Invitation for Request for Expressions of Interest    Status:Approved

GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF BANGLADESH

Ministry/Division : Ministry of Finance
Agency : Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation
Procuring Entity Name : Deputy Managing Director-2, PKSF
Procuring Entity Code :
Procuring Entity District : Dhaka
Expression of Interest for Selection of : Individual Consultant (National)  (Lump-Sump)
Title Of Service : Selection of individual consultant for feasibility study on the potential of a cashless cluster under SMART Project
EOI Ref. No. : 53.23.0000.043.03.019.25.6716 (PKSF/SMART/S-16)
Date : 30/11/2025

KEY INFORMATION

Procurement Sub-Method : Selection of Individual Consultants (SIC)

FUNDING INFORMATION

Budget and Source of Funds : Development Budget Grant/Credit
Development Partners : IDA, The World Bank

PARTICULAR INFORMATION

Project/Programme Name : Sustainable Microenterprise and Resilient Transformation (SMART)
EOI Closing Date and Time : 15/12/2025 02:00 PM
Publication Date : 30/11/2025

INFORMATION FOR APPLICANT

Brief Description of Assignment : The consultant will undertake, but not be limited to, the following tasks: - Review relevant policies, digital finance regulations, and the financial ecosystem for MEs; - Map current practices in ME loan disbursement, repayment, and savings behavior; - Analyze ME transaction patterns (B2B, B2C, utility payments, taxes); - Assess digital infrastructure, mobile/broadband access, and availability of FinTech/ MFS agents; - Conduct market readiness assessment, including stakeholder interviews (e.g., microenterprise owners, consumers), to evaluate adoption willingness, trust in digital systems, and awareness of existing services such as MFS and digital wallets. - Conducting a comprehensive assessment of the digital literacy and technological capacity of microenterprise owners and their customers. - Conduct stakeholder mapping (MEs, POs, DFS providers, regulators, consumers); - Analyze the cost and affordability of transitioning to digital operations; - Examine gender, disability, and geographic dimensions of digital financial inclusion; - Identify risks (e.g., digital fraud, exclusion, data privacy) and propose safeguards; - Propose a scalable and replicable implementation mechanism to ensure sustainability and potential expansion of the cashless model across similar contexts. - Identifying the opportunities and challenges of transformation of the cashless cluster. - Assessing the behavior of the MEs regarding the cashless transactions.
Experience, Resources and Delivery Capacity Required : Consultant Qualifications: . Education: - Master’s degree in Economics, Finance, Business Administration, Development Studies, Management, Statistics, or related field. Bachelor’s in a similar discipline will get preference. . Experience: - Eight (08) years of relevant research experience; - Two (02) nos. of completed feasibility studies in the last five years; - Demonstrated work with MFIs, FinTechs, or development agencies; - Work experience with international development partners/ development partner-funded programs (e.g. World Bank, UN, DFID, EU); - Experience in micro-enterprise (ME) development projects or digital finance related projects.
Other Details (if applicable) : The evaluation criteria are Educational qualification, Relevant work experience (research experience and feasibility studies), Work experience with MFIs, FinTechs, or development agencies, Experience in development partner funded project, and Experience in microenterprise (ME) development projects or digital finance related projects. It is expected that the service will be commenced in January 2025 and continued over a period of 4.5 months. A lump-sum contract will be signed with the awarded consultant. . Interested consultants are required to submit their applications in accordance with the standard CV format. Copy of the TOR and the CV format can be downloaded from the website (www.pksf.org.bd/tender) or obtained from the PKSF office within 10.00 AM to 04.00 PM. EOI shall be submitted by 15 December 2025 till 02.00 PM at the PKSF office (Room-103, Desk-109) in a sealed envelope to the undersigned and clearly marked “Expression of Interest (EOI) for Selection of individual consultant for feasibility study on the potential of a cashless cluster under SMART Project (Package: PKSF/SMART/S-16)”. All the necessary documents in support of educational qualifications, experiences, and other criteria mentioned in the TOR have to be submitted with the EOI. . PKSF reserves the right to reject any or all applications at any time without assigning any reason whatsoever.
Association with foreign firms is : Not Applicable
Eoi Detail Information
Ref No Phasing Of Services Location Start Date Completion Date
53.23.0000.043.03.019.25.6716 1 Dhaka Jan 2026 June 2026

PROCURING ENTITY DETAILS

Name of Official Inviting EOI : Md. Mashiar Rahman
Designation of Official Inviting EOI : Deputy Managing Director, PKSF
Address of Official Inviting EOI : PKSF Bhaban-1, Plot: E-4/B, Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka
Contact details of Official Inviting EOI : Phone : 02-2222218331-33, Fax : , Email :
The procuring entity reserves the right to accept or reject all tenders