The “Background Paper” deliverable of this project will encompass research activities, including desk study and preliminary survey. The research work will examine how Cost–Benefit Analysis (CBA) is currently understood and applied within Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) and standards and conformity assessment-based regulatory design across APEC economies. It will identify common challenges, capacity gaps, and practical opportunities to strengthen Good Regulatory Practices (GRP), particularly in ensuring that technical regulations are evidence-based, proportionate, transparent, and supportive of trade facilitation.
The research will begin with a desk study reviewing relevant literature, policy documents, international guidance, regulatory frameworks, and existing practices related to GRP, RIA, CBA, standards-based technical regulation, and conformity assessment procedures. The review will cover how economies assess the potential costs, benefits, trade impacts, compliance implications, and implementation feasibility of regulatory measures that refer to standards or require specific conformity assessment mechanisms. Key references may include relevant APEC work on GRP, standards, and conformance; WTO TBT principles; and other related organizations (i.e., OECD, ASEAN, etc.) guidance on regulatory impact assessment and cost–benefit analysis; and selected domestic regulatory practices from APEC economies.
The study will incorporate qualitative approaches. A structured questionnaire will be distributed to relevant stakeholders across APEC economies to collect information on the current status of CBA application in regulatory design, including institutional arrangements, legal or policy requirements for RIA, CBA methodology, data availability, stakeholder consultation practices, and challenges in assessing regulatory options related to standards and conformity assessment. The survey will also seek information on whether and how CBA is used to compare alternative regulatory approaches, such as voluntary standards, mandatory technical regulations, different conformity assessment procedures, phased implementation, or risk-based compliance mechanisms. Stakeholder mapping will be undertaken to identify relevant regulators, standards bodies, conformity assessment authorities, trade-related agencies, industry representatives, and experts that are involved in or affected by standards-based regulation.
The research will include a gap analysis and comparative review to identify differences in capacity, methodology, and institutional practice among APEC economies. Particular attention will be given to practical constraints faced by developing economies, including limited technical data, insufficient analytical resources, uneven stakeholder engagement, and challenges in translating CBA results into regulatory decisions. The analysis will also identify good practices and practical entry points that can help economies apply CBA proportionately, even where formal RIA systems are still developing or where full quantitative assessment is not yet feasible.
The findings are expected to provide actionable recommendations for APEC economies on integrating CBA into standards-based regulatory design practically and proportionately. The Background Paper will serve as a reference to support capacity building, peer learning, and policy dialogue during the workshop. It will also provide the basis for developing practical guidance on how regulators may assess costs, benefits, compliance burdens, trade effects, and implementation risks when designing technical regulations that use standards and conformity assessment procedures. It should be noted that the research findings will not be published as an APEC Publication. The report will have a minimum of 7 pages in length, excluding annexes, and contain the following sections:
1.Executive Summary
2.Table of Contents
3.Introduction
4.Overview
5.Research Work
- Desk study
- Survey Questionnaire
6.Best Practices
7.Conclusion and Recommendations
8.References

Workshop on Integrating Cost–Benefit Analysis (CBA) into Standards-Based Regulatory Design: Strengthening Good Regulatory Practices (GRP) to Support Trade Facilitation in APEC Economies will be held in 2027 for 3 days in person in Bali, Indonesia, and involve approximately 60 attendance (participants, speakers and moderators) from multi-stakeholders, including government regulators, trade-related agencies, domestic standards bodies, conformity assessment bodies, industry associations, academia, international organizations, and/or related organizations.

Experts, speakers, and moderators will be invited from international organizations, representatives from APEC economies, regulatory agencies, standards and conformity assessment institutions, industry associations, and experts with experience in GRP, RIA, CBA, technical regulation, conformity assessment, and trade facilitation.

Tentative Agenda: 09: 00-17: 00

Day 1
Opening workshop
Panel 1
1. Overview of GRP, RIA, and CBA in standards-based regulatory design
2. Standards, technical regulations, and conformity assessment as regulatory instruments
Panel 2
1. International and regional practices in applying CBA for regulatory decision-making
2. Economy sharing session on the application of RIA and CBA in standards-based regulation

Day 2:
Covering substantial explanation and practical:
1. Stakeholder consultation, data collection, and evidence use in CBA
2. Policy dialogue on regulatory coherence, transparency, and trade facilitation
3. Interactive session among APEC economies to identify common challenges, capacity gaps, and practical needs in applying CBA
4. Practical approaches to integrating CBA into standards and conformity assessment-based regulation

Day 3
1. Synthesis of key findings and lessons from the Background Paper and discussions during Days 1 and 2.
2. Interactive discussion to identify common challenges and practical approaches for integrating CBA into standards and conformity assessment-based regulatory design.
3. Formulation and consolidation of practical recommendations for APEC economies, considering different regulatory systems and levels of capacity.
4. Workshop wrap-up, key takeaways, and closing remarks.

The Project Overseer will circulate a post-workshop evaluation survey and compile feedback from participants, speakers, and moderators right after the Workshop, especially input related to knowledge improvement, usefulness of the workshop materials, practical recommendations, economy-level challenges, and possible areas for future capacity-building activities. The results of the workshop will be summarized and reflected in the Project Summary Report.

An electronic version of the Project Summary Report will be approximately 12 pages of substance (excluding annexes). Recommendations for future work will be prepared as part of the Project Summary Report, guided by the discussions/results of the Workshop. This Project Summary Report will be an APEC publication. The structure of the Project Summary Report is a table of contents, executive summary, project activities, key discussions from the Workshop, best practices shared through Bcakground paper and Workshop, conclusion, recommendations, and Background Paper as one of the Project Summary Report's annexes.

1) Improved understanding of Cost–Benefit Analysis (CBA), Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA), and Good Regulatory Practices (GRP) in standards-based regulatory design. Participants are expected to have enhanced knowledge on how CBA can be used to support evidence-based, transparent, and proportionate regulatory decisions, particularly in the development of technical regulations that refer to standards and conformity assessment procedures. It is measured by post-workshop evaluations assessing participants’ understanding before and after the workshop.

2) Strengthened capacity to identify and assess regulatory costs, benefits, and trade impacts in standards and conformity assessment-based regulation. Participants, especially policymakers, regulators, standards bodies, and conformity assessment-related officials, will be better equipped to identify regulatory problems, compare policy options, assess compliance costs, consider stakeholder inputs, and avoid unnecessary or disproportionate technical barriers to trade. It is measured by participant feedback, level of engagement in discussions, and practical inputs shared during the workshop and interactive economy sessions.

3) Encouraged regional cooperation to promote regulatory coherence, transparency, and trade facilitation across APEC economies. The project promotes peer learning and the development of practical recommendations to support the integration of CBA into standards-based regulatory design, taking into account different levels of regulatory maturity and institutional capacity among APEC economies. It is measured by the number and quality of practical recommendations produced and reflected in the Project Summary Report and workshop outcomes.

The beneficiaries of this project are policymakers and technical officials from APEC economies responsible for regulatory policy, Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA), standards, conformity assessment, and trade-related regulation. This includes officials involved in developing, implementing, or overseeing standards-based technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures. Representatives from domestic standardization bodies, regulatory and trade-related agencies, industry, conformity assessment bodies, and relevant experts will be engaged through the Background Paper research, survey, and Workshop to provide practical perspectives on regulatory costs, benefits, compliance implications, and trade impacts. The project outputs, including the Background Paper, Workshop findings, and practical recommendations, are expected to support beneficiaries in applying CBA to develop more proportionate, transparent, evidence-based, and trade-facilitative regulatory approaches within their respective institutions.