Germany - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support - Auftragsänderung 1: 81308138 - Expert Pool for Technical Advisory Services on Digital Transformation for Social Protection

In times of multiple and overlapping crises, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) attributes high importance to the development of inclusive and adaptive social protection systems. The global programme "Global Alliances for Social Protection" (GASP) of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports this endeavour through the (i) joint provision of a digital public good (openIMIS), (ii) work on standard setting for interoperability in digital social protection (Digital Convergence Initiative), (iii) support to finance mobilisation for social protection (Global Shield and domestic resources), (iv) enhancement of bi-multilateral cooperation and (v) support to leadership development for social protection. The importance of digital social protection systems and their role in the broader development agenda is gaining increasing attention around the world. Yet, there are few systematic reviews of civil records, population demographics and the socioeconomic status of people and when they do exist, they are often incomplete. This makes identifying potential beneficiary households of different programmes a major challenge. In addition, individual social protection programmes are highly fragmented and tend to operate in silos, which leads to a lack of data sharing among programmes and negatively impacts the ability to plan resources and interventions. Digitisation and data sharing among information systems holds great potential and can make risk protection and poverty reduction more efficient. However, a lack of global standards in the sector prevents the interoperability of information systems within a country and makes it difficult to transfer good solutions from one country to another. To advance the discussion on international technical standards for integrated approaches to social protection systems, the Digital Convergence Initiative (DCI) was launched in 2021 under the umbrella of the Global Partnership for Universal Social Protection (USP2030). DCI aims to build global consensus on technical standards and guidelines for digital systems to enable the smooth exchange of data between programmes and institutions. The new Multi-Donor Action "Supporting the Digital Transformation of Social Protection Systems to Achieve the Goal of Universal Social Protection 2030", funded by the European Union (EU), is co-financing the DCI alongside BMZ. The DCI is implemented by GIZ GASP as the coordinating organisation, in partnership with Expertise France (EF), the Spanish International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Bank. The overall objective of the DCI is to contribute to the achievement of USP2030 through the digital transformation (including standardisation and interoperability) of inclusive social protection systems at partner country, regional and global levels. To this end, the action aims to: - Enhance the knowledge base on interoperability of global digital social protection systems - Develop global digital standards for social protection - Support partner countries in implementing digital transformation and interoperability of social protection systems To realise these objectives, GIZ is looking for support from a consortium or company to: - Develop and support the dissemination of knowledge products and best practices for achieving digital transformation - Support in-country assessment and provide technical guidance to selected countries for digital transformation of social protection systems - Support the monitoring and assessment of impact, effectiveness, and satisfaction with the programme implementation - Provide support for the development and adoption of global digital standards for social protection - Provide general advisory services on social protection and its digital transformation to support global programme activities The contractor will provide a pool of experts to contribute to the respective work packages detailed below. All country-specific activities will be implemented jointly with GIZ and its implementing partners (EF, FIIAPP, ILO and World Bank). The global activities will involve cooperation with the global team at GIZ"s headquarters. Work package A - Written knowledge products on digital transformation and enhancing interoperability in social protection systems Within this package, the contractor will contribute to deepen understanding, facilitate dialogue, and promote best practices among stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of digital social protection systems. In particular, the experts will develop and support the dissemination of knowledge products focused on digital transformation and enhancing interoperability within social protection systems. Topics include, inter alia, accessibility guidelines for digital social protection systems, data governance, risks of interoperability, use of data and AI to benefit social protection delivery, guidelines for country needs assessment tools.. Work package B: Country assessments and implementation support Work package B includes country assessments to identify specific opportunities for enhancing interoperability and implementation support for global digital standards or digital transformation measures for improving social protection service delivery. Activities within this work package include: - Comprehensive country assessments of the digital social protection ecosystem in two selected countries, based on existing tools and guidelines. This will involve missions to each country to conduct workshops, interviews and consultations with local stakeholders. Based on the assessment, the contractor will propose scenarios for enhancing the interoperability and integration of social protection programmes, and/or digital transformation interventions as projects implementable within a short time frame (1 to 2 years). - Tailored implementation support based on the findings of the country assessments. This may include support for local teams or experts to assist in the practical implementation of identified measures, as well as conduction of webinars and virtual (peer) support programmes for the respective countries. - Capture and present country assessment findings as well as lessons learned on implementation challenges and opportunities to broader audiences. Work package C: Support for progress and impact monitoring The contractor will contribute to the DCI/EU"s Multi-Donor Action monitoring and evaluation framework by supporting the development of data collection methodologies and tools, as well as analysis techniques to assess programme impacts. The contractor will systematically gather and analyse feedback from various stakeholders involved in or affected by the DCI and its associated activities. The work package focuses on developing and conducting periodic satisfaction surveys targeting different groups and programme activities, including knowledge products, digital standards electronic repositories, and progress monitoring mechanisms. Work package D: Enhancement of the standards repository, development and enhancement of standards, and provision of support for implementation of standards by solution providers Under this work package, the contractor will support bolstering the standards repository and facilitate the widespread adoption and implementation of these standards. Activities include: - Enhancement of standards repository (GitBook, GitHub) and development of a governance framework for the repository. - Development of standards compliance guidelines - Development of interoperability standards for new interfaces - Implement test suite for checking compliance of any solution with published DCI standards - Development of libraries/ reusable code components in collaboration with solution providers - Revision of standards based on stakeholder feedback - Support DPGs and solution providers on integration of DCI standards - support the integration and interoperability of middlewares - Support with requirement analysis for innovative technologies such as AI, or geographic information systems Work package E: Support for global programme activities Under this work package, the contractor shall provide multifaceted support to enhance the effectiveness and reach of global initiatives such as the Global Accelerator and the Team Europe Initiative. The DCI will serve as a digital hub to support some of the requests from countries in the context of these global initiatives. The objective is to leverage opportunities arising from these requests for digital transformation and infrastructure improvements in social protection, offering advisory services to ensure interoperability, data protection, and the strategic use of data. This involves understanding the request for support from the country, identifying areas where support can be provided, and conceptualising, preparing, and executing virtual and in-person engagements globally. In addition, the work package includes more flexible support and response to ad hoc requests, e.g. through thematic contributions to events and workshops and the development of studies and concepts that further explore and provide guidance on digital social protection and adaptive social protection topics.