Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to appoint a qualified and experienced service provider to conduct a comprehensive Ethics Risk and Opportunity Assessment across the organization and facilitate ethics training for Board and Exco members. The assessment aims to identify key ethics-related risks, opportunities, and areas for improvement to strengthen the bank’s ethical governance framework. The training is intended to enhance the capacity of Board and Exco members to provide ethical leadership, understand governance responsibilities, manage conflicts of interest, and foster an ethical culture, thereby supporting the integration of ethical considerations into the bank’s strategy and operations.

Scope

The scope of work includes:

• Conducting a full, bank-wide Ethics Risk and Opportunity Assessment, including:
• Evaluating the bank’s ethical climate and behavioral norms
• Conducting employee perception surveys, interviews, and focus groups
• Assessing tone at the top, middle management influence, and employee sentiment
• Assessing Ethics Management efforts and capabilities
• Identifying internal and external ethical risks across all departments
• Evaluating likelihood, impact, and root causes of risks
• Mapping risks to organizational processes (e.g., HR, procurement, finance, operations)
• Rating risks and developing a heatmap and risk register aligned with the bank’s risk management framework
• Prioritizing high-risk areas and providing mitigation recommendations
• Proposing interventions to strengthen ethics management and long-term culture
• Recommending monitoring and reporting mechanisms
• Developing a comprehensive Ethics Risk and Opportunity Assessment Report, including:
• Inception Report
• Ethics Culture Survey Report
• Ethics Risk Register & Heatmap
• Consolidated Assessment Report with executive summary
• Recommendations & Remediation Plan
• Presentation to Executive Management/Board and employees
• Facilitating ethics training sessions for:
• Eight (8) EXCO members
• Twelve (12) Board members
• The training content should cover topics such as ethical leadership, governance, conflicts of interest, gifts and hospitality, fraud and misconduct risks, whistleblowing, and case studies.
• Delivery methods may include Teams, Zoom, or equivalent, with clear indication of preferred approach and cost implications.

Technical Requirements

The service provider must:

• Outline a clear methodology including project plan, timelines, milestones, and deliverables
• Use assessment tools such as surveys, interviews, document reviews, and analytics
• Implement sampling strategies and ethical culture diagnostic frameworks
• Ensure data confidentiality and privacy compliance in accordance with POPIA, providing a POPIA policy or data confidentiality approach
• Combine quantitative and qualitative methods effectively
• Provide detailed reports as specified, including inception, survey, risk register, consolidated report, and recommendations
• Design and deliver training with practical scenarios and case studies, using appropriate delivery methods

Skills Requirements

The bidder must demonstrate:

• At least 8-10 years’ experience in ethics risk assessment and training, supported by reference letters
• Experience in conducting ethics risk, opportunity, and culture assessments, and delivering ethics training to senior leadership and boards
• Relevant academic qualifications, such as a Master’s Degree or higher, and a minimum of 5 years’ experience in ethics management
• Professional designation as a Certified Ethics Officer or equivalent, with evidence of membership
• Strong understanding of ethics management frameworks, risk assessment methodologies, and organizational behavior
• Ability to develop and implement integrated qualitative and quantitative assessment approaches
• Proven track record in delivering similar projects within the public or private sector