MSL conducted primary research to produce a detailed mapping of business processes and institutional arrangements pertaining to the payment cycle of each program, as well as to obtain recommendations on required changes, will entail key informant interviews. The assignment carried out in close consultation with (i) the Finance Division which manages the SPBMU and is responsible for safety net budget allocations, and (ii) the A2I Program, which has been leading the dialogue on G2P payment digitization and providing advisory services to various line ministries. Specific outputs from the assignment produced by MSL were as follows:
- An inception note outlining the implementation plan for the assignment which would include the (i) proposed locations where primary research will be carried out, and (ii) proposed questionnaire for the various respondents.
- An assessment of the current payment system of each program, covering all procedural steps from fund allotments through fund transfer to beneficiaries. This provided a detailed review of the status quo (or the “as is” scenario).
- A proposal of required changes to each program, in terms of standard operating procedures, authorizing environment, systems improvements, etc., including capacity building requirements, as they related to the procedural steps from fund allotments through fund transfer to beneficiaries. This provided a detailed proposition of a potential future state (or the “should be” scenario).
- A detailed road map to implement the transition from the “as-is” to the “should-be” scenarios, providing timelines for one-time activities such as digitization of existing beneficiary records, as well as the full-scale rollout of the proposed payment system to a point where it becomes an institutionalized recurrent process.
- Workshops with policymakers and technical staff from line ministries, Finance Division, Bangladesh Bank, as well as field office staff and other relevant stakeholders, on the challenges in transitioning from the current payment system to the proposed one.
