REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

The Government of Belize (GOBZ) has received a Grant from the Caribbean Aid for Trade and Regional Integration Trust Fund (CARTFund), financed by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and administered by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), towards the cost of the above named project and intends to apply a portion of the proceeds of this Grant to eligible payments under a contract for which this invitation is issued.

Payment by CDB will be made only at the request of GOBZ, and upon approval by CDB, and will be subject in all respects to the terms and conditions of the Grant Agreement. The Grant Agreement prohibits withdrawal from the Grant account for the purpose of any payment to persons or entities, or for any import of goods, if such payment or import, to the knowledge of CDB, is prohibited by a decision of the United Nations Security Council taken under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. No party other than GOBZ shall derive any rights from the Grant Agreement or have any claim to the proceeds of the Grant.

GOBZ now wishes to procure consultancy services for the conduct of a value chain analysis and development of an industry strategy for Belizean Cacao.  The objective of the assignment is to develop methods for the cacao industry in Belize to put itself in a much more competitive position and to expand exports by exploiting the market opportunities it presents. A Value Chain Analysis is to be conducted and, from the findings, a strategy will be created for the development of the industry.

The assignment is expected to be undertaken over a period of approximately three calendar months (September 2014 through November 2014).

GOBZ invites eligible consulting firms to submit expressions of interest for providing these services.

Consulting firms from all countries are eligible to participate but must demonstrate their ability to work in English.

In the assessment of submissions, consideration will be given to technical competence, qualifications and experience, local and regional experience on similar assignments and existing commitments.  All information must be submitted in English.

One hard copy of the Expression of Interest must be received at the first address below no later than 1600 hours on September 12, 2014 and one hard copy must be sent simultaneously to CDB at the second address below.  The sealed envelope containing each submission should include the name and address of the applicant and be clearly marked “Expression of Interest: Consultancy Services for Value Chain Analysis and Industry Strategy Development for Belizean Cacao”.

Following the assessment of submissions, a shortlist of not less than three, and not more than six consultants, will be provided with the full Terms of Reference and invited to submit technical and financial proposals to undertake the assignment.

GOBZ reserves the right to accept or reject late applications or to cancel this invitation partially or in its entirety.  GOBZ will not be bound to assign any reason for not short listing any applicant and will not defray any costs incurred by any applicant in the preparation and submission of Expressions of Interest.

American Airlines Group (AAL) will parnter with Ink Global to relaunch its flagship American Way publication with a stronger digital footprint and “more global outlook.” Reuters

The world’s largest airline is getting out of the publishing business. American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL), which finalized its merger earlier this year with US Airways, will partner with Ink Global to produce its American Way magazine and two other in-flight publications.

The companies are expected to announce the partnership later Tuesday. American Way reaches 193 million people every year, and Ink will also relaunch Celebrated Living, the airline’s first- and business-class title, as well as Nexos, a magazine produced in Spanish and Portuguese.

“This is an important juncture in airline history, a landmark merger, and we are excited to be working with the largest airline in the world,” said Michael Keating, Ink’s founder and director of business development. “We’re going to build on the associated websites for each publication, as well as mobile apps that go along with that.”

Ink, based in London, already produces 36 magazines in 18 languages for air and railway companies around the world, reaching 677 million passengers a year, it says. Keating said Ink will develop smartphone apps for the publications, and also digitize American Way’s archives.

“American Way has a huge following, so we’re excited to release the archives so that passengers in-flight, on whatever device they have at the time, will be able to view them,” Keating said. “We are also going to relaunch the website and completely relaunch the magazines.”

Ink will work with the current editor of American Way and author Adam Pitluk to relaunch the magazine. Pitluk said he was “monumentally encouraged” by Ink’s experience with mobile apps and global footprint as he tries to move away from standard travel coverage.

“I’ve tried to move away from being a straight up travel magazine,” Pitluk said. “And its not for any reason other than wanting to be something for everybody, in flight. Although people are flying, a lot of them are business travelers, where travel is more of a necessity than for pleasure.”

Pitluk said he wants American Way to go beyond being just a standard part of an in-flight experience, but also as a go-to source for travel tips.

“If somebody wants to know about the best boat drinks in Belize, we’ve got them covered, but if they’re looking for a story about some international business trends, they know that they could come to us too,” he said. “And Ink realizes that. If you only write about travel for leisure, you alienate a certain segment of your readership.”

Unlike a lot of magazines, American Way has managed to hold on to its ad pages. The magazine tallied 218.42 in the first quarter, up 2.8 percent from 212.50 in 2013, according to the Magazine Association’s Publisher’s Information Bureau. The association estimates American Way brought in $21.5 million in ad revenue in 2013.

Mergers in the airline industry have vastly culled the field of in-flight magazines. Titles like Continental Pacific (Continental Airlines) and World Traveler (Northwest Airlines) disappeared as those airlines were gobbled up by United and Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE:DAL).

Pitluk said working with a company dedicated to publishing, instead of air travel, would help the magazines in the long run. American Airlines attempted to get mobile apps for American Way and its other publications off of the ground before, to no avail.

“The primary business of American Airlines is running an airline and Ink’s primary role is publishing magazines, so it’s a partnership that makes sense,” he said. In that last year, Ink has hired a digital team of 50, including Chee Wong, former chief technological officer for Shazam Entertainment Ltd., the producers of the song-finding app.

“What you’re finding with a lot of the media agencies is that they want multiplatform,” Keating said. “Of course there are some advertisers who only want print, but we have advertisers who understand that there’s a capability of reaching passengers at every step of the journey, on the way to a destination as well as off of the plane.”

Ink has added merchandising to its digital products with great success, Keating said, and everything from boarding passes to email confirmations offer revenue opportunities. “We can send a media offer for an advertiser that’s highly targeted” with passenger data Ink receives from airlines, Keating said. “If a family books a vacation, a mother might get a skincare product for something to buy in the airport, the dad might get a carpark offer for the destination, and the kids might get a highly targeted advertisement for an attraction at their destination.”

Continue reading “American Airlines Hires Ink Global To Relaunch ‘American Way,’ In-Flight Magazines” →

POSITION DESCRIPTION: ACCOUNTS & ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

The Belize Coalition of Service Providers (BCSP) is a national umbrella body that brings together all service sector associations. It functions as a focal point to lobby, channel and address trade in services issues and services development issues which are critical for the sector to thrive in the competitive global environment. The Administrative & Accounting Office will be responsible for assuming the accounting and administrative functions for the BCSP Secretariat and providing administrative assistance to the BCSP’s Executive Director.

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES

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POSITION DESCRIPTION: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Belize Coalition of Service Providers (BCSP) is a national umbrella body that brings together all service sector associations. It functions as a focal point to lobby, channel and address trade in services issues and services development issues which are critical for the sector to thrive in the competitive global environment. The BCSP has the mandate to assist the sector in developing and exporting their services and the Executive Director will head the BCSP in moving to its next phase of development.

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES

Reporting to the BCSP Board of Directors, the Executive Director will be responsible for the coordination, management, efficient leadership and administration of the BCSP on behalf of the private sector, as well as the promotion and facilitation of trade in services in Belize, regionally and internationally.

Continue reading “Belize Coalition of Service Providers” →