Mid NATIONAL STTA – SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

(KPTA Strengthening Financial Management, Digital Accountability, and Institutional Capacity for Effective Implementation of PFM Reforms in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

Programme Overview: Evidence for Health (E4H) is a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)-funded programme aimed at strengthening Pakistan's healthcare system, thereby decreasing the burden of illness and saving lives. E4H provides technical assistance (TA) to the Federal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Punjab governments, and is being implemented by Palladium along with Oxford Policy Management (OPM).

Through its flexible, embedded, and demand-driven model, E4H supports the government to achieve a resilient health system that is prepared for health emergencies, responsive to the latest evidence, and delivers equitable, quality, and efficient healthcare services. Specifically, E4H delivers TA across three outputs:

Output 1: Strengthened integrated health security, with a focus on preparing and responding to health emergencies, including pandemics.

Output 2: Strengthened evidence-based decision-making to drive health sector performance and accountability.

Output 3: Improved implementation of Universal Health Coverage, with a focus on ending preventable deaths.

Background

The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has adopted the Facility Level Budget and Expenditure Management Policy (Health), 2024 (FLB-EMP) to move primary healthcare financial management from pooled, centralised arrangements towards facility-level planning, budgeting, execution and accountability. E4H technical assistance has supported the Department of Health (DOH) to pilot and subsequently expand the reform, with facility-level budgets now incorporated into the government budget for the E4H-supported districts.

The reform has now reached an important execution stage. The Health Department is in the process of establishing Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) functions at Rural Health Centre (RHC) level by authorising RHC in-charges to spend the budgets allocated to their respective facilities. This administrative process is expected to be completed within the coming weeks, creating an immediate need to ensure that the new DDOs can exercise their responsibilities in a compliant, confident and accountable manner.

The institutionalisation priorities are therefore threefold: convert the approved FLB/DDO Manual into standard PHSA training modules and materials; build the practical financial-management capacity of RHC in-charges and their support teams; and establish a government-owned, searchable expenditure-tracking dashboard linked with IFMIS/HISDU for routine monthly budget execution review and management use.

This assignment is an extension of the existing E4H FLB implementation TA. The existing PFM Expert and Capacity Building Expert will therefore be extended to preserve institutional memory, established working relationships and technical continuity from policy operationalisation and district implementation into the institutionalisation phase. Both experts have led or supported the development of FLB tools, the DDO Manual, district capacity building, budget preparation and government coordination; retaining them avoids a new learning curve and enables the six-month extension to focus immediately on institutional transfer, DDO readiness and practical implementation.

Problem Statement: FLB has moved successfully from policy design and facility-level budget preparation to the point where RHC in-charges are expected to assume DDO responsibilities. The remaining challenge is to ensure that these responsibilities are supported by institutionalised PHSA training, practical DDO capacity and routine digital visibility of facility-level expenditure through existing government systems, rather than by continued intensive TA or parallel tools..

Goal and Objective(s): The overall goal of this TA extension is to institutionalise the execution-side requirements of FLB-EMP within routine Health Department systems so that newly authorised RHC DDOs can manage facility budgets effectively, while sustainable training and digital expenditure monitoring are embedded within government structures.

The TA extension will achieve this by pursuing three objectives:

Objected 1: Institutionalise FLB/DDO capacity building within PHSA by converting the approved FLB/DDO Manual into standard training modules, facilitator and participant materials, assessment tools and an institutional delivery mechanism for induction, promotional and refresher training.

Objected 2: Strengthen the practical capacity of RHC in-charges and nominated support staff to exercise DDO responsibilities, including budget execution, delegated financial powers, procurement, AG/DAO requirements, financial records, reconciliation, reporting, internal controls and audit readiness.

Objected 3: Establish a government-owned FLB E-App, hosted on government infrastructure and linked with relevant government financial and health information systems (IFMIS/DHIS-2 and upcoming HISDU), as agreed in the requirements and architecture phase (D1b), to support facility-level budget preparation, scrutiny and consolidation, expenditure tracking and financial reporting, with consolidated information available to district and provincial management.

Scope of Work and Methodology

The TA will be implemented from October 2026 to August 2027. E4H will provide focused technical assistance for module conversion, initial DDO capacity strengthening and development and handover of the FLB E-App, while PHSA, FMC, DGHS, DHOs, and relevant digital-system counterparts provide the institutional platform, resource persons, data access and routine follow-up required for government ownership. To strengthen government ownership and accountability, focal persons will be formally nominated during inception from PHSA, FMC, DGHS, HISDU, Finance Department and AG/DAO, as relevant, with their respective roles documented for module approval, training delivery, data access, E-App hosting and administration, testing, handover and post-TA follow-up. The scope is organised around three workstreams.

Inception Phase: The TA will commence with a short inception phase to confirm the scope and sequencing of activities across the three workstreams. This will include confirming the scope, approach and phasing, data sources, identifying relevant government focal points and trainers to be trained for scaling up, agreeing the implementation timeline and responsibilities, and reviewing key implementation risks and appropriate mitigation measures. The inception phase will ensure that delivery arrangements are practical, government-owned and aligned with existing systems before full implementation begins. For the E-App, the requirements and architecture phase will confirm and document  the agreed functional requirements, including budget preparation and consolidation workflows; availability and applicability of existing technical specifications; data sources and integration requirements; hosting, data-access and security arrangements; technical delivery resources and costs; and module-wise testing and acceptance criteria. These arrangements will be validated with HSRU/FMC and the relevant government digital-system counterparts before application development proceeds.

Workstream 1 – Institutionalisation of FLB/DDO Training through PHSA: The approved FLB/DDO Manual will be converted into standardised PHSA training modules, including defined learning outcomes, facilitator and participant materials, presentations, practical exercises, case studies, and assessment tools. The modules will be embedded within PHSA’s routine training system, including relevant induction and promotional training, while providing a standardised platform for future refresher and DDO training. PHSA and FMC will jointly own the technical content and delivery arrangements, with E4H providing technical support for module development, instructional design, and initial institutionalisation.
Workstream 2 – Capacity Strengthening of RHC DDOs: A five-day, competency-based programme will strengthen the practical financial management capacity of RHC in-charges in preparation for DDO authorisation: Training will cover delegated financial powers, budget execution, Chart of Accounts, procurement, payment processing, AG/DAO requirements, cash book and inventory management, reconciliation, financial reporting, internal controls, and audit readiness. The programme will target at least two officials from approximately 48 RHCs and two from each of 10 DHO offices (approximately 116 participants), delivered in manageable cohorts. Government will support participant nomination, training infrastructure, and resource persons from PHSA, FMC, DGHS, Finance Department and AG/DAO. E4H will provide technical adaptation, initial delivery support, practical assessment and quality assurance, with subsequent refresher training transitioning to government institutions.

Workstream 3 – Establishment and Operationalisation of FLB E-App:[GS1.1][MQ1.2] Using the SRS/FRS developed under KP SPEED as the starting point, reviewed and updated for the agreed scope, and the FMC budget forms, a new government-owned FLB E-App will be developed to support facility-level budget preparation, scrutiny and consolidation, expenditure tracking and financial reporting. The E-App will be designed for eventual province-wide use, with initial operationalisation focused on the agreed FLB districts. Integration with IFMIS, HISDU and DHIS2, as relevant, will be based on agreed data requirements, access permissions and technical feasibility, with hosting and security arrangements confirmed with the designated government system owner. Development and operationalisation will follow four phases:

Phase 1 – Requirements and system architecture (November–December 2026): Confirm functional requirements, existing specifications, budget forms and reporting workflows, data sources, integration arrangements, hosting, security requirements, technical resources and module-wise acceptance criteria in consultation with HSRU/FMC, HISDU, DGHS and other relevant government counterparts, and assess building the E-App on the DHIS 2 platform.

Phase 2 – Budget preparation and consolidation (January–March 2027): Prioritise a first release covering the existing BHU and RHC budget forms, targeted for the end of January 2027, to support the FY 2027–28 budget preparation cycle (February–April 2027). The TA will support the FLB Expansion TA, FMC and DHO focal persons in piloting the application during budget preparation, scrutiny and consolidation. Remaining agreed budgeting features and facility categories will be targeted for completion by the end of March 2027. The January release will be subject to a readiness assessment and go/no-go decision with FMC; if the application is not ready, the budget exercise will proceed using existing tools.

Phase 3 – Expenditure tracking and financial reporting (April–July 2027): Develop and operationalise functionality for monitoring approved budgets, expenditure, utilisation, available balances and agreed financial indicators, including consolidated reporting for district and provincial management. The TA will support DHOs and FMC in using the application for Budget Execution Reviews.

Phase 4 – Testing, institutionalisation and handover (June–August 2027): Complete user acceptance testing, operationalisation in the agreed FLB districts, user guidance and system documentation, and formal handover to designated government system owners. The TA will provide approved user tutorials and time-bound troubleshooting and mentoring support within the implementation period. HSRU/FMC and the designated hosting body will assume their agreed responsibilities for application operation, data management, security, administration and maintenance, with a government-led plan for future expansion to the remaining districts.

Sustainability: Capacity Building, Institutionalisation, and/or Transition Planning: Capacity building will be competency-based and directly linked to the DDO responsibilities being assigned to RHC in-charges. Government will nominate the RHC/DHO participants, provide PHSA/DHDC or other available training infrastructure and designated resource persons from PHSA, FMC, and DGHS. E4H will provide focused technical adaptation, initial facilitation and quality assurance during the training sessions.

PHSA will be the permanent institutional home for the standard FLB/DDO modules and training materials, with FMC maintaining technical PFM content and DGHS/DHOs supporting operational application. Once the modules and initial cohorts are completed, refresher and future DDO training will be delivered through government training arrangements and recurrent resources rather than repeated stand-alone trainings. The pool of departmental officials prepared as trainers through the initial five-day programme will provide government with trained resource persons to support future replication and scale-up. PHSA will integrate this module into Training Database and Analytical Dashboard (Previously developed through E4H STS TA support).

The digital component will also be embedded in routine government systems. FMC will own the budget, expenditure and financial reporting processes and content, and HISDU, or the hosting body confirmed in the requirements and architecture phase, will host, administer and maintain the FLB E-App on government infrastructure, drawing data from IFMIS/HISDU. System administration and user management will be assigned to designated posts with alternates. Following handover of each module, the hosting body and FMC will operate the E-App with time-bound, on-demand troubleshooting and mentoring from E4H up to August 2027, covering monthly expenditure tracking and the budget-preparation pilot. Support will reduce as government counterparts demonstrate independent operation, and E4H will not substitute for government operation of the system. Before closure, the hosting body and FMC will demonstrate agreed functions independently, including user administration, data refresh and deployment, and the recurrent hosting and maintenance arrangements will be confirmed at the end of the requirements and architecture phase, with open-source technologies preferred to avoid licence costs. FMC will prepare a plan for extending the E-App to the remaining districts at the closure of the TA, with technical input from E4H. Source code, databases, documentation and administrator access will be transferred to government repositories with an indexed register and written confirmation of receipt. Reuse of existing specifications and FMC forms, government hosting and the absence of licence fees support value for money.

Timeline and Days

The proposed LOE is 60 days from October 2026 to March 2027 subject to final confirmation from client.

Requirement

Technical Expertise

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering or a related field, with at least 5 years’ experience in web application development.
• Experience in user interface development, relational databases (e.g. PostgreSQL/MySQL), REST APIs and data integration, testing, and deployment on Linux servers; experience with government or donor-funded information systems desirable; DHIS 2 experience an advantage.

Competencies

• Working to agreed specifications; version control and code documentation; technical testing; responsiveness to user feedback.