TA-6960 LAO: Enhancing Debt Management and Transparency - Firm 1 Consultancy Firm for Outputs 2 and 3 (55068-001)

TA-6960 LAO: Enhancing Debt Management and Transparency - Firm 1 Consultancy Firm for Outputs 2 and 3 (55068-001)

Date Published: 18-Apr-2023

Deadline of Submitting EOI: 02-May-2023 11:59 PM Manila local time

SELECTION PROFILE

Consultant Type: Firm

Selection Method: Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS)

Selection Title: Enhancing Debt Management and Transparency

Package Number: Firm 1

Package Name: Consultancy Firm for Outputs 2 and 3

Engagement Period: 20MONTH

Consulting Services Budget: USD 500,000

Source: International

Technical Proposal: Full Technical Proposal (FTP)

Approval Number: 6960

Approval Date: 28-Sep-2022

Estimated Commencement Date: 17-Jul-2023

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Country of assignment: Lao People's Democratic Republic

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Primary Expertise: Public Debt Management and Public Debt Data Analytics

Objective and Purpose of the Assignment

Through this Technical Assistance (TA), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is supporting the Ministry of Finance (MOF) of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) to enhance capacity for public debt management and debt transparency. The TA’s impact is aligned with sustainable financing of public services to meet the goals of the 9th National Socio-Economic Development Plan, 2021ꟷ2025. The TA outcome will be improvement in the country’s debt sustainability assessment rating and development and implementation of a fiscal strategy.

The TA has four outputs, including: • Output 1: Legal frameworks for debt management and transparency enhanced. • Output 2: Capacity for sustainable finance policies and practices strengthened. • Output 3: Public debt data analytics and information exchange supported. • Output 4: Public debt and contingent liability monitoring and reporting improved.The firm will focus on delivering components of outputs 2 and 3 of the TA: Output 2: The TA team will conduct training to strengthen policies and good practices on debt management, and to share experience from other countries. It will promote improvements to debt and cash management, such as strengthening the functionality of the treasury single account. The TA will increase capacity of government entities on project financing, including development of procedures on project finance involving debt collateralization to ensure consistency with the contractual and legal requirements of all creditors. It will strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM), the MOF, and SOEs for economic and financial sustainability analysis and financial management. It will also strengthen the capacity of the respective ministries and SOEs for managing various aspects of public financial management, such as debt management road maps and strategies, corporate governance and fiscal management of SOEs, and reform of selected taxes and subsidies. Output 3: Public debt data analytics and information exchange supported. The TA team will provide technical support to improve the analytics and exchange of information among stakeholders on public debt. It will strengthen the quality and comprehensiveness of public debt reporting in line with the annual policy actions of the International Development Association’s Sustainable Development Finance Policy, which were harmonized with Asian Development Fund 13 policy actions. It will support policy dialogue on sustainable debt finance and transparent debt management through a conference involving key stakeholders. The government will convene an annual creditor coordination meeting to raise awareness of the need to comply with the legal requirements of creditors.To deliver components of outputs 2 and 3 of the TA, a consulting firm will be engaged following the quality and cost-based selection on the basis of a full technical proposal. The firm will be engaged under an indefinite delivery contract based on a lumpsum contract type linked to deliverables and out-of-pocket-expenses reimbursed at cost during July 2023 – July 2024. The estimated budget for the firm’s contract is $500,000 for 17 person-months of international and 14 person-months of national consultant inputs. The firm will allocate 60% of its time to output 3 and 40% to output 2. The firm will report to MOF and ADB based on an agreed work program and business process. The MOF's Public Debt Management Department (PDMD) will be the executing agency and implementing agency.