REQUEST FOR BID FOR PROCUREMENT: PAPERLESS OFFICE, MEETING AND REMOTE ADMINISTRATION PLATFORM

African Peer Review Mechanism

Standard Bidding Documents

PROCUREMENT OF NON-CONSULTING SERVICES

PURCHASER: AFRICAN PEER REVIEW MECHANISM, SOUTH AFRICA

REQUEST FOR BID FOR PROCUREMENT: PAPERLESS OFFICE, MEETING AND REMOTE ADMINISTRATION PLATFORM

 

 

 

MODE OF SUBMISSION

Application MUST be submitted through email: ([email protected]) on or before 10^th March 2022 at 12 00hrs South Africa Time

 

Procurement Number: RFB/ APRM/EU/POM/09C/2021

 

Section I.  Invitation for Bids

 

PROCUREMENT NUMBER: RFB/ APRM/EU/POM/09C/2021

 

 

SECTION I. BID INVITATION (RFB – REQUEST FOR BID)

PROCUREMENT NUMBER: RFB/ APRM/EU/POM/09C/2021:

REQUEST FOR BID FOR: PAPERLESS OFFICE, MEETING AND REMOTE ADMINISTRATION PLATFORM

 

The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is the champion of good governance on the continent. Its mandate emanates from the APRM-NEPAD Declaration on Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate Governance. It was founded in 2003 as a tool for experience sharing, reinforcing best practices, identifying deficiencies, and assessing capacity. Its mandate emanates from the APRM-NEPAD Declaration on Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate Governance. Since the decision of Heads of State to transition to virtual working methods because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the APRM has integrated digitalization in its processes and systems. Transitioning to a virtual workspace has created opportunities for APRM to unlock the potential of technology to drive its Digital Transformation initiatives and accelerate the use of digital technologies to effect its business.

In December 2020, The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) received financing from the European Union (EU) in support of a three-year project. This project takes place within the framework of the African Governance Architecture Support Project (AGA-SP), consistent with the Africa-EU Partnership 2020-2023. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the achievement of Aspiration 3: ‘An Africa of good governance, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law’ and Aspiration 6 ‘An Africa, whose development is people driven, relying on the potential of African people, especially its women and youth, and caring for children’ of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Under this grant and project, the APRM hereby seeks to procure services to provide a reliable and cost-effective integrated system that meets the organization’s current and future management, collaboration and communication need. An efficient tool built with management and instruction rich features offering to the APRM a Paperless Office, Meeting and Remote Administration Platform.

The bids shall submit the following documents- Preliminary examination to determine.

• Valid tax certificate or equivalent document
• Valid business registration documents – Must be licensed company with valid certificate of incorporation.
• Provide power of attorney must be signed by authorised person. – Attach Letter
• The tender shall be valid for a period of 60 days from the date of opening/ closing- A statement indicating so to be provided.
• Statement that they have not been debarred by African Union.
• Provider dealership letter or manufacturer authorisation letter or equivalent document

 

Bidders MUST comply with the above Preliminary Examination Requirements

 

Procurement Number: RFB/ APRM/EU/POM/09C/2021

 

Section III.  Bidding Procedures

 

Interested firms may obtain further information/enquiry from:

 

The Project Coordinator.

African Peer Review Mechanism, Private Bag x09, Halfway House, 1685,

Physical Address: 230 15th Street, Randjies Park, 1st Floor, Midrand, South Africa; Tel: +27 11 256

3400/01/29; Fax: +27 11 256 3456 during working hours or through email: [email protected]

A complete set of the Solicitation documents in English language may be downloaded from the APRM Website.

 

MODE OF SUBMISSION

Application MUST be submitted through email: ([email protected]) on or before 10^th March 2022 at 12 00hrs South Africa Time

Project Coordinator

African Peer Review Mechanism

Private Bag x09, Halfway House, 1685

Physical Address: 230 15th Street, Randjies Park, 1st Floor

Midrand, South Africa

Tel: +27 11 256 3400/01/29

Fax: +2711 256 3456

 

Submission E-mail: [email protected]

 

Submissions to be titled: PROCUREMENT NUMBER: RFB/ APRM/EU/POM/09C/2021 Request for Bid for the “Paperless Office, Meeting and Remote Administration Platform” The submission to be made to the following email.

 

Project Coordinator

African Peer Review Mechanism

Private Bag x09, Halfway House, 1685

Physical Address: 230 15th Street, Randjies Park, 1st Floor

Midrand, South Africa

Tel: +27 11 256 3400/01/29

Fax: +2711 256 3456

E-mail: [email protected]

 

The deadline for submission of proposals is 10^th March 2022 at 12 00hrs South Africa Time

Late submission shall not be accepted and shall be rejected.

The tender shall be valid for a period of 120 days from the date of opening/ closing.

 

---

 

Procurement Number: RFB/ APRM/EU/POM/09C/2021

 

Section III.  Bidding Procedures

 

SECTION II: BID SUBMISSION SHEET

{Complete this form with all the requested details and submit it as the first page of your bid. Ensure that your bid is authorised in the signature block below. If any documentation is attached, a signature and authorisation on this form will confirm that the terms and conditions of this bidding document prevail over any attachments. If your bid is not authorised, it may be rejected.}

We offer to provide the Services detailed in the Terms of Reference/Statement of Requirements, in accordance with the terms and conditions stated in this bid document. and subsequent contract.

 

 

BID ADDRESSED TO EMPLOYER

DATE OF BID

PROCUREMENT NUMBER

SUBJECT OF PROCUREMENT

FIXED TENDER SUM (STATE CURRENCY)

STATE CURRENCY IN ZAR

 

We confirm that we are eligible to participate in this procurement process.

The validity period of our bid is: _______________ days/weeks/months from the time and date of the submission deadline.

We confirm that the rates quoted in the financial proposals are fixed and firm for the duration of the validity period and will not be subject to revision or variation.

We understand that you are not bound to accept the lowest or any bid you may receive.

Services will commence within _______________ days/weeks/months from date of Contract.

Services will be completed within _______________ days/weeks/months from date of Contract.

Dated this ________________ day of ________________ 20______.

[signature] [in the capacity of]

Duly authorised to sign Bid for and on behalf of ________________________________

Must have the power of Attorney

 

 

Section V.  Sample Forms

 

 

SECTION III. SPECIFICATIONS FOR PAPERLESS OFFICE AND REMOTE ADMINISTRATION PLATFORM

PROCUREMENT NUMBER: RFB/ APRM/EU/POM/09C/2021

 

1)BACKGROUND

The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is the champion of good governance on the continent. Its mandate emanates from the APRM-NEPAD Declaration on Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate Governance. It was founded in 2003 as a tool for experience sharing, reinforcing best practices, identifying deficiencies, and assessing capacity. Its mandate emanates from the APRM-NEPAD Declaration on Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate Governance. Since the decision of Heads of State to transition to virtual working methods because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the APRM has integrated digitalization in its processes and systems. Transitioning to a virtual workspace has created opportunities for APRM to unlock the potential of technology to drive its Digital Transformation initiatives and accelerate the use of digital technologies to effect its business.

In December 2020, The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) received financing from the European Union (EU) in support of a three-year project. This project takes place within the framework of the African Governance Architecture Support Project (AGA-SP), consistent with the Africa-EU Partnership 2020-2023. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the achievement of Aspiration 3: ‘An Africa of good governance, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law’ and Aspiration 6 ‘An Africa, whose development is people driven, relying on the potential of African people, especially its women and youth, and caring for children’ of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Under this grant and project, the APRM hereby seeks to procure services to provide a reliable and cost-effective integrated system that meets the organization’s current and future management, collaboration and communication need.

 

2)DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) received funding from European Union (EU)’ to establish and strengthen digital capacity at the APRM.

 

3) OBJECTIVES

The main objective is to transition to paperless environment to improve efficiency, reduce paper consumption and other operation cost while still maintaining high level of stakeholder’s engagement.

 

Section V.  Sample Forms

 

4)SCOPE OF THE ASSSIGNMENT

The proposed solution should consider the core business processes that are unique to the APRM. The tool must be efficient and user-friendly for management and instruction capabilities. The scope of this project shall cover the acquisition and/or implementation of the following:

• Acquisition of software related to the remote administration tool.
• Installation and maintenance of the tool.
• Integration of tool with existing systems.
• Training and enablement.

 

5)DELIVERABLES

The period of execution of the entire project will be a maximum of 21 days from the date of signing the contract and the period of contract maintenance and support period starting shall be 3 months from the APRM’s acceptance date (i.e., after all the installations, configuration and testing of the Paperless Office, Meeting and Remote Administration Platform). Service providers should submit a time schedule of the entire project transition period.

The steps and deliverables for this project are described below.

 

Project Milestone		Responsibilities
Phase I – Assessment and Planning
Detailed Proposal		▪	Assessment of the current environment
Project Plan		▪	Planning the Deployment

 

Expected Timeline

 

1 day

 

Phase II – Installation/Configuration and Integrations

Software configuration, installation and Integration.

• Licenses, Software fees and support contract as applicable

• Configuration, installation, and integration with existing APRM systems and tools

 

10 days

 

Phase III – Complete Transition, Testing and Maintenance

 

Acceptance of the Paperless	▪	Acceptance Testing
	▪	Launch
7

1 week.

 

Procurement Number: RFB/ APRM/EU/POM/09C/2021

Section V.  Sample Forms

Office, Meeting and Remote	▪	Training	1 day
Administration Platform	▪	Technical Support/ Maintenance	2 days
			3 Months

 

PHASE 1: This covers the preliminary work, configuration, upgrading and provisioning of the systems as specified. This is the installation and configuration aspect of the deployment which covers configuration of software required for the successful implementation of the proposed setup. At this stage the service provider is expected to do the following:

 

PRE-INSTALLATION

• Provide detailed work plan with timelines specifying detailed plan and other detailed activities as may be applicable.

 

ACTUAL CONFIGURATION

• Configuration and integration of the system tool with existing APRM tools.
• Complete the delivery, installation, and configuration within a month from the award of the contract.

 

PHASE 2: The final phase of the deployment includes the training, testing of the equipment and maintenance as described below.

 

TRAINING AND ENABLEMENT

Following the deployment, the service provider should deliver a training session(s) for the relevant IT staff members who will either use or manage the system. Bidders must dispense training so that there is appropriate and adequate knowledge transfer that would make end-users fully conversant with the proposed solutions. Comprehensive training material must be provided to the staff being trained; video is preferred. The APRM reserves the right to reproduce the training materials for subsequent in-house training of other staff. The service provider should submit the training manual prior to the service commencement period.

 

Section V.  Sample Forms

 

TESTING AND COMMISSIONING

The selected service provider shall conduct series of test for at least 2 weeks prior to inspection.

The acceptance test procedure shall be in accordance with the following:

• Must be undertaken for a period of one week and ensure that system is in good working condition during the agreed test period.
• The performance tolerance level agreed upon is attained during testing.
• Upon commission the Service Provider will be required to provide free support for a period of three months to ensure the system is working optimally

 

MAINTENANCE UPON COMMISSIONING

• Service Providers shall provide separate costing for support / maintenance on all services.
• Provide an escalation list and procedure in reporting fault and downtimes.
• Service Providers must immediately advice APRM of any known defects ahead of time.
• Service Providers must be available to assist immediately if the software is not configured properly /equipment is faulty.

 

6)TIME FRAME /DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT

The assignment should be completed within twenty-one (21) days, maintenance, and support for 3 months.

 

7)QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES OF THE FIRM AND EXPERTS

1. Firm

Deployment of the paperless office, meeting and/or remote admin software requires a high level technical/professional expertise; therefore, successful firm is required to have the following qualifications:

1. Minimum of three years (3) relevant experience installation, configuration, and deployment of Remote Administration Software Solutions.
2. Portfolio / History of Firms the successful bidder has worked with in past.
4. Demonstrated competency in deployment, configuration, and commissioning of paperless office, meeting and/or remote admin software systems.
6. Experience in managing project.
8. Capacity to provide corporate IT solution services.
9. The firm is required to provide a detailed description of the proposed system/software.

 

2. Technical Requirements of the platform/system

The service provider is required to conduct site inspection, submit proposal with detailed work plan specifying installation design and detailed activities. There is no data migration required. Bidders are at liberty to propose either on-premises or cloud-based solution. The solution must have the capacity to accommodate 120 end-users. The technical requirements and evaluation criteria are as follows:

Management and Control – A tool to provide dedicated monitoring, collaboration, and remote-control / administration features.

 

	Minimum Specifications and Key Features		Mandatory
			PASS/FAIL

 

Remotely view and control screens

Language module

Digital journals

Admin, manager, staff control apps

Testing and assessment tools

Real-time instruction tools

OneDrive integration

Screen sharing

Instant Survey

Assign tasks

Simultaneous Management of multiple devices

View location of devices

Multi-platform support

Minimum level of system downtime

Screen annotation

Screen recording

System management tools

Remote management of multi-platform devices without the need for a third-party service

File distribution

Real-time hardware/software inventory

Mobile control [iOS & Android]

Can operate over enterprise LAN, WAN or the internet

Minimum lost productivity during support issues

Activity logs and 256-bit encryption

Smart card support,

 

 

IT Asset Management – a module to provide technicians with IT asset management features to effectively track, monitor and manage IT assets across the enterprise and its sites

Minimum Specifications and Key Features		Mandatory
		PASS/FAIL
Hardware inventory and discovery
Software license management
Internet and application metering and restriction
Endpoint security
System-wide alerting
Power and energy management
Automatic update
User account management/activity monitoring
Multi-site support and management
Instruction module
Print monitoring
Remote Control and admin tools
User account management
Proactive alerts
Power management
Range of reporting options
Remote Control

 

 

Section V.  Sample Forms

 

Desktop Alerting and Notification – A module to provides real-time status of notifications and acknowledgements, delivering pre-scheduled alerts with changeable priorities, customizations and delivery options.

	Minimum Specifications and Key Features		Mandatory
			PASS/FAIL

 

Multi-platform support

alerting across a LAN or WAN network

Mobile Console for Android and iOS

Includes alert sounds

Send targeted alerts to selected groups

Send alerts to unlimited number of users

Customise alerts with enterprise branding

Send “full screen” messages

Delivery options and scheduling

Full reporting and tracking

Dedicated local notification gateways

Does not need switch configuration

 

These shall be examined on a PASS/FAIL Criteria. Bidder must meet the above minimum requirements in order to qualify for any further evaluation.

 

8)FACILITIES AND SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED BY THE CLIENT

The APRM Secretariat shall provide access to all information for the bidder to carry out the assignment adequately. Additional information is provided in the published Annexure

 

10) PAYMENT SCHEDULE

The assignment will be conducted in 21 days (inclusive weekends & public holidays) and firm will be paid upon certification of satisfactory work as per work plan and endorsed by APRM Continental Secretariat.

 

Section V.  Sample Forms

 

Item	Deliverable	Payment fraction of
		the contract
	Acceptance of configuration of Paperless Office, Meeting and/or
	Remote Administration Platform	100%

 

11)GENERAL INFORMATION

All bids will be advertised on an equal opportunity basis. Applicants should be nationals of AU Member States.

 

13) EVALUATION CRITERIA

Evaluation of Bids: The evaluation of bids will use the following methodology:

1. Preliminary examination to determine eligibility (as defined below) and administrative compliance to this Invitation for Bids on a pass/fail basis.
2. Detailed evaluation to determine commercial and technical responsiveness (Clause 7); and
3. Financial comparison to determine the evaluated price of bids and to determine the lowest evaluated cost bid.
4. Bids failing any stage will be eliminated and not considered for award of contract.

 

Lowest Evaluated Cost Bid: The lowest evaluated cost bid shall be the lowest priced bid, which is eligible and substantially responsive to the commercial and technical requirements of the Purchaser and shall be recommended for award of contract.

Award of Contract: Award of contract shall be by placement of a contract that shall be signed between both parties.

Right to Reject: The Purchaser reserves the right to accept or reject any bid or to cancel the bidding process and reject all bids at any time prior to contract award.

 

 

13.1) SELECTION PROCESS

Compliance with the minimum requirements

Compliance with the technical specifications as provided – The bidder must meet the minimum technical requirements before further evaluation. Only those who have passed the preliminary examination, and satisfied clause 7 above shall be subjected to selection process.

One stop firm based in Africa with experience in software deployment.

MUST provide up-to-date Curriculum Vitae and supporting documents for the Technical Experts

 

Section V.  Sample Forms

Additional Evaluation criteria		Max. Point	Score
Experience: (Experience of the firm)
Company Profile and Expertise of the company:
•  Minimum of three years (3) relevant experience in the area of
paperless office, meeting and/or remote admin software
deployment (10 marks)		35
•  List of three previous works of similar nature [Provide evidence]
(15 marks):
o Experience in configuring paperless meeting/	remote
admin software
o Ability to deliver on tight deadlines.
•  Excellent planning and organizational skills (10)
Technical Qualification (Experts) for the proposed team
•  Attach the relevant testimonial (CV, Professional certifications) (10
marks)
•  Team member’s expertise shall not be less than 3 years’		35
experience (10 marks)
•  Team member’s expertise shall at least cover the following areas
(15 marks): paperless/ remote admin software deployment, project
management, business application.
Methodology and concept proposal:
•  Responsiveness to the Terms of Reference, Ability to provide
detailed project plan with timelines.  Methodology to	include	30
breakdown of responsibilities of the team, deployment &
configuration, testing, maintenance
•  Training Plan (15 marks)
Total Score		100%
The minimum technical score shall be 70%

 

The minimum technical score shall be 70% and above. Only bidders who score the minimum score shall be considered for financial evaluation

 

14) FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

The bid should be accompanied by a detailed financial proposal, with a clear breakdown of the various activities and their cost in ZAR currency.

 

15)REPORTING

The firm shall report directly to the Project Coordinator and will submit all deliverables as per the ToRs.

 

16) RESERVATIONS AND CONFIDENTIALITY

APRM reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/output is incomplete, not delivered, or for failure to meet deadlines. In the event of the producer ending the contract prior to delivering all agreed upon products, a portion of the payments shall be returned to the APRM. The reference group undertakes to maintain confidentiality on all information that is not the public domain and shall not be involved in another assignment that represents a conflict of interest to the prevailing assignment. The reference group shall undertake to refrain from promoting any political or religious beliefs in the documentary movie which is the subject of this contract.

 

17)CLARIFICATION

Clarification can only be sought through Email: [email protected] during working hours- Monday to Friday time 8.00am to 5.00pm hours local time at least seven days before closing. Response shall be published on APRM portal. DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR BID THROUGH THIS EMAIL

MODE OF APPLICATION/ SUBMISSION & DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED BY FIRMS

The bidder should submit an expression of interest, containing a technical proposal and a financial proposal. The technical proposal should, among others, list the profile of the bidder, understanding of the ToRS/Specifications, understanding of the methodology, detailed workplan, references and contact persons.

The financial proposal should give a cost breakdown per milestone and take into consideration all expenses.

The proposal should be in ZAR and inclusive of all taxes and other statutory obligations as may apply.

The Technical & financial Proposal clearly marked: PROCUREMENT NUMBER: RFB/ APRM/EU/POM/09C/2021: REQUEST FOR BID FOR: PAPERLESS OFFICE, MEETING AND/OR REMOTE ADMINISTRATION PLATFORM.

Shall be submitted through email: [email protected] on or before 10^th March 2022 at 12.00hrs South Africa time. The tender shall be opened immediately after the closing date and time before 10^th March 2022 at 12.00hrs South Africa time.

All applications in writing should be accompanied by up-to-date certified Curriculum Vitae and supporting documents (Relevant Academic Certificates & reference letters) addressed to:

 

African Peer Review Mechanism

Private Bag XO8, Halfway House

Physical Address: 230 15th Road, 1st Floor,

Randjespark, Midrand, 1685,

South Africa

Tel: +27 11 256 3401

 

Send Bid to Email: [email protected]

 

Late submission shall not be accepted and shall be rejected.

 

Section IV. Contract Form

Contract Form

THIS    AGREEMENT     made    the    _____    day    of    __________    20_____                between

________________   [insert   name   and   address   of  Purchaser]   (hereinafter                                  called     “the

Purchaser”) of the one part and ________________ [insert name and address of Supplier]

(Hereinafter called “the Supplier”) of the other part:

WHEREAS the Purchaser invited bids for certain goods and ancillary services, viz., [brief description of goods and services and Procurement Number] and has accepted a bid by the Supplier for the supply of those goods and services in the sum of [contract price in words and figures] (hereinafter called “the Contract Price”).

NOW THIS AGREEMENT WITNESSETH AS FOLLOWS:

1. In this Agreement words and expressions shall have the same meanings as are respectively assigned to them in the Conditions of Contract hereinafter referred to.
2. The following documents shall be deemed to form and be read and construed as part of this Agreement in the listed order of precedence, viz.:

• Agreement;
• Technical Specifications;
• Bid Form and the Price Schedule submitted by the Bidder;
• Purchaser’s Notification of Award of Contract; and

3. In consideration of the payments to be made by the Purchaser to the Supplier as hereinafter mentioned, the Supplier hereby covenants with the Purchaser to provide the goods and services and to remedy defects therein in conformity in all respects with the provisions of the Contract
4. The Purchaser hereby covenants to pay the Supplier in consideration of the provision of the goods and ancillary services and the remedying of defects therein, the Contract Price or such other sum as may become payable under the provisions of the contract at the times and in the manner prescribed by the Contract.

IN WITNESS whereof the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed the day and year first above written.

Signed, sealed, delivered by		(for the Purchaser)
Signed, sealed, delivered by		(for the Supplier)