Background

UN Capital Development Fund

UNCDF makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 47 least developed countries. With its capital mandate and instruments, UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development.

UNCDF’s financing models work through two channels: financial inclusion that expands the opportunities for individuals, households, and small businesses to participate in the local economy, providing them with the tools they need to climb out of poverty and manage their financial lives; and by showing how localized investments — through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance — can drive public and private funding that underpins local economic expansion and sustainable development. UNCDF is playing an increasingly active role in mobilizing investments in local economies through the application of catalytic loans and guarantees that mitigate risks for public and private investors. The enabling mechanism for these activities is the LDC Investment Platform, which is creating new opportunities for UNCDF to expand its support for local infrastructure and businesses in the last mile. By strengthening how finance works for poor people at the household, small enterprise, and local infrastructure levels, UNCDF contributes to SDG 1 on eradicating poverty and SDG 17 on the means of implementation. By identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile and address exclusion and inequalities of access, UNCDF contributes to a number of different SDGs.

Since 2008, UNCDF has been supporting digital finance with significant success, with digital finance currently the largest part of its inclusive finance portfolio. This includes digital innovations linked to on an off-grid energy, agriculture, employment, health and transport.

UNCDF is also host to the Secretariat of the Better than Cash Alliance, a partnership of governments, companies, and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to digital payments in order to reduce poverty and drive inclusive growth.

With 60 professionals with strong digital finance experience across the globe and with several hundred projects in digital on-going, UNCDF is one of the leading development agencies in digital finance with a mission and expertise to reach very low-income customers in some of the world’s most difficult markets. UNCDF’s digital team and resources are currently spread across several programmes and UNCDF is in the process of consolidating its financial and technical resources to create a comprehensive team of experts in various domains to drive the new strategy “Leaving no one behind in the digital era”

Based on this experience UNCDF started in 2017 to expand the scope of its programmatic agenda to go beyond digital finance. Through the “Leaving none behind in the digital era” strategy, UNCDF is supporting, through its digital finance interventions, the emergence of inclusive digital economies. The strategy recognizes that reaching the full potential of digital financial inclusion in support of the SDGs aligns with the vision of promoting digital economies for the following reasons:

• The value of DFS is not obvious, especially to poor and vulnerable populations, as it is not closely linked to their ability to respond to their specific constraints and needs around agriculture, education, health, energy and other key aspects of their daily lives.
• New innovative services should be developed to address these unmet needs. Innovation will not come from traditional providers but mainly from a range of new players (entrepreneurs, start-ups in various sectors, and digital platforms).

The ‘Leaving no one behind in the digital era’ strategy, to move from DF to digital economies builds upon and constitutes a logical integration of UNCDF interventions in financial inclusion and digital, developed over many years. The legacy of UNCDF intervention programmes was built through a range of country/regional programmes and global thematic initiatives, which has established a very strong reputation for UNCDF vis-à-vis donors and peers.

Please refer to www.uncdf.org

UNCDF Country Context

Since 2016, UNCDF's programmatic agenda in Bangladesh, has responded to the persisting exclusion of low-income people, especially women, that can limit the potential of individuals and businesses to contribute to and benefit from economic growth. While it  started focusing on increasing access and usage of financial services; it has recently evolved (thanks to the promises showed by digital finance) to a more comprehensive strategy anchored in the need of building an inclusive digital economy to enable low-income people, especially women, accessing economic opportunities and reduce poverty. UNCDF’s new Inclusive Digital Economy Strategy (2021-2025) leverages the work we have done in the country since 2016 and expands the use of digital solutions to further tackle the main development challenges of the country.

UNCDF is implementing the following projects in Bangladesh:

The Merchants Development Driving Rural Markets (MDDRM): Supported by the European Union,  this is a Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector-oriented intervention targeting retail micro-merchants in four northern districts of Bangladesh (i.e. Sherpur, Jamalpur, Tangail and Sirajganj) to develop capacities of the merchants and pilot market based solutions to expand financial inclusion and access to FMCG goods and services through retail merchants, particularly in rural areas in the selected districts. UNCDF is implementing this component in partnership with Dnet, Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity (BDMS). This project will end by 31st March 2021.

The Women's MSME Fintech Innovation Fund launched in 2019 aims to increase access to finance through digital solutions for women-owned, managed or led micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). While this is a regional initiative, the first round of the innovation fund is supporting two partners from Bangladesh. The innovation fund is a cross-regional initiative implemented in coordination with UN ESCAP, Government of Canada, and other partners.

In joint implementation with UNDP, UN Women and ILO, UNCDF is developing the Integrated National Financing Framework in Bangladesh supported by Joint SDG Fund, with UNCDF’s activity focus on SDG 7 and Digital Finance Ecosystem. UNCDF’s Inclusive Digital Economy Scorecard (IDES) and Digital Finance Ecosystem (DFS) Assessment (in partnership with UNDP) will also be contribute towards this project achievements. IDES is a strategic performance tool developed by UNCDF with the objective to easily track the level of development of inclusive digital economies at country level. It identifies the key markets constraints hindering the development of inclusive digital economies and helps set the right priorities with public and private stakeholders in each country to foster digital economies that leave no one behind.

In partnership and support from FMO, VISA Worldwide Inc. and UNESCAP, UNCDF will be implementing an Innovation Round around women enterprise resilience and recovery impacted by COVID-19 pandemic and support business models that addresses the issues. In Bangladesh, with support from VISA Inc. the country innovations would be around digital and financial literacy targeting small and micro businesses in partnership with e-commerce platforms.

The consultant, based in Dhaka, is expected to support successful implementation of current projects and further implement the Inclusive Digital Economy’s country strategy.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Regional Digital Hub Manager, Asia jointly with the Regional Programme Manager – ASEAN & SAARC (both based in Bangkok), the Consultant will complete the following activities and deliverables.

• Provide technical support to successfully implement and complete the MDDRM project, including Final Evaluation; and to other digital projects as required (i.e. Women’s Fintech Innovation Fund, Innovation Fund for COVID 19 etc);
• Engage with public and private sector partners and conduct a Digital Finance Ecosystem assessment and start using the IDES to support the government and the private sector to focus on the key priorities to build an inclusive digital economy in Bangladesh;.
• Strengthen the Bangladesh UNCDF strategy on “Leaving no-one behind in the digital era”, by providing technical inputs;
• Lead and support the Bangladesh team in building strong partnerships to mobilize resources and implement the digital strategy;

• Build relationship with broad digital-ecosystem stakeholders with a focus on driving innovation and having a large and durable impact on low-income people of Bangladesh and on positioning UNCDF as a strategic player in the digital ecosystem in country.

Scope of Work

Provide technical support to successfully implement and complete the MDDRM project, including Final Evaluation; and to other digital projects as required (i.e. Women’s Fintech Innovation Fund, Innovation Fund for COVID 19 etc.)

• Jointly with the Project officer and MDDRM project team, provide technical assistance to project implementing partners
• Provide inputs to progress reports, milestone achievements and on communication with implementing partners and related stakeholders
• Provide technical inputs towards timely updation and maintenance of M&E systems and related reporting to both within the organization and external stakeholders including for donors
• Coordinate with project team to ensure all related information, documents, and reports are up to date and available for enabling final evaluation of the MDDRM project. Support the Final evaluation team in successful completion of the evaluation.
• Provide technical inputs to digital and financial literacy project and coordinate with implementing partners in successful implementation and achievements of deliverables.
• Provide technical support to implementing private sector partners under the ongoing Women MSME FinTech Innovation Fund and support in timely submission of progress and milestone reports
• Provide technical support to e-commerce platform partners implementing the digital and financial literacy project for small and micro businesses
• Provide technical support to Women Enterprise resilience and recovery innovation fund in coordination with regional challenge fund facility coordinator
• Coordinate and provide technical support in implementing UNCDF activity components under the Integrated National Financing Framework project and support in ensuring quality and timely submission of progress reports.
• Provide technical support towards designing a pilot project in microsavings towards SDG investments as part of the pathfinder initiative under the UNSG Digital Finance Task Force.
• Provide technical support towards coordination with Bangkok regional office in successful implementation of the Women Livelihood Bond project.

Engage with public and private sector partners and conduct a Digital Finance Ecosystem assessment and start using the IDES to support the government and the private sector to focus on the key priorities to build an inclusive digital economy in Bangladesh

• Provide technical support in establishing partnerships with public and private sector to drive implementation of Digital Finance Ecosystem Assessment (DFEA) and IDES
• Coordinate with IDES and DFE team at UNCDF regional and headquarter to undertake and complete these.
• Using the tools and frameworks for DFEA and IDES, work on completing the required information and coming out with the DFEA and IDES reports
• Provide technical support in coordination with public and private sector stakeholder and organize meetings and sharing of draft findings of DFEA and IDES
• Based on findings of IDES and DFEA initiatives, work with country and regional team to advocate and implement priority recommendations in partnership with public and private sector stakeholders, including development partners.

Strengthen the Bangladesh UNCDF strategy on “Leaving no-one behind in the digital era” (LNOB), by providing technical inputs;

• Reach out to key stakeholders of the Bangladesh digital ecosystem to understand latest developments and major needs and update the UNCDF country “leaving no-one behind in the digital era” strategy including a wide spectrum on the digital ecosystem;
• Analyse the current digital ecosystem to identify market failures and strengths that can create large-scale lasting benefits for UNCDF’s target groups;
• Incorporate findings and recommendation from DFEA and IDES in the Bangladesh LNOB strategy;
• Update and align the strategy to the broad priorities of the Government of Bangladesh on topics related to the digital ecosystem;
• Adapt to the strategy with an agile, flexible and original approach that takes into account the unpredictable situation of the current COVID-19 health crisis.

Lead and support the Bangladesh team in building strong partnerships to mobilise resources and implement the digital strategy;

• Draft and /or review annual donor mapping & fundraising strategies and activities;
• Draft technical materials (brochures, business cases) for fundraising activities;
• Draft concept notes and proposals with input from relevant staff;
• Organize and participate to meetings with key donors to achieve fundraising objectives target for UNCDF in the country.

Build relationship with broad digital-ecosystem stakeholders with a focus on driving innovation and having a large and durable impact on low-income people of Bangladesh and on positioning UNCDF as a strategic player in the digital ecosystem in country.

• Position UNCDF as a key player in supporting the Government of Bangladesh in their digital strategy, planning and monitoring;
• Provide technical support to the government in their digital transformation;
• Develop long-term relationship with key player in the Bangladesh ecosystem: Private sector (e.g.): Entrepreneurs and start-ups, Accelerators and incubators, Larger companies, such as telecommunication companies; Public sector (e.g.): Ministry of Information Communications and Technology, Central Bank, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industries, Development partners, Academia and other important agencies.
• Coordinate with Local Development Practice area, Remittances and BTCA team within country to jointly design, promote UNCDF work in Bangladesh.

DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT, DUTY STATION AND EXPECTED PLACES OF TRAVEL

Duration: The assignment duration is for a maximum of 220 working days over 12 months.

Duty Station and likely places of travel: The consultant is expected to work with the Inclusive Digital Economy Bangladesh team based in UNCDF office in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The assignment may require travel to project districts outside Dhaka where UNCDF's ongoing projects are on implementation. The consultant might be requested to travel to Bangkok UNCDF Regional office, or other destinations. All this travel will be requested by UNCDF management on a need basis and will be compensated on a reimbursable basis and following the UNDP/UNCDF rules and regulations that state that consultants shall only be paid the most direct and most economical ticket, as will be quoted by the official UN travel agency. Any amount in excess of the said quotation, such as class and airline preference of the consultant, shall be borne by the consultant and the daily living allowance will be paid in amounts not exceeding the UN established rate.

UNCDF cannot guarantee residence permits or visas for consultants. Consultants are responsible for securing their work documentation with limited support from UNCDF.

The schedule of travel will be negotiated with the consultant according to the requirements of the programme.

Travel and Daily Subsistence Allowance:

No DSA is payable at the duty station in Dhaka. The individual contractor shall receive a Living Allowance not to exceed the United Nations daily subsistence allowance rate while conducting field visits beyond Dhaka whenever required. Travel requirement would be determined from time to time based on the need of the projects and agreed between UNCDF and the consultant.

FINAL DELIVERABLES AND TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF PAYMENT

PROVISION OF MONITORING AND PROGRESS CONTROLS

Supervision and Performance Evaluation:

The consultant will work under the joint supervision of the Asia Regional Digital Hub Manager, and Regional Programme Manager – ASEAN & SAARC. UNCDF will provide feedback on the work of the consultant to ensure the quality of deliverables as per the expectations of UNCDF and that the work is aligned with the broader project objective. Since the consultant will be based in UNCDF office, the consultant will also work closely with the country Project officer at the country level. The consultant will be required to travel to the other region in Bangladesh, or UNCDF Bangkok Regional office.

Payments

Payment will be made on a periodical basis upon satisfactory completion AND acceptance of deliverables. All payments are subject to the clearance and approval of the supervisor, Asia Regional Digital Hub Manager/ Regional Programme Manager – ASEAN & SAARC, and on receipt of:

Payments are subject to UNCDF’s approval of the Project Progress Reports and the acceptance of the finalized documents, after incorporating the relevant feedback.

• Final payment shall require a signed performance evaluation of the consultant.

The following supporting documents will serve as conditions for disbursement:

• submission of Certificate of Payment (COP).
• submission of all deliverables/ workplan/ progress report with relevant supporting documentation; and review,
• approval and written acceptance of each deliverable by the Asia Regional Digital Hub Manager/ Regional Programme Manager ASEAN & SAARC and/or his designate.

Competencies

• Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities skills;
• Ability to plan, organize, implement and report on work;
• Focus on impact and results for clients and stakeholders;
• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills.
• Committed to teamwork, working with other stakeholders;
• Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards;
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Strong Knowledge of governance and national human rights mechanism is essential.

Required Skills and Experience

Educational Qualification:

• A Master’s degree in economics, administration, social sciences, or related discipline. Or equivalent of related experience

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of experience in South East Asia is mandatory, with a preference for developing contexts
• Minimum 8 years demonstrated experience in developing and implementing projects/ programs around Digital services is mandatory
• Previous working experience in entrepreneurial environment, such as startups, social enterprises or new ventures is preferred.
• Prior demonstrated experience developing proposals for institutional donors is mandatory for Interview.
• Demonstrated experience of successful grant applications is mandatory for Interview.
• Previous Market system development experience will be a valuable asset
• Experience working with international organizations is preferred but not mandatory.
• Experience in projects with financial inclusion and digital financial services is preferred but not mandatory

Language requirements:

• Written and spoken fluency in English is mandatory.
• Other regional languages, such as Bengali, are an asset and will be preferred, but not mandatory.

Application process:

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

All applications must contain the following information in SINGLE FILE:

• Cover letter with a summary statement of competencies and motivation rationalizing how the applicant meets the qualifications and can deliver the requirements of the Terms of Reference (TOR);
• Earliest availability and proposed schedule for consultancy;
• CV or P11, Personal History Form with names and current contacts of 3 referees (available from http://sas.undp.org/documents/p11_personal_history_form.doc )
• Signed financial proposal for the assignment outlining: all-inclusive fee (including professional fees and other professional expenses, such as insurance, taxes, etc.). Template for this is available at http://procurementnotices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=29916 ).

If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNCDF under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNCDF.

Failure to submit all the below mentioned documents may result in rejection of the application.

Note: The system allows to upload only 1 document, so make sure your pdf all the above-mentioned documents into 1 document for your submission.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Applications will be rated on both technical and financial submissions. The following selection method will be used: Highest rated proposal using the combined scoring method, which assigns the weight distribution between the technical and financial proposals. The overall combined score will be 100 points, where weight distribution shall be 70% technical (20% desk review + 50% interview) and 30% financial.

Step I: Screening

Applications will be screened and only applicants meeting the following minimum criteria will progress to the pool for shortlisting:

• A Master’s degree in economics, administration, social sciences, or related discipline. Or equivalent of related experience
• Minimum 5 years of experience in South East Asia is mandatory, with a preference for developing contexts

Step II: Shortlisting by Desk Review: (100 Points X 20%)

UNCDF will conduct a desk review to produce a shortlist of candidates and technically evaluate candidates as follows:

Step III: Technical interviews (100 points x 50%)

A competency-based Interview shall be conducted with the top candidates who score the highest in Step II (minimum of 70 points). Candidates will be tested on the same key work areas, in greater depth, with the same weighting. It is important to note that below requirements are mandatory for interview.

• Prior demonstrated experience developing proposals for institutional donors is mandatory for Interview.
• Demonstrated experience of successful grant applications is mandatory for Interview.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% on the total of Step II: Desk Review and Step III: Interview will be considered as technically qualified and will be reviewed further for financial evaluation.

Step IV: Financial Evaluation (30%):

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal: Lowest priced proposal/price of the proposal being evaluated x 30%.

Award Criteria

The contract 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 scores) 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. UNCDF 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.

/ma