Procurement Notice

Institutional Capability Development Plan for the National Productivity Centre of Cambodia (NPCC)

Deliver an institutional capability development plan for the NPCC as the key productivity-promoting institution in Cambodia; clarify the NPCC’s mandate, vision, mission, and strategic priorities with measures of success; establish sound governance, funding, and fit-for-purpose operating model service and quality standards, build staff capability plans and partnerships; and monitor learning practices.

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

The Pentagonal Strategy supports Cambodia Vision 2050 by focusing on sustainable growth, governance, and public service efficiency. With Cambodian economic growth projected at 6.0% in 2026 (APO, 2024), improving productivity, human capital, and the business environment are essential. The NPCC, under the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation (MISTI), has played a key role in enhancing productivity, particularly among SMEs. However, as the productivity agenda evolves, the NPCC is encountering institutional capacity and workforce challenges.

To strengthen its effectiveness and broaden its national impact, the NPCC must become an administrative public entity. This transformation will give the NPCC the autonomy and institutional strength necessary to lead Cambodia’s productivity agenda at a strategic level. A well-structured institutional capability development plan is crucial to support that transition. This will help assess current capacities, identify gaps, and provide a capacity development roadmap for the NPCC aligned with national development goals.

The APO will select a research institution, consulting firm, or individual with:

1. a. Extensive knowledge of organizational development and experience in conducting holistic institutional and capacity reviews; proven contributions in developing comprehensive institutional capacity building plans related to productivity; and demonstrated skills as detailed below:
   1. Minimum 10 years of experience in institutional reform/capability development for public bodies and productivity/SME programs with at least two comparable projects;
   2. Proven work establishing or reforming autonomous public entities (governance, performance contracts, financing);
   3. Demonstrated delivery of service portfolios/SOPs, costing/budgeting, CRM/MIS specifications, and MEL systems in the public sector; and
   4. Robust QA and safeguards (e.g., ISO 9001 or equivalent practices), data governance/privacy, and anticorruption compliance.
2. b. Experience in providing policy advisory services to governments and proven track record of successful consultancy projects, including developing and implementing national productivity policies or strategies.
3. c. Excellent English writing and presentation skills.
4. d. Strong data analytical skills including proven knowledge of productivity measurement.

Preparing and proposing project methodology, approach, scope, etc. through close consultation with the APO Secretariat and NPCC; implementing all stages of the project, including at least two visits to the country to achieve the intended output(s) under the agreed arrangement; collecting both primary and secondary data, conducting analysis/diagnosis, and confirming data/information with stakeholders including conducting onsite interviews if necessary; finalizing the report; organizing dissemination activities, attending and contributing to meetings with high-level officials, etc. following the agreed methodology and project timeline; and submitting the report to the APO Secretariat by the deadline.

1. 1. Cover letter of interest including the proposed project methodology, approaches, and timeline (Annex 1).
2. 2. Basic organizational details, profile of institution (maximum one [1] A4-sized page), or CV of the research team (Annex 2).
3. 3. Experience in conducting projects in similar areas (Annex 3).
4. 4. Financial proposal to indicate the cost of services (Annex 4):
   1. Total costs and breakdowns for conducting the research should be given only in US dollar amounts.
   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. All rates and costs quoted in financial proposals should be written in both numeric and alphabetic forms, e.g., USD2,500 (two thousand five hundred US dollars).

Download: Annexes.

Proposals with all required information specified should only be sent via email signed by authorized representatives no later than 17:00 (Japan Standard Time), 29 September 2025 to ssetiawati@apo-tokyo.org and mkabe@apo-tokyo.org.

The subject line of the email message should be: Proposal for Institutional Capability Development Plan for the National Productivity Centre of Cambodia (NPCC) by <Institution name>.

1. 1. The selected institution will be awarded a research contract with the APO for conducting the research, based on the following selection criteria:

• Proposed methodology, approach, timeline, and sustainability;
• Team qualifications and expertise;
• Prior experience in conducting similar projects; and
• Financial proposal and cost efficiency.

Only the selected institution will be notified via email within one (1) month of the submission deadline of the acceptance of its 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 institution(s).

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

1. 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 institutions 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 29 September 2025:

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