Software Developer

Maldives
Contracted
Experienced



Request for Proposal:
Develop an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system for the Attorney General’s Office (AGO)

Table of Contents


Bid Timetable                                                                                                                        [2]


1.0       General Bid Information                                                                                           [2]
                       

2.0       Proposal Requirements                                                                                           [5]
                                                                       
           
3.0       Criteria for Selection                                                                                                [5]
                       

4.0       Specifications and Work Statement                                                                       [6]
                       

Appendix A:   Bidder Response Sheet                                                                               [7]


Appendix B:   Evaluative Questionnaire                                                                            [8]
                       

Appendix C:   Price Submittal                                                                                              [9]




                                                                                                           
           

Bid Timetable

The ABA will make every effort to adhere to the following schedule:
 
ActivityResponsibilityDate
RFP submitted for posting on the ABA website and distributed via e-mail to selected bidders.ABAOctober 28, 2024
Deadline to submit clarifying questions via e-mail to Shaahy Habeeb [email protected] BiddersNovember 9, 2024
Deadline to answer clarifying questionsABANovember 17, 2024
Proposals must be submitted electronically via https://americanbarassociationruleoflawinitiative.applytojob.com/apply/N9zsczfbAM/Software-Developer by 4PM (GMT+05:00)BiddersNovember 21, 2024
Review is completed and finalists are notifiedABANovember 26, 2024
 
  1. General Information

1.1 Purpose.  
The American Bar Association Maldives Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) is a non-profit program, under the ABA’s Fund for Justice and Education, that implements legal reform programs in roughly 43 countries around the world. ABA ROLI has nearly 350 professional staff working abroad and in its Washington, D.C. office. ABA ROLI has unique needs to fulfill its mission of promoting justice, economic opportunity, and human dignity through the rule of law.

This Request for Proposal (RFP) seeks to procure the development of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system for the Attorney General's Office of the Maldives. The goal is to provide to those suppliers interested in submitting proposals (“Bidders”) sufficient information to answer the RFP questions.

1.2 Issuing Department The American Bar Association Maldives Rule of Law Initiative has issued this RFP on behalf of the American Bar Association. The sole point of contact in the ABA for this RFP shall be:
Name: Shaahy Habeeb
Location: 5th floor, M.Furankaraa, Boduthakurufaanu Magu, Malé, Maldives
Email: [email protected]

Please refer all inquiries to Shaahy Habeeb.

1.3 Problem Statement or Type of Goods Required[SH1] . 
ABA ROLI seeks to procure a developer to build a comprehensive ERP system for the Attorney General's Office (AGO), incorporating task management, document management, and case management and calendar management functionalities. The case management system will primarily serve the legal divisions of the Office, while the task and document management features will support the entire AGO, including operational departments like procurement and general administration. The solution must be adaptable to varied workflows, streamline task tracking, and improve document handling, replacing current manual processes. Specific modules required include:
  • Civil litigation: Should feature case management, document management, task and calendar management, including flagging deadlines for appeals and other time-bound court activities. This module should also let management and supervisory level view the progress and track of individual attorneys, progress by cases and courts, progress based on cases won and lost.
  • Legal affairs: Should feature case management, document management, task and calendar management, including flagging deadlines to submit legal opinions. This module should also let management and supervisory level view the progress of cases by clients, by deadlines, type of cases and individual attorneys.
  • Legislative affairs: Should feature case management, document management, task and calendar management, including flagging deadlines to submit bills as per the legislative agenda. This module should also let management and supervisory level view the progress of bills by deadline, stages, attorney assigned, and legislative agenda.
  • Human Rights: Should feature case management, document management, task and calendar management, including flagging deadlines to submit status of cases and response to cases.
  • International Affairs: Should feature case management, document management, task and calendar management, including flagging deadlines to submit status of cases and response to cases.
  • Procurement functions: Should feature document, task and calendar management, including submission of request, track request status, link request to available budget and status of requests, goods received and services ongoing.
  • Inventory and stock management functions: Should feature document, task and calendar management, including maintaining inventory lists, flagging depreciated items, checking status of goods and assets in inventory, stock requests and balance.   
  • Finance management: Handle all accounting and finance functions, including maintaining and managing yearly budget, available budget balance daily and petty cash spendings and balance on daily basis.
  • Travel and leave management: Be able to monitor and view staff on leave and travel on daily basis, linked to case management including notifying supervisors when staff assigned for court or meetings are on leave or travel
  • Meeting and committee management: Allocation of attorneys to committees and meetings, automatic prompts to update allocations when a staff resigns, allows supervisors and management to view all committee allocations on daily basis.
  • Complaint and feedback management: Customer or client feedback portal, track status, log responses given, generate by type of complaint and feedback received.
  • Right to Information requests and responses: Document and case management to maintain all requests lodged under the Right to Information Act, assign tasks, track status and log responses made. Automatic reminder of deadlines under the RTI Act.

1.4 Type of Contract.  The contract needs to comply with the ABA Contract Policy and will be reviewed by the ABA’s General Counsel’s Office. ABA entities do not have separate legal standing to enter into oral or written contracts in their own names. All contracts entered into on behalf of the American Bar Association. ABA, in its sole discretion, may undertake negotiations with Bidders whose proposal, in its’ judgment, shows them to be qualified, responsible, and capable of providing the goods or performing the service. ABA has the right to select the number of final bidders and the right to use one or more companies to meet its requirements. Only staff authorized by the ABA Executive Director and has authority to execute contractual agreements on behalf of the ABA. 

1.5 Rejection of Proposals.  The American Bar Association reserves the right, at their sole and complete discretion, to reject any proposal received because of this RFP. ABA reserves the right to reject all offers, to waive technicalities, and to pursue procurement in a manner that is in the best interests of the organization.

1.6 Incurring Costs.  The ABA is not liable for any costs the Bidder incurs in preparation and submission of its proposal, in participating in the RFP process or in anticipation of the award of the contract.

1.7 Pre-proposal Conference.  There will be no pre-proposal conference. 

1.8 Questions & Answers.  If a Bidder has any questions regarding this RFP, the Bidder must submit the questions by email to the issuing employee named in Section 1.2 of the RFP. Questions should be submitted no later than the date indicated on the Bid Timetable. The Bidder shall not attempt to contact the issuing employee by any other means. 

1.9 Response Date.  To be considered for selection, electronic submissions must arrive to the issuing employee on the date specified in the RFP Bid Timetable. Bidders who send proposals by mail or other delivery service should allow sufficient delivery time to ensure timely receipt of their proposals. 

1.10 Proposals.  To be considered, Bidders should submit a complete electronic response to this RFP, using the format provided in Section 2.0. In addition to any paper copies of the proposal, Bidders must submit one complete and exact electronic copy of the proposal via e-mail. The Bidder shall make no other distribution of its proposal to any other Bidder or ABA employee or ABA contractor. An official authorized to bind the Bidder to its provisions must sign the proposal in Appendix A. For this RFP, the proposal must remain valid for 120 days taking into consideration the time required for evaluation of proposals and processing of the contract or until a contract is fully executed. If the Issuing employee selects the Bidder’s proposal for award, the contents of the selected Bidder’s proposal will become, except to the extent the contents are changed through best and final offers or negotiations, contractual obligations.

1.11 Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business (MWBE) Information:  The ABA encourages participation by minority, women, and small disadvantaged, and disabled veteran businesses as contractors, joint ventures, and subcontractors/suppliers.  MWBE businesses are businesses that are owned or controlled by a minority or a women owned business that have a 51% ownership. The Bidder should provide certification documentation from a certifying agency, state, local, or federal that they are a certified minority or women owned business.

1.12 Discussions for Clarification.  Bidders may be required to make an oral or written clarification of their proposals to the issuing employee to ensure thorough mutual understanding and Bidder responsiveness to the solicitation requirements. The issuing employee will initiate requests for clarification.

1.13 Prime Contractor Responsibilities.  The contract will require the selected Bidder to assume responsibility for all services offered in its proposal whether it produces them itself or by subcontract. The issuing employee will consider the selected Bidder to be the sole point of contact regarding contractual matters.

1.14 Proposal Contents.  Bidders should not label proposal submissions as confidential or proprietary. The issuing employee will hold all proposals in confidence and will not reveal or discuss any proposal with competitors for the contract, unless disclosure is required:

a. Under the provisions of any State or United States statute or regulation, including local regulations; or

b. By rule or order of any court of competent jurisdiction.

All material submitted with the proposal becomes the property of the ABA and may be returned only at the issuing employee’s option. The issuing employee, in its sole discretion, may include any person other than competing Bidders on its proposal evaluation committee. The issuing employee has the right to use any or all ideas presented in any proposal regardless of whether the proposal becomes part of a contract.

1.15 Best and Final Offers.  The issuing employee reserves the right to conduct discussions with Bidders for obtaining “best and final offers.” To obtain best and final offers from Bidders, the issuing department may do one or more of the following: enter into pre-selection negotiations, including schedule oral presentations, and request revised proposals.

1.16 Term of Contract.  The term of the contract will be a maximum of five years. The final contract may contain language allowing the extension of the agreement by one year with mutual agreement of the parties. The issuing employee will fix the effective date after the contract has been fully executed by the selected Bidder and by the ABA. The selected Bidder shall not start the performance of any work prior to the effective date of the executed contract and the ABA shall not be liable to pay the selected Bidder for any service or work performed or expenses incurred before the effective date of the contract. 

The contract is not considered approved until the terms have been reviewed and approved by the Office of General Counsel. An “American Bar Association Office of General Counsel” approval seal will appear on the contract with the signature of the attorney approving the terms of the contract. 

1.17 Use of Electronic Versions of this RFP.  This RFP is being made available by electronic means. If a Bidder electronically accepts the RFP, the Bidder acknowledges and accepts full responsibility to ensure that no changes are made to the RFP.

 
2.0     Proposal Requirements

Bidders must submit their proposals in the format outlined below in Appendixes A - C. To be considered, the proposal must respond to every requirement in this part of the RFP. Bidders should provide any extraneous information only as a separate attachment to their proposal.

2.1 Statement of the Problem or Goods Required.  Briefly state your understanding of the problem presented, goods or services required by this RFP and any unique capabilities that your company has to deliver these goods or services.

2.2 Proposed Solution and Approach.  Describe your solution in detail for accomplishing the work as specified in Section 4.0 of this document.

2.3 Evaluative Questionnaire (See Appendix B).  Bidders must fully answer all questions listed in Appendix B.

2.4 Price Submittal (See Appendix C).  Bidders must not include any assumptions in their price submittals.  If the Bidder includes assumptions in its price submittal, the Issuing employee may reject the proposal. All direct pricing information must be submitted in Appendix C.
 
  1. Software development cost
  2. Training and Technical Support cost
  3. Support and maintenance cost for 3 months after system launch

3.0    Criteria for Selection

3.1 Mandatory Responsiveness Requirements.  To be eligible for selection, a proposal must:
 
    1. Be received according to dates set in the Bid Timetable.
    2. Be properly signed by a representative of the Bidder who is eligible to bind them in contract with the ABA.
    3. Be in accordance with all instructions as set forth in Sections 1 and 2.

3.2 Technical Nonconforming Proposals.  The Issuing employee reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to waive technical or immaterial nonconformities in a Bidder’s proposal.

3.3 Evaluative Questionnaire, See Appendix B.   

The Evaluative questionnaire consists of fourteen questions – bidders should complete all questions.
             
3.4 Criteria for Selection.  The following criteria will be used, in no particular order, in evaluating each proposal: 
 
  1. Bidder qualifications;
  2. Level of innovation, automation, and expertise shown in user interface (UI) and user experience (UX)
  3. Overall costs to the American Bar Association;
  4. Level of customer support offered by the Bidder;
  5. Competitiveness in pricing, including any timelines and guarantees;
  6. General level of expertise provided dual languages (Dhivehi language), including languages other than English characters.
  7. Experience in designing and developing similar software solutions;
  8. Bidder should be willing to develop an application that will allow the client to independently host and assume full control of the system, application and data without recurring subscription cost;
  9. Bidder must develop a non-proprietary application whereby the client can independently modify the source code and perform ongoing maintenance and security updates;
  10. Level of experience creating a web-based platform to be hosted by the client in-house.
 
4.0    Specifications and Work Statement

4.1 Objectives[SH2] .
 
  • Develop a system that efficiently manages tasks and documents across the AGO, reducing reliance on manual processes and improving overall workflow efficiency.
  • Developing a module for the litigation division that allows for easy tracking and scheduling of court cases, ensuring better time management and coordination amongst attorneys.
  • Create a solution that can accommodate the distinct workflows of various AGO divisions, ensuring each department’s unique processes are efficiently managed and supported.
  • Provide a task manager that enables users to create, assign, and track tasks with ease, ensuring accountability and progress transparency throughout AGO.
  • Create a robust mechanism for handling Right to Information (RTI) requests, ensuring timely responses and streamlined communication within AGO.
  • Enable AGO to transition from manual document processing to a digital system that allows forms and documents to be efficiently moved between sections, improving communication and document security.
  • Minimize administrative burden by automating routine tasks such as document filing, task assignments, and follow-up reminders, allowing AGO staff to focus on higher-value activities.

4.2 Nature and Scope of the Work needed by the ABA.  The ABA requests bidders to describe their process for the development of the system which meets the objectives stated above.

4.3 Reports and Project Control.  The ABA seeks bidders with a demonstrated ability to maintain timelines and regular contact with the program implementation team at ABA ROLI who oversees the development of the ERP system

Thank you for your interest in working with the American Bar Association.

Appendix A – Bidder Response Sheet
 

Bidder Information:
 
Bidder Legal Name
Bidder Mailing Address and Phone Number
 
Bidder Website
Bidder Contact Person
Contact Person’s Phone Number
Contact Person’s Email Address
Bidder Federal ID # If doing business in the U.S.
 
       
 Signature
 
Signature of an official authorized to bind the Bidder to the provisions contained in this proposal
Printed Name
Title

Failure to complete, sign, and return this form with the bidder’s proposal may result in the rejection of the bidder’s proposal.



Appendix B – Evaluative Questionnaire[SH3] 

 
  1. Statement of the Problem or Goods Required.  Briefly state your understanding of the problem presented, services required by this RFP, and any unique capabilities that your company has to deliver these services.

Bidder response:

 
  1. Proposed Solution and Approach.  Describe your solution in detail for accomplishing the work as specified in Section 4.0 of this document.

Bidder response:

 
  1. Please respond to each question below.
 
  1. How many years have you been in operation, and where is your primary location of business?
  2. Are you a Minority, Women or Disadvantaged (MWBE) Business? If so, are you certified?
  3. Are you a unionized company?
  4. How many clients do you have?
  5. Provide references of three existing customers that we may contact. Please include names, phone numbers and emails.
  6. What experience do you have in developing ERP systems, particularly those with task management, document management, and case management modules? Please list previous software projects of a similar scale you have worked on and completed.
  7. Please describe any prior experience developing software with full Dhivehi language support.
  8. Describe your approach to project management, including your process for gathering requirements, designing, and delivering the solution.
  9. Are you equipped to handle urgent project timelines? If so, what is the expected turnaround time for expedited requests?
  10. How do you handle customer feedback and support during and after project implementation?
  11. How do you approach system integration with existing software or tools already in use by the client?
  12. What is your approach to user training and onboarding? Do you provide detailed documentation or training sessions for staff?
  13. What measures do you take to ensure the ERP system remains future-proof and capable of incorporating new features or scaling as the organization's needs evolve?
  14. Describe your invoicing process and the typical payment terms you offer clients.

Appendix C – Price Submittal

Include all costs related to developing the ERP system. Please refer to the full list as shown in Section 2.4 of this RFP.


 
 [SH1]Please let us know if you would like to amend this problem statement in anyway
 [SH2]Please let us know if you would like to add/make any changes to these objectives
 [SH3]Please let us know if you would like to add any questions to this questionnaire
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