UNCDF Jobs - 65850- Consultant to Support the Bank of Uganda to Carry

Consultant to Support the Bank of Uganda to Carry out Payment Service Provider Mapping Exercise

Advertised on behalf of

UNCDF

Location :

Kampala, UGANDA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Jun-2016

Application Deadline :

05-May-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

3 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

3 months

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 49 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, with a special commitment to countries emerging from conflict or crisis. Please refer to http://www.uncdf.org/ for more information.

Mobile Money for the Poor (MM4P) is a UNCDF programme that seeks to demonstrate how the correct mix of technical, financial, and policy support can assist in scaling up sustainable branchless and mobile financial services that reach the poor in very low-income countries. MM4P is currently present in Benin, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, Nepal, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia.

MM4P seeks a consultant firm to provide support to the Bank of Uganda’s National Payments Systems Department to conduct a learning exercise of non-bank payment service providers in Uganda. The National Payments Systems Department (NPSD) role is to ensure the development and maintenance of an efficient, reliable and secure payment and settlement system.

The NPS Department is currently designing the National Payments Policy, which will provide the principles surrounding regulatory engagement with national payment service providers. The policy will empower the department to regulate non-bank financial service providers. In an effort to prepare the department to effectively engage and regulate payment service providers, NPSD leadership seeks to learn, explore and engage so as to determine appropriate licensing requirements for new entrants, to understand the role of emerging technologies, or monitor critical use cases with payment providers currently in Uganda and those who may potentially enter the market.

NPS seeks to create a collaborative platform for amenable and productive engagement with payment service providers (PSPs) to facilitate a regulatory environment for financial inclusion of low-income rural households and innovation in service provision. Building upon the Payments Flow Diagnostic exercise (2015) an important foundation of this effort is undergoing a payments mapping exercise which will ultimately inform policy implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities

The project will be comprised of the following 4 phases executed within three months:

Phase 1: Payments Service Provider Mapping.
Phase 2: Payments Service Provider Metrics and Monitoring.
Phase 3: Support PSP engagement.
Phase 4: Developing a work plan/ roadmap and strategic recommendations for NSPD.

Accordingly, the consultant will produce the following deliverables :

Output 1: Payments service provider mapping.

The consultant will work with NPSD and its partners to design and complete an assessment of current payments service providers in Uganda. Specifically the consultant will first work with the NPSD to solidify the scope and objective of the study, formalized via the inception report to be finalized during consultations in Uganda. This exercise should also consider payment service providers in other markets (e.g. COMESA and SADC), including those in the East African Community. The purpose of this exercise is to provide NPSD with indicative mapping of current and potential non-bank intermediaries. This mapping should include details about the products, services, clients, outreach, constraints (regulatory and business) of providers, and other factors which may affect payment service provision and outreach (financial inclusion). Limit of analysis: while a comparison of constraints may be useful (e.g. the difference between Kenya and Uganda’s regulatory frameworks for PSPs) ultimately the focus of this exercise is on Uganda.

Output 2: Payment Service Provider Metrics and Monitoring.

The consultant will work with the NPSD to determine which key metrics to monitor to remain abreast of payment service provider services. The consultant will design with NPSD an effective monitoring system to support the collection and analysis of payment service providers.

Output 3: Supporting PSP engagement.

The consultant will work with NPSD to design an engagement strategy of PSPs in Uganda. Specifically the strategy will define how the NPSD will engage with PSP’s currently operating in other markets as well as consult with local PSPs.

Output 4: Developing a work plan/roadmap and strategic recommendations for NPSD.

Building upon the Payments Flow Diagnostic exercise (2015) an important foundation of this effort the PSP mapping exercise will ultimately inform policy implementation.

Using the insights and systems developed, the consultant will make strategic recommendations for the NPSD. The consultant will provide a range of policy options that NPSD can propose to ensure that PSP’s operate in an efficient and secure manner, with the overall objective of increasing access to payment services for the excluded.

Competencies

Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
Self-development, initiative-taking;
Acting as a team player and facilitating team work;
Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively;
Creates networks, manages relationships and promotes initiatives with partner organizations;
Managing conflict;
Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others;
Effective spokesperson, engaging stakeholders and groupings, both Central bank, government ministers and private sector senior corporate leaders, to advance the development of data reporting system;
Excellent presentation and representation skills in multicultural contexts;
Ability to translate complex technical ideas to a non-technical audience in both verbally and in writing.

Work Style, all mandatory:

Demonstrated excellent written and oral communication skills in English (a technical writing sample may be requested);
Strong ability to communicate and function effectively in local/international/multicultural environment,;
Excellent networking with a demonstrated ability to build and maintain professional relationships;
High level planning, organizational and time management skills, including flexibility, attention to detail and the ability to work under pressure to meet changing deadlines;
Well-developed interpersonal skills , including the ability to liaise effectively at senior levels, including central banks;
Analytical and problem solving skills of a high order, including the ability to formulate recommendations and advice

Required Skills and Experience

Minimum education:

Post graduate degree in Economics, Finance, Banking, Development, Education or related fields or equivalent experience.

Experience:

A minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience in working with Central Banks in payment service mapping;
Of which a minimum of 7 years working with Digital Financial Service Providers or Third party providers;
Experience in assessing service payment providers in different countries of similar environments;
Experience in developing a road map for payment systems development;
Experience in designing and setting up monitoring systems that support collection and analysis of payment service providers;
Practical experience in designing, implementing and monitoring of PSP strategy;
Previous experience in designing policies for central banks in similar environments;
Experience in customer centric product design for financial services;
Experience in working with the implementation of branchless banking and mobile money agent solutions;
Experience with mobile digital financial services operators or mobile money;
Previous experience in designing strategies for digital financial services providers;
Familiarity with the concepts of financial inclusion, a broad knowledge of related disciplines, as well as an in-depth knowledge of relevant organizational policies and procedures;
Adequate understanding of legal and regulatory issues related to branchless and mobile financial services, such as know your customer and bank agency rules;
Experience working with the mass market, including rural or low income communities, preferably related to financial services;
Previous work in Kenya, Uganda or similar environment a plus.

Language:

Fluent in English. Fluency in one local language a plus.

Timeline, duration of assignment, duty station and expected places of travel:

Timeline: 3 months,
Location(s); Uganda

Please note that UNCDF cannot guarantee residence permits or visa´s 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.

Total Number of Working Days for Assignment: 66 days (22 days per month for a duration of 3 months)

Provision of Monitoring, Progress Controls & Payments:

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Country Technical Specialist.
Payment will be made on periodical basis in accordance with number of days worked and upon satisfactorily achieved deliverables. All payments are subject to the clearance and approval of the direct supervisor.
Final payment shall require a signed performance evaluation of the consultant.

Application:

Interested individuals must submit the following as proposals in order to demonstrate their qualifications: (NOTE: the system does not allow multiple uploads of document. Applicants must make sure to upload all documents in one PDF file).

All applications must contain the following information:

Cover letter with a summary statement of competencies in relation to the TOR;
Earliest availability and proposed schedule for consultancy;
Curriculum Vitae;
Completed P11 Personal History Form with names and current contacts of 3 referees (available fromhttp://sas.undp.org/documents/p11_personal_history_form.doc);
All inclusive Financial proposal for the full months assignment outlining - Total professional fee , living expenses, other professional expenses (such as insurance, taxes, etc.), Duty travel (return ticket from country of origin to the place of assignment).Available at http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=29916).

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Preliminary Evaluation - Step I: Pre-Screening;

Technical Evaluation Weight - 70% x (Step II: 20 Points + Step III: 80 Points = 100 Points);

Financial Evaluation Weight - 30% = Step IV.

Step I: Screening:

Applications will be screened and only applicants meeting the following minimum criteria (listed under education and experience) will progress to the pool for shortlisting:

Step II: Shortlisting by Desk Review:

UNCDF will conduct a desk review to produce a shortlist of candidates and technically evaluate candidates as per the following criteria.

Education/Qualification -20;
Functional competences for the assignment -30;
Overall professional experience -30;
Experience in East African Community -10;
Experience in Uganda -10.

Only the first top 4 ranked applicants achieving minimum 70 points shall be invited for an interview.

Step III: Interview:

A competency-based Interview shall be conducted for the top 4 shortlisted candidates.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points on the total of Steps II+III will be considered as technically qualified and will be reviewed further for financial evaluation.

Step IV: Financial Evaluation:

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

Lowest priced proposal/price of the proposal being evaluated x 30%.

Award Criteria:

The contact shall be awarded to the applicant whose offer have been evaluated and determined as:

Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and Having received the highest combined weight (technical proposal & Interview) 70% + financial 30%= 100%.

Both individual consultants and individual employed by a company or institution are welcome to apply.

Any individual employed by a company or institution who would like to submit an offer in response to a Procurement Notice for IC must do so in their individual capacity (providing a CV so that their qualifications may be judged accordingly). Women candidates or women-owned businesses are strongly encouraged to apply.