Safe transport and secure borders: gap assessment and SWOT analysis

Safe transport and secure borders – gap assessment and SWOT analysis

Summary and analysis updated

Safe transport and secure borders – gap assessment and SWOT analysis

Call for tenders Safe transport and secure borders – gap assessment and SWOT analysis 13 July 2026  2 Table of contents Page 1 Introduction 4 1.1 Profile of the UPU 4 2 Terms and conditions 4 2.1 Confidentiality 4 2.2 Legal status of the Vendor 5 2.3 Scope of the call for tenders 5 2.4 Background 5 2.5 Objectives 6 2.6 Use of subcontractors 6 2.7 Use of the emblem, name and initials of the UPU 6 2.8 Collusive bidding, anti-competitive practices and any other similar conduct 7 2.9 Intellectual property 7 2.10 Privileges and immunities 7 2.11 Tax exemption 7 2.12 Language 8 2.13 Signature 8 2.14 Participation notification 8 2.15 Contact persons 8 2.16 Further inquiries and questions 8 2.17 Delivery of tenders and deadline 8 2.18 Evaluation procedure 8 2.19 Modification, suspension or cancellation of the call for tenders 9 2.20 Tentative schedule 9 3 Tender structure – Response format 9 3.1 Cover letter 10 3.2 Executive summary 10 3.3 Bidder information 10 3.4 Subcontractor information 10 3.5 Technical proposal 10 3.6 Financial proposal 10 3.7 Delivery and payment schedule 11 3.8 UPU General Terms and Conditions 11 4 Service requirements 11 4.1 Description of the services 11 4.2 Bidder requirements 12 4.3 Consultant requirements 13 4.4 Assessment criteria 13 4.5 Duration of services 14  3 Table of contents (cont.) Page 4.6 Location of the services 14 4.7 Reporting 14 4.8 Other requirements 14 4.9 Additional information 14  4 1 Introduction 1.1 Profile of the UPU The Universal Postal Union (UPU) was founded in 1874 in Berne, Switzerland, with the main goals of estab- lishing a single postal territory for the reciprocal exchange of letter-post items and adopting common principles for the international postal service in a non-discriminatory manner. Currently comprising 192 member coun- tries, the UPU became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1948. The main mission of the UPU is to stimulate the lasting development of efficient and accessible universal postal services of quality, in order to facilitate communication between the inhabitants of the world. It does this by guaranteeing the free circulation of items over a single postal territory composed of interconnected networks, encouraging the adoption of fair common standards and the use of technology, ensuring cooperation and interaction among stakeholders, promoting effective technical cooperation, and ensuring the satisfaction of customers’ changing needs. The UPU is thus expected to play a major role in the continued revitalization of postal services. Furthermore, the UPU facilitates the development of worldwide postal services by providing an information and communication technology framework that allows the designated operators1 of UPU member countries to concentrate on the delivery of postal services to their customers. In this context, the UPU provides a global network with value-added services, as well as computerized applications for the management of international mail and international postal money orders. 2 Terms and conditions Unless otherwise indicated in this call for tenders, the term “Bidder” shall refer to any person, company or legal entity submitting a proposal in response to this call for tenders. The term “Vendor” shall refer to any selected bidder. 2.1 Confidentiality Bidders shall treat in strict confidence all information contained in this call for tenders and its attached docu- ments that is not already publicly known or generally accessible, particularly any documentation marked as confidential and distributed by the UPU to Bidders as additional confidential tender documentation. Bidders shall prevent the disclosure or distribution of all such information to third parties and other entities and persons not expressly authorized herein. In case of doubt, these confidentiality provisions shall nevertheless be observed. All Bidders are obliged to observe these confidentiality provisions before, during and after the tender process. These provisions shall not affect the legal obligations of the UPU and Bidders to disclose information. Bidders shall not use such information for any purposes other than those associated with this call for tenders. The call for tenders and all attached documents may be distributed or made available only to persons directly involved in the tender process on behalf of Bidders. If external agents or subcontractors are involved in the preparation of the tender documents, this must be indicated and their names provided in the participation notification (see section 2.14). Bidders shall assume full responsibility for the compliance of their agents, consultants, employees and sub- contractors, as well as any third parties involved on their behalf in this tender process, with these rules of confidentiality, and shall be liable for any damages resulting from misconduct or unauthorized disclosure. If a Bidder violates the confidentiality provisions contained herein, it shall be liable to pay a penalty to the UPU unless it can prove that no fault is attributable to it. This penalty shall not exceed 50,000 CHF per infringement. Payment of any such penalties shall not release Bidders from their obligation to observe these confidentiality requirements. 1 In accordance with article 2.1.6 of the UPU Constitution, a designated operator is any governmental or non-governmental entity officially designated by the member country to operate postal services and to fulfil the related obligations arising out of the Acts of the Union on its territory.  5 Bidders wishing to submit a proposal in response to this call for tenders must contact the person(s) specified in section 2.15 below and may, if necessary, request additional information from the UPU in relation to this call for tenders. Without prejudice to the confidentiality provisions set out above, Bidders agree that the receipt of any such information may be subject to the prior signature of a non-disclosure agreement between the Bidder and the UPU, under conditions to be determined and communicated by the latter. 2.2 Legal status of the Vendor The Vendor shall be regarded as having, in law, the legal status of independent contractor. The Vendor and its agents, consultants, employees and subcontractors (as authorized by the UPU) shall in no way be regarded as employees of the UPU. Such agents, consultants, employees and subcontractors of the Vendor shall not be entitled to any employment benefits from the UPU. The Vendor alone shall be responsible for due payment of all compensation owed to such agents, consultants, employees and subcontractors, including payment of any employment taxes, benefits, compensation and insurance. The Vendor shall represent and warrant that it will comply with all laws, rules and regulations required by the relevant authorities, including the appropriate withholding, reporting and payment of all necessary taxes. The Vendor shall be liable for all work performed, including any acts or omissions, by its agents, consultants, employees and subcontractors. 2.3 Scope of the call for tenders This call for tenders concerns the provision of a study to assess safe transport and secure borders, identifying all relevant internal and external stakeholders (including the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the World Customs Organization (WCO), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the UPU), examining multimodal regulations and the integra- tion thereof, and assessing opportunities to improve safe and secure interoperability, harmonization and col- laboration between postal, cargo, customs and transport stakeholders across multimodal supply chains. The study should also examine all currently available internationally facilitated security certification systems to identify gaps and synergies. This should include a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of all UPU-managed security and safety projects, in order to identify factors facilitating or preventing the achievement of safe transport and secure borders, and to identify solutions for the achievement of maxi- mum multimodal safety and security on a global scale. The SWOT analysis should examine activities con- ducted through the UPU over at least the last three years. It should provide a final analysis and recommenda- tions, inclusive of budgetary assessments, aligned with a three-year implementation period and the relevant UPU work plans for the Dubai cycle (2026–2029) to ensure that synergies are identified and leveraged. A thorough presentation of the final gap assessment and SWOT analysis should be provided to all relevant stakeholders. Finally, the study should examine current and emerging digitalization initiatives supporting secure and efficient transport operations, including electronic advance data (EAD), “assessment complete” information and elec- tronic consignment security declarations (eCSDs). The study should consider industry initiatives such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) ONE Record standard and the UPU dangerous goods search tool in relation to the security and safety of the supply chain, and assess opportunities to increase safe and secure interoperability. 2.4 Background A number of components contribute to ensuring the security of the postal supply chain. Under article 8 of the Universal Postal Convention, physical security measures are mandatory for all designated operators. The minimum mandatory standards are defined by UPU security standards S58 and S59, which are closely aligned with international security standards, including those of ICAO. The UPU facilitates an overarching voluntary security certification regime, under which training is delivered and audits conducted on designated operators’ critical facilities. Extensive information on these programmes can be found at www.upu.int/en/postal-solutions/ programmes-services/postal-supply-chain/security.  6 Aviation security is a primary focus at the UPU, which has adopted an approach combining physical and digital aspects, leveraging electronic advance data (EAD) as an additional layer of security under the pre-loading advance cargo information (PLACI) regime to identify potentially high-risk cargo and mail through risk assess- ments based on item data. EAD complements existing aviation security controls and screening procedures for air cargo and mail. Under articles 08-002, 17-107 and 17-216 of the UPU Convention Regulations, designated operators are required, as of 1 January 2021, to capture and exchange EAD for international postal items containing goods, in order to comply with the specific import customs and security requirements of member countries. In addition, the Joint WCO–ICAO Guiding Principles for Pre-Loading Advance Cargo Information set out the general approach established to implement a PLACI system for aviation security purposes. A UPU study comprising a SWOT analysis of current EAD-related projects was completed in 2024. This included the shortfalls and obstacles preventing designated operators from achieving full EAD compliance, as well as recommendations at all levels (including political, operational, technological and regulatory) on how to improve the outcomes of EAD projects conducted through the UPU and next steps to achieve full EAD com- pliance. The study may be shared with the Vendor as a reference. Details of the assessment and SWOT analysis to be provided under this call for tenders are provided in sec- tion 4 (Service requirements). 2.5 Objectives The objectives of this assessment are to: – identify current gaps within security activities; – prepare a SWOT analysis of current projects, leveraging past studies and SWOT analyses; – provide recommendations as to how to enhance designated operators’ compliance with current safety and security requirements on a regional and global basis, while ensuring a future-ready environment to enable them to grow and develop within the ever-changing security and safety environment; – provide recommendations for enhancing digitalization to improve the security and safety of mail, while simplifying processes and collaboration between designated operators, carriers, customs administra- tions and relevant international organizations. The study is expected to provide solutions to increase understanding of the current security and safety chal- lenges and to enhance compliance among designated operators on a global scale. The Vendor will be expected to deliver a detailed report on these findings, including the aforementioned rec- ommendations, tailored to both UPU internal and external stakeholders. In addition, the report should provide a strategic roadmap identifying short-, medium- and long-term opportunities to increase the security and safety of multimodal transport, digitalization, data-sharing capabilities and collaboration with international partners. 2.6 Use of subcontractors The Vendor shall not assign, sublicense, subcontract, pledge or otherwise transfer or dispose of its tender, or any of the rights and obligations contained therein or in an associated contract with the UPU, without the prior written consent of the UPU. The approval by the UPU of the engagement of any subcontractor shall not relieve the Vendor of any of its obligations or responsibilities concerning the work performed by such subcontractors. 2.7 Use of the emblem, name and initials of the UPU Bidders shall not advertise or otherwise make public the fact that they intend to provide, are providing or have provided services to the UPU, or use the emblem, name or initials of the UPU in connection with their business for purposes of commercial advantage or goodwill, without prior and explicit permission from the UPU. Bidders shall take all reasonable measures to ensure compliance with this provision by their agents, consultants, employees and subcontractors.  7 2.8 Collusive bidding, anti-competitive practices and any other similar conduct Without prejudice to the provisions in sections 3 and 4 below, Bidders (including their agents, consultants, employees and subcontractors) shall not engage in any collusive bidding, anti-competitive practices or any other similar conduct in relation to: – the preparation and submission of tenders; – the clarification of tenders; – the conduct and content of any negotiations, including final contract negotiations. For the purposes of this call for tenders, collusive bidding, anti-competitive practices and any other similar conduct may include the disclosure to, or exchange or clarification with, any other Bidder of information (in any form), whether or not such information is confidential to the UPU or to any other Bidder, in order to alter the results of the call for tenders in such a way that would lead to an outcome other than that which would have been obtained through a competitive process. In addition to any other remedies available to it, the UPU may, at its sole discretion, immediately reject any tender submitted by a Bidder that, in the UPU’s opinion, has engaged in any collusive bidding, anti-competitive practices or any other similar conduct with any other Bidder in relation to the preparation or submission of tenders, whether with respect to this call for tenders or other procurement processes conducted by the UPU. 2.9 Intellectual property This call for tenders and all its attached documents, including any content, forms, statements, concepts, pro- jects and procedures explicitly or implicitly forming part of the call for tenders, constitute the exclusive intellec- tual property of the UPU. This call for tenders is communicated to the various Bidders with the sole purpose of assisting them in the preparation of their respective tenders. Any hard copies of this call for tenders shall be destroyed or returned to the UPU by unsuccessful Bidders at the request of the UPU. 2.10 Privileges and immunities Nothing in or relating to this call for tenders, the activities described herein or any potential agreements related thereto shall be deemed as a waiver, expressed or implied, of any of the privileges, immunities and facilities that the UPU enjoys as a specialized agency of the United Nations system, pursuant to the Swiss Host State Act and the Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations (on Swiss territory), the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies (outside Switzerland), and any other conventions and laws recognizing and/or granting such privileges, immunities and facilities to the UPU and its officials (such as the International Organizations Immunities Act in the case of the United States of America). Accordingly, the Vendor shall expressly acknowledge and agree that the property and assets of the UPU, including any archives, data, documents and funds belonging to the UPU or held by it (including, without limi- tation, the data/hosting environments and servers pertaining to or associated with the provision of the services, as well as any data or documents in any form belonging to or held by the UPU on behalf of UPU member countries and their designated operators), are inviolable and shall be immune from search, requisition, confis- cation, expropriation and any other form of interference, whether through executive, administrative, judicial or legislative action. The Vendor shall immediately contact the UPU in the event of any attempt to violate or any violation of the UPU’s privileges and immunities, and shall take all reasonable measures to prevent such violations. In the light of the UPU’s status as a specialized agency of the United Nations (and without prejudice to the observance, by the UPU, of any sanctions established by the United Nations Security Council), Bidders shall expressly certify their legal and operational willingness and ability to provide the services on a non- discriminatory basis for the benefit of all eligible entities established and/or situated in the territory of any UPU member country, irrespective of the existence of diplomatic relations between a Bidder’s country of incorpora- tion and/or operation and any UPU member country (including its designated operators). 2.11 Tax exemption Pursuant to article III, section 9, of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies, the UPU is exempt from all direct taxes and from customs restrictions, duties and charges of a similar nature in respect of articles imported or exported for its official use.  8 Furthermore, as an intergovernmental organization and a specialized agency of the United Nations, the UPU is exempt from value-added tax (VAT) in Switzerland (OLTVA, article 22; Instructions 2001 sur la TVA, arti- cles 574, 816 and others), as well as in other countries. Therefore, all prices shall be indicated in “net” form, without VAT or similar taxes. 2.12 Language Bidders must submit all tender documents entirely in English. 2.13 Signature Tender documents shall be signed by a representative (or representatives) duly designated and authorized to act on the Bidder’s behalf and with the authority to legally bind the Bidder and accept the terms and conditions of this call for tenders. 2.14 Participation notification Upon receipt of this call for tenders, Bidders shall send confirmation of participation to the contact person(s) listed in section 2.15 by the deadline indicated in section 2.20. 2.15 Contact persons Secretary of the Tenders and Procurements Committee Universal Postal Union International Bureau Weltpoststrasse 4 3015 BERNE SWITZERLAND E-mail: caa@upu.int 2.16 Further inquiries and questions Bidders must send any questions regarding the content of this call for tenders or any requests for clarification in writing to the contact person(s) listed in section 2.15 by 4 August 2026. Answers to questions submitted by Bidders, as well as any additional information and updates relevant to this call for tenders, shall be published on the UPU website at www.upu.int/en/Universal-Postal-Union/ Procurement. 2.17 Delivery of tenders and deadline All tenders must be submitted to the UPU by e-mail only at RFP-2026-011@upu.int with “RFP-2026-011 – Safe transport and secure borders – gap assessment and SWOT analysis” as the subject line. The deadline for the submission of tenders is 23 August 2026 at 17.00 CEST. The budgeted amount for the entire project shall not exceed 100,000 CHF. The UPU shall not take into consideration any tenders received after this date and time. Furthermore, it shall not accept any tenders sent to any e-mail address other than that specified above or sent by any other means. There shall be no charge to the UPU for the preparation and submission of tender documents by Bidders. 2.18 Evaluation procedure The objective of the UPU’s evaluation process is to ensure the selection of a qualified, reliable and experienced Vendor capable of providing the specialized services and fulfilling the objectives set out in this call for tenders. The UPU shall conduct its evaluation procedure with a view to determining as objectively as possible the tender that best meets its specific requirements. All tenders submitted shall be subject to an in-depth assessment, at the UPU’s sole discretion, in order to enable the UPU to engage the most appropriate service provider. Due  9 consideration will be given to Bidders’ specific backgrounds, qualifications and experience in relation to the required services. The prescribed structure of tenders, as set out in section 3, is mandatory for all Bidders. The UPU shall not take into consideration any tenders that do not fulfil the mandatory criteria. Tenders received by the UPU must address all aspects of this call for tenders, and Bidders should identify any aspects where they envisage modifications being necessary or consider elements to be missing. Tenders shall be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria, in descending order of importance: – quality of the tender (according to the specifications herein); – knowledge and experience of the Bidder and its team and/or consultant(s), as applicable to the subject matter; – previous work conducted within the postal sector; – previous work with or knowledge of the UPU; – price. The winning tender will be selected based on a non-exhaustive list of criteria as set out in section 4. Bidders should therefore consider how their tender corresponds with the criteria listed and clearly indicate this in their response document. The deliberations of the UPU Tenders and Procurements Committee (TPC) are strictly confidential. The TPC shall submit a report on its evaluation of the tenders received to the Director General of the UPU International Bureau, together with its final recommendation, for his assessment and authorization. The UPU is not bound to accept the lowest tender and reserves the right to accept all or part of a tender. In awarding the contract, account will be taken of both the overall costs of the work and of the nature and quality of the services to be provided. The UPU reserves the right to negotiate prices and terms and conditions of contract after receipt of tenders. Bidders will be informed of the outcome of their tender as soon as possible after the UPU has made its final selection. 2.19 Modification, suspension or cancellation of the call for tenders The UPU reserves the right, at its sole discretion and at any time before the conclusion of the tender process (i.e. at any time prior to the signature of the relevant contract with the Vendor), to modify, suspend or cancel all or part of this call for tenders. 2.20 Tentative schedule Publication of call for tenders 13 July 2026 Deadline for submission of participation notification 4 August 2026 Deadline for submission of queries 4 August 2026 Deadline for provision of responses to queries 10 August 2026 Deadline for submission of tenders to the UPU 23 August 2026 at 17.00 CEST Estimated start of engagement 14 September 2026 3 Tender structure – Response format All information provided by Bidders must be fully compliant with the terms and conditions set out in section 2 above, as well as the provisions of this section and the service requirements listed in section 4 below.  10 Moreover, the requirements stipulated in this call for tenders must be met in their entirety, according to the structure defined below and following the sequence and numbering provided in this section. The UPU shall evaluate all Bidder responses in accordance with the structure defined herein and shall have the right to reject any tenders that do not fulfil the requirements of this call for tenders. For each of the requirements listed in this call for tenders, Bidders shall answer with one of the following statements: – covered; – covered with limitations (explaining relevant limitations); – not covered. Where the answer is “covered” or “covered with limitations”, Bidders shall provide further details and/or exam- ples of existing implementations of their solution in the field (existing use cases). 3.1 Cover letter Bidders shall submit a cover letter including: – a statement that the Bidder has read, understands and accepts all provisions of this call for tenders; – the Bidder’s name, telephone number, postal address and e-mail address, and the name(s) of its rep- resentative(s); – a statement that the Bidder’s tender documents are valid for a minimum period of 120 days. The cover letter shall be signed by a representative (or representatives) duly designated and authorized to act on the Bidder’s behalf and with the authority to legally bind the Bidder and accept the terms and conditions of this call for tenders, and shall also include a confirmation of such authorization by the Bidder. 3.2 Executive summary Bidders shall provide an executive summary highlighting the most important aspects of their tender. 3.3 Bidder information Bidders must provide the following information: – company structure, locations/subsidiaries; – financial data (turnover, profit, etc.); – partners and equity holders of the company; – company history; – market position and share in relevant markets. 3.4 Subcontractor information Bidders shall provide a list of any subcontractors to be directly involved in this call for tenders and must specify the exact degree of these subcontractors’ involvement in the provision of the services. 3.5 Technical proposal Bidders shall submit a technical proposal addressing all of the requirements set out in section 4 (Service requirements). This proposal should outline the methodology, processes and timelines, as appropriate, that Bidders intend to implement in order to fulfil the objectives of this call for tenders. The assessment criteria applicable to the technical proposal are outlined in section 4.4. 3.6 Financial proposal Bidders shall provide a financial proposal setting out their pricing structure, as follows: – daily and annual rate per consultant;  11 – full-service quotation (all inclusive); – detailed description of pricing structure and services offered. In the event of the sudden departure of an individual consultant, the Vendor shall provide 10 extra consulting days by the replacement consultant at no additional charge. The budgeted amount for the entire project shall not exceed 100,000 CHF. Bidders shall not include VAT in their pricing structure (see section 2.11). All pricing information shall be pro- vided exclusively in Swiss francs (CHF). 3.7 Delivery and payment schedule The delivery and payment schedules are to be proposed by Bidders in their pricing structures, and must be agreed with the UPU. The services provided by the Vendor shall be invoiced in arrears on a monthly basis. The UPU will make payment within 30 business days of receipt of invoice, subject to its acceptance of the services provided and the Vendor’s transmission to the UPU of any and all documentation clearly detailing the services to which the invoice pertains (in a format to be established by the UPU). 3.8 UPU General Terms and Conditions Bidders shall include in their tender a statement of acceptance of the UPU General Terms and Conditions for the Provision of Services, attached hereto for reference. The final terms of any contract arising from this call for tenders shall be defined by the UPU and accepted by the Vendor. Contract negotiations shall commence only after the final selection of a Vendor by the UPU. 4 Service requirements 4.1 Description of the services The Vendor will be expected to deliver the following services and activities: – assessment and SWOT analysis of UPU safety and security standards relative to those of external partners, including ICAO, the IMO and the WCO; – analysis of security and safety projects conducted through the UPU in the last three years; – SWOT analysis of UPU regulations relative to international regulations, identifying any gaps preventing safe and secure borders; – preparation of a report for both UPU internal and external consumption, containing evidence-based find- ings and recommendations as to how to enhance safe and secure borders and provide solutions to bridge the gaps identified; – in-depth presentation of the final report for both internal and external stakeholders. The results of the work will be examined and validated at each stage by the UPU International Bureau. The proposed assessment and SWOT analysis should build on the outcomes of the UPU EAD project gap assessment and SWOT analysis conducted in 2024 to drive forward the requirements of Congress resolu- tion C 9/2025, as follows: – examine the work needed to enhance implementation of UPU standards and protocols for EAD, includ- ing messaging related to dangerous goods and other prohibited or restricted items that should not be dispatched but do not reach the level of security risk associated with the electronic data interchange (EDI) messaging code for “do not load” (DNL) for a “bomb-in-the-box” scenario; – examine supply chain visibility to assess data needed by ICAO and civil aviation authorities to safeguard aviation against acts of unlawful interference, and extrapolate the said data to multimodal stakeholders  12 (maritime and surface) to map against the current data environment and identify gaps in sharing neces- sary data; – achieve both the “safe transport” and “secure border” goals of resolution C 9/2025 by examining and recommending improvements to the EAD elements needed for enhanced targeting, including the provi- sion of 10-digit or other applicable harmonized tariff codes and “country of origin of goods” information when customs or security authorities indicate that they need this more detailed information to ensure items being shipped to the destination country are safe and admissible; – examine screening technologies in use on a regional level and assess the best techniques to screen mail items against emerging threats, including improvised incendiary devices and improvised explosive devices; – examine how to promote and improve transport and supply chain practices affecting designated opera- tors’ international mail networks, including appropriate sortation and separation of items at point of acceptance and at other points in the supply chain, which includes appropriate sortation and separation to prevent the commingling of liquids, aerosols and gels with certain electronics inside the same item or receptacle being shipped, especially where such combinations pose security risks for transport; – examine framework harmonization by clarifying current multimodal frameworks and transport-related issues in the supply chain, including, as appropriate, to identify guidance materials in use and gaps preventing the alignment of standards for the postal sector with relevant rules and regulations applicable to various transport modalities, such as ICAO Annex 17 or the IMO’s regulations regarding the transport of goods; – assess opportunities to harmonize postal security and safety standards and the regulatory framework and, insofar as possible, to align these with the processes and security and safety standards for com- mercial cargo, across different modes of transport and in accordance with customer needs and postal capabilities; – provide recommendations and a strategic roadmap to strengthen collaboration between the UPU, des- ignated operators, carriers, civil aviation authorities and relevant international organizations (including ICAO, the IMO and the WCO), with a view to supporting a more integrated, safe and secure global postal network; – explore how UPU standards S58 and S59 may be enhanced or updated to meet newly emerging security requirements, compare UPU security certification with the ICAO Universal Security Audit Programme and its continuous monitoring approach (USAP–CMA) (as a minimum), determine whether additional UPU security standards are needed, and consider aligning standards from the UPU, ICAO, WCO and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), where appropriate; – examine ways to promote, strengthen and ensure member countries’ implementation of UPU security standards S58 and S59, such as developing measures to require or promote wider certification of com- pliance with these mandatory UPU security standards; – building on the UPU’s analysis presented in its report entitled “The postal sector’s role in the digital economy and digital society”, review current cyber- and physical security synergies to identify improve- ments that could be made to increase the security of designated operators. This should include crisis management measures to prepare for, respond to and recover from cyber incidents, with a view to devising a cybersecurity plan that includes all necessary aspects of risk assessment and mitigation; – examine ways to strengthen cybersecurity awareness among designated operators by reviewing current cybersecurity awareness training and campaign materials; – examine ways to strengthen designated operators’ cyber resilience by reviewing incident response and disaster recovery plans, cyber threat intelligence collection, data sharing and threat hunting processes, insider threat strategies and policies for best practices; – provide recommendations and solutions tailored to all relevant stakeholders, including the UPU, restricted unions and internal and external stakeholders. 4.2 Bidder requirements Bidders shall demonstrate a record of satisfactory performance in similar activities (i.e. reference letters and/or work completion certificates). The business transactions and activities carried out by the Bidder must be com- pliant with the mandates and principles of the UPU.  13 Bidders must present in their tender their proposed methodology, work plan and approach to organizing the work. 4.3 Consultant requirements Bidders not operating as an independent consultant should propose at least three individual consultants in accordance with the requirements specified in this call for tenders for the performance of the services and activities described herein. Bidders are required to provide the CVs and diplomas of the said consultants, as well as a letter of motivation and a brief write-up (maximum 1,000 words) of the consultants’ approach and methodology with regard to the project, for further verification and evaluation by the UPU. The UPU shall have the right to reject a proposed consultant if the individual does not fulfil the UPU’s requirements as defined in this call for tenders. Bidders not operating as an independent consultant should describe any relevant procedures concerning the replacement of individual consultants if so requested by the UPU. Consultants should meet the following criteria: – Experience • At least five years of experience of international trade rules, trade analysis and policy formulation • Familiarity with security and safety requirements and associated regulations in aviation and mul- timodal transport • Experience in the postal, logistics, transport, air cargo, maritime transport or e-commerce sectors, including engagement with international organizations, regulators or industry stakeholders, would be considered an advantage • Experience in strategy and/or operations in the postal or logistics sectors or with related e‑commerce organizations, and knowledge of international standards and frameworks developed by organizations such as ICAO, the IMO, the WCO and the UPU would also be an advantage – Skills and capabilities • Strong interpersonal and communication skills • Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities • Ability to plan, organize, implement and report on work • Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines • Proficiency in the use of office IT applications and the Internet to conduct research • Outstanding communication, project management and organizational skills • Excellent presentation and facilitation skills • Ability to analyze complex regulatory, operational and technical environments relating to mail transport security and safety, and to translate findings into practical recommendations • High level of integrity and ethical standards • Positive and constructive attitude to work • Sensitivity and adaptability with regard to culture, gender, religion, race, nationality and age • Fluency in English 4.4 Assessment criteria Bidders will be assessed on the basis of a scoring system of up to 70 points for their technical proposal and 30 points for their pricing structure. The technical proposal shall be assessed on the basis of the following criteria: Criteria Points obtainable Experience of conducting similar actionable projects 20  14 Criteria Points obtainable Experience and knowledge of postal policy, regulation and legal frameworks 15 Experience and knowledge of multimodal transportation frameworks and security/ 15 safety policies and regulations Proposed methodology 10 Composition of the team and experience of the team leader 10 Bidders shall provide evidence of their ability to meet these requirements by means of a list of references. 4.5 Duration of services The services are scheduled to commence in September 2026 for a total contract term of six months. 4.6 Location of the services The Vendor or its assigned consultant shall in principle work from its own premises or his/her home office. The Vendor or its assigned consultant shall liaise and work closely with the UPU (as instructed by the latter) and may be required from time to time to carry out certain tasks from the headquarters of the UPU in Berne, Switzerland. 4.7 Reporting The Vendor shall provide the UPU with reports twice per month setting out the relevant services performed by the Vendor during that time frame. Such reports shall be prepared in accordance with a structure and format defined by the UPU (i.e. time sheets). The UPU may contest the Vendor’s time sheets within 10 business days of receipt thereof. If the time sheets are not contested by the UPU within the said time frame, the services detailed therein may be deemed as duly provided by the Vendor and accepted by the UPU. 4.8 Other requirements Bidders shall describe any relevant procedures for ensuring the continuity of the services provided and for appropriate backup and retraining, as well as any relevant procedures pertaining to project management and communication. Bidders shall also confirm that their tender covers all costs associated with the provision of the services referred to herein. Any other costs to be incurred by the Vendor, including any travel and subsistence costs incurred in the provision of the services at locations other than its own premises and specifically designated by the UPU, shall be subject to the prior written consent of the UPU. No other fees shall be paid, with the exception of reimbursement of other unavoidable costs incurred for successful delivery of the services, which shall also be subject to the prior written consent of the UPU. 4.9 Additional information Bidders may include any additional information that they deem necessary or relevant in order for the UPU to gain a clear and detailed understanding of the services being offered. 

Published

Safe transport and secure borders – gap assessment and SWOT analysis

Call for tenders Safe transport and secure borders – gap assessment and SWOT analysis 13 July 2026  2 Table of contents Page 1 Introduction 4 1.1 Profile of the UPU 4 2 Terms and conditions 4 2.1 Confidentiality 4 2.2 Legal status of the Vendor 5 2.3 Scope of the call for tenders 5 2.4 Background 5 2.5 Objectives 6 2.6 Use of subcontractors 6 2.7 Use of the emblem, name and initials of the UPU 6 2.8 Collusive bidding, anti-competitive practices and any other similar conduct 7 2.9 Intellectual property 7 2.10 Privileges and immunities 7 2.11 Tax exemption 7 2.12 Language 8 2.13 Signature 8 2.14 Participation notification 8 2.15 Contact persons 8 2.16 Further inquiries and questions 8 2.17 Delivery of tenders and deadline 8 2.18 Evaluation procedure 8 2.19 Modification, suspension or cancellation of the call for tenders 9 2.20 Tentative schedule 9 3 Tender structure – Response format 9 3.1 Cover letter 10 3.2 Executive summary 10 3.3 Bidder information 10 3.4 Subcontractor information 10 3.5 Technical proposal 10 3.6 Financial proposal 10 3.7 Delivery and payment schedule 11 3.8 UPU General Terms and Conditions 11 4 Service requirements 11 4.1 Description of the services 11 4.2 Bidder requirements 12 4.3 Consultant requirements 13 4.4 Assessment criteria 13 4.5 Duration of services 14  3 Table of contents (cont.) Page 4.6 Location of the services 14 4.7 Reporting 14 4.8 Other requirements 14 4.9 Additional information 14  4 1 Introduction 1.1 Profile of the UPU The Universal Postal Union (UPU) was founded in 1874 in Berne, Switzerland, with the main goals of estab- lishing a single postal territory for the reciprocal exchange of letter-post items and adopting common principles for the international postal service in a non-discriminatory manner. Currently comprising 192 member coun- tries, the UPU became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1948. The main mission of the UPU is to stimulate the lasting development of efficient and accessible universal postal services of quality, in order to facilitate communication between the inhabitants of the world. It does this by guaranteeing the free circulation of items over a single postal territory composed of interconnected networks, encouraging the adoption of fair common standards and the use of technology, ensuring cooperation and interaction among stakeholders, promoting effective technical cooperation, and ensuring the satisfaction of customers’ changing needs. The UPU is thus expected to play a major role in the continued revitalization of postal services. Furthermore, the UPU facilitates the development of worldwide postal services by providing an information and communication technology framework that allows the designated operators1 of UPU member countries to concentrate on the delivery of postal services to their customers. In this context, the UPU provides a global network with value-added services, as well as computerized applications for the management of international mail and international postal money orders. 2 Terms and conditions Unless otherwise indicated in this call for tenders, the term “Bidder” shall refer to any person, company or legal entity submitting a proposal in response to this call for tenders. The term “Vendor” shall refer to any selected bidder. 2.1 Confidentiality Bidders shall treat in strict confidence all information contained in this call for tenders and its attached docu- ments that is not already publicly known or generally accessible, particularly any documentation marked as confidential and distributed by the UPU to Bidders as additional confidential tender documentation. Bidders shall prevent the disclosure or distribution of all such information to third parties and other entities and persons not expressly authorized herein. In case of doubt, these confidentiality provisions shall nevertheless be observed. All Bidders are obliged to observe these confidentiality provisions before, during and after the tender process. These provisions shall not affect the legal obligations of the UPU and Bidders to disclose information. Bidders shall not use such information for any purposes other than those associated with this call for tenders. The call for tenders and all attached documents may be distributed or made available only to persons directly involved in the tender process on behalf of Bidders. If external agents or subcontractors are involved in the preparation of the tender documents, this must be indicated and their names provided in the participation notification (see section 2.14). Bidders shall assume full responsibility for the compliance of their agents, consultants, employees and sub- contractors, as well as any third parties involved on their behalf in this tender process, with these rules of confidentiality, and shall be liable for any damages resulting from misconduct or unauthorized disclosure. If a Bidder violates the confidentiality provisions contained herein, it shall be liable to pay a penalty to the UPU unless it can prove that no fault is attributable to it. This penalty shall not exceed 50,000 CHF per infringement. Payment of any such penalties shall not release Bidders from their obligation to observe these confidentiality requirements. 1 In accordance with article 2.1.6 of the UPU Constitution, a designated operator is any governmental or non-governmental entity officially designated by the member country to operate postal services and to fulfil the related obligations arising out of the Acts of the Union on its territory.  5 Bidders wishing to submit a proposal in response to this call for tenders must contact the person(s) specified in section 2.15 below and may, if necessary, request additional information from the UPU in relation to this call for tenders. Without prejudice to the confidentiality provisions set out above, Bidders agree that the receipt of any such information may be subject to the prior signature of a non-disclosure agreement between the Bidder and the UPU, under conditions to be determined and communicated by the latter. 2.2 Legal status of the Vendor The Vendor shall be regarded as having, in law, the legal status of independent contractor. The Vendor and its agents, consultants, employees and subcontractors (as authorized by the UPU) shall in no way be regarded as employees of the UPU. Such agents, consultants, employees and subcontractors of the Vendor shall not be entitled to any employment benefits from the UPU. The Vendor alone shall be responsible for due payment of all compensation owed to such agents, consultants, employees and subcontractors, including payment of any employment taxes, benefits, compensation and insurance. The Vendor shall represent and warrant that it will comply with all laws, rules and regulations required by the relevant authorities, including the appropriate withholding, reporting and payment of all necessary taxes. The Vendor shall be liable for all work performed, including any acts or omissions, by its agents, consultants, employees and subcontractors. 2.3 Scope of the call for tenders This call for tenders concerns the provision of a study to assess safe transport and secure borders, identifying all relevant internal and external stakeholders (including the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the World Customs Organization (WCO), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the UPU), examining multimodal regulations and the integra- tion thereof, and assessing opportunities to improve safe and secure interoperability, harmonization and col- laboration between postal, cargo, customs and transport stakeholders across multimodal supply chains. The study should also examine all currently available internationally facilitated security certification systems to identify gaps and synergies. This should include a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of all UPU-managed security and safety projects, in order to identify factors facilitating or preventing the achievement of safe transport and secure borders, and to identify solutions for the achievement of maxi- mum multimodal safety and security on a global scale. The SWOT analysis should examine activities con- ducted through the UPU over at least the last three years. It should provide a final analysis and recommenda- tions, inclusive of budgetary assessments, aligned with a three-year implementation period and the relevant UPU work plans for the Dubai cycle (2026–2029) to ensure that synergies are identified and leveraged. A thorough presentation of the final gap assessment and SWOT analysis should be provided to all relevant stakeholders. Finally, the study should examine current and emerging digitalization initiatives supporting secure and efficient transport operations, including electronic advance data (EAD), “assessment complete” information and elec- tronic consignment security declarations (eCSDs). The study should consider industry initiatives such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) ONE Record standard and the UPU dangerous goods search tool in relation to the security and safety of the supply chain, and assess opportunities to increase safe and secure interoperability. 2.4 Background A number of components contribute to ensuring the security of the postal supply chain. Under article 8 of the Universal Postal Convention, physical security measures are mandatory for all designated operators. The minimum mandatory standards are defined by UPU security standards S58 and S59, which are closely aligned with international security standards, including those of ICAO. The UPU facilitates an overarching voluntary security certification regime, under which training is delivered and audits conducted on designated operators’ critical facilities. Extensive information on these programmes can be found at www.upu.int/en/postal-solutions/ programmes-services/postal-supply-chain/security.  6 Aviation security is a primary focus at the UPU, which has adopted an approach combining physical and digital aspects, leveraging electronic advance data (EAD) as an additional layer of security under the pre-loading advance cargo information (PLACI) regime to identify potentially high-risk cargo and mail through risk assess- ments based on item data. EAD complements existing aviation security controls and screening procedures for air cargo and mail. Under articles 08-002, 17-107 and 17-216 of the UPU Convention Regulations, designated operators are required, as of 1 January 2021, to capture and exchange EAD for international postal items containing goods, in order to comply with the specific import customs and security requirements of member countries. In addition, the Joint WCO–ICAO Guiding Principles for Pre-Loading Advance Cargo Information set out the general approach established to implement a PLACI system for aviation security purposes. A UPU study comprising a SWOT analysis of current EAD-related projects was completed in 2024. This included the shortfalls and obstacles preventing designated operators from achieving full EAD compliance, as well as recommendations at all levels (including political, operational, technological and regulatory) on how to improve the outcomes of EAD projects conducted through the UPU and next steps to achieve full EAD com- pliance. The study may be shared with the Vendor as a reference. Details of the assessment and SWOT analysis to be provided under this call for tenders are provided in sec- tion 4 (Service requirements). 2.5 Objectives The objectives of this assessment are to: – identify current gaps within security activities; – prepare a SWOT analysis of current projects, leveraging past studies and SWOT analyses; – provide recommendations as to how to enhance designated operators’ compliance with current safety and security requirements on a regional and global basis, while ensuring a future-ready environment to enable them to grow and develop within the ever-changing security and safety environment; – provide recommendations for enhancing digitalization to improve the security and safety of mail, while simplifying processes and collaboration between designated operators, carriers, customs administra- tions and relevant international organizations. The study is expected to provide solutions to increase understanding of the current security and safety chal- lenges and to enhance compliance among designated operators on a global scale. The Vendor will be expected to deliver a detailed report on these findings, including the aforementioned rec- ommendations, tailored to both UPU internal and external stakeholders. In addition, the report should provide a strategic roadmap identifying short-, medium- and long-term opportunities to increase the security and safety of multimodal transport, digitalization, data-sharing capabilities and collaboration with international partners. 2.6 Use of subcontractors The Vendor shall not assign, sublicense, subcontract, pledge or otherwise transfer or dispose of its tender, or any of the rights and obligations contained therein or in an associated contract with the UPU, without the prior written consent of the UPU. The approval by the UPU of the engagement of any subcontractor shall not relieve the Vendor of any of its obligations or responsibilities concerning the work performed by such subcontractors. 2.7 Use of the emblem, name and initials of the UPU Bidders shall not advertise or otherwise make public the fact that they intend to provide, are providing or have provided services to the UPU, or use the emblem, name or initials of the UPU in connection with their business for purposes of commercial advantage or goodwill, without prior and explicit permission from the UPU. Bidders shall take all reasonable measures to ensure compliance with this provision by their agents, consultants, employees and subcontractors.  7 2.8 Collusive bidding, anti-competitive practices and any other similar conduct Without prejudice to the provisions in sections 3 and 4 below, Bidders (including their agents, consultants, employees and subcontractors) shall not engage in any collusive bidding, anti-competitive practices or any other similar conduct in relation to: – the preparation and submission of tenders; – the clarification of tenders; – the conduct and content of any negotiations, including final contract negotiations. For the purposes of this call for tenders, collusive bidding, anti-competitive practices and any other similar conduct may include the disclosure to, or exchange or clarification with, any other Bidder of information (in any form), whether or not such information is confidential to the UPU or to any other Bidder, in order to alter the results of the call for tenders in such a way that would lead to an outcome other than that which would have been obtained through a competitive process. In addition to any other remedies available to it, the UPU may, at its sole discretion, immediately reject any tender submitted by a Bidder that, in the UPU’s opinion, has engaged in any collusive bidding, anti-competitive practices or any other similar conduct with any other Bidder in relation to the preparation or submission of tenders, whether with respect to this call for tenders or other procurement processes conducted by the UPU. 2.9 Intellectual property This call for tenders and all its attached documents, including any content, forms, statements, concepts, pro- jects and procedures explicitly or implicitly forming part of the call for tenders, constitute the exclusive intellec- tual property of the UPU. This call for tenders is communicated to the various Bidders with the sole purpose of assisting them in the preparation of their respective tenders. Any hard copies of this call for tenders shall be destroyed or returned to the UPU by unsuccessful Bidders at the request of the UPU. 2.10 Privileges and immunities Nothing in or relating to this call for tenders, the activities described herein or any potential agreements related thereto shall be deemed as a waiver, expressed or implied, of any of the privileges, immunities and facilities that the UPU enjoys as a specialized agency of the United Nations system, pursuant to the Swiss Host State Act and the Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations (on Swiss territory), the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies (outside Switzerland), and any other conventions and laws recognizing and/or granting such privileges, immunities and facilities to the UPU and its officials (such as the International Organizations Immunities Act in the case of the United States of America). Accordingly, the Vendor shall expressly acknowledge and agree that the property and assets of the UPU, including any archives, data, documents and funds belonging to the UPU or held by it (including, without limi- tation, the data/hosting environments and servers pertaining to or associated with the provision of the services, as well as any data or documents in any form belonging to or held by the UPU on behalf of UPU member countries and their designated operators), are inviolable and shall be immune from search, requisition, confis- cation, expropriation and any other form of interference, whether through executive, administrative, judicial or legislative action. The Vendor shall immediately contact the UPU in the event of any attempt to violate or any violation of the UPU’s privileges and immunities, and shall take all reasonable measures to prevent such violations. In the light of the UPU’s status as a specialized agency of the United Nations (and without prejudice to the observance, by the UPU, of any sanctions established by the United Nations Security Council), Bidders shall expressly certify their legal and operational willingness and ability to provide the services on a non- discriminatory basis for the benefit of all eligible entities established and/or situated in the territory of any UPU member country, irrespective of the existence of diplomatic relations between a Bidder’s country of incorpora- tion and/or operation and any UPU member country (including its designated operators). 2.11 Tax exemption Pursuant to article III, section 9, of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies, the UPU is exempt from all direct taxes and from customs restrictions, duties and charges of a similar nature in respect of articles imported or exported for its official use.  8 Furthermore, as an intergovernmental organization and a specialized agency of the United Nations, the UPU is exempt from value-added tax (VAT) in Switzerland (OLTVA, article 22; Instructions 2001 sur la TVA, arti- cles 574, 816 and others), as well as in other countries. Therefore, all prices shall be indicated in “net” form, without VAT or similar taxes. 2.12 Language Bidders must submit all tender documents entirely in English. 2.13 Signature Tender documents shall be signed by a representative (or representatives) duly designated and authorized to act on the Bidder’s behalf and with the authority to legally bind the Bidder and accept the terms and conditions of this call for tenders. 2.14 Participation notification Upon receipt of this call for tenders, Bidders shall send confirmation of participation to the contact person(s) listed in section 2.15 by the deadline indicated in section 2.20. 2.15 Contact persons Secretary of the Tenders and Procurements Committee Universal Postal Union International Bureau Weltpoststrasse 4 3015 BERNE SWITZERLAND E-mail: caa@upu.int 2.16 Further inquiries and questions Bidders must send any questions regarding the content of this call for tenders or any requests for clarification in writing to the contact person(s) listed in section 2.15 by 4 August 2026. Answers to questions submitted by Bidders, as well as any additional information and updates relevant to this call for tenders, shall be published on the UPU website at www.upu.int/en/Universal-Postal-Union/ Procurement. 2.17 Delivery of tenders and deadline All tenders must be submitted to the UPU by e-mail only at RFP-2026-011@upu.int with “RFP-2026-011 – Safe transport and secure borders – gap assessment and SWOT analysis” as the subject line. The deadline for the submission of tenders is 23 August 2026 at 17.00 CEST. The budgeted amount for the entire project shall not exceed 100,000 CHF. The UPU shall not take into consideration any tenders received after this date and time. Furthermore, it shall not accept any tenders sent to any e-mail address other than that specified above or sent by any other means. There shall be no charge to the UPU for the preparation and submission of tender documents by Bidders. 2.18 Evaluation procedure The objective of the UPU’s evaluation process is to ensure the selection of a qualified, reliable and experienced Vendor capable of providing the specialized services and fulfilling the objectives set out in this call for tenders. The UPU shall conduct its evaluation procedure with a view to determining as objectively as possible the tender that best meets its specific requirements. All tenders submitted shall be subject to an in-depth assessment, at the UPU’s sole discretion, in order to enable the UPU to engage the most appropriate service provider. Due  9 consideration will be given to Bidders’ specific backgrounds, qualifications and experience in relation to the required services. The prescribed structure of tenders, as set out in section 3, is mandatory for all Bidders. The UPU shall not take into consideration any tenders that do not fulfil the mandatory criteria. Tenders received by the UPU must address all aspects of this call for tenders, and Bidders should identify any aspects where they envisage modifications being necessary or consider elements to be missing. Tenders shall be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria, in descending order of importance: – quality of the tender (according to the specifications herein); – knowledge and experience of the Bidder and its team and/or consultant(s), as applicable to the subject matter; – previous work conducted within the postal sector; – previous work with or knowledge of the UPU; – price. The winning tender will be selected based on a non-exhaustive list of criteria as set out in section 4. Bidders should therefore consider how their tender corresponds with the criteria listed and clearly indicate this in their response document. The deliberations of the UPU Tenders and Procurements Committee (TPC) are strictly confidential. The TPC shall submit a report on its evaluation of the tenders received to the Director General of the UPU International Bureau, together with its final recommendation, for his assessment and authorization. The UPU is not bound to accept the lowest tender and reserves the right to accept all or part of a tender. In awarding the contract, account will be taken of both the overall costs of the work and of the nature and quality of the services to be provided. The UPU reserves the right to negotiate prices and terms and conditions of contract after receipt of tenders. Bidders will be informed of the outcome of their tender as soon as possible after the UPU has made its final selection. 2.19 Modification, suspension or cancellation of the call for tenders The UPU reserves the right, at its sole discretion and at any time before the conclusion of the tender process (i.e. at any time prior to the signature of the relevant contract with the Vendor), to modify, suspend or cancel all or part of this call for tenders. 2.20 Tentative schedule Publication of call for tenders 13 July 2026 Deadline for submission of participation notification 4 August 2026 Deadline for submission of queries 4 August 2026 Deadline for provision of responses to queries 10 August 2026 Deadline for submission of tenders to the UPU 23 August 2026 at 17.00 CEST Estimated start of engagement 14 September 2026 3 Tender structure – Response format All information provided by Bidders must be fully compliant with the terms and conditions set out in section 2 above, as well as the provisions of this section and the service requirements listed in section 4 below.  10 Moreover, the requirements stipulated in this call for tenders must be met in their entirety, according to the structure defined below and following the sequence and numbering provided in this section. The UPU shall evaluate all Bidder responses in accordance with the structure defined herein and shall have the right to reject any tenders that do not fulfil the requirements of this call for tenders. For each of the requirements listed in this call for tenders, Bidders shall answer with one of the following statements: – covered; – covered with limitations (explaining relevant limitations); – not covered. Where the answer is “covered” or “covered with limitations”, Bidders shall provide further details and/or exam- ples of existing implementations of their solution in the field (existing use cases). 3.1 Cover letter Bidders shall submit a cover letter including: – a statement that the Bidder has read, understands and accepts all provisions of this call for tenders; – the Bidder’s name, telephone number, postal address and e-mail address, and the name(s) of its rep- resentative(s); – a statement that the Bidder’s tender documents are valid for a minimum period of 120 days. The cover letter shall be signed by a representative (or representatives) duly designated and authorized to act on the Bidder’s behalf and with the authority to legally bind the Bidder and accept the terms and conditions of this call for tenders, and shall also include a confirmation of such authorization by the Bidder. 3.2 Executive summary Bidders shall provide an executive summary highlighting the most important aspects of their tender. 3.3 Bidder information Bidders must provide the following information: – company structure, locations/subsidiaries; – financial data (turnover, profit, etc.); – partners and equity holders of the company; – company history; – market position and share in relevant markets. 3.4 Subcontractor information Bidders shall provide a list of any subcontractors to be directly involved in this call for tenders and must specify the exact degree of these subcontractors’ involvement in the provision of the services. 3.5 Technical proposal Bidders shall submit a technical proposal addressing all of the requirements set out in section 4 (Service requirements). This proposal should outline the methodology, processes and timelines, as appropriate, that Bidders intend to implement in order to fulfil the objectives of this call for tenders. The assessment criteria applicable to the technical proposal are outlined in section 4.4. 3.6 Financial proposal Bidders shall provide a financial proposal setting out their pricing structure, as follows: – daily and annual rate per consultant;  11 – full-service quotation (all inclusive); – detailed description of pricing structure and services offered. In the event of the sudden departure of an individual consultant, the Vendor shall provide 10 extra consulting days by the replacement consultant at no additional charge. The budgeted amount for the entire project shall not exceed 100,000 CHF. Bidders shall not include VAT in their pricing structure (see section 2.11). All pricing information shall be pro- vided exclusively in Swiss francs (CHF). 3.7 Delivery and payment schedule The delivery and payment schedules are to be proposed by Bidders in their pricing structures, and must be agreed with the UPU. The services provided by the Vendor shall be invoiced in arrears on a monthly basis. The UPU will make payment within 30 business days of receipt of invoice, subject to its acceptance of the services provided and the Vendor’s transmission to the UPU of any and all documentation clearly detailing the services to which the invoice pertains (in a format to be established by the UPU). 3.8 UPU General Terms and Conditions Bidders shall include in their tender a statement of acceptance of the UPU General Terms and Conditions for the Provision of Services, attached hereto for reference. The final terms of any contract arising from this call for tenders shall be defined by the UPU and accepted by the Vendor. Contract negotiations shall commence only after the final selection of a Vendor by the UPU. 4 Service requirements 4.1 Description of the services The Vendor will be expected to deliver the following services and activities: – assessment and SWOT analysis of UPU safety and security standards relative to those of external partners, including ICAO, the IMO and the WCO; – analysis of security and safety projects conducted through the UPU in the last three years; – SWOT analysis of UPU regulations relative to international regulations, identifying any gaps preventing safe and secure borders; – preparation of a report for both UPU internal and external consumption, containing evidence-based find- ings and recommendations as to how to enhance safe and secure borders and provide solutions to bridge the gaps identified; – in-depth presentation of the final report for both internal and external stakeholders. The results of the work will be examined and validated at each stage by the UPU International Bureau. The proposed assessment and SWOT analysis should build on the outcomes of the UPU EAD project gap assessment and SWOT analysis conducted in 2024 to drive forward the requirements of Congress resolu- tion C 9/2025, as follows: – examine the work needed to enhance implementation of UPU standards and protocols for EAD, includ- ing messaging related to dangerous goods and other prohibited or restricted items that should not be dispatched but do not reach the level of security risk associated with the electronic data interchange (EDI) messaging code for “do not load” (DNL) for a “bomb-in-the-box” scenario; – examine supply chain visibility to assess data needed by ICAO and civil aviation authorities to safeguard aviation against acts of unlawful interference, and extrapolate the said data to multimodal stakeholders  12 (maritime and surface) to map against the current data environment and identify gaps in sharing neces- sary data; – achieve both the “safe transport” and “secure border” goals of resolution C 9/2025 by examining and recommending improvements to the EAD elements needed for enhanced targeting, including the provi- sion of 10-digit or other applicable harmonized tariff codes and “country of origin of goods” information when customs or security authorities indicate that they need this more detailed information to ensure items being shipped to the destination country are safe and admissible; – examine screening technologies in use on a regional level and assess the best techniques to screen mail items against emerging threats, including improvised incendiary devices and improvised explosive devices; – examine how to promote and improve transport and supply chain practices affecting designated opera- tors’ international mail networks, including appropriate sortation and separation of items at point of acceptance and at other points in the supply chain, which includes appropriate sortation and separation to prevent the commingling of liquids, aerosols and gels with certain electronics inside the same item or receptacle being shipped, especially where such combinations pose security risks for transport; – examine framework harmonization by clarifying current multimodal frameworks and transport-related issues in the supply chain, including, as appropriate, to identify guidance materials in use and gaps preventing the alignment of standards for the postal sector with relevant rules and regulations applicable to various transport modalities, such as ICAO Annex 17 or the IMO’s regulations regarding the transport of goods; – assess opportunities to harmonize postal security and safety standards and the regulatory framework and, insofar as possible, to align these with the processes and security and safety standards for com- mercial cargo, across different modes of transport and in accordance with customer needs and postal capabilities; – provide recommendations and a strategic roadmap to strengthen collaboration between the UPU, des- ignated operators, carriers, civil aviation authorities and relevant international organizations (including ICAO, the IMO and the WCO), with a view to supporting a more integrated, safe and secure global postal network; – explore how UPU standards S58 and S59 may be enhanced or updated to meet newly emerging security requirements, compare UPU security certification with the ICAO Universal Security Audit Programme and its continuous monitoring approach (USAP–CMA) (as a minimum), determine whether additional UPU security standards are needed, and consider aligning standards from the UPU, ICAO, WCO and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), where appropriate; – examine ways to promote, strengthen and ensure member countries’ implementation of UPU security standards S58 and S59, such as developing measures to require or promote wider certification of com- pliance with these mandatory UPU security standards; – building on the UPU’s analysis presented in its report entitled “The postal sector’s role in the digital economy and digital society”, review current cyber- and physical security synergies to identify improve- ments that could be made to increase the security of designated operators. This should include crisis management measures to prepare for, respond to and recover from cyber incidents, with a view to devising a cybersecurity plan that includes all necessary aspects of risk assessment and mitigation; – examine ways to strengthen cybersecurity awareness among designated operators by reviewing current cybersecurity awareness training and campaign materials; – examine ways to strengthen designated operators’ cyber resilience by reviewing incident response and disaster recovery plans, cyber threat intelligence collection, data sharing and threat hunting processes, insider threat strategies and policies for best practices; – provide recommendations and solutions tailored to all relevant stakeholders, including the UPU, restricted unions and internal and external stakeholders. 4.2 Bidder requirements Bidders shall demonstrate a record of satisfactory performance in similar activities (i.e. reference letters and/or work completion certificates). The business transactions and activities carried out by the Bidder must be com- pliant with the mandates and principles of the UPU.  13 Bidders must present in their tender their proposed methodology, work plan and approach to organizing the work. 4.3 Consultant requirements Bidders not operating as an independent consultant should propose at least three individual consultants in accordance with the requirements specified in this call for tenders for the performance of the services and activities described herein. Bidders are required to provide the CVs and diplomas of the said consultants, as well as a letter of motivation and a brief write-up (maximum 1,000 words) of the consultants’ approach and methodology with regard to the project, for further verification and evaluation by the UPU. The UPU shall have the right to reject a proposed consultant if the individual does not fulfil the UPU’s requirements as defined in this call for tenders. Bidders not operating as an independent consultant should describe any relevant procedures concerning the replacement of individual consultants if so requested by the UPU. Consultants should meet the following criteria: – Experience • At least five years of experience of international trade rules, trade analysis and policy formulation • Familiarity with security and safety requirements and associated regulations in aviation and mul- timodal transport • Experience in the postal, logistics, transport, air cargo, maritime transport or e-commerce sectors, including engagement with international organizations, regulators or industry stakeholders, would be considered an advantage • Experience in strategy and/or operations in the postal or logistics sectors or with related e‑commerce organizations, and knowledge of international standards and frameworks developed by organizations such as ICAO, the IMO, the WCO and the UPU would also be an advantage – Skills and capabilities • Strong interpersonal and communication skills • Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities • Ability to plan, organize, implement and report on work • Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines • Proficiency in the use of office IT applications and the Internet to conduct research • Outstanding communication, project management and organizational skills • Excellent presentation and facilitation skills • Ability to analyze complex regulatory, operational and technical environments relating to mail transport security and safety, and to translate findings into practical recommendations • High level of integrity and ethical standards • Positive and constructive attitude to work • Sensitivity and adaptability with regard to culture, gender, religion, race, nationality and age • Fluency in English 4.4 Assessment criteria Bidders will be assessed on the basis of a scoring system of up to 70 points for their technical proposal and 30 points for their pricing structure. The technical proposal shall be assessed on the basis of the following criteria: Criteria Points obtainable Experience of conducting similar actionable projects 20  14 Criteria Points obtainable Experience and knowledge of postal policy, regulation and legal frameworks 15 Experience and knowledge of multimodal transportation frameworks and security/ 15 safety policies and regulations Proposed methodology 10 Composition of the team and experience of the team leader 10 Bidders shall provide evidence of their ability to meet these requirements by means of a list of references. 4.5 Duration of services The services are scheduled to commence in September 2026 for a total contract term of six months. 4.6 Location of the services The Vendor or its assigned consultant shall in principle work from its own premises or his/her home office. The Vendor or its assigned consultant shall liaise and work closely with the UPU (as instructed by the latter) and may be required from time to time to carry out certain tasks from the headquarters of the UPU in Berne, Switzerland. 4.7 Reporting The Vendor shall provide the UPU with reports twice per month setting out the relevant services performed by the Vendor during that time frame. Such reports shall be prepared in accordance with a structure and format defined by the UPU (i.e. time sheets). The UPU may contest the Vendor’s time sheets within 10 business days of receipt thereof. If the time sheets are not contested by the UPU within the said time frame, the services detailed therein may be deemed as duly provided by the Vendor and accepted by the UPU. 4.8 Other requirements Bidders shall describe any relevant procedures for ensuring the continuity of the services provided and for appropriate backup and retraining, as well as any relevant procedures pertaining to project management and communication. Bidders shall also confirm that their tender covers all costs associated with the provision of the services referred to herein. Any other costs to be incurred by the Vendor, including any travel and subsistence costs incurred in the provision of the services at locations other than its own premises and specifically designated by the UPU, shall be subject to the prior written consent of the UPU. No other fees shall be paid, with the exception of reimbursement of other unavoidable costs incurred for successful delivery of the services, which shall also be subject to the prior written consent of the UPU. 4.9 Additional information Bidders may include any additional information that they deem necessary or relevant in order for the UPU to gain a clear and detailed understanding of the services being offered.