MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL SERVICES

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST - (INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT)

PAYMENT SPECIALIST

COUNTRY: ZAMBIA

NAME OF PROJECT: _GIRLS EDUCATION AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT AND LIVELIHOODS (GEWEL) – SOCIAL CASH TRANSFER (SCT)

CONSULTING SERVICES - (INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT)

Credit No. 65690

Project ID No. P169975

Duration of Contract - Two (02) years renewable on satisfactory performance

The Government of the Republic of Zambia with financial support from the World Bank is implementing the Girls Education and Women's Empowerment and Livelihood (GEWEL) Project. The development project objective is to increase access to livelihood support for women and access to secondary education for disadvantaged girls in extremely poor households in selected districts

The Project supports the expansion and potential reform of ongoing Government interventions through the following components:

Component 1 - Supporting Women's Livelihoods (SWL): Launch a new initiative that builds on the Government's existing structures and programs supporting livelihood productivity and economic empowerment:

Component 2a - Keeping Girls in School (KGS). Provide support to girls in households benefitting from the Social Cash Transfer Scheme (SCTS) to attend secondary school:

Component 2b - Social Cash Transfer (SCT): Extend support to the KGS by providing cash incentives to cover costs not included in KGS, which is school and boarding fees, but affect the learning progress of girls; and

Component 3 - Institutional Strengthening: Provide institutional support to improve capacity for policy management program coordination, systems building for effective and efficient implementation and M&E on women's and social protection programming

The Social Cash Transfer (SCT) component is being implemented by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS). The program aims to directly respond to the other financial costs (beyond school and boarding fees) that restrict the ability of adolescent girls to attend school Evidence collected through the monitoring of the KGS component to date shows that, while providing bursaries has enabled adolescent girls to continue in school or return to school, many of these girls are unable to meet the other financial costs associated with school.

Where the education system in Zambia is designed to provide such support to adolescent girls, specifically through boarding facilities that provide lodging and meals, these costs are included in the bursary support from GEWEL However, the coverage of boarding schools remains low in rural Zambia and thus many girls attend day school, which means that their families bear the costs of their food, transport and school supplies. To this end, the SCT will finance (1) cash transfers: (i) a proposed annual education lumpsum grant: (i) messaging around the importance of sending children to school, particularly girls. The SCT currently reaches 632,000 households in 115 districts nationwide.

The SCT through the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services is now seeking to engage a qualified individual with the necessary experience for the position of Payment Specialist. The aim is to coordinate the review and enhancement of the Social Cash Transfer program payment system in order to ensure timely transmission of funds to SCT beneficiaries. The principal accountabilities include the following:

a) Review regularly the SCT payment system to enhance programme implementation:
b) Facilitate and confirm timely payment of funds to SCT beneficiaries,
c) Monitors and evaluates all payment processes in order to enhance programme implementation
d) Facilitates capacity building on SCT e-payments for SCT officers and Pay Point Managers, and
e) Prepare timely situational, quarterly and annual progress and reconciliation reports to enhance decision making.

The Ministry of Community Development and Social Services now invites eligible Individual Consultants to indicate their interest in providing the services of the Payment Specialist. Interested consultants must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services prescribed above (Detailed Curriculum Vitae, academic certificates and Cover Letter)

Professional and Academic Qualifications

The consultant shall have the following minimum qualifications:
• Bachelor's degree from a reputable university,
• Full Grade 12 Certificate with credits or better in 5 subjects including English and mathematics,
• Specialist training in digital financial services,
• Minimum of 5 years’ expertise in digital financial services in Zambia, preferably in Mobile Money and Agency banking.
• Experience in electronic Government to person (G2P) payments within social sectors would be an added advantage.
• Proficient in basic computer (Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Adobe Reader)
• Experience of working on a World Bank funded project will be an added advantage

Other Skills/Attributes
• Team work
• Result Oriented
• Analytical
• Highly Motivated
• Problem solving skills
• Computer Literate.
• Trustworthy and ethical
• Communication skills

A consultant will be selected in accordance with the procedures set out in the World Banks Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers ("Consultant Guidelines) (Current Edition)

Interested consultants may obtain further information including the full Terms of References for the consultancy either via email or in person at the address below:

The Procurement Specialist,
Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS),
GEWEL Project - Supporting Women's Livelihoods (SWL),
Sadzu Road, Community House, SWL Project Office,
LUSAKA

Email: chibuyengs@gmail.com
Tel: +260 977 709246
08:00 hours - 16:00, Monday to Friday (except public holidays)

Submission Of Expression Of Interest

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a sealed envelope and clearly marked "Expression of Interest - Payment Specialist – SCT” to the address below in person by Friday, 4 June 2021 at 17:00 hours.

Tender Box

Ministry of Community Development and Social Services
Located on the Ground Floor, Community House, Sadzu Road
Next to the Ministerial Conference Room,
Lusaka

Tel: +260 977 709246/0976948588