RFP: Technology Managed Service Provider
Content Management System Wagtail - Data platform and hosting - Custom built Application
October 2021
Who We Are
Girl Effect is a non-profit that builds media that girls want, trust and need - from chatbots to chatshows and TV dramas to in-person clubs. Reaching more than 20 million in 20 countries across Africa and Asia, Girl Effect creates content that helps girls make choices and changes in their lives during the critical years of adolescence. By igniting their confidence to act differently at a time that can define their future, every girl can choose to be in control of her body, her health, her learning and livelihood.
Background:
For nearly ten years, Girl Effect has partnered with Praekelt.org, a technology services vendor and leader in the space of ICT4D, to build and maintain Girl Effect’s technology infrastructure. The infrastructure hosts several technology applications that make up a portfolio of products and services designed with and for girls. From chatbots to websites and training apps to IVR Services, Girl Effect ensures girls are first to benefit from the advancements in technology and not the last.
Objective:
In the coming months, Girl Effect is looking to transition its infrastructure towards a managed services model across critical infrastructure components. As part of our transformation from Praekelt.org, we have begun simplifying the infrastructure. We’re migrating to application-specific managed services for certain services out of this proposal’s scope. All remaining in-scope services will be hosted on the Amazon cloud using a combination of RDS, EC2 instances and containerization.
These components include our Content Management System Wagtail, data platform, and custom-built TEGA application hosting.
Girl Effect is seeking proposals for managed service providers to support Girl Effect managing and supporting our cloud-owned infrastructure. The managed service agreement solution should include infrastructure, maintenance of this infrastructure, including break-fix, infrastructure scaling, and system upgrades.
The solution should also include a bundle of hours that Girl Effect can use for assisted support to help maintain Girl Effect’s sites worldwide. These sites are all built on standard Wagtail instances. All necessary resources including Project Management, technical support and platform development should be included in a support package.
The proposal should also include resources to facilitate the transition of the Wagtail system, including all data and content from the existing container management solution based on the DC/OS (the data center operating system) to a more simplified and streamlined container-based solution.
Scope of Work:
I) Facilitate Transition
Migrate Wagtail system from the existing container management solution based on the DC/OS (the datacenter operating system) to aws ecs or equivalent simplified container solution.
Work with Girl Effect and Praekelt to ensure documentation and knowledge of current infrastructure and applications are shared and allows for future maintenance to take place without the involvement of the Praekelt.org team.
Guide the team, skills and technology requirements to take over the overall maintenance of Girl Effect infrastructure and applications.
II) Managed Services
Web Repository Maintenance (CMS)
A) Management of Girl Effect’s sites worldwide
Girl Effect runs 22 (nearly--identical) Websites built on the Wagtail framework in 6 different language clusters totalling approximately one million unique monthly users and 2 million page views. Here’s an example of the kind of site we’re talking about.
Triage support and incident reports
Document the maintenance needs
Communicate with Girl Effect about open and resolved support or incident requests
Provide support and reporting to Girl Effect
Keep applications and their components up to date
Own all the application tests and deployment pipelines
Wagtail Upgrades: release come are available every 2 months (M-L) and Girl Effect will upgrade 1-2 times per year
Data Infrastructure
B) Management of Girl Effect’s data warehouse infrastructure
The data infrastructure consists of one Managed RedShift instance and a single EC2 instance for Tableau Bridge. As part of the transition from Praekelt.org, Girl Effect’s data team has transitioned from a Self-Host Tableau instance to Tableau online.
- Assist with any critical connectivity issues
TEGA Application
C) Management of Girl Effect’s TEGA data hub infrastructure
TEGA is a custom-built application consisting of a mobile app and a backend data hub. The backend data hub is a PHP Laravel application hosted within Girl Effect’s AWS infrastructure using a Postgres RDS instance and S3 buckets for data management. As part of the transition from Praekelt.org, the TEGA application team will transition the backend datahub from the existing container management solution based on the DC/OS to run directly on EC2 instances.
The management of the custom-built application is NOT included in the scope of work.
- Assist with any critical connectivity issues
D) Management of Girl Effect’s AWS infrastructure
Girl Effect is looking for a managed service provider to support its AWS infrastructure for the application described in sections (A) (B) and (C)
Manage a role-based system using the least privilege principle
Design and support all necessary infrastructure to support the applications described
Infrastructure and Application Monitoring and System Reporting
Manage infrastructure, including patches and upgrades
E) Documentation
All documentation is to be accessed from agreed and appropriate central points (i.e. Confluence)
This allows for discovery by browsing through SLA Clients Procedures, Incident Reporting Process, Incident Reports and Developer Documentation
If documentation is not suited to the above formatting or requiring distribution to stakeholders without access, this should be stored in Google Docs
When documentation is updated, this will be communicated to all affected parties
F) Incident & Bug Management Resolution
Application Maintenance
Application Bug fixing, patching etc
Support for minor bug fixes and enhancements
All incidents or bugs picked up through monitoring or reported by clients are to be logged
Incidents and bugs will be reviewed and triaged according to priority and available budgets
E) Monitoring Tools
Infrastructure and Application Monitoring and System Reporting
Notify Girl Effect promptly of any system issues and outages
Intended Timeframe:
Request for Proposal published: Tuesday 19th October 2021
Question and Answer Period: Friday 22nd October 2021
Deadline for responses: Monday 1st November 2021
Supplier selection, contracting and briefing: Mid November
Project commencement: End November
Who You Are:
You are:
Proven experience in technology managed service provision
Preferable Wagtail CMS managed service provision
Proven experience with AWS ecs or equivalent simplified container solution
Proven experience in similar projects and/or with international development agencies
Proposal Submissions:
Girl Effect is asking for qualified firms to submit proposals (Max 5) addressing the above scope and timeline that includes the following:
Provide a list of previous experience in implementing similar projects, including a list of the individual(s) who worked on the project
Proposed aws or equivalent simplified container solution
Credentials experience or bios of key individuals who would be involved in the engagement
Intended approaches (methodology) to delivering on the scope of the work
Suggested deliverables and accompanying timelines
Details of 3 contactable references
Cost estimates. Technical and Financial proposals will need to be submitted as separate documents. Financial bids will not be opened until the technical evaluation and then only for those proposals deemed qualified and responsive
Reporting
This engagement will be managed by a member of Girl Effect’s Technology team and Fractional CTO, who will work with the successful supplier to ensure its timely and thorough execution.
Evaluation Criteria
The criteria against which proposals will be evaluated are listed below:
Technical Evaluation
Scope of proposed methodology including working tools /models/systems (This should be consistent with the tasks detailed in the TOR) - 30
Evidence of experience, ability to deliver and complete assigned projects promptly - 10
Staff with relevant experience as demonstrated by their CV/bios - 10
Evidence/experience working on similar projects with international development agencies - 10
Evidence of a minimum of three contactable references - 10
Project work plan and timelines for deliverables - 10
Financial Evaluation Max points - 20
- Value for money/proposed budget breakdown
GE is not liable for any cost incurred during the preparation, submission, or negotiation of the award/contract. All submitted documentation and/or materials shall become and remain the property of GE.
Tax
Applicants are advised to ensure that they clearly understand their tax position regarding local jurisdiction tax legislation provisions when developing their proposals.
Disclaimer
Girl Effect reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, number of short-listed participants, the right to withdraw from the proposal process, the right to change this timetable at any time without notice and reserves the right to withdraw this tender at any time, without prior notice and without liability to compensate and/or reimburse any party. Girl Effect shall inform the ONLY successful applicant(s). The process of negotiation and signing of the contract with the successful applicant(s) will follow.
Safeguarding
You may be required to undertake safeguarding checks. Shortlisted consultants will be assessed on our organisational values at the interview stage. The successful consultant will be expected to adhere to our safeguarding policy. We encourage you to read and understand our safeguarding policy, the executive summary of which can be found at www.girleffect.org/safeguarding. We have zero-tolerance for all forms of violence against children, beneficiaries and staff.
Equal Opportunities
Girl Effect is committed to equal opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.
We are committed to building an organization that is increasingly representative of, and works extensively with, the communities that we serve. To this end, due regard will be paid to procuring consultancy service organizations and individuals with diverse professional, academic and cultural backgrounds.**
How to apply:
How to Apply
To apply for this opportunity, please submit a proposal by email with the subject line “RFP IT Managed Service Provider ” to suppliers@girleffect.org by 1st November 2021 5:00 PM EAT.
Prospective respondents who may have questions regarding this RFP may submit their enquiries to the same address provided by 22nd October 2021 5:00 PM EAT.