Digital Finance Services Consultant Tender, Zambia - 31817355

Procurement Summary

Country : Zambia

Summary : Digital Finance Services Consultant

Deadline : 02 Apr 2019

Other Information

Notice Type : Tender

TOT Ref.No.: 31817355

Document Ref. No. :

Competition : ICB

Financier : United Nations Secretariat

Purchaser Ownership : -

Tender Value : Refer Document

Purchaser's Detail

Purchaser : UNITED NATIONS CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT FUND
c/o UNDP Alick Nkhata Road Lusaka P.O. BOX 31966 • Tel : +260 211 386 200
Zambia

Tender Details

Tenders are invited for Digital Finance Services Consultant.

Background

UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s least developed countries. It creates new opportunities for poor people and their communities by increasing access to microfinance and investment capital. UNCDF focuses on Africa and the poorest countries of Asia and the Pacific, with a special commitment to countries emerging from conflict or crisis. It provides seed capital – grants and loans – and technical support to help microfinance institutions reach more poor households and small businesses, and local governments finance the capital investments – water systems, feeder roads, schools, irrigation schemes – that will improve poor peoples’ lives.

Mobile Money for the Poor (MM4P).

With support from Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (“DFAT” formerly AusAid) and by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), UNCDF launched Mobile Money for the Poor (MM4P) in March 2012, a global thematic initiative to address the opportunities and challenges of implementing branchless banking and mobile money in challenging markets in Africa and Asia. MM4P’s long-term mission is to help low income and rural households in LDCs increase their financial security through appropriate, affordable and secure means to receive, manage and save money through these “digital financial services” (DFS). To do so, its intermediate goal is to help build inclusive digital financial sectors such that a wide range of digital financial services are provided responsibly, and at reasonable cost, by sustainable institutions in a well-regulated environment. UNCDF’s starts by defining the different stages of a market’s development and the range of interventions needed at different levels (i.e. macro, meso, micro, client) to move it across the stages. This combines a making markets work for the poor approach with UNCDF’s traditional operational model of directly supporting the most crucial level – retail service providers. UNCDF is currently implementing this in five countries (Laos, Nepal, Liberia, Malawi and Uganda).

In July 2014, MM4P secured a partnership with the MasterCard Foundation (MCF) for the roll out MM4P activities in three additional countries in sub-Saharan Africa for a period of five years (2014 to 2019), including Francophone (Benin, Senegal) and Anglophone (Zambia) Africa. The MCF agreement supposes a significant increase of workload for MM4P. To address this workload, MM4P has put forward a new staffing strategy and plan which has been approved by the FIPA director and MCF. This includes placing most technical positions in MM4P countries, with emphasis on the most high-profile and advanced in each region. It also takes into consideration the high availability of funding in certain countries.

UNCDF MM4P is looking for a Digital Finance (DF) consultant based in Lusaka, Zambia.




Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the UNCDF´s Regional Technical Specialist Digital Finance Zambia (RTS DF) the consultant will support the following activities and deliverables tied to the project.

Providing technical in outs to TS in procuring consultants and consulting firms for DF projects at selected partners. Including:

· Technical assistance in supporting 2 Go to Market Strategies for two different DFS providers to decrease customer dormancy and increase women and youth customers

· Technical Assistance in leading a Design Sprint with at least 3 DFS providers to improve/create design of financial products suited for Zambian women

· Technical Assistance to Bank of Zambia: Improve Data for Decision Making Automation

· Technical Assistance to at least 2 organizations to develop and pilot innovative agent network expansion models.

· Co-create at least 2 Feedback2Action Workshops engaging public and private DFS sectors on issues of common interest



To reach the above objectives the consultant would undertake the following activities and the deliverables. The below activities have been outlined based on the some of the broader outcomes that have been outlined above and are representative and can be more than that.

Timeline

Activities

Deliverables

%

Project: Support 2 Go to Market Strategies

Month 1 to 4

Pilot preparation

Project plan validated by partner

5

Month2 to 5

Building capacity of the project team

Training materials + approved business case

5

Month 6 to 12

Pilot launch

Launch completed, 6 months of monitoring reports

5

Month 13

Pilot closure

Pilot closing report

5

Project: Co-Lead Design Sprint

Month 1 to 4

Sprint preparation

Sprint design validated by partners

2.5

Month 2 to 5

Sprint communication to partners

Commitments from at least 3 DFS providers to participate

2.5

Month 6 to 12

Sprint launch

Launch completed, 6 months of monitoring reports

2.5

Month 13

Sprint follow up

The scale of at least two products focused on women

2.5

Co-create at least 2 Feedback2Action Workshops

Month 2

Determine issues of focus

Issues validated by Regulator and at least 3 private sector stakeholders

2.5

Month 3

Determining format of engagement

Agenda for workshop and ToR

2.5

Month 4

Launch workshop

Workshop completed with minutes and photos as well as commitments from relevant stakeholders on next steps

2.5

Month 5

Follow-up items from workshop

Validatation of minutes from relevant stakeholders

2.5



Project: Bank of Zambia: Improve Data for Decision Making Automation

Month 4

Product prototype

Prototype completed.

2.5

Month 5

Product development

Business case and product plan approved by BOZ and UNCDF

2.5

Month 6 to 12

Pilot of the solution

Launch completed, 6 months of monitoring reports

2.5

Month 13

Closing event

Event materials completed. Product demonstrated.

1.5

Project(s): 2 projects with organizations to develop and pilot agent network expansion models.

Month 4-5

Partner selection

Product descriptions completed and approved by UNCDF and partner. Partner appraisal report completed

3

Month 6-10

Pilot preparation

Project plan validated by partner

15

Month 11-16

Building capacity of the project team

Training materials + approved business case

15

Month 17 to 23

Pilot launch

Launch completed, 6 months of monitoring reports

15

Month 24

Pilot closure

Pilot closing report

3

Total





100.0




Competencies

Competencies:

Professional:

· Takes on innovation and new approaches and fosters innovation in others.

· Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking.

Client Orientation:

· Anticipates constraints in the delivery of services and identifies solutions or alternatives.

· Ability to interact and adapt communication with various management level at our partners.

· Proactively identifies, develops and discusses solutions for internal and external clients, and persuades management to undertake new projects or services.

· Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities, and resolve problems.

· Focus on impact and results for clients and stakeholders.

· Builds trust in interactions with others, facilitates partnerships; excellent networking capabilities to link people/businesses from diverse horizons.

· Approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude and responds positively to feedback




Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications:

Education:

· A Master’s degree in technology, economics, public/business administration, social sciences, or related discipline or the equivalent experience is mandatory.

Experience:

· A minimum of four years-experience in progressively more responsible positions in the financial services and/or telecommunications field is mandatory.

· A minimum of three years- experience working with branchless banking and mobile financial services is mandatory.

· Experience in working with the implementation of branchless banking and mobile financial services projects.

· Experience in project management.

· Experience in writing project and programme documents or similar type of documents is preferred, but not mandatory.

· Experience in Zambia, East or Southern Africa is a plus.

Languages:

· Excellent written and oral English is mandatory.

Timeline, total number of working days, duty station:

· Timeline: 20 May 2019 – 20 May 2021;

· Total Number of Working Days for Assignment: 480.

· Duty station: Lusaka, Zambia.

Travel:

Payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Please note that UNCDF cannot guarantee residence permits or visas for consultants. Consultants are responsible for securing their work documentation. In the case of national consultants, applicants that are not nationals of the duty station requested will have to prove their residence status.

Please note that consultants residing in the duty station will not be compensated for living expenses.

Provision of Monitoring, Progress Controls & Payments:

· The primary contact for reporting for this TOR shall be the UNCDF Regional Technical Specialist Digital Finance in Zambia;

· Payment will be made at the end of each phase against satisfactorily achieved deliverables. All payments are subject to the clearance and approval of the Regional Technical Speciali

Documents

 Tender Notice