3VA Invitation to Tender IT Systems August 2015 Page 1 of 7
Invitation to Tender
for 3VA
Offers are invited for supply of the goods/services detailed below.
Offers must be submitted via email to [email protected] no later than 5.00pm on 17th September 2015. All responders need to be available for interview on either the 23rd or 24th of September, in Eastbourne, between the hours of 9am and 5pm.
Please send any queries you may have to: [email protected]
We are inviting tenders for the procurement of a new IT system built around 3VA’s specific business requirements to incorporate technology that can easily change and grow in the future according to our needs. The contract is to include system design, supply, including all license fees, installation, onsite training and a full ongoing maintenance and support package to cover a period of at least 3 years.
We are aiming to contract with a proactive supplier, who will not only respond to our needs and requests but will proactively manage our account and anticipate future requirements. 3VA requires Bidders to provide a transparent pricing structure that ensures no surprise costs are incurred throughout the term of the agreement. We are working with financial constraints and we have a duty to obtain best value for contracts. All pricings must be valid for a period of no less than 90 days. Bidders will be asked to consider the trade in value of any existing hardware prior to final responses, after this first stage of the procurement process.
3VA has responsibilities to ensure that organisations that deliver services on our behalf, or from whom we purchase goods and services, do so in accordance with our policies. We expect all organisations with whom we have a contract to deliver services as required on an equal and fair basis and to have, and implement, equality and diversity policies that are compatible with ours. Should any 3rd parties be engaged in order to provide equipment or services this must be fully disclosed within any responses.
3VA Invitation to Tender IT Systems August 2015 Page 2 of 7 Background:
The key objective for 3VA is to develop the use of technology / digital inclusion to deliver operations and services and to enable us to work more effectively as a sector.
In a nutshell, our key needs are as follows:
1. Replace/update old kit - our current server does not enable us to do all we need to do consistently and a lot of our equipment is outdated. We need capacity for 25-30 staff plus volunteers working across 3 sites remotely, and accommodating accountancy packages in everyday work.
2. All staff can work remotely - anywhere! We want to enable all staff to work flexibly by location i.e. anywhere they can and at the moment we don’t have consistent
connectivity especially in far flung rural parts.
3. Public can reach us online - skype etc. Might be carers or others who need to contact us from own home, people accessing computers in libraries or community settings etc.
4. We are considering a single phone number for all sites, with the ability to redirect all incoming calls to any site/phone.
Our current IT system was originally set up for 9 users. 3VA currently has 27 employees. We have an office in Eastbourne and an office (one room) within serviced office
accommodation in Lewes.
There are four 3VA employees based some, or all, of the time at East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service and one employee based in Uckfield.
Although the majority of staff work from the Eastbourne Office, everyone works flexibly across all the offices and from home.
The majority of staff working in Eastbourne are connected directly to the network via cat 5e cable, although remote access is sometimes used.
Staff working in the Lewes Office, ESFRS and Uckfield can only connect to the system remotely via the terminal server at Eastbourne.
3VA Invitation to Tender IT Systems August 2015 Page 3 of 7 Current Set up
Servers - Eastbourne Office:
Server Type Installation Date
Main server HP ProLiant ML350 G5
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 for Small Business Server Service
Installed 7 October 2007
Terminal server – handles Lewes Office and remote users
HP ProLiant ML350 G6 Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition Service
Installed 14 March 2010
Note: There is an APC Smart UPS 1500 back up unit for the servers Hardware - Eastbourne Office:
Desktop PC’s No. Software Comment
8 Windows 7 Professional Purchased 2012
5 Windows XP Professional Old – will need replacing Hardware - Lewes Office:
Dumb terminals No. Comment
3VA Invitation to Tender IT Systems August 2015 Page 4 of 7 Other Devices:
Laptops No. Software Comment
16 Windows 7 Professional 4 purchased in 2014. Remainder are 4+ years old & will need replacing
Tablets 5 Android – Jelly Bean 4.1 Purchased 2013
Mobiles 7 N/A Old Nokias – will need
replacing Other IT system modules:
3VA Database A Cloud based purchased product customised for 3VA by an IT
professional
3VA Website Designed by Samson Web Design. Maintained in-house
Connectivity:
5 current phone lines - 3 office bases and 2 managed projects with own phone number. 18 handsets
Voicecom contract for telephone support - expires December 2015.
Eastbourne Office – BT ISDN line. Broadband Provider is Spitfire Network Services – will need to be upgraded to fibre optic
Fax and ISDN - BT - quarterly payments, no contract.
Lewes Office – Office is located within a managed building. Connectivity is via the Bizspace broadband hub.
IT system support:
3VA Invitation to Tender IT Systems August 2015 Page 5 of 7 New System Requirements
Devices:
All employees have indicated that they would like to have access to a desktop PC.
A significant number of employees would also like to work on a laptop at times., with access to a tablet and a smartphone.
Bidders are requested to propose hardware solutions that will meet the need for employees to be flexible in their location of work either onsite, offsite or at home but without duplication or superfluous hardware or peripherals
Item Ref.
Requirement Comment
1 Software
The system must:
Be based on Microsoft Windows architecture Incorporate compatibility mode feature for older versions
Support Microsoft Office 2013 or latest version (or Office 365 if Cloud based system)
Incorporate compatibility mode feature for older versions
Work in all modern browsers from IE8 and above Provide relevant staff with access to:
Quickbooks 4 users
Sage One Budgeting module Or equivalent - 4 users
Microsoft Project 2 users
Microsoft Publisher 2 users
Quark 2 users
Photoshop 2 users
Adobe Acrobat Professional 2 users
Civicase Or equivalent 2 users
2 File sharing and social networking Services
The system must:
Have co-authoring functionality to allow multiple users to work on the same document, e.g. when writing funding bids and key papers
Microsoft Sharepoint technologies - possibly Dropbox, Yammer, Skype or equivalent or any sensible alternatives
Incorporate an intranet to facilitate staff communication and collaboration within 3VA
Or equivalent – Dropbox, Yammer or Skype? Allow users to have access to instant messaging,
text, VOIP and video chat with users both internal to and external to 3VA
Dropbox, Yammer, Skype or equivalent
3VA Invitation to Tender IT Systems August 2015 Page 6 of 7 The system must:
Allow staff to have remote access to all parts of the system they are authorised to use
Fully support agile working from all 3VA offices, from home, while travelling
Enable staff to log on from laptops/tablets at meetings
Be a flexible system that works across all devices Desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones
Allow for calendar synchronisation between 3VA and staff based at East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service
Currently not possible
Be set up to allow printing from all offices and from home
4 System Security
The system must incorporate robust security measures complying with best practice by including but not limited to:
Firewall protection
Appropriate malware protection
Anti-virus anti-spyware, anti-spam applications Measures to preserve integrity of data
Appropriate Data encryption Appropriate access control
Password protected access to the system
5 Supplier Support
The Supplier must:
Ensure minimum disruption to service during implementation keeping downtime to a minimum to maintain business continuity during migration period Allow for initial training to enable staff to migrate to the new system and include ongoing training and development needs following upgrades
Provide ongoing system management and support 24 x 7 x 365
To equivalent level as current IT support package Allow for future software and system upgrades
Provide information regarding how data is stored (including backup data) and where the data is stored Make sure that information from the system is backed up sufficiently frequently to allow data to be restored to a state it was in previous to any
occurrence of system failure
3VA Invitation to Tender IT Systems August 2015 Page 7 of 7 Finally:
1. Please include in your submission the support offered for training staff and volunteers. 2. As outlined above, we are also considering moving to a single phone line for all sites,
with the ability to have any phone or device answer this single number. We’d like all responders to include plans for this change, should we choose to make it.
