1. BACKGROUND

The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) established the MUUNI Fund under Section 6(2) g of the Communications Act, to provide funding for research and innovation initiatives to provide local solutions and incubation of innovations in various sectors of the economy using ICTS.

MACRA has plans to develop an automated quality monitoring system for courier service operators in Malawi in the 2023/2024 financial year. In Malawi, just as in many countries in the world, courier services are an individualized and time-sensitive service for the collection, acceptance, conveyance, and delivery of postal articles on a door-to-door basis. Currently, MACRA monitors the quality of service (QoS) for courier operators through analysis of waybills submitted by the operators. The current manual system of analyzing QoS reports show that all courier operators are performing above the accepted targets while the Authority continues to receive complaints from consumers.

Since the Authority is particularly interested in the total transmission time (period taken from the time of acceptance of the postal item to the time of delivery), the events being targeted in the operators' system are the acceptance of the item at the office of origin, dispatch of the item from the office of origin, receipt of the item at the office of destination and delivery of the item to the addressee processes in their track and trace systems.

It is against this background that the Authority intends to develop an automated system to accurately capture specific events in the operators' tracking system. In addition to the development of an automated Quality Control System for Courier Operators, the consultancy will be expected to provide an integrated platform for monitoring QoS performance of all courier operators in Malawi. The consultancy also covers design, hosting. maintenance and capacity building.

2. OBJECTIVE:

The purpose of developing an automated Quality Control System for Courier Operators is to provide the regulator with accurate high high-quality operational results of service data that can contribute to informed decisions on operational and quality improvement.

3. SCOPE OF SERVICES

Under the overall supervision of the Director of Postal, the consultant will work closely with the Postal and IT departments to interface with courier operators specifically on the integration of their track and trace systems to the desired automated Quality Control System. Specifically, the consultant shall be expected to;

a) Design, develop, and implement a Quality Control System for courier Operators

b) Conduct system integration with other relevant systems

c) Conduct user and support training to build capacity of MACRA Staff

d) Provide technical support for the system for an agreed period

4. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The successful consultant should have the following qualifications and experience:

i. At least 5 years of experience in system designing and programming

ii. At least 5 years of experience in database design and development

iii. Proven experience in information management

iv. University Degree: BSc-Computer Science or related educational background, with an MSc in Computer Science considered an advantage

v. Knowledge of Database Design and Development using either: Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, MariaDB, Sequential Query Language, or any similar tool.

vi. Knowledge of scripting languages: JavaScript, VBScript, HTML, PHP

vii. Knowledge of Web Design Editors: Dreamweaver MX, Delphi for PHP, FrontPage, and other related editors,

viii. Training experience

ix. Language skills: Fluency in English and Chichewa, particularly with regard to the website terminology is highly desirable

x. Demonstrated ability to work in a regulatory environment.

5. SELECTION METHOD

The consultant shall be selected in accordance with the Quality Based Selection (QBS) procedures as set out in the Public Procurement Guidelines. Consultants are therefore instructed to submit their proposals in two separate labeled envelopes, one for the Technical Proposal and another one for the Financial Proposal.

5.1 Financial Proposal

The financial proposal shall indicate separately, professional fees and all relevant reimbursables.

5.2 Evaluation

The evaluation shall be carried out in two stages: Technical and Financial Proposal 

5.2.1 Technical Proposal

This shall be an evaluation of how the technical details provided by the bidder match the technical specifications laid down in the RFP document and these TORS. The following areas shall therefore be considered.

SCORING CRITERIA

Please note that the overall score shall be a combination of technical and financial aspects. The weighting will be 70% for the technical aspect and 30% for the financial aspect.

5.2.2 Financial Aspect.

The financial aspect shall take into consideration professional fees and any other re-disbursal and shall constitute 30% of the total score.

5. LENGTH OF ASSIGNMENT

It is estimated that the assignment will last approximately 120 days. It is acknowledged that the period of assignment might be adjusted depending on progress made and other factors beyond the control of the parties.

6. OBLIGATION OF CONSULTANTS

The successful Consultants are expected to discharge their responsibilities to the expected professional standards and integrity.

7. CLIENT CONTRIBUTION AND CONTACT PERSON

MACRA shall provide the successful Consultants with all relevant information pertaining to the assignment as well as provide support through a network of key stakeholders for the project. The contact person during the consultancy shall be the Director of Postal Services (DOP) for MACRA.

8. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Completed copies of proposals in sealed envelopes clearly marked "Provision of Consultancy Services for the Development Of Quality Control System for Courrier Operators in Malawi" should be submitted in two separate envelopes one marked "TECHNICAL PROPOSAL" and the other one marked "FINANCIAL PROPOSAL" and must be delivered to the following address:

THE CHAIRPERSON
Internal Procurement and Disposal Committee (IPDC),
Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA)
1st Floor, Green Heritage House, 2 Khonje Close, City Centre
P.O. Box 30214, LILONGWE 3
207213

E-mail: procurement@macra.mw

9. PROPOSAL OPENING

Opening of proposals shall take place in the Boardroom at MACRA Offices, in Area 3, Green Heritage House, P.O. Box 30214, Capital City Lilongwe 3 on 6th December 2023 at 10:00 hours and bidder's representatives and the general public who wish to attend the ceremony are most welcome. MACRA is, however, not bound to accept the lowest or any proposal but reserves the right to exercise the choice of the lowest evaluated, substantially responsive proposal and can cancel the procurement proceedings at any stage.