FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF SOMALIA

Transcription

1 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF SOMALIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE THE SOMALI CORE ECONOMIC INSTITUTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM (SCORE) REQUEST FOR EXPERSION OF INTREST Selection of Consultants Consulting Services for Rapid Assessment of the Institutional and ICT Capacity of Somali Financial Institutions Funding Sources: Somali Core Economic Institutions and Opportunities Program TF#TF0A1688 Individual/Firm: Firm Publication Date: 03 February, 2018 Deadline: 17th February 2018 Ref No. MOF/SCORE/EOI/2018/0001 BACKGROUND Somalia has been a fragile and conflict affected country since the early 1990s and in spite of efforts by different actors it remains very fragile, with spill-over effects threatening growth and stability across the Horn of Africa. Although there is renewed hope, years of infighting and degradation of state structures mean that Somalia has weak state capacity and the private and financial sectors are heavily constrained. Building an inclusive, deep and well-functioning financial sector is key to facilitating economic recovery and growth through employment creation and private investment. In Somalia, there is a degree of financial services available to the population, providing a starting point for financial sector development. These services have been, and continue to be, critical for the Somali economy and its people. As Somalia stabilizes and changes for the better, there is a need to continue on a path to the development of an inclusive, deep and well-functioning financial sector and concentrate on priority areas, mobilizing targeted technical assistance, especially to those areas dealing with short-term financial sector bottlenecks and constraints. The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) through the Ministry of Finance (MoF) with support from the World Bank Somali Core Economic Institutions and Opportunities (SCORE) Program, a World Bank Group (WBG) program supported by a multi-donor trust fund, is implementing a series of activities to support financial and private sector development and strengthen formal provision of financial services in Somalia. The development objectives of the SCORE Program are to: (i) improve the enabling environment for private and financial sector development; and (ii) catalyze private investment

2 and job creation in key productive and service sectors. For the Ministry of Finance, the SCORE Program will help deliver governance capacity for financial sector development by strengthening the capacity of the Ministry to coordinate the analysis, formulation, implementation, and monitoring of financial sector policies, strategies and regulations; and, oversee FGS s interventions in the financial sector. The Somali authorities, with technical assistance from the World Bank, are looking to establish a modern payment system. With the support of the World Bank, the authorities have initiated a participatory approach to modernizing Somalia s payment system through establishing a Payment Working Group (PWG), convening payment system stakeholders. The PWG aims to propose the laws and/or regulations, procedures and the appropriate ICT infrastructure required to establish a fully electronic, safe and expandable NPS that is integrated across all bank channels in Somalia. For the CBS and the PWG, the SCORE Program will help assist in putting in place the necessary building blocks (i.e., legal framework, procedures, and ICT infrastructure) required for a fully electronic and integrated NPS that permits banks and other non-bank payment service providers to make transactions over accounts and facilitate settlement finality using funds held at the CBS. OBJECTIVES OF ASSIGNMENTs In order to plan the design of a fully electronic and integrated NPS, a rapid assessment of the institutional and ICT capacity of the CBS and Somali banking institutions will need to be undertaken. The rapid assessment will include other non-bank payment service providers and examine whether the CBS, CBS branch office in Jubaland State, State Bank of Puntland and the licensed banks and non-bank payment service providers e.g. Mobile Money Providers operating in Somalia that have the requisite institutional and ICT capacity to participate in an electronic NPS. The consultancy deliverables will strengthen the pre-procurement process for the National Payment System, provide a clear picture on industry preparedness for the NPS and ensure the highest opportunity to achieve success of the envisioned NPS intervention. SCOPE OF WORK The cornerstone of this assignment is that the consultant will undertake an on-site institutional and capacity assessment of technologies and connected network infrastructure for the CBS, CBS branch office in Jubaland, State Bank of Puntland and the bank and non-bank payment service provider s vis-a-vis their preparedness to participate in a National Payment System. Activities to be undertaken during the assessment include; assess the technical capacity, efficiency, productivity, job satisfaction and training needs of IT and operational staff at the CBS, CBS branch office in Jubaland, State Bank of Puntland and bank and non-bank payment service providers by identifying institutional and human resource gaps with respect to implementation of a NPS, assess the ICT infrastructure, core banking systems, mobile payment providers, security and network settings and connected infrastructure between banks and non-bank payment service providers for effective implementation of the NPS, and develop a range of potential options for implementing the NPS including solution features and associated costs and benefits to arrive at a solution that is most appropriate for the country;

3 The assignment will be conducted in two phases that will be expected to run concurrently i.e. i) institutional assessment relating to establishment of the inter-bank payment, clearing and settlement system, and; ii) institutional assessment relating to extending core-banking system to CBS state bank/branches located in federal member states. DELIVERABLES This consulting assignment is to carry out the following activities: i. Draft Final Reports: Provide a rapid assessment of the existing institutional structure and internal operational, staffing and ICT readiness for CBS, CBS branch office in Jubaland, State Bank of Puntland, mobile money service providers, commercial banks in anticipation of their participation in a National Payment System. A key output of the assessment to be included in the final reports is a gap analysis of the existing structures and infrastructure with a view to providing recommendations for improving and modifying institutional and ICT capacity of key financial institutions in order to establish a fully integrated National Payment System. The consultant is expected to deliver 2 separate Draft Final reports, with one report covering findings from institutional and capacity assessment relating to establishment of the inter-bank payment, clearing and settlement system and the second report containing findings from the institutional and capacity assessment relating to extending core-banking system to CBS state bank/ branches located in federal member states. The Draft Final reports will be shared with the Central Bank of Somalia for discussion and inputs to the Final Reports. ii. Final Reports and a Presentation: The deliverable intends to report on the findings of the rapid assessment to the CBS for validation through the submission of Final Reports and the delivery of a presentation to the CBS. The oral presentation of the findings is meant to provide the client with the opportunity to interrogate and validate the findings of the reports. TIMELINE The timeline for the first phase is four (4) weeks, with the second phase commencing concurrently with the first phase but concluding in eight (8) weeks. All deliverables must be delivered in Microsoft Office 2010 or later (i.e. Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint etc.). All of the field work will be undertaken in Mogadishu, Kismayo and Garowe and it will be mandatory to visit the CBS, CBS branch office in Jubaland, State Bank of Puntland and bank and non-bank payment service providers to carry out the assessment. In addition, all deliverables will need to be accepted by the CBS. The Ministry of Finance now invites eligible consulting firms ( Consultants ) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information

4 demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. The shortlisting criteria are as follows: 1. Background of the firm(s): Summarizing their areas of expertise including organizational capability, years of experience and the size of the firm. 2. General and overall experience of the firm(s) 3. Summary of similar projects undertaken by the firm(s) in an environment similar to that of Somalia. 4. Availability of appropriate skills amongst staff (Provide only the general qualifications and number of key staff). Do not provide CVs of Staff. Attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Bank s Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers (January 2011) ( Consultant Guidelines ), setting forth the World Bank s policy on conflict of interest. Please visit setting forth the World Bank s policy on conflict of interest. In addition, please refer to specific information on conflict of interest related to this assignment as per paragraph 1.9 of Consultant Guidelines. Consultants may associate with other firms in the form of a joint venture or a sub-consultancy to enhance their qualifications..the nature of association, whether it is a joint venture or a sub consultancy, should clearly be stated. In case of joint venture the Consultant leading the joint venture should be mentioned. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Consultant Qualifications Selection (CQs) method set out in the Consultant Guidelines. Interested Consultant may obtain further information(in person or by ) at the address belowduring office hours from a.m p.m. Saturday to Thursday. Expressions of interest should be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by ) by 17 th February 2018 at 5.00 p.m. local Time. Attention; The Procurement Specialist SCORE Project Ministry of Finance Federal Government of Somalia Villa Somalia Mogadishu, Somalia Address: bidsmof@gmail.com

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