Background

The United Nations 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.

Hosted by UNCDF, the Better Than Cash Alliance’s mission is to catalyze a global movement from cash to digital payments to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Specific benefits include efficiency, transparency, women’s economic participation and financial inclusion, helping build economies that are digital and inclusive.

The Alliance has 75 members, including national governments from Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, companies and international organizations which have committed to digitizing payments.

The Secretariat works with the Alliance members on their journey to digitize payments by:

  • Providing advisory services based on member priorities.
  • Sharing action-oriented research and fostering peer learning.
  • Conducting advocacy at national, regional and global level.

Billions of dollars in cash payments and transfers are made daily in emerging and developing economies, including payment of salaries, social welfare and relief, payments to suppliers, remittances. The problems with these cash payments include a lack of transparency, accountability and security, as well as inefficiency. Individuals who receive cash payments are often part of the 1.7 billion excluded from the formal financial sector, the majority of whom are women. This means they are excluded from access to a range of appropriate and affordable financial services to help them save safely take advantage of economic opportunities and reduce their vulnerability to risk.

Shifting these payments from cash to digital has the potential to improve the lives of low-income people, particularly women, while giving governments, the development community and the private sector a more transparent, time and cost efficient, and often-safer means of disbursing payments.

The Better Than Cash Alliance Team’s Core Values are the following:

  • Achieving together
  • Striving for excellence
  • Service oriented
  • Results oriented

For more information about the Better Than Cash Alliance, please visit our website: www.betterthancash.org.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the South-East Asia Lead and direction of the Asia Pacific Regional Lead and the Global Corporate Lead, Asia Digital Payments Consultant will be responsible for ensuring technical and coordination support to the implementation of the overall strategy for the Better Than Cash Alliance in the Asia Pacific region. Key responsibilities are as follows:

1.            Provide high quality coordination and implementation support for overall execution of Alliance advisory services in accordance with member priorities in Asia, with focus on Indonesia

a.            Provide country-specific knowledge and implementation support to Regional and Private Sector leads for the delivery of the Alliance services to both Government and Corporate members including:

i. Support discussions with Government and other development actors by identifying key champions and the associated background research and communications

ii. Support project management and regular member check-ins for to help members increase the uptake of digital payments in key countries and business value chains based on government and corporate priorities.

iii. Organize peer learning exchanges and facilitate bilateral relationships to increase digital payments capabilities of Asia Pacific members as follows:

  • State level government – Building on the successes and lessons learnt from the inter-state government exchanges, organize peer exchanges within countries to help states/provinces address their digital payments ecosystem development.
  • National level - Support the organization of international peer exchanges of various Better Than Cash Alliance government members to learn from each other.
  • Private sector members – organize relevant capability building workshops with members as part of the global or country learning strategy.

b.            Support the periodical tracking/reporting of Alliance activities with members, to ensure documenting of information and on-time implementation of agreed workplans.

c.           Provide project management support alongside 3rd party consultants / consultancy firms contracted by BTCA to deliver services in response to member demand .

d.            Monitor key indicators in support of the Asia Pacific and M&E teams to track activities to feed into donor and internal reports.

e.            Track progress of in-country initiatives and ensure liaison with management and procurement teams to ensure delivery of project milestones.

Support in-country missions by non-resident Alliance team in Indonesia:

a.            Mission support to BTCA Managing Director, Deputy Managing Director, Asia Pacific Regional Lead, South East Asia Regional Lead, Corporate Lead, and other members of the BTCA Secretariat

b.            Support with background notes for missions, meetings and/or presentations for conferences and workshops on the digitization of payments in support of the Asia Pacific Lead, Private Sector Lead and South East Asia Lead.

c.             Draft project concept notes and seek input from relevant team members and experts, as needed.

3.            Support the up-to-date analysis of digital payments ecosystem development in Indonesia

a.            Prepare detailed analysis, through background research on Alliance members, funders and other various organizations’ work on payments digitization and digital financial inclusion

b.            Conduct in-depth research on topics related to digital payments, digital financial services and financial inclusion contributing to concept notes for in-country initiatives.

c.             Help identify partnerships with key national/sub-national platforms and initiatives for BTCA to work with to scale up the digital payments’ agenda

d.            Work closely with the Asia Pacific Regional Lead and South East Asia Regional Lead to prepare quarterly portfolio reporting; Mid-Year and annual progress report and others as directed by the Managing Director.

4.            Support advocacy and coordinate communications and organizing of events:

a.            Working closely with the Asia Pacific team, monitor and identify advocacy opportunities for the Alliance, including potential targets, conferences, UN, regional and corporate events in the Asia Pacific Region.

b.       Collaborate closely with the Asia Pacific team and the advocacy, media and communications teams for the organization of events, conferences and specialized workshops;

c.             Share news and stories from Alliance member countries for social media and other communications channels, as needed.

Institutional Arrangement

The consultant will work under the supervision of the Better Than Cash Alliance’s South East Asia Lead, working closely with other key colleagues across the globe, such as the Asia Pacific Regional Lead and the Corporate Lead on corporate initiatives.

Duration of the Work

The assignment will have intial duration of six months, a total of 90 days with the possibility of extension for another 12 months . The performance control/monitoring mechanism will be applied from the start date.

Duty Station

The duty station/location for the contract duration will be Indonesia, Jakarta

IMPORTANT:  candidates must be willing to relocate to the above duty station.

 Please note that UNCDF cannot guarantee residence permits or visas for consultants. Non- resident consultants are responsible for securing the required work visa and may be requested to prove their residency status.

Consultants will not be compensated for living expenses in the duty station.

Travel

Travel to the field and other relevant locations may be required and will be compensated on reimbursable basis and following the UNDP/UNCDF rules and regulations which states 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.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

 

 

Deliverables

Timeline

Percentage

1.

Complete the background research reviewing and consolidating data and qualitative insights available in both English and Bahasa Indonesia on key payment use cases such as wage digitization, Business- to- Person (B2P) payments and Person-to-Business (P2B)

 

20 days

Months 1- 2

 

22%

2.

Preparation for and facilitation of meetings with key stakeholders within Government and the private sector relating to key payment use cases such as wage digitization, Business- to- Person (B2P) payments and Person-to-Business (P2B)

15 days

Months 1,2,3,4,5,6

 

17%

3.

Supporting advocacy communications and virtual events including webinars and research dissemination/ launches

15 days

 Months 2,4,6

 

17%

4.

Implementation and programme management support including:

Support project management of agreed initiatives in-country and regular member check-ins based on government and corporate priorities and to ensure timely delivery

 

10 days

Months 1,2,3,4,5,6

 

11%

5.

Identify partnerships with key national/sub-national platforms and initiatives for BTCA to work with to scale up the digital payments’ agenda

10 days

Months 1,2,3,4,5,6

 

 

11%

6.

Organize peer learning exchanges and facilitate bilateral sharing by the Government of Indonesia

10 Days

Months 3,6

 

11%

7.

Monitor key indicators in support of the Asia Pacific and M&E teams to track activities to feed into donor and internal reports.

 

10 Days

Months 3,6

 

11%

 

Total # Days

90 Days

100%

 

 

Payment Terms

Deliverables

Percentage

Timeline

Progress report 1 approved

15%

August, 2020

Progress report 2 approved

25%

October, 2020

Progress report 3 approved

30%

December, 2021

Progress report 4 approved

30%

January, 2021

 

100%

 

The following supporting documents will serve as conditions for disbursement:

Competencies
  • Demonstrates ethics and integrity.
  • Demonstrates political acumen and calculated risk taking.
  • Impeccable diplomatic skills and knowledge of protocol; essential
  • Demonstrated excellent writing, editing and communications skills to an international standard including correspondence, reports, talking points and briefing material; essential
  • Builds own competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation.
  • Creates and promotes open communication.
  • Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure.
  • Conducts fair and transparent decision making.
  • Displays cultural and gender sensitivity and adaptability.
  • Shows strong corporate commitment.

Functional Competencies:

Professional

  • Project management lifecycle
  • Ensures the full implementation of a project to obtain results.
  • Conceptualizes more effective approaches to programme development and implementation and to mobilizing and using resources.
  • Anticipates constraints in the delivery of services and identifies solutions or alternatives.
  • Makes effective use of UNCDF’s and other BTCA member resources and comparative advantage to strengthen partnerships.
  • Creates networks and promotes initiatives with partner organizations.
  • Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking.

Technical:

  • Working knowledge of current developments in payment technologies, including innovative payment methods (e.g., digital government, mobile financial services, pre-paid/reloadable/other cards, etc.);
  • Impeccable diplomatic skills, particularly in working with governments of emerging economies in the Asia Pacific
  • Solid skills in market assessments, business case/strategy development and data analysis/management (spreadsheets, data visualization tools like Tableau, etc.)
  • Understanding of key issues and international good practice relating to financial inclusion and digital payments
Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • University degree in public/business administration, finance, engineering, economics, international affairs, development, political science, or other relevant fields. Professional experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree i.e. Masters.

Work Experience:

  • Minimum 7 years of relevant professional experience, in digital payments, financial services, financial inclusion, economic development. Demonstrable experience in multilateral, government relations or inter-government processes in Indonesia and more broadly in Southeast Asia is desirable.
  • Minimum 5 years of experience conducting research or direct implementation of projects  on digital payments including key use-cases such as G2P, B2P and P2B as well as more broadly knowledge and public and private sector networks in digital financial services and financial inclusion desirable.
  • Practice and on-the-ground knowledge of digital payments and digital financial inclusion is essential.
  • Demonstrated excellent writing, editing and communications skills to an international standard including correspondence, reports, talking points and briefing material is essential. Experience in organizing of high-level meetings with networks to local partners in public relations and event management is desirable.
  • Computer literacy, including familiarity with spread sheets and power point presentations essential.

Languages:

  • Fluency in English, both oral and written, is required and working proficiency in Bahasa Indonesia,  both oral and written, is desired.

Recommended Presentation of Offer

Invited individuals must submit the following as proposals in order to demonstrate their qualifications:

a)            Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability.

b)            Personal CV or P11, indicating all experience with similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and the names of least three (3) professional references (e-mail addresses, telephone numbers).

c)            Please ensure your submission also includes a sample of your most recent Written work i.e. completed Report.

d)            Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology, if applicable, on how they will approach and complete the assignment.

e)            Financial proposal that indicates the all-inclusive daily fee. 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.  Please use the form available at http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=29916  

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.  

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

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 (desk review) and 30% financial.

Step I: Evaluation by Desk Review (100 points)

The Better Than Cash Alliance will conduct a review of a profile (technical evaluation) that matches applicants experience and expertise to the key tasks outlined in the consultancy. This review will cover the following (as per Section G above):

  • University degree in public/business administration, finance, engineering, economics, international affairs, development, political science, or other relevant fields. Professional experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree i.e. Masters. – 20 Points
  • Minimum 7 years of relevant professional experience, in digital payments, financial services, financial inclusion, economic development. - 30 Points
  • Minimum 5 years of experience conducting research or direct implementation of projects on digital payments including key use-cases such as G2P, B2P and P2B as well as more broadly knowledge and public and private sector networks in digital financial services and financial inclusion desirable . - 30 Points
  • Demonstrated excellent writing, editing and communications skills to an international standard including correspondence, reports, talking points and briefing material is essential. - 20 Points

Step II: Financial Evaluation:

  • The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

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

Step III: Award Criteria:

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

  • Responsive/compliant/acceptable vis-à-vis the requirements of the TOR and the project operating environment; and
  • Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (70%) and financial (30%) criteria.

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


This vacancy is archived.

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