Recruitment of a Consultant Firm to Design, Build, Deploy and Pilot a USSD-Based System for Dynamic Updates of the GAMSR
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, through the Gambia Resilience, Inclusion, Skills and Equity Project, is seeking expressions of interest from consultant firms to design, build, deploy and pilot a USSD-based system for dynamic updates to the Gambia Social Registry (GamSR). The system is intended to let citizens and community actors report changes to household records and register households not yet captured, with submissions subject to offline verification before records are updated. The assignment covers inception, system design, partnership and operational model development, development and testing, pilot implementation and live service activation, and national rollout and handover to the National Social Protection Agency for ongoing management. The assignment is expected to run approximately 36 to 40 weeks, including an eight-week live pilot and handover period. Selection will follow the Consultants' Qualifications Selection method under World Bank Guidelines for Recruitment of Consultants, and the World Bank's Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers (September 2025) apply, including conflict of interest provisions. This notice is relevant to firms with experience in USSD or mobile-based platform deployment, social registries or government management information systems, and data protection compliance, particularly those with a presence or experience in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Overview
This is a Request for Expressions of Interest issued by the Central Project Coordinating Unit under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, on behalf of the Gambia Resilience, Inclusion, Skills and Equity Project, for the recruitment of a consultant firm. The firm will design, build, deploy and pilot a USSD-based system enabling dynamic updates to the Gambia Social Registry. The project is funded with World Bank involvement, with selection to follow the Consultants' Qualifications Selection method.
Scope of Work
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:
Requirements & Qualifications
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. Interested Consultant Firms should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank's "Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers" dated September 2025 ("Procurement Regulations"), setting forth the World Bank's policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant firm will be selected in accordance with the Consultants' Qualifications Selection Method (CQS) set out in the Guidelines for Recruitment of Consultants.