Selection of consulting firm for Design, Development & Implementation of RSS Digital Financial System (RSS-DFS) with Integrated Beneficiary Survey, Poverty Reduction Tracking & Behavioral Change Identification Module for Rural Social Services (RSS) programs of DSS.

Published by Ministry of Social Welfare, Department of Social Services(DSS). Procuring Entity: Project Director, Inclusive Services and Opportunities (ISO), Component 05: Socio-economic Development of the Host Community and FDMN through Capacity Enhancement Project. The Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the “Inclusive Services and Opportunities (ISO) for the Host Communities and Displaced Rohingya Populations project”. The Bangladesh Rural Social Service (RSS) Program, administered by DSS since the 1970s, manages an annual disbursement portfolio of approximately USD 3.8 billion, serves 8.5 million active borrowers across all 64 districts through a network of Union Social Woker (USWs), Upazila Social Service Officers (USSOs), and District Social Service Offices. Despite its remarkable scale and geographic reach, the Program continues to operate entirely on manual, paper-based processes generating severe systemic inefficiencies and fiduciary risks.
Governments across developing economies continue to rely on manual, paper-based financial management systems to administer social protection programs, public expenditure tracking, and beneficiary payment processes. These legacy systems are characterized by significant operational inefficiencies, including delayed payment processing, limited audit trails, high administrative overhead, susceptibility to fraud and data loss, and an inability to generate real-time financial intelligence for evidence-based decision-making.
The rapid proliferation of mobile technology across low- and middle-income countries has created an unprecedented opportunity to leapfrog traditional financial infrastructure. Mobile/Digital Financial Systems (DFS) offer a transformative pathway to digitize government financial operations, enabling secure, transparent, and cost-effective delivery of payments and services - particularly to vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations.
Beyond the digitization of financial transactions, there is a growing recognition among governments and development partners that social protection programs must move beyond simple cash transfer delivery toward a more holistic model of human capital development. This requires robust tools to track whether beneficiaries are graduating out of poverty, achieving economic self-sufficiency, and demonstrating measurable behavioral changes in areas such as health-seeking behavior, children's school attendance, savings culture, and productive asset accumulation.
In this context, the Government [hereinafter referred to as "the Client"] seeks to engage a qualified consulting firm to:
• Design and implement a fully functional Digital Financial System (DFS) to replace the existing RSS manual financial management processes; and
• Develop an integrated Beneficiary Graduation Tracking and Behavioral Change Survey Module to monitor program outcomes and inform adaptive management decisions. Procurement Method: Quality and Cost Based Selection(QCBS). Budget and Source of Funds: Development Budget Grant/Credit. Experience and Resources Required: 4. The shortlisting criteria are:
(a) General experience of the FIRM(s);
(b) Experience in similar assignments of compatible size, complexity and technical specialty in the required area;
(c) Financial soundness, staffing and logistics of the FIRM;

Specific Considerations
General Experience in Relevant Assignments
? Minimum of 10 years of experience in the design and implementation of Microcredit/Digital Financial Systems.
Technical and Regional Capacity
? Demonstrated experience in at least three comparable assignments involving in the development and implementation of Mobile Financial Systems or the development of Microcredit/Digital Financial Systems, preferably in South Asia.
Specific Experience in Relevant Assignments
? Proven experience in transforming manual/semi-manual financial system to digital financial system.
? Experience in designing and developing Survey and Data collection tools for social protection/livelihoods support / economic inclusion programs, including beneficiary tracking, graduation monitoring, or behavioral change measurement.
? Demonstrated knowledge of mobile money ecosystem integration, including experience working with mobile network operators and mobile money APIs.
? Mandatory certification of CMMI Level 3 and PCI-DSS.
? Demonstrated commitment to Data privacy and Cybersecurity, with relevant certifications of ISO 27001, ISO 9001 and TL 9000.

Firms are requested to submit the following supporting documents in support of the above-mentioned criteria:
(a) Up To Date Relevant Registration papers of the FIRM(s);
(b) JV agreement/letter of intent (if applicable) along with the proposed JV agreement;
(c) Brochure including staffing;
(d) Audited financial reports for last three years (including mentioning turnover, current asset & liability and fixed asset & liability