Request for Quotation (RFQ)
RFQ Number: BBC MA/KBL/20/12
Issuance Date: December 19, 2020
Deadline for Offers: December 22, 2020
Description: Provision of Internet Connection Service for
Section 1: Instructions to Offerors 1.1 Introduction:
BBC Media Action uses media and communications to reduce poverty and promote human rights in developing countries. To achieve this, we partner with civil society, local media and governments to strengthen the media sector through building professional capacity and produce creative media outputs which inform and engage audiences around key development issues.
BBC Media Action has been working in Afghanistan for over 20 years, delivering media and communications projects on governance and health themes. BBC Media Action is now working on a variety of media action projects which involve capacity-strengthening of provincial radio stations and civil society organizations and will be delivered in partnership with a national media and a women’s empowerment organization in Afghanistan.
The purpose of this RFQ is to solicit quotations from eligible Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for provision of Internet Connection Service to BBC MA Kabul Office. As a result of this RFQ, the BBC MA plans to enter into a contract for a period of 12 months with the qualified ISP. Offerors are responsible for ensuring that their quotations are received by BBC MA in accordance with the instructions, terms, and conditions described in this RFQ. 100% compliance with the terms and conditions of this RFQ is MUST and failure to comply to the terms and conditions of this RFQ as well as failure to adhere to instructions described in this RFQ may lead to disqualification of a quotation from consideration.
1.2 Offer Deadline and Protocol: Offers must be received no later than 4:00 PM (Kabul Local
Time) on Tuesday, December 22, 2020, by hard copy delivery to the BBC Media Action’s Kabul
Office.
Hard copy quotations must be stamped and signed by the offeror’s authorized representative and delivered in a sealed envelope to the BBC Media Action Office.
Offerors must coordinate the drop off of hard copy proposals no later than 24 hours prior to the
requested drop off date by making a phone call to +93 20 2211183 or +93702355933.
Please reference the RFQ number in any response to this RFQ. Quotations received after the specified time and date will be considered late and considered only at the discretion of BBC MA.
1.3 Specifications: Section 2 contains the technical specifications and requirements of the required service(s)/ item(s).
Please note that, unless otherwise indicated, stated brand names or models are for illustrative description only. An equivalent substitute, as determined by the specifications, is acceptable.
1.4 Quotations: Quotations in response to this RFQ must be priced on a fixed-price, all-inclusive basis, including delivery and all other costs. Pricing must be presented in US Dollar and must be on a per Mbps basis.
Prices must remain valid for not less than thirty (30) calendar days after the RFQ deadline.
In addition, Offerors to this RFQ are required to consider the following:
1.5 Warranty: Offeror warrants and implies that all goods and services delivered or provided hereunder to be merchantable and fit for use for the particular purpose described in this RFQ. All equipment/goods shall have the standard manufacturer’s warranty/ certified minimum standard. Warranty service and repair within the operating country is required for all commodities under this RFQ. The warranty coverage must be valid on all commodities for a minimum of twelve (12) months after delivery and acceptance of the commodities, unless otherwise specified in the technical
specifications.
1.6 Taxes and VAT: Offerors must assess and include in the total cost of their quotation the Business Receipt Tax (BRT) or any other tax required by the Afghanistan income tax law.
The prescribed rate of tax withholding is 2% of the gross purchase amount for contractors/vendors who are in possession of an active business license issued by any of the following entities:
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA)/ any other Afghan Government department relevant to the scope of work.
Before signing an agreement, the contractor/vendor will provide a copy of the organization's business license and TIN (Tax Identification Number) to BBC MA. Amounts deducted from the invoices will be forwarded to the Ministry of Finance (MOF) Tax Division and credited to the firm's TIN. Records of payments to the MOF shall be maintained on file with BBC MA.
1.7 Evaluation and Award: The award will be made to a responsible Offeror whose quotation follows the RFQ instructions, meets the eligibility requirements, and meets or exceeds the minimum required technical specifications, and is judged to be the best value based on a lowest price,
technically-acceptable basis.
Please note that if there are significant deficiencies regarding responsiveness to the requirements of this RFQ, a quotation may be deemed “non-responsive” and thereby disqualified from consideration. BBC MA reserves the right to waive immaterial deficiencies at its discretion.
Section 2: Specifications and Technical Requirements 2.1 Scope of Work:
BBC Media Action is currently seeking reputable, licensed and registered ISP for entering into a one (1) year contract for provision of Internet Connection Service.
The table below outlines Technical Specifications for Dedicated Internet Connection:
No PARTICULARS Quantity DESCRIPTION
1 Bandwidth
N/A
Dedicated internet bandwidth is required over Wireless P2P for BBC MA Office, located in Kabul.
Evo™ XTRM Series (NERA)
Point-to-Point (PtP) Ultra High Frequency radio that operates on 60 GHz and 70/80 Ghz
frequency band.
The Evo™ XTRM Series brings new state-of-the-art design innovations to V–band 60 GHz and E–band 70/80 GHz frequency segment, including Power over Ethernet (PoE) and field-selectable GigE interfaces.
2 IP Pool
IPs
Usable IPs
Vendor / firm will also provide a pool of 5 useable live IPs to BBC Media Action.
3
Service Level Agreement
Should Include N/A
Internet Bandwidth Over Fiber Optic Cable
- Vendor Should be a Major Bandwidth Distributor
4 Last Mile Medias N/A
-
- Primary Link should be Optical Fiber Cable - Secondary Link Should be Wireless
5 Back-Ends
02 Minimum two strong Back-ends required
2.2 Minimum Technical Requirements
▪ The ISP must have experience with international NGOs’ providing large amount of
bandwidth.
▪ The ISP must have a fully functional and 24/7 operational NOC (Network Operation Centre),
and customer service centre situated in Kabul. Moreover, three level of contact details must be provided from the Management, Technical and the Helpdesk.
▪ The ISP must provide 100% uptime except for maintenance time.
▪ Prior notifications must be released for any service degradations, technical problems, and
planned maintenance activities.
▪ The technical response time for resolving any faults must take less than an hour after reported.
▪ Maintenance & Operation, site visits, etc. will be on ISP cost (won’t pay any charges).
▪ Delivery and installation period of equipment must be one week (free, no cost).
▪ The ISP should provide us two weeks of trial period to test the service. In case there is an
issue in providing the test service the trial period will be extended. Payment for actual service will start after the trail period ends successfully.
▪ Upgrade the bandwidth upon request any time.
▪ Same Bandwidth for Up/Down.
▪ The ISP should provide 5 Public/ Live IPs.
Section 3: Minimum General Requirements
1 Valid Business License and Nature of Business (Only
vendors in the business of Internet Connection Provision are eligible to bid. Vendors not related to the relevant scope will not be considered)
2 Validity of Bid Price: Bids must be valid for at least
thirty (30) days
3 Payment Terms: Upon receipt of a proper invoice
after completion of service on a monthly basis
4 The payment will be made through bank transfer to
the account. NO cash will be paid.
Section 6:Mandatory Required Documents
In addition to the quotation, the following documents need to be provided:
1. Valid AISA registration or Business License or registration with the respective ministry
2. quotations on suppliers’ official quotation format or letterhead duly filled, signed and
stamped.
3. Clear description of relevant experience (client reference minimum 3).
4. Bank account details by the company’s name only.
