Local STTA IT Digital Trade Promotion Platform Architecture Expert

Vietnam Digital Trade

SCOPE OF WORK

Local STTA IT Digital Trade Promotion Platform Architecture Expert

Date: March 2024

Position: Local STTA IT Digital Trade Promotion Platform Architecture Expert

Reports to: USAID Vietnam Digital Trade (VDT) Technical team

Location: Hanoi

LOE: (STTA) 15 days

Period of Performance: March - April 2024

International Development Group LLC is an international development consulting firm that assists donors, governments, and the private sector to create and take advantage of opportunities for sustainable, broad-based economic development and poverty reduction. IDG provides entrepreneurs and policymakers with the practical tools needed to achieve real and measurable impact for their communities and countries. IDG assistance programs aim to build the capacity, skills, and knowledge of local individuals and institutions in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, fostering synergies between local knowledge and international experience. 

Project Background

The VDT is a two-year activity (2023-2025) addressing regulatory gaps and promoting private sector engagement in the rapidly growing digital economy. USAID VDT Activity supports the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT)’s implementation of frameworks that facilitate digital trade, with an emphasis on supporting MOIT in holding public-private dialogues to ensure implementation is done in consultation with the private sector. Regulations that are responsive to private sector needs remove bottlenecks in trade faced by enterprises and increase regulatory transparency, helping to shape an e-commerce sector where enterprises of all sizes can benefit. The Activity encourages the participation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in digital trade by introducing new business models and other best practices, such as traceability of goods, as well as facilitating cross-border connections between enterprises via MOIT’s digital trade promotion platform.

Activity Background

Following the Decision 1968/QD-TTG on 22 November 2021 to “Promote the application of information and technology and digital transformation in trade promotion activities for the period of 2021-2030”, the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade is assigned to formulate the Digital Ecosystem for Business (DECOBIZ) by 2025 and complete it in 2030.

DECOBIZ, a soft infrastructure for trade, includes: Platforms of digital exhibitions, Smart B2B Matching, and other trade promotion tools/platforms. DECOBIZ’s goal is not only to promote e-commerce but also create a rich, flexible and effective digital trade environment. DECOBIZ is committed to providing the business community with an opportunity to access the potential world of digital business, taking advantage of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain. Thereby, businesses, cooperatives and business households can optimize operations, enhance competition and develop sustainably in the digital age.

VIETRADE as assigned by the MOIT, with the support of other donors, already developed some parts of the platform, but a thorough architecture is still missing.

Under the approved work plan between the USAID and MOIT, the USAID VDT will support VIETRADE to design the overall architecture of DECOBIZ, including existing components, and interactions of the system to meet specific goals and requirements of the platform.

In particular, VDT will hire one local STTA expert and one international STTA expert to carry out the tasks. In consultation with the VDT Technical Team, the Local STTA IT Digital Trade Promotion Platform Architecture Expert will work primarily closely with Vietrade and other relevant departments of MOIT if needed.

Key Tasks/Responsibilities:

• Identify the business and technical requirements of the digital trade promotion platform. This includes gathering input from stakeholders (trade promotion agencies under the Government, trade promotion support organizations, businesses, cooperatives, and business households), understanding user needs, and defining functional and non-functional requirements.
• Study a high-level system design that outlines the major components, modules, and their interactions. Consider factors such as data flow, user interfaces, and integration points with external systems.
• Describe a security architecture that addresses authentication, authorization, data encryption, and other security measures.
• Identify external systems and services that need to be integrated, such as payment gateways, shipping providers, and inventory management systems.
• Provide solutions to promote the scalability of the platform to handle an increasing number of users.
• Identify solutions for high availability and reliability by implementing redundancy, failover mechanisms, and backup strategies.
• Produce system architecture diagrams, data flow charts, Application Programming Interface (API) documentation, and any other relevant information.
• Develop a comprehensive testing strategy that includes unit testing, integration testing, and system testing.

Deliverables

A report including covering the following topics:

• Requirements Analysis: Description of business and technical requirements.
• System Design: Identify a high-level design outlining major components.
• Security Architecture: Describe security measures for authentication, authorization, and encryption.
• Integration Planning: Identify and plan integration with external systems.
• Scalability Planning: Design for scalability to handle increased users and transactions.
• Reliability and Redundancy: Plan for high availability, redundancy, and backup.
• Documentation: Produce system architecture diagrams, data flow charts, API documentation, and any other relevant information.
• Testing Strategy: Develop a testing strategy for reliability and security.

Qualifications

• A Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field.
• At least 7 years of professional experience in system architecture, with a focus on designing and implementing scalable and secure platforms.
• Previous experience in developing platforms related to trade, e-commerce, or similar domains is a significant advantage.
• Strong written, and oral English.

Proposals should be submitted no later than March 8, 2024 to [email protected]