Description of the Assignment: A fundamental government responsibility is to provide information and services aimed at improving the social and economic welfare of its citizens. The objective of the project is to increase transparency, improve governance, and reduce time, difficulty, and cost of obtaining government services for the under-served communities of Bangladesh. This is to be achieved by the following 5 components of the project:
Component 1: Institutionalizing Public Service Innovation and Improving Accountability
Component 2: Catalyzing Digital Financial Services and Fintech Innovations
Component 3: Incubating Private Sector-enabled Public Service Innovation
Bangladesh’s financial sector has undergone rapid growth and has embraced technological solutions to improve the financial inclusion of the general population. Over the past few years, Bangladesh has gained significant momentum in building a cashless economy and generating financial inclusion on a massive scale. The government aims to build cashless society within the next three or four years as part of it's target to bring cent percent of people under the bank account service. This goal is also aligned with the Smart Bangladesh vision.
a2i Programme is playing a catalytic role in developing an inclusive financial ecosystem with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. One of the core components of the project is to contribute to the country’s transformation into a cashless society. A2i is looking to recruit a National Consultant – DFS Sector Expert who will be responsible for providing the scope of a cashless economy in Bangladesh. In addition, the study will also determine prospects and possible intervention strategies to implement a cashless economy in Bangladesh.
(a) Objectives: Smart Economy is an integral component of Bangladesh’s journey towards the ‘Smart Bangladesh’ by 2041. The payments ecosystem has seen tremendous growth due to the onset of MFS and Digital banking. The prospects for a cashless economy in Bangladesh are positive, but there is still a long way to go in terms of increasing the adoption and usage of digital financial services.
The overall objective of the assignment will be the following:
1. Define the scope of a cashless economy in the context of Bangladesh in alignment with the Smart Bangladesh Vision
2. Analyze the current status quo, achievement and future prospects of a cashless smart economy in Bangladesh.
3. Identify regulatory and market issues related to the development of a cashless economy and best practices around the world.
4. Outline the possible intervention strategies to implement in Bangladesh.
Period of assignment/service (if applicable): The assignment should be no longer than 45 working days within 3 months.
UNDP Bangladesh is seeking proposals from individual consultants for the provision of hiring IC Consultants as described in the above-mentioned subject. Please note that this procurement process is being conducted through the new online tendering system of UNDP. Applicants who wish to submit a proposal must be registered in the system. Kindly register by visiting the link below and following the instructions provided in the user guide in the document attached: http://supplier.quantum.partneragencies.org/ using the profile you may have in the Quantum portal. If you have never registered before, follow the Supplier Portal Registration Link to register a profile in the system. The Supplier User Guide has been uploaded to the following link: Do not create a new profile if you already have one. Use the forgot password feature in case you do not remember the password or the username from the previous registration. The supplier webinar is now available at the following link: https://www.undp.
Please note that all the required documents can be found on the UNDP Quantum Platform under negotiation reference: UNDP-BGD-00115
Interested experts with questions/challenges regarding the registration in Quantum should send them in writing to: ebidbox.bd@undp.org and copy the reference UNDP-BGD-00115 in the subject line. Please note: Proposals will not be received through email. Once any applicant is registered in the system, any request for clarification must be sent in writing via messaging functionality in the portal. UNDP will respond in writing, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of the inquiry.
Regards,
UNDP Procurement
Bangladesh Country Office
