Women's Needs Assessment for Digital Public Services

SELECTION OF CONSULTING FIRMS BY THE WORLD BANK GROUP REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) Electronic Submissions through WBGeProcure RFx Now ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW Assignment Title: Women's Needs Assessment for Digital Public Services Assignment Countries: Pakistan ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION Despite growing investment in digital public service delivery in Pakistan, usage rates among women remain disproportionately low. Structural barriers — including limited connectivity, affordability constraints, low digital literacy, and social norms around women's access to and use of technology — prevent women from accessing and benefiting from government digital platforms. As set out in the DEEP PAD, achieving 30% female users of DEEP-supported platforms by project closing requires an evidence base – rather than assumption – of what services women in the target geographies actually want, how they prefer to access them, and what currently prevents them from doing so. The Needs Assessment activity will be conducted to assess the demand for Digital Public Services, intended to identify which digital public services are most relevant to and in demand among women across different profiles, ahead of the NCSP launch (targeted March 2027). The Needs Assessment should capture demand-side perspectives from a target population that already has some degree of digital engagement, focusing on the services they currently use, value, or would like to access in the future through the NCSP, PakApp, Dastak, PakID and PBP platforms. The assessment will use a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, with data collection potentially leveraging digital channels (e.g., social media platforms) alongside in-person, online, or mixed-method approaches. The activity will generate an evidence base to directly inform service and feature design, user experience, and outreach strategies across these platforms. The assessment will also examine women’s awareness of, access to, and use of digital identification (digital ID) and authentication services, including barriers to their uptake and use, and the extent to which digital ID can facilitate women’s access to digital public services. This assignment is therefore, a single, consolidated needs assessment exercise that serves three linked purposes: (a) informing the design of multi-modal communications campaigns; (b) generating a service-demand evidence base to guide prioritization of features on the NCSP, PakApp, Islamabad City App, Dastak, PakID and PBP, and (c) identifying barriers to women’s uptake and use of digital ID and how it can facilitate access to digital public services. FUNDING SOURCE The World Bank Group intends to finance the assignment / services described below under the following: BB: Bank Budget TF0C9951: DFP SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS The World Bank Group invites eligible firms to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc. for firms; CV and cover letter for individuals). Please note that the total size of all attachments should be less than 5MB. Firms may associate to enhance their qualifications unless otherwise stated in the solicitation documents. Where a group of firms associate to submit an EOI, they must indicate which is the lead firm. If shortlisted, the firm identified in the EOI as the lead firm will be invited to the request for proposal (RFP) phase. Expressions of Interest should be submitted, in English, electronically through WBGeProcure RFx Now NOTES Following this invitation for EOI, a shortlist of qualified firms will be formally invited to submit proposals. Shortlisting and selection will be subject to the availability of funding. Only those firms which have been shortlisted will be invited to participate in the RFP phase. No notification or debrief will be provided to firms which have not been shortlisted. If you encounter technical difficulties while uploading documents, please send an e-mail to the Help Desk at corporateprocurement@worldbank.org prior to the submission deadline.