Consultant: Enhancement of Existing Business Intelligence and Analytics Platform (Microsoft Power BI) for the AFI COVID-19 Policy Response Dashboard At Alliance for Financial Inclusion

1. Background

Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI)
The Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) is an innovative, member-driven organization that enables policymakers in developing countries to share their knowledge of financial inclusion policies that have delivered positive tangible results. The network includes members from more than 90 countries working together to accelerate the adoption of proven and innovative financial inclusion policy solutions with the aim of making financial services more accessible to the world’s unbanked.

By providing members with the opportunity for peer learning and supporting technical level knowledge exchange on key aspects of financial inclusion policy, AFI works with its members to influence policy reforms, which result in expanding the reach of quality financial services to low-income populations and disadvantaged groups.

AFI Member COVID-19 Policy Response Dashboard
AFI COVID-19 Policy Response aims to deliver systematic, effective and coordinated policy responses to help AFI members mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on financial inclusion policy implementation, especially for micro, small and medium enterprises and the most vulnerable segments of the population such as women, the youth, older people, forcibly displaced persons, and disabled people. The AFI Response combines quick, needs-based, highly practical and high-impact interventions that enable the implementation of rapid response policies and regulations in highly-affected countries. It is structured to meet members’ needs in the short and medium term.

In this light the AFI COVID-19 Policy Responses Dashboard (“Dashboard”) has been very instrumental in providing time-sensitive policy and regulatory guidance to AFI members across the network and outside the network. The Dashboard, at the same time, also highlights the important role of the AFI working group members, gender focal points and Gender Inclusive Finance Committee, when it comes to building knowledge based on member experiences and furthering the development of AFI as a policy leadership alliance.

2. Project Background

Existing Dashboard
The Dashboard can be found at https://www.afi-global.org/covid-19/. There are 2 tools that we provide our members and visitors to the AFI page; (1) an interactive visual tool build on the Microsoft Power BI software that shows the total number of AFI members, their global distribution, and the total number of policy responses implemented, and (2) an Excel dashboard, and list, of AFI members’ policy responses that address the challenges of COVID-19 available for download via a Dropbox link.

It is important to note that (2) is a one of the live datasets of which is linked to (1) as mentioned above. This dataset (2) is updated every 2 weeks. Both tools were developed independently and internally by AFI’s Policy Programs and Regional Initiatives unit without the assistance of an external expert

3. Objective:

The aim of this assignment is for the consultant to provide technical advisory and support for the enhancement of the existing business intelligence and analytics platform used for the creation of the AFI COVID-19 Policy Response Dashboard. Specifically, the consultant is to:
• Enhance the current Microsoft Power BI Report: Visual enhancement to current report as deemed possible and useful. The report currently uses 2 datasets that are updated every 2 weeks.
• Enhance the current Microsoft Excel Dashboard: Visual enhancement to current report as deemed possible and useful. The report currently uses 2 datasets that are updated every 2 weeks.
• Allow quick search/dynamic filter functions: For the Microsoft Power BI report to have a quick search and/or dynamic filtering function that returns results upon entering key words.

4. Scope of Work:

AFI is seeking the services of a consultant to provide technical advisory and support for the enhancement of the existing business intelligence and analytics platform used for the creation of the AFI COVID-19 Policy Response Dashboard.

Enhance the current Microsoft Power BI Report:

• Incorporation of Gender Inclusive Finance COVID-19 Policy Response Dashboard (“GIF Dashboard”) into the Microsoft Power BI Report.
• Incorporation of youth considerations in the Microsoft Power BI Report.
• Visual enhancement to current data analytics report to enhance user experience as deemed possible and useful.
• Microsoft Power BI Dashboard published at https://www.afi-global.org/covid-19/
• Documentation: user flow, site map, wireframes, technical brief (including database structure), features and functionalities.

Enhance the current Microsoft Excel Dashboard

• Incorporation of Gender Inclusive Finance COVID-19 Policy Response Dashboard (“GIF Dashboard”) into the master Microsoft Excel Dashboard.

1. Consumer Protection
2. Currency Liquidity
3. Development Bank Support
4. Digital Financing
5. Fiscal Policy
6. Interest Rate
7. Loan Restructure
8. SME Finance
9. Stimulus Package
10. Youth considerations in the master Microsoft Excel Dashboard should be integrated as a cross-cutting theme of the 9 items mentioned above.
11. Gender Inclusive Finance with the following subcategories
    o Women & Regulatory Institutions
    o Women & MSMEs
    o Women & Social Protection
    o Women & DFS
    o Women & Regulatory Frameworks
    • Arrange, sort, and display dataset in a manner that is visually easy to navigate and use. These should consider:
12. Ease of access by AFI Management Unit to update data.
13. Ease of external parties to access, share and download the data.
14. Ease of access on the web and mobile
15. Visual enhancement to current report to enhance user experience as deemed possible and useful.
    • Dataset download link published on https://www.afi-global.org/covid-19/

5. Key Deliverables

This assignment is expected to involve the activities and deliverables as detailed in the table below. The consultant will be supported and advised by the AFI Management Unit throughout the assignment and will have access to AFI’s Microsoft Power BI Dashboard and Microsoft Excel Datasets (Master Excel & GIF Dashboard Excel) for the completion of this task. There is no travel associated with this assignment.

The deliverables of the appointed consultant are:

Enhance the current Microsoft Power BI Report

• One (1) Microsoft Power BI Report consisting of AFI Member COVID-19 Policy Responses showing the following data:

1. Breakdown of policy response data by region
2. Breakdown of policy response data by country
3. Breakdown of policy response data by policy type
4. Breakdown of gender-sensitive policy response data by region, country and policy type in a single page
5. Breakdown of youth policy considerations in the response data by region, country and policy type in a single page
6. List of AFI member institutions with quick search functions.
7. List of “mitigation policies”, “recovery policies”, “gender inclusive policies” “youth policy considerations” with quick search functions.
   • One (1) Microsoft Power BI Dashboard published at https://www.afi-global.org/covid-19/ including a mobile optimized view of the dashboard.
   • One (1) report documenting: user flow, site map, wireframes, technical brief (including database structure), features and functionalities.
   * AFI will be providing one (1) Microsoft Power BI Pro user license for perusal of consultant for this assignment. Upon completion of the assignment, AFI will be managing this license.

Enhance the current Microsoft Excel Dashboard

• One (1) master Microsoft Excel Dashboard with incorporation of Gender Inclusive Finance COVID-19 Policy Response Dashboard (“GIF Dashboard”). The types of policies for categorization will be:

1. Women & Regulatory Institutions
2. Women & MSMEs
3. Women & Social Protection
4. Women & DFS
5. Women & Regulatory Frameworks
   • Master Excel to have:
6. Directory page of AFI members list and link to “mitigation policies”, “recovery policies”, and “gender inclusive policies”.
7. Quick search tool to sieve through
   • One (1) dataset download link published on https://www.afi-global.org/covid-19/**Reporting to AFI

• Weekly progress update meetings (Tuesdays) to review priorities and progress towards achieving the project goals as well as identify any potential risks to anticipate, avoid and mitigate problems that can impact on project delivery. The meetings should involve:

1. Explain the course of action before developing outputs in detail.
2. Provide live run through of both Microsoft Power BI & Microsoft Excel to update on the status of work.
3. Seek clarification on any matters regarding the Microsoft Power BI license & Microsoft Excel that will be provided.Timeline:

The consultant is expected to commence the assignment in May 2021 and will complete the deliverables in 20 working days.

6. Consultant Experience

The consultant undertaking this assignment should have the following qualifications:
• Vendor or consultant must have implemented software projects of a similar nature and scope for at least 3 organizations within the past 2 years.
• Vendor or consultant should submit contract document or experience certificate of the implemented projects. Demonstrated evidence of firm adoption and use of agile data analytics principles.
• Vendor or consultant must demonstrate adequate person power/human resource, core capabilities and technology know-how with clear evidence creating reports and dashboard using Microsoft Power BI and Microsoft Excel.
• Vendor or consultant must demonstrate experience providing in-person and remote training and guidance for Microsoft Power BI.
• Vendor or consultant must demonstrate experience with data modeling for data visualization and reporting.
• Having a Microsoft Certification for Data Analyst Associate or having taken either the Exam DA-100: Analyzing Data with Microsoft Power BI, Exam 70-778: Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Microsoft Power BI, or Exam 70-779: Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Microsoft Excel would be an added advantage for the vendor or consultant.
• Excellent written and presentation skills in the English language as required for a global audience.

7. Reporting

Throughout the contract period, the Consultant will be reporting to AFI’s Policy Analyst, Policy Programs and Regional Initiatives and AFI Senior Program Officer, Gender Inclusive Finance, with oversight function from the Head, Policy Programs and Regional Initiatives.

8. Criteria for Evaluation

The proposals submitted will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Demonstrated understanding with Microsoft Power BI and Microsoft Excel software including the basic building blocks of Power BI (Visualizations, Datasets, Reports, Dashboards, Tiles) – 20%
• Demonstrated ability to design a data model on Microsoft Excel that is intuitive, high-performing, and simple to maintain by users without the in-depth knowledge of Microsoft Excel. – 20%
• Demonstrated ability to create, publish, and maintain Power BI reports that are easy to use by users without the in-depth knowledge of the software. – 15%
• Demonstrated ability in providing in-person and remote training and guidance for Microsoft Power BI. – 15%
• Acquirement of Microsoft Certification for Data Analyst Associate or completion of either Exam DA-100: Analyzing Data with Microsoft Power BI, Exam 70-778: Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Microsoft Power BI, or Exam 70-779: Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Microsoft Excel – 15%
• Written and presentation skills in English as required for a global audience. – 15%