Options for Ongoing IT Technical Support to Pacific Countries Using OpenCRVS
Statistical Innovation and Capacity Building in the Pacific Islands (PACSTAT)
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
(INDIVIDUAL CONSULTING SERVICES)
GRANT NUMBER E633-P3, P168182
Assignment Title: Options for ongoing IT technical support to Pacific countries using OpenCRVS
Reference No.: FJ-SPC-540869-CS-CQS / EOI26-10083
The Pacific Community (www.spc.int) has received financing in the amount of USD 6.0 million equivalent from the World Bank toward the cost of the Statistical Innovation and Capacity Building in the Pacific Islands Project, and it intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.
SPC now invites eligible Individual Consultants to express their interest in providing consultancy services for the assignment entitled "Options for ongoing IT technical support to Pacific countries using OpenCRVS". The assignment will support the identification and costing of sustainable options for regional IT technical support to OpenCRVS implementations in Pacific Island Countries and Territories
The assignment is expected to start in May 2026 for an anticipated duration of 3 months. The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) are available with this Request for Expressions of Interest. Interested consultants should submit information demonstrating their qualifications and relevant experience.
The evaluation criteria are:
Relevant professional experience in IT systems support, preferably within government or low-resource environments
Experience working in the Pacific Islands or similar regional contexts
Demonstrated experience with open-source systems and remote technical support models
Strong analytical, reporting, and communication skills relevant to the assignment
Knowledge of systems and processes needed to remotely support electronic systems
Strong analytical skills and ability to assess, refine, and present options based on a range of inputs
Knowledge of Open-Source approaches to software delivery
1.0 Background:
The Pacific Community (www.spc.int) has received financing in the amount of USD 6.0 million equivalent from the World Bank toward the cost of the Statistical Innovation and Capacity Building in the Pacific Islands Project, and it intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.
The Statistics for Development Division and CRVS
The SPC Statistics for Development Division leads the implementation of the Strategic Framework for Pacific Statistics, endorsed by PICT leaders in 2023. The framework promotes a regional approach to strengthening the quality, scope, and coordination of official statistics across the Pacific.
SPC supports national statistical offices by building capacity to produce reliable demographic, economic, and social data for evidence-based policy and decision making. As a regional technical provider operating across 22 PICTs, SPC plays a key role in adapting international statistical standards to Pacific contexts, particularly for small island developing states with limited resources.
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) is the system through which a country continuously records all vital events in a person's life — typically births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and adoptions. Civil registration refers to the legal, administrative process of recording these events. Vital statistics are the data produced from those records, used for planning, monitoring, and policymaking.
CRVS is important because:
It provides people with legal identity
It protects rights across the life course.
It provides population and health statistics for use by government.
It supports accountability and international reporting
It underpins digital transformation.
Key players in a CRVS system are usually health, justice and statistics agencies.
Statistical Innovation and Capacity Building in the Pacific (PACSTAT) Project
The PacStat project is an International Development Association (IDA; https://ida.worldbank.org/) funded project that is to be implemented over the period of June 2020 to February 2027. The overall development objective of PacStat is to improve the quality of welfare data collection and accessibility to comparable welfare data in the Pacific Island Countries.
The context for this project is summarized as:
PICs are characterised by small populations spread across vast areas.
More comparable data is needed to understand deprivation between countries as well as identify and monitor regional trends.
The Pacific is a region with substantial gender inequality.
Data deprivation in the PICs hinders evidence-based policy design.
Public access to data is another challenge facing the region.
Data deprivation hinders the effort to track progress on gender inequality over time and design policies to address it.
National Statistics Offices (NSOs) lack funding to meet the costs of data collection in the Pacific.
Low statistical capacity is a major challenge in addressing data deprivation.
There has been some improvement in statistical capacity over time, but results have not been sustained.
SPC is working with OpenCRVS, a not-for-profit organisation which provides civil registration software in low-resource settings using open-source code provided as a digital public good. It is currently in use in Tonga, Niue, and the Cook Islands with implementation during 2026 planned in Tonga, Tuvalu and Kiribati. This has largely been funded by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative.
2.0 Objective of the assignment
The consultant will develop options for ongoing technical support to Pacific countries using OpenCRVS. The consultant will need to engage with OpenCRVS, SPC, and each country to understand how support is currently provided and what will be required in the future.
The resulting report will assess the options and define a practical support model, including the technical scope and service levels that future vendors would need to provide. The options are likely to include, but not limited to, a shared vendor model, capacity within the SPC IT Division, or in-country capacity. It will include an assessment of the likely costs, benefits, and risks of each option. For the preferred option/s draft service specifications for use in procurement and future contract or service level agreement will be provided.
3.0 Scope of Services
The consultant will ensure a systematic and comprehensive approach to identifying and assessing options. This will likely include the following stages:
3.1 Assessment of current situation
The consultant will engage with OpenCRVS and those responsible for OpenCRVS instances in the six countries using or about to use OpenCRVS to understand current hosting and support arrangements, including any barriers to provision of remote support.
3.2 Develop and cost options
The consultant will develop options for providing technical support a regional level to any Pacific country wishing to opt-in. These options will include, but not be limited to a shared vendor model, capacity within the SPC IT Division, or developing in-country capacity. Analysis will include pros, cons, risks and cos sot each option.
3.3 Initial findings discussed with SPC
The consultant will present initial findings to SPC for selection of options for further scoping and development of procurrent and implementation support materials, including draft service specifications for use in procurement and future contract or service level agreement.
3.4 Final report with implementation plan
A final report, of no more than 10 pages plus annexes, will be presented to SPC and followed with an online discussion with SPC and other key stakeholders on proposed next steps.
4.0 Expected Outcomes, Deliverables, and Timeline
The consultant will be responsible for producing the following outputs during the 3-month assignment:
Timeline
Deliverable
Description / Output
30 May 2026
Assessment and development of options
Engagement with OpenCRVS and 6 Pacific countries to develop options and present initial finding to SPC
15 Jul 2026
Final Report
The Final Report shall be considered complete only upon formal written acceptance by SPC. SPC may request revisions to ensure the deliverable meets the required standard before final acceptance and release of the final payment.
5.0 Duration of the Assignment and Estimated Expert-Time Input
The Consultant will be engaged for 3 months. The envisaged start date for the consultancy is at the earliest opportunity and no later than 15 May 2026, and the engagement will be with flexible remote work. No travel is required.
6.0 Reporting Requirements
The consultant will report to the Programme Manager CRVS.
Progress Reporting
Provide fortnightly progress updates via email or virtual meetings summarizing activities completed, challenges encountered, and upcoming tasks.
Highlight any operational or technical issues requiring guidance or approval.
Initial findings
Provide initial findings to enable selection of preferred option/s in a short written form (email or report) for discussion in online meeting with SPC.
Final Reporting
Submit a Final Report with implementation plan by 15 July 2026
The Final Report shall be considered complete only upon formal written acceptance by SPC. SPC may request revisions to ensure the deliverable meets the required standard before final acceptance and release of the final payment.
All reports and deliverables must be submitted in English. Deliverables are to be formatted appropriately for internal use by SPC as well as for dissemination among relevant national and regional stakeholders. The consultant may be required to present key outputs during workshops or virtual meetings with SPC and national statistical office teams. Participation in additional briefings or ad hoc meetings may also be requested by SPC
7.0 Working Arrangements
The consultant will collaborate closely with the SPC Programme Manager CRVS and other relevant stakeholders throughout the assignment. The client will ensure that the consultant has access to necessary data, resources, and personnel to support the successful completion of all responsibilities.
All activities will be conducted according to the mutually agreed number of workdays and specific deliverables, as established in consultation with SPC. This consultancy is a fully remote assignment and does not require any travel. All engagement with SPC, OpenCRVS, and participating countries will be conducted through virtual meetings, email, and other remote collaboration tools. The consultant is expected to carry out assigned duties with diligence and effectiveness, consistently meeting the highest acceptable standards.
8.0 Selection Criteria – Experience and Skills
This assignment will be procured using Individual Consultant Selection (ICS) in accordance with the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers.
The consultant will be selected based on a comparison of qualifications and experience as demonstrated in the submitted CV, including:
Relevant professional experience in IT systems support, preferably within government or low-resource environments
Experience working in the Pacific Islands or similar regional contexts
Demonstrated experience with open-source systems and remote technical support models
Strong analytical, reporting, and communication skills relevant to the assignment
Technical Skills:
Knowledge of systems and processes needed to remotely support electronic systems
Strong analytical skills and ability to assess, refine, and present options based on a range of inputs
Knowledge of Open-Source approaches to software delivery
9.0 Evaluation Criteria
In accordance with the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers for Individual Consultant Selection, expressions of interest will be evaluated to identify the best qualified individual consultant based on:
Relevant professional experience
Experience in similar assignments
HOW TO APPLY:
Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below by e-mail no later than 28/04/2026 by 23:45 Noumea Time (GMT+11).
Att: Siulai Fioana Elisala – PacStat Project Manager, Statistics for Development Division, SPC: email: siulaie@spc.int and jeffm@spc.int
CC : rfq@spc.int
Reference: FJ-SPC-540869-CS-CQS