Request for Proposal (RFP) for a firm to ‘Undertake the Assessment of Implemented Reforms under the Regulatory Reforms Packages through the established Regulatory Impact Evaluation (RIE) Methodology’   

Proposal Submission Deadline: 7 May 2026   

Terms of Reference

1. Brief overview 

Revenue Mobilisation, Investment and Trade (REMIT) programme is a nine-year (2019-28) technical assistance programme funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), United Kingdom to support Pakistan in implementing strategic reforms in the realm of economic development, trade, investment and revenue mobilisation. The key outcomes under the programme will be contributing towards strengthening the macroeconomic stability and improving conditions for high and sustained growth, mutual prosperity, job creation and poverty reduction in Pakistan. More specifically, REMIT programme aims at supporting the Government of Pakistan in the following areas:

1. Enhance revenue mobilisation capabilities and help raise the tax/GDP ratio by increasing the number of taxpayers; 

2. Address the investment climate constraints faced by local and international businesses and support Pakistan in moving towards being one of the top reformer countries to do business in creating ease for businesses;

3. Facilitate trade and drive competitiveness by reducing barriers to trade and reducing Pakistan’s trade deficit by helping increase exports; 

4. Modernise formulation and implementation of macroeconomic policy to avoid future financial crises.

As part of the Investment Climate workstream, REMIT aims to conduct an impact assessment study to independently validate the credibility, objectivity, and transparency of reform outcomes. In particular, the 68 reforms endorsed by CCoRR (Cabinet Committee on Regulatory Reforms) and reported by departments to be implemented will be independently validated through verification of administrative data, stakeholder consultations, and benchmarking against international good practices to confirm reductions in time, cost, and procedural complexity.

Through this assignment, REMIT will engage a firm to conduct Regulatory Impact Evaluation (RIE) of reforms endorsed under the Regulatory Reforms Packages by CCoRR to assess the real-world impact, identify implementation gaps, and strengthen the feedback loop between reform design and outcomes. This will include assessing how effectively regulatory bodies have implemented and sustained reforms, the extent of behavioural and process changes, and the resulting impact on business facilitation and investment. This will support the Government of Pakistan in enhancing the effectiveness, sustainability, and credibility of its regulatory reform agenda. 

2. Task Background

Over the past year the Board of Investment (BOI), under the directions of the Prime Minister, submitted a series of reform packages to the CCoRR for endorsement and implementation directives. Through this assignment, the selected firm will support BOI and REMIT, in conducting a rigorous Regulatory Impact Evaluation (RIE) of a targeted set of reforms implemented under the direction of CCoRR over the past year. The task will focus on generating systematic, evidence-based insights into whether these reforms have achieved their intended objectives and delivered measurable improvements in the regulatory environment.

The firm will undertake impact assessment for independent validation to ensure the credibility, objectivity, and transparency of 68 implemented reforms. A significant component of the assignment will involve an in-depth evaluation of 19 reforms in the pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing sector, with particular attention to change management processes, institutional adaptation, and sector-specific impacts.

Building on field-based assessments and stakeholder engagement, the firm will identify implementation gaps, bottlenecks, and behavioural or institutional constraints affecting reform outcomes, including any unintended externalities. The assignment will also develop detailed change and impact narratives to illustrate how reforms have translated into tangible outcomes.

In addition, the firm will refine the RIE methodology to ensure its applicability for continuous use by the Government of Pakistan. This includes developing a practical playbook and institutionalisation framework to embed impact evaluation within the reform process. 

The overall objective is to inform the next phase of regulatory reforms by providing actionable, evidence-based recommendations and strengthening the government’s capacity for ongoing reform evaluation.

3. Objectives of the Assignment 

The objective of this assignment is to conduct a systematic and evidence-based RIE of a subset of reforms primarily implemented under the directions of CCoRR during the last year. 

Specifically, the intervention aims to: 

• assess the extent to which the 68 reforms reported to be implemented have achieved their intended objectives, generated measurable improvements in the regulatory environment, and produced equitable outcomes for businesses, citizens, and institutions. Assess for selected reforms if the ex-ante impacts are realised ex-post and validate projected results, wherever available

• evaluate in detail the 19 reforms related to the pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing sector, with a strong focus on change management, institutional adaptation, and sector-specific outcomes.

• develop change and impact stories for each of the selected reforms in pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing sector to demonstrate broader impact.

• based on pilot assessments, refine the RIE methodology that can be used by GOP for conducting such evaluations on an ongoing basis.

• identify implementation gaps, bottlenecks, and factors affecting reform outcomes.

• identify unintended consequences, including distributional and gender-differentiated effects.

• derive actionable recommendations for GOP for consolidating gains, addressing gaps, and informing the next phase of the regulatory reform agenda.

• strengthen the institutional framework for continuous impact evaluation by developing a usable playbook derived from the RIE methodology.

Scope of Work

The firm will employ the RIE methodology developed by REMIT with necessary modifications to assess the impact of reforms as well as analysis of implementation dynamics and institutional constraints. Key activities include:

• Build on the RIE methodology developed by REMIT for a context-specific approach for impact evaluation of reforms drawing on international good practices and tailored to Pakistan’s regulatory environment.

• Map the full implementation chain of implemented reforms from policy notification to business-level interaction.

• Conduct field-based assessments, including interviews with businesses, regulators, and other stakeholders to assess de facto impact.

• Analyse the impact of reforms in terms of compliance costs, time, procedures, predictability, and business experience.

• Evaluate in detail the 19 reforms related to the pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing sector, with a strong focus on change management, institutional adaptation, and sector-specific outcomes

• Compare de jure reform design with de facto outcomes to identify implementation gaps

• Identify key institutional, behavioural, and coordination challenges affecting reform implementation.

• Analyse sources of, if any, institutional inertia and resistance to change across regulatory bodies.

• Develop a strategic framework to reduce frictions and time associated with reform adoption and implementation.

• Propose practical measures to improve incentives, coordination, and accountability in reform execution.

• Develop recommendations to institutionalise RIE within BOI, including integration with data portals like Regimeter.

• Present findings and recommendations to BOI, REMIT, and relevant stakeholders

• Prepare a final report consolidating methodology, findings, and forward-looking strategy.

• Strengthen the institutional framework for continuous impact evaluation by developing a usable playbook derived from the RIE methodology

4. Functional Requirements

Timelines

The firm is expected to deliver the following deliverables in 20 weeks after initiation of assignment: 

1. Inception Report and Refined RIE Methodology: adapted RIE methodology, evaluation framework, analytical approach, data collection tools, and implementation plan.

2. Draft RIE Assessment Report: analytical report presenting findings from field-based assessments across key dimensions such as compliance costs, time, procedures, predictability, and user experience.

3. Detailed draft report on evaluation of 19 reforms: implemented in the pharmaceutical and medical devices manufacturing sector

4. Institutional Analysis for Reform Effectiveness: Analysis of institutional, behavioural, and coordination constraints affecting reform implementation along with practical recommendations

5. Usable Playbook for Impact Evaluation: Refine the BOI’s RIE methodology to develop toolkit for impact evaluation

6. Final Consolidated Report and Presentation for Dissemination: comprehensive final report integrating the RIE methodology, empirical findings, institutional analysis, strategic recommendations

Pakistan License, Clearance and Approvals

The prospective vendors will include in the timeline any time needed to obtain any licenses, clearances, and/or approvals required under local legal requirements to produce or deliver the products and/or services described in the Scope of Work.

Qualifications and Experience 

The firm should demonstrate strong expertise in regulatory impact evaluation, policy analysis, and institutional reform. Specifically, the firm should have:

• Proven experience in conducting regulatory impact assessments and evaluating policy or regulatory interventions.

• Strong understanding of business environment reforms, including licensing, taxation, inspections, and regulatory governance.

• Expertise in developing evaluation methodologies, including qualitative and quantitative approaches.

• Experience in assessing de facto vs de jure implementation of policies or regulations

• Strong analytical capabilities, including stakeholder analysis, institutional diagnostics, and behavioural insights.

• Experience working with government institutions on regulatory or public sector reforms.

• Demonstrated ability to translate analytical findings into actionable policy recommendations.

• Experience in stakeholder engagement, including consultations with private sector and regulatory agencies.

• Familiarity with international good practices in regulatory governance and impact evaluation.

• Strong project management capabilities and ability to deliver within tight timelines

• Experience working on donor-funded programmes or with international development partners.

5. Instructions to Bidders

Bidders should examine all Instructions, Terms and Conditions as given in the RFP. Failure to furnish information required in the RFP or submission of Bids not substantially responsive or viable in every respect will be at the Bidder’s risk and may result in rejection of the bids. Bidders should strictly submit the Bid as specified in the RFP, failing which the bids will be held as non-responsive and will be rejected. 

Bids shall comprise a single package containing two folders: 

1. Technical Proposal  

2. Financial Proposal 

Bidders should send soft copies of the Technical and Financial Proposal to the following address: 

Soft copies to be sent to: [email protected]

Proposal Weightings 

1. Technical Proposal 

2. Financial Proposal 

Prospective firms must be legally registered under the laws of the country in which they are organized and possess all licenses, permits and government approvals necessary for performance of the work. 

6. Proposal Terms

1. Prospective Firms’ Understanding of the Solicitation

Prospective contractors are responsible for understanding the solicitation in its entirety and each of its elements and should make inquiries to ASI as necessary to ensure such understanding. ASI reserves the right to disqualify any prospective vendor that it determines, at its sole discretion, does not understand the solicitation or any of its elements. Such disqualification shall be at no fault, cost, or liability whatsoever to ASI.

2. Information from ASI

All information provided by ASI in this solicitation is subject to change at any time. ASI makes no certification as to the accuracy of any item and is not responsible or liable for any use of or reliance on the information or for any claims asserted therefrom.

3. Communication

All communications related to the RFP must be in writing to the above-mentioned point of contact. Verbal communication shall not be effective unless formally confirmed in writing by the procurement official listed in a sealed envelope to our designated location in Lahore.

1. Formal Communications shall include, but are not limited to the following:

• Questions concerning this solicitation must be submitted in writing to the contact person mentioned above. 

• Errors and omissions in this solicitation, as well as enhancements. Prospective firms should notify ASI of any discrepancies, errors, or omissions that may exist within this solicitation. Prospective vendors should recommend to ASI any enhancements to the work described in the solicitation which might be in ASI’s best interests.

• Inquiries about technical interpretations must be directly asked from contact person (Bilal Hassan).

2. Addenda: ASI will make a good-faith effort to provide a written response to the questions or requests for clarifications in the form of written responses or addenda in accordance with the Schedule of Events.

3. Posting Online: Copy of this solicitation, will be available online at:  www.BrightSpyre.com.

4. Non-Disclosure Agreement

ASI reserves the right to require the prospective firms to enter into a non-disclosure agreement.

5. No Collusion

Collusion is strictly prohibited. Collusion is defined as an agreement or compact, written or oral, between two or more parties with the goal of limiting fair and open competition by deceiving, misleading, or defrauding a third party.

6. Companies Owned or Controlled by Government

The prospective vendor must disclose in writing with its Response if a government, its agents, or agencies, have an ownership or managerial interest in the company. Failure to disclose a government ownership of managerial interest in the company will result in the prospective contractor’s offer being removed from consideration.

7. Subcontracting

The prospective contractor must disclose in writing with its Response any subcontracting that will take place under an award. Failure to disclose subcontracting relationships will result in the prospective contractor’s offer being removed from consideration. (if permitted by the solicitation)

8. Costs

The solicitation does not obligate ASI to pay for any costs, of any kind whatsoever, which may be incurred by a prospective contractor/vendor or third parties, in connection with the Response.

9. Intellectual Property

Prospective vendors may not use any intellectual property of ASI including, but not limited to, all logos, trademarks, or trade names of ASI, at any time without the prior written approval of ASI.

10.  Prospective Contractors’ Responses

All accepted Responses shall become the property of ASI and will not be returned.

11.  Partial Awarding

ASI reserves the right to accept all or part of the Response when awarding a contract.

12.  No Liability

ASI reserves the right to accept or reject any Response or to stop the procurement process at any time, without assigning any reason or liability. ASI shall not be liable to any prospective contractor, person, or entity for any losses, expenses, costs, claims, or damages of any kind.