Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Request for Expressions of Interest for Individual Consultant Consultancy Services: Consultant for Security Framework of Mobile Applications Organization: Project Implementation and Coordination Unit (PICU) Project: ICT Sector Development Project-P121755{IDA Q 7440] Reference No.: PPF/C-8 Position: Contract Type: Duration: Duty station: Consultant for Security Framework of Mobile Applications Service Contract (Advisory Services) 3 months Kabul The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) of the Government of Afghanistan ( Government ) seeks to hire a qualified individual consultant ( Consultant ) to design and specify Network Security framework for the Mobile Applications that will be hosted at the Afghanistan National Data Center. Background The Government has requested funding from the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank Group for an ICT Sector Development Project in Afghanistan. This project, implemented by MCIT, seeks to (1) expand broadband connectivity, (2) mainstream use of mobile applications across the Government, and (3) develop the capacity of the IT sector to facilitate improved service delivery across Afghanistan. The indicative total cost of the project is US$40 million. The project envisages using a shared platform to deploy mobile applications. This will reduce costs and help aggregate demand across the Government. A critical infrastructure that will be part of the platform is the Afghanistan National Data Center (ANDC). The ANDC already provides a backbone for the e- Government program and will now be expanded to include mobile Government (m-government). ANDC is also considered to be a premier and essential component of the Government of Afghanistan in the field of Information Services and information Technology (IT) applications. With the inclusion of m-
Government, ANDC will be instrumental in steering ICT applications in Government Organizations on both Central and Provincial level for wider transparency in government functions and improvement in the decentralized planning and management. It will also address the needs of the private sector by providing latest and tailored to the needs technological infrastructure and services. ANDC has been identified as one of the core infrastructure components to consolidate services, applications and infrastructure to provide efficient electronic delivery of G2G, G2C and G2B services. ANDC will act as a mediator and convergence point between open unsecured public domain and sensitive government environment and it will also provide services for government s own access. It will enable various Government organizations to host their m-government services/applications on a common infrastructure leading to ease of integration and efficient management, ensuring that computing resources and the support connectivity infrastructure (WiMAX/Fiber Optic Ring) is adequately and optimally used. These services would be extended to Government agencies, Citizens and Businesses through the connectivity infrastructure being rolled out such as Government Cable Network (GCN) and ANDC to Clients WiMax connectivity. Data Centre would provide many functionalities like Central Repository of the databases for the Government, Secure Data Storage, Online Delivery of Services, Citizen Information/Services Portal, State Intranet Portal, Remote Management and Service Integration. The challenge the ANDC is facing is lack of suitable expertise to run and maintain the data center network infrastructure. Being a highly technical and advanced technological environment a highly skilled, professional and lead technical expert is required to fulfill the urgent and crucial needs of ANDC. This is a mandatory requirement for running the state-of-art facility and providing world class services to the government organizations. OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT The objective of the assignment is to assist ANDC network security department to design the security framework for the mobile applications that will be hosted in the ANDC. SCOPE OF WORK The consultant is expected to conduct the following: Review current IT security measures applicable to mobile applications hosted on the ANDC Supervision of Database Security Procedures Supervision of Data Encryption and Decryption Procedures Development of Data Security Procedures Supervising and observing the hackers and intrusion in the ANDC network Creating security watch dogs at the entrance level of the ANDC networks Troubleshooting, designing and maintaining the ANDC CISCO Network Infrastructure
Configuration of Routers, Switches and other devices as necessary Connecting NDC with clients via fiber/wimax network through Afghan Telecom Observing issues like: - Alerts and Warnings, - Incident handling, - Incident analysis, - Incident response on site, - Vulnerability Handling, - Vulnerability analysis, - Vulnerability response - Threats Announcements - Technology watch - Security Audits or Assessments - Development of Security Tools - Security-Related Information Dissemination - Risk Analysis - Security Consulting - Education/Training - Product Evaluation or Certification Designing network expansions and necessary changes and tunings. Maintaining the network and implementing ANDC policies and regulations. Connecting clients and providing access to requested services in an effective manner. Training the subordinates in various network related areas. The entire assignment is scheduled to be completed within 3 months from the date of signing the agreement. The consultant will be provided the following: - Office space, internet access. - Access to the ANDC network and passwords for various devices. - ANDC Network Design, Configuration and other technical documents. - Support to arrange meetings with clients and Afghan Telecom as required.
CONSULTANT QUALIFICATIONS AND eexperience At least a Bachelor s degree in Computer Networks or related fields. A Master s degree is preferable. 1. A Master s Degree with at least 3 years of experience or a Bachelor s degree with at least 5 years of experience in network and data securities and 5 years 2. Good understanding of system design and analysis 3. Understanding of international policies and standards in area of networks securities 4. Understating of Cisco platforms 5. Understanding of network security standards 6. Good understanding of computer hardware, server applications and operating systems 7. Understanding of international policies and standards in area of computer networks and hardware 8. A thorough knowledge of English is essential 9. Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools. 10. Good communication and interpersonal skills INTERESTED AND ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the Services and are invited to submit their CV (Curriculum Vitae), including education background, employment records, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills). Expressions of interest must be delivered or sent by e-mail to the address below no later than 07 Feb, 2011; 11.00 AM (Kabul Time). Foreign Procurement Department (FPD) Attn: Mr.Samimullah Samin General Manager for External Procurement Procurement Department, Ministry of Communications and IT (MCIT) Mohammad Jan Khan Watt Kabul, Afghanistan Office: +93 20 210 37 41 Cell phone: +93 700 222 009 Email: fpd@mcit.gov.af Web site: www.mcit.gov.af Copy to: Eng.Baryalai Hassam ; Deputy Minister Technical Ministry of Communication and IT, I.R of Afghanistan Mohammd Jan Khan Watt, Kabul Afghanistan Landline: +93 20 210 11 03 Email: b.hassam@mcit.gov.af And also to: mi.bhat@mcit.gov.af Any queries on the position may also be addressed to the above mentioned email addresses, latest 3 working days before the deadline for submission of applications.