INTRODUCTION
The Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) is seeking grant management software providers to supply, install and provide ongoing technical support for a grants management system platform.
AREF is a charity registered in England and Wales (Reg. Charity No. 1193865) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (Company No. 13219209) whose registered office is at 99 Charterhouse Street, London, EC1M 6HR. It receives funds from donors, partners, and the giving public to support the career and leadership development of biomedical and health researchers in Africa through grants and access to professional skill development programmes.
Since its establishment in 2015, AREF has led transformational researcher development projects to increase the capacity of African health researchers through its mentorship, leadership and training programmes. AREF has worked up to build an alumni community of researchers and a large pool of institutional donors and individual givers. Over the years, AREF has disbursed funds to researchers and organisations through its non-profit grant making activities.
AREF is seeking to acquire a software to automate key processes, facilitate efficient correspondence and engagement with fellows and stakeholders, ensuring effective grant lifecycle management, and streamlining internal operations in line with best practices in the charity and research funding sectors. AREF is seeking to contract a vendor to provide and support the implementation of an off-the-shelf solution Grants Management System (GMS), that can be easily customised to suit the business requirements of the organisation.
GENERAL
AREF reserves the right to amend, add to or withdraw all or any part of this tender at any time during this procurement exercise. This call is open globally and tenderers should be able to perform this work at their own cost anywhere they are based.
BACKGROUND
As part of its efforts to improve its operational systems and processes to aid efficiency and effectiveness, AREF would like to acquire a software that will help manage its correspondence with applicants, external reviewers, panels of experts, awarded fellows/course attendees and institutions relating to the award and management of its grants.
AREF’s Award programme launches several funding calls annually such as the Research Development Fellowships (RDF), the Tumani Corrah Prize (TCP), and the Seed Funds (SF) Awards. On average, we receive 500 plus applications for RDFs, about 30 applications for TCP and 20 applications for SF. In addition to its annual Publication and Mentorship programme calls, AREF’s Academy programme launches 4 to 5 Grant Writing Programme (GWP) calls and a Towards Leadership (TL) call annually. On average we receive about 400 applications for the GWP calls and 200 applications for TL calls.
This software will assist AREF to manage its fellowships, grants and course participation and other grant-making processes through the entire grant’s lifecycle (pre- and post-award). This will include online application functionality in the system for applicants; the functionality to distribute application information to internal and external peer reviewers and meeting panel members to facilitate applicants’ selection; application tracking functionality for both internal and external users as well as allow internal review, approval, and rejection of grant applications at different application stages of AREF. It will also allow AREF to manage the grant payment process by recording and enabling the approval of awards, invoices and payments.
REQUIREMENTS OF THE WORK/MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
AREF is seeking a vendor with demonstrable experience in and the ability to implement an off-the-self GMS system. Proposals will be selected for evaluation only from vendors that demonstrate they have the resources and capability to provide the system and services as described in this tender. All vendors must submit the documentation indicated in PROPOSAL SUBMISSION FORMAT as highlighted in the section below with their proposal. Failure to provide any of the required documentation may cause proposals to be considered non-responsive and rejected.
Vendors must demonstrate they have been in business providing the type of services AREF is seeking for at least the last five (5) years. They must demonstrate experience in providing the GMS System and services to a minimum of five (5) grant-giving organisations.
Vendors must include with their proposal a list of organisations currently running production versions of the GMS System, specifying which ones are self-hosted and vendor hosted solutions. They must also include a list of all comparable contracts, including software elements in use and number of years in use. The list shall include company/organisation name, and name and telephone number of person to contact.
SCOPE OF WORK
The intent of this tender is for AREF to obtain fixed price proposals from vendors specialising in providing web-based and cloud-based GM System for its programmes. The System will be a fully operational turnkey Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) system that provides secure access from remote locations. The System must have an extensive security model which allows access to be controlled and including functional level access. The System must provide fully configurable workflows for different funding schemes which allows different workflows for different schemes to be configured.
The System will support the following general activities:
- Programme Management and Planning. The System will feature centralised programme management and planning capability including:
- Creation of grant making and training programmes;
- Maintenance of embedded workflows and online applications;
- Creation and maintenance of various data-input forms pertinent to the grant making process.
- Grant Making. The System will support the full grant making lifecycle, including:
- A secure Grant application Portal;
- Accepting applications from external entities;
- Internal eligibility checks
- Internal and external review and scoring of applications;
- Panel review, scoring and shortlisting
- Management and notification of awards:
- Creation of award Letters including budget
- Changes to award details (including start dates, and values)
- Performance and progress reporting and evaluation;
- Submission of invoices and approval of payments.
- Reporting. The System will enable progress reports to be submitted by grantee users to AREF and support the creation of financial reports.
- System Integration. The vendor will provide installation, training, customisation, data migration and user documentation
- Data Migration. The system should be able to migrate data from a previous system provided it is compatibly configured and importable from an Excel or CVS (or other) file into the system.
- GM Operational Manual. The vendor will provide a GM operational manual that will include all useful information for the operation of the GM systems by current and future AREF staff during and following the firm’s contract. This will include:
- A description of the various procedures involved in using, maintaining and updating the GM.
- A detailed set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that would synthesise the processesdescribed above into summarised and easy to follow procedural flows.
The GMS must include a comprehensive query tool. The GMS must provide template-based emails for corresponding with applicants and other parties and which link to the application case file providing a full history of email correspondence and are modifiable. There must be no limit to the templates that can be configured, and templates must be capable of merging data from the online application form and other relevant grant data (e.g., project dates, grant value sought, scoring information etc.). Templates must be fully branded. The system should have tools to support productivity, including but not limited to bulk email, bulk assigning of reviewers, bulk generation of application forms or meeting papers.
The GM system we procure must be compliant with UK data protection legislation including without limitation the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (and regulations made thereunder).
DELIVERABLES AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES
Key deliverables include:
- System demonstrations
- Installation of the GMS
- Training of AREF staff
- Data transfer of current grant information and documents
- Set up of the first funding call
The vendor will provide a detailed project work plan and identify preliminary schedule of activities with criticalmilestones. The vendor will submit the following reports to AREF for review and approval.
- Inception Report: This report should include at a minimum:
- An executive summary.
- List and brief synopsis of the preliminary data collected.
- Detailed project work plan, preliminary schedule of activities with critical milestones identified.
- Approach and methodology for executing the assignment.
- Results from the Kick-off meeting.
- Periodic Progress Reports and Meetings
- Weekly meetings in the first two months of the contract and bi-weekly meetings subsequently to be conducted where the vendor will provide project implementation status update to the Operations and Governance Manager who would feedback AREF Project Board.
- Prepare periodic progress reports (to be agreed at the contracting stage) to be submitted to AREF. In general, the report will cover the status to date of the work. At a minimum, it will include the following elements:
- Executive Summary.
- A narrative description of activities completed during the preceding month.
- A forecast of major activities to be undertaken in the coming month.
- Final Report
- The Vendor will prepare a comprehensive final report describing all activities undertaken during the GM Project implementation, including a description of methodology and performance indicators.
- Performance Measures
- Performance measures will be agreed and will include sufficient numbers of trained staff, user satisfaction with software, quality of data transfer, project delivered on budget and on time.
The project will commence on the acceptance of the contract.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS
The contract will be overseen by Irene Coker, AREF’s Head of Operations. Email: irene.coker@aref-africa.org.uk
AREF will provide the vendor with the relevant documents and information as well as access to key officers and partners to facilitate the performance of the assignment.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION FORMAT
Vendors are to make written proposals that present their qualifications and understanding of the work to be performed. They are requested to address each of the specific evaluation criteria listed below, failure of which may cause the proposal to be considered nonresponsive and rejected.
- A description of the proposed work including timelines.
- Company Profile
- Minimum qualifications stated in the Minimum Qualifications section.
- Description of vendor’s experience related to the implementation of a Grant Management System.
- Identification of key personnel, including the Contract Project Manager (CPM) and team members who will work on the project, resumes, including qualifications, education, and experience with emphasis on experience with the GM System and their role in the project implementation.
- A list of client references to include grant-giving organisations which must contain company name, contact person, address, telephone number and number of years the system has been in use.
- Project Schedule:
- Provide a tentative Project Schedule to include the kick-off through Go-Live.
- Define understanding of project approach.
- An outline of available training options. The training plans should also include related costs and materials, i.e., Reference Guides, User Guides and Online Tutorials, etc.
- Vendor’s System’s License and Maintenance Agreement(s).
- Full itemised pricing information, for vendor-hosted System solution, including the cost of software modules, five (5) years of software maintenance, (vendors must also state how maintenance for year six (6) and thereafter will be determined), customisation, implementation, data conversion, training, and any other one-time or recurring fees resulting from the system requirements.
- Description of system maintenance plans.
- Total costs and a breakdown of costs, including a statement on VAT.
- Payment schedule, based on actual deliverables and/or tasks performed.
- A list of third-party products which integrate with the GM System.
- A copy of the company’s Product Roadmap, i.e., the company’s plan for short-term and long-term goals associated with this specific technology.
SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL
The deadline for receipt of submission is 12:00 GMT, on 31st July 2025. Electronic submissions only to aref@aref-africa.org.uk.
Vendors must obtain for themselves at their own responsibility and expense all information necessary for the preparation of tenders. AREF is not liable for any costs incurred by the tenderer as a result of the tendering process. Any work undertaken by the tenderer prior to the award of contract is a matter solely for the tenderer’s own commercial judgement. It is the vendor’s responsibility to ensure that the tender arrives no later than the time and date stated above (unless the time and/or date are subsequently amended in writing by AREF). Late tenders may be rejected.
The tender must be based upon the conditions and specification(s) set out in this document and must contain all the information requested otherwise it may be rejected on the basis of being unsuitable and non-compliant. It is intended that the contract will be awarded no later than the date set out in the table below. By submitting a tender, the vendor agrees that the tender remains valid for acceptance for a period of 90 days from the tender closing date.
EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS: SELECTION FACTORS
The below set of criteria will be used in the receipt of proposals and selection of the successful vendor. AREF will setup a Tender Evaluation Panel (TEP) that will review and evaluate each proposal and selection will be made based on the listed criteria. TEP will select top vendors and invite them for an interview and presentation as part of the evaluation process.
Evaluation Criteria | ||
No | Criteria | Scoring |
i | Ability to meet or exceed GMS System requirements of AREF. Any deviation in the requirements must be clearly defined. | 30 pts |
ii | Experience and qualifications of the vendor and key personnel. | 15 pts |
iii | Demonstrated understanding and defined project approach. | 10 pts |
iv | Cost of services. | 20 pts |
v | Vendor’s reputation and financial solvency. | 10 pts |
vi | System demonstrations – shortlisted vendors only. | 15 pts |
Shortlisted vendors will be invited for system demonstrations and further discussions. Once a preferred vendor is selected, negotiations will be conducted with vendor so selected. The Panel reserves the right to conduct post-tender negotiation with any or all the tenderers. The Panel may request a Best and Final Offer(s) (BAFO) and/or make a recommendation for the Contract award.
TIMETABLE
The following is the proposed procurement timetable:
DATE | ACTION |
1th July 2025 | Invitation to tender |
18th July 2025 | Deadline for receipt of questions |
31st July 2025 | Deadline for submission of tender |
August 2025 | Date of interviews |
27th September 2025 | Date by which AREF intends to award a contract |
ACCEPTANCE OF TENDER AND NOTIFICATION OF AWARD
AREF reserves the right to amend, add to or withdraw all or any part of this Invitation to Tender at any time during the procurement. AREF shall not be under any obligation to accept the lowest price tender or any tender and reserves the right to accept such portion or portions as it may decide (unless the tenderer includes a formal statement to the contrary in the tender). AREF also reserves the right to award more than one contract to fulfil the requirement.
The tenderer will be notified of the outcome of the tender submission at the earliest possible time. Nothing in the documentation provided by AREF to the tenderer during this procurement or any communication between the tenderer and AREF or the AREF representatives, employees, agents or advisors shall be taken as constituting an offer to contract or a contract. No tender will be deemed to have been formally accepted until the successful tenderer has received a formal written contract from AREF.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Please apply by sending your complete proposal to aref@aref-africa.org.uk. Any queries regarding this tender should be sent by email to Head of Operations irene.coker@aref-africa.org.uk
You may access the Terms of Reference here