REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR CAROSAI WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT PART I BACKGROUND CAROSAI (the Caribbean Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions) is one of nine regional working groups under INTOSAI (the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions) which is the professional organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in countries that belong to the United Nations or its specialist agencies. CAROSAI represents 22 countries including Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Thomas, V.I., St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Turks and Caicos Islands and Trinidad and Tobago. Jamaica holds membership in CAROSAI and has responsibility to manage the procurement of the CAROSAI s website development. SAIs play a major role in auditing government accounts and operations, and in promoting sound financial management and accountability in their governments. Information is a vital resource of SAIs, its members, customers and other key stakeholders. To satisfy this need, CAROSAI plans to create an interactive website that will facilitate communications between all its members, while providing information to key stakeholders. 1
PART II REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) OVERVIEW PURPOSE Information is a vital resource to the Caribbean Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (CAROSAI), its members, customers and other key stakeholders. Therefore, in order to satisfy this need it plans to create an interactive website that will facilitate communication between members, while providing information to stakeholders. DESCRIPTION The primary language of CAROSAI is English; consequently the website should be in English with a translation option for the other languages in the region. The contractor is required to design a new website capable of effectively disseminating information to the general public and facilitating communication and collaborative work between CAROSAI members. To this end the contractor will be required to develop a secure section of the website accessible only to CAROSAI s members. The contractor will also be required to develop electronic bullet-in boards, chat rooms, databases, and any other applications required to facilitate effective communication. SCOPE The contractor shall work closely with members of the CAROSAI Communications Committee during all phases of the website development. The contractor will be required to execute the contract in three distinct phases. 2
Phase I: The contractor shall prepare a detailed list of website requirements in consultation with members of CAROSAI Communications Committee. The requirements shall cover aspects such as: the look and feel of the website; the type of content to be displayed in each section of the website; the use of multimedia and audio visual aids; the database requirements of the website; the use of communication and collaboration applications and the requirements for these applications; and procedures for updating and maintaining the website. Before proceeding to Phase II the contractor must ensure all requirements are agreed upon by CAROSAI and must obtain written approval from CAROSAI Communications Committee accepting the requirements. Phase II: The contractor shall construct one or more prototypes of the website to be used as a tool for further refining requirements specified during Phase I. All further refinements should be documented and agreed upon before commencing actual construction of the site. During Phase II the contractor must gain agreement from CAROSAI Communications Committee on the look, feel and behavior of the prototype. This phase should be complete within three weeks of contract signature. 3
Phase III: The contractor shall construct and deliver a fully functional website according to the requirements agreed upon during Phase I and Phase II of this contract. The contractor shall also prepare a procedures manual on the operation, maintenance and updating of the website, since CAROSAI would like the option to update and maintain the website upon completion. This is to be completed within two months of contract signature. DELIVERABLES During the course of executing this contract the Contractor is required to deliver: i) A detailed list of website requirements; ii) A fully functional website that meets the requirements as specified during Phase I and II of the contract; iii) Documentation of the website including a list of databases, applications and the directory structure of the website; and iv) A procedures manual which specifies the procedures required to maintain and update the website. TIMELINE Phase I 2 weeks Phase II 3 weeks Phase III 6 weeks 4
PART III REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS The Contractor shall report to the members of the Communications Committee through the Secretary General of CAROSAI. PART IV REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE Contractor or staff assigned to the project should possess: Bachelors Degree in Computer Science, Computer Graphic Design, or Digital Media. At least three years experience in designing / developing and managing interactive websites. Or Any Bachelors Degree coupled with advanced training in website development, computer graphics, relational databases and scripting languages. Certified Internet Web Professional (CIW) certification or equivalent is desirable as proof of advanced training. At least three years experience in designing / developing and managing interactive websites. Or 5
Advanced training in website development, computer graphics, relational databases and scripting languages. Certified Internet Web Professional (CIW) certification or equivalent is desirable as proof of advanced training. At least five years experience in designing / developing and managing interactive websites. Desired Skills / Competencies The contractor must demonstrate the following skills / competencies through previous website development work: o Ability to produce creative, functional and interactive websites in a timely manner o Mastery of essential website development skills such as: database integration, consistent application style sheets (CSS), ability to produce professional quality graphics and multimedia clips and the generation dynamic web content using appropriate tools and scripting languages such as (asp.net, java, javascript, flash, php ) o Ability to design and implement relational databases as needed for web projects using an appropriate RDBMS such as SQL Server, MySQL, Postgre SQL or Oracle. o Ability to develop secure websites. Good working knowledge of security best practices and developing secure code. o Ability to deploy websites on Windows or Linux host servers. 6
o Experience administering and managing websites on Windows or Linux host servers. o Ability to create and maintain a project budget, and the ability to manage website development projects ensuring that projects are completed on time and within budget. Other Desired Skills o High level of proficiency in English o Good communication skills (Oral and written) with ability to present information and ideas clearly, while varying content and style as appropriate for the audience. o Good working knowledge of desktop productivity applications such as word processor, spreadsheet and presentation. The proposal should i) List the five web sites your firm has produced that best reflect your work and relevancy to this project. Brief role your firm played in each project. The URL should be submitted. Only sites that are live will qualify during evaluation. ii) iii) iv) Describe your experience in producing similar sites. Provide current reference information for three former or current clients. Briefly describe your firm s organizational capacity to produce our web site (e.g. staff, equipment, software, physical space, office location, etc.). v) Indicate the team that will be assigned to this project. What will each person s role be? Include a brief background summary and qualification/cv for each key staff member assigned to this project. vi) Briefly describe your firm s/individual project management process. 7
PART V FINANCIAL PROPOSAL Please provide cost proposals to accomplish the scope outlined above. The budget must encompass all design, production, and software acquisitions necessary for development. List pricing for: Phase 1 Phase 11 Phase 111 PART VI SUBMISSION INFORMATION i) Five (5) copies of completed proposals in the required format as stated in the request for proposal must be submitted in plain sealed envelopes marked CAROSAI WEB DESIGN 02/2011 and deposited in the tender box located in the Auditor General s Department lobby area at 8 Waterloo Road, Kingston 10, no later than 2:00 p.m on March 31, 2011. Proposals submitted after the deadline of 2:00 p.m on March 31, 2011 will be rejected. ii) All submissions become the property of CAROSAI and will not be returned. All conditions contained in the RFP are considered accepted by the vendor in any information submitted. iii) All information submitted with the RFP will be kept confidential and access will be only by a selected team reviewing the RFP. CAROSAI is not obligated to award orders or contracts to vendors based on the information received. iv) All proposals will be considered final. No additions, deletion, corrections or adjustments will be accepted after the time stated above. 8
v) CAROSAI is not obliged to accept the lowest or any bid and also reserves the right to terminate the bid process at any point before the award of a contract without incurring any liability to any of the bidders. OPENING OF PROPOSAL Submissions will be opened on Monday, April 4, 2011 at 10:00 a.m in the Auditor General s Conference room located at 8 Waterloo Road, Kingston 10. Bidders may attend or send a representative to the opening. PART VII EVALUATION CRITERIA The following criteria will form the basis upon which CAROSAI will evaluate proposals. The mandatory criteria that must be met include: Five (5) copies of the proposal must be received no later than March 31, 2011. Contractor must be registered with the National Contracts Commission. Possess a valid Tax Compliance Certificate. Proposals that meet the mandatory requirements, as stated above, will be evaluated with the following criteria, with weightings as indicated: Understanding of the Proposal the proposed solution meets the needs and criteria set forth in the RFP. (10) Candidate Experience Candidate has successfully completed similar projects and has the staffing with the necessary qualifications to undertake this project. Expertise in recommending and communicating appropriate technical and aesthetic solutions as evidenced by the proposal and references. (25) Capabilities Prior work demonstrates artistic and innovative, user friendly interfaces that engage communities and viewers. (25) 9
Time Budget The contractor demonstrate commitment to develop the site in the time frame needed. (15) Price Competitiveness - Value/Pricing Structure and Price Levels (25) Total Points/Score available = 100 PART VIII ADDITIONAL INFORMATION For further information please contact: Mr. Marlon McAdam Senior Director of Audit 8 Waterloo Road Kingston 10 E-mail: marlon.mcadam@auditorgeneral.gov.jm Tel: 876-926-8309/876-926-5963 PART lx CONFIDENTIALITY All information obtained through the work carried out by the contractor is to remain confidential. 10