Request for Proposals: Global Pound Conference Series

Introduction

Initiated by the International Mediation Institute (a not-for-profit organisation), the Global Pound Conference (GPC) Series 2016-17 will facilitate the development of 21st century commercial dispute resolution tools at domestic, regional and international levels.

Launched in Singapore and finishing in London in 2017, the GPC Series convenes is a not-for-profit global project that convenes all stakeholders in dispute resolution – commercial parties,  chambers of commerce, lawyers, academics, judges, arbitrators, mediators, policymakers, government officials, and others – at conferences around the world. Currently scheduled to take place in 40 cities across 31 countries, these conferences provoke debate on existing tools and techniques, stimulate new ideas and generate data on what corporate and individual dispute resolution users actually need and want, both locally and globally.

To date, approximately 1,700 people participated in Global Pound Conference (GPC) events between March 2016 – June 2017. The aggregated data from the first seven events that have taken place already show some interesting themes and trends and provide interesting food for thought and some ideas regarding how to possibly shape the future of commercial dispute resolution and improve access to justice in commercial disputes globally.

Stakeholder groups

Results are collected from 5 stakeholder groups:

  1. Parties: Users (businesses) who are involved in disputes and use commercial dispute resolution services (e.g., business managers or in-house counsel involved in litigation, arbitration, mediation or mixed mode processes);
  2. Advisors: External advisors who assist Parties in managing their disputes (e.g., external lawyers, experts, forensic accountants);
  3. Adjudicative Providers: These comprise judges, arbitrators and organizations providing adjudication services;
  4. Non-Adjudicative Providers: Conciliators, mediators, ombudsmen and organizations providing such services; and
  5. Influencers: E.g., academics, government officials, educators, policy advisors, etc. who do not participate in commercial disputes but are influential in the dispute resolution market.

Data

Data collected consist of both ‘live’ data that are generated immediately during each GPC event (in response to 20 Core Questions, using the PowerVote electronic voting system) and qualitative data in the form of participant responses to a series of ‘open’ questions, delegate information, word clouds and written questions and answers, also collected during each event.

Scope of project and call for assistance

The final outcome of the GPC Series will be a final report based on a statistically robust analysis of the data collected that:

  1. identifies key trends in commercial dispute resolution practice globally;
  2. contains a cross-jurisdictional comparison of dispute resolution practices;
  3. compares needs and perceptions across stakeholder groups;
  4. makes recommendations about how access to justice in commercial disputes can be improved both globally and within jurisdictions.

The GPC Series requires assistance from interested parties to undertake one or more of the following aspects of the overall GPC research assignment:

  1. Translation of qualitative responses from some events to English (Arabic, Spanish, Italian, French, Polish, German, Dutch, Russian, Thai, Portuguese).
  2. Coding and analysing voting
  3. Pattern analysis of qualitative data.
  4. Producing a final report containing the elements referred to in a)-d) above.

The final report will be subject to review by the Academic Committee of the GPC Series.

The data collected from the various GPC Series events provide a rich source of qualitative and quantitative data for future research, which might focus on country, regional, jurisdictional or global trends identified in the course of the Series. It provides a unique opportunity to be involved in shaping the future of dispute resolution globally.

Researchers involved in the GPC research assignment may also have the opportunity to submit their authored work to a variety of publication outlets, subject to the approval of the GPC Central Organising Group.

Timeframes

The following deadlines apply:

  1. Expressing interest: 31 July 2017
  2. Translation of qualitative data: 31 October 2017
  3. Data analysis completion: 31 December 2017
  4. Final report: 31 January 2018

Proposals

If you are interested in participating in the GPC research assignment, please send an email to the Academic Committee of the GPC Series (details below) indicating:

  1. Details of your organisation, the individuals whom you propose to involve and their level of appropriate experience.
  2. Which of the items 1 – 4 of the research assignment listed above you are interested in undertaking (preference will be given to tenders willing to handle all 4).
  3. The extent of your or your institution’s ability to absorb costs involved in the aspect of research in which you are involved (at this stage the GPC does not have a budget available for these items).
  4. Fee or cost estimates you may anticipate for completing this project by January 31, 2018.
  5. A brief plan setting out how you intend to execute the items you have shown an interest in, including a time frame for each item.
  6. Any other information you think would be helpful for the Academic Committee to know.

Please contact barney.jordaan@vlerick.com Barney Jordaan, Chair: Academic Committee of the GPC Series

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