Financial System And Practices Consultant at Aga Khan Foundation

Objectives

The primary objective of this consultancy is to assess, enhance, and optimize the financial systems and practices within AKF East Africa, ensuring they align with the organization's mission and values. The consultant will work closely with key stakeholders, including the CEO, CFO, Finance Managers, and the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, to achieve the following:

• Evaluate the current financial systems and practices of AKF East Africa.
• Identify strengths and weaknesses in the existing financial processes.
• Develop recommendations and a roadmap for improvements in financial systems and practices.
• Assist in implementing recommended changes, including the development of training programs for staff, following a skills training assessment.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and donor-specific financial reporting.

Scope of Work:

The consultant will undertake the following activities:

• Conduct a comprehensive review of AKF East Africa's financial and operational processes.
• Review the utilization of Microsoft Business Central (BC) within AKF East Africa and explore additional modules that can be leveraged.
• Assess the feasibility and benefits of automating various processes within Microsoft Business Central, including management approvals, procurement, and report generation.
• Develop strategies to enhance the automation of financial management reports, JET Reports, dashboards, and other financial intelligence tools.
• Develop and configure reporting, including JET Reports and analytics tools within the ERP system to enable data-driven decision-making.
• Carry out skills training assessments to identify staff training needs.
• Provide comprehensive training to AKF staff to ensure they can effectively use and manage the ERP system. Training should cover administrators, end-users and IT staff
• Documentation: Provide detailed documentation of the ERP system, including simplified user manuals, system architecture, and any custom code or configurations.
• Offer after sale support for 3 months. Deliverables:

The consultant is expected to deliver the following outputs:

• A comprehensive assessment report highlighting the findings and recommendations related to the challenges identified.
• A detailed roadmap outlining the steps and timelines for implementing recommended improvements.
• Training materials and sessions for AKF East Africa staff on utilizing Microsoft Business Central effectively.
• A strategy document for automating financial processes within the organization.
• Prototypes or examples of automated financial reports and dashboards.

Consultant Qualifications: The consultant should possess the following qualifications and experience:

• Proven expertise in financial systems analysis, with a focus on Microsoft Business Central or similar ERP systems.
• Must have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, IT or related field
• Demonstrated experience in implementing process automation in financial and operational contexts.
• Demonstrated expertise in customizing and configuring ERP software to meet unique organizational needs.
• Proven experience in implementing and training on ERP systems, preferably in non-profit organizations.
• Adequate resources and technical capabilities to support the needs assessment and ongoing maintenance of the ERP system.
• Knowledge of the nonprofit sector and direct experience working in East Africa (EA).
• Compliance with all relevant data security and privacy regulations.
• Strong communication and training skills.
• Professional IT certification is an added advantage.

Other Requirements

• Must be a Registered Company attach copy of business Registration.
• Attach copy of Tax compliant certificate
• Provide 3 reference contacts of similar previous work done for different organization.

The reference contact information shall include the customer’s name, start/end dates of the project customer e-mail address, street address, telephone number, a description of the services provided.

Timeline: The consultancy is scheduled to commence on 9 October 2023, and conclude on 15 December 2023. Specific activity timelines will be detailed in the consultant's proposed roadmap.

Reporting and Accountability: The consultant will report to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of AKF East Africa and will collaborate closely with the CEO, Country Finance Managers, and the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee.

Evaluation Criteria: Proposals will be evaluated based on the consultant's qualifications, proposed methodology, relevant experience, and cost-effectiveness.

Evaluation Criteria

TECHNICAL EVALUATION

Mandatory Documents (10 Marks)

The following Mandatory Documents are required to be submitted:

• Certificate of Registration/Incorporation.
• Manufacturer’s Authorization Certificate or a letter Authorizing the bidder to deal with the product(s) under consideration.
• Valid Tax Compliance Certificate from Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). The certificate should be valid as at the day of tender submission.
• A declaration to uphold Confidentiality
• Attach copy of Valid Business Permit from County Government
• Membership of any Professional Bodies.
• Technical requirements of the ERP

Specific Experience: ERP Implementation for other NGOs (20 Marks)

• The consultant must demonstrate experience in delivering an ERP solution to an NGO similar in size to AKF.
• Attach award letter /contract.

Modules Implemented

• Financial Management
• Procurement
• Asset and inventory Management
• Grants Management
• Donor Management
• SMS and Emails Notifications and alerts
• Project Management
• Reporting and Business Intelligence
• Comprehensive Training sessions of staff in the region

Reference letter at least three (5 Marks)

• The consultant should have at least three (3) reference sites where they have undertaken similar assignment between the years 2016 to 2022. Attach copies of reference letters for each assignment.

Support contract (10 Marks)

• The consultant must demonstrate its track record in providing maintenance and support contract to its clients. They should provide documentary evidence of the support of at least three (3) contracts such as an award letter for support and maintenance.

Work Plan and Methodology (20 Marks)

The consultant should provide a logical, well-structured work plan consistent with the time frames and terms of reference. This will be judged through demos and interviews by the tender committee based on:

• Understanding of Requirement.
• Technical Approach and Methodology including proposed concept design of the System, including user training, user testing and Company organogram.
• Work plan (schedule of activities) and
• Proposed timelines

Organization and Team Composition (10 Marks)

• Consultants should provide evidence of technical Training and Experience of their staff.
• The consultant should provide at least two (2) CVs of Key Technical staff who will be engaged on the task
• As evidence of relevant training, bidders should attach copies of professional and academic certificates of the Key Technical Staff

TOTAL FOR TECHNICAL PROPOSAL (75 Marks)

FINANCIAL EVALUATION (25 Marks)

Total cost of the Proposal

TOTAL MARKS 100