High Commission of India

10 Springfield Road, Ottawa, K1M 1C9,

 Ontario, Canada

(Tel No.613-7443751; Fax No.613-7440913

E-mail: hoc@hciottawa.ca, website: www.hciottawa.ca)

 

Request for Proposal for  Outsourcing of Consular Services

 

In supercession of all previous tendering processes by the Consulates General of India in Toronto and Vancouver and the High Commission of India, Ottawa, the High Commission of India, Ottawa invites fresh proposals for receiving and processing visas, passports, PIO cards, Overseas Citizenship of India applications from Canadian and other applicants in the areas under the consular jurisdictions of the High Commission of India, Ottawa and the Consulates General of India, Toronto and Vancouver respectively.  Detailed explanation of the requirement for outsourcing of services may be accessed at the official website of the High Commission of India, Ottawa and of the Consulates General of India in Toronto and Vancouver  at www.hciottawa.ca, www.cgitoronto.ca and www.cgivancouver.com  respectively.

 

CRITERIA

 

2.     Only Firms/Companies/Agencies having experience of the following need apply:

 

i)                  Operating Centre(s) for Consular Services on behalf of a Diplomatic Mission or Missions for at least three years;

 

ii)               Dealing with a minimum of 37,500 visa and passport applications per year at least during one of those three years, with electronic data entry of these applications;

 

iii)             Following good industry practices in providing facilities at the Centre(s) for visas and other consular services.  The facilities, inter alia, would include proper office accommodation with applicants’ waiting area; well-equipped offices with well-qualified and trained staff; systems for collection of applications, processing and timely return of documents; maintenance of web-sites; setting up and maintenance of call-centres to promptly respond to queries; proper accounting of fees collected; security system for protecting applicants, documents, information and data; contingency plans to prevent disruption of services; 

 

iv)             The bidder must confirm willingness to follow sound ethical practices in its business transactions.

 

3.     Interested parties are invited to submit technical and unconditional financial bids in two separate sealed envelopes.  In the first stage, only the technical bids will be opened and examined as per the criteria and parameters detailed in the RFP document. The High Commission of India, Ottawa reserves the right to call the bidders for clarification, making presentation and elaboration of their technical bid at the latter’s cost.  Only the bidders considered fulfilling the criteria will be selected/invited for opening the financial bids. Any remaining bids will not be processed further. The High Commission of India, Ottawa’s decision in this regard will be final.  In the next stage, financial bids of companies qualifying on technical evaluation will be opened and the Contract Price shall be the criterion for selecting the successful Service Provider(s). The bids should be addressed to Head of Chancery, High Commission of India, 10 Springfield Road, Ottawa, ON K1M 1C9, Canada, and sent so as to reach him by 1300 hours on Friday, 16th May, 2008. The package containing the two sealed envelopes should be superscribed  ‘Consular Services Outsourcing’.

***


 

High Commission of India

Ottawa

 

 

 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

 

I. Introduction:

 

The objective of this Request For Proposal (RFP) is to select an experienced and reliable outsourcing firm/company/agency to contract with the High Commission of India, Ottawa (hereinafter referred to as HCI) to provide support for visas, passports, Persons of Indian Origin cards and Overseas Citizenship of India cards and any other service(s) decided by the HCI in the areas under the jurisdiction of HCI, and  Consulates General of India in Toronto and Vancouver

 

2.     In 2007, HCI issued 14395 visas, 540 passports, 231 PIO cards and 732 OCI cards.  CGI Toronto issued 76203 visas and 8801 passports, 2941 PIO cards and 8746 OCI cards.  CGI Vancouver issued 55662 visas, 4921 passports, 615 PIO cards and 1859 OCI cards. The trend continues in 2008 with some overall increase. This, however, is only an estimate and HCI does not guarantee this number.   It may be noted that the inflow of work is not uniform round the year.  Monthly work flow statistics for 2006 and 2007 are given in Annexure I (MS Excel statements).  This should help in planning space and staff requirements.

 

3.     The consular jurisdictions of HCI and the two Consulates are given below:

 

HCI Ottawa:

 

Ontario (National capital region of Ottawa-Hull, Kingston, Cornwell, Hawkesbury, Smith Falls, Carleton Place); Quebec (Montreal); and Nunavut territory.

 

CGI Toronto:

 

Ontario and Quebec (except the territories under the consular jurisdiction of HCI Ottawa); Manitoba; New Brunswick; Nova Scotia; Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland & Labrador

 

 

CGI Vancouver:

 

British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Yukon and Northwest Territories.

 

Criteria

 

4.     Only Firms/Companies/Agencies having experience of the following need apply:

 

i)               Operating Centre(s) for Consular Services on behalf of a Diplomatic Mission or Missions for at least three years.  This should be fully supported through documentary evidence;

 

ii)            Dealing with a minimum of 37,500 visa and passport applications per year at least during one of those three years, with electronic data entry of these applications.  This should be fully supported through documentary evidence;

 

iii)          Following good industry practices in providing facilities at the Centre(s) for visa and other consular services. The facilities, inter alia, would include proper office accommodation with applicants’ waiting area, well-equipped offices with well-qualified and trained staff; systems for electronically capturing data, systems for collection of applications, processing and timely return of documents, maintenance of web-sites, setting up and maintenance of call-centres to promptly respond to queries, proper accounting of fees collected, security system for protecting applicants, documents, information and data, contingency plans to prevent disruption of services, etc. 

 

iv)          The bidder must confirm his willingness to follow sound ethical practices in its business transactions. 

 

5.     While the criteria listed in Para 4 above are essential, other criteria such as the organization profile, expertise, method statements and standards will all be considered at the stage of technical assessment.  Only bidders assessed by the HCI to have met all the parameters and criteria will be considered for opening the financial bids.  The decision of the HCI in this regard will be final.

 

II. Request for Proposal:

 

6.        Bidders are invited to submit a priced proposal for the processing of applications for visas and other consular services in accordance with this RFP in two sealed envelopes, one containing the technical bid and the other the unconditional financial bid.  The proposal should include the processing of applications for the following services:

 

i)      All types of visas except Diplomatic and Official;

 

ii)   Issuing new passports and renewal of passports and other passports-related services such as change of name, etc.;

 

iii) Person of Indian Origin (PIO) Cards;

 

iv) Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Cards;

 

v)    Registration certificates relating to birth, marriage and death of Indian nationals; and

 

vi) Any other consular service(s) that the HCI may decide to outsource.

 

7.     The proposal should be valid for a period of 4 months after the RFP closing date.  The Contract, if signed, as a result of submitting the proposal will be for a period of three years.  

 

8.     The Service provider will be required to start full operations at all the centres within 90 days of signing the contract. Operations can start only after the HCI conveys its satisfaction with the arrangements made by the Service Provider at each Centre. 

 

9.     The Service Provider shall not receive any payments from the HCI or the CGIs for setting up these Centres, nor for providing services for applicants or for any other services rendered.

 

10.    Sub-Contracting:  The Service Provider shall not sub-contract any portion of the outsourcing operations contracted to him without prior written approval of the HCI.

 

 

 

III. Clarification/ Additional Information required:

 

11.        Requests for further information must be in writing and should be sent by mail/fax/e-mail to the Head of Chancery at hoc@hciottawa.ca, fax No.613-7440913, mailing address: Head of Chancery, High Commission of India, 10 Springfield Road, Ottawa, ON K1M 1C9, Canada.

 

12.    Only communications that are in writing from the HCI may be considered as properly authorized expressions of the HCI.

 

13.    All questions and answers provided during the tendering process to various bidders will be placed on the websites of the HCI (www.hciottawa.ca), Consulates General of India, Toronto (www.cgitoronto.ca) and the Consulate General of India, Vancouver (www.cgivancouver.com). The source of questions will not be divulged.

 

14.    Each bidder shall provide the name and contact details, including email id of an individual to act as a point of contact during the tender process. That person may be asked to clarify the bid to provide additional information during the evaluation process.

 

IV. Proposed Programme for the RFP Process:

 

Last date of receiving of bidders questions

(The HCI will endeavour to respond to the questions within 5-days of receipt).

1st May, 2008 by 1700 hrs

 

Deadline for Submission of Proposal

 

Friday, 16th May, 2008 at 1300 hrs i.e. RFP closing date

 

15.    The representatives of the bidders may wish to be present at the time of opening of the technical bids at 1300 hrs on Friday, 16th May, 2008, at the High Commission of India, 10 Springfield Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K1M 1C9, Canada.  The bidder should be willing to come to Ottawa for clarifications in 2nd fortnight of May, 2008.  The time and date of opening of financial bids will be communicated to the successful technical bidders who would be invited to send their representatives to the opening of the financial bid.

 

V. Statement of Service Requirements:

 

16.    At present, the High Commission of India, Ottawa and the Consulate General of India, Toronto and Vancouver are located at the addresses given below:

 

HCI Ottawa : 10 Springfield Road, Ottawa, ON K1M 1C9.

 

CGI Toronto : 365 Bloor Street(East), Suite 700, Toronto, ON M4W 3L4.

 

CGI Vancouver : # 201-325 Howe Street, Vancouver,  BC V6C 1Z7.

 

The Service Provider shall establish Consular Services Centres (hereinafter called Centres) adhering to good industry practice standards in the proximity of above locations in downtown Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and in downtown Montreal, Mississauga/Brampton (one of the two), Winnipeg, Surrey, Calgary and Edmonton.

 

17.    Each Centre should be in a respectable and safe locality, be well-connected to public transport system and have easily accessible public parking.  The locations for Centres will be approved by the HCI / concerned CGI in advance.

 

18.    The Consular Services Centres shall have sufficient space in terms of waiting area, application counters and processing area. Each Centre will have appropriate facilities and conveniences for the applicants like provision of drinking water TV, lighting arrangements etc.

 

19.    All Centres should function from 0800 hrs to 1900 hrs on all working days except public/civic holidays in Canada.   Centres in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver shall also remain open on Saturdays from 0800 to 1900 hours.

 

20.    The Service Provider shall be responsible for the following:

 

i)                  Print visa, passport and other application forms at its own cost in the format approved by HCI from time to time and provide the same to applicants free of charge;

 

ii)               Provide factual information on the various categories of visa available and the application process;

 

iii)             Provide factual information on various other services and the application process;

 

iv)             Publish and distribute an official leaflet explaining clearly how to apply for various services, complete with relevant guidance;

 

v)                Assist applicants in completion of forms;

 

vi)             Accept applications in person and by mail/courier which has a tracking system;

 

vii)           Scrutinize the documents and forms to ensure these are properly completed;

 

viii)        Provide, at its own cost, staff in the Service / Call Centres who can speak Hindi, English and Punjabi;

 

ix)             Give widespread publicity to the start of the Consular Services’ Centres.  Ensure a smooth transition from the current system to the new system with minimum inconvenience to service seekers. Issue news releases as and when required by the HCI / CGIs; and

 

x)                Carry out any other related activities as instructed by the HCI / CGIs;

 

VI. Fees:

 

21.    The Service Provider shall:

 

i)                  Accept the fee stipulated by the HCI for each service alongwith Service Providers Fee in all manners of payment generally used in Canada, including credit cards and debit cards. Any bank / agency charges, taxes, etc. levied on such transactions will be borne by the applicant.  However, the Service Provider will offer at least one mode of payment which does not entail any charge.

 

ii)               Provide a bar-coded receipt to each applicant showing the service fee paid to the Service provider, the visa, passport or any other fee, the nature of service applied for and the date of payment. A copy of the bar coded receipt will be enclosed with the application.

 

iii)             Deposit all fees due to the HCI /concerned CGI in their bank account on the day of receipt/next working day.

 

iv)             Provide reconciliation of fees remitted daily and at any other intervals decided by the HCI /concerned CGI from time to time.

 

v)                Provide clear and transparent audit trails of fees taken at the time of receipt of applications, in a format to be agreed between the HCI and the Service Provider.

 

vi)             Maintain proper accounts of all the fees received indicating individual subhead(s).

 

Bank Guarantee:

 

a)               Furnish bank guarantee to the tune of C$ 1,50,000 (Canadian Dollars One Hundred Fifty Thousands only) for the government funds held by it temporarily.

 

b)               The amount of Bank Guarantee will be enhanced periodically to ensure that it is C$25,000 more than the highest collection on any day.

 

VII. Documents, Systems and Facilities:

 

22.    The Service Provider shall:

 

i)                  Accept additional documentation required by the HCI / concerned CGI from existing applicants.

 

ii)                For HCI: Carry out electronic data entry of applications in a format approved by the HCI and transfer this data physically, securely and in a timely manner to the HCI along with the application and all documents every working day, the timings and manner of which will be determined and decided by the HCI.  Collect from the HCI processed applications and passports, every working day, the timings and manner of which will be determined and decided by the HCI. Handing / taking over of documents will take place at the premises of the HCI.

 

iii)             FOR CGIs:  Carry out electronic data entry of applications in a format approved by the HCI and transfer this data physically, securely and in a timely manner, to the concerned CGI alongwith the application and all documents twice every working day, the timing and manner of which will be determined and decided by the concerned CGI.  Collect from concerned CGI processed applications and passports, twice every working day, the timings and manner of which will be determined and decided by the concerned CGI.  Handing / taking over of documents will take place at the premises of the concerned CGI.

 

iv)              Put in place an efficient system for scheduling appointments for applicants requiring an interview. Provide those, who are required to go to the HCI / CGIs for interview with the date & time of interview in consultation with the HCI / CGIs.

 

v)                Return passports along with associated documents to successful applicants in an efficient, timely and orderly fashion and maintain clear records and proof of delivery. 

 

vi)              Maintain proper records of every application received, cross-referenced to individual fees taken on databases and systems, and in accordance with practices to be prescribed by the HCI.

 

vii)           Put in place a reliable quality control system that maintains continuous surveillance on service standards.

 

viii)         Put in place an effective security and vigilance system.

 

ix)              Put in place a system to ensure that turn over time for various applicants applying for different services does not normally exceed 30 minutes.  Machine generated tickets should be given to applicants which will indicate date and time of entry and exit from the collection Centres.

 

x)                Put in place an electronic display in order that applicants can track the progress of their applications.

 

xi)              Operate an email service and respond to all emails and postal letters/faxes within 2 working days of receipt.

 

xii)           Operate, at its own cost, a call centre with staff that could respond to enquiries in English, Hindi and Punjabi.

 

xiii)         Put in place a contingency plan, prior to operation of the agreement, to maintain an acceptable level of service if the operation of any/all Consular Services Centre(s) is interrupted for any reason.

 

xiv)         Put in place effective systems and processes to recruit and train staff who can explain clearly and accurately the application process and the details of documents that must be submitted with the application.

 

xv)            Put in place an IT system which will allow the entire Service Provider’s service network access to any centrally based appointment system.

 

xvi)         Computerise operations related to data capture and scanning of applications and photographs on behalf of the HCI / CGIs.

 

xvii)       Computerise operations related to the accounting of fee collection.

 

xviii)    Computerise operations related to the tracking of passport movement from receipt to delivery.

 

xix)         Put in place an effective security system for the presence of applicants and safe custody of documentation collected, including information held on IT systems.  The storage of data should at least be at two places, including one outside Canada.

 

xx)            Maintain records and statistics in the format required by the HCI / concerned CGIs.

 

xxi)         Establish and operate at its cost a website on behalf of the HCI and the CGIs, which will contain all information relevant and useful to applicants. All information posted on the website will be agreed in advance with the HCI / concerned CGIs.

 

xxii)       Ensure complete confidentiality of the information provided by service seekers and further ensure that it is used for no purpose other than processing of the applications.  The Service Provider shall indemnify the HCI / CGIs in the event of any leakage of such information and a consequential claim made by any applicant.

 

xxiii)    Put in place a system to deliver Emergency Services at an additional fee to be approved by the HCI.

 

xxiv)     Install a complaint box in each centre of which the key will be only with the HCI / concerned CGI. 

 

xxv)       Put in place a system of grievance redressal and give constant feed back to the HCI / concerned CGI.

 

23.    The Service provider can introduce value-added services such as photocopier, photo facilities, vending machines, etc. for the benefit of applicants and offer these services for a charge if there is no conflict of interest. Introduction of these value-added services is subject to the prior written approval of the HCI and subject to the terms of Canadian law.

 

24.    The Service provider may secure additional sources of revenue through advertising subject to the agreement of the HCI and subject to the terms and conditions of the Canadian law if there is no conflict of interest. The decision of the HCI will be final in this case.

 

25.    The HCI / CGIs shall entertain no claim for expenses or liability for loss of passports or documents. The Service Provider shall indemnify the HCI / CGIs in the event of any claim made by any applicant and it shall be the Service provider's responsibility to compensate applicants if such losses occur.

 

26.    The HCI / concerned CGI reserve the right to directly accept applications, at its discretion, wherever it considers appropriate.

 

27.    The Service Provider shall ensure a high level of service standard including with regard to the facilities and amenities in the Consular Services Centre, efficient processing of cases to ensure that waiting time is minimal and customer satisfaction is high.

 

28.    The service delivery will be reviewed every quarter by HCI / concerned CGI for which the Service Provider will extend full cooperation and information. There will also be a comprehensive annual review.

 

VIII.  Guide to Bidders:

 

29.    The HCI will take all reasonable steps to maintain the confidentiality of any of the bidders’ information, which is clearly marked ‘confidential’. However, the HCI is subject to the Right to Information Act 2005 of India and it may be required to release information supplied in this RFP in accordance with that Act.

 

30.    The information in this RFP, or otherwise supplied by the HCI or any of its representatives, is to be kept confidential except to the extent already publicly available or authorized by the HCI. In case of any damage either direct or indirect including any legal action filed by any individual, in respect of the RFP the vendor shall be solely responsible and the  HCI will not be liable.

 

31.    The bidders shall not at any time make any public statements in relation to this RFP or any proposal without obtaining prior written approval from the HCI contact person. All material supplied to HCI  in relation to the proposal becomes its property and may not be returned, unless requested in writing beforehand or agreed to by the HCI.

 

32.    The HCI will not be liable to contract and tort (including negligence), equity or any other cause of action for any direct or indirect damage, loss or cost (including legal and lawyer / client costs) to the bidders or other persons in respect of this RFP.

 

33.    This RFP will be governed by the law currently in force in India. The concerned party / parties shall submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Indian courts any dispute or difference of any kind that may arise concerning this RFP or any related contract.

 

34.    In submitting a proposal to the HCI, the bidder will be deemed to have understood this RFP, obtained all requisite information and verified the correctness of any information to be relied upon, as may be necessary to prepare the proposal and for any subsequent negotiations with the HCI .

 

35.    In submitting a proposal to the HCI, the bidder will be deemed to be fully informed and to have accepted the terms and conditions outlined in this request for proposals.

 

36.    The cost of preparing and submitting the proposal shall be borne by the bidders.  The HCI will not reimburse any cost.

 

37.    The High Commission of India reserves the right to accept or reject any or all Proposal(s) and to annul the proposal process, at any time, thereby rejecting all proposals, prior to any Contract being awarded.  In such an eventuality, the HCI will not be responsible for any cost incurred by the bidders.

 

IX. Response to the RFP:

 

       Contract Price:

 

38.            The HCI / CGIs will not pay for the services rendered by the Service Provider. The Service Provider will charge a uniform fee, per application, denominated in Canadian Dollars.  The fee per application should be quoted exclusive of any local taxes currently applicable in Canada.  This fee will remain fixed for the entire duration of the Contract.

 

39.            The applicable law in respect of the RFP is Indian law and the contract is subject to Indian Courts’ jurisdiction.

 

Organisation Profile:

 

40.    The Bidder should provide an organization profile as also the following information:

 

i)                  Full Legal name;

ii)               Complete address, including registered office of company;

iii)             Contact person;

iv)             Telephone, facsimile and email contact details;

v)                Summary of existing locations and number of staff at various locations;

vi)             Summary of services provided from various locations with documentary evidence;

vii)           Number of years that the organization has been providing consular outsourcing services and its volume with documentary evidence;

viii)        Company ownership, structure and location of ultimate Holding Company;

ix)             Company Head office location, and branch office locations;

 

References

   

41.    The Bidder should provide information on work that has been undertaken for other organizations. At least three referees are required. The bidders must provide the following information:

 

i)                  The name, business and location of the referee organization;

ii)               The name and contact phone number of a referee at the organization;

iii)             Date on which the work was undertaken and the length of time involved;

iv)             Brief description of the services provided;

v)                Website address of any website currently operating for that service.

 

42.        Please advise the referees that the HCI or the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi may contact them.

 

Method Statement

 

43.    The purpose of the Method Statement is to enable us to evaluate your understanding of our requirements and the quality of your proposals for meeting them. Your method statement should describe clearly how you will provide each of the main requirements indicated in the Statement of Service Requirements. Please explain under the following headings and order:

 

 

 

a) Professional Plan

 

44.    The Service provider is required, inter alia, to:

 

i)                  Describe organisation's experience in the areas relating to this Proposal;

ii)               Describe capacity for flexibility in service provision - e.g. a sudden increase in demand;

iii)             Describe proposals for monitoring and evaluating service usage;

iv)             Describe proposals for innovative web-site design and online development;

v)                Describe proposals for managing risks and contingencies

 

b) Resource Plan

 

45.    The Service provider is required, inter alia, to:

 

i)                  Give details of the resources expected to be used to service the Contract, including the number of staff expected to be employed for providing the service. Also include an organisational chart indicating responsibilities and reporting lines in respect of this proposal.

ii)               Indicate in each case whether the Staff is expected to be drawn from within service providers’ organisation or to be newly recruited and where staff will not be employed full time on this Contract.

iii)             Explain plan for the training of Staff to be employed on the Contract.

iv)             Give names and position held of Key Staff who will be responsible for the management of the contract.

v)                Provide curriculum vitae for each member of Key Staff.

 

c) Quality Plan

 

46.    The Service Provider is required to give details of how the Service Provider will ensure that a high quality service is maintained and that any performance targets mentioned in the Statement of Service Requirements will be met:

 

i)                  Describe your proposals for the monitoring and reporting on the quality of the Services delivered including the performance checks you will perform, their frequency and scope, and who will perform them.

ii)               Details of your proposed contract management and supervisory systems.

iii)             Set out your customer liaison arrangements including procedures for dealing with complaints, grievances and problems.

 

Additional Information    

 

47.    The Service Provider may give any additional information he thinks would be useful in support of his proposal, including any additional facilities not included in the Statement of Service Requirements that will make the Service more customer-friendly.

 

X. Submission Requirements:

 

48.    The bidders should submit “two-envelope” sealed bids – one  technical and the other financial – separately and secured in a package, addressed to the Head of Chancery, High Commission of India 10 Springfield Road, Ottawa, K1M 1C9,  Ontario, Canada to reach him by 1300 hours on Friday, 16th May, 2008. The technical bid should include all the information sought as per the preceding paragraphs of this RFP.  

 

49.   In the first stage only the technical bids will be opened and examined as per the laid down criteria and parameters. Only the bidders fulfilling all of the criteria mentioned at Para 4 and 5 above will be selected for opening the financial bids.  The decision of the High Commission of India in this regard shall be final.  Any remaining bids will not be processed further and will be returned to the bidders along with their earnest money.  Financial bids of companies qualifying on technical evaluation will be opened in the next stage and the Contract Price shall be the criterion for selecting the successful Service Provider.  If a second bidder (L2 or L3 etc who will be given an opportunity in that order) is willing to do the work at the same cost as the lowest bidder, the work will be awarded to both.  In this case, both the selected Service Providers will be asked to open centres at all locations indicated earlier in this RFP.  In no case shall the contract be awarded to more than two Service Providers.

 

50.    The bids should be addressed to the Head of Chancery, High Commission of India 10 Springfield Road, Ottawa, K1M 1C9,  Ontario, Canada and sent so as to reach him by 1300 hours on  Friday, 16th May, 2008.  RFP must be submitted in a secure package covering containing:

 

i)  Sealed envelope containing Technical Bids which should have:

 

·        F