selection of consultant request for ......1 selection of consultant request for proposal...
TRANSCRIPT
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SELECTION OF CONSULTANT
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
“Construct of Online Content Partner Strategy w.r.t Technology Content Partners for
the FutureSkills PRIME Program”
Reference Number: SSC NASSCOM (FS PRIME) 0204/2020
Issued by:
NASSCOM Plot No - 7 to 10,
Sector 126, Noida - 201303, UP
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Table of Contents
A. General Provisions ................................................................................................................. 3
1. Definitions............................................................................................................................... 3
2. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 4
3. Conflict of Interest ................................................................................................................. 4
4. Corrupt and Fraudulent Practices ....................................................................................... 5
B. Preparation of Proposals....................................................................................................... 6
5. General Considerations ......................................................................................................... 6
6. Cost of Preparation of Proposal ........................................................................................... 6
7. Language ................................................................................................................................ 6
8. Documents Comprising the Proposal .................................................................................. 6
9. Proposal Validity ................................................................................................................... 7
10. Clarification and Amendment of RFP ............................................................................. 7
11. Technical Proposal Format and Content ......................................................................... 8
12. Financial Proposal ............................................................................................................. 8
C. Submission, Opening and Evaluation .................................................................................. 8
13. Submission, Sealing, and Marking of Proposals ............................................................. 8
14. Confidentiality .................................................................................................................... 9
15. Evaluation of Proposal .................................................................................................... 10
16. Award of Contract ........................................................................................................... 13
17. Documents ........................................................................................................................ 13
Annexure B – Terms of Reference for Development of Construct of the Go To Market Strategy for
Online Content Partners for NASSCOM FutureSkills PRIME Platform .......................................... 22
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A. General Provisions
1. Definitions
(a) “Affiliate(s)” means an individual or an entity that directly or indirectly controls, is
controlled by, or is under common control with the Consultant.
(b) “Applicable Guidelines” means the policies of NASSCOM governing the selection and
Contract award process as set forth in this RFP.
(c) “Applicable Law” means the laws and any other instruments having the force of law in
the Client’s country, or in such other country as may be specifically described as part of
this agreement.
(d) “Client” means IT/ ITeS Sector Skills Council NASSCOM that shall sign the Contract
for the Services with the selected Consultant.
(e) “Consultant” means a legally-established professional consulting firm or an entity that
intends to provide Services to the Client and is submitting its proposal as part of the
instant RFP.
(f) “Contract” means a legally binding written agreement signed between the Client and
the Consultant.
(g) “Day” means a calendar day.
(h) “Experts” means, collectively, Key Experts, Non-Key Experts, or any other personnel
of the Consultant, Sub-consultant or Joint Venture member(s).
(i) “Government” means the government of the Client’s country.
(j) “Joint Venture (JV)” means an association with or without a legal personality distinct
from that of its members, of more than one Consultant where one member has the
authority to conduct all business for and on behalf of any and all the members of the JV,
and where the members of the JV are jointly and severally liable to the Client for the
performance of the Contract.
(k) “Key Expert(s)” means an individual professional whose skills, qualifications,
knowledge and experience are critical to the performance of the Services under the
Contract and whose CV is taken into account in the technical evaluation of the
Consultant’s proposal.
(l) “Non-Key Expert(s)” means an individual professional provided by the Consultant or
its Sub-consultant and who is assigned to perform the Services or any part thereof under
the Contract and whose CVs are not evaluated individually.
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(m) “Proposal” means the Technical Proposal and the Financial Proposal of the Consultant.
(n) “Services” means the work to be performed by the Consultant pursuant to the Contract.
(o) “Sub-consultant” means an entity to whom the Consultant intends to subcontract any
part of the Services while remaining responsible to the Client during the performance
of the Contract.
2. Introduction
2.1. The Client intends to select a Consultant, in accordance with the ‘Terms of Reference’ as
specified at ‘Annexure B’ of this document.
2.2. The shortlisted Consultants are invited to submit a Technical Proposal and a Financial
Proposal, for consulting services required for the assignment “selection of consultant for
performing services related to Go to Market Strategy for the FutureSkills PRIME
platform”. The Proposal will be the basis for negotiating and ultimately signing the
Contract with the selected Consultant. 2.3. The Client will timely provide, at no cost to the Consultants, the inputs, relevant project
data, and reports required for the preparation of the Consultant’s Proposal
2.4. A firm will be selected under Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) procedures and in
Full Technical Proposal format as described in this RFP, in accordance with the policies of
the client.
3. Conflict of Interest
3.1. The Consultant is required to provide professional, objective, and impartial advice, at all
times holding the Client’s interests paramount, strictly avoiding conflicts with other
assignments or its own corporate interests, and acting without any consideration for future
work.
3.2. The Consultant has an obligation to disclose to the Client any situation of actual or potential
conflict that impacts its capacity to serve the best interest of its Client. Failure to disclose
such situations may lead to the disqualification of the Consultant or the termination of its
Contract and/or sanctions by the client.
3.3. Without limitation on the generality of the foregoing, the Consultant shall not be hired
under the circumstances set forth below:
i. Conflict among consulting assignments: A Consultant (including its Experts and
Sub-consultants) or any of its Affiliates shall not be hired for any assignment that, by
its nature, may be in conflict with another assignment of the Consultant for the same
or for another Client.
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ii. Relationship with the Client’s staff: A Consultant (including its Experts and Sub-
consultants) that has a close business or family relationship with a professional staff of
the of the Client who are directly or indirectly involved in any part of (i) the preparation
of the Terms of Reference for the assignment, (ii) the selection process for the Contract,
or (iii) the supervision of the Contract, may not be awarded a Contract, unless the
conflict stemming from this relationship has been resolved in a manner acceptable to
the client throughout the selection process and the execution of the Contract.
4. Corrupt and Fraudulent Practices
4.1. The client requires that no fraudulent or corrupt means shall be used by the consultant in
order to get the award of work.
4.2. The Consultant shall permit and shall cause its agents, experts, sub-consultants, sub-
contractors, services providers, or suppliers to permit the client to inspect all accounts,
records, and other documents relating to the submission of the Proposal and contract
performance (in case of an award), and to have them audited by external auditors, if needed.
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B. Preparation of Proposals
5. General Considerations
5.1. Bidders are advised to study all instructions, forms, terms, requirements and other
information in the RFP document carefully. Submission of the bid shall be deemed to have
been done after careful study and examination of the RFP document with full
understanding of its implications;
5.2. Response to this RFP should be full and complete in all respects. Failure to furnish all
information required by the RFP documents or submission of a proposal not substantially
responsive to the RFP documents in every respect will be at the Bidder's risk and may result
in rejection of its Proposal.
6. Cost of Preparation of Proposal
6.1. The consultant is responsible for all costs incurred in connection with participation in this
process, including, but not limited to, costs incurred in conduct of informative and other
diligence activities, participation in meetings/discussions/presentations, preparation of
proposal, in providing any additional information required by the client to facilitate the
evaluation process, and in negotiating a definitive ‘Contract’/Agreement’ or all such
activities related to the bid process. The client would not be responsible or liable for those
costs, regardless of the conduct or outcome of the bidding process;
6.2. The Client is not bound to accept any proposal, and reserves the right to annul the selection
process at any time prior to Contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the
Consultant.
7. Language
7.1. The Proposal, as well as all correspondence and documents relating to the Proposal
exchanged between the Consultant and the Client shall be written in English Language.
8. Documents Comprising the Proposal
8.1. The Proposal shall comprise the documents and forms listed in the Data Sheet.
8.2. If specified in the Data Sheet, the Consultant shall include a statement of an undertaking
of the Consultant to observe, in competing for and executing a contract, the Client
country’s laws against fraud and corruption (including bribery).
8.3. The Consultant shall furnish information on commissions, gratuities, and fees, if any, paid
or to be paid to agents or any other party relating to this Proposal and, if awarded, Contract
execution, as requested in the Financial Proposal Submission Form 6 placed at Annexure-
A to this RFP.
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8.4. All materials submitted by the consultant shall become the property of the client and may
be returned at the client’s sole discretion.
9. Proposal Validity
9.1. The Consultant’s Proposal must remain valid for 60 days after the Proposal submission
deadline.
9.2. During this period, the Consultant shall maintain its original Proposal without any change,
including the availability of the Key Experts, the proposed rates and the total price.
9.3. If it is established that any Key Expert nominated in the Consultant’s Proposal was not
available at the time of Proposal submission or was included in the Proposal without his/her
confirmation, such Proposal shall be disqualified and rejected for further evaluation.
9.4. The Client will make its best effort to complete the negotiations within the proposal’s
validity period. However, should the need arise, the Client may request, in writing, all
Consultants who submitted Proposals prior to the submission deadline to extend the
Proposals’ validity.
9.5. If the Consultant agrees to extend the validity of its Proposal, it shall be done without any
change in the original Proposal and with the confirmation of the availability of the Key
Experts.
9.6. The Consultant has the right to refuse to extend the validity of its Proposal in which case
such Proposal will not be further evaluated.
10. Clarification and Amendment of RFP
10.1. The Consultant may request a clarification of any part of the RFP during the period before
between beginnings from the date of publishing of this RFP till the Proposals’ submission
deadline. Any request for clarification must be sent in writing, or by standard electronic
means, to the Client’s address as indicated at Clause 13.9. The Client will respond in
writing, or by standard electronic means, and will send written copies of the response
(including an explanation of the query but without identifying its source) to all shortlisted
Consultants. Should the Client deem it necessary to amend the RFP as a result of a
clarification, it shall do so at any time before the proposal submission deadline, the Client
may amend the RFP by issuing an amendment in writing or by standard electronic means.
10.2. If the amendment is substantial, the Client may extend the proposal submission deadline
to give the shortlisted Consultants reasonable time to take an amendment into account in
their Proposals.
10.3. The Consultant may submit a modified Proposal or a modification to any part of it at any
time prior to the proposal submission deadline. No modifications to the Technical or
Financial Proposal shall be accepted after the deadline.
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11. Technical Proposal Format and Content
11.1. The Technical Proposal shall not include any financial information. A Technical Proposal
containing material financial information shall be declared non-responsive.
11.2. Consultant shall not propose alternative Key Experts. Only one CV shall be submitted for
each Key Expert position. Failure to comply with this requirement will make the Proposal
non-responsive.
11.3. The technical proposal shall be made as per standard formats provided at Forms 2-5 placed
at Annexure-A to this RFP.
12. Financial Proposal
12.1. The Financial Proposal shall be prepared using the Standard Forms provided at Form 6 in
Annexure-A. It shall list all costs associated with the assignment, including (a)
remuneration for Key Experts and Non-Key Experts, (b) reimbursable expenses
12.2. The Consultant and its Sub-consultants and Experts are responsible for meeting all tax
liabilities arising out of the Contract unless stated otherwise.
C. Submission, Opening and Evaluation
13. Submission, Sealing, and Marking of Proposals
13.1. The Consultant shall submit a signed (not mandatory) and complete Proposal comprising
the documents and forms in accordance with Paragraphs 8, 11 and 12. The submission can
be done by email in PDF format media in a separate emails for Technical and Commercial
proposals.
13.2. An authorized representative of the Consultant shall sign the original submission letters in
the required format for both the Technical Proposal and, if applicable, the Financial
Proposal and shall initial all pages of both. The authorization shall be in the form of a
written power of attorney attached to the Technical Proposal.
13.3. A Proposal submitted by a Joint Venture shall be signed by all members so as to be legally
binding on all members, or by an authorized representative who has a written power of
attorney signed by each member’s authorized representative.
13.4. Any modifications, revisions, interlineations, erasures, or overwriting shall be valid only if
they are signed or initialled by the person signing the Proposal.
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13.5. The Technical Proposal shall clearly be marked as “TECHNICAL PROPOSAL”,
“CONSULTANCY FOR UNDERTAKING DETAILED DESIGN OF FUTURESKILLS
PRIME ”, reference number, name and address of the Consultant, and with a warning “DO
NOT OPEN UNTIL [INSERT THE DATE AND THE TIME OF THE TECHNICAL
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE].” The technical proposal should NOT contain
any pricing information whatsoever on the services offered. Pricing information shall be
separated and only contained in the Financial Proposal.
13.6. The Financial Proposal shall be clearly marked as “FINANCIAL PROPOSAL”, followed
by the name of the assignment, reference number, name and address of the Consultant, and
with a warning “DO NOT OPEN WITH THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL.”
13.7. The Technical Proposal with the mentioned 13.5 marking shall be sent by email to Nitish
Thappa at [email protected]. The proposal should be in PDF format and password
protected. Password should be shared along with the proposal.
13.8 The Financial Proposal with the mentioned 13.6 marking shall be sent by email to Puneet
Budhraja at [email protected]. The proposal should be in PDF format and password
protected. Password should NOT be shared along with the proposal – password to be
shared only when requested for.
13.9The Proposal or its modifications must be sent to the following email id: [email protected]
and received by the Client before 15th April 2020, or any extension to this deadline. Any
Proposal or its modification received by the Client after the deadline shall be declared late
and rejected, and promptly returned unopened.
14. Confidentiality
14.1. From the time the Proposals are opened to the time the Contract is awarded, the Consultant
should not contact the Client on any matter related to its Technical and/or Financial
Proposal. Information relating to the evaluation of Proposals and award recommendations
shall not be disclosed to the Consultants who submitted the Proposals or to any other party
not officially concerned with the process, until the publication of the Contract award
information.
14.2. Any attempt by shortlisted Consultants or anyone on behalf of the Consultant to influence
improperly the Client in the evaluation of the Proposals or Contract award decisions may
result in immediate rejection of its Proposal.
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15. Evaluation of Proposal
15.1. The Consultant is not permitted to alter or modify its Proposal in any way after the proposal
submission deadline. While evaluating the Proposals, the Client will conduct the evaluation
solely on the basis of the submitted Technical and Financial Proposals.
15.2. The client shall constitute a Proposal Evaluation Committee/ Research Project Board
(comprising its own officials/Industry Partners) to open and evaluate the responses of the
bidders to the RFP.
15.3. The Client may require the shortlisted consultants to make a presentation to the
Proposal Evaluation Committee (‘committee’).
15.4. Evaluation Process
The committee constituted by the client shall evaluate the responses to the RFP and all
supporting documents / documentary evidence. The decision of the committee in the
evaluation of responses to the Proposal /Expression of Interest with respect to the RFP
shall be final. No correspondence will be entertained outside the process of negotiation/
discussion with the Committee;
To assist in the examination, evaluation and comparison of Proposals, the client may
at its discretion, ask the Bidder for clarification of its Proposal;
The client will examine the Proposal to determine whether it is complete, whether any
computational errors have been made, whether the documents have been properly
signed, and whether the Proposal is generally in order;
Arithmetical errors will be rectified on the following basis: If there is a discrepancy
between the unit price and the total price that is obtained by multiplying the unit price
and quantity, the unit price shall prevail and the total price shall be corrected. If the
Bidder does not accept the correction of errors, its Proposal will be rejected;
Prior to the detailed evaluation, the client would determine the substantial
responsiveness of each Proposal to the Request for Proposals (RFP). For purposes of
this RFP, a substantially responsive Proposal is one which conforms to all the terms
and conditions of the RFP without material deviations. The client’s determination of a
Proposal’s responsiveness is based on the contents of the Proposal itself without
recourse to extrinsic evidence;
Proposal determined as not substantially responsive will be rejected by the client and
may not subsequently be made responsive by the Bidder by correction of the non-
conformity
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15.5. Bid Evaluation and Selection Process
15.5.1. Overall evaluation of the bids will be done in two stages namely Technical and
Financial evaluation based on Quality & Cost Based Selection (QCBS). Only at
the end, the short-listed bidders may be informed of the result and called for a
presentation and the subsequent final selection. The final awarding of the contract
will be done based on a QCBS procedure.
15.5.2. After the bidders submit their Technical and Commercial bids according to the
instructions provided in the sections below, the bids will be evaluated through a
two-stage process as described below:
a) Technical Evaluation (70% weightage): Phase I qualifier
b) Commercial Evaluation (30% weightage): Phase II post shortlisting in Phase I
- Calculation of Final Score (Phase I + II Score)
15.5.3. Technical Evaluation
As the first step, the Technical bid will be evaluated based on the “Technical Evaluation
Methodology” provided below. Only those Technical Proposals that qualify will be
considered. Each bidder must score at least 70 Points out of maximum 100 Points as
per table below to qualify the Technical Evaluation round.
S. No. Evaluation Criteria Definition Point Score
1.
Capability and Technical
ability
Understanding of the scope/objective and knowledge of
online skilling, and ed-tech, education market.
Understanding of IT Emerging technologies and skills in
demand
25
2. Prior Experience
Prior experience of consulting assignments in online
learning and ed-tech market
Experience of Research – both primary and secondary
Experience of developing Strategy and GTM
30
3. Methodology of
Execution
1. Research methodology
2. Partner identification & selection criteria
3. Partner Strategy framework
4. GTM proposition
5. Project management methodology
25
4. Timelines for Execution
Capacity to achieve milestones and complete the project
timelines as defined in the RFP / TOR ( 8 weeks)
10
5.
Profile of the Team
Leader/ Senior people
managing the project
The relevant experience and profile of the Team as detailed
out in the Terms of Reference 10
12
Profile of the team member who will assigned as a dedicated
resource for this project
TOTAL POINTS 100
15.5.4. Financial Evaluation
Financial Proposals, only for shortlisted bidders whose Technical Proposals qualify
will be considered. Financial Proposals of the bidders whose proposals were not
shortlisted will be returned.
Of the Commercial proposals opened, the lowest “Project-Cost” will be designated as
“L1” and awarded a score of 100. For the other qualifying bidders, their Commercial-
Score will be calculated according to the formula: Commercial-Score = (Project-Cost
of “L1”) / (Project-Cost of Bidder) *100
15.5.5. Calculation of Final Score
The “Final-Score” of each qualifying bidder will be calculated as indicated below.
Final-Score = 0.7*(Technical-Score) + 0.3*(Commercial-Score)
The consultant with the highest score would be awarded the contract. In case of a tie,
the consultant with a higher technical score would be shortlisted.
15.5.6. Proposed Timelines for selection process
Bidders may be invited for presentations and/or team interviews as part of the
evaluation process. Details will be provided at a later date. Following are the proposed
timelines for the entire process of selection:
Event Target Date
RFP issued / published on the website 02rd April 2020
Last date of submission of proposal with solicited documents 15th April 2020
Shortlist bidders basis their ‘Technical’ evaluation 17th April 2020
Technical presentation round for shortlisted bidders 22th - 24st April
Selection of the finalist basis their ‘Technical’ and
‘Financial’ evaluation 28th April 2020
Announcement of selected bidder by SSC NASSCOM 30th April 2020
Commencement of implementation of project post of the
‘Agreement’
Within a week after
award of contract
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16. Award of Contract
16.1. Criteria for award of contract
The client reserves the right to accept or reject any Proposal and to annul the solicitation
process and reject all Proposals at any time prior to award of contract, without thereby
incurring any liability to the affected consultant or any obligation to inform the affected
consultant(s) of the grounds for the client’s action prior to expiration of the period of
proposal validity. The client would award the contract to the qualified consultant whose
Proposal after being evaluated is considered to be the most responsive to the needs of the
organization and activity concerned.
16.2. Client’s right to vary requirements at time of award
The client reserves the right at the time of award of contract to vary the quantity of services
and goods specified in the RFP without any change in price or other terms and conditions
on grounds of mutual consensus.
16.3. Signing of the contract
Within 2 days of receipt of the contract the successful Bidder shall sign and date the
contract and return it to the Client.
The selected Bidder/ Proposer/ Consultant will be notified in writing by the client. As noted
earlier in this document, this date is subject to change at the sole discretion of the client.
The signing of a Contract/Agreement between the client and the
Bidder/Proposer/Consultant is subject to the approval of the client’s Funding Partner.
16.4. Contract Finalization
The Contract/Agreement to be entered into between the selected vendor and client would
be finalized with the Bidder/Proposer/Consultant by the client and will contain client
standard terms and conditions. If, in the opinion of the client, it appears that a contract will
not be finalized with the selected Bidder/Proposer/Consultant within three (3) days,
negotiations with other Bidder/Proposer/Consultant submitting responsive proposals may
be undertaken.
17. Documents
The following set of documents needs to be submitted to qualify for the evaluation process.
These documents are:
Annexure A
Form 1: Covering letter with the Proposal in response to this RFP ;
Form 2: Relevant project experience;
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Form 3: Resource profiles;
Form 4: Details of the responding organization;
Form 5: Approach, Methodology, and Work Plan;
Form 6: Commercial bid format;
The formats for each of the above documents are included below. Bidder/Proposer/Consultant
need’s to submit the all the above documents with the proposed solutions for the problem
statements and scope of work mentioned in this RFP.
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Form 1: Covering letter with the Proposal in response to RFP notice
(To be submitted on the Letterhead of the responding firm)
{Place}
{Date}
To
CEO,
SSC NASSCOM
NOIDA
Ref: RFP Notification no <xxxx> dated <dd/mm/yy>
Subject: Submission of proposal in response to the RFP for “Construct of Online Content
Partner Strategy w.r.t Technology Content Partners for the FutureSkills PRIME
Program”
Dear Sir,
1. Having examined the RFP document, we, the undersigned, herewith submit our proposal
in response to your RFP dated <dd/mm/yy> for w.r.t. the subject concerned in full
conformity with the said RFP document.
2. We attach our technical response and our commercial quotation; the technical response as
a softcopy and the commercial response in a separate sealed cover as requested, both of
which together constitutes our proposal, in full conformity with the said RFP.
3. We undertake, if our proposal is accepted, to adhere to assign a team dedicated to the
successful completion of this project.
4. We have read the provisions of RFP and confirm that these are acceptable to us. We further
declare that additional conditions, variations, deviations, if any, found in our proposal shall
not be given effect to.
5. We undertake, if our proposal is accepted, to adhere to the scope of engagement or such a
modified plan as may subsequently be mutually agreed between us and SSC NASSCOM
or its appointed representatives.
6. We agree to unconditionally accept all the terms and conditions set out in the RFP
document.
7. We affirm that the information contained in this proposal or any part thereof, including its
exhibits, schedules, and other documents and instruments delivered or to be delivered to
through this proposal is true, accurate, and complete.
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8. This proposal includes all information necessary to ensure that the statements therein do
not in whole or in part mislead the SSC NASSCOM/NASSCOM as to any material fact.
We agree that SSC NASSCOM is not bound to accept the lowest or any bid response you
may receive. We also agree that you reserve the right in absolute sense to reject all or any
of the products/ services specified in the bid response without assigning any reason
whatsoever.
It is hereby confirmed that I/We are entitled to act on behalf of our corporation/company/
firm/organization and empowered to sign this document as well as such other documents,
which may be required in this connection.
Dated this Day of 202___
(Signature) (In the capacity of)
Duly authorized to sign the Bid Response for and on behalf of:
(Name and Address of Company) Seal/Stamp of bidder
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Form 2: Relevant Project Experience
Part 1: Project Experience Summary
S No Name of the
Project/Engagement
Client name Duration(Period) Value
Part 2: Project Profile Template
For each of the projects cited above, provide a brief project profile using the format given below.
The profile for each project must be provided in less than 1 page.
SNo Item Details
1 Project title
2 Name of the Client
3 Name of the contact person from the client
organization who can act as a reference with contact
details:
Name
Designation
Address
Phone Number
Mobile Number
Email ID
4 Duration (Start Date and End Date)
5 Current Status
6 Number of personnel deployed (Peak team size)
7 Value of the engagement
8 Narrative description of project: (Highlight the
components / services involved in the project that are
of similar nature to the project for which this RFP is
floated.
9 Description of actual services provided by the
responding firm within the project and their relevance
to the envisaged components / services involved in the
project for which this RFP is floated.
10 Description of the key areas where significant
contributions are made for the success of the project.
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Form-3: Resource Profiles
Using the format provided below, please provide the summary information on the team you
propose for the project.
Resource Summary
S. No Proposed Role Number of
Resources
Area of Expertise Key
Responsibilities
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Form 4: Details of responding organization Bidder/Proposer/Consultant
S.
No.
Particulars Details to be furnished
1. Details of responding Company
Name
Address
Telephone Fax
E-mail - Website
2. Information about responding Company
Status of Company (Public Ltd. / Pvt. Ltd etc.)
Details of Registration (Ref e.g. ROC Ref #) Date
Ref #
Details of GST Registration
Date
Ref #
2.1 Number of professionals / technically
qualified personnel (on the rolls of the
Company as on March 1st, 2020)
providing technical consulting services
(excluding temporary staff)
2.2 Profit in last three(3) financial Years (FY,
17-18, FY 18-19 and FY 19-20) as
revealed by Audited Accounts/ certified
balance sheet
3. Company Profile (Operations in India)
3.1 Average turnover from Indian Operations
from consulting services in last 3 years
(Turnover in Rs
Crores)
3.2 Full-time professional staff engaged for
various projects
( Number of Staff)
3.4 Extent of operations in India (national
spread) i.e. number of offices in India
(client specific / project specific offices
should not be taken into account)
( Number of Offices
in different
cities/towns and their
address)
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Form 5: Approach, Methodology and Work Plan
1. Approach and Methodology
The Bidder/Proposer/Consultant’s firm needs to submit a step-by-step implementation
methodology and project plan, which depicts the firm’s approach to fulfill the scope of the work
envisaged in the assignment. This should, inter alia, cover the timelines for the various activities,
clarity in meeting the objectives and methodology, objectivity in plans, quality of resources
proposed to be deployed during implementation, the deliverables envisaged in various parts and
the control and evaluation mechanism suggested.
Bidder/Proposer/Consultant firm must showcase any value addition, innovation, or technology
advancement/integration that it proposes and feels will help SSC NASSCOM to have both tangible
and intangible benefits from implementing the assignment. Further, for approach and
methodology, the consultant would seek inputs from SSC NASSCOM/NASSCOM after selection
and bidder should be open to adopt and accommodate changes accordingly.
2. Work Plan
In this section the responding Company should propose the main activities of the assignment, their
content and duration, phasing and interrelations including resource planning to be deployed and
delivery dates. The proposed work plan should be consistent with the approach and methodology,
showing understanding of the scope of services, deliverables as given in scope of work and ability
to translate them into a feasible working plan. The work plan should be consistent with the Work
Schedule.
The responding form is to describe the work schedule for different tasks which the responding
Company plans to start and accomplish as part of the project.
The work schedule should reflect how and by when the responding Company/
Bidder/Proposer/Consultant is expected to complete the assignment for each of the components,
as per the major deliverable in the scope of work of the Vendor as mentioned in the RFP subject
to revision for a joint work plan after selection of consultant.
Timeline for completion of the assignment shall be done with the selected vendor post awarding
of the contract but before finalizing of the contract. Expected timeline for completion of this
assignment will be 8-10 weeks post the signing of the contract.
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Form 6: Financial Bid format
(To be submitted by the bidder as per the format given below in a separate sealed cover)
S No Value in Rupees Taxes and
other
charges
Total value in Rupees
Total amount (in words):
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Annexure B – Terms of Reference for Development of Go To Market Strategy for
Online content Partners for NASSCOM FutureSkills PRIME
1. Background
Digital disruption is a global phenomenon impacting nations and businesses thereof. There is a
need for a re-skilled/ up-skilled talent pool for the current and future requirements. Skill
competence of India’s IT workforce significantly impacts its development goals. The IT industry
in India continues to be a net hirer with talent acquisition across sectors. Technology is no longer
an issue relevant only to companies in certain industries. With each passing year, technology has
become a crucial driver behind the dominant forces that are shaping the domestic and global
economy, and it has become more and more embedded into the fabric of business in every sector.
Driven by the adoption of digital technology, the total addressable market for technology would
continue to rise exponentially.
Digitization presents India with a rare opportunity to make swift and substantial economic progress
across all regions of the country, and the government has made significant progress in seizing this
opportunity under the Digital India initiative that it launched in July 2015. While the economies
of many countries are saddled with an aging population and declining markets, in India, a need is
felt to tap the full potential of the demographic advantage comprising of young enthusiastic
workforce supported by a thriving entrepreneurial culture, strong investor confidence, a vibrant
diaspora and growing institutional engagements.
The focus of IT companies in India is increasingly shifting towards skill and proficiency levels
(rather than scale). Thus, it is imperative for employees to re-skill/ up-skill themselves in domain
specific requirements and accordingly a need is also felt to enhance the skill ecosystem with job
specific curriculum, which is technology enabled.
India has performed well over the last few years on multiple aspects of digitalization, thanks to a
combination of government action and business innovation and investment. India, when compared
to other countries, emerges as a leader in some foundation elements, but has scope to grow on
many aspects of reach and value.
India will have the largest young workforce by 2020, as we are one of the youngest countries in
the world with 65 percent of the population under the age of 35. Thus, as against the ageing
workforce of the developed economies, India needs to reap the benefits of demographic dividend
through its young and dynamic workforce, especially in the IT sector.
2. Impact of new and emerging technologies - Jobless Future is a myth, but re-skilling/ up-
skilling is the need of the hour
The emergence of technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotic Process Automation
(RPA), Natural Language Processing (NLP), Machine Learning (ML), etc., are advancing
businesses and lifestyle at a rapid pace. At the same time, these technologies have created a
perception that machines would take over a large number of jobs from humans in the near future.
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Concern about the effect of machines on work and on people has been around ever since machines
were first invented.
Having said that, disruption is being caused by emergence of new technologies, however, history
has witnessed that technology creates more jobs than it eliminates. There is also the promise of a
bright future with technology led jobs making productivity higher and lives easier. Rather than
destroying jobs, automation redefines them in ways that it reduces costs and boosts demands.
At present, the job scenario in Indian IT Industry is undergoing a transformation due to adoption
of automation and emergence of newer technologies (including disruptive technologies). Due to
this, new job roles requiring different skill-sets are appearing and earlier jobs, based on older skill-
sets are losing their relevance.
The total employee base of the IT-BPM Industry in India (as on FY 2016-2017) is around 3.9
million1. However, due to growing automation, emergence of disruptive as well as new
technologies, etc, about 30% of the existing workforce would require re-skilling/ up-skilling to
stay relevant and about 50-60% of the workforce would require re-skilling/ up-skilling on
continual basis. Hence, the Government, IT Industry and the Academia needs to join hands
together to create an eco-system for re-skilling/ up-skilling of the employees of IT Industry so as
to retain the edge that India has in the IT sector through its young & dynamic workforce.
3. FutureSkills: Aggregator of Aggregators Framework
It will be challenging to create/maintain physical training infrastructure to match the emerging
technical requirements due to the high rate of technological obsolescence coupled with faster
peaking of newer technologies appearing on the horizon, practically within about 6-12 months’
time. Also keeping in view that the working professionals may have difficulty to attend regular
class-room based training programmes, hence, offering them with an additional choice of on-line
platforms for learning with multiple skilling options would be a better choice to encourage any-
time, any-where, self-paced learning for acquiring newer and industry relevant skill-sets.
In such a scenario, an aggregator streamlines the processes, making it easier for consumers to save
on search time and overall efforts. Aggregators also have the benefit of expanded catalogues,
resulting in diversification and enabling a wider reach. They have the advantage of simplicity and
breadth to attract more users and potentially pull traffic from the individual sources themselves,
also resulting in decreased costs and reduced mobilization risks.
Taking a cue from the benefits that an aggregator model brings with it, a framework for re-skilling/
up-skilling IT professionals was perceived as a first-of-its-kind proposition that takes into account
synergy and collaborations between industry, academia and the government in the true spirit of a
‘Team India’ model, with the government acting as a facilitator/ enabler. The programme aims “to
create a re-skilling/ up-skilling ecosystem in emerging and futuristic technologies to facilitate
continuous skill as well as knowledge enhancement of the IT professionals in line with their
aspirations and aptitude in a self-paced digital skill environment."
1 Nasscom-Mckinsey perspective 2025
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With increasing inclusivity/pervasiveness of IT & Electronics across all sectors, separate entities
are converging and newer job-roles are emerging. Thus, on-boarding specific skill-sets/ job roles
from other verticals, such as Fintech, healthcare etc., requires cross pollination with IT. The
programme, by way of its unique offerings, would cater to this new breed of hybrid professionals
who are specialists in their domain and also particular technologies.
The aggregator model would seek to address the ‘re-skill/ up-skill or perish’ mantra for both
companies and individuals as change is happening at an unprecedented scale and the life cycle of
skills is shorter than ever. It is rightly said, that “If you have the right skills, you will not be looking
for a job, the job will be looking for you.” Combining best practices from across the Globe and the
Indian systems, the aggregator framework for re-skilling/ up-skilling of IT employees is aimed
towards encouraging self- learning within an online continuous skilling paradigm.
4. What FutureSkills aims to achieve?
NASSCOM has launched an online FutureSkills platform for B-2-B/B-2-A skilling. The B-2-C
platform is being seen as an extension of the same. This is perceived as a first of its kind initiative
in the field of skills training which would essentially follow an ‘aggregator of aggregators’
approach with the entire platform being hosted online. The platform would provide interested
candidates with multiple options for their skilling needs.
The instant framework is focussed on creating a new skilling paradigm that takes into account
multiple entry and exit points so as to facilitate and create value for all aspirants who would want
to re-skill/ up-skill themselves in emerging technologies. The process flow has been carefully
conceived to take into account that aspirants are also provided with free curated content so as to
motivate them to acquire newer skills through deep skilling programs. In addition, the framework
also seeks to motivate and create value at every step through innovative mechanisms such as
quizzes that would lead to a badge which is essentially a recognition of the aspirant’s effort
showing keen interest to get re-skilled/ up-skilled.
A concept of ‘skills passport’ and ‘skills wallet’ that are rather unique would also be introduced
so that any learning that an aspirant acquires during his re-skilling/ up-skilling journey can be
recorded and suitably recognised.
Inter-alia, the objectives of the framework are being designed to re-skill/ up-skill working or
unemployed IT professionals, thereby reducing the risk of redundancy emanating from
increasingly sophisticated technological changes; to encourage any-time, any-where, continuous
self-paced learning for acquiring newer and industry relevant skill-sets by creating a novel
framework which brings out a paradigm shift by empowering all stakeholders in the re-skilling/
up-skilling value chain.
The ecosystem of new and emerging technologies would be supported by ensuring adequacy of
skilled human resources, thereby making talent available for India and the Indian industry to
embrace opportunities from new and emerging technologies. The framework would offer content
curated and mapped with job roles after taking into account the aspirations, aptitude and existing
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skill sets of the employees and also provide due emphasis on entrepreneurship development, which
could be included as a part of NOS/ Job Role.
5. The B-2-C Framework
The framework seeks to maximize participation and aspires to be a one stop solution to understand
the impact of exciting opportunities that new and emerging technologies brings to the table. The
programme would draw upon from the best practices of a skilling framework available globally
and combine the features that are most critical to its success given the Indian scenario. The
programme seeks to create curation capabilities where high quality content is created, thereby
leading to a competitive marketplace for content providers, aggregators, both at domestic and
international levels.
The process flow of the framework takes into account many innovative components that are
designed to maximize reach as well as provide a flexible environment for aspirants to get re-
skilled/ up-skilled.
Some of the components of the B-2-C framework would include the following:
(i) Discovery - the candidate signs up to learn what the new and emerging technologies are, what
job roles and skills are needed, what learning choices are available, etc.
(ii) Samplers - the candidate will be able to gain access to some of the best content from across
the world, inter-alia including some of the current industry offerings, videos, blogs, articles, etc.,
on new and emerging technologies which would be instrumental in guiding him towards the areas
where he wishes to skill himself. The idea here is to get maximum people enrolled onto the
platform so that the best use can be made of the content available therein.
(iii) Registration and Diagnostic – to access deep skilling and blended learning programmes, the
candidate registers to undergo continuous informal learning and is provided with a free diagnostic
that would attempt an analysis of their aptitude and capabilities so that they can be guided on their
way forward within the platform and also in the outer world. Additional diagnostics throughout
the learning journey would be made available for candidates.
(iv) Counselling of Candidates – The portal would also take into account a counselling structure,
at three layers: the first layer would include an automated FAQ driven ‘chat-bot’ to guide aspirants;
the second layer would take into account support functionalities through email/ toll free numbers
etc. The framework would also have a provision for a third layer of counselling, through
institutionalized mechanisms making use of external agencies.
(v) Blended Learning – to leverage Pan-India presence & skilling capabilities of training
providers, which would offer bridge and foundation courses so as to equip candidates for meeting
the re-skilling/ up-skilling pre-requisites.
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(vi) Deep Skilling - the online framework of deep skilling takes into account free as well as
subscription based technical National Occupational Standards (NOS) linked content and would
pedagogically support 3 moments of human learning. i.e., Moment 1: Learner is acquiring the
concepts for the first time; Moment 2: Learning more: Learner expanding on the knowledge
acquired; Moment 3: Knowledge Application: Learner applying the knowledge in a simulated/ test
environment.
(vii) Skills badge to motivate aspirants – the framework also seeks to motivate and recognise
the efforts of aspirants at every step through innovative mechanisms such as quizzes that would
lead to a badge which is essentially a recognition of the aspirant’s effort showing keen interest to
get re-skilled/ up-skilled.
(viii) Assessments/ Certifications – Assessment and certification would be a significant
component of the programme framework which would ensure that the competencies gained by the
aspirant are tested and recognised both nationally and internationally. Foundation Courses, Deep
Skilling, Knowledge component etc., would be subject to a holistic assessment process of SSC
NASSCOM followed by a joint certification provided by Govt., Industry and Academia. The
assessment framework would seek to combine certifications/ assessments by content providers
along with assessments by SSC NASSCOM, which provides the drive for future growth of the
industry by testing the ‘job ready’ skills of the candidates that are NSQF aligned. The consultant
would develop a framework for assessments that is mapped at National Occupational Standard
levels (NOS(s)).
(ix) Incentives - the framework may take into account incentivization (in the form of subsidy on
successful completion of courses and passing of SSC NASSCOM assessment) of candidates which
is aimed towards successful transition from traditional to an online continuous skilling paradigm
covering key milestones. Incentivization would also motivate candidates to successfully complete
the online programme.
(x) Free academic content – the candidates would also be offered the choice of gaining
knowledge through the technical courses offered on various other portals. Retrofitting free
academic content with industry competencies would also help the aspirant to equip himself in a
more holistic manner. This would also result in enhanced learning of various categories of
professionals which would also include non-IT professionals working/ employed with the IT
industry.
6. Conclusion
The programme targets to re-skill/ up-skill aspirants, so that they stay relevant in the present job
with improved prospects, besides finding new avenues in future job roles, especially for those
whose jobs/ skills may no longer may be relevant as a result of disruptive and emerging
technologies.
The programme envisages to maximize reach and participation of the aspirants irrespective of their
present profile/ skill. It seeks to create value through a repository of free and curated content/
pathways on new and emerging technologies. The programme aspires to be the key tool used by
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Indians across the board to understand and make use of the vast potential that emerging
technologies bring with them.
The programme is not only limited to the objective of achieving a target of re-skilling/ up-skilling
aspirants over a period of 3 years under the B-2-C model alone, it also encompasses the creation
of a self-sustainable mechanism that would continue to drive this programme beyond the initial
time period of 3 years. The programme would endeavor to create an online continuous learning
paradigm that takes into account re-skilling/ up-skilling in new and emerging technologies,
effectively creating an ecosystem where re-skilling/ up-skilling in futuristic technologies is easily
on -boarded, substantially reducing the lead time.
7. Detailed Scope of Work
It would be the responsibility of the consultant to undertake the detail strategy design of the Go To
Market strategy for Best in Class Online (self-paced, V-ILT, Blended) technology content partners
for the FutureSkills PRIME and suggest phase wise implementation and operationalization
roadmap.
Technology in Scope: AI, BDA, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, IoT, Web & Mobile, RPA,
Block chain, VR, 3 D Printing and Digital Marketing
The consultant would be required to perform the following:
1. Research - Online learning Market landscape
India Market potential for next 3-5 years
Growth – CAGR
Evolving trends
Audience – segmentation doing online courses - %
Types of Providers in the space
Different business models existing in market
2. Identification & Selection of Online Content Providers (Self-paced, V-ILT,
Blended) for FS PRIME
Identification of Online Partners aligned to FS 10 technologies basis (indicative list):
Top online tech content providers – aggregator and content owners – who are
selling the best/numbers
Online courses in the market break-up % by a) Self-paced b) V-ILT, c) Blended
Demand in market – popular job roles & skills across technology
Tech courses (aligned to FutureSkills technologies) offered by online providers
and popular ones in terms of usage
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Adoption of these courses i.e. enrolments and most important completions –
numbers
Avg. duration and cost of the courses – hours and cost
Business models for re-skilling upskilling and driving placements using online
courses
Target segment – i.e. if are into B2A, B2C, B2B or both - % of business split
Demographic / learner profile – more students (University or higher education),
working professionals etc - percentage
Selection of Online Content providers ( min of 5 per technology) for the purpose of
onboarding to FS PRIME program –
Score / rank content partners based on identified parameters and ability to
map/customize the content to the job standards ( NOS) and Foundation
curriculum developed by NASSCOM in consultation with Industry
Propose Online Partner strategy for FutureSkills PRIME
Connect FutureSkills with the selected content partners, where possible
3. Framework for Partners Go-To-Market
Value Proposition for Partners
Propose GTM strategy for Online Partners
*End of Document*