A. BACKGROUND

The World Bank (WB) and the EU has been implementing the Trust Fund-financed Strengthening Governance in Mongolia (SGM) Project aimed to support the efforts of the Government of Mongolia (GM) to improve fiscal discipline, public financial management (PFM), and transparency and accountability processes for strengthened governance in the public sector in Mongolia. This project complements the WB-financed Strengthening Fiscal and Financial Stability (SFFS) Project in supporting the ongoing government reforms in PFM and governance in the public sector. 

This TF, through both Recipient Executed (RE) and Bank Executed (BE) interventions, serves two main purposes. Firstly, it complements and expands the ongoing technical assistance the WB is providing through the Strengthening Fiscal and Financial Stability (SFFS) Project. Secondly, this TF supports the GoM in advancing the current efforts toward increasing transparency, participation and accountability in fiscal matters as well as in strengthening its capacity to deal with non-technical drivers of the reform process that prevent state agencies from implementing policies and regulations as intended.

Specifically, the Component 2 of the TF focuses on supporting the specific needs of the GOM to establish sound fiscal discipline, to improve expenditure management by strengthening budget credibility, to establish the foundations for medium-term budgeting, and to re-orient public investment to strategic projects linked to the diversification of the economy. Five priority areas constitute the core of the component: (i) development and implementation of a public financial management reform plan and inter-agency coordination; (ii) strengthening budget preparation and execution towards results-based medium-term budgeting; (iii) improving budget reporting and transparency by increasing the comprehensiveness of fiscal and financial information and reporting; (iv) improving the management of contingent liabilities, through improving the existing governance framework for recognizing, managing, and disclosing contingent liabilities; and (v) strengthening public investment management, through the development and implementation of mechanisms for prioritizing capital project proposals and cost-benefit analysis.

As per the Government’s PFM strategy and action plan for 2020-2023, (under budget revenue and expenditure matters), the GFMIS’s functions should be improved and integrated with other related systems. To achieve this goal, the Treasury Department (TD) of the Ministry of Finance (MOF) contracted with Freebalance Ltd to implement commitment control and a web service extension to the GFMIS, but possibility of providing all spending units with access to the system remains to be limited. The TD| maintains more than twenty thousand accounts for more than four thousand six hundred budget entities through the units located in each soum and aimag. The TD has been working toward improving its operations through interlinked systems with paperless transactions, digital signature approval and implementation of sub systems that allow data exchanges with other government agencies such as the tax office, procurement agency and the Civil Service Council. To help bring these efforts together, there now is a need to develop and implement a portal for electronic exchanges of financial transactions for budget entities. The Treasury is operating 8 financial reporting and payment related nation-wide information systems. As the number of independent systems increasing, the requirement of data sharing and exchange is more in demand.

Furthermore, the Government maintains bank accounts at commercial banks to quickly and timely provide some government services such as social security, revenue collection and petty cash needs of budget entities. However legislative arrangements, effective rules, and regulations governing the opening/closure of accounts at commercial banks for the Government and budget entities have resulted in difficulties in practice when opening, closing, managing, monitoring, and reporting on these accounts.  This creates discrepancy between central bank and commercial banks data that is challenging for the TD to reconcile. To manage all commercial bank accounts daily basis, there is a need to develop and implement of a Bank Account Management, Monitoring and Dynamic Reporting System (BAMMDRS) for Government banks accounts, which will improve transparency and coordination tax offices, local treasury units and line ministries for better management.

The IT Center (ITC) of the Custom, Taxation and Finance (hereinafter, the developer), a State-Owned Enterprise was established under the MOF in 2015 and has since developed several systems for the MOF. The MOF has assigned the task of developing the web portal system for the Treasury also to the ITC.

B. OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT 

The objective of the assignment is to support the Treasury Department of the Ministry of Finance (TD, MOF) in the process of implementing the Portal system, and a Bank Account Management, Monitoring and Dynamic Reporting System (BAMMDRS) for Government banks accounts. The desired national consultant will provide support on reconciliation of budget entities’ ledger accounts in the GFMIS with data in the Portal system, BAMMDRSystem and other related systems, and provide recommendations on creating an enhanced operation and management of records throughout these systems.

Key responsibilities under this assignment will include, but not be limited to, the following tasks:

Task 1. Provide functional support on reconciling data in the Portal system and ETVD with data in the web-based GFMIS/FB V7 system:

a) Revenue accounts:

a.1. Support to improving the current budget revenue transactions processing and assist in sorting batch transactions through the web-based GFMIS/FB V7. 

a.2. Gather and review the current budget revenue records in the GFMIS and the Smart payment systems; 

a.3. Identify and recommend a revenue recording structure based on economic, functional, administrative and programmatic classifications; 

a.4. Provide support to applying the recommended revenue recording structure; and

a.5. Provide support to automating data recording in the tax system, matching the data format, and registering them in the GFMIS.

b) Budget entities ledger accounts:

b.1. Review regulations and procedures related to opening of ledger accounts and the associated information;

b.2. Gather and review the current budget entity account data and coordinate registration numbers in the GFMIS and the ETVD;

b.3. Collaborate with the related Tax office to gather and review budget enitities’ registration numbers and account data;

b.4. Match and standardize the data, when needed, to eliminate gaps and differences concerning the related regulations and rules towards building the integrated systems; and

b.5. Coordinate with the related team in assessing the resulting datasets to solve any inconsistency or data gaps.

Task 2. Provide support on implementing of the Bank Account Management, Monitoring and Dynamic Reporting System (BAMMDRS) for Government banks accounts:

2.1 Provide support in identifying and reviewing unclosed bank accounts of restructured public entities and assist in organizing the data; 

2.2 Provide support to testing and pilot-runs of the BAMMDRS; 

2.3 Work in collaboration with the other local consultants and the MOF officials to assist in all tasks related to the BAMMDRS: and

2.4 Undertake such other tasks related with the systems as reasonably requested and/or assigned by the Director-General of the TD or Project Coordinator of the SGMP. 

D. DELIVERABLES

Based on the tasks under the assignment and a detailed Work Plan (WP) to be approved by the client, the consultant’s deliverables will be as follows:

Task 1: Progress and Final reports on Task # 1 including:

1.1 Report that demonstrates better reconciliation of budget revenue records in the GFMIS and the Smart payment system; 

1.2 Report of recommendation on the revenue recording structure based on economic, functional, administrative and programmatic classifications;

1.3 Reports and evidence that the consultant contributed to improving the current  budget revenue recording processes and practices within the GFMIS; and  

1.4 Report and evidence on automating records in the tax system.

Task 2: Progress and Final reports on Task # 2 including:

2.1 Support provided on the current data cleaning and resolution of unclosed bank accounts of restructured public entities;

2.2 Report on the data collection methods for the BAMMDRS towards connecting it with the relevant information systems through web services; and

2.3 Reports on testing and pilot-runs of the system implementation before the BAMMDRS actually goes live.

Reports on project progress on a regular basis or as agreed with TD, MOF and SGMP.

The Consultant will receive formal feedback and comments on each deliverable from the TD within 1 week of submission.

E. CONSULTANT’S QUALIFICATIONS/ SELECTION CRITERIA

Education: A suitable candidate should have a master's degree or equivalent in finance and business administration, or in other fields related to this assignment;

Experience:  Incumbent should have at least five (5) years of relevant professional experience in financial management and banking;

Language skills:  Fluent written and spoken skills in English and Mongolian;

Other skills: 

• Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to and work in a multicultural team environment are required to deal effectively with staff at all levels.
• Be able to process documentation.
• Be able to work overtime if required.

F. SUPERVISION AND REPORTING 

• The consultant will report directly to the Director-General of the TD, MOF , who will meet regularly with the consultant to review progress on the work program and to resolve any outstanding issues. The Client may also appoint officials to monitor the contract implementation. Appointed MOF officials will be responsible for the coordination of activities under the Contract. 
• The consultant will be required to carry out his/her tasks in line with the approved WP which will serve as a basis for measuring progress on desired outcomes and goals for the entire consultancy service.
• The consultant will prepare monthly progress reports detailing the achievements and impediments in executing the entire WP effectively. These progress reports will be discussed with the Director-General of the TD.

G. CONTRACT DURATION 

The consultancy is expected to commence in January 2021 with a total duration of 6 months with a possible extension period, if necessary.  

H. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

The MOF will provide office space for the consultant and the Consultant is expected to bring his/her computer equipment. During the workshop, the client will provide venue and projectors. 

The consultant will work on a day-to-day basis with the Payment and Settlement Division of the Treasury Department and also work closely with respective officials of central and local budget entities. 

The Consultant will have access to all the necessary data/information that the MOF could provide for this assignment. All information provided to the consultant will be regarded as confidential and information shall not be shared with any outside individuals or organizations.

If you possess the above qualifications, please submit the following documents via email to procurement_sgm@sffs.mn:

    1. Cover letter indicating why she/he considers her/himself suitable for the position.

    2. Detailed CV highlighting relevant skills/experience.

    3. Copy of diplomas or certificates; and,

    4. 2 reference letters from the previous last two employers no later than 15:00, January 06, 2022.

The submitted documents will not be returned to the applicants. Please be noted that incomplete applications would not be considered for evaluation. Only selected candidate will be contacted.

Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Individual Consultant Selection method set out in the Procurement Regulations: The following is the link to the World Bank’s website: https://policies.worldbank.org/sites/ppf3/PPFDocuments/Forms/DispPage.aspx?docid=083b3f94-a932-4395-a410-834f8bc14f8c

Address for submission of Expression of Interest: Attention to Ms.Oyunyam.M, Procurement Specialist, Strengthening Governance in Mongolia Project, Address: Room #204, Negdsen undestnii 8/2, 4th khoroo, Chingeltei District, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Tel: 70120582 or via email to: procurement_sgm@sffs.mn

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