Introduction

Restless Development is a global non profit agency. We support the collective power of young leaders to create a better world. We are independently registered and governed in nine countries (India, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, UK, USA, Zambia and Zimbabwe) bound together by our vision for youth power. We run youth-led programmes to tackle the issues that young people care about the most as well as running a growing global Youth Collective.

Restless Development has operated in Zambia since 2004 delivering youth-led programmes on young peoples’ priorities, with a specific focus on community-led change and gender, delivering, accountability, advocacy, and financial inclusion. To promote financial inclusion, we support young people, especially young women, to establish and sustain savings groups, providing them with a holistic package of skills including, financial literacy, business, and general life skills, and support them to access formal financial services and products (FS&Ps).

Restless Development is inviting qualified vendors to submit proposals for the supply of pay-as-you-go smart and feature phones, as well as tablets, to facilitate the digitalization of savings groups and enhance access to digital financial services among young women in rural areas. This initiative aims to empower women, strengthen community savings practices, and promote financial inclusion.

Project Overview:

The Ulemelero “Live Well” Young Women’s Financial Inclusion and Empowerment project is a 4-year initiative being implemented by Restless Development Zambia in partnership with Jersey Overseas Aid. The project aims to build financial inclusion for young women in rural areas of Luapula, Eastern and Western provinces by increasing local knowledge and facilitating access to affordable Digital Financial Services and Products (DFS) through community mobilisation. Through the market system development approach, this project is creating an ecosystem of six FSPs to deliver affordable and accessible financial services by riding on the ever-expanding mobile money agency network.

The project will use a dual community-systemic change approach to reach 12,500 young women in saving groups and another 2,500 community members’ to improve knowledge and uptake of DFS.  Our work will focus on addressing existing harmful gender norms and market barriers to financial inclusion that hinder this market segment. The selected vendor will play a key role in increasing access to DFS through increased access to affordable digital devices, including smart and feature phones and tablets, to young women participating in rural savings groups.

Key Requirements:

Smartphones, Feature Phones, and Tablets: Provide detailed information about the available models of pay-as-you-go smart and feature phones, as well as tablets, to facilitate the digitalization of savings group activities.

User friendly gadgets: Ensure that the devices are easy to use offering a seamless and user-friendly experience for savings group participants.

Affordability: Propose competitive and transparent pricing models, considering the economic constraints of the target demographic and the affordability of mobile money services. `

Warranty and Support: Outline the warranty terms and after-sales support services, including repairs and replacements, to ensure the longevity and reliability of the provided devices.

Volume and Delivery: Specify the maximum volume of devices your company can supply within a given timeframe and provide details on the delivery process, including shipping and logistics to target communities in Eastern (Chadiza, Kasenengwa, Katete, Petauke and Nyimba), Luapula (Mansa, Chifunabuli and Samfya) and Western (Luampa, Limulunga, Nalolo, Senanga and Kalabo) Province.

Training and Education: If applicable, propose any training programs or materials aimed at educating savings group participants on the use of smart and feature phones and tablets for improved digital literacy (Added advantage).

Submission Guidelines:

Interested vendors are invited to submit their detailed proposals by 31st May, 2024. Proposals should include a comprehensive breakdown of costs, technical specifications, warranty details, and any additional information relevant to the project.

Evaluation Criteria:

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Technical Specifications and Features
• Pricing and Affordability
• Warranty and Support
• Delivery Capacity and Timeline
• Company Experience
• Valid copies of certificate of registration and incorporation
• Valid ZRA Tax Registration and Tax clearance certification
• Recent and current trade references

How to Apply

Please submit your proposal to procurementzambia@restlessdevelopment.org indicating “Application for the supply of Pay-As-You-Go Phones“ in the subject line. The closing date for the submission of the proposal is 31st May, 2024. Therefore any submissions made after this date will not be considered.

All proposals, questions, and clarifications must be addressed to: procurementzambia@restlessdevelopment.org

Follow this link to download the Terms of Reference for more details.

Restless Development is an Equal Opportunities employer and seeks to recruit, retain and develop staff from all sectors of the community and will ensure that no applicant or staff member receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation, marital status, social status, caste, race, ethnic origin, religious belief, age, HIV status, disability, or any other factor that cannot be shown to be relevant to performance.