Recruitment of a Consultant Firm to Design, Build, Deploy and Pilot a USSD-Based System for Dynamic Updates of the GAMSR

Scope as published

Country: The Republic of the Gambia Project Name: The Gambia Resilience, Inclusion, Skills and Equity Project Project Number: P179233 Reference No. : GM-CPCU - MOFEA-573311-CS-CQS Selection Method: Consultant's Qualifications - CQS Assignment Tittle: Request for Expressions of Interest on the Consultancy to Design, Build, Deploy and Pilot a USSD-Based System for Dynamic Updates of The Gambia Social Registry (GamSR) Project Background The Gambia has a vibrant youth population and a strong commitment to national development, offering significant potential for a prosperous future. However, several challenges must be addressed to realize this potential. In basic education, a key priority is to improve learning outcomes, particularly in the early grades, by ensuring that every child acquires essential foundational literacy and numeracy skills. In technical and vocational education and training (TVET), the focus is on enhancing the quality, relevance, and responsiveness of training programmes to equip young people with the skills required by the labour market. Recognizing the importance of these priorities, the Government of The Gambia is committed to addressing them. Furthermore, for the many people living in poverty, expanding access to social protection, skills development, and income-generating opportunities is essential to improving livelihoods and creating pathways out of poverty. While these challenges remain significant, the Government continues to pursue a vision of a resilient, inclusive, skilled, and equitable Gambia, where all citizens have opportunities to thrive. Context and Objectives The objective of this consultancy, is to design, develop, deploy, and pilot a secure, scalable, and inclusive USSD-based system to facilitate dynamic updates to the Gambia Social Registry (GamSR). The system shall enable citizens and community actors to report changes to existing household records through a dedicated USSD short code. It shall also support the initial registration of households not currently captured in the registry. All submissions shall be subject to an offline verification and approval workflow before any new household information is registered or existing records are updated. By the end of the contract, the system shall be fully operational nationwide across all four mobile network operators and formally handed over to the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) for ongoing management, operation, and maintenance. Scope of Service The selected firm shall be responsible for the inception, design, development, testing, deployment, and operationalization of a secure, scalable, and inclusive USSD-based system for dynamic updates to the Gambia Social Registry (GamSR). The scope of services shall include, but not be limited to, the following phases: Inception and Requirements Assessment System Design and Architecture Partnership and Operational Model Development System Development, Prototyping, and Testing Pilot Implementation and Live Service Activation National Rollout, Handover, and Operational Support Contract Duration and Management\Reporting: The assignment is expected to require approximately 36 to 40 weeks, including an eight-week live pilot and handover. The Inception Report shall confirm a critical-path schedule and mobilization conditions for GamSR access, hosting, MNO interfaces, PURA submission and NSPA verification staff. Qualifications & Experience of the Consultant Firm: The firm should have: At least five (5) years proven experience in designing and deploying USSD/mobile-based platforms at national or near-national scale Experience working on social registries, MIS, or government systems Strong expertise in system integration and data security, including delivered DPIAs under an African data protection law Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa; The Gambia or West Africa preferred Submission of Expressions of Interest: The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MoFEA) through the Gambia Resilience, Inclusion, …

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