clarification on pre-bid queries on request for …management and information security management...

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CLARIFICATION ON PRE-BID QUERIES ON REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR SELECTION OF SYSTEM INTEGRATOR FOR OPERATION, MAINTENANCE ANDMODIFICATION OF THE EXISTING ELECTRONIC AUCTION SOFTWARE OF TEA

(Tender Reference No. 6(29)/LC/E-AUCTION SOFT; Tender ID: 2019_TBI_476554_1)

Sl. No. Section Page No. ClauseNo.

Description in RFP Clarification sought REPLY OF TEA BOARD

1 8 17 B. 1 1) Software MaintenanceActivity:iii. Back up of important projectrelated artifacts iv. Restoration ofimportant project related artifactsfor verification

Request to provide the details ofbackup policy & restoration cyclerequirements

Daily full Backup withretention period of 7days.Weekly Full Backup withretention period of 5weeks.Monthly full Backup withretention period of 10years.

Restoration test to beperformed once in amonth.

2 8 18 B. 1 1) Software MaintenanceActivity:xi. Providing reports as per TeaBoard requirement related to thequantity and quality of tea sold.xii. Providing reports to enable TeaBoard to be compliant to GST andother regulatory authorities (filingof GST, TCS, etc.)

Request to provide:1. Frequency and number of requesteach day for such reports.2. Response time for report request

On an average 10 reportrequests per day.

Response time 10minutes to 1 hourmaximum based on thepriority.

3 8 21 B. 3 3) Functions of thenetwork/database managementteam:i. Generate auction relatedstatistics after the end of every sale

Request to provide the number ofreports and response time for reportrequest

On an average 60Reports per week.Response time: within 2hrs of auction completion

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programme.

4 8 21 B. 3 3) Functions of thenetwork/database managementteam:ii. Housekeeping, backup andrecovery operations to ensure theintegrity, good health of thesystems and databases.

Request to provide the details ofbackup policy & recovery cyclerequirements

Please refer to reply at Sl.No. 1 above.

5 8 21 B. 3 3) Functions of thenetwork/database managementteam:iii. Provide support from 7 am to 9pm on all auction and non auctiondays and as and when required.

Request to provide:1. Minimum time to attend issue2. Minimum time to resolve issue

Time to attend issue:immediateTime to resolve issue:less than 30 minutes

6 8 20 B. 1 xxxi. The Service Provider shouldprovide support to Board and suchagencies for the implementation ofthe new projects. Service Providershould also make available tosuch agencies, all the data andindustry-standard interfaces andintegration touch points forintegration with the applicationsuite.

If feasibility of such new projectrequires new infra or additionalmanpower then will it be providedby Tea Board?

All such requirementswill be considered basedon their merit only. Priorapproval of Tea Board isrequired in all such cases,if any. For infrastructurerequirement the cloudenvironment mayprovide the requiredscalability.

7 13 25 A hard copy of the application(except the commercial proposal)should also be submitted by thebidder to Secretary, Tea Board, 14,BTM Sarani, 4th Floor, Kolkata-700001 duly sealed and stamped.

Would like to confirm that theCommercial Bid should ONLY besubmitted in e-procure portal andNOT in physical form in a sealedenvelope

As per RFP, the printcopy of the proposal,except the commercialproposal, shall besubmitted.

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8 8 22 B. 4 Manpower requirement:Senior Developer 1Tester 1

In the commercial bid format (pagenumber 48), it states that the SeniorDeveloper and Tester to be quotedis for TWO numbers each instead of1. Request clarification.

Number of SeniorDeveloper and Testermay be read as one each.

9 ExistingLandscape

10 A) Slno 1 -11

Transaction Router (TXR), PriceFeeder Router (PFR), CommandProcessor (CP), Net Time,Auction Engine (AE) etc.

What are the Component Names forTransaction Router (TXR), PriceFeeder Router (PFR), CommandProcessor (CP), Net Time, AuctionEngine(AE) etc.?

What is the Deployment diagram?

What are the DeploymentEnvironments? What is theapplication architecture?What is the Programming Languageused in all the four portalsmentioned in the SOW and theauction engine?

Please refer toAnnexure-I

10 Brief Scope ofWork

16 The system integrator (SI) shalloperate, maintain and modifythe existing software andprovide support for theapplications being used forelectronic auction of tea alongwith the other portalsas detailed in the scope of workbelow for the software services.The SI shall also coordinate withother agencies (selected and

What is the current effort estimatefor operating, maintaining theexistingsoftware?

What is the estimate of the last 2years modification with effort tomodify the existing software?

How many mock sessions andtraining of the stakeholders have

Approximately 20-25changes with average 30Person Days have beenmade in the last oneyear.

Mock sessions andtrainings to be conductedin the auction centers asper requirement at thetime of implementation.

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appointed by Tea Board) likesettlement bank, MPLSservice providerand data centre forsmooth operations.

to be conducted before rolling outany modification in the system?Where will they be conducted?


19 ClauseB) Part1)pointno xvi

Service Provider will deploy asufficiently staffed and experiencedtransition team led by a TransitionManager to manage the TransitionServices. The team that will takeover operations from the currentoperator should be in place at least30 days before the end oftransition phase.

There seems to be some anomaly/conflict in the timelines given in thisclause and in the clause onliquidated damages given in Pg 36Clause 21. Basis these two clauses,does it mean that resources haveto be in place from day 1 afterreceipt of work order? In ouropinion, this is not practical.

The timeline may beconsidered as 8 weeksaltogether.4 weeks for transition.The newly selectedbidder will observe theworking of the existingservice provider for 2weeks and the newlyselected bidder willperform the work inpresence of the existingservice provider for thenext 2 weeks.


21 Pointno 4

Deployment of resources forinfrastructure management service

The time proposed is 7am to 9pm.This would necessitate 2 shifts asperLabour law. Clarification isrequired if no. of resourcesneed to be doubled in viewof 2 shifts.

On auction days thesupport services shall berequired at the auctioncentres from 7 A.M. to 7P.M. and on non-auctiondays the services shall berequired from 9 A.M. to 5P.M. However, in case ofany exigency the workinghour may vary.

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13 MinimumEligibilityCriteria

23 Clause12

To enable Tea Board to select acompetent System Integrator, wesuggestthe following modifications/additions in the Minimum EligibilityCriteria:

As per RFP.


23 Clause12 Slno 2

The applicant should be CMMIlevel3 certified IT company forprivate companies and CMMIlevel 3 certified for Govtinstitution/Govt undertakingsetc.

The applicant should be CMMI level5 certified IT company for privatecompanies and CMMIlevel 3 certified for Govtinstitution/Govtundertakings.

As per RFP.


23 Clause12NewAddition

The applicant should not have everbeen debarred/ blacklisted / banned/suspended/ declared fraud byany PSU/State or CentralGovt./Private institutions inIndia for any reason.(Self-Declaration to be provided)

The applicant should have aminimum strength of at least 30full time Technically Qualifiedprofessionals in its payrollworking for Projects in India.(Latest EPF challan and list ofemployees with the organization tobeprovided)

The applicant should be having

Annexure A in the RFPcontains the relevantdeclaration in this regardand this is mandatory.

The bidder shouldpossess validcertification for ISO9001:2008 and ISO27001:2005(Copies of certificates tobe attached) as a pre-qualification criteria.

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accreditation to qualitymanagement and informationsecurity management systems (ISO9001:2008 & ISO27001:2005).(Copies of certificates to beattached.)

16 TechnicalEvaluation

29 1c)CMMILevel

The company should have achievedminimum CMMI Level 3Certification

Applicants should be asked tosubmit supporting documentaryevidence in the form of valid CMMIcertification.

As per section 2 clauseNo. 12 of the RFP thebidder is required tosubmit copy of the validcertificate in this regard.

17 TechnicalEvaluation

30 1e)Training

Should have experience in CapacityBuilding (Training) and ChangeManagement

Kindly clarify what Form 6 is. Werecommend that system generatedself-attested declaration be accepted asproof of evidence.

The word “Form 6” mayplease be ignored.

18 31 1g)Experience inoperating asECO(ElectronicCommerceOperator)

The firm may have operated as ECOor has handled payments ofECOs and facilitated their GSTfiling

We understand as per existingprocess that the System Integratordoes allfinancial transactions on accountof Tea Board. Under thiscircumstance does the SystemIntegrator need ECO license asper existing rules?

As per RFP.

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19 LiquidatedDamage

36 Clause21

The service shall be made availablewithin 30 days from the date ofthe work order issued by theBoard. Any time beyond thescheduled period may call forpenalty.

Time period of 30 days is too shortto go live. This must be increased toat least 90 days.

Please refer to the replyat Sl. No. 11 above.

20 Annexure D 47 NA Declaration for Deviation Kindly clarify whether declarationfor deviation will lead to nonqualification of applicant.

The deviation may leadto non-acceptance of theoffer if it amounts to nonconformance to theterms and conditions laiddown in the RFP.

21 Annexure E 48 NA Commercial Template The Commercial Template andresources mentioned in theCommercialTemplate does not match. Pleaseclarify.

Please specify the need of breakingup the prices under different headsin the Commercial Template.


Since, the scope ofservice is varied; it hasbeen mentioned underdifferent componentheads.

22 General Query NA NA NA We suggest that there should be adefined stabilization windowprovidedto the System Integrator (SI) postthe transition phase.


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23 Section 6 (Briefoverview ofTea auctionplatform)

9 6 Brief overview of Tea auctionplatform

What is the programminglanguage used for developmentof the software and what is thedatabase used?

Please refer toAnnexure-I

24 8. Brief Scopeof Work

16 FirstPara

The system integrator shalloperate, maintain and modifythe existing software.

What is the extent ofmodification required in theexisting software?

Please refer to the replyat Sl. No. 10.

25 8. Brief Scopeof Work

17 8. B. I)ii.

Server monitoring foruninterrupted services

Will physical access to the servesbe allowed and will the SI needto address hardware relatedissues also?

The SI will be accessingthe servers / VMsRemotely. As Tea Boardis planning to migrate tothe cloud environment infuture. However, atpresent the collocationservice is being used.

26 12. MinimumEligibilityCriteria

23 1 The applicant should be an ITcompany

Whether a company doing ITrelated work but not registeredas IT company is eligible?

As per RFP.

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27 12. MinimumEligibilityCriteria

23 1 Applicant should be CMMIlevel 3 certified

If the CMMI level 3 certificate hasrecently expired and process ison for renewal, will they beeligible?

Copies of relevantdocuments to besubmitted by the biddersand subject tosatisfaction of the Board.

28 14.2. TechnicalEvaluationmatrix

30 e Form 6 supported bydocumentary evidence.

What the Form 6 mentioned inthe ‘Forms to be used column’


29 8. Brief Scopeof Work (xv)

18 TransitionPlan

Service Provider will developand implement the detailedtransition plan

Will the existing service providerby default get 15 marks underPoint 2a of technical evaluationmatrix (page 32)

The evaluation will bedone on the basis ofunderstanding ofthe requirementand quality andmerit of thesolution proposedalong with work plan.Hence, there is amplespace for an innovativeapproach.

30 Implementation in Cloudenvironment

28 Implementation inCloudenvironment

Implementation in Cloudenvironment

There is no added advantage ofimplementing an applicationwhich doesn’t have wide trafficvariations to be implemented incloud. Can the evaluation pointspecified for cloud expertise canbe waived.

As per RFP. No change.

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31 13. Submissionof Bid

24 Submission ofBid

Submission of hard copy of theapplication

What is the last date forsubmission of hard copy of theapplication? Is it the same dateas that of the online tendersubmission

The hard copy should besubmitted within the lastdate of submission of bidas mentioned in the RFP.

32 NA NA Submission ofBid

NA i. What is the size limit foruploading the Bid responsein the single row allotted onNIC’s portal?

ii. Is it possible to allowmultiple rows to beallocated on the technicalenvelope to ease thetraceability of supportingdocuments to the qualifyingcriteria, and then have onecommon row for otherdocuments?

iii. Is it necessary to sign theentire Tender documentand upload? Or justacceptance to all the tenderterms and conditionssuffice?

As per informationreceived from the NIC e-Procurement Helpdesk,25-30 MB space will beavailable.Strictly as per provisionof the CPP Portal.

Strictly as per provisionof the CPP Portal.

33 NA 48 CommercialTemplate

1. The commercial template hasnotes attached to Sl. 1 and 11 ofthe table stating that “Details ofresources proposed to bedeployed along with theireducational and professional

i. As required by the RFP terms weshall be sharing the CVs ofproposed resources. However,depending on the period when theWO is received, the availability ofthe resource may vary and which

Details of all man powerproposed to be deployedneeds to be shared.

Tea Board may approvesuch replacement of

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qualification and total experienceshall be shared.”

2. Table header, column 3 “Unitprice per year (INR) [A]”

will be filled in with other similarsuitable resource. The CVs that weplan to submit as bid response areindicative of the skill level that wepropose to deploy for thefulfillment of the scope of work,and the actual people deployedmay vary from the one originallyindicated, depending onavailability. Request Tea Board toallow the same.

ii. Will we need to submit CVs of allproposed resources or only theones proposed in Sl. 1 and 11(which may contain the helpdeskresources)?

iii. The commercial templateindicates that we need to quoterates applicable for a year,however the BOQ does notmention or account for the same.The final amount is simply thetotal with GST charges.

iv. Request confirmation that weneed to quote for one year periodfor each line item in the BOQ or 3years’ period.

manpower based on therequest made by thesuccessful bidder in allsuch cases.

Details of all man powerin different categoriesproposed to be deployedby the bidder needs to besubmitted.

The charges may bequoted in the BoQ for 3years.

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34 NA NA NA Response to Pre-bid queries andBid submission deadlines

Request that at least 2 weeks’extension is allowed postpublishing of the pre-bid meeting’sclarifications, so that all thechanges can be incorporated in theBid response.

The last date ofsubmission of bid hasbeen extended upto08.07.2019 till 4:00 P.M.

The date of opening ofTechnical Bid is09.07.2019 at 4.00 P.M.

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ANNEXURE-I

E-Auction Component Details

Sr.No Communication Component Functionality Technical Implementation

Framework Development Environment

1 AE (Auction Engine) Matching Algorithm Implementation

2.0MS Visual C++ 2005ADO.NetSQL Server 2005

2TXR Service (TransactionRouter)

Maintains the connection between Client and ServiceComponents

3CP Service (CommandProcessor) Establishes communication channel with Database

4PFR Service (Price feedrouter) Broadcasts the results made by Auction Engine

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E-Auction Application deployment Architecture

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E-Auction Application Architecture

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