Consultant for Technical Review Of Digital Field Application (DFA) Solution at BRAC

Project Objectives

We seek a technology firm/consultant to conduct an in-depth technical analysis of DFA architecture and the technical capability of the system to support current and future business and technical needs. Working with BRAC IT and BHIBV technology team, the consultant will::

• Conduct a systematic assessment of the overall DFA system - its design and architecture (hardware, software, access methods and protocols, et al). The aim is to assess both code bases, identify potential performance bottlenecks, opportunities for code base optimization, and software’s compliance with established standards and specifications.
• Assess T24-DFA system integration approach that was applied when we deployed the core banking system - Temenos Financial Inclusion Suite in Rwanda. The aim is to:

Understand the extent to which the implemented integration approach best supports current and future business activities

Investigate recurring integration issues and propose long-term solutions. During integration with T24, Rwanda has faced various issues including data syncing issues between the two systems. Although the number of issues has decreased in Rwanda, some data synchronisation problems still persist.

Identify areas to optimise the integration and apply learnings in the Liberia code base before Liberia goes live with T24 in 2024. Also, ensure that the Ghana code is also optimised.

• Assess the current approach for deploying DFA across all BI MF countries. The aim is to recommend how best to optimise the approach to ensure we efficiently provide timely and quality support to all our microfinance entities (who are at different stages of implementation of DFA) and exploit the full capabilities of the system in the long term. This will include an assessment of the current team structure and capabilities.

Scope of work for the technical review:

Architecture Evaluation:

• Assessment of data flow and communication between components.
• Examination of the technologies, frameworks, and tools used in the application's development.
• Identification of performance bottlenecks and recommendations for optimization.
• Evaluation of the rationale behind the technology choices.
• Evaluation of data storage solutions for reliability and efficiency.
• Evaluation of security components in existing architecture.

Performance and Reliability Testing:

• Assessment of the application's overall performance, including response times, throughput, and scalability.
• Documentation of performance benchmarks and test results.
• Conducting load testing and performance benchmarks.
• Examination of redundancy and failover mechanisms.
• Analysis of monitoring and error handling processes.
• Assess the capabilities of the automated notification/alert system for events, errors, or delays.
• Functionality and User Experience (UX) Evaluation:
• Evaluation of the application's user interface (UI) for usability and accessibility.
• Feedback on user experience and any usability issues.
• Recommendations for improving the application's functionality and user-centric design.
• Integration and Compatibility:
• Assessment of the application's integration capabilities with the existing core banking system (T24) and external APIs (For example, CRB, national ID system, Aggregators).
• Recommendations for data synchronization and backup improvements.
• Functionality of DFA vis-a-vis CBS and DARS:
• Review functionality of the DFA (App and Mission Control) vis-a-vis equivalent functionality in CBS and DARS to determine duplicates and make recommendations on which system is best placed to handle duplicated functionalities
• Mobile and Offline Capabilities:
• Testing of offline functionality and data synchronization mechanisms.
• Recommendations for enhancing performance in low-bandwidth or offline scenarios.
• Recommendations for Improvement:
• Clear and prioritized recommendations for enhancing the application's performance, security, and functionality.
• Actionable steps and timelines for implementing the recommended improvements.
• Summary and Conclusion:
• A concise summary of the key findings and observations from the technical review and subsequent recommendations.
• Identify pain points/challenges and recommend remediation/improvement

Qualification of the Consultant/Firm

• Software Development including Data modelling
• Familiarity with application development framework & tools - Native / Flutter/Xamarin/Hybrid, local data storage - local caching/SQLite/firebase/realm, Programming language - JAVA/objective c/ javascript etc
• Application Programming Interface (JSON, REST, Web Services, IRIS etc..)
• Knowledge of Temenos Transact (Financial Inclusion R20) and its integration capabilities will be an added advantage
• Excellent documentation skills
• Familiar with ActiveMQ or any other messaging system.
• Experience in the microfinance sector.
• Experience in Offline app development and management for large data sets.
• Understanding of web middleware system design
• Deep understanding of working with Microfinance institutions and process digitization and redesigning.
• Preferably have experience in HCD (Human-centred design) approach (or other client-centric methodologies) to understand the needs, behaviours, and motivations for staff and clients.
• Knowledge of regulatory environments of the target markets
• Strong analytical, research, and writing skills with expertise in survey and qualitative research in the form of interviews and focus groups.
• Proactive project management skills with strong attention to detail. Experience working under tight deadlines with a multilateral team across time zones and managing a rigorous schedule of data collection
• Fluency in English required.