Panel Discussions in Tokyo, Japan, based on the following selection criteria:
   1. Prior experience in conducting similar conferences, dialogues, or expert panel discussions
   2. Quality and relevance of prior conferences
   3. Technical soundness of the proposal
   4. Cost-effectiveness of the financial proposal.
2. 2. Only the selected institution or service provider will be notified via email within one month of the submission deadline of the acceptance of its proposal.

1. 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 institution(s).
2. 2. The APO is not obligated to respond to any objections or to inform the affected institution(s) of the grounds for such decisions.
3. 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 institution.

1. 1. The APO will not bear any costs related to planning, design, or any other such activity related to the preparation of proposals in response to this RFP by institutions or service providers for sending proposals to the APO.
2. 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 institution requiring any clarification of this document, or the process itself, should submit its queries in writing only to the following email address by the deadline of 21 April 2026:

Asian Productivity Organization (APO Secretariat)
1-24-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
Email: kpark@apo-tokyo.org and sjung@apo-tokyo.org.