81320021-Expert Pool for Policy and Technical Advisory Services on Artificial Intelligence for Social Protection

In times of multiple and overlapping crises, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) attributes high importance to the development of inclusive and adaptive social protection systems. BMZ is committed to supporting the expansion of social protection around the globe and works closely with its multilateral and international partners towards achieving this goal. The initiative "AI Hub for Social Protection of DCI" of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and its partners support this endeavor through (i) advising social protection institutions in designing, implementing and governing responsible AI systems and strategies, (ii) creating learning materials and virtual trainings for enhancing AI literacy capacities of social protection practitioners, (iii) creating and sharing knowledge products with and through a sector-wide global expert network and (iv) establishing a digital platform for developing and sharing AI Digital Public Goods (DPGs) in Social Protection (SP) including standards, data sets and software. The AI Hub for Social Protection is an endeavor of the Digital Convergence Initiative (DCI) which was launched in 2021 under the umbrella of the Global Partnership for Universal Social Protection (USP2030), with a view to harmonization and standardization of the digital ecosystem in social protection. Under the DCI structure, the AI Hub supports countries in navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of AI while promoting the principles of responsible, innovative and sovereign AI adoption within unique country contexts. During its inception phase the AI Hub will collaborate with a group of core partners to shape its strategic and thematic orientation. Among these core partners there are institutions with strong sectoral and technical expertise and a demonstrated commitment to contributing to global processes. This includes the Ministry for Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the construction sector (BG BAU), the Federation of German Pension Insurance Institutions (DRV Bund), the International Social Security Association (ISSA), and DataPrev, a Social Security Information and Technology Enterprise of the Brazilian government responsible for managing the social data of the National Social Security Institute (INSS). Their engagement will be instrumental in driving the Hub"s four key areas of activity: country support, knowledge creation and sharing, capacity development and digital public goods and standards. The application of AI in social protection systems holds immense potential to improve efficiency, inclusion, and adaptability - essential factors for safeguarding vulnerable populations in times of crisis. Yet, challenges such as missing or weak AI governance and regulatory frameworks, lack of expertise regarding where and how to best deploy AI-driven solutions as well as limited technical expertise or low availability of high-quality data can prevent governments from fully leveraging these benefits. As AI advances rapidly, social protection institutions struggle to keep pace, limiting their ability to harness the benefits of AI for enhancing their social protection systems, while upholding human rights and ensuring equitable access to services. To date, the AI Hub"s services have been primarily delivered through digital social protection experts from the field of international development cooperation with deep sectoral expertise in building inclusive, interoperable, and harmonized digital social protection systems. These experts possess extensive experience supporting governments in their digital transformation efforts, particularly within low- and middle-income countries characterized by limited resources and digital maturity. While highly valuable, this expertise alone does not encompass the full spectrum of skills and capabilities necessary to implement the AI Hub activities and particularly, deliver its strategic and technical advisory services supported by proven methodologies and tools to social protection institutions in an efficient and effective manner for guiding them on their responsible AI adoption journey. Recognizing the emerging and rapidly evolving landscape of AI technologies and their potential to transform social protection systems, this procurement aims to contract a project team encompassing interdisciplinary, specialized AI and digital transformation experts for public sector clients with an extensive background in management and technology consulting with regard to AI strategy and implementation from the private sector. These experts will complement existing sectoral specialists and bring critical additional capabilities to the AI Hub"s service delivery and strategic development. Consultants under this contract shall closely work together with other AI Hub staff such as the before mentioned digital social protection experts, thereby ensuring an active and systematic knowledge exchange, beneficial for the overall project.