The Reserve Bank of India has a website (www.rbi.org.in) which is updated on a daily basis. The size of the website is about 38 GB. Department of Communication, Reserve Bank of India, Central Office Building, 12th floor, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg, Mumbai – 400 001, invites estimates for hosting and maintaining the RBI website for a period of next three years. For a detailed description of the job please see Tenders section of the RBI website. The last date for submission of tenders is October 24, 2008. A pre-bid meeting will be held on October 3, 2008.

Specifications for Hosting Reserve Bank of India’s Internet Website

1) Job Description

a) The Reserve Bank of India’s website (www.rbi.org.in) is regarded as one of the best information disseminating sites among the central bank sites by international reviewers. The RBI site is running since August 1996 and today has data volume of over ­38 GB.

The site caters to the needs of a variety of visitors, including bankers, financial professionals, research scholars, regulatory and other organisations in India and abroad, print and electronic media as well as common persons. The website is updated every day, between 9 am and 9 pm, with announcements, notifications, data dissemination and such other information. Sometimes it is updated even on holidays.

In addition, there are statutory and other periodical publications ranging from weekly to annual, each of about 40-50 MBs with text, tables, charts and graphs. Infrequent updates of reports also take place. The site hosts web-casts. Currently the site provides only a link to the web casts, with streaming done from a separate server provided by a different service provider. Monthly addition to the site is approximately 40-50 MBs.

b) The website has separate multi-lingual (13 language) sub-sites for ‘Common Person’ and ‘Financial Education’. The information is identified from the main site and hosted on these sites which the common persons can access in the language of their choice.

c) These two websites also have/may have films, multimedia presentations and interactive tools, such as, quizzes, games, crosswords, jigsaw puzzles and such other interesting items.

d) All website updates are time bound and though attempts are made to give soft copies of voluminous data at least a week in advance, it may not be possible to give soft copy well in advance all the time. The hosting of information in all cases has to meet the prescribed deadlines. The website also has releases that are time-embargoed for publication. This means that the Reserve Bank shares the information with the web manager in confidence in advance and the web manager is required to release the information on site at a pre-determined time. Maintaining strict confidentiality till the document is published and publishing them at the notified time are absolute prerequisites.

e) The website provides for additional facilities to the visitors such as automatic e-mail alerts, automatic notifications downloads, personalisation of the site, global search engine as well as search within a section.

f) Conversion of data into web documents is service provider’s responsibility.  

g) All the material on the RBI website is made available in two formats - html and pdf. Data are also required to be hosted in excel. The material is hosted simultaneously in all the formats on the website synchronised with the direct release of the hardcopy by the RBI.

h) A sub-site, under the RBI website, called the Financial Markets Watch, with feed from the Negotiated Dealing System (NDS), provides real time information on transactions in Government Securities Market. Data on this sub-site must be accessible without interruption to the visitors during market hours. The real time data is transmitted to the RBI website through messaging system of MQ-Series by the NDS system. Average monthly data update on this site is approximately 40-50 MB. The online data is converted into a downloadable MS-Excel file at the end of each day and archived on the site.

i) The Reserve Bank expects the service provider to first take over the existing site with all its contents and software and manage it.

2) Platform and Database

a) The ownership of entire data hosted in the RBI’s Internet website, in all forms including text, data, graphical, animations, audio/video content etc., rests only with the Reserve Bank even if the service provider facilitates hosting the content on the website on a server owned by the service provider. Similarly, the ownership of all source code of software used for the purpose of hosting the content on RBI’s Internet website would rest with the Reserve Bank.

b) The web site runs on an offsite location on Windows platform with ASP.Net as the Scripting language and SQL Server as the database.

c) WebPages are displayed in HTML format with scope for links to details wherever available.

d) The database is stored in Oracle9i.

e) Material is sent in MS-word, MS-Excel (charts & tables), .pdf, etc. The display is in html, .pdf and excel formats. Photographs are sent in jpeg or other formats. Tables and accounting related data are maintained in Ms-Excel format.

f) The print option with formatted page is available for all formats.

3) Some Requisites

a) The website must be available 24 x 7 x 365. Tolerance to down time for the website is zero. The security and integrity of the database and the website has to be maintained under all circumstances.

b) The website is ported on the MS-Windows platform. Scope for conversion into latest MS-Windows operating system will be required.

c) Timeliness, uninterrupted service, volumes, quick response time and confidentiality are uncompromised requirements of the RBI website. User friendliness is an equally important feature of the site.

d) There is also no scope for error in placing information on the website at the scheduled time, neither before nor after, and keeping it confidential till then. The Reserve Bank considers error in this to be a reputation risk for itself and therefore unacceptable. Certain content with specific ‘date and time embargo’ need to be hosted with great care and confidentiality and to ensure this, it is recommended that an appropriate workflow model may be used with the final trigger resting with RBI Officials.

e) The service provider is required to take over the management of the existing web site on an 'as is' basis and continue to improve facilities and functionalities identified below within a specific time line.

f) Enhancement of the features of the web site should be a continuous exercise. The minimum enhancement of functionalities that need to be provided are:

• The site should have a powerful search engine
• Improvement in navigation
• Audio/video streaming
• Online shopping module for ordering Bank’s publications
• Ensuring access for visually impaired
• Website should support all major web browsers apart from Internet Explorer

g) Revamping the website could include:

• Use of XBRL/RSS for disseminating information
• Any other suggestions which could be implemented

4. Back-up and Disaster Recovery

a) Back-up of the site is to be provided to RBI at fixed periodical intervals.

b) RBI also requires a disaster recovery and business continuity plan for the website.

6) Period of Assignment

a) The initial assignment, i.e. contract, of the maintenance of the website will be for a period of 3 years subject to review every year and will be extended further on a yearly basis for a maximum period of another 3 years, i.e., totally 6 years. However, both parties will have the option to terminate the contract with a notice period of one month or on mutually agreed notice period.

7) Who can apply?

a) Companies, who shall provide evidence that they are current legal entity in India, with impeccable repute in managing equally large and data oriented sites, with at least three years’ experience in managing similar websites may apply. The company should have experience of hosting large websites with interactive features and made profit continuously in the last three years with good average turn over.

b) The bidding company must warrant that there is no legal action being taken against it for any cause in any legal jurisdiction. If such an action exists and the Bidder considers that it does not affect its ability to deliver the RFP requirements, it shall provide details of the action(s).

c) The bidding company must demonstrate that it has been engaged in the provision of similar services for other large and complex national /international institutions. Providing such services to banking institutions could be deemed to be an advantage. 

How to apply?

a) Please send us a detailed profile of your company, including the number of people and their technical qualifications, details including physical location of the main server and the mirror server, technical details of the server on which the sites are hosted, bandwidth available, technical details of the connectivity between the Reserve Bank and website manager for transmission of material, security policy and measures adopted by the company in case of management of websites and any other relevant details that in your opinion should be crucial in proving your capability to manage the RBI website.

b) Please also mention URLs of at least three other public websites that you manage for your clients and which in your opinion are comparable either in terms of criticality, volume of data and reputation of the RBI website.

c) Please enclose a small write up reviewing the present RBI website and details of how would you visualise the RBI website to be and suggest areas which need improvement.

d) It is recommended that a visit to the RBI Website (www.rbi.org.in) would be beneficial in sizing up the requirement stated in this document..

9) Two-Stage Bidding Process

a) For the purpose of selection of the vendor, a two-stage bidding process will be followed.

b) The response to the present expression of interest is to be submitted in two parts, i.e. the Technical Bid and the Commercial Bid. These are two distinct and separate parts of the tender.

c) The ‘Technical Bid’ will contain the comprehensive technical details, whereas the ‘Commercial Bid’ will contain the pricing information. The Technical Bid should NOT contain any pricing or commercial information at all.

d) In the first stage, only the ‘Technical Bids’ will be opened and evaluated. Those companies whose bids satisfy the technical requirements of the solution, as determined by Bank and as per the requirements/specifications and the terms and conditions of this document, shall be short-listed.

e) Under the second stage, the Commercial Bids of those companies whose bids have been short-listed earlier on the basis of evaluation of their Technical Bids, will only be opened for further processing.

f) Bank may call for any clarifications/ additional particulars required, if any, on the technical/ commercial bids submitted. The vendor has to submit the clarifications/ additional particulars in writing within the specified date and time. The Bank at its discretion may disqualify the bidder’s offer, if the clarifications/ additional particulars sought are not submitted within the specified date and time.

g) Amendments to this bid document may be issued at anytime, prior to the deadline for the submission of bids. From the date of issue, amendments to the bid document shall be deemed to form an integral part of the bid document

h) Bank reserves the right to call for a presentation on the features etc., from the short-listed bidders based on the technical bids submitted by them to make an evaluation.

i) The commercial bid should contain quotation for end-to-end web hosting services as envisaged in this document.

j) The bids must be submitted in accordance with the format specified in this document.

k) Bidding companies must acquaint themselves fully with the conditions of the bids. No plea of insufficient information will be entertained at any time.

Kindly ensure to submit the bids in the formats as given in Form ‘A’ (Technical Bid) and Form ‘B’ '(Financial Bid) in separate sealed covers.

10) Where to send?

Please send expression of interest with Technical and Commercial Bids in the specified formats giving complete details in separate sealed covers, superscribed as ‘Technical Bid’ and ‘Commercial Bid’, to Alpana Killawala, Chief General Manager, Department of Communication, 12th Floor, Central Office Building, Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai - 400001 latest by 4.00 P.M. on Friday October 24, 2008.

11) Pre-bid Meeting

A pre-bid meeting will be held on Friday, October 3, 2008 Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai, in Conference Room No. 2, 15th Floor, Central Office Building, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Mumbai – 400001. Those website Service providers desirous of attending the pre-bid meeting may please register their names by email addressed to G.Raghuraj or Sabeeta Badkar.
 
12) Period of bid validity

The Bids shall be valid for a period of three months from the closing date for submission of the bid.

13) Evaluation

The Reserve Bank of India will evaluate the bids following the process as stated in Para 9 above. The evaluation criteria shall be based on the requirements stated in this bid document. 

14)  Terms of Payment
           
Following would be the payment schedule for each Phase:   
On awarding and signing of the contract:                                       40%
On developing and demonstrating requirements:                            30%
On live deployment and handing over source code                         20%
On executing Performance Bank Guarantee:                                 10%

Since the ownership of the source code, used for customising and hosting on the RBI’s website, rests with the RBI the source code must be handed over to RBI immediately after completion of the development and porting of the data. Whenever, there is any modification/addition in the source code during warranty/AMC period, the modified/changed source code must be handed over immediately to RBI. The ownership of source code and related Intellectual Property Right (IPR) with reference to the RBI’s internet website will lie with RBI only.

15) Notification of Award

The acceptance of a bid, subject to contract, will be communicated in writing at the address supplied by the bidding company in the tender response.  Any change of address of the company should therefore be promptly notified to the Chief General Manager, Department of Communication, Reserve Bank of India, 12th floor, Central Office Building, , Shahid Baghat Singh Road, Mumbai 400 001, India (Telephone: 022-22630502; email: G.Raghuraj or Sabeeta Badkar)

16) Signing of Contract

The vendor shall be required to enter into a contract with Reserve Bank of India, within thirty (30) days of the award of the bid or within such extended period, as may be specified by the Chief General Manager, Department of Communication Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai, on the basis of the Bid Document,

17) Performance Bank Guarantee

i. The vendor shall at his own expense deposit with the Chief General Manager, Department of Communication, Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai, within thirty (30) working days of the date of notice of award of the tender, a Performance Bank Guarantee from a scheduled commercial bank, payable on demand in terms of Form ‘C’, for an amount equivalent to ten percent (10%) of the contract price for the due performance and fulfilment of the contract by the Supplier. 

ii. The Performance Bank Guarantee may be discharged by the Bank upon being satisfied that there has been due performance of the obligations of the vendor under the contract. The Performance Bank Guarantee shall be valid till the end of the assignment Period.

iii. Failure of the vendor to comply with the above requirement, or failure of the vendor to enter into a contract within 30 days or within such extended period, as may be specified by the Chief General Manager, Department of Communication, Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai, shall constitute sufficient grounds, among others, if any, for the annulment of the award of the bid.

18) Right of the RBI to accept or reject the bid

a) The RBI reserves the right to accept/reject any or all offers submitted in response to this without assigning any reason whatsoever.

b) The Bank reserves the right to short-list the vendors based on the requirement of the Bank and may call bidders for a presentation or otherwise before an evaluation committee, at bidder’s cost.

19) Governing Law and Disputes       

a) The bids and any contract resulting therefrom shall be governed by and construed according to the Indian Laws.

b) All disputes or differences whatsoever arising between the parties (i.e., the Bank and the vendor) out of or in relation to the construction, meaning and operation or effect of this Bid Document or breach thereof, shall be settled amicably. If, however, the parties, as above, are not able to resolve them amicably, the same shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the applicable Indian Laws, and the award made in pursuance thereof shall be binding on the parties, as above. The Arbitrator/Arbitrators shall give a reasoned award. Any appeal will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts at Mumbai, India.

c) The vendor shall continue work under the Contract during the arbitration proceedings unless otherwise directed in writing by the Bank or unless the matter is such that the work cannot possibly be continued until the decision of the arbitrator or of the umpire, as the case may be, is obtained.

d) The venue of the arbitration shall be Mumbai, India.

Form ‘A’

Format for submitting Technical Bid
{No financials to be mentioned in this}

Form ‘B’

Format for submitting Commercial Bid

* In case multiple options are offered (please see item no. 6 in format for Technical Bid), please give commercials for all the options separately in financial bid.

@ Please define what will be considered as change management.
# Applicable for both Phase I and Phase II

Form “C”

PERFORMANCE BANK GUARANTEE

The Chief General Manager,
Department of Communication,
Reserve Bank of India,
12th floor, Central office Building
Shahid Bhagat singh Marg
MUMBAI 400 001 INDIA.

Dear Sirs,

PERFORMANCE BANK GUARANTEE – Hosting of web site and allied maintenance services

WHEREAS

M/s. (name of vendor), a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956, having its registered and corporate office at (address of the Supplier), (hereinafter referred to as “our constituent”, which expression, unless excluded or repugnant to the context or meaning thereof, includes its successors and assigns), entered into a Purchase Agreement dated …….. (hereinafter, referred to as “the said Agreement”) with you  (Reserve Bank of India) for hosting the web site and allied services for the Reserve Bank of India, as detailed in the said Agreement.

We are aware of the fact that in terms of sub-para (…), Section (…), Chapter  (…) of the said Agreement, our constituent is required to furnish a Bank Guarantee for an amount Rs…….. (in words and figures), being 10%  of the Contract Price of Rs. … (in words and figures),  as per the said Agreement,  as security against  breach/default of the said Agreement by our Constituent.

In consideration of the fact that our constituent is our valued customer and the fact that he has entered into the said Agreement with you, we, (name and address of the bank), have agreed to issue this Performance Bank Guarantee.

Therefore, we (name and address of the bank) hereby unconditionally and irrevocably guarantee you as under :

I. In the event of our constituent committing any breach/default of the said Agreement, which breach/default has not been rectified within a period of thirty (30) days after receipt of written notice from you, we hereby agree to pay you forthwith on demand such sum/s not exceeding the sum of Rs…… (in words and figures) without any demur.

II. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, as contained in the said Agreement, we agree that your decision as to whether our constituent has made any such default/s / breach/es, as afore-said and the amount or amounts to which you are entitled by reasons thereof, subject to the terms and conditions of the said Agreement, will be binding on us and we shall not be entitled to ask you to establish your claim or claims under this Performance Bank Guarantee, but will pay the same forthwith on your demand without any protest or demur.

III. This Performance Bank Guarantee shall continue and hold good till the completion of the warranty period for the ‘Total Solution’ i.e. (date), subject to the terms and conditions in the said Agreement.

IV. We bind ourselves to pay the above said amount at any point of time commencing from the date of the said Purchase Agreement until the completion of the warranty period for the Total Solution as per said Agreement.

V. We further agree that the termination of the said Agreement, for reasons solely attributable to our constituent, virtually empowers you to demand for the payment of the above said amount under this guarantee and we have an obligation to honour the same without demur.

VI. In order to give full effect to the guarantee contained herein, we (name and address of the bank), agree that you shall be entitled to act as if we were your principal debtors in respect of your claims against our constituent.  We hereby expressly waive all our rights of suretyship and other rights, if any, which are in any way inconsistent with any of the provisions of this Performance Bank Guarantee.

VII. We confirm that this Performance Bank Guarantee will cover your claim/s against our constituent made in accordance with this Guarantee from time to time, arising out of or in relation to the said Agreement and in respect of which your claim is lodged with us on or before the date of expiry of this Performance Guarantee, irrespective of your entitlement to other claims, charges, rights and reliefs, as provided in the said Agreement.

VIII. Any notice by way of demand or otherwise hereunder may be sent by special courier, telex, fax, registered post or other electronic media to our address, as aforesaid and if sent by post, it shall be deemed to have been given to us after the expiry of 48 hours when the same has been posted.

IX. If it is necessary to extend this guarantee on account of any reason whatsoever, we undertake to extend the period of this guarantee on the request of our constituent under intimation to you (Reserve Bank of India).

X. This Performance Bank Guarantee shall not be affected by any change in the constitution of our constituent nor shall it be affected by any change in our constitution or by any amalgamation or absorption thereof or therewith or reconstruction or winding up, but will ensure to the benefit of you and be available to and be enforceable by you.

XI. Notwithstanding anything contained hereinabove, our liability under this Performance Guarantee is restricted to Rs…… (in words and figures)  and shall continue to exist, subject to the terms and conditions contained herein, unless a written claim is lodged on us on or before the afore-said date of expiry of this guarantee.

XII. We hereby confirm that we have the power/s to issue this Guarantee in your favour under the Memorandum and Articles of Association/ Constitution of our bank and the undersigned is/are the recipient of authority by express delegation of power/s and has/have full power/s to execute this guarantee under the Power of Attorney issued by the bank in his/their favour.

2. We further agree that the exercise of any of your rights against our constituent to enforce or forbear to enforce or any other indulgence or facility, extended to our constituent to carry out the contractual obligations as per the said Agreement, would not release our liability under this guarantee and that your right against us shall remain in full force and effect, notwithstanding any arrangement that may be entered into between you and our constituent, during the entire currency of this guarantee.

Notwithstanding anything contained herein :

I. Our liability under this Performance Bank Guarantee shall not exceed Rs. …. (in words and figure) ;

II. this Performance Bank Guarantee shall be valid only up to …….. (date, i.e., completion of warranty period for  the Total Solution)  ; and

III. we are liable to pay the guaranteed amount or part thereof under this Performance Bank Guarantee only and only if we receive a written claim or demand on or before …. (date  i.e. completion of the warranty period for  the Total Solution).

This Performance Bank Guarantee must be returned to the bank upon its expiry. If the Performance Bank Guarantee is not received by the bank within the above-mentioned period, subject to the terms and conditions contained herein, it shall be deemed to be automatically cancelled.

Dated ……………………. this ……….. day …………. 2003.

Yours faithfully,

For and on behalf of the …………… Bank,

(Signature)
Designation
(Address of the Bank)

Note :

a) This guarantee will attract stamp duty as a security bond under Article 54(b) of the Mumbai Stamp Act, 1958.

b) A duly certified copy of the requisite authority conferred on the official/s to execute the guarantee on behalf of the bank should be annexed to this guarantee for verification and retention thereof as documentary evidence in the matter.