RFP 2024: AWS Cloud Computing

Services,
Version 1.0
NEN-AI

Mar 2024

Wadhwani AI is a program of the AI Unit of National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) wadhwaniai.org 1

 1 Introduction
The National Entrepreneurship Network is an independent organization developing AI-
based solutions for social good. We are supported by reputed global institutions such as
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Google, and USAID. We work closely with
central and state governments in India to collaborate on solutions in the domains of
healthcare and agriculture.

This request for proposal (RFP) is inviting a qualified, reputable, and experienced
company (“Firm”) to provide Cloud Computing services for the Artificial Intelligence Unit
of NEN (“NEN-AI”). This document provides the details of the assignment and expected
deliverables. Proposals must be submitted to NEN-AI no later than 10th of April 2024.

The terms outlined in this RFP shall form part of the contract, should the NEN-AI accept
a proposal. NEN-AI may, at its discretion, cancel the requirement in part or whole. It
also reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal, annul the selection process, or
reject all proposals at any time before selection without incurring any liability to
Tenderers.

Tenderers may withdraw their proposal after submission, provided that NEN-AI receives
written notice of withdrawal before the deadline for submission of proposals. No
proposal may be modified after the deadline for proposal submission. No proposal may
be withdrawn between the deadline for submission of proposals and the expiration of
the proposal validity period. All proposals shall remain valid and open for acceptance for
a period of 90 calendar days after the deadline for submission of proposals. A proposal
valid for a shorter period may be rejected.

In exceptional circumstances, NEN-AI may solicit the Tenderer’s consent to an

Wadhwani AI is a program of the AI Unit of National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) wadhwaniai.org 2

 extension of the validity period. The request and responses for this shall be made in
writing.

All communications relating to this RFP must be directed via email to

[email protected]. Tenderers must not communicate with any other person
at NEN-AI regarding this RFP. The proposals prepared by the Tenderer and all
correspondence and documents relating to the proposal exchanged by the Tenderer
and NEN-AI shall be in English. Supporting documents and printed literature furnished
by the Tenderer in another language shall be translated to English - this will prevail for
interpretation of the proposal. The responsibility for translation is the Tenderer’s
responsibility. All licenses, User Accounts, Account Credentials, and Passwords are the
sole property of NEN-AI.

A Tenderer requiring any clarification of the solicitation documents may notify NEN-AI in
writing at [email protected] by the specified date and time mentioned.
NEN-AI shall respond in writing to any request for clarification of the solicitation
documents it receives by the due date published. Written copies of NEN-AI’s response
which contain information that may be of common interest to all Tenderers (including
an explanation of the query but without identifying the source of inquiry), shall be
posted on the NEN-AI website or communicated via email or both.

At any time prior to the deadline for submission of proposals, NEN-AI may, for any
reason, whether at its own initiative or in response to a clarification requested by a
prospective Tenderer, modify the RFP documents by amendment. The amendments will
be posted on the NEN-AI website or communicated via email or both. In order to allow
prospective Tenderers reasonable time in which to take the amendment into account in
preparing their proposals, NEN-AI may, at its sole discretion, extend the deadline for
the submission of the proposal.

Wadhwani AI is a program of the AI Unit of National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) wadhwaniai.org 3

 3 Scope of Service
The scope of services may include but is not limited to the AWS Cloud services included
in the Bill of Quantity in Annexure 1. The bill of quantity in Annexure 1 is for an initial
reference point and may change eventually.

Along with the provision of the cloud computing services, the bidder shall also do the
One Time Installation, Configuration or Deployment of Cloud Services which includes:
1) Monitoring of existing environment and IT Infrastructure or System
Architecture
2) Architecture review & optimization review
3) Security Management & Log Management
4) FAQ & Guide for Better Operations & Management of Cloud Service
5) Escalation Matrix for Service, Support
The Service engagement shall be for a period of total three (3) years from the date of
the Agreement with yearly reviews at the end of year 1 (one) and year 2 (two). The
agreement can be terminated during each review in case of unsatisfactory performance
of the vendor.
Either party may terminate the contract, without assigning any reason, by giving Thirty
(90) days prior notice in writing to the other.
The bidder shall submit a monthly price for providing the required cloud services. These
will be applicable for a period of 36 months. The bidder should also include the public
pricing and the special pricing offered by the bidder for clear comparison.

3 Submission of Proposals
Tenderers are requested to send a bid via email to [email protected]. Two
separate files (technical and financial bids) should be attached to the email as outlined
below.

The technical file should contain the technical proposal and be titled RFP 2024
TECHNICAL PROPOSAL: (name of Tenderer). This must not contain any financial

Wadhwani AI is a program of the AI Unit of National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) wadhwaniai.org 4

 information, as this may result in disqualification.

The financial file should contain the financial proposal and be titled RFP 2024
FINANCIAL PROPOSAL: (name of Tenderer). The template for the same is
attached as Annexure 1

The email's subject line must contain the reference number and title of the RFP: RFP
2024: Provision of AWS Cloud Computing Services for NEN-AI (name of
Tenderer).

The financial proposal must be password protected. The NEN-AI procurement team fwill
contact the Tenderers that qualify for the password to open the financial proposal.
Tenderers must not send the password to the financial proposal until they are
requested to do so by the procurement officer. Financial proposals that are submitted
without password protection may be rejected for non-compliance.

Any proposals received by NEN-AI after the deadline for submission of proposals
prescribed in the timeline of this document are liable to be rejected.

NEN-AI requires that all its staff members, tenderers/bidders, suppliers, service
providers, and any other person or entity involved in NEN-AI activities observe the
highest standard of ethics during the procurement and execution of all contracts. NEN-
AI may reject any proposal put forward by Tenderers or, where applicable, terminate
their contract if it is determined that they have engaged in corrupt, fraudulent, coercive,
collusive, or other prohibited practices.

In their proposal, Tenderers must confirm that, based on their current best knowledge,
there are no real or potential conflicts of interest involved in rendering services for NEN-
AI. They must also set out their policy on dealing with conflicts of interest, should these
arise.

Information relating to the evaluation of proposals and recommendations concerning

Wadhwani AI is a program of the AI Unit of National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) wadhwaniai.org 5

 the selection of Firms will not be disclosed to Firms that submit proposals.

4 Minimum Eligibility Criteria

The vendor partner shall be a registered AWS partner with the following qualifications.
Cloud Computing certifications:
The bidder should be an AWS partner from atleast 5 years
The bidder should have the highest tier of partnership with AWS
The bidder should have atleast 5 referenceable customers on AWS cloud
The bidder should have an experience of serving public sector/not for profit customers
(atleast 2)
The bidder should have atleast 10 resources certified on AWS

The bidder should have resources certified on below technical certifications (Atleast 3
from below)
● AWS Certified Solutions Architect- Associate

● AWS Certified SysOps Administrator- Associate

● AWS Certified Solutions Architect- Professional

● AWS Certified Database- Specialty

● AWS Certified Security- Specialty

The bidder should have the below specified competencies on AWS (Atleast 2 from
below)
● Public Sector Solution Provider

● Managed Service Provider

● Migration Services Competency

● AWS Microsoft workloads Services Competency

Wadhwani AI is a program of the AI Unit of National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) wadhwaniai.org 6

 ISO Certifications:

● ISO 27001:2013 - Information Security Management and Security

○ This certification affirms that the vendor meets the highest international
standards of information security management and security compliance.

● ISO 9001:2015 - Certified Quality Management System

○ Internationally recognized standards that set out the requirements for a

quality management system, offering organizations a framework to
enhance their processes, products, and services.

Due Diligence Documents submission (Mandatory):

Due Diligence Checklist

Copies Information
Required Required

Regulatory Documents & Governance

1
Memorandum of Association/Charter Yes Scan Copy
Articles of Association/Bye Laws Yes Scan Copy
2

Wadhwani AI is a program of the AI Unit of National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) wadhwaniai.org 7

 3 Registration Certification
(Company/Society/Trust) Yes Scan Copy

4 Board Resolutions and Authority Letter

for signing the agreement Yes Scan Copy

5
Copy of PAN card Yes Scan Copy

6
GST Registration Yes Scan Copy

7
SAM registration Yes Scan Copy

8 Unique Entity Identifier - UEI (previously

known as DUNS) Yes Scan Copy

9
MSME Certificate Yes Scan Copy

10 Clientele list of the previous clients with

whom the contracts were closed. Yes Scan Copy

11 Last year Financial with ITR and GST

return Yes Scan Copy

I / We have gone through the contents of the application form carefully. The
information supplied by me /us is/are true to the best of my/our knowledge and belief
and nothing has been concealed therefrom. I/We shall abide by the terms and

Wadhwani AI is a program of the AI Unit of National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) wadhwaniai.org 8

 conditions of NEN-AI.

Wadhwani AI is a program of the AI Unit of National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) wadhwaniai.org 9