24 February 2024
Following the pre-bid meeting held on 19th February 2025 and queries raised from potential bidders, the responses of the Bank are as follows:
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SN |
Query from Bidders |
Response |
|---|---|---|
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1 |
Can you confirm whether the Website will be used only internally within the Bank? |
The Website will be publicly available. The collaborative platform will be accessible to registered members.
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2 |
Registration of Users- Who will be these users? |
It will be members of the committee who are on boarded by the Bank |
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3 |
Would the registration of users be done on “Bulletin Board” |
Yes. The Bulletin board will be available in the private space inside the website. |
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4 |
Are there any existing NFC branding guidelines or design templates that bidders need to follow in designing the website? |
No. Bidders are free to propose a design of the website. |
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5 |
What is expected in terms of Maintenance and support post launch? |
In terms of Maintenance and support, it is expected that the team of the Bank must be able to handle the whole website (in terms of any future configurations, updates, modifications, security features, etc..) The bidder will also quote for support services. Approximately 30 hours of support used. Bidder will provide the support hourly cost.
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6 |
Will training services be required by the Bank? |
Yes. Training services will be essential to train the staff. Approximately 30 hours of training spread over 3 months services may be required |
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7 |
Would hosting of the website be on Premise? |
No. It will be preferred on Cloud Solution. However, bidders will have to explain how they will ensure Security Data Protection based on the Cloud provider that will be selected. Moreover, it is important that the Solution will be compatible with Microsoft 365 that the Bank already have.
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8 |
Do it mean that bidders have not to include licenses fee for Microsoft 365? |
Yes. Bidders may put the modules that may require in the Microsoft 365 and the associate cost. Then, the Bank will assess whether it already has these licenses or not. |
|
9 |
Could you please precise what is meant by collaborative tools? |
Collaborative Tools: Tools for chatbot Tools to exchange documents A Whiteboard for exchange of ideas and views. The Bidder will share the list of tools available for the collaborative work. |
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10 |
What is the current CMS use for BOM Website? |
The website will not be linked with the BOM Website |
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11 |
Are there any specific features or functionalities that must be included in the website and bulletin board? |
Bidders to suggest based on their experience and expertise on similar implementation.
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12 |
What is the target audience for the website and bulletin board, and how will they interact with the platform? |
The target audience of the website is the public in general. The bulletin board will be available to registered members.
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13 |
Are there any existing platforms or systems that this project will replace or integrate with? |
It is a new system
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14 |
Which specific Microsoft 365 tools and collaboration tools are expected to be used in this project (e.g., SharePoint, Teams, Power Apps, etc.)? |
The Bidder may suggest the usage of Microsoft 365 E5 tools to build the solution (Sharepoint, PowerApps, Teams…), but must ensure that the selected solution will be available to users outside the Bank domain (Invitees with their own email addresses).
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15 |
Are there any specific technical constraints or requirements for the development (e.g., hosting, security, compliance, etc.)? |
The Bidder will ensure that the solution will comply with the security requirements
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16 |
Will the website and bulletin board need to integrate with third-party systems or APIs? If so, which ones?
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No API integration required.
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17 |
Are there any preferred programming languages, frameworks, or development methodologies for this project?
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No.
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18 |
Are there any branding guidelines, design standards, or templates that must be followed for the website and bulletin board?
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No
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|
19 |
What type of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) are you envisioning for the platform? implementation.
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The website must be user friendly and available on all devices. The bidder will ensure a great responsive design |
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20 |
Are there any accessibility requirements (e.g., WCAG compliance) that need to be met? The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the gold standard for inclusive design to make websites and digital content more accessible for people with disabilities.
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The accessibility feature may be added in the proposed solution.
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21 |
Who will be responsible for managing and updating the content on the website and bulletin board?
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The Bank, following training.
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22 |
Will the website require a content management system (CMS)? If so, are there any preferences (e.g., SharePoint CMS, WordPress, etc.)?
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It is a best practice to have a CMS.
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23 |
What types of content will be hosted on the platform (e.g., articles, forums, event calendars, etc.)?
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Articles (with possibility of having comments), forums, events, documents … The bidder will list available content types
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24 |
How will Microsoft Teams or other collaboration tools be utilized for community engagement and communication?
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The bidder will describe the solution in its submission.
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25 |
Are there any specific requirements for real-time collaboration features (e.g., co-authoring, document sharing, etc.)?
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The bidder will describe the solution in its submission.
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26 |
Will the bulletin board include discussion forums, chat functionality, or other interactive features?
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Yes. The collaborative part.
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27 |
What are the security and data protection requirements for the website and bulletin board?
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The proposed solution must implement data protection and security requirements.
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28 |
Are there any specific compliance standards that must be adhered to (e.g., GDPR, ISO 27001, etc.)?
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The bidder will list the standards the solution complies with.
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29 |
How will user authentication and authorization be handled (e.g., Microsoft Azure AD integration)?
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Microsoft Azure AD integration can be used but it is not a limitation.
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30 |
Should bidders quote for a security audit of the website by an independent auditor?
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Yes
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31 |
Will the development team have access to internal resources or stakeholders for collaboration?
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Yes. Resources requirements to be added in the bidding document
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32 |
Should maintenance and support be quoted for a certain number of years?
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Maintenance and support should be quoted for 30 hours, and hourly rate must be shared separately. Option for monthly and yearly maintenance and support.
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33 |
What are the expectations for post-launch maintenance and support?
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It is expected that the Bank will be able to maintain the solution. Bidder will provide training to the Bank’s staff.
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34 |
Will there be a need for training or documentation for administrators and end-users?
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Yes
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35 |
Are there any specific SLAs (Service Level Agreements) for uptime, performance, or support response times?
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The bidder to share their SLA
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36 |
Will there be a preference for vendors with prior experience in fintech or similar industries?
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Vendor to share their experience in similar industries and projects.
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37 |
How will feedback and approvals be managed during the development process?
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Bidder will have to share regular update to gather feedback. Bidder may share the methodology used for the development process. |
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38 |
The timelines mentioned for the project appear to be tight, and may result in poor implementation of the project overall. Could the indicated project timelines be reviewed and could the addition of an extra 1-2 weeks be considered and added to each project phase to ensure successful project implementation and successful achievement of the corresponding project milestones?
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Bidder to suggest its recommended timelines
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39 |
The proposal submission deadline on Thu 27-Feb-2025 is very tight and follows a very important public holiday in Mauritius on Wed 26-Feb-2025. Many people from our team, from other bidders possibly, from our suppliers and distributors also would be on leave next week. The fact that these people would be on leave would not only delay our proposal writing but it will also delay the quotes that we need from our suppliers and distributors. The best competitive, discounted pricing would be delayed given that some approvers could be on leave. We might not be able to get the best, discounted pricing for the project implementation and the post-implementation maintenance and support. Taking into consideration the above, could an extension of the proposal submission deadline by an extra two(2) weeks be favourably considered by the Bank of Mauritius? This would enable us to receive the best competitive, discounted pricing and submit our best value-add proposal to the Bank of Mauritius.
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No |
Additional Information provided during the pre-bid meeting:
The National Fintech Committee (NFC) is seeking to have a digital platform with two main components:
1st Component: Public Website (this is a Public part- can be accessible to anyone)
2nd Component: Built-in-board (something more restricted to only registered members)
The websites have to be user-friendly, providing greater visibility. The websites have to be done in a content management system, so that the Bank users also can update the content as and when required.
The website must be something providing all common publications that the Bank can share with members. The interface will need to have sub-categorised support features, enabling the Bank to note/see the number of visits on the websites.
For the 2nd Component (Built-in-Board) registration of users must be done using Microsoft 365.
Bidders will have to ensure that data will not be lost and there should be a Mechanism for Classification and labeling of documents, so that the Bank can put a level of confidentiality of documents
Bank of Mauritius
24 February 2025
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