Expert Consultants – Quantitative Policy Analysis (2 positions) Regional Freight Connectivity for Central and Southeast Asia

About the project

The OECD is leading a 4-year programme (2021-2025) in Central Asia and Southeast Asia to encourage the transition towards cleaner energy, transport and industrial systems through better alignment of infrastructure investment projects with the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. The International Transport Forum (ITF) is leading the transport sector activities within the programme, focusing on sustainable transport infrastructure development in both regions. The proposed activities for the transport sectors cover both regional- and national-scale studies.

On the regional level, the ITF will assess the capacity of large-scale transport infrastructure programmes in both regions to improve connectivity, reduce environmental costs and enhance resilience. The project will take stock of current and planned transport infrastructure projects in the region and assess their impacts through scenario analysis. It will also suggest strategies to close any identified infrastructure gaps. Finally, the regional studies will benchmark national freight transport policies against OECD best practices, focusing on opportunities to reduce CO₂ emissions from the construction and use of infrastructure (life-cycle assessment), as well as enhancing infrastructure resilience.

Consultant Responsibilities

The ITF is seeking two international consultants with expertise in regional freight transport to support two projects under the framework of the Sustainable Infrastructure Programme for Asia (SIPA). These projects are funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German government. One consultant will be responsible for work on the Central Asia project, while the other will focus on the Southeast Asia project. The tasks and deadlines are the same for both positions. 

The consultants shall be responsible for the following tasks:

• Prepare an engaging and informative slide-based report (approximately 30-40 slides) on “Enhancing the connectivity, sustainability, and resilience of regional freight transport in Central / Southeast Asia” that summarises preliminary findings from a stakeholder survey and quantitative modelling exercise, both conducted by the ITF. This will involve processing, interpreting and visualising the survey and model outputs that compare freight transport performance indicators related to connectivity, sustainability and resilience across several alternative policy scenarios. The report should also include an introduction of the study, regional country profiles, and a methodology overview which can be adapted from existing material created by the ITF and other external consultants (some additional desktop research and stakeholder consultations may be required).
• Building on the report above, prepare an extended final version (approximately 40-50 slides in total) that includes the final results and policy recommendations, along with a one-page summary of the report. The report and summary will be published on the ITF website as part of the project deliverables.
• Contribute to team discussions to ensure alignment of the report with other project activities and stakeholder priorities (i.e., participation in brainstorming sessions, coordination meetings, and providing advisory support for disseminating the results).
• Assist with designing, preparing materials for, and delivering two hybrid events to disseminate report findings, collect feedback from the project stakeholders, and conduct capacity-building workshops. If deemed valuable by ITF, in-person participation in these events could be accommodated by the project team, with travel expenses covered by the project.

The full report will summarise a comprehensive, quantitative and qualitative analysis of key challenges and potential pathways to enhance the connectivity, sustainability and resilience of freight transport in the Central / Southeast Asia region by 2050.

Requirements and Experience

The ITF is seeking experienced consultants with the following skills and expertise related to international freight transport:

• Past experience working on the topic of freight transport policy and research.
• Knowledge of key freight transport issues in either Southeast Asia or Central Asia is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to process and interpret quantitative data, particularly in the context of transport performance indicators.
• Prior experience analyzing different policy scenarios to make evidence-based recommendations.
• Aptitude for creating clear and impactful visualizations, figures, and infographics to convey key messages from project results.
• Proficiency in preparing reports and presentations that effectively summarize complex findings in an engaging manner.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, along with the ability to work collaboratively with a team and contribute to discussions.
• Previous consulting experience with international organisations, NGOs or multilateral financial institutions is a plus.

Contract Schedule

The contract is expected to begin in April 2024. The deadline for delivery of the first draft of the preliminary findings will be September 2024, and the first draft of the full report will be due in December 2024. Final dissemination events will take place in March 2025. A full Terms of Reference with a schedule of deliverables and payments will be provided to selected candidates.

Contact Information

Qualified candidates are encouraged to send their CVs and relevant publications to Mr. Nicholas CAROS (nicholas.caros@itf-oecd.org) and Mr. Yaroslav Kholodov (yaroslav.kholodov@itf-oecd.org). Any questions can also be directed via email to Mr. Caros and Mr. Kholodov.