Expression of Interest for Technical Solution for the Development of a Government Payments Hub for the Bre-B Ecosystem. Short- and medium-term objectives include: Developing a scalable architecture based on widely accepted and robust technological practices and standards, enabling scalability and integration by multiple government agencies in future deployments. Mapping additional services to those of alias resolution, payment processing, and settlement that are desirable for subsidy disbursement (e.g., reconciliation, error management, program enrollment and incorporation, beneficiary notifications, transaction enablement) and that can be proposed to the Central Bank for development. Identifying required services and improvements for current and potential future Bre-B participants to enable secure integration. Identifying the optimal development and implementation path for subsidy payments through Bre-B in the medium term, including identifying the entity or entities responsible for administration and operation, considering technical and operational capacity, market neutrality, impact on existing infrastructure, and technological adaptation needs. The Total Cost of Ownership methodology is recommended to estimate expenses and investments required for implementation. The optimal path should also consider legal aspects and financial stability resulting from the potential incorporation of new participants in the Bre-B ecosystem. Proposing a market implementation plan. 1. Scope The selected firm must develop the project in two phases: Phase 1: Implementation of the account selection functionality for receiving benefits via aliases. Phase 2: Preliminary analysis of different alternatives for implementing the disbursement functionality through the Bre-B ecosystem, considering aspects already defined in the relevant regulations (Circular Reglamentaria DSP-465 and its amendments) and possible interim solutions implemented by the Central Bank. 1.1. Phase 1 Technical Solution for Account Selection Functionality via Aliases Design the HPG architecture to integrate the following functionality: Mapping of aliases and linking government payment programs to individuals, focusing on subsidies, monetary transfers, and other social protection payments. Specification of modular and scalable components. The HPG must include basic functionalities for alias mapping and disbursement: Program incorporation and beneficiary alias mapping: Allows government programs (e.g., subsidies, transfers) to integrate into the Bre-B ecosystem and be linked by beneficiaries with aliases used to identify transactional accounts. Beneficiary validation: Ensures the linked alias is associated with the correct person, verifying account names against aliases (e.g., phone number, ID, email) and using Verification of Payee (VoP) or other available mechanisms. The alias mapping service must be designed according to the following criteria: Integration with financial providers: The alias mapping system must have technological capabilities for native integration into financial service providers access channels (mobile apps, e-wallets, online banking, ATMs, etc.), ensuring beneficiaries can select and link accounts from their usual platforms, using host-to-host mechanisms, standardized APIs, or gateways for information sharing. Digital government and multichannel access: The design must facilitate integration of alias mapping functionality into government agencies portals, apps, and digital service systems, enabling multichannel access for beneficiaries. Standardized and secure integration services: Develop standardized and secure APIs or other integration mechanisms to enable integration with government entities digital channels, ensuring scalability and interoperability between public and private systems. Automatic updating and provision of information to government agencies: Once an alias is successfully linked to an account, information must be automatically shared with the relevant government agencies, ensuring they have updated data for program execution. If an alias is canceled, suspended, or modified, the system must immediately update and notify the agency with the linked alias, ensuring continuity, integrity, and reliability of information. Legal and Governance Framework o Identify legal, regulatory, and governance enablers necessary for implementation. o Review mandates, beneficiary rights, data protection, among others. Technological and Operational Implementation Proposal o Assess technical and operational reliability needs, including cybersecurity requirements to be incorporated into the HPG architecture, ensuring a secure, resilient design prepared for emerging threats. All integrations, both with financial providers and government systems, must include robust cybersecurity, authentication, and access control measures, ensuring personal data protection and resilience against threats. o Evaluate the development path of the technical solution, including proprietary developments, use of external providers, use of open-source software, considering existing infrastructure and necessary adaptations to ensure interoperability, scalability, and resilience. o Apply a Total Cost of Ownership analysis to estimate investment, operation, and sustainability costs over time. Propose monitoring, reporting, and project management mechanisms. 1.2. Phase 2 Preliminary Analysis of Alternatives to Implement the Disbursement Functionality via the Bre-B Ecosystem The consultancy must conduct a preliminary analysis of the positive and negative considerations for implementing the following disbursement models, to inform the decision and subsequent implementation of the optimal path by the Central Bank: Intermediated/Sponsored Model: A commercial bank or other payment service provider, already a participant in the immediate payment system, executes payments on behalf of national and subnational governments. Decentralized Agency Model: Each ministry or government agency, at both national and subnational levels, connects to the immediate payment system (via HPG) and executes its own disbursements. Centralized Agency Model: A single government agency is responsible for consolidating payments for all programs at national and subnational levels and entering them into the immediate payment system. Central Bank/Operator-Driven Model: The central bank or immediate payment system operator directly manages and executes all government disbursements, both at national and subnational levels, within the SPI. The chosen disbursement model must guarantee certain standards and/or include basic functionalities applicable to the broader Bre-B ecosystem (many already regulated by Circular Reglamentaria DSP-465 and its amendments), as well as regulatory and operational elements specific to subsidy payment use cases and the needs of respective government agencies. These include: Automation and standardization: Enables fully automated and standardized disbursements, following a Straight-Through Processing (STP) scheme to minimize manual intervention and avoid operational errors. Techniques for non-alteration of payment orders/files, such as digital signatures, timestamping, and cryptographic hashing. Authorization and access control: Allows role-based authorization flows, including validation via MFA (multi-factor authentication) and digital signatures for high-volume or high-value orders. Beneficiary validation: Ensures payment is sent to the correct person, verifying account names against aliases and using Verification of Payee (VoP). Disbursement execution: Collects eligibility/payment data from ministries or government agencies, standardizes it in the required format for the immediate payment system, and prepares it for mass execution. Exception and error handling: Provides workflows for rejected or failed payments: retries, alternative routing (e.g., to another account/wallet), or escalation to the ministry/government agency for manual resolution. Integration with treasuries and settlement: Connects with Treasury systems of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit or respective Finance Secretariats to manage pre-financing or settlement accounts, ensuring liquidity for disbursements. Reconciliation: Captures confirmation or rejection messages from the immediate payment system and financial institutions. Produces standardized reports for ministries/government agencies at national and subnational levels, showing which payments were successful, which failed, and why. Standards and/or additional services related to user experience, claims or dispute management, or promotion. 2. Deliverables a) Inception report Methodology, work plan, and strategy. b) Technical architecture document regarding alias functionality design (Phase 1). c) Implementation roadmap for Phase 1 Development and implementation plan, cost analysis, and governance proposals. d) Interim, final, and presentation reports Interim report with design and implementation of the technical solution for alias functionality (Phase 1), and a final report incorporating the preliminary analysis for different disbursement models (Phase 2), including synthesis of findings, recommendations, and validated roadmap with the Central Bank and other relevant counterparts. 3. Required Profile The firm must demonstrate: Proven experience in SPI architectures, government payments, and alias-based services. Deep knowledge of the Bre-B ecosystem in Colombia and the digital payments market. Experience working with central banks, ministries/secretariats, and other agencies at both national and subnational levels. Multidisciplinary capabilities combining technical, legal, and public policy perspectives. Given the high technological content of the project, at least 80% of the consultancy time must be devoted to technological aspects of the solution. Tender Link : https://wbgeprocure-rfxnow.worldbank.org/rfxnow/public/advertisement/6389/view.html
