1.Background

The Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) is the world’s leading organization on financial inclusion policy and regulation. Currently, 90 member institutions make up the AFI network including central banks, ministries of finance and other financial policymaking or regulatory institutions from over 84 developing countries and emerging markets. AFI empowers policymakers to increase the access and usage of quality financial services for the underserved through sustainable and inclusive policies and an effective use of digital technologies. 

Policies developed and implemented by AFI members contribute to a range of the Sustainable Development Goals.  By Setting their own agenda, AFI members harness the power of peer learning to develop practical and tested policy reforms that enhance financial inclusion with strategic support from both public and private sector partners.

AFI has 7 Working Groups (WG):  Consumer Empowerment and Market Conduct Working Group (CEMCWG), Digital Financial Services Working Group (DFSWG), Financial Inclusion Data Working Group (FIDWG), Financial Inclusion Strategy Peer Learning Group (FISPLG), Global Standards Proportionality Working Group (GSPWG), Inclusive Green Finance Working Group (IGFWG) and SME Finance Working Group (SMEFWG),

As the key source of policy developments and trends in financial inclusion and as the primary mechanism for generating and incubating technical content in the network, the Working Groups serve as “communities of practice”. Providing a platform for knowledge exchange and peer learning among policymakers to share, deliberate and deepen their understanding, the working groups offer leadership and expertise in their respective policy fields and support the network to monitor new developments in emerging fields.

The knowledge generated via the working groups is disseminated for implementation by a range of capacity building activities such as Joint Learning Programs, Member Trainings, Trainings by Private Sector Partners. The practical experience members garner from engaging in peer learning based capacity building is then applied by members as in country implementation projects which are supported by the provision of financial or technical support to AFI member institutions in conducting activities that aim to deliver financial inclusion policies, regulations, supervisory tools or enablers for the development of policies, such as national financial inclusion strategies. 

The working groups receive strategic guidance and insight from the High-Level Global Standards & Policy Committee, while the  Gender Inclusive Finance Committee, supports WGs in integrating gender considerations into all aspects of their work and support members in fulfilling their Denarau Action Plan (updated 2022) commitment to promote women’s financial inclusion.

AFI members have made further commitments in a range of other accords which can be read here. The AFI’s five regional initiatives complete the AFI platform of services by supporting policy implementation in Africa (AfPI), Latin America and the Caribbean (FILAC), the Pacific Islands (PIRI), Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECAPI) South Asia Region (SARFII) and the Arab Region (ARFIPI).

2. Project Background

AFI is seeking to engage copy editors/writers to provide copy editing/writing services as and when needed in the upcoming 24 months (Retainer).

Under the guidance of AFI Communications Unit, the contractor should adhere to AFI style guides and be accurate, punctual, and able to produce high-quality output.

3. Overall Objective

The objective of a freelance editor working for AFI is to critically review, edit and revise documents in order for ideas to be expressed clearly, presented in a consistently high standard of quality, and according to AFI’s style and presentation. The editor is responsible for both editing and proofreading the layout of documents. When specific project requires, the editor/writer should be able to write the document based on guidance provided by AFI.

4. Scope of Work

The following describes the types of work an editor/writer may be expected to undertake:

Level 1. Copy-editing, language, and style
• Apply editorial changes to text, tables, and figures using track changes in Microsoft Word.
• Check spelling, grammar, punctuation, and word usage for correctness and consistency.
• Ensure conformity with AFI Style Guide (to be provided upon agreement).
• Eliminate unnecessary italics, boldface, quotation marks, and redundant abbreviations. Ensure essential abbreviations are spelt out at first mention.
• Verify the spelling and presentation of AFI Member names and other proper names (cities, conferences, organizations, individuals, government institutions, etc.).
• Edit chapter titles, subheadings, table/figure legends for brevity, consistency, and parallel construction, check numbering if applicable.
• Ensure cross-references to chapters, sections, tables, and figures are accurate.
• Monitor paragraph length and eliminate verbatim repetition or redundant passages.
• Review and query discriminatory language.
• Edit or prepare the table of contents and list of abbreviations.

Level 2. Technical editing
• Verify precise use of technical terms and check for factual accuracy.
• Identify content that may be biased, politically or legally sensitive, or prejudicial to AFI, and take appropriate action.
• Simplify complex technical language, eliminate jargon, rewrite long sentences, and clarify definitions as needed.
• Check that references correspond to the subject matter and are cited correctly in the text.
• Advise on the use and presentation of tables, figures, text boxes, footnotes, and annexes; ensure data is accurate and consistent, and calculations (e.g., totals) are correct.
• Ensure that the main text reflects information presented in tables and figures.
• Make layout and design suggestions for designers as needed.
• Compile a list of queries (technical errors, ambiguities, inconsistencies, faulty logic) for the author, either embedded in the text or as a separate document. For long or complex assignments, submit queries chapter by chapter or section by section.

5. Timeline and Deliverables

The deliverables will include technical reports, as well as quarterly and annual project reports. The scope of work may involve proofreading, copyediting, and, where necessary, copywriting. Timeline will be communicated and agreed upon prior to the commencement of each assignment and typically range from two to three weeks per report.

6. Travel

No Travel is expected for this assignment. The consultant(s) will work remotely and undertake virtual meetings, if needed.

7. Consultant Experience

The consultant performing this task must have the following qualifications:
• Open to Firms and individuals
• Bachelor’s Degree in relevant field.
• Proof of exceptional skills in grammar, spelling, punctuation, syntax and vocabulary.

• Minimum 5 years professional experience as an English-language editor with demonstrated experience working on technical texts in finance, economics or development.
• Provide at least three work samples, preferably edited work (attach the before and after).

8. Contracting Agreements

Successful candidates will enter into a Retainer Contract with AFI for area of writing and/or editing knowledge and advocacy products for the period of 24 months from 18 May 2026 to 17 May 2028.

AFI does not guarantee the number of frequent engagements for specific assignments as these depends on forthcoming needs and demands that will be matched with the Consultants expertise.

Financial proposal (daily fee in MYR or USD) provided by the consultant is fixed and bound to the period of 24 months.

Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor (e.g. communications, internet and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services).

9. Reporting

The consultant will report to AFI’s Brand & Communications Manager and will work closely with other AFI staff when required.

10. Payment Terms

All payment will be made upon completion of each milestones based on hourly/daily rates as per Annexures 2.

11. Administrative Information

11.1 Disclaimer

The final decision on selection of a firm for this project rests with AFI management team and with the Inquiry. Only shortlisted and successful firms will be contacted.

11.2 Proposal Submission Information:

Proposals will be due with the following requirements for submission:

11.3 Retention of Proposals

All proposals submitted become the property of AFI. AFI will make all reasonable efforts to maintain proposals in confidence and will release proposals only to personnel involved with the evaluation of the project. Proprietary information should be identified in each proposal.

12. Evaluation Criteria

The proposals submitted will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Evaluation of technical and financial proposals

AFI reserves the right to award the most suitable proposal based on the evaluation of combined criterion, where bidders are qualified by the combined valuation of the technical and financial proposals, with the following weightage:

i) Technical Proposal: 70% (Seventy percent)

ii) Financial Proposal: 30% (Thirty percent)