1. Introduction

DEPROSC-Nepal invites qualified and experienced consulting firms to express their interest in conducting a “Gender audit of policies and building support for digital infrastructures and inclusive financial service provision” for selected 4 rural municipalities. The consultant will play a crucial role in identifying existing technical, financial, and policy hurdles that hinder the provision and uptake of digital financial services for farming communities (esp. women farmers), marginalized groups, and people with disabilities.

Interested firms will drop a Technical proposal (including their profile, VAT registration, latest tax clearance and audit report, resume of proposed consultant/s, a cover letter, and one example of previous assignment projects demonstrating success) and a Cost proposal – to [email protected] or DEPROSC-Nepal, P.O. Box 10953, Kathmandu within March 09, 2025. Canvassing or influencing is not expected. The organization reserves the right to reject any /all applications without assigning any reason whatsoever.

2. Project Overview

Under the technical and financial partnership from Practical Action in Nepal and funded by

Jersey Overseas Aid (JOA), Empowering Women Farmers with Digital Finance

(Samunnati-Digital Finance), a project implemented DEPROSC-Nepal, is a 40-month project which is being implemented in eight rural municipalities of three districts; Dang (Dangisharan & Shantinagar), Rolpa (Runtigadi, Triveni, Thabang & Paribartan) and Rukum East (Bhume & Puthauttarganga) of Lumbini Province in Nepal since July 2022. The project has brought other actors, such as Prabhu Management, Global IME Bank, IME Pay, internet service providers, and 15 partner cooperatives to make digital financial services more inclusive and accessible to poor and marginalized women farmers.

The project has reached over 5,500 smallholder farmers (80% women) with a range of affordable and appropriate digital financial products (savings, payment, remittance, agri-insurance, credit) to support their agriculture value chain and enterprise development activities. In addition, 3% of the total participants should be people with disability.

3. Objective of the Consultancy

This study aims to provide a resource for local governments to formulate plans and policies that are gender-friendly in promoting inclusive digital financial services, making digital infrastructures inclusive, and can also serve as a reference while formulating plans and preparing digital strategies. Additionally, using a gender lens, the study will critically evaluate the financial products and services of financial institutions (cooperatives) and provide recommendations to redesign financial products to be more women-centric and innovative, ultimately enhancing financial inclusion for marginalized groups.

The specific objectives are: 

• To conduct gender audit of policies with municipal and provincial governments so as to draw conclusions that how far their policies, plans and budgeting are inclusive and gender friendly in terms promoting financial inclusion/digital financial inclusion.
• Follow-up study on the previously conducted gender audit reports and update how far BFIs and cooperatives in the project are offering inclusive financial products and services.
• Assess the current status (sufficiency) of digital infrastructure in the selected rural municipalities and evaluate its contribution on promoting gender-friendly access to basic financial services for project communities (esp. women farmers).
• Based on findings, prepare practical recommendations. 

4. Scope of Work

The study will undergo a comprehensive gender audit of policies and practices in selected local government units as outlined above and the outcome of this study will support local governments, private sectors, and financial institutions in fostering a more inclusive digital financial ecosystem.

• Review project documents (previously conducted studies of a similar nature) and progress achieved so far in the areas cited in the objectives above.
• Interact with local government officials, get their policies and budgetary frameworks, and study them.
• Collect financial products and services (product papers) from BFIs and cooperatives providing services in the project area and study them utilizing an intersectional lens (gender perspectives).
• Coordinate with LGUs, refer to the policies from local governments.  
• Conduct the gender audit as outlined above, adhering to standard practices, including government-recommended parameters, and formats, if available.
• Based on the findings, provide practical, actionable recommendations.

5. Deliverables

The engagement will be on an intermittent basis two months, however, actual effective days of consultant/s will be 30 days or even less.

The consultant firm will produce and submit: Inception Report, Interim Report and

Final Report including presentations.

6. Eligibility Criteria: Interested consulting firms must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Track record of consulting firm on conducting Gender audit of policies and building support for digital infrastructures and inclusive financial service provision.
• The proposed consultant should possess strong advocacy and engagement skills, particularly in working with rural municipalities and government stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success in creating inclusive policies and programs that address gender focus/ inclusive policies, programs, and budgets at the local level.

7. Evaluation criteria

Institutional work experience	20%
Experience of the proposed consultant	20%
Methodology	30%
Cost	30%
Total	100%