Royal Government of Cambodia

Ministry of Economy and Finance

Public Financial Management Reform Program

Terms of Reference for ICT Advisor

Background of Reform Program

The Royal Government of Cambodia has considered good governance as the core of the Rectangular Strategy. In response to this strategy, the Ministry of Economy has initiated a Public Financial Management Reform Program (PFM)[1] and it was officially launched in December 2004.

The aim of this reform is to improve the standards of management and accountability in the mobilization of all government current and capital resources and effectiveness and efficiency in the use of resources in their application to the operation of the government and other priority programs.

To achieve this aim, the whole PFM program has been divided into 4 major different stagesand prepared in such a way that the programme as a whole is owned and managed by the Government and its staff.An overall framework was developed and agreed by the Government with funding partners.

Each Department has then been involved in developing its own more detailed plans and activities. One of the major activities in the PFM program has been identified as the Financial Management Information System with its main task is to improve information about both financial and service performance.

Background to Post

In order to facilitate the FMIS work, the Ministry of Economy and Finance has created the Information Communication Technology Unit under the Economic and Public Finance Policy Department. This unit is essential to a successful FMIS project and is mainly responsible for developing policy, strategy, standard, strategic requirement to regulate and manage the information communication technology and future development in this area for the whole ministry.

However, the creation and development of this unit faces many challenges due to the lack of in-house staff and a lack of experience of computer based systems and their capacity to support information management. The unit is in need of substantial technical advice.

The post for which recruitment is now proposed is described below:

Post Name: ICT adviser
Name of Post (Advisory/Specialist): adviser
General Description of Function: The Ministry now seeks support for the new ICT Unit in the development of the underlying strategy and standards required to ensure compatibility and connectivity, as well as reliability of service and maintainability, of the ICT infrastructure before the current development progresses too far. This process is to seek a Consultant to develop, along with staff of the new ICT Unit, the necessary strategy and standards to address and control ICT development prior to the FMIS project components commencing.

Post Requirements

Advisor Position
The advisor will have the following functions:
  1. Provide support and advice to the Head of Information Communication Technology Unit on strategy and detailed work programming with regards to activities within the national program framework for which the Unit is responsible.
  2. Advise on staffing, resources and training necessary for the successful development of the ICT Unit and to support the implementation of those proposals.
  3. To provide direct support to implementation of those activities in the plan listed below.
  4. To provide advice as requested to other members of the Unit with responsibilities for implementing defined activities.
  5. To provide training, mentoring and skill development to staff in the department.
  6. To advise on formulating related standards, regulation and guidance including system security and risk management.
  7. To help identify and address programming issues that cut across several departments of which ICT Unit is one.
  8. To support the Head of the ICT Unit in selecting specialist and local consultants to work in the area in question and in coordinating/quality assuring the work carried out.

Post Counterparts

The appointed consultant will have as their main counterparts the Director of the Economic and Public Finance Policy Department, plus other counterparts from within the Department. In this case the nominated counterparts are:

Post / Name
Head of the ICT Unit / Mr. Phalla Phan
Other Staff
1. All deputy heads / Mr. Lay Sokheang, Mr. Moun Prathna, Mr. Seng Leang

Thesestaffs have direct responsibility for delivery of the improvements encompassed by the proposed appointment. The appointment of the consultant does not and should not detract from this responsibility. However, the consultant should regard the success of these individuals in achieving their responsibility as an obligation on himself/herself.

Working Methods

The establishment of a close collaborative working arrangement is essential. A mentoring role is important and a test of success is not just the technical delivery of the improvements targeted, but also the personal development of counterparts and other staff within the EPF Department so that they are able to sustain the improvements.

Expected Outputs

In specific terms, the consultant appointed is expected to ensure the successful implementation of the following Activities within the Reform Programme:

No / Activity Description
1 / Identify and document, all current and in-progress developments of ICT across all areas of MEF
2 / Identify in the major Ministries the National Bank of Cambodia and both Taxation and Customs Departments of MEF, their current and in-progress systems that would be expected to interface with other areas of MEF and with each other (data transfer links, email etc)
3. / Advise on staffing, resources and training necessary for the successful development of the ICT Unit and to support the implementation of those proposals.
4 / Analyze these findings and determine any issues for standardization that would positively and negatively influence a set of standards across all those entities
5 / Discuss, with NIDA the results of this study and the impacts on a Government-wide strategy and set of standards
6 / In conformity with NIDA’s standards or directions that may be in place, develop standards for the various aspects of ICT within MEF that would include:
  • desktop and notebook standards for hardware, software, disk sizes, peripherals, networks and network connections, network security, file sharing, application systems, operating systems, web and email software etc
  • file server standards for hardware, file sharing, file security, software including firewalls, routers, power supply requirements, data backup, disaster recovery, redundancy and other requirements
  • LAN and WAN standards for configuration, security, connectivity and capacity
  • connectivity across Phnom Penh and between Phnom Penh and Provinces
  • email services across the WAN and email protocols, systems, security and connectivity to external email
  • web access from the LAN and control of access and security (firewalls, virus protection, spyware etc)
  • for larger applications, databases, operating systems, security, backup and recovery, archiving, interconnectivity between applications, communications between MEF and external agencies (NBC, line Ministries, provincial treasuries), servers and configuration
  • printers, scanners, facility sharing across LANs

7 / The standards should also cover any other activities that would seem to be indicated, given the range of activities are and might reasonably be expected to require, use of ICT equipment.
8 / The Consultant should also, in conjunction with the analysis and standards formation of connectivity issues, take account of likely volumes and frequency of data transmission between sites (ie, between line Ministries, NBC, Taxation, Customs, provincial Treasuries and the IFMIS) including batch and on-line connections and to recommend best solutions of a cost effective basis given likely rapid increases of data volumes over a 3 to 5 year period, the likely life of the roll-out of the IFMIS project and the completion of Taxation and Customs software and distribution.
9 / In the light of a process of computer infrastructure investment that has already begun and proceeds apace, the Consultant should also advise on how the current environment might best be blended in to the recommended standards and identify where and how any indicated changes could be managed within the FMIS timeframe of 3 to 5 years.
10 / The Consultant should also develop a strategy for upgrade, maintenance and replacement of equipment and software (but not including FMIS which will have its own strategy).
11 / Where the Consultant becomes aware of communications infrastructure development in Cambodia that can affect the near term suitability of the recommended standards, the Consultant must identify these options and define the conditions under which the recommended standards should be revisited.
12 / The Consultant must work closely with the staff of the ICT Unit to ensure a comprehensive knowledge transfer to the new Unit and ensure all standards and strategies are fully understood. Written material must be provided in both English and Khmer and the Consultant must take all possible care that the two versions are fully compatible, given the significant use of technical terms that will be used in the documentation.
13 / To assist in the development of systems and capacities for maintaining and enforcing the standards established.
14. / To help establish a risk management plan, advise on the effective application of that plan and to help develop appropriate and practical systems to monitor and implement that plan.

Inputs

Total inputs of 6 months spread over an elapsed period of 12 months are envisaged. This volume of inputs will be contracted initially, but may be extended by mutual agreement. The nature of the contract will be for a first 3 months residential following by a multiple fixed short term periods.

As well as agreed fee rates, the appointed consultant will be provided with the costs of travel and a per diem of while in Cambodia Converted to a monthly sum for residential appointments.

Timing of Inputs

The commencement of the assignment will be with affect from 1st of June 2005 [Review]. The timing of subsequent visits will be by mutual agreement.

Reporting

The consultant will be expected to provide the following reports to the Head of ICT Unit and copy to the Reform Committee Secretariat.

Within 21 days of arrival / Submit a draft report on preliminary findings with 21 working days of commencement of the assignment;
Within 28 days after the preliminary reports / Submit a draft strategy and standards document not later than a further 28 days after the preliminary report;
Additional 5 days / An additional 5 working days would be used to present and explain, the draft strategy and standards and their justification; and
Further two weeks / A further two weeks would be required once the MEF had considered the draft and provided comments, for the Consultant to finalize the report and present it to the Ministry.
After the end of periodical visit / A brief report on progress made and next steps
At the completion of the assignment / A report on outputs achieved, contribution to performances and suggestions for any measures that need to be taken to sustain those improvements.

It is important that this assignment be completed before the Component 1 IFMIS project is completed so that Component 1, the provision of ICT services to MEF, take into account the standards and strategies of this assignment.

Skills Required

It is envisaged that the appointed consultant will have the following skill set:

Skill Area / Requirements
1. Technical skills / Hand on experience in developing information technology related to public financial management.
2. Professional qualification / A formal qualification in Information Technology and other related fields
3. Experiences / Practical experiences in advising the creation and development of Information Communication Technology in the public financial management reform program in other countries.
4. Inter-personal skills / Proven ability to rise above detailed programming and work flexibly with local counterparts to help developing countries take action in a strategic context and possess good communication and interpersonal skills.
5. Training skills / Strong ability to communicate and relate complex ideas in a way that can be absorbed by staff with little background in modern ICT and public financial management techniques.

[1]Further detail about the program can be found from MEF’s website [