ELECTORAL COMMITTEE OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION
ECNBA Secretariate NBA House 24 Oro Ago Street Garki Abuja.
www.ecnba.org, [email protected]

Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association.

Request for Proposal For Technical Support Consultant to the ECNBA.

Introduction
The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) was inaugurated on 18th December 2023 by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Yakubu Chinoko Maikyau SAN, OON pursuant to NEC resolution passed in Abuja on the 7th day of December 2023.

By virtue of the provisions of Section 10 and the Second Schedule of the NBA Constitution, the ECNBA is tasked with the mandate to conduct elections to the National Offices of the NBA and the representatives of the association on the General Council of the Bar. In this respect and pursuant to Part III (2) of the Constitution, the ECNBA hereby issues this Request for Proposal (RFP) for the selection of the Technical Support Consultant (TSC) to the ECNBA to provide technical assistance in accordance with the Constitution, throughout the electoral process and in respect of all post-election activities as required by the ECNBA.

The Project
The ECNBA was constituted to undertake the project of conducting elections of the National Officers and representatives to the General Council of the Bar, scheduled to hold on a date in July 2024 as may be approved by the NBA NEC. The goal of the Project is to deliver a free, fair, credible, transparent, and auditable election, using modern technology that ensures safe, secure, and seamless participation of all eligible members of the Association; irrespective of
the phones/computer systems utilized, location, 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 post election audit and produce all relevant reports required by the ECNBA.

Scope of Work, Deliverables and Cost

Given the Project and goal of the ECNBA and the role outlined for the TSC, the proposal submitted under this RFP should address, and include a detailed description of the underlisted in the relevant parts of the proposals:

1. Scope of Work: the specific services to be performed by the respondent as TSC, particularizing in detail every task;
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/entities with demonstrable experience in similar roles, without any conflict of interest should submit proposals in response to this RFP.
2. Respondents should submit along with the proposal, its 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 5pm, on 29th February 2024 for consideration to be submitted in a sealed envelope addressed to THE SECRETARY, ECNBA, NBA INSTITUTE, NO. 9 ORO-AGO CRESCENT, OFF MUHAMMADU BUHARI WAY, OFF TWON BRASS STREET, GARKI 2, ABUJA. A soft copy of the proposal and attachments shall also be submitted electronically via email to [email protected]. Proposals must remain valid in all material respects for 90 days.
8. 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 make observations or file any complaint against the engagement of any of the Respondents stating
substantial and verifiable grounds. 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 – 20th February 2024
  • Shortlist successful respondents and notify unsuccessful respondents – 3rd March 2024
  • Publish shortlisted respondents on ECNBA/NBA websites and major platforms, request for any objections/complaints – 5th March 2024
  • Consider objections and complaints against shortlisted respondent(s) – 7th March 2024
  • ECNBA’s Due Diligence and final decision / Award Contract – 15th March 2024

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 and shall engage the respondent that presents the best overall value to the ECNBA, determined solely by the ECNBA in its absolute discretion.

Dated this 19th day of February 2024.

OLUSEUN ABIMBOLA SAN

Chairman

HUWAILA IBRAHIM
 Secretary