1. Brief overview 

Revenue Mobilisation, Investment and Trade (REMIT) programme is a nine-year (2019- 28) technical assistance programme funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), United Kingdom to support Pakistan in implementing strategic reforms in the realm of economic development, trade, investment and revenue mobilisation. The key outcomes under the programme will be contributing towards strengthening the macroeconomic stability and improving conditions for high and sustained growth, mutual prosperity, job creation and poverty reduction in Pakistan. More specifically, REMIT programme aims at supporting the Government of Pakistan in the following areas:

1. Enhance revenue mobilisation capabilities and help raise the tax/GDP ratio by increasing the number of taxpayers. 

2. Address the investment climate constraints faced by local and international businesses and support Pakistan in moving towards being one of the top reformer countries to do business in creating ease for businesses.

3. Facilitate trade and drive competitiveness by reducing barriers to trade and reducing Pakistan’s trade deficit by helping increase exports. 

4. Modernise formulation and implementation of macroeconomic policy to avoid future financial crises.

As part of its Revenue Mobilization workstream, REMIT has been working in collaboration with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to enhance taxpayer compliance and boost tax revenue generation. This partnership focuses on supporting FBR’s digital transformation efforts by addressing several critical areas to modernize and optimize their systems. 

2. Task Background

The design phase of Website is substantially complete with the Final version available in Figma. REMIT is now seeking to onboard a vendor who can incorporate feedback on usability, accessibility, and alignment with international benchmarks before commencing development of the new design and Content Management System. FBR’s current CMS system lacks the capabilities and standards needed to meet taxpayer needs. 

This project consists of three key components:

1. Iterations in the proposed website design,

2. Development of Design & Content Management System 

3. Upgradation of Existing & Development of New Content

The vision for this initiative is to build a world-class website that delivers exceptional user experience, accessibility, and efficient back-end functionality, powered by an advanced CMS platform designed to meet international benchmarks and ensure its sustainability. 

3. Scope of Work 

1. Iterations in the Proposed Design

1. Gather feedback from stakeholders, end users, and reviewers and sort it into three buckets: usability, accessibility, international benchmark alignment.

2. Allocate a design team to support creative iterations beyond initial development, ensuring responsiveness to FBR’s evolving needs.

3. Incorporate the above in the proposed design already finalized by REMIT-ASI. 

2. Front End Stack 

1. Implement a high-performing, scalable, and responsive frontend. 

2. The preferred frontend framework is Angular, but vendors may propose alternatives with clear justification

3. Ensure cross-browser compatibility and adherence to global accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG).

4. Integrate front-end components with CMS analytics to allow visibility of trending topics, circulars, and services, and adjust homepage layouts accordingly.

5. Optimize for performance, including load times, responsiveness, and search engine optimization (SEO).

3. Headless CMS Implementation 

1. Preferred CMS platform is Drupal 10.

2. Implement a headless architecture, where the CMS backend serves as a content repository accessed via APIs (e.g., RESTful APIs, GraphQL).

3. Ensure seamless API-driven communication between the frontend and backend.

4. Support multi-language capabilities and dynamic content delivery

5. Incorporate integrated analytics within the CMS to track most-visited pages, search queries, and user flows, enabling data-driven content management decisions.

6. Provide modular and reusable content structures (content types, taxonomies, and fields) to allow FBR to efficiently publish, categorise, and update different content types.

4. Additional CMS Considerations  

1. Robust content authoring capabilities with a user-friendly editorial interface.

2. Advanced user role and permission management

3. Scalable infrastructure to handle high traffic volumes, especially during p periods. 

4. Integration with third-party services, such as analytics platforms, etc. 

5. Modular architecture for future upgrades and maintenance

6. Deliver a robust content migration plan for the transfer of legacy content from the existing CMS, with minimal downtime and zero data loss

4. Responsibilities 

1. End-to-end solution architecture and development. 

2. Provide wireframes, mockups, and design iterations based on feedback from FBR stakeholders.

3. Implement a high-performing, responsive, and accessible front-end using Angular (or equivalent framework, with justification)

4. Integrate CMS with FBR’s existing digital systems, including PRAL, IRIS, PSW and other taxpayer service platforms.

5. Ensure compliance with FBR’s security, hosting, and infrastructure requirements.

6. Security and performance optimization to meet global standards. Ensure third party security assessment.

7. Provide tools for archiving and de-publishing outdated content in line with FBR’s policies.

8. Provide infrastructure recommendations for scalable deployment (on-premise or cloud, depending on FBR preference.

9. Ensure knowledge transfer to FBR’s in-house teams for long-term sustainability.

10. Comprehensive documentation for both the development process and user training. 

11. Ongoing technical support during the initial deployment phase.

5. Functional Requirements

Timeline 

Prospective firms must submit a timeline in the response showing the time required to deliver the products and/or services. 

Pakistan License, Clearance and Approvals

The prospective vendors will include in the timeline any time needed to obtain any licenses, clearances, and/or approvals required under local legal requirements to produce or deliver the products and/or services described in the Scope of Work.

Qualifications and Experience 

Firms should have demonstrated experience in the following: 

1. The firm must be legally incorporated for a minimum period of five (05) years, with continuous operations demonstrating organizational stability and sustained delivery capacity.

2. Proven track record and experience of successfully developing and implementing enterprise-grade Content Management System (CMS) solutions.

3. Prior experience working on projects for government agencies or public sector organizations, showcasing familiarity with regulatory, accessibility, and security requirements.

4. Proven expertise in implementing robust security measures, ensuring compliance with government data protection standards, including encryption, secure access, and regular audits.

5. Experience in building and managing multilingual websites with integrated translation tools and support for diverse language frameworks.

6. Proven ability to deliver scalable systems that accommodate future growth, including expanded services, increased traffic, and additional content.

7. Successful migration of large volumes of content from legacy systems to modern CMS platforms with minimal downtime and no data loss.

8. Experience in conducting rigorous testing to ensure functionality, accessibility, and performance, including user acceptance testing (UAT) and load testing.

9. Proven ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders, including IT teams, policymakers, and content developers, ensuring their requirements are met.

1. Instructions to Bidders

Bidders should examine all Instructions, Terms and Conditions as given in the RFP. Failure to furnish information required in the RFP or submission of Bids not substantially responsive or viable in every respect will be at the Bidder’s risk and may result in rejection of the bids. Bidders should strictly submit the Bid as specified in the RFP, failing which the bids will be held as non-responsive and will be rejected. 

Pre-bid Session: 

It is mandatory for all prospective bidders to attend Pre-bid session. 

Bid submission shall follow pre-bid session and shall comprise a single package containing two folders: 

1. Technical Proposal  

2. Financial Proposal 

Bidders should send soft copies of the Technical and Financial Proposal to the following address: 

Soft copies to be sent to: [email protected]

Proposal Weightings 

1. Technical Proposal 

2. Financial Proposal 

Prospective firms must be legally registered under the laws of the country in which they are organized and possess all licenses, permits and government approvals necessary for performance of the work. 

6. Proposal Terms

1. Prospective Firms’ Understanding of the Solicitation

Prospective contractors are responsible for understanding the solicitation in its entirety and each of its elements and should make inquiries to ASI as necessary to ensure such understanding. ASI reserves the right to disqualify any prospective vendor that it determines, at its sole discretion, does not understand the solicitation or any of its elements. Such disqualification shall be at no fault, cost, or liability whatsoever to ASI.

2. Information from ASI

All information provided by ASI in this solicitation is subject to change at any time. ASI makes no certification as to the accuracy of any item and is not responsible or liable for any use of or reliance on the information or for any claims asserted therefrom.

3. Communication

All communications related to the RFP must be in writing to the above-mentioned point of contact. Verbal communication shall not be effective unless formally confirmed in writing by the procurement official listed in a sealed envelope to our designated location in Lahore.

1. Formal Communications shall include, but are not limited to the following:

• Questions concerning this solicitation must be submitted in writing to the contact person mentioned above. 

• Errors and omissions in this solicitation, as well as enhancements. Prospective firms should notify ASI of any discrepancies, errors, or omissions that may exist within this solicitation. Prospective vendors should recommend to ASI any enhancements to the work described in the solicitation which might be in ASI’ best interests.

• Inquiries about technical interpretations must be directly asked from contact person (Alex Harris).

2. Addenda: ASI will make a good-faith effort to provide a written response to the questions or requests for clarifications in the form of written responses or addenda in accordance with the Schedule of Events.

3. Posting Online: Copy of this solicitation, will be available online at:  www.BrightSpyre.com.

4. Non-Disclosure Agreement

ASI reserves the right to require the prospective firms to enter into a non-disclosure agreement.

5. No Collusion

Collusion is strictly prohibited. Collusion is defined as an agreement or compact, written or oral, between two or more parties with the goal of limiting fair and open competition by deceiving, misleading, or defrauding a third party.

6. Companies Owned or Controlled by Government

The prospective vendor must disclose in writing with its Response if a government, its agents, or agencies, have an ownership or managerial interest in the company. Failure to disclose government ownership of managerial interest in the company will result in the prospective contractor’s offer being removed from consideration.

7. Subcontracting

The prospective contractor must disclose in writing with its Response any subcontracting that will take place under an award. Failure to disclose subcontracting relationships will result in the prospective contractor’s offer being removed from consideration. (if permitted by the solicitation)

8. Costs

The solicitation does not oblige ASI to pay for any costs, of any kind whatsoever, which may be incurred by a prospective contractor/vendor or third parties, in connection with the Response.

9. Intellectual Property

Prospective vendors may not use any intellectual property of ASI including, but not limited to, all logos, trademarks, or trade names of ASI, at any time without the prior written approval of ASI.

10.  Prospective Contractors’ Responses

All accepted Responses shall become the property of ASI and will not be returned.

11.  Partial Awarding

ASI reserves the right to accept all or part of the Response when awarding a contract.

12.  No Liability

ASI reserves the right to accept or reject any Response or to stop the procurement process at any time, without assigning any reason or liability. ASI shall not be liable to any prospective contractor, person, or entity for any losses, expenses, costs, claims, or damages of any kind.