Grants to Provide 21st Century Debt Management Tools for the Government of Tajikistan

Deadline: 12-Jul-21

The U.S Embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan announces a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to help the Government of Tajikistan strengthen and systematize its debt management and forecasting practices.

Program Objectives

The implementer will work directly with the Ministry of Finance of Tajikistan, a partner for reform which has commitment to improve the government’s fiscal discipline and transparency.

Public debt is recorded, monitored, and reported by the Ministry’s Debt Management Department that oversees the state’s guarantees and debt.

The Ministry of Finance has already begun reform with other donors, so the implementer will have to work in coordination with other donors to avoid duplication of effort.

Objective 1: The Ministry of Finance implements a modern debt management system utilizing international best practices in debt analysis and forecasting;
Objective 2: Ministry of Finance Debt Directorate Personnel are trained in professional development to more-efficiently employ the new debt management system and utilize best practices in debt analyses and forecasting
Objective 3: The Ministry of Finance improves its public debt reporting system to publish regular, open-source debt reports

Funding Information

Period of Performance: 24 months
Funding Amount: $ 800,000 US Dollars
Approximate Number of Awards: 1

Main Activities

Activity 1: Consult with the Ministry of Finance debt management and IT departments, as well as other donors, to determine the technical specifications for necessary IT equipment, then procure and install IT equipment.
Activity 2: Assess the government’s current debt stocks and performance as well as pertinent laws and regulations on debt to provide a baseline that informs ensuing activities.
Activity 3: Conduct trainings for debt management department staff on effective debt management. Trainings should be a minimum of three days and should include but not be limited to the below indicated topics:
- Debt Analysis
- Debt Sustainability and Forecasting
- Development of a Domestic Securities Market
- Drafting Sub-Loan Agreements
- Reviewing Existing State Laws and Regulations on Debt
- Monitoring the Effectiveness of Debt and Investment Projects.
Activity 4: Provide technical assistance and recommendations to Ministry of Finance Staff revising the state’s law on guaranteed debt.
Activity 5: Provide technical assistance and recommendations to Ministry of Finance Staff towards the development of a consolidated State Borrowing Program.
Activity 6: Assess the Ministry of Finance’s current, public-facing debt reporting and develop improved templates to transparently report debt levels. Work with Ministry of Finance staff to revise the Ministry’s official website to increase public understanding of government management of public assets and liabilities.
Activity 7: Consultations with other key government debt management and supervision stakeholders in other agencies to develop an assessment report laying out roles and responsibilities across the government. This report will then be used to conduct trainings on debt and financial sovereignty for government workers outside of the Ministry of Finance in, for example, Parliament, the Executive Office of the President, the Investment Promotion Committee, and other key economic ministries.

Eligibility Criteria

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

Not-for-profit organizations subject to section 501 (c) (3) of the U.S. tax code, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations
Foreign non-profit organizations
Public and private educational institutions
Public International Organizations and Governmental institutions
Applicants must have experience in the areas of fiscal transparency, debt management and planning. Specific experience in implementing fiscal transparency technical assistance projects is highly desirable. Additionally, applicants (and all members of consortium if any) must:
- Demonstrate experience working in Tajikistan or Central Asian region and expertise in providing technical assistance in the areas of debt forecasting, analysis, planning and management, particularly in the area of Fiscal Transparency.
- Own proven track record of implementing projects similar to those addressed in this NOFO as a lead applicant with at least one such project with the budget equivalent or over $800,000 in the last ten years (Note: work experience of individual consultants would not be considered as the experience of the applicant).
- The U.S. Embassy is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all of its programs and activities. The Embassy welcomes applications irrespective of an applicants’ race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. They encourage applications from organizations working with underserved communities, including women, people with disabilities, and youth.