TENDER NUMBER: ITT/SACU/015/2015/O Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Audit IT Effectiveness Review CLOSING DATE & TIME FRIDAY, 23 JANUARY 2015 17H00 (Namibian Time) POSTAL & PHYSICAL ADDRESS FOR TENDER SUBMISSION Southern African Customs Union (SACU) - Secretariat Private Bag 13285 Corner Lazarett & Feld Street Windhoek, Namibia, 9000 COMMERCIAL ENQUIRIES Mr. Hermanus L. Esterhuizen Procurement Officer Tel: +264 (61) 295-8000/37 Fax: +264 (61) 245 611 Email: Leon.Esterhuizen@sacu.int TECHNICAL ENQUIRIES Mr. Hiskia Ndjavera Internal Auditor Tel: +264 (61) 295-8000/35 Fax: +264 (61) 245 611 Email: hiskia.ndjavera@sacu.int NO. OF TENDER COPIES REQUIRED 6 (original plus 5 copies)
ITT/SACU/015/2015/O Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. BACKGROUND 1 3. OBJECTIVES OF THE AUDIT 1 4. SCOPE OF THE AUDIT 1 5. REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE 2 6. DELIVERABLES 2 7. TIMEFRAME 3 8. SUBMISSION OF TENDER PROPOSALS 3 9. FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS 3 10. CONFIDENTIALITY 4 11. OWNERSHIP OF DATA 4 12. MODIFICATION OF TERMS 4 13. TENDER FORMAT 4 14. EVALUATION OF TENDERS AND AWARD CRITERIA 4 FORMAT OF PROPOSAL... APPENDIX A
1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) consists of five member states, namely Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland. The SACU Secretariat was established in 2004 to administer and coordinate the activities of SACU institutions. More information is available on SACU s website (http://www.sacu.int). 1.2 The Secretariat has invested in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Hardware, Applications and Services to enable its employees to deliver a quality service to stakeholders. 1.3 The Secretariat s Information Technology (IT) Department is tasked with providing secure, reliable, responsive and cost-effective ICT Systems and Services that leverage ICT Industry Best Practices. 2. BACKGROUND 2.1 The Secretariat is dependent on its ICT systems to carry out its mandate and recognises the growing complexity and risk engendered in today s ICT operations. 2.2 In this regard the Secretariat seeks to adopt ICT practices that will allow management to form appropriate governance plans, strategies, investment decisions, and policies that meet compliance requirements, mitigate risk, support the overall organisational goals and maximise Return on Investment (ROI). 2.3 Therefore the Secretariat wishes to appoint a qualified IT Auditor to support the Internal Audit Unit in undertaking an objective and comprehensive assessment of the ICT Organisation and thereby assist in identifying opportunities for system and process improvements. 2.4 The purpose of this Request for Tenders (RFT) is to provide the prospective Auditor with a guideline of these requirements. 3. OBJECTIVES OF THE AUDIT 3.1 The objectives of the audit is to evaluate and obtain evidence that determines if the information systems are safeguarding assets, maintaining data integrity, and operating effectively to achieve the organization's objectives. 4. SCOPE OF THE AUDIT 4.1 The Audit should cover the following scope: Evaluate IT Governance and Strategy controls as they relate to: The IT Organization (Objectives, Roles and Responsibilities) IT Strategic Planning, Continuous Improvement and Monitoring IT Investment and Asset Management IT Resource Planning IT Risk Definition and Management IT Project Oversight Page 1/7
Evaluate the existence and effectiveness of management, operational and technical controls as they relate to the security, confidentiality and integrity of data, including: Compliance with regulatory and legal environments Certification, Accreditation, and Security Assessments Security Planning Policy and Procedures Privacy Policy and Procedures Risk Assessment Policy and Procedures Change Management Assessment Content and Records Management System and Services Acquisition Awareness and Training Configuration Management Contingency Planning Communication Planning Help desk and Incident Response System Maintenance Policy and Procedures Media Protection Policy and Procedures Physical and Environmental Protection Personnel Security System and Information Integrity Access Control Policy and Procedures System Audit and Accountability Identification and Authentication System and Communications Protection Segregation of duties (c) Produce a report that identifies the IT Organisation s deficiencies and recommends actions for improvements. 5. REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE 5.1 Prospective bidders must possess extensive experience and technical knowledge on ICT audit environment. 6. DELIVERABLES 6.1 DRAFT REPORT Page 2/7
The bidders will produce a Draft Report within five (5) days, covering all the Terms of Reference. On receipt of the Draft Report, the SACU Secretariat will circulate it to the Executive Committee for comments. 6.2 FINAL REPORT Following the Executive Committee, the bidders will incorporate comments made and produce a Final Report within five (5) days. An electronic copy of the Final Report will be submitted to the SACU Secretariat in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Adobe PDF Format. 7. TIMEFRAME 7.1 The total duration of the assignment is four (4) weeks, at the end of which the Final Report must be submitted to the SACU Secretariat. 8. SUBMISSION OF TENDER PROPOSALS 8.1 The SACU Secretariat implements a two-envelope tender process, meaning that the Technical and Financial Proposals must be submitted separately in sealed envelopes. 8.2 The Tender should be delivered or posted to the Postal and Physical Address for Tender Submission specified on the cover page above in five (5) hard copies each (plus 1 original). 8.3 The technical proposals should be inserted in a separate envelope, clearly marked Technical Proposal and the financial proposals should be placed in their own separate envelope clearly marked Financial Proposal. All envelopes should be properly sealed and clearly marked as indicated below: TECHNICAL PROPOSAL / FINANCIAL PROPOSAL TENDER NUMBER: ITT/SACU/015/2015/O Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Audit IT Effectiveness Review NAME OF THE BIDDING COMPANY/ORGANISATION/FIRM 8.4 The deadline for the submission of tenders is Friday, 23 January 2015 17h00 (Namibian Time). 8.5 One electronic copy, in PDF Format, must be submitted to the Procurement Officer. 8.6 The tender should remain valid for 90 (ninety) days from the tender closing date. 9. FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS Page 3/7
9.1 Bidders are solely responsible for their own costs in preparing the tender. 9.2 Payments for all services (professional fees and disbursement fees) covered by this tender shall be made within 30 (thirty) days subject to receipt of appropriate invoices, the satisfactory completion of work, and adherence to the SACU Secretariat s Financial Policies and Procedures. 10. CONFIDENTIALITY 10.1 Tenders submitted will not be revealed to any other bidders and will be treated as contractually binding. 10.2 SACU reserves the right to seek clarification or verification of any information contained in the tenders. 10.3 All information pertaining to SACU obtained by the bidder as a result of participation in this tender is confidential and must not be disclosed without written authorisation from the Executive Secretary of SACU. 11. OWNERSHIP OF DATA 11.1 All tenders, including any supporting documents and or training materials or any other documentation with reference to this tender, submitted to the SACU Secretariat becomes the property of SACU. 11.2 Ownership of all data belonging to SACU whether under its control or the bidder s control shall continue to vest in SACU. Any data of whatever nature resulting from the provision of the Services shall be the property of SACU and may be used by SACU without restriction. All data or information that may be shared with the successful bidder during the provision of the Services shall upon completion of the Services, be returned to the SACU Secretariat. 12. MODIFICATION OF TERMS 12.1 The SACU Secretariat reserves the right to add, modify or omit certain portions of the tender scope at any time at its sole discretion. This includes the right to cancel this tender at any time prior to entering into a contract with the successful bidder. 13. TENDER FORMAT 13.1 Bidders are required to address the issues and requirements in Appendix A to ensure that their tender receives full consideration. 14. EVALUATION OF TENDERS AND AWARD CRITERIA 14.1 ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Page 4/7
Only tenders received as specified in Section 10 (Submission of Tender Proposals) will be considered. Only bidders that have provided the following will be considered: (i) (ii) Certified copies of a Certificate of Registration or Incorporation with relevant national authorities in the case of companies or corporations; for partnerships, consortiums and joint ventures, the relevant agreement between the parties; and in the case of individuals, certified copies of the ID, proof of physical address will be required; and A certified copy of a current Tax Clearance Certificate or exemption thereof from relevant national authorities. (c) (d) Tenders will not be evaluated if the bidder s current or past shareholding or other interests may, in the SACU Secretariat s opinion, give rise to a conflict of interest in connection with this tender. This tender is only open to SACU citizens or service providers that are majority (51%) owned by SACU citizens (with proof of shareholding) and registered within the SACU Region. 14.2 QUALIFICATION CRITERIA Only eligible tenders will qualify to the next stage, provided that all tender documentation as specified in Appendix A of this document has been supplied. 14.3 AWARD CRITERIA The contract will be awarded from the qualifying tenders on the basis of the most economically advantageous proposal applying the following award criteria: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) Technical Knowledge and/or Qualifications; Proposed Methodology and Understanding of the Assignment; Managerial Skills of the Bidder; and Company Profile and Reputation of the Bidder. 14.4 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION The tender award is subject to the successful conclusion of a Service Level Agreement (SLA) to confirm the Terms and Conditions of the tender. SACU reserves the right to negotiate the terms of the tender proposal and the value of any financial proposal submitted. Page 5/7
Appendix A TECHNICAL PROPOSAL (1 ST ENVELOPE) Bidders should address all the issues and requirements in the sequence in which they appear in this Appendix. 1. GENERAL INFORMATION 1.1 One page letter of introduction identifying the bidder and signed by the person(s) authorised to bind the bidder to statements made in the proposal. 1.2 Title Page listing the Tender Number, Individual or Trading Name, Postal Address, Physical Address, Telephone No., Fax No., Mobile No., Email Address, Website and Full Names of Two Contact Persons. 1.3 Profile of the Individual/Consultancy Firm/Consortium/Bidder. 1.4 A record of previous similar assignments undertaken by the bidder. 1.5 Proof of qualifications and experience of key staff that will carry out the assignment, including the Team Leader. 1.6 All bidders are required to clearly state the name of the Primary Party with whom SACU will enter into an Agreement. In the event of a consortium, or group of companies jointly delivering a response, full details are required of each of the legal entities involved. An agreement to this effect must be entered into by the parties and submitted with the tender, indicating the Lead Bidder. (Attach a copy of the partnership / consortium agreement). 1.7 Full Contact Details of any third-parties involved in the proposal (if applicable). 1.8 Description of role or element of proposal to be fulfilled by any third-party.(if applicable) 1.9 Confirmation of acceptance by the bidder and any third parties of the conditions of proposal. 1.10 Certified copies of a Certificate of Registration or Incorporation with relevant national authorities of all bidding parties. In the event of individuals, certified copies of the ID, proof of physical address will be required. 1.11 Certified copy of a current Tax Clearance Certificate from relevant national authorities of all bidding parties. 2. REFERENCES 2.1 Bidders must provide a minimum of three (3) customers (names, addresses and telephone numbers) who may be contacted for references in connection with the proposed assignment. Page 6/7
Appendix A 2.2 Bidders are expected to include reference letters on official letterheads from these references. 2.3 These references should be current, stipulate the project or work undertaken, the financial value of the project and where the work was executed. 2.4 The SACU Secretariat reserves the right to undertake a full background check on all references submitted (prior to final award). 3. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL 3.1 A detailed proposal indicating a clear understanding of the Terms of Reference and Methodology that will be used to complete the assignment. 4. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 4.1 Bidders may provide any other information which may be relevant to this proposal. FINANCIAL PROPOSAL (2 ND ENVELOPE) Bidders should address all the issues and requirements in the sequence in which they appear in this Appendix. 5. SCHEDULE OF COSTS/FINANCIAL PROPOSAL 5.1 The schedule must take the following format: (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) All costs must be quoted in South African Rand (ZAR). The total cost of the proposal (best and final offer). An itemised breakdown of the cost or any options being proposed beyond the specified Terms of Reference. A maximum provision of 10% of professional fees will be allowed on all disbursements quoted. The applicable rate of VAT in respect of each product and service being proposed. (Certain products or services may be zero-rated VAT) Details of any other costs, taxes or duties which may be incurred. Confirmation that the financial proposal remains valid for 90 days from tender closing date. Page 7/7