Guideline For Digital Projects RFPs Preparation

Published 26/03/2023

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1. Introduction

The government procurement of communications and information technology products and services contribute to supporting the digital transformation process in Saudi Arabia and achieving the aspirations of Vision 2030. As a matter of integrating the efforts of government entitiesin Saudi Arabia regarding unified procurement procedures according to a future digital procurement plan that will contribute to improving the efficiency of digital procurement and enhance the quality of digital services provided for beneficiaries.
This Guideline is intended to provide guidance and information on how to implement various digital government procurement activities that follow international best practices, ensuring consistent and unified procurement methods at the level of all government entities. Moreover, this Guideline is intended to provide detailed guidance, technical considerations, and regulatory requirements to support government entities in procuring appropriate digital products and services, and to effectively prepare Request for Proposals (RFPs) to ensure the selection of appropriate vendors to meet their needs.

Based on their competences, the Digital Government Authority and Government Expenditure & Projects Efficiency Authority (EXPRO) have prepared this Guideline for preparation of the RFPs for communication and IT projects (Digital Projects) with the objective of providing government entitiesin Saudi Arabia with the best guidance for preparing the RFPs for digital procurement during the need planning period, which leads to an increase in the effectiveness of digital procurements.

Shall there be any data mentioned in this Guideline that contradicts the provisions of the announced laws, regulations and controls, then only the provisions mentioned in such approved laws, regulations and controls will be approved.

2. Guideline Objectives

Ensure the application of best practices for digital procurement among all government entities by following the common guidelines for the preparation of digital RFPs.
Provide government entities with appropriate guidance for the preparation of digital procurement specifications.
Maximize usefulness when developing digital procurement strategies by procurement teams and deliver long-term benefits.
Promote transparency and compliance with regulations and legislation.
Enhance value for money, efficiency and effectiveness through digital procurement procedures.
Raise the level of transformation of digital expenditure models based on services rather than procurement of assets.

3. Guideline Scope

The scope identifies the topics covered by the Guideline in figure 1 below.

Types of directions provided by the guideline to government entities

4. Target Groups

This guideline applies to government entities and Procurement officials for communication and IT Projects “digital projects” at the government entities to implement the best practices in application of the Government Tenders and Procurement System and Regulations thereof.

5. The Guideline

For more information; Check the digital version.

6. Table of Definitions

Term	Definition
Digital Government	Promotes administrative, organizational and operational processes between the various government entities in their transitioning to a comprehensive digital transformation to allow easy and effective access to government digital information and services.
Digital Transformation	Digitally and strategically transforming and developing business standards and models that would rely on data, technologies, and ICT
Government Entity	Ministries, authorities, public institutions, councils, national centers including any additional form of a public entity.
Accessibility	Accessibility or ease of access to ensures that the services are used by all users, and covering inclusiveness, equality, and accessibility guidelines (W3C).
Terms	The terms on which government agencies and vendors conclude their commercial and procurement contracts shall represent and determine precisely each party's rights and obligations as well as compliance with relevant legislation.
Implementation Model	The specific approach used to provide administrative and commercial support to each government entity so that it can achieve its mission.
Approval Platform	Unified government procurement portal supervised by the Ministry of Finance
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)	Numerical measurements used to measure vendors' performance against agreed specific targets. These indicators form part of the Service Level Agreement document.
Local Content	Total expenditure in Saudi Arabia through the participation of Saudi agents in the workforce, goods, services, assets, technology and so forth.
Unified Procurement Agency	Expenditure and Project Efficiency Authority
System	Government Tenders and Procurement System
Framework Agreement	An agreement between one or more government agencies with one or more vendors, contractors and procurers including the terms and conditions of the contracts that will be awarded within a certain period.
Pre-qualification	The government entity verifies the qualifications and capabilities required to carry out work and secure purchases of the bidders prior to their biddings.
Digital Procurement Strategy	A long-term plan for the effective procurement of products and services required to meet the government entity 's needs of such products and services.
Return on Investment	A performance measure used to evaluate and understand the efficiency or profitability of an investment. Similarly, the efficiency of a number of different investments can be compared with their costs.
Service Level Agreement	Contractual commitment between a government entity and a service supplier documenting the level and quality of services expected to be provided by the supplier to achieve agreed goals by evaluating the supplier's performance according to a set of measures.
SMEs	Local enterprises (micro, small- and medium-sized enterprises) by classification of the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority.
Project Scope	One of the main sections of the RFP that includes a description of the specific purchase requirements by defining the scope of the purchase process, project outputs, schedules, project location, payment terms, and success criteria. It also defines commitments and responsibilities between government agencies and vendors.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)	A financial estimate to determine the direct and indirect costs of owning any product or system, which contributes to choosing the best vendors based on the total cost and not the cost of procurement across the entire life cycle of the asset.

Term	Definition

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Guideline For Digital Projects RFPs Preparation

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