TRA Capacity Building on Technical, Economic, and Security Regulation

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (CONSULTING SERVICES - FIRMS SELECTION)

Digital West Bank & Gaza Project (P174355)

Grant number: (TF0B5236)

Assignment Title: Capacity Building for TRA

Reference No.: GZ-MTIT-548204-CS-CQS

The Palestinian Liberation Organization has received a grant from the International Development Association (IDA) for USD 20 million for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to finance the Digital West Bank & Gaza Project (the Project). The Project will seek to produce concrete and tangible results for the Palestinians by enhancing access to high-speed broadband services and increasing access to selected e-services for citizens and businesses. The Project will focus on key points to unleash digital transformation in the Palestinian territories, addressing some of the bilateral challenges that prevent digital transformation from achieving its full potential. It will strengthen the Palestinian territories' digital resilience and the PA's ability to respond to shocks such as COVID-19. The Project is implemented and overseen by the Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Economy (MTDE), formerly the Ministry of Telecom and Information Technology (MTIT), to support digital transformation and resilience in the West Bank and Gaza. The project has the following four components: Enabling legal and regulatory environment for Digital Economy, mainly institutional development including the development of section Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and Trust Service Supervisory Body; legal and regulatory framework; a Quality-of-Service platform; and capacity building.

Implementing Digital Infrastructure Solutions for Emergency Response, Recovery and Resilience which includes the development of an emergency response center.

Fostering User Centered E-Service Delivery, which includes the establishment of a whole government digital transformation strategy, data infrastructure, support for a digital public platform and prioritization, simplification and digitization of services, the launch of e-services, and implementation of an e-Government Procurement (e-GP) System; and

Project Management, which will support the establishment of a Project management unit in MTDE.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) was established as an independent regulatory body under Decree-Law No. (37) of 2021 Concerning Telecommunications and Information Technology. Its mandate includes overseeing and developing the Palestinian telecommunications market and implementing policies designed by MTDE. The Project supports the establishment and operationalization of TRA, including capacity building to strengthen its effectiveness, credibility and independence.

MTDE seeks a qualified consulting or specialized training firm to design and deliver a targeted capacity-building program for TRA staff. The program will strengthen core regulatory skills, institutional processes and evidence-based decision-making, drawing on ITU guidance, ITU Global Symposium for Regulators best practices, and regional and international regulatory experience.

The assignment covers the following five training topics, with course content and modalities as detailed in the TOR: Telecom Licensing, Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement (15 trainees): licensing procedures and conditions; compliance monitoring; risk-based inspections; evidence and case management; proportionate enforcement, sanctions and due process. Expert-led applied workshop with practical exercises.

Telecom Market Analysis and Competition Regulation (7 trainees): market definition and analysis; significant market power; competition remedies; infrastructure sharing, network access and interconnection; and regulatory case studies. Blended training with practical market analysis exercises.

Regulation and Measurement of Telecommunications Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) (7 trainees): regulatory frameworks and standards; network performance indicators; drive testing; measurement, monitoring, data analysis and reporting; and compliance assessment. Specialized training with remote follow-up sessions.

Protection of Telecommunications Consumers and Users' Rights (5 trainees): consumer protection frameworks; provider obligations; complaints and dispute resolution; contracts, pricing and billing transparency; investigations, remedies and consumer protection indicators. Practical workshops.

National Emergency Telecommunications Planning and Telecom Sector Resilience (15 trainees): emergency governance; critical infrastructure risks; business continuity and disaster recovery; incident coordination and reporting; priority communications and service restoration; supply-chain resilience; and tabletop emergency and cyber scenarios. Multi-stakeholder workshop with practical scenarios.

Assignment deliverables include training delivery; printed/electronic training materials for each trainee, PMU and TRA; course completion certificates for successful participants; and an evaluation report for each course summarizing outcomes and comparing pre- and post-training test results. Detailed training plans and course outlines will be requested at the subsequent proposal stage and are not required with the expression of interest.

Training shall be conducted physically at MTDE labs or the firm's labs, with the course-specific follow-up modalities indicated in the TOR. Arabic is preferred but is not mandatory. Where relevant, professional certification examinations, vouchers, registration and related services may be proposed as optional components with a separate itemized financial offer; TRA may procure all, some or none of these components.

Download Full Tor from Here: TRA-Capacity Building ToR.pdf

The Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Economy (MTDE) now invites eligible consulting firms and specialized training centers ("Consultants") to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should p