Development and Implementation of an E-Commerce Solution Consultancy

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) or Banque Africaine de Développement (BAD) is a multilateral development finance institution. The AfDB was founded in 1964 and comprises three entities: The African Development Bank, the African Development Fund and the Nigeria Trust Fund. The AfDB’s mission is to fight poverty and improve living conditions on the continent through promoting the investment of public and private capital in projects and programs that are likely to contribute to the economic and social development of the region. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and private companies investing in the regional member countries (RMC).

Request for Expressions of Interest

The Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho has received financing from the African Development Fund towards implementation of the Economic Diversification Support Project and intends to apply part of the agreed amount for this loan to payments under the contract for Development and Implementation of an E-Commerce Solution Consultancy for the government of Lesotho.

The aim of the project is to improve BEDCO’s operational efficiencies and its effectiveness in delivering services to MSMEs through the development and implementation of E-Commerce.

The overall objective of the assignment is to engage the consultancy firm to assist BEDCO to design, develop and implement an e-commerce technological solution. The scope of the consultancy services include: a) Design of the architectural components of the solution including software application, security, and technological platforms of the solution; b) Define detailed requirements for both the web application and the mobile app; c) Design, develop, test and deploy the e-commerce application software, based on the high-level requirements defined in Annexure I; d) Design, develop, test and deploy e-commerce mobile application for Android and iOS devices, based on the high-level technical requirements defined in Annexure I; e) Provide the necessary Cloud-based hosting platforms for the e-commerce solution and mobile App; f) Integrate requisite payment solution module on the platform to facilitate seamless payment processes through multiple channels including electronic payments and mobile money; g) Provide post- implementation technical support on the e-commerce solution; h) Provide technical and end-user training on the developed e-commerce solution; i) Register at least 250 MSMEs on the platform.

The estimated duration of this assignment is nine (9) months from the date of signing the contract.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry now invites eligible consultancy firms to indicate their interest in providing these services. Interested consultancy firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc.). Consultants may constitute joint-ventures to enhance their chances of qualification.