PoC for Cambodia Last Mile Delivery Solution

Summary

Details of Implementation

This Request for Proposal (“RFP”) is part of a collaborative initiative between JICA DXLab and the Cambodia Digital Government Committee (“DGC”), and aims to select a Digital Partner (“DP”) to jointly develop a Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS”) Proof of Concept (“PoC)” solution for Last Mile Delivery (“LMD”) in Cambodia. The LMD SaaS solution will consist of applications for retailers, drivers, end customers, and system administrators to facilitate and automate key steps in the LMD process. The DP will primarily be responsible for development of the Driver App.

The objective of the PoC is to validate that a LMD SaaS solution can unlock operational efficiencies at scale by reducing the manual effort required for and improving the effectiveness of communication, route optimization, and delivery status tracking.

The joint implementation effort will consist of five phases:

1 . PoC Preparation (1.5 months: on-site research, project planning, requirements definition, User Interface/User Experience (“UI/UX”) prototyping)
2 . PoC Development (3 months: system architecture, detailed UI/UX design, solution development, UAT, and iteration based on UAT results)
3 . PoC Execution (1 month: pilot with small group of retailers, including onboarding, training, support, and issue resolution as necessary)
4 . PoC Improvement (1 month: UI/UX and system enhancements based on pilot results)
5 . Next Phase Planning and Documentation (0.5 months)

Timeline

The implementation is expected to span seven months, beginning in July 2025 and concluding by January 2026. Applications are currently open, and the deadline for submission is 18:00 PM Japan Standard Time on 20^th May 2025. The selected DP will be notified by 20^th June 2025.

Status

Project Context

The DGC was established in 2022 to support the National Council for Digital Economy and Society, and spearhead the development of digital government capabilities in Cambodia. One of the DGC’s ten core strategies is the development of digital postal service infrastructure. Developing digital postal service infrastructure, including digital LMD infrastructure in Cambodia, is a key unlock for significant growth opportunities for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (“MSMEs”) in e-commerce.

In Cambodia, over 90% of registered businesses are MSMEs, and the Cambodian e-commerce market is projected to grow at an annual rate of 10% from 2025 to 2030. [1] There is significant opportunity for MSMEs to expand their customer base through digital platforms.

However, unlocking the full potential of e-commerce in Cambodia requires addressing challenges in logistics, which underpins all e-commerce transactions. The country ranks second last among the 10 ASEAN nations in logistics performance, indicating substantial gaps in efficiency. [2]

LMD is the final stage in the supply chain where goods are transported from a distribution center or retailer to the end customer’s location (e.g., home, office, or designated pickup point), and represents a significant challenge in Cambodia. Issues like unclear address data, low delivery success rates, and inefficient manual operations are substantial barriers that undermine timely and cost-effective delivery of goods. These inefficiencies not only slow down business operations but also limit the growth potential of MSMEs. Therefore, overcoming these barriers is crucial for MSMEs to capitalize on the growing e-commerce sector and for the broader economic development of Cambodia.

This joint initiative between DGC and JICA DXLab aims to develop a LMD SaaS solution to facilitate and automate key steps in the LMD process, ultimately enhancing the experience for retailers, drivers, and their end customers. In this initiative, DGC and JICA DXLab bring together their digital expertise, deep local understanding, and global experience to build LMD SaaS as a Digital Public Good (“DPG”) with an ambition to scale across and beyond Cambodia.

As part of this initiative, this RFP aims to select and onboard a DP to jointly develop the Driver App, a central element of the holistic LMD SaaS solution. Join DGC and JICA in our journey to streamline LMD in Cambodia and unlock the potential of e-commerce in Cambodia.

[1] Source: National Institute of Statistics Economic Census of Cambodia 2022; Ministry of Commerce E-Commerce in Cambodia 2024; BCG analysis

[2] Source: World Bank Logistics Performance Index 2023

Project Members

Project Owner

H.E. Chea Sereyvath
Secretary General, DGC

H.E. Sereyvath has served as the Secretary General of DGC since its founding year in 2022. As Secretary General, H.E. Sereyvath has played a central role in the successful development of several digital government solutions. Such solutions as Verify, Go, Nomsa, Flow, and Form now touch the lives of millions of Cambodians, and support Cambodian businesses and government agencies in their critical operations. DGC’s impact goes beyond Cambodia and its solutions have since been ‘exported’ regionally to neighbouring ASEAN countries such as Laos, the Phillippines, and Timor Leste, and have earned Cambodia international recognition. For instance, Verify.gov.kh was most recently awarded a gold medal at the ASEAN Digital Awards 2024 in the Public Sector category.

In this project, DGC will work closely with the selected DP to co-develop a LMD solution ecosystem. DGC will lead development of the Telegram Chatbot, Retailer Portal, and Super Admin, and coordinate with the DP to deliver the Driver App. In addition, DGC will serve in the Project Management Office ("PMO") to ensure effective Agile collaboration, and serve as the execution lead to spearhead testing with a pilot group of retailers and drivers. Beyond the PoC phase, DGC is also committed to further enhancing the solution to scale and register as a DPG, putting Cambodia on the world map. H.E. Sereyvath's leadership will be essential to the success of this initiative.

DGC is excited to work closely with JICA and the selected DP in this LMD PoC. The DGC team looks forward to effective collaboration, mutual exchange of capabilities and expertise, and jointly delivering impact for Cambodian residents and businesses.

H.E. Chea Sereyvath

Sponsor

Risa Kawai
Project Formulation Advisor, JICA Cambodia Office

Under the Cambodian and Japanese governments’ “Co-creation for common agenda initiative” for the development of Cambodia’s digital economy and society, JICA conducted a Digital Ecosystem Assessment in 2023. This assessment intended to identify gaps in Cambodia’s digital domain for considering co-creation between the two countries. Based on the assessment results, JICA has been engaged in deep discussions with DGC to explore potential avenues for collaboration.

We are greatly pleased to announce this LMD system for MSMEs as our first co-creation with DGC. Cambodia has been experiencing a leapfrog advancement in recent years in digital technology such as the rapid development of online payment systems. On the other hand, vulnerabilities in telecommunication infrastructure, lack of geolocation information, and inefficiencies in intercity and intracity delivery present remaining challenges for MSMEs in taking full advantage of Cambodia’s growing digital economy. We are confident that this LMD product will have a positive impact on businesses by removing some of the logistical bottlenecks in e-commerce.

JICA will take on the role of providing strategic oversight, technological expertise, and financial support to ensure that the project aligns with local needs and global best practices in digital innovation. This sponsorship marks an initial step in our collaboration with DGC toward the development of a flourishing Digital Economy and Society in Cambodia.

Risa Kawai

PoC Implementation Requirements

Eligibility (excerpts)

Candidate DPs must fulfill all the following criteria to participate in the RFP (please refer to the RFP document for full details).

1. Japanese Company: The company must either be headquartered in Japan, including consolidated subsidiaries, or have a majority-Japanese management team.

2. Legal History: The company’s management must have no criminal record, and the company must not be included on any sanction list.

3. Financial and Organizational Stability: The company must have a stable revenue stream, with a minimum annual revenue of USD 1,000,000 in each of the last two fiscal years, and the company must have been in operation for at least five years.

4. Debarment: The company must not have been debarred/blacklisted by JICA in the past.

Only proposals from qualified candidates will be considered. Proposals will be evaluated on technical and commercial criteria. The winning candidate will be selected based on combined technical and commercial evaluation scores. This structured approach ensures a transparent and merit-based selection of the most suitable bidder.

Primary scope of work

The selected DP will be responsible for the following scope of work (please refer to the RFP document for full details):

1. Design and Delivery of the Driver App and Related APIs/Databases

a. UI/UX design and end-to-end development of the Driver App: A mobile application that enables drivers to review and accept assigned delivery requests, update delivery statuses, and manage delivery routes, including notifications as needed (please refer to the RFP document for full functionality details).
b. Relevant APIs/databases required for the functionality of the Driver App, or related to the Driver App, required for the functionality of other SaaS elements to be developed by DGC.

2. Monitoring and Evaluation

a. Provide information and data necessary to support UAT, PoC execution and results analysis, which will be primarily conducted by DGC.

3. PoC Execution Support

a. Support relevant training for Retailers and Drivers, and provide technical support as necessary in the PoC Execution phase.

4. Communication with DGC and JICA

a. Maintain close communication with DGC and JICA throughout the engagement to ensure quality output according to the aligned timeline.

Submission Deadline

Electronic submission must be received at JICADXLab@bcg.com by the latest 18:00 PM Japan Standard Time on 20^th May 2025.

RFP

The RFP includes further information, such as the project background, location of work, and detailed Scope of Work.

Budget limit

The maximum budget for the services is JPY 35,000,000 including all taxes and expenses. Proposals that exceed this budget ceiling will not be considered.

Required Technologies

The key technical requirements are as follows (please refer to the RFP document for full details):

1 . Development of a Driver App on Android OS to streamline delivery operations
2 . Development of relevant APIs/databases required for the functionality of the Driver App, or related to the Driver App
3 . Joint definition of the solution architecture to ensure scalability
4 . Joint UI/UX prototyping and design

Info Session

We plan to host an online information session for prospective bidders on 1^st May 2025. If you wish to participate, please contact us at JICADXLab@bcg.com . Confirmation of participation by email is mandatory for participation in the online information session.

Inquiries and Contact

Bidders may make inquiries/information requests by email to JICADXLab@bcg.com . For any inquiries, the email subject should follow the following format: “Inquiry-DGC-PoC", followed by your organization name (e.g., “Inquiry-DGC-PoC-Name). The deadline for receipt of inquiry is 30^th April 2025.

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