CONFLICT ARMAMENT RESEARCH

Transcription

1 CONFLICT ARMAMENT RESEARCH Systems and Analytics Division Document Name: Tender Name: Project Title: Tender Code: Tender Dossier: Responses to Tenderer Questions Data Visualisation and Analytics Solution (DVAS) Provision of a secure data visualisation and analytics solution to support CAR s analysts leverage its data on the trafficking of conventional and unconventional weapons, ammunition and related materiel into conflict-affected areas. CAR_iTrace III_2018_002_DVAS Responses to Tenderer Questions Conflict Armament Research (CAR) has collected and generated responses to 34 questions received by tenderers for the Data Management Solution (DMS) and the Data Visualisation and Analytics Solution (DVAS). Questions and response regarding both solutions have been included in both tender dossiers as a single document. QUESTION RESPONSE 1. Which office will carry out the The procurement will be carried out by CAR s procurement? headquarters in London, UK. 2. Where is the team managing The team managing the contracts will be based in these contracts located? CAR s headquarters in London, UK. 3. Will CAR s data be stored This point has not yet been decided. That decision will locally, or will it be cloud-based? be jointly made by the tenderer awarded the Data Management Solution contract and CAR. All available options will be considered. Please note that data security is a component of CAR s evaluation, as identified in document 1.4_Evaluation_Criteria in each tender dossier. 4. What kind of entity is CAR? CAR is a privately-owned company registered in the UK. Page 1 of 7

2 5. Can we arrange a demonstration of our solution for your team? 6. Can we partner with another company to submit a joint tender? Only tenders and questions regarding the tenders will be accepted during the initial selection phase. CAR encourages the inclusion of visual aids in tenders to demonstrate capacity, as outlined in document 1.4_Evaluation_Criteria in each tender dossier. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to arrange a live demonstration for our team as well as provide client references during the final selection phase. See document 1.2_CFT_Instructions in each tender dossier for more information. CAR allows consortium tenders - however, the primary tenderer will be responsible for the tender. Additionally, the full scope of the partnership(s) must be outlined in document 2.6_Organisation_and_Methodology in each tender dossier. Conversely, a single tenderer can submit tenders towards both calls (DMS and DVAS). Tenderers may propose the same solution in both tenders, in other words, a solution that satisfies the requirements and needs of both the DMS and DVAS. Each tender must communicate the technical capacity of the solution in accordance with each call s document 1.4_Evaluation_Criteria. 7. The calls for tenders appear to be more complex than the deliverable and implementation. What is the call for tender structure based on? If the costs associated with a single solution for both calls cannot be clearly separated, tenderers may use their discretion to appropriately identify and allocate between the two tenders. In this situation, tenderers shall delineate the costs between the two solutions in one budget template (separating costs for DMS and DVAS in separate columns). This budget spreadsheet shall be submitted with both tenders. The spreadsheet must describe how the delineation was done and provide a rationale for that method of delineating the cost between the tenders. CAR will use the financial offer reported for each solution (DMS and DVAS) in the single spreadsheet for calculating the proposal score. The procurement process for both tenders is based on EU procurement guidelines and templates. However, CAR notes that tenderers are encouraged to structure their technical proposals as they believe best reflects their solution considering CAR's requirements, as Page 2 of 7

3 8. What are the budget caps based on? 9. Is there to be a `Data Entry System` - as part of Data Management System, or as a separate element in conjunction with it? You refer to the need for field staff to be able to register thousands of items in one day/ one sitting while on site. The specifics of this Data Entry process are unclear from the RFP. It may be one or both of the following. Could you clarify please? mentioned in section 4.1. of documents 1.2_CFT_Instructions in each tender dossier. Additionally, CAR encourages tenderers to submit a technical proposal that is responsive, clear, and concise. The budget caps were established based on an initial assessment of quotes from vendors in the sector. However, it is important to note that 20% of the proposal score during both stages is based on the financial offer. CAR encourages tenderers whose technical capacity fits CAR's requirements to submit a tender, including a financial offer, that is based on the requirements, not the budget cap. The budget caps can be found in document 1.2_CFT_Instructions section 4.2 in each tender dossier. Data entry is an important element of our data lifecycle due to: a) the complexity of the data being collected and b) the circumstances under which it is collected. The content in document 1.3_ToR section 1.3 in each tender dossier outlines CAR s overarching goals and is aspirational. These calls for tenders (DMS and DVAS) are intended to move CAR in the right direction towards achieving those goals. At present, CAR s data entry is through structured Microsoft Excel spreadsheets which encompass the item s classification and the item s chain of custody. Each item is entered manually after completing the data collection in the field. These spreadsheets upload roughly 30 item records at a time into the incumbent database system. For more information on CAR s current environment, see document 1.3_ToR section 4.1. in both tender dossiers. It is a priority for CAR to improve its capacity in this area. As a result, CAR is revisiting its approach to data entry and wishes to explore ways to improve its data entry tools and processes. Tenderers are advised to review document 1.5_Data_Management_Overview in both tender dossiers regarding CAR s current systems. Additionally, tenderers are advised to communicate their solution s data entry features, tools, and options in line with the relevant evaluation criteria in document 1.4_Evaluation_Criteria_DMS. Page 3 of 7

4 10. Is the Data Visualisation and Analysis expected to be map centric or to include maps as part of a wider application with other charts and visualisations? 11. Implement, Host and Support` - Is the overall offer to include costs for ongoing hosting and support of the solution? 12. Which locations would we be required to travel (if any)? 13. I m interested in establishing if you would be open to a cloudbased solution to your DMS (and DVAS) requirements of if you expect an on-premise or hybrid approach? CAR expects the DVAS to have the capacity to provide geospatial visualisations, such as maps, as part of wider application with other charts and visualisations. More detail on CAR s expectations in this area can be found in document 1.4_Evaluation_Criteria_DVAS. Yes, tenderers should include ongoing hosting and support costs for the solution as part of the financial offer. The only required travel would be for training purposes. Training delivery has not been explicitly defined and will depend on the solution and its tenderer. For that reason, no locations nor identifying a need to travel can be provided at this time CAR is will seek the advice of the awarded tenderer for both the DMS and the DVAS as to the best approach, whether it be cloud-based, on-premise, or a hybrid. Data security is a component of CAR s evaluation, as identified in document 1.4_Evaluation_Criteria in each tender dossier. Tenderers are encouraged to identify the approach(s) that are best for its solution. 14. Where is your head office? CAR s headquarters is in London, UK. For the purposes of this procurement, please use the following as CAR s mailing address: PO Box London, WC1A 9PE 15. How many named users (data stewards) would you require to manage and operate the frontend application? 16. Please provide some indication of the number of transactions or the volume of data that the platform will process on a daily/weekly basis. 17. Can you provide an example of the complexity of the data? CAR reminds tenderers that tenders should be submitted by to procurement@conflictarm.com. At this stage, we expect to have one named user (data steward) who would manage and operate the front-end application. This is subject to change based on the chosen solution(s). Tenderers should use one (1) as the quantity of users of this kind for their financial offer if it is a separate cost from other line items. CAR currently has 80,000 total records across all its database tables. These records amount to roughly one (1) TB of storage, most of which is in the form of high resolution pictures. For more information on the volume of data, please refer to document 1.3_ToR section 4.1. of each tender dossier. The data that CAR collects consistently includes geospatial, temporal, and relational attributes in addition to descriptive attributes. CAR provides an overview of its data and how its structured in document Page 4 of 7

5 18. What is the format of the data that will be provided from the data sources e.g. file extracts / DB tables / online API? 19. For pricing purposes, can you please indicate if there is a preferred implementation approach: a) Vendor installation followed by handover b) Blended client/vendor team (including training of the client team) c) Client team trained by vendor and client team implements (with some vendor support) d) Vendor fully implements and provides ongoing configuration support (fully managed solution) e) Other 20. Do you currently have or are planning specific high availability needs? 21. Are there plans for the tool to be integrated with other applications (if yes, how?) or it will be the single source of true data? 1.5_Data_Management_Overview of each tender dossier. CAR s data is currently stored in a relational database design. However, the final format of its data will depend on the tenderer awarded the contract for the Data Management Solution. Additional information can be found in document 1.3_ToR section 4 and document 1.5_Data_Management_Solution of each tender dossier. A primary deliverable for both calls for tenders is a twotiered training programme relating to the solution(s). This is addressed in document 1.3_ToR in each tender dossier. CAR prefers an implementation approach led by a blended client/vendor team with training of the client team by the vendor. The training of technical staff (document 1.3_ToR Section ) should include the necessary training for a blended approach in the financial offer. If a blended client/vendor team implementation approach is not possible, CAR s second preference is for a fully managed solution. CAR maintains a continuous data entry and presentation schedule. CAR values solutions that have high availability because the organisation operates on numerous time zones and will need to access the data and visualise it with little notice. Availability is addressed in document 1.4_Evaluation_Criteria of both tender dossiers. At present, there are no explicit plans to integrate the DMS or the DVAS with any outside applications. However, it is important to note the following key points: Integration is an evaluation criterion for both calls for tenders (document 1.4_Evaluation_Criteria). It is critical that the DMS and the DVAS can integrate with each other. CAR values integration capability for both the DMS and DVAS because CAR may wish to integrate with other sources of data and other applications in the future. Page 5 of 7

6 22. Are there plans to integrate with any currently deployed security system? Which types of authentication/authorization are provided or by the system or required by the application? 23. Can you describe the expected BI/visualization capabilities in details? Some examples or use cases would be helpful. 24. Do you commonly deal with non- Unicode data and require that the platform is fit to support it? 25. Do you use an ETL tool and if yes, which one, or what is the preferred integration approach with it? 26. For each table / reference dataset, a set of various validations and constraints can be configured in our products (including an approval workflow process for any changes). Do you have ideas around this? 27. Is the RFP is evaluating a platform that will be the single point of data management? If no, what other system are expected to be connected to the platform and what are the desired options for doing so (file extracts, online services, messaging queues...)? 28. Can you provide any information on the scope and timetable of the project (or initial pilot)? Data security is a component of CAR s evaluation, as identified in document 1.4_Evaluation_Criteria in each tender dossier. CAR intends to adopt a security system with the awarded solution(s). Tenderers should include what security options are available with their solution. CAR has provided examples alongside each evaluation criterion in document 1.4_Evaluation_Criteria in each tender dossier. This document has document has examples of expected BI/visualisation capabilities. Additionally, the document 1.5_Data_Management_Overview in each tender dossier provides a geospatial visualisation example relating to the evaluation criterion Geospatial Mapping - Aggregated on Page 8. CAR does not currently use non-unicode data, as defined by the Unicode Consortium ( Supporting non-unicode data is not required. CAR s current provider does not use an ETL tool. CAR is in the process of revisiting its validations and constraint configurations. CAR intends to work with the awarded tenderer to build on its systems and implement additional features. Tenderers are encouraged to explain the capacities of the solution in this area, focusing on relevant evaluation criteria in document 1.4_Evaluation_Criteria_DMS. The DMS tender process is evaluating a solution which will serve as the single point of data management. The scope of the contract resulting from this tender procedure is 12-months from the contract countersigning with an option to renew based on a satisfactory review. The timetable in document 1.2_CFT_Instructions section 2 states that the start Page 6 of 7

7 29. Can you provide a template for the evaluation questions or is the vendor required to submit a paper covering all of them? 30. Will there be a presentation stage in your selection process? 31. Would you be happy to speak to client references in advance of reviewing the tender documents? 32. Will there be a proof of concept stage in your tender process? 33. We would like to meet to discuss your requirements in more detail before completing your tender response - is this possible? 34. How would you rate your organisations desire to become self-sufficient with Data Analysis rather than to outsource this to a third party? date is tentatively set to occur on 14 December This date is not concrete and will depend on when the contract is countersigned. This response is based on the question focusing on the Technical Proposal, as part of the Technical Offer, which addresses the evaluation criteria. See document 1.2_CFT_Instructions section 4 for more information on this distinction. In document 1.2_CFT_Instructions in each tender dossier, CAR states that tenderers can present their Technical Proposal in any way they feel best represents their solution considering the evaluation criteria and requirements in the tender dossiers. Further, CAR does not provide a template for the Technical Proposal. CAR will arrange live demonstrations with shortlisted tenderers during the final selection phase. These demonstrations will either be in-person or over a webinar-like format. Either format will include a question and answer session afterwards. See document 1.2_CFT_Instructions in each tender dossier for more information. CAR will ask shortlisted tenderers to provide three client references during the final selection phase. Client references will not be requested nor contacted prior to this phase. See document 1.2_CFT_Instructions in each tender dossier for more information. Shortlisted tenderers will provide a live demonstration of their solution. There is no proof of concept stage in for either of the tender processes. See document 1.2_CFT_Instructions in each tender dossier for more information. CAR will only meet with shortlisted tenderers during the final selection phase. There is no proof of concept stage in for either of the tender processes. See document 1.2_CFT_Instructions section 7 in each tender dossier for more information. CAR seeks a blended client/vendor team implementation approach. The training of technical staff (document 1.3_ToR Section ) should include the necessary training for a blended approach in the financial offer. Page 7 of 7