Request for Proposal (RFP) for a firm ‘To Support Sindh Investment Department (SID) & Board of Investment (BOI) to Improve Pakistan’s Competitive Ranking Under Business Ready (B-Ready) Index’

Job details

RFP Details Name of the Assignment is: Support Sindh Investment Department (SID) & Board of Investment (BOI) to Improve Pakistan’s Competitive Ranking Under Business Ready (B-Ready) Index The method of selection is Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) Method Financial Proposal to be submitted together with Technical Proposal: Yes Proposals must be submitted no later than the following date and time: Date: 16 th December 2025 at 5pm PKT. Expected date for commencement of services: 26th December 2025 Clarifications and queries should be directed to: [email protected] Pre bid meeting: No Firms may prepare joint bids, or bid as a consortium with one lead firm: No Amounts payable to the Firm under the contract to be subject to local taxation, stamp duty and service charges, if applicable: Yes Firm must submit (i) the Technical Proposal, and (ii) the Financial Proposal. Soft copies to be sent to: [email protected] Terms of Reference • Brief overview Revenue Mobilisation, Investment and Trade (REMIT) programme is a nine-year (2019- 28) technical assistance programme funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), United Kingdom to support Pakistan in implementing strategic reforms in the realm of economic development, trade, investment and revenue mobilisation. The key outcomes under the programme will be contributing towards strengthening the macroeconomic stability and improving conditions for high and sustained growth, mutual prosperity, job creation and poverty reduction in Pakistan. More specifically, REMIT programme aims at supporting the Government of Pakistan in the following areas: • Enhance revenue mobilisation capabilities and help raise the tax/GDP ratio by increasing the number of taxpayers; • Address the investment climate constraints faced by local and international businesses and support Pakistan in moving towards being one of the top reformer countries to do business in creating ease for businesses; • Facilitate trade and drive competitiveness by reducing barriers to trade and reducing Pakistan’s trade deficit by helping increase exports; • Modernise formulation and implementation of macroeconomic policy to avoid future financial crises. As part of the Investment Climate workstream, REMIT has been supporting the Government of Pakistan to advance a comprehensive regulatory reform programme aimed at strengthening the country’s business enabling environment. REMIT has helped federal and provincial counterparts identify bottlenecks, streamline regulatory processes, and introduce practical reforms that improve transparency, reduce compliance burdens, and modernise service delivery. Building on this work, REMIT is now supporting the Sindh Investment Department (SID), Board of Investment (BoI), and the Prime Minister’s Office to design and implement an ambitious reform programme aligned with the World Bank’s B-READY framework. Through the mobilisation of an experienced international consulting firm, REMIT will assist the government in developing a structured reform methodology, conducting diagnostics and benchmarking, engaging regulators and private sector stakeholders, and preparing actionable regulatory and operational reforms. This effort—spanning January to August 2025 aims to deliver sequenced reform packages that improve Pakistan’s competitiveness, enhance institutional capacity, and generate measurable de-facto improvements in business processes and service delivery. • Task Background A consulting firm is required to work closely with the SID, BOI and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to design and support the implementation of a comprehensive reform programme aligned with the World Bank’s B-READY assessment framework. The firm will undertake detailed regulatory and institutional diagnostics, benchmark Pakistan’s business processes against global best practices, and identify critical reforms across key domains such as business entry, property registration, utilities, labour, trade facilitation, taxation, and dispute resolution. Building on the federal reform methodology already tested by BoI, the firm will develop actionable reform proposals, prepare Decision Memos for submission to the Cabinet Committee on Regulatory Reforms (CCoRR) and relevant provincial authorities, and support the government in implementing regulatory, legislative, procedural, and digital improvements. A central part of the assignment is to strengthen institutional capability—equipping SID and BoI with the tools, methodologies, and reform tracking systems needed to sustain a structured, evidence-based approach to business environment reforms and ensure measurable de-facto improvements in service delivery and competitiveness. • Objectives of the Assignment The objective of the assignment is to support the SID, BoI, and the PMO in designing and implementing a structured reform programme aligned with the B-READY framework. The firm will help identify critical regulatory and operational bottlenecks, develop evidence-based reform proposals, strengthen scoring and measurement mechanisms, and build institutional capacity to sustain a systematic approach to business environment reforms. Scope of Work • Conduct Regulatory & Institutional Diagnostics Undertake a comprehensive assessment of federal and provincial regulatory and institutional frameworks to identify structural gaps, overlapping mandates, and inefficiencies linked to B-READY indicators. • Benchmarking & Methodology Review Analyse the B-READY methodology and benchmark Pakistan’s current processes against global practices to identify scoring gaps and priority areas for reform. • Regulatory Process Evaluation Review business-related procedures for legality, necessity, relevance, operational efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, and assess compliance requirements through consultations and regulatory impact assessments (RIA). • Develop Actionable Reform Proposals Translate diagnostic findings into practical recommendations, including de-jure and de-facto reforms, supported by a strengthened measurement and scoring framework with time, cost, and compliance KPIs. • Support Implementation & Reform Tracking Assist SID and BoI in implementing agreed reforms through legislative, regulatory, procedural, and digital changes, and develop an Excel-based reform tracking tool to monitor progress and expected improvements in B-READY scores. • Stakeholder Consultations Conduct structured consultations with federal and provincial governments, private sector representatives, SMEs, women entrepreneurs, and development partners to validate proposed reforms and ensure institutional ownership. • Decision Memo Preparation Prepare detailed Decision Memos for all agreed reforms for submission to the Cabinet Committee on Regulatory Reforms (CCoRR) and relevant provincial authorities. • Communications & Outreach Support Work with SID and BoI to strengthen reform visibility through bilingual outreach materials, communication modules, and tools to demonstrate on-ground impact. • Capacity Building & Workshops Organise capacity-building workshops for federal and provincial counterparts to enhance understanding of B-READY indicators, reform methodology, RIA processes, and reform implementation. • Reform Roadmap & Final Action Plan Develop a phased reform roadmap outlining short-, medium-, and long-term actions, institutional responsibilities, delivery timelines, and monitoring mechanisms. D. Functional Requirements Timeline The firm is expected to deliver all outputs within the contract period (January–August 2026). The deadlines for each deliverable are as follows: • Inception Report – 31 December 2025 • Diagnostic & Benchmarking Report – 26 February 2026 • Draft Reform Framework – 08 April 2026 • Stakeholder Consultation & Validation Report – 06 May 2026 • Reform Mapping Tool and Decision Memos – 17 June 2026 • Outreach and Communications Strategy – 01 July 2026 • Final Reform Action Plan – 22 July 2026 • Final Presentation and submission of all supporting documents – 19 August 2026 Pakistan License, Clearance and Approvals The prospective vendors will include in the timeline any time needed to obtain any licenses, clearances, and/or approvals required under local legal requirements to produce or deliver the products and/or services described in the Scope of Work. Qualifications and Experience Firms should have demonstrated experience in the following: • Proven track record and experience of successfully implementing guillotine and regulatory reforms internationally, especially in developing and emerging economies. • Experience of delivering large scale projects aimed at improving the ease of doing business and stimulating economic growth through regulatory streamlining. • Demonstrated expertise in conducting regulatory impact assessments (RIA), including legal, economic, and administrative reviews to evaluate regulatory bottlenecks and identify high-impact reforms. • Experience working in multi-tiered gov