Selection of consulting firm for development of a Management Information System (MIS) of Rural Social Services (RSS) programs of DSS.

Project: Inclusive Services and Opportunities for Host Communities and Displaced Rohingya Population

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

Ministry of Social Welfare

Department of Social Services

ISO Component 05: Socio-economic Development of the Host

Community and FDMN through Capacity Enhancement Project

21/1 & 21/2 Bir Uttam A.N.M. Nuruzzaman Sarak,

Shyamoli Square (9th Floor), Shyamoli, Dhaka-1207.

Memo no. 41.01.0000.124.07.026.2026-915 Date: 22 July, 2026

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (REOI)

(SELECTION OF IT CONSULTANT FIRM)

Country: Bangladesh

Name of Project: ISO Component 05: Socio-economic Development of the Host Community and FDMN through Capacity Enhancement Project, Credit No: IDA-7546-BD & E326-BD

Assignment Title: 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.

Reference No.: SD-13

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.

1. This assignment is aligned with the Government's broader digital transformation agenda and its commitment to strengthening social protection delivery systems in accordance with international best practices. The World Bank, as a development partner, will provide technical oversight and quality assurance throughout the implementation process.
2. Implementation period will be approximately 18 months, and expected start date of assignment may be July 1, 2027, to ensure full consistency with the TOR.
3. Department of Social Services under Ministry of Social Welfare represented by the Project Director, The ISO Component 05: Socio-economic Development of the Host Community and FDMN through Capacity Enhancement Project, now invites eligible FIRMs (“FIRMs”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested FIRMs should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services.
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:

1. Up To Date Relevant Registration papers of the FIRM(s);
2. JV agreement/letter of intent (if applicable) along with the proposed JV agreement;
3. Brochure including staffing;
4. Audited financial reports for last three years (including mentioning turnover, current asset & liability and fixed asset & liability);
5. Work experience record of Last ten (10) years (including nature, total cost of Contract, total input in terms of man month, employer, location of work etc.)
6. All other items necessary to substantiate satisfaction of the shortlisting criteria listed above and/or included in the TOR; However, Key Experts will not be evaluated at the short-listing stage;

5. The attention of interested Firm is drawn to Section VII, paragraphs 7.1 and 7.29 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, September 2023” (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

6. FIRMs may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications and capability, however, such association shall either be as a Joint Venture (i.e. all members of the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable) and/or Sub-consultants (i.e. the Consultant will be responsible, including for the services of the sub-consultant). In case of an association, the Consultants must explain in the EOI submission (a) the rationale/ justification for the proposed inclusion of the JV members and/or sub-consultants in the association; and (b) the anticipated role and relevant qualifications of each member of the Joint Venture and/or of each sub-consultant for carrying out the assignment. Failure to provide the above explanation in the Expression of Interest may risk the association not being shortlisted for the assignment. However, the qualifications/ experience of sub-consultants will not be considered by the Client in the evaluation of Expressions of Interest for Shortlisting purpose. The total number of firms in an association will be maximum of 03 (Three).

7. A Firm will be selected in accordance with the Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

8. Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours, i.e. 0900 to 1600 hours. The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be downloaded from https://iso.dss.gov.bd website or can be obtained upon request from the address below either by e-mail or in person during the office hours (Local Time: 09:00 to 16:00 hours).

9. Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by e-mail- procurement.iso.dss.msw@gmail.com ) by 18 August 2026 up to 1400 hours (UTC+ 6 hours).

10. The Procuring Entity (PE) reserves the right to accept or reject any or all EOIs without assigning any reason whatsoever.

--Sd/-

(Golam Mostofa)

Project Director

ISO Component 05: Socio-economic Development of the Host

Community and FDMN through Capacity Enhancement Project

Email: procurement.iso.dss.msw@gmail.com

Phone: +880 2222243305