In a statement signed by the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Ayodele Akintunde SAN and its Secretary, Mabel Ekeke Esq. the Committee called for proposals from interested entities to work as Technical Support Consultant.

The Technical Support Consultant shall be responsible for providing the requisite consulting and advisory services necessary to attain the goal established by the ECNBA for the Project.

Below read the full statement.

Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association Request for Proposal For Technical Support Consultant to the ECNBA

11 April 2022

Introduction & Purpose

At the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the NBA held on Thursday, 16 December 2021, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, a five-man Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) was appointed pursuant to Section 10 and the Second Schedule of the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) 2015 as amended in 2021 (The
Constitution).

The Committee was inaugurated by the President of the NBA, Mr Olumide Akpata, on Monday, 24 January 2022.

By virtue of the provisions of Section 10 and the Second Schedule of the Constitution, the ECNBA is mandated to conduct elections to the National Offices of the NBA and the Representatives of the Association to the General Council of the Bar.

Consequently, pursuant to Part III (2) of the Constitution, the ECNBA hereby issues the following Request for Proposal (RFP) for the purpose of selecting the Technical Support Consultant (TSC) to the ECNBA that will provide technical assistance in accordance with the Constitution throughout the electoral process and carry out all post-election activities as required by the ECNBA.

The Project & Goal
The ECNBA was constituted to undertake the single project of conducting elections of the
National Officers and representatives to the General Council of the Bar, scheduled to hold on Saturday, 16 July 2022. The goal of the Project is to deliver a free, fair, transparent, and auditable election in both instances, using modern technology that ensures safe, secure, and seamless participation of all eligible members of the Association; irrespective of phones/computer systems utilized, their locations, or level of computer literacy.

Role of the TSC
The TSC shall be responsible for providing the requisite consulting and advisory services necessary to attain the goal established by the ECNBA for the Project. Specifically, the TSC shall play key roles in the following areas:

1. Member Identity & Database (Technical Assistance):
(a) Collect, review and certify as adequate and fit for purpose, an approximately 50,000– 60,000 member-rich database, and transform same into a Register of Voters in an integration ready format for use with any standard Election Management System (EMS); and
(b) Propose a multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) protocol to govern the identification and verification of members on the EMS to be deployed for the Project.
2. ICT Service Provider (“Service Provider”):
(a) Develop the technical requirements and the ECNBA’s criteria for engaging the Service Provider that will deploy the EMS;
(b) Support the ECNBA in developing the requisite RFP for the selection process and subsequent negotiations between the qualified, experienced, skilled, and selected Service Provider; and
(c) Outline the deliverables that will be incorporated in the Service Level Agreement (SLA) and Operational Level Agreement (OLA) that will govern the performance and operations of the EMS services by the Service Provider.

3. Stakeholder Support:
(a) Support the ECNBA in its voter sensitization and enlightenment outreach by producing materials, including Q&A’s, for publication on the Project website or distribution to members, and to attend the ECNBA branch or regional stakeholder programs physically (or virtually), to respond to technical issues raised by members;
(b) Conduct trainings for members (virtually or physically) on any aspect of the electoral process, including voter registration and certification as well as login and logout protocol of the EMS; and
(c) Set up and operate a Technical Support Centre, including 24/7 Call Centre from the commencement and throughout the election period, to assist members on any technical issues relating to access, login, or logout process on the EMS.

4. Tests, Audits & Reports:
(a) Conduct a system and software testing to ensure that the EMS is implementing the latest, modern technology and solutions;
(b) Conduct functionality testing to ensure that the EMS delivers on all the functional requirements and specifications stipulated by the ECNBA;
(c) Conduct vulnerability testing to identify any vulnerability or threat to which the system might be exposed, assign severity levels to threats found, and propose remediation or mitigation; and
(d) Perform process audit of the EMS, monitor elections real time, and carry out postelection audit and produce all relevant reports required by the ECNBA.

Scope of Work, Deliverables & Cost
Given the Project and goal of the ECNBA, the role outlined for the TSC, the proposal submitted under this RFP should address, and include a detailed description of the under listed in the relevant parts of the proposals:
1. Scope of Work: the specific services to be performed by the respondent as TSC;

2. Deliverables: the respondent’s technical abilities, including certifications and qualifications of relevant staff members, to deliver the scope of work under the Project in a timely manner;
3. Cost: the respondent’s estimated cost or fees for its services under the scope of work, providing any assumptions upon which the cost or fees are based;
4. Supplemental Materials: any additional information or materials which might enhance the ECNBA’s understanding and appreciation of the respondent’s capability, experience, or unique proposition, including any additional value-added services that may be of interest to the ECNBA.

Submission Guidelines & Requirements
The under listed submission guidelines and requirements apply to this RFP:
1. Only qualified companies with demonstrable experience from similar roles without any conflict of interest should submit proposals in response to this RFP.
2. Respondent should submit along with the proposal, a certificate of incorporation or registration from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), particulars of directors and shareholders, and current tax clearance certificate and Tax Identification Number (TIN).
3. Respondents should list at least one substantially similar role as part of their response, including references for each, providing work examples as needed.
4. A technical proposal must be provided that is not more than 20 pages. It must provide an overview of the proposed consulting services and a resume/CV of all key personnel to perform the work, specifying work schedule and milestones.
5. A financial proposal must not be more than one page. It should indicate the overall proposed fee for the services.
6. Proposals must be signed by a representative authorized to commit the respondent.
7. Proposals must be received on or before 22 April 2022 for consideration.
8. Proposals must remain valid for 90 days.
9. The ECNBA will shortlist and publish successful respondents on the ECNBA/NBA website or any other major platform to afford members of the Association the opportunity to object or file any compliant against the engagement of any the respondents. The decision of the ECNBA in respect of the choice of the respondent shall be final.
RFP Selection Timelines

The RFP timeline is as follows:
Publish Request for Proposal 11 April 2022
Shortlist successful respondents and notify unsuccessful respondents 24 April 2022
Publish shortlisted respondents on ECNBA/NBA websites and major platforms, request for any objections/complaints 25 April 2022
Consider objections and complaints against shortlisted respondent(s) 27 April 2022
ECNBA’s Due Diligence and final decision / Award Contract
2 May 2022

Evaluation Factors
The ECNBA will rate proposals based on the following parameters:
1. Response to specifications and scope of work in this RFP (50%).
2. Cost, including an assessment of the total cost of service. (20%)
3. Technical expertise, relevant past performance/experience, samples of Work, staff, and qualifications of respondent. (30%)

The ECNBA reserves the right to engage the respondent that presents the best value to the ECNBA, determined solely by the ECNBA in its absolute discretion.

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