Consultancy - Advisor

The OPEC Fund for International Development (the OPEC Fund) is a multilateral development finance institution, founded in 1976. The organization was established with a distinct mandate: to drive development, strengthen communities and empower people. The OPEC Fund’s work is people-centered, focusing on financing projects that meet essential needs, such as food, energy, infrastructure, employment (particularly relating to MSMEs), clean water and sanitation, healthcare and education. OPEC Fund’s vision is a world where sustainable development is a reality for all.

The OPEC Fund is the only globally mandated development institution that provides financing from member countries to non-member countries exclusively. The organization works in cooperation with developing country partners and the international development community to stimulate economic growth and social progress in low- and middle-income countries around the world.

Scope of services

The Advisor will be responsible for three closely related tasks, working closely with the OPEC Fund´s senior management and concerned departments, units and staff, including, among others, Public Sector Operations, strategy, and, Risk Management departments. 

The key tasks will include the following:

• Complete the development of member country engagement strategy, a project initiated in early 2024 and scheduled for completion by mid-2025.  The strategy will include proposals aimed at strengthening relationships with member countries, and in the process enhancing the OPEC Fund´s value proposition, relevance and visibility on the ground.
• Formulate and assist in implementing strategic and tactical initiatives to improve OPEC Fund´s footprint, efficiency and effectiveness in partner countries. This includes action plans around several work streams, including best practice ways and means to improve the allocation of financial resources to operational teams, effective business origination methods for stand-alone and co-financed projects and programs, streamlined business processes and new approval authorities for loan and technical assistance delivery, and proposals to enhance the quality of country partnership strategies and portfolio management and reporting.

The Advisor will work with senior management on two other flagship activities, namely:

• Complete re-engineering of current business processes for public and private sector operations, credit approvals, disbursements, safeguards, development effectiveness, integrity and “back-office” support. This work will include follow-up actions to replace the current management information system with more modern technological platform.
• Lead a team to prepare a variety of papers for Board discussion and consideration on the replenishment of the OPEC Fund´s concessional window (Special Capital Resources – SCR) and a general capital increase (Ordinary Capital Resources - OCR). This activity will include conducting appropriate roadshows in member countries.  The work as a whole is a necessary precursor to underpin growth scenarios for SCR and OCR.

• Lead discussions and provide analysis for the member country engagement strategy, including preparation of final documents (including presentations, proposals, notes, and other material) required by the OPEC Fund´s senior management, its Governing Board and the Ministerial Council.
• Develop strategies and practical proposals related to key work streams within the public sector operations department as the means to enhance the OPEC Fund´s footprint in client countries, as well as high efficiency, effectiveness and innovation.
• Lead the development of a wireframe and thereafter specific action plans and documentation for consideration by senior management to replenish the SCR and conclude an OCR general capital increase.
• Complete the re-engineering of business processes and support the implementation of a new technological platform to replace the current management information system.

Deliverables

1. Public Sector Operation  

The mandate involves several tasks, including but not limited to: 

• Provide advices on several fronts relating to 4 different work streams (origination, allocation of resources, business processes and portfolio management).  For example, with respect to origination, provide inputs relating to stand alone and co-financed operations, business processes and portfolio management. 
• Advise on processing complex transactions. 

2. Strategy Department

      Member Country Engagement Strategy

Another task under the mandate relates to the completion of the member country engagement strategy.  There are several deliverables in this regard:

• Completing the consultations with countries and finalize the list of non-lending or collaboration services to be offered by the Fund.  
• The tentative plan is to complete this strategy by mid-year 2025

3. Risk Management Department (RMD)

      Business Processes Re-engineering

With regard to the re-engineering of business processes, the work includes:

• Completing the mapping of existing processes.
• Carrying out a gap analysis to decipher the extent to which the Fund meets best practices in relation to AAA MDBs.
• Advice on new ideas or re-engineered proposals (i.e. changes to the existing processes).
• Work closely with RMD and IT to ensure the implementation of the new technological platform is undertaken in an effective and efficient manner.
• Act as an interface between the technology company, IT Unit and the various business owners.

      General Capital Increase and Replenishment of SCR

• The critical task is to work with a team being set up for the general capital increase and the replenishment of the soft window (SCR). 

Qualifications and Experience

• University degree or equivalent in economics, finance or project management.
• A minimum of 20 years relevant strategic, operational and management professional experience in AAA multilateral development banks.
• Proven practical experience with the preparation of strategic frameworks and change management in leading international financial institutions.
• Experience with fundraising in multilateral development banks, including the replenishment of concessional windows and general capital increases.
• Fluent in English.
• Robust analytical skills and experience with respect to strategic and operational work in development finance and multilateral development banks.
• Strong operational experience and skills in infrastructure (transport and logistics, including ports, roads, airports and railways), energy (including generation, transmission and distribution), energy efficiency, clean energy and energy security), water and wastewater, urban transport, social sectors (education and health), natural resources (including rural development, food security and agribusiness) and regional cooperation and integration.  Other requirements include climate change financing, public-private partnerships and private sector project finance (using debt, equity and guarantees).
• Strong managerial and organizational skills, as well as the ability to prioritize tasks and ensure timely completion of work under pressure.
• Proactive application of relevant international best practices to work
• Demonstrated team and project management experience.

The Proposal, as well as all related correspondence exchanged by the Consultants and OPEC Fund, shall be written in English.

Interested consultants should submit proposals by email only to tenders@opecfund.org no later than 15:00h on November 21, 2024 (Central European Standard Time).

Any questions are to be directed to procurement@opecfund.org. All questions submitted to and answers of OPEC Fund will be shared with contractors that have received the request to submit proposal.

For more information visit the OPEC Fund Procurement website under: https://opecfund.org/procurement/bidding