Request for proposal – Tiko – Voice Collection

Introduction/background of Tiko

Tiko Africa is an organisation that uses its digital platform called Tiko to motivate users – primarily young women and adolescent girls – to make positive choices. We use nudges like reminders, discounts, in person and digital follow-ups, and reward points to encourage our users to access and use healthy products and services. We also support them in becoming entrepreneurs and adding value to their economies. Tiko Africa’s reward points can be used to redeem products and services at local shops, or as subsidies to cover the cost of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, removing the cost to access for the users, who are primarily 15-24 year old adolescent girls and young women (AGYW).

Tiko Africa has operations in the following countries either by having offices or by working through local partners in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and South Africa.

Tiko Africa currently uses voice biometrics on the Tiko Platform and is looking to enhance the 1 to many capabilities of the voice feature.

Scope of work

Tiko Africa is looking to source a partner to conduct the collection of voice samples at Tiko clinics, Tiko pharmacies and households in Kenya. The voice collected shall assist Tiko Africa to solve 3 needs for our business.

1. User Identification
   1. Creating the ability for users to be uniquely identified on the platform with their voice. This is used in conjunction with either a Tiko card (with a unique number) or a phone number. Their voice is used to authenticate that they are the user for the profile on the system
2. Continuation:
   1. Identify the same user is coming back repeatedly to get SRH services or products
3. Fraud Prevention / Prevention of system gaming
   1. Prevent users from accessing other users accounts (IE If they find a Tiko card that belongs to someone else).

The voice sample collected will be used to train software on Kenyan voices to improve the identification of these voices in the Tiko platform.

Objectives

To collect identifiable data and voice samples from participants speakers, each with an enrollment sample and 5+ different verification samples. (IE Each voice collection will be a 6 samples for one user at minimum)

• All participants will have been informed on what the voice collection is for
• All participants need to consent to the voice being captured
• Verification calls must be at least one day after enrolment.
• Voice samples need to be collated to identifiable information for that voice
• Data specification listed in technical requirements
• Voice sample specification listed in technical requirements
• Sample allocation per household, facility and location can be found in sample allocation tables

The ideal partner would have the software, tools and capability to collect voices as needed and be located in Kenya. If the partner doesn’t have the capability, tools or software to perform an end to end service, this should be stated clearly in the proposal what part of the RFP can be done.

Technical requirements

All information collected should be collected in a manner that it is linked.

Collect Consent

• Acknowledgement of participant accepting to have their voice collected

Collect Identifiable information (Questionnaire)

• Age of participant
• Birth Gender
• Language collected

Collect System information(System)

• Location (Ward, County etc)
• GPS Location

Voice Sample

• File format – Waveform Audio File Format (.wav) & 8KHz
• Number of samples listed in Tables 1 to 4 below
• 1 enrolment voice with net speech of 20 sec (at minimum 30 sec long in total)
• 5 verification voice with net speech of 15 sec

(Net speech is defined as the part of the recording that has voice)

Please find the sample allocation for voice samples on this link – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ksi38Bkygq-xYyLQfpmp0MlAXnrTcobi161fVA_pNnc/edit?usp=sharing

Deliverables

As specified in technical requirements

1 Voice Samples

2 Metadata relating to voice samples

Evaluation criteria

Proposals will be evaluated in two parts. The experience, technical proposal and financial quotation shall bear 70% of the total marks while the references and financial capacity shall bear 30% of the total marks.

• Proposals should make clear about the relevant skills, experience and capacity of the participant, in respect of this particular RFP.
• Proposals must contain the details of the proposed approach to be adopted in order to deliver the service in accordance with the RFP.
• Proposals should clearly indicate whether or not bid participants have the capacity to meet the requirements of the RFP.
• Proposal should clearly indicate compliance with the appropriate data protection, privacy, legal, social, tax and ethical issues applicable to the country

Experience, Skills and Ability

• Past experience in similar work of this nature.
• Team member experience (accompanied by brief CV’s).
• Ability of the bidder to fulfil Tiko Africa’s requirements

Weight: 30

Technical Approach and Execution Plan

• Proposals must contain the details of the proposed approach to be adopted in order to deliver the service in accordance with the RFP.

Weight: 40

Financial quotation

• Proposals should include a detailed cost breakdown of proposed budget

Weight: 15

References

• Did the bidder submit at least three relevant and contactable clients that were serviced in the past 36 months.

Weight: 15

Total Weight: 100