Avis à manifestation d’intérêt pour le recrutement d’une firme chargée de la Solution de paiement numérique pour la NaCSA et renforcement des capacités des acteurs de l’écosystème, Sierra Leone
GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST(REOI) (CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRM SELECTION)
REOI FOR HIRING A PAYMENT SERVICES PROVIDER (FIRM) FOR DIGITAL PAYMENT SOLUTION FOR THE NaCSA AND CAPACITY BUILDING FOR ECOSYSTEM ACTORS IN SIERRA LEONE – DIGIGoV- MRU
Issue Date: 20th December 2022
Sector: Digital Government Payment Services
Grant Number: 5900155016196
Project ID No.: PZ1-HB0-071
The Government of Sierra Leone has received a grant of UA279,000/USD383,000 from the Transition Support Facility (TSF) Pillar III window of the African Development Bank (AfDB) to assist in the financing of the project for the digitization of government payments in Mano River Union (DIGIGoV- MRU). The Project Fiduciary Management Unit (PFMU) intends to apply part of the funding for eligible payments under the contracts for the Hiring of a payment services provider for digital payment solutions for the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) and capacity building for the ecosystem actors in Sierra Leone.
The Payment Services Provider (PSP) among other duties should provide and roll-out a digital payment solution to support the following business functions:
- Provide digital payment platform access or electronic data interface to NaCSA MIS for each payment period.
- Make 4 regular, frictionless, and accurate monthly digital payments to all recipients of NaCSA benefits (currently standing at 35,000 and expected to remain the same for the period of contract)
- Produce regular quarterly digital payments and reconciliation reports, highlighting targets/plan versus achievements/actual, challenges and solutions, lessons learnt and best practices.
- Reliable Cash-In and Cash-Out (CICO) agent network with adequate penetration rate.
- Ensure sufficient liquidity levels in the distribution/agent network to support the recipient transactions such as CICO transactions in their local communities.
- Ensure that allocated funds from NaCSA for each payment can be initially audited and reconciled with payments made. Provide ongoing reconciliation and auditing for amounts paid to recipients’ accounts and payroll amount (allocated).
- Verification of recipients (and where appropriate recipients that act on behalf of beneficiaries)
- Process beneficiary complaints including the ability to support Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) to resolve payment-related complaints and other issues.
- Transfer knowledge of the operation of the digital payment platform to NaCSA staff as well as build the capacity of the digital payment ecosystem stakeholders/players.
- Conduct at least 3 capacity building training sessions for key financial ecosystem stakeholders in Sierra Leone to ensure an enabling digital payment environment.
Eligible consulting firms are invited to express/indicate their interest in providing the aforementioned services. The interested solution provider must demonstrate expertise in providing digital payment solutions and capacity building actions in countries where the National Switch is not available, financial inclusion rate, literacy rate and level of trust in digital financial services are low. The team should demonstrate knowledge and skills in managing to deliver in a market where active agents are few and concentrated in big towns and cities, customer activity rates are low and internet banking is the least among digital financial services channels. They should also demonstrate that they have the required staff with the requisite qualifications and relevant experience to perform the described services. For purposes of satisfying the needs of the recipients of NaCSA benefits, providers may enter into commercial agreements for sharing of CICO agents, recruiting, and training agents, registering and verification of recipients, integration of platforms to allow frictionless transfer of electronic values (e-money) between them and similar services or indeed submit a joint proposal.
Establishment of the short-list and the selection procedure shall be in accordance with the “Rules and procedures for the use of consultants” under the African Development Bank’s Procurement Policy dated October 2015, which is available on the Bank’s website at http://www.afdb.org .
Interested firms may obtain further information at the address below during the office hours (08:00-17:00 hours).
Expression of interest must be delivered in hard copy or submitted via email to the addresses below, by Monday, January 9th, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. (Sierra Leone time) and must be specifically marked
“Digital Payment Solution for the NaCSA and Capacity Building for Ecosystem Actors – Sierra Leone”
Addressed To:
Project Fiduciary Management Unit – PFMU
Ministry of Finance
Attn: The Secretariat, PFMU
13A Howe Street Freetown,
Sierra Leone,
Tel: +232 76-672-186
E-mail: digigov2020@gmail.com