Terms of Reference – A112
Project Title: EU SME Centre
Contract Number: ASIE/2010/250-290
Subject: Assignment of a Non Key Junior Expert
Period of Assignment: March, 2013 – June, 2013
Working Days: 3
Place of Assignment: Beijing,China
EU SME Centre References:
Activity Number: A112
Activity Title: 6 Market Access E-Learning Modules - CCC
Background
Launched on 1st Nov 2010 and running until 31st Oct 2013 the EU SME Centre is operated by a consortium of European Chambers of Commerce, led by the China-Britain Business Council and includes the Benelux, French, German, Italian and Spanish Chambers in Beijing, as well as the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China and Eurochambres.
The overall objective of the EU SME Centre is to contribute to improving the trade and economic relations between the EU and China and to further Europe’s interests vis-à-vis China. The EU SME Centre will achieve this by helping EU SMEs overcome barriers and constraints they face on their efforts to invest in or export to the Chinese market.
Specific Activity Background
The Chinese standardisation system is in broad terms identical to the European system offering basic protection to human health, personal property and safety. Despite substantial efforts to harmonise Chinese standards with international equivalents, the Chinese system still poses major challenges for foreign exporters and manufactures targeting the Chinese market.
The Chinese standards system is builds on 4 levels, including national, professional, local and enterprise standards. The system operates with mandatory and voluntary requirements.
Common for all mandatory standards is that they require conformity assessment through different market access schemes, most common of which are the CCC mark. In addition to the CCC mark, a number of similar mandatory marks and horizontal regulations have emerged in the Chinese market causing growing concern about the restrictive effects on trade of multiple testing and conformity assessment procedures.
This concern is strengthen by the fact that very few international recognised test results are accepted in China for products put on the Chinese market. Products entering the Chinese market require mandatory type approval by Chinese accredited conformity assessment bodies/ laboratories.
The relative complex structure of the Chinese standards and conformity assessment system provides a challenging environment for EU SMEs wanting to access the Chinese market. EU SMEs have limited resources to fully investigate and understand the different requirement for products entering China, and it is the role of the EU SME Centre to support EU SME in their endeavour.
The EU SME Centre will facilitate a better understanding of the Chinese quality infrastructure by making available comprehensive information on Chinese market access schemes. The information will be presented online in the form of practical guidelines introducing step-by-step Chinese certification procedures and product requirements. The guidelines will assist EU SMEs in determining their market penetration strategy by giving them a better idea about the time, resources and costs involved in entering the Chinese market.
Activity Summary
On the basis of the CCC Guidelineand materials available within the EU SME Centre and other external sources, this activity will provide EU SMEs with a 10 min on-line learning tool, to test and consolidate their knowledge on the requirements and application process of the China Compulsory Certification mark (CCC). This activity foresees one output:
-Development of the contents of a E-learning Module, questionnaire based, on the requirements and application process of the China Compulsory Certification mark (CCC)
Specific Task
(a)E-learning Module
- Develop a list of multiple choice questions to assess whether an EU SME is ready for exporting products into China, based on their knowledge of the requirements and application process of the China Compulsory Certification mark (CCC)
- The E-learning Module should consist on a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 10 multiple choice questions,following the style and format of the EU SME Centre Diagnostic Kit -
- Each Module will provide a scoring mechanism that will serve as an assessment of how ‘ready’ the EU SME is to enter the Chinese market depending on the answers, e.g. most appropriate answer 10 points, acceptable answer 5 points, not adequate answer 0 points.
- Each answer will be followed by a brief explanation and an indication of the next steps to take, linked with the EU SME Centre CCC Guidelines. Also, the expert should identify the resources available within the EU SME Centre, other EU initiatives, EU Members States National Authorities or Chinese Authorities that support the different answers.
Reporting and Deliverables
- E-learning Module contents
- Timesheet
Timetable
The task should commence June, 2013 and end no later than July,2013.
Expert Profile
- Relevant education in the field of business administration, legal or other related field. Extensive work experience can substitute Educational background.
- Excellent knowledge of the Chinese quality infrastructure and certification of products on the Chinese market.
- Minimum 5 years of work experience with a minimum of 1 year of experience related to standards and labelling.
- Excellent English drafting skills