National Payments Expert for Reserve Bank of Fiji

World Bank

Published

21 Oct 2026

Deadline

11 Nov 2026, 00:00 · closes in 20 days

Stage

Tender

Status

Open

Buyer

World Bank

Funder

World Bank

Project

P502591 · Pacific Strengthening Correspondent Banking Relationships Project

Notice type

Request for Expression of Interest

Procurement method

Individual Consultant Selection

Reference

FJ-PIFS-577115-CS-INDV

Buyer: World Bank — see their procurement performance.

Request for Expressions of Interest(INDIVIDUAL CONSULTING SERVICES)Payments System Advisor to the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF)Project Name | Pacific Strengthening Correspondent Banking Relationships ProjectProject Number | P502591Website | https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-detail/P502591Activity and Reference Number (STEP) | Payments System Advisor (Fiji) - FJ-PIFS-577115-CS-INDVImplementing Agency | Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS)Country | FIJIPIFS, on behalf of the participating member countries, now invites eligible individuals (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services (attach curriculum vitae and a cover letter with description of experience in similar assignments, similar conditions, etc.).Firms’ staff may express interest through the employing firm for the assignment and, under such situation, only the experience and qualifications of individuals shall be considered in the selection process.The attention of interested Consultants (including firms) is drawn to paragraph 3.14, 3.16 and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, dated September 2025 (“the Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the individual consultant selection method set out in the World Bank Consultant Guidelines.The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment is attached below and provides details of the scope of the services required along with specific deliverables expected. Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 09.00 to 17.00 hrs Fiji Time.Expressions of Interest must be delivered in written form by email no later than:Wednesday, 11 November 2026 at 17:00 hours (Fiji Time)Address for Enquiries and Submission of EOIs:Pacific Islands Forum SecretariatAttn: Ajay Jagannath, Project CoordinatorPrivate Mail Bag, SuvaPO Box 856, Suva, Fiji.Tel: 679-3312600E-mail: cbrprocurement@forumsec.orgTERMS OF REFERENCECONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTIONPayments System Advisor to the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF)Project OverviewProject Name | Pacific Strengthening Correspondent Banking Relationships ProjectIndicative Activity / Budget Line | Component 2: Enabling Environment and Regulatory Harmonization - Payment System Oversight and Regulation.Activity Reference Number (STEP) | FJ-PIFS-577115-CS-INDVAssignment Title | Payments System Advisor to the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF)Location of role | Suva, Fiji, with remote inputs. The balance of on-site and remote support will be agreed with RBF and PIFS against the implementation schedule.Implementing Agency on behalf of participating countries | Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS)Primary Counterpart | Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF)Duration of Assignment | Approximately six (6) months for the core assignment. Limited follow-up support for participant onboarding may be agreed through 30 June 2027.Contract Type and Level of Effort | Time-based individual consultant contract. The expected level of effort is up to 120 working days over 6 months. Payments will be based on approved timesheets and eligible reimbursable expenses, rather than fixed-price deliverables.Agency Description | The Pacific Islands Forum brings the region together to address shared issues and support cooperation. It works through regional governance, shared resources and policy alignment to support economic growth, sustainable development, good governance and security.Selection Method | Competitive Selection of an independent individual consultant, subject to procurement plan adjustment, justification, conflict-of-interest review, and World Bank no-objection requirements where applicable.Country Supported | Fiji. The assignment provides country-specific technical assistance under the regional CBR Project.Overall Project Objective | To enable continuous access to correspondent banking services in the participating Pacific Island Countries.Project Length | August 2024 to September 30, 2030Project BackgroundThe Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) has received financing from the World Bank Group's International Development Association (IDA) for the Pacific Strengthening Correspondent Banking Relationships (CBR) Project. The project supports participating Pacific Island Countries to maintain access to correspondent banking services and address payment, regulatory and financial integrity constraints that contribute to de-risking. Component 2 includes support for payment system oversight and regulation.The Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) issued the Fiji QR Code Standard and Guidelines to the payments industry on 30 October 2025. RBF has also issued a directive and implementation timeline requiring payment service providers that currently offer QR payment services, or intends to introduce them, to align with the prescribed standards and guidelines by 30 June 2027.RBF’s planned implementation includes a cloud-based solution to act as the QR payments Certificate Authority (CA) for participating payment service providers, to be operated by RBF. At the time of its August 2026 feedback, RBF expected the vendor to be appointed by the end of that month, followed by approximately three months of development and implementation. RBF will confirm the procurement status and implementation timetable before the assignment commences.The CA vendor is responsible for the platform-specific technical work and documentation included in its contract. RBF has requested technical assistance at the overall QR project level, covering implementation leadership, project management guidance, technical advisory support, quality assurance, participant integration, user testing, project documentation and training. The assignment will also support RBF in addressing National Payment System (NPS) configuration requirements for accepting QR payments.Objective of the AssignmentThe objective is to support RBF in leading, coordinating and assuring the implementation and operational readiness of the Fiji QR Code Standardisation Project. The consultant will provide project-wide implementation support and technical advice so that participating institutions, payment-system arrangements and operating procedures are prepared for QR payments in line with the Fiji QR Code Standard and Guidelines.The consultant will work under RBF’s direction and help coordinate the contributions of vendors, participating institutions and RBF teams. RBF will retain responsibility for project decisions and approvals, including approval of system changes and production launch.Scope of ServicesThe consultant will work with RBF, participating financial institutions and payment service providers, the CA vendor, other relevant technical providers, PIFS and the World Bank. The following six areas cover the overall QR project. Detailed activities and sequencing will be agreed in the inception work plan.i. Implementation planning governance and coordinationSupport RBF in leading the overall QR implementation and coordinating the work of participating institutions and relevant vendors. Review the applicable standards, guidelines and project plans, and prepare a coordinated work plan covering system preparation, participant integration, testing, training and launch. Provide project management guidance, maintain the project schedule and action tracker, and help RBF address risks, dependencies, reporting protocols, and decisions that affect delivery.ii. Technical review and implementation supportProvide technical advice and project-level quality assurance across the QR payment process, including participant connectivity, interoperability, payment processing, security, resilience and operational responsibilities. Support RBF in identifying, reviewing and coordinating the NPS configuration changes required to accept QR payments. Review proposed changes and implementation evidence with the responsible technical teams, and track issues requiring resolution. Review CA-related interfaces and dependencies where these affect the wider QR project and support RBF review CA/PKI operating framework, including certificate renewal, revocation, key rollovers and overall certificate lifecycle management, without duplicating the vendor’s contracted technical work.iii. Participant integration and testingSupport participant integration planning and coordinate a common approach to integration testing and user acceptance testing. Prepare or consolidate project-level test plans, test cases and readiness criteria; coordinate test activities; review results; and track issues through correction and retesting. Testing should cover QR code generation and validation, interoperability between participants, payment processing through the relevant NPS arrangements, security and recovery. CA-related tests will be coordinated with the vendor’s testing programme.iv. Operational procedures and project documentationPrepare or consolidate the procedures, templates and working documents needed to manage the QR project and support scheme operations. These should cover project governance, participant onboarding, testing, risk and issue tracking, operational responsibilities, incident handling, reporting and launch readiness. Review relevant vendor and participant documentation for consistency with the overall implementation plan. Platform-specific manuals and other CA documentation required under the vendor contract will remain the vendor’s responsibility.v. Capacity buildingProvide practical training and knowledge transfer to RBF staff and participating institutions on QR project implementation, participant responsibilities, testing, operational procedures, incident handling, stakeholder engagement, communications, awareness, adoption activities and ongoing oversight. Include project management guidance for the RBF team and practical use of the documents and templates prepared under the assignment. Coordinate training with vendor-provided instruction so that system-specific training and project-wide capacity building complement each other.vi. Readiness and implementation supportSupport RBF in assessing readiness for pilot testing, and production launch across the QR project, including participant readiness, completion of user testing, NPS configuration, operating procedures and support arrangements. Identify outstanding issues, recommend actions and help coordinate the initial implementation period. Prepare a completion and handover report with remaining actions and arrangements for continued participant onboarding through the industry compliance deadline.Vii. Clearing, settlement, reconciliation, operations and service managementProvide support in defining transaction routing, clearing and settlement arrangements, liquidity and finality considerations, reconciliation, exception handling, failed transaction, reversals, refunds and dispute handling procedures. Assist RBF develop managment reports covering transaction volume and value, avilability, failure, fraud, complaints, merchant coverage and adoption, Develop dashboards, data standards and compliance monitoring.Scope ExclusionsThe consultant will provide independent advisory, coordination and quality assurance support. The CA vendor will remain responsible for developing, configuring, documenting and correcting the CA solution and for other outputs required by its contract. Participating institutions and the responsible system operators or technical providers will remain responsible for implementing changes to their own systems, including authorised NPS configuration changes.This TOR does not assign the consultant responsibility for software development, production-system administration or delivery of the CA vendor’s contractual obligations. Any independent cybersecurity testing or technical audit will require a separately agreed scope and confirmation of the procurement arrangements before commissioning.Expected Outputs and Reporting ObligationsThe consultant will prepare the following working products in line with the agreed implementation schedule. The inception work plan will confirm submission dates, review responsibilities and dependencies on RBF, vendors and participating institutions. The outputs cover the overall QR project and should incorporate or refer to vendor documentation where appropriate.Expected Output | Content | Indicative Timing1. Inception Report and Work Plan | Confirmed QR project scope, implementation plan, roles and responsibilities, schedule, dependencies, initial risk register and coordination arrangements. | At inception2. Technical and Integration Review | Project-level technical review and advice on participant integration, NPS configuration for QR payments, implementation issues, quality assurance and recommended actions. | During implementation; updated as required3. Testing and Participant Readiness Package | Integration and user acceptance test plans and cases, readiness criteria, issue tracker and summary of test results and corrective actions. | Before and during testing4. Operational Documentation and Training Package | QR project and operating procedures, templates, working guidance, training materials and records of capacity-building activities. | Before launch and handover5. Implementation Readiness and Completion Report | Readiness assessment before launch; completion and handover record at the end of the core assignment, including outstanding actions and continued participant onboarding. | Before the launch decision and at assignment completionReporting ObligationsThe consultant will report administratively to the Project Coordinator within the PIFS Project Management Unit (PMU) and work with RBF on a day-to-day technical basis. Technical priorities, work planning and expected outputs will be agreed with RBF, PIFS and the World Bank project team. Coordination will include the PIFS Payment Systems Specialist and Fiji Country Coordinator as relevant.Short monthly activity notes will summarise work undertaken, meetings held, outputs prepared, implementation progress, issues requiring decisions and planned activities. The consultant will maintain a current action tracker covering responsibilities, deadlines, risks and dependencies, and provide additional progress updates during testing and launch preparation as agreed with RBF. Timesheets and payment documentation will be provided as required by the agreed contract.Technical outputs will be submitted to RBF and PIFS for review and shared with the World Bank where required under project arrangements. The consultant will incorporate consolidated comments and provide final working products in editable formats, together with a completion and handover record.Monthly progress update report to be provided to RBF by the 5th working day of the new month.Duration, Location and Institutional ArrangementsThe core assignment is expected to run for approximately six months, aligned with the overall QR implementation plan and the CA vendor’s implementation timetable. A limited amount of follow-up support may be required for additional participant onboarding before 30 June 2027. The level of effort and any follow-up period will be agreed before contracting, subject to project needs and available budget.The assignment will combine work in Suva and remote support. The consultant will propose an input schedule that supports implementation coordination, participant testing, training and launch preparation. The number and identity of initial participants and the balance of on-site and remote inputs will be confirmed with RBF and PIFS.PIFS will contract the consultant through the Pacific Strengthening CBR Project. RBF will act as the primary technical counterpart, designate the relevant staff and facilitate engagement with the CA vendor, participating institutions and other technical providers. RBF will provide access to relevant standards, guidelines, project documentation and technical information, subject to confidentiality requirements. Meeting facilities and workspace may be provided subject to availability.Performance IndicatorsPerformance will be assessed through the quality and timeliness of the agreed outputs and the consultant’s support to RBF. The assessment will consider whether the implementation plan and action tracker are maintained; technical and NPS configuration issues are documented and escalated; participant testing and readiness are supported by evidence; and procedures, training and handover materials are usable by RBF after the assignment.The consultant’s performance will be assessed against its agreed responsibilities. Vendor delivery, participant system changes and RBF approval decisions will remain with the responsible parties, with the consultant expected to identify dependencies and report delays or unresolved issues promptly.Confidentiality and Conflict of InterestThe consultant shall comply with PIFS and applicable World Bank requirements on confidentiality, conflicts of interest, anti-corruption and prevention of fraudulent practices. Sensitive RBF, vendor and participant information shall be used only for the assignment and shall not be published or disclosed without prior written consent from PIFS and RBF, and World Bank clearance where required.The consultant shall disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest before contract signature and throughout the assignment, including relationships with the CA vendor or participating institutions. The consultant must be able to provide independent advice and quality assurance and shall not review its own vendor deliverables. Participation in related downstream procurement shall be subject to applicable conflict-of-interest restrictions.Consultant Qualification RequirementsThe assignment requires a consultant or consulting team with experience in payment systems implementation and the ability to coordinate a multi-participant QR project. The lead consultant or Team Leader should meet the experience requirement below, with access to specialist inputs appropriate to the agreed scope.Area | Qualification / ExperienceLead consultant / Team Leader | At least 10 years of relevant experience in payment systems or digital payments, including prior support to a central bank, payment system operator or financial-sector regulator.Project management and coordination | Experience leading or coordinating payment-system implementation, managing vendor and participant dependencies, and providing project management guidance and implementation advice.QR payments and system integration | Experience with QR code payment schemes, interoperability, payment processing and participant integration, including the payment-system configuration requirements for QR payments.Quality assurance and testing | Experience with system integration testing, user acceptance testing, production readiness, cybersecurity and operational resilience for payment systems.Documentation and capacity building | Ability to prepare payment-system procedures, technical and project documentation, templates and training materials, and deliver practical capacity building for RBF and participating institutions.Specialist inputs | Access to payment-system configuration, cybersecurity and testing expertise, and to public key infrastructure (PKI) / Certificate Authority expertise where needed to address QR integration dependencies. These inputs must respect the CA vendor’s contractual responsibilities.Regional experience | Experience in Fiji, the Pacific or other small and capacity-constrained markets would be an advantage.Selection MethodThe selection process will follow the approved procurement plan and applicable PIFS and World Bank requirements. The procurement documents will specify the evaluation approach for the confirmed consulting arrangement and the requirements set out above. The contract will confirm fees, input schedule, travel arrangements, reporting obligations and confidentiality and conflict-of-interest undertakings.