Deadline: 1-Dec-21
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), in collaboration with other UN agencies and development partners, is working to improve the capacity of MSMEs in Zambia to operate efficiently, increase MSME access to financing and contribute to job creation.
In this Request for Application (RFA) UNCDF is looking for technology solution providers or Fintech providers to implement programme activities in Zambia to equip MSMEs with digital tools to operate more efficiently and increase revenues.
More specifically, the digital solutions should integrate the use cases listed below:
- Develop/increase MSME capacity to keep proper business records with the objective to facilitate digital loan applications.
- Link MSMEs to digital marketplaces.
- Support MSMEs to manage inventories.
Funding Information
- UNCDF will provide up to 65,000 USD in grant and technical assistance to one technical solutions provider or Fintech and will be signing a Performance-Based Agreement (PBA) with the selected applicant who will be technically responsive to this Request for Application.
Geographical Scope
- The proposed intervention shall target urban, peri-urban, and rural populations in all the provinces of Zambia.
Language: The deliverables and any correspondence between the applicant organization and UNCDF must be in English.
Eligibility Criteria
- Entity registration
- The applicant/ lead applicant must be a registered entity in Zambia and having at least one year of operations in the country.
- Applicants shall have fulfilled all the obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or to the payment of taxes in accordance with legal provisions in force in the country of incorporation.
- Relevant operation licenses (where applicable)
- The lead applicant must be licensed to provide digital, technology or FinTech services in Zambia
- Consortiums (where applicable)
- Applicants may apply only once under this RFA, whether independently or in a consortium.
- Applications from consortiums of organizations must show that the partnership was established prior to submitting the proposal.
- The lead applicant and partner must be registered entities with at least one year of operations and must have statutory accounts and audited financial statements for at least one operating year.
- Exclusionary criteria:
- Applicants shall not have been the subject of bankruptcy, liquidation, judicial settlement, safeguarding, cessation of activity or any other similar situation resulting from a similar procedure.
- Applicants and any of their staff or member of their board of directors shall not be included in the United Nations financial sanctions lists, particularly in the fight against the financing of terrorism and attacks on international peace and security; and
- Applicants must not be involved in any of the following activities
- Manufacture, sale or distribution of controversial weapons or their components, including cluster bombs, anti-personnel mines, biological or chemical or nuclear weapons
- Manufacture, sale, or distribution of armaments and/or weapons or their components, including military supplies and equipment
- Replica weapons marketed to children
- Manufacture, sale or distribution of tobacco or tobacco products
- Involvement in the creation, sale, and distribution of pornography
- Manufacture, sale, or distribution of substances subject to international bans or phase-outs, and wildlife or products regulated under the CITES
- Gambling including casinos, betting etc. (excluding lotteries with charitable objectives)
- Violation of human rights or complicity in human rights violations
- Use or toleration of forced or compulsory labor
- Use or toleration of child labor.
For more information, visit https://www.uncdf.org/article/7305/rfa-digital-solutions-to-improve-msme-business-operations-and-increase-efficiency-zambia