CBS RFP.pdf

RFP

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BIDDING DOCUMENTS (SHARTNAMA)

ISSUED ON: 24-SEP- 2012

FOR THE

Procurement of

Convergent Billing System

(CBS)

Purchaser: Afghan Telecom Corporation

RFP

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Table of Contents

ITB .................................................................................................... 3

Conditions of Contract ..................................................................... 19

Number of License Required ......................................................... 111

Technical Requirements ................................................................ 112

List Of Acronyms ........................................................................... 226

Bidding Forms ............................................................................... 228

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Table of Contents

SCOPE & DEFINITION OF PROJECT ................................................................................................................................................................. 4

GENERAL PROCUREMENT INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................................................... 4

CLARIFICATION OF TERMS ............................................................................................................................................................................ 5

CORRUPT OF FRAUDULENT PRACTICES ......................................................................................................................................................... 5

CONFIDENTIALITY ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Qualification OF BIDDERS ............................................................................................................................................................................. 7

SUBCONTRACTORS ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

BIDDER’S CONSORTIUMS AND JOINT VENTURES ........................................................................................................................................... 8

COST OF BIDDING ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

BIDDING DOCUMENTS ................................................................................................................................................................................. 9

CLARIFICATION OF BIDDING DOCUMENTS .................................................................................................................................................... 9

AMENDMENT OF BIDDING DOCUMENTS..................................................................................................................................................... 10

COMPOSITION OF BID ................................................................................................................................................................................ 10

STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE TO TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS .................................................................................................................... 11

BID PRICE AND BID CURRENCY .................................................................................................................................................................... 11

BID SECURITY ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 12

SUBMISSION OF BIDDS ............................................................................................................................................................................... 13

BID OPENING .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 13

MODIFICATION, SUBSTITUTION, AND WITHDRAWAL OF BID ....................................................................................................................... 13

AUTOMATIC BID REJECTION ....................................................................................................................................................................... 14

BID EVALUATION AND AWARD CRETERIA ................................................................................................................................................... 15

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15

DETAILED TECHNICAL EVALUATION ............................................................................................................................................................ 16

DETAILED FINANCIAL EVALUATION ............................................................................................................................................................. 16

CLARIFICATION OF BIDS .............................................................................................................................................................................. 17

AFGHAN TELECOM ‘S RIGHT TO ACCEPT OR REJECT ANY ALL BIDS ............................................................................................................... 17

AFGHANTELECOM’S RIGHT TO VARY QUANTITIES ....................................................................................................................................... 17

SIGNING OF CONTRACT .............................................................................................................................................................................. 17

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS ......................................................................................................................................................................... 18

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General

1. Scope and Definition of Project

1.1. Afghan Telecom Corporation (AFTEL) is a state-owned international telecommunications carrier

that provides fixed and wireless voice, data, and transmission services on a retail, resale, and

wholesale basis using different networks: PSTN, CDMA/PDSN, satellite, WiMAX Internet, and

broadband networks.

1.2. Currently Afghan Telecom uses various OSS/BSS systems for CDR collection, mediation,

billing/invoicing, collections and revenue sharing, and customer care. Aftel plans to replace

such systems in phases and intends to have one common globally field -proven convergent

real-time billing and charging and customer support system to serve all Aftel customers of

existing and upcoming heterogeneous networks and achieve true convergence of provisioning,

customer support, revenue collection, real time call/session/event service control, network

resource management, customer self-care, and other activities related to service delivery,

control, and management.

1.3. Afghan Telecom therefore intends to purchase a complete solution for convergent real-time

billing and charging and interconnection settlement system (CBS) of the latest technology

bundled with technical support and warranty services. In doing so, Aftel desires to obtain

services of an appropriate and reliable partner.

1.4. For this purpose, Afghan Telecom extends this RFP for interested suppliers to provide sealed

bids for Tender No. MCIT-AFTEL-CBS (the Tender) for the supply, delivery, installation,

supervision, commissioning, system integration, testing, training, technical support, and

warranty of and for all related hardware, software, databases, information systems, and

related technologies for a real-time convergent billing and charging and interconnection

settlement system (CBS).

2. General Procurement Information

2.1 Afghan Telecom Corporation has funds from its own operating budget for the cost of a

Convergent Billing, Charging & Interconnect Settlement System (CBS) and serves as the

purchasing agency and customer.

2.2 Bidding will be conducted using the International Competitive Bidding (ICB) procedures

specified in the procurement law of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and is open to all

Bidders eligible as defined in this law that meet the minimum qualification criteria as set

forth in the RFI.

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2.3 For clarification of issues over email, please keep [email protected] in cc and

[email protected], [email protected] in to fields.

2.4 Interested eligible Bidders may obtain Bidding Documents from:

Afghan Telecom Corporation,

Procurement Department,

Post Parcel Building, 4th Floor

Mohammad Jan Khan Watt

Kabul, Afghanistan

Phone Number: +93 (0) 20 210 4440

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.afghantelecom.af

2.5 Interested local Bidders should register with Afghan Telecom Corporation by submitting a

nonrefundable fee of USD $20.00 via check or wire transfer. Only registered Bidders will

receive a complete set of bidding documents in English from Afghan Telecom, will receive

answers to the submitted clarification questions on the bidding documents, and will

receive automatic notice of answers and of addenda to the bidding documents. As

an alternative, a hard copy set of the bidding documents may be purchased by

interested Bidders on submission of a written application to the address above and upon

payment of a nonrefundable fee of USD $20.00. and for those bidders which applies from

outside of Afghanistan and online will receive the RFP free of cost .

2.6 A pre-bid conference that potential Bidders may attend will be held on 7-Nov-2012.

3. Clarification of Terms

3.1 The terms “Afghan Telecom” and “Purchaser” may be used interchangeably throughout the

bidding documents.

3.2 The terms “Supplier” and “Bidder” may be used interchangeably throughout the bidding

documents.

3.3 Throughout the Bidding Documents, the term "in writing" means communicated in written

form (e.g., by mail, email, fax, or scan) with proof of receipt.

3.4 The term "days" means calendar days unless a different meaning is evident from the context.

3.5 The term “Contract,” unless otherwise defined, refers to the ultimate goal of this tender, which

is for Afghan Telecom to purchase a real-time convergent billing and charging and

interconnect settlement system (CBS) from a Bidder in a binding legal arrangement.

4. Corrupt or Fraudulent Practices

4.1 The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan requires that Afghan Telecom and all

Bidders observe the highest standard of ethics during the procurement and execution of all

Contracts.

4.2 For the purposes of this provision, the terms set forth below as follows:

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4.2.1 “Corrupt Practice” means the offering, giving, receiving or soliciting of anything of value

to influence the action of an official in the procurement process or in Contract

execution; and

4.2.2 “Fraudulent Practice” means a misrepresentation of facts in order to influence a

procurement process or the execution of a Contract to the detriment of the Afghan

Telecom, and includes collusive practice among Bidders (prior to or after Bid

submission) designed to establish Bid prices at artificial non-competitive levels and to

deprive the Borrower of the benefits of free and open competition;

4.3 Bidders, separately or as part of a Consortium or Joint Venture and to include manufacturers,

shall not be under a declaration of ineligibility for corrupt and fraudulent practices issued

by Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Any bidders who are black listed or

are under the process of being black listed shall not be eligible to participate this bidding

process. Afghan Telecom shall reject all bids offered by such Bidders, whether

independently or as part of a Consortium or Joint Venture, and they shall not be considered

for the Bid Evaluation.

4.4. Afghan Telecom will reject a proposal for award if it determines that the Bidder recommended

for award has engaged in corrupt or fraudulent practices in competing for the Contract.

5. Confidentiality

5.1. Except if otherwise specified, the "Receiving Party" (either Afghan Telecom or the

Supplier) shall keep confidential and shall not, without the written consent of the other

party (“the Disclosing Party”), divulge to any third party any documents, data, or other

information of a confidential nature (“Confidential Information”) connected with this

tender and furnished directly or indirectly by the Disclosing Party prior to, during, or

upon conclusion of this tender.

5.2. Notwithstanding Clause 5.1:

5.2.1. The Supplier may furnish to its subcontractors and support service suppliers Confidential

Information of Afghan Telecom to the extent reasonably required for them to

determine costs and work related to the bid and to furnish such costs to the Supplier.

5.2.2. In which event the Receiving Party shall ensure that the person to whom it furnishes

Confidential Information of the Disclosing Party is aware of and abides by the

Receiving Party’s obligations under this Clause 5 as if that person were party to

the Contract in place of the Receiving Party.

5.3. Afghan Telecom shall not, without the Supplier’s prior written consent, use any Confidential

Information received from the Supplier for any purpose other than evaluation of its

bid.

5.4. The Supplier shall not, without Afghan Telecom’s prior written consent, use any

Confidential Information received from Afghan Telecom for any purpose other than

those that are required to prepare and submit a bid.

5.5. The obligation of a party under this Clauses 5, however, shall not apply to that information

which:

5.5.1. Now or hereafter enters the public domain through no fault of the Receiving Party;

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5.5.2. Can be proven to have been possessed by the Receiving Party at the time of

disclosure and that was not previously obtained, directly or indirectly, from the

Disclosing Party;

5.5.3. Otherwise lawfully becomes available to the Receiving Party from a third party that has

no obligation of confidentiality.

5.6. The provisions of this Clause 5 shall survive the conclusion of the tender process for three

(3) years.

Instructions to Bidders

6. Qualifications of Bidders

6.1. By submission of documentary evidence in its bid, the Bidder must establish to Afghan

Telecom’s satisfaction:

6.1.1. That it has the financial, technical, and production capability necessary to

perform the Contract, meets the qualification criteria specified and has a successful

performance history. If a prequalification process has been undertaken for the

Contract(s) for which these Bidding Documents have been issued, the Bidder shall,

as part of its bid, update any information submitted with its application for

prequalification. (For the purposes of establishing a Bidder’s qualifications, the

experience and / or resources of any Subcontractor will not contribute to the

Bidder’s qualifications; only those of a Joint Venture partner will be considered.)

6.1.2. That, in the case of a Bidder offering to supply key goods components of the real-time

CBS that the Bidder does not itself produce, the Bidder is duly authorized by the

producer to supply those components in Afghanistan under the Contract(s) that may

result from this bidding; (This will be accomplished by including Manufacturer’s

Authorizations letter.

6.2. The Bidder shall not have ownership with competitors of Afghan Telecom in Afghanistan and

must not have a plan to have any ownership until the completion of all the obligations of

the Contract for the CBS.

6.3. Bidder must have implemented same system or major part of offered system in 5 other

companies around the Globe.

7. Subcontractors

7.1. For the purposes of these Bidding Documents, a Subcontractor is any vendor or service

provider with whom the Bidder contracts for the supply or execution of any part of

the CBS to be provided by the Bidder under the Contract (such as the supply of major

hardware, software, or other components of the required CBS specified, or the

performance of related services, e.g., software development, transportation, installation,

customization, integration, commissioning, training, technical support, maintenance,

repair, etc.).

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7.2. If a Bidder intends to subcontract major items of supply or services, it shall include in

its Bid Submission details of the name and nationality of the proposed Subcontractor(s)

for each of those items and shall be responsible for ensuring that any Subcontractor(s)

proposed complies with the requirements of this ITB, and that any goods or services

components of the CBS to be provided by the Subcontractor(s) comply with the

requirements of the ITB Clause 5

7.3. Bidders are free to list more than one Subcontractor against a good or service. Quoted rates

and prices will be deemed to apply to whichever Subcontractor(s) is appointed and no

adjustment of the rates or prices will be permitted.

7.4. Afghan Telecom reserves the right to delete any proposed Subcontractor from the Bidder’s

list. This shall be done prior to Contract signature, by deleting such unacceptable

Subcontractors from Appendix 3 to the Contract Agreement, which shall list the

approved Subcontractors for each item prior to Contract signature.

7.5. For all Subcontractors, the Bidder must establish to Afghan Telecom’s satisfaction:

7.5.1. That, if a Bidder proposes Subcontractors for key components or services, these

Subcontractors will have agreed in writing to serve for the Bidder under the

Contract(s) that may result from this bidding, which proof shall be submitted as part

of the Bid Submission; and

7.5.2.That, in the case of a Bidder not doing business within Afghanistan, the Bidder is or will be

(if awarded the Contract) represented by an Afghan Agent in that country who is

equipped and able to carry out the Bidder’s maintenance, technical support,

training, and repair obligations prescribed in the General and Special Conditions of

Contract, and/or Technical Requirements.

8. Bidders’ Consortiums and Joint Ventures

8.1. Bids submitted by a Consortium or Joint Venture of two or more individuals, firms, or

companies as partners shall also comply with the following requirements:

8.1.1 The main Bidder shall be either a) a qualified system integrator with specific experience in

the implementation of the real-time Convergent Billing and Charging and

Interconnect Settlement System (CBS) or b) a manufacturer of the CBS.

8.1.2 The bid shall be signed so as to be legally binding on all partners;

8.1.3. One of the partners shall be nominated as being in charge, and this nomination

shall be evidenced by submitting a power of attorney signed by legally

authorized signatories of all the partners;

8.1.4. The partner in charge shall be authorized to incur liabilities and receive

instructions for and on behalf of any and all partners of the Consortium or Joint

Venture, and the entire execution of the Contract, including payment, shall be

done exclusively with the partner in charge;

8.1.5. The partner or combination of partners that is responsible for a specific component of

the CBS must meet the relevant minimum qualification criteria for that component;

8.1.6. An entity may submit bids either as a single Bidder on its own, or as partner in one, and

only one, Consortium or Joint Venture. If, as a result of the Bid Opening, this

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requirement is not met, all bids involving the entity as a single Bidder or

Consortium or Joint Venture partner will be disqualified;

8.1.7. All partners of the Consortium or Joint Venture shall be liable jointly and severally for the

execution of the Contract in accordance with the Contract terms, and a statement to

this effect shall be included in the authorization, in the bid as well as in the

Contract (in case of a successful bid).

9. Cost of Bidding

9.1. The Bidder shall bear all cost associated with the preparation and submission of its bid, and

Afghan Telecom will in no case be responsible or liable for those costs, regardless of the

conduct or outcome of the bidding process.

10. Bidding Documents

10.1. The goods and services required, bidding procedures, and conditions of contract are

described in the Bidding Documents. In addition to the Invitation to Bid, the Bidding

Documents shall include:

10.1.1. Instructions to Bidders

10.1.2 Conditions of Contract (COC)

10.1.3. Number of Licenses

10.1.4 Technical Specifications

10.1.5. List of Acronyms

10.1.6. Sample Forms

10.1.7.Addendum/Clarifications issued, if any.

10.2. The Bidder is required to examine all instructions, terms and conditions, forms, technical

specifications, schedule of requirements, etc. as included in the Bidding Documents. Failure

to furnish all information as required by the Bidding Documents or submission of an

incomplete and/ or partially quoted bid will remain at the Bidder’s risk and may result in

the rejection of its bid.

11. Clarification of Bidding Documents

11.1. A prospective Bidder requiring any clarification of the Invitation to Bid or Bidding

Documents may notify the Afghan Telecom in writing at the email address indicated in

the Bidding Documents. Afghan Telecom will respond to any request for clarification of the

Bidding Documents that is received not later than ten (10) days prior to the deadline

for the submission of bids.

11.2. Copies of Afghan Telecom's written responses (including an explanation of the query but

without identifying the source of the inquiry) will be sent to all registered Bidders.

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12. Amendment of Bidding Documents

12.1. Afghan Telecom, may, for any reason, whether at its own initiative or in response to a

clarification requested by a prospective Bidder, issue clarifications and corrections up to

seven (7) days prior to the deadline for the submission of bids.

12.2. Such clarifications and corrections will be sent in writing to all registered Bidders. Inclusion of

such clarification and corrections will be binding on them.

12.3. In order to provide Bidders reasonable time in which to take the amendment into account in

preparing their bids, Afghan Telecom may at its discretion extend the deadline for

submission of bids.

13. Composition of Bid

13.1 Each bid shall comprise documents and forms duly filled with date and signed by

authorized person as mentioned in the Clause 17, the Bid Submission.

13.2. Submission of the following documents and forms is mandatory for all Bidders, without

which, the bid shall be rejected.

13.2.1. Bid Form (Sample form attached) in accordance with Section: Sample Forms; duly filled

with date and signed by authorized person.

13.2.2. Bid Security furnished in accordance with Clause No. - 16 of Section: Instructions to

Bidders and the Bid Security Form (Sample form attached) Duly filled with date and

signed by authorized person.

13.2.3. Manufacturer's Authorization Letter (as per Sample form attached) if the Bidder is not

a manufacturer of the offered goods/ items and certificates on proof of being

manufacturer of the products offered for the related manufacturers.

13.2.4. The Power of Attorney and Signature Specimen of the authorized person in a separate

sheet shall be submitted along with the Bid.

13.2.5. Statement of Compliance to the Technical Specifications. (Please refer to Clause 14.)

13.2.6. Bidder’s Eligibility, Equipment Field Proven-ness, and Supply Records of the offered

CBS System.

13.3. All documents supporting as evidence for the clauses of eligibility of products shall be

authentic documents (true copies of certificates with the letterhead of the issuing authority

duly signed and dated by the authorized person, stamped with official seal and with

name, designation of the signatory in the letter) regarding Bidder’s/manufacturer’s

experience and field proven-ness of offered CBS System

13.4. All pages containing Conditions of Contract and Statements of Compliance to Technical

Specifications shall be signed by the Bidder and the consortium members (authorized

persons) and stamped with official seal.

13.5. Teaming with back to back agreement document between the Bidder and each of the

technology partners, manufacturer participating in the bid.

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14.Statement of Compliance to Technical Specifications

14.1. In its offer, the Bidder shall include a Statement of Compliance, clause by clause, to the

Technical Specifications and provide sufficient documentation such that Afghan Telecom

can validate the Bidder’s statements of compliance.

14.2. In the Statement of Compliance, the Bidder shall state:

14.2.1. “Fully Compliant" if systems and functions offered fully meet the tender requirement.

14.2.2. “Partially Compliant” if the systems and functions offered partially meet the

requirement. The Bidder shall state the reason why the offer is partially

compliant. However, if the Bidder is able to fulfill the specified requirement later,

the Bidder shall state the time schedule for compliance. In such cases, the Bidder

shall clearly mention the extent to which other requirements or specifications

are affected.

14.2.3. “Not Compliant” if the systems and functions do not or cannot meet the tender

requirements. The Bidder shall also state reasons for it.

14.2.4. Compliance statements such as “Agreed,” “Noted,” “OK,” “Do,” ”Understood,” etc. or

simple tick marks shall not be acceptable and shall be considered “Not Compliant.”

14.2.5. “OB ” for “Out of Box” if systems and functions offered fully meet the tender

requirement without making any changes to the defaults of the systems or functions.

14.2.6. “MOD” for “Modification required” if systems and functions offered fully meet the

tender requirement by making changes to systems, functions, or software.

14.2.7 ”P” for “provide” and “NP” for “Not provide”.

14.3. Bidders shall mention, along with the Statement of Compliance, the relevant clause number,

page , chapter /section/volume of the offered bid document and/or the brochure and

catalogue, wherever applicable, for the purpose of verification of their commercial and

technical compliance statement.

14.4. Bidders shall indicate for each line item of the Technical Specifications its compliance, as per

Clause 14.2 above, in the space provided on the digital format of the Technical

Specifications. Bidders shall protect the workbook prior to electronic submission and

provide the password to Afghan Telecom.

14.5. In case of absent or unclear Statements of Compliance to any Technical Specification, Afghan

Telecom will interpret that particular requirement as being "Not Compliant."

14.6. If the Bidder has stated “Fully Compliant” against Technical Specifications with comments

resulting in material deviation, such statement shall be considered as “Not Compliant.”

14.7. If the Bidder has stated “Partially Compliant” or “Not Compliant” to some of the Technical

Specifications, the successful Bidder shall make provisions for all such requirements and to

make the bid “Fully Compliant” to all Aftel requirements at the time of contract

negotiation, unless otherwise agreed.

15. Bid Price and Bid Currency

15.1. The Bidder shall quote the unit prices and total bid prices of the goods and services it

proposes to supply under the Contract on the Price Schedule portion of its Bid Submission.

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15.2. Bidder shall quote all bid prices in Afghani or US dollars (USD or $). The prices shall be

inclusive of all duties and taxes such as customs and duties fees, import and export taxes,

etc. that are applicable to the Bidder’s country and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

15.3. If a Supplier has quoted bid prices in US dollars wishes to receive payment in Afghanis (Afs)

currency, the exchange rate applicable to the conversion shall be as of the Bid Opening

Date.

15.4. An Afghan Bidder furnishing the Bid Security on behalf of the Foreign Bidder

shall state the Foreign Bidder’s name as “(Name of Bidder) bidding on behalf of (Name of

Foreign Bidder).” The name and address of principal company must be mentioned in the

bid and the payments shall be made accordingly to the principal company or the foreign

company (not to the Afghan Company).

15.5. Afghan Telecom shall open a L/C in the name of Principle manufacturer and payment shall be

made to the Principle Manufacturer only after deducting Tax deduction at Source

applicable at the time of payment as per Income Tax law of Afghanistan.

15.6. All prices submitted by Bidders shall be final and shall not be subjected to any variation.

15.7. The unit prices of all goods and services, including shipping or transportation, if applicable,

shall be quoted in the Price Schedule. Bidders shall not quote any other text such as

“Included Above,” “Not Applicable,” “Not Available,” “Free of Cost,” etc.

15.8. “Discount” and “Free of Cost” items, if any, offered by the Bidders shall not be

considered.

15.9. Therefore, Bidders desiring to offer discounted or free goods or services shall modify their

offers suitably while quoting and shall quote clearly net price taking all such factors like

discounts and free items into account.

15.10. The quoted unit prices shall remain valid for 5 years from the date of completion of the

Warranty Period and shall be applicable to all subsequent purchases by Afghan Telecom

until such time.

15.11. Unit Prices of the offered goods, services and inland Transportation in all lots, phases and

packages shall be same.

15.12. The terms DDP., shall be governed by the rules prescribed in the current edition of DDP

INCOTERMS published by the International Chamber of Commerce, Paris.

16. Bid Security

16.1 Afghan Telecom requires Bid Security to protect itself against the risk non-performance by the

winning Bidder (the Supplier).

16.2. Pursuant to Section Instructions for Proposals, all Bidders shall furnish as part of their bids Bid

Security in the amount of US$ 200,000.

16.3. The Bid Security may be in the form of a bank guarantee

16.3.1 In the case of a bank guarantee, the Bid Security must be furnished or counter

guaranteed by one of the Afghan Commercial Banks

16.4. Bid Security shall remain valid up to 11-Feb-2013

16.5. Any bid not secured in accordance with Clause 16 shall be rejected.

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16.6. The Bid Security of all the Bidders will be discharged upon signing of the Contract and after

furnishing of the Performance Security by the successful Bidder.

17. Submission of Bids

17.1 1. Enclose documents mentioned in Sub clause 10.1.6 in as separate envelope .clearly

mention “for bid opening” on envelope.

2. Enclose documents mentioned in Sub clause 10.1.1, 10.1.2, 10.1.4 in separate envelope.

Clearly mention “Technical specification and qualification“on envelope.

3. Financial proposal should be sealed in a separate envelope, clearly mentioned “Financial

proposal” on the envelope.

Three copies of above mentioned documents, 1 original and two copies of original in

separate envelops.

17.2. All Bid Submissions are due to Afghan Telecom on the day of bid opening 21-Nov-2012, 10:00

Am local time.

17.3. However, if the submission date is declared to be an Afghan public holiday, the

submission date will be postponed to the next working day at the said time.

17.4. Afghan Telecom may, at its discretion, extend the deadline for the submission of bids by

amending the Bidding Documents and notifying all registered Bidders at any time prior to

the date of the opening of the bids (21-Nov-2012).

17.5. Bid Submissions should submitted be in hard copy (printed format), digital copy (electronic

format) can be optional. However, the Statement of Compliance to the Technical

Specifications MUST be submitted electronically.

17.6. All paper Bid Submissions shall be sent via a service with delivery confirmation to Finance

department, Afghan Telecom, whose address is mentioned in Clause 2, ITB.

17.7. All electronic Bid Submissions shall be encrypted or protected and shall be delivered via FTP

as per instructions by Afghan Telecom.

17.8. All Bid Submissions become the express and sole property of Afghan Telecom.

17.9. All bidders can collect bidding documents a day before Pre- Bid-Meeting date which is 20-

Nov-2012.

18. Bid Opening

18.1. Bids will be opened in the presence of Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend the Bid

Opening ceremony at place AFTEL Conference Room, Date, 21-Nov-2012 and time 10:00

AM.

19. Modification, Substitution, and Withdrawal of Bids

19.1. The Bidder may modify or withdraw its Bid Submission after submission provided the Bidder

provides written notice of the modification, substitution, or withdrawal to Afghan Telecom

prior to the deadline for submission of bids as mentioned in ITB.

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19.2. The Bidder’s modification, substitution, or withdrawal notice shall be prepared, sealed,

and marked and dispatched, with the outer and inner envelopes duly marked as

“WITHDRAWAL,” “SUBSTITUTION,” or “MODIFICATION” as appropriate.

19.3. No Bid Submission may be withdrawn, substituted, or modified after the deadline for

submission of bids.

19.4. If a Bidder submits a bid on behalf of a merged company, it shall submit a legally-certified

document indicating such along with its Bid Submission. The eligibility of separate

companies in such cases will be combined for the purpose of verifying the eligibility criteria.

Bids submitted on behalf of amalgamated/acquired companies having independent legal

status shall be treated separately.

19.5 In case of global companies, the Bid Submission must be fully supported by the headquarters

(HQ).

20. Automatic Bid Rejection

20.1. Absence of any of the following documents will result in Afghan Telecom’s automatic

rejection of the Bid:

201.1. Clause-by-clause Statements of Compliance to the Technical Specifications, with all

pages of such signed by an authorized person of the Bidder.

20.1.2. All pages containing Conditions of Contract and Technical Compliance Statement shall

be signed and stamped with official seal by the Bidder (authorized person).

20.1.3 A detailed technical description and performance characteristics of the CBS.

20.1.4. Screenshots of the offered CBS system.

20.1.5. Bidders Eligibility, Field Proven-ness, and Supply Records of the offered equipment.

20.1.6. All documents supporting as evidence for the clauses of eligibility of products shall be

Authentic Documents (true copy of certificates with the letter head of the issuing

authority duly signed with date by the authorized person, stamped with official

seal and with name, designation of the signatory in the letter) regarding

Bidder’s/Manufacturer’s experience and field proven-ness of CB & ISS System as

mentioned in the Instructions to Bidders.

20.1.7 Quality Assurance Certificate or ISO 9000 Series Certificates relating to the

manufacturing of hardware (server, storage, and networking equipment).

20.1.8. Equipment Dimensioning Rule and calculations as per requirements specified in

Technical Specification and Annexes.

20.2. Bidders shall submit original documents, without which the bid shall be rejected.

20.2.1. Bid Form duly signed with date by the authorized person and stamped with official seal

as per Sample Form attached “Bid Form”

20.2.2. Bid Security furnished in accordance with ITB

20.2.3. Price schedule duly filled and signed with date by the authorized person and stamped

with official seal

20.2.4. Manufacturer's Authorization Letter as specified in ITB

ITB

15

20.2.5. The Power of attorney and signature specimen of the authorized person (including

designation and other information) in a separate sheet shall be submitted along with

the Bid.

21. In order to simplify the process of Bid Opening and also to economize the time consumed during the

Bid Opening, the Bidders are required to submit the above documents mentioned in Clauses in a

separate sealed envelope marked as “DOCUMENT FOR BID OPENING". Otherwise, the Bidder shall

be fully responsible for the probable consequences that may result therein after.

22. Bid Evaluation and Award Criteria

22.1In case a Bidder offers one or more alternate or optional offer(s) in addition to the main offer,

Afghan Telecom will consider only the main offer for evaluation purpose, and,

under no circumstances, will evaluation be influenced by anything mentioned in the

alternate or optional offer(s).

22.2. However, based on cost-benefit and/ or technical analysis, Afghan Telecom, if deemed

necessary, may consider alternate or optional offer(s) during Contract negotiation

with the successful Bidder.

23. Preliminary Examination

23.1. Afghan Telecom will examine the bids to verify whether the bid is valid and complete,

whether the bid is accompanied by the required Bid Security, whether required sureties

have been furnished, whether the documents have been properly signed, and whether the

bids are generally in order.

23.2. Afghan Telecom may waive any minor informality, nonconformity, or irregularity in a bid,

which does not constitute a major material and quality deviation and without which

the purpose of bidding will be fulfilled, provided such waiver does not prejudice or affect

the relative ranking of any Bidder. However, bids with any deviations to the critical clauses

shall be considered as major deviations and Afghan Telecom shall reject all such bids with

such major deviations.

23.3. Prior to the detailed evaluation, Afghan Telecom will determine the substantial

responsiveness of each bid to certain critical provisions stipulated in the Afghan Telecom

tender document. For the purpose of this clause, a substantially responsive bid is the one

that conforms to all the terms and conditions of the Bidding Documents without major

material deviations. Deviations from, or objections or reservations to critical provisions,

such as those concerning Bid Security, Payment Terms, Applicable Law and Taxes and

Duties and the important Technical Specifications will be deemed to be major deviations.

23.4. Afghan Telecom’s determination of a bid’s responsiveness will be based on the contents of

the bid itself without recourse to any extrinsic evidence.

23.5. If a Bid Submission has major deviations from the terms and conditions of the Bidding

Documents, it will be rejected by Afghan Telecom and will not substantially be made

responsive by the Bidder by correction of the nonconformity.

ITB

16

24. Detailed Technical Evaluation

24.1. For those Bid Submissions found to be responsive after Preliminary Examination, Afghan

Telecom shall conduct a detailed Technical Evaluation. The Detailed Technical Evaluation

shall be based on each Bidder’s Statements of Compliance to and associated comments on

the Technical Specifications

24.2. If a Bid Submission has major deviations from the terms and conditions of the Bidding

Documents, it will be rejected by Afghan Telecom and will not substantially be made

responsive by the Bidder by correction of the nonconformity.

24.3. Further, if there are many minor deviations to the bid, and if one or more of such items

constitute major material deviation or affect the required purpose of a module or sub-

module, Afghan Telecom will reject such Bid Submissions, which will not substantially be

made responsive by the Bidder’s correction of the nonconformity.

25. Detail Financial Evaluation

25.1 All Bid Submissions deemed by Afghan Telecom to be substantially responsive after the

Detailed Technical Evaluation shall undergo a Detailed Financial Evaluation. Once the bids

are considered substantially responsive after detailed Technical all those responsive

bids shall be judged from Financial Evaluation only and no weight-age shall be given to

other technical details or parameters or additional features and facilities of the offered

products.

25.2. The following factors shall be taken into consideration during the Detailed Financial

Consideration and will be rectified as indicated.

25.3. Arithmetic Errors

25.3.1. If there is a discrepancy between the unit price and the total price, which is

obtained by multiplying the unit price and quantity, the unit price shall prevail, and

the total price will be corrected.

25.3.2. If there is a discrepancy between words and figures, the amount in words will prevail.

25.4. Offered Quantity

25.4.1. If the offered quantity is not sufficient to meet Afghan Telecom’s requirement, the

required quantity will be loaded to fulfill the requirement and the total price will

be adjusted accordingly using the Bidder’s offered unit price.

25.4.2. If some required items are missing in the offer, then the highest price for such missing

item(s) among the qualified Bidder will be considered for evaluation purpose

and loaded to bring all Bidders in equal footing.

25.4.3. However, if the Bidder who misses/short supplies the required items happens to be the

successful Bidder, the missed/short supplied items shall be provided free of cost to

Afghan Telecom.

25.4.4. If major items, without which the purpose of bidding will not be fulfilled, are missing,

the bid shall be considered non-responsive and shall be rejected.

ITB

17

25.5. Delivery Period

25.5.1. If the offered delivery period is more than the period specified Section: Conditions of

Contract, the price adjustment will be made by loading the bid price by one half

(0.5%) percent of the total quoted price per week for the delayed period up to four

(4) weeks. Bids with deviation in delivery period by more than four (4) weeks will be

rejected.

25.6. Unit Price

25.6.1. Unit Prices of the offered goods, services and inland transportation in all lots, phases,

and packages shall be the same. In case of discrepancies in the Unit Prices, the

highest Unit Price among them all shall be considered for all lots, phases, and

packages for evaluation purposes. However, the lowest Unit Price among all lots,

phases, and packages shall be considered for the calculation and preparation of final

Contract Price if the Bidder happens to be the successful Bidder.

25.6.2. If the Unit Price is not quoted, the evaluation will be done by loading the highest price

among the responsive Bidders and the lowest Unit Price among the responsive

Bidders shall be considered for the calculation and preparation of Final Contract Price

if the Bidder happens to be a Successful Bidder.

26. Clarification of Bids

26.1 To assist in the examination, evaluation, and comparison of Bids, Afghan Telecom may ask the

Bidder for a clarification, additional information, and/ or proof of authenticity of its Bid

Submission. The request for clarification and the response to it shall be in writing, and no

change in the prices and substance of the Bid shall be sought, offered, or permitted.

26.2. If the Bidder fails to submit the requested clarification, additional information, or

proof of authenticity of its Bid Submission within a stipulated time, the clause for which the

request is sought will be considered to be “Not Compliant.”

27. Afghan Telecom's Right to Accept or Reject Any or All Bids

27.1. Afghan Telecom reserves the right to accept or reject partially or fully any Bid Submission or

award one or more than one Bidders not exceeding the price of the successful Bidder, and

to annul the bidding process and reject all bids, at any time prior to the Contract award,

without thereby incurring any liability to the affected Bidder or Bidders or any obligation to

inform the affected Bidder or Bidders of the grounds for Afghan Telecom's action.

28. Afghan Telecom's Right to Vary Quantities

28.1. Afghan Telecom reserves the right at the time of the award of the Contract to increase or

decrease by up to twenty percent (25%) of the quantity of goods and services

specified in the Schedule of Requirement without any change in unit price or other terms

and conditions.

ITB

18

29. Signing of Contract

29.1 After the receipt of the Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from Afghan Telecom, the successful

Bidder shall send its authorized representatives within fifteen (15) days for Contract

negotiation and Contract signing. At the time of signing the Contract, the Supplier shall

submit a Performance Security in the form of bank guarantee for ten percent (10%) of the

amount of the Contract in the same currency as that of the Contract or equivalent in US

dollars ($).

29.2. Non-submission of Performance Security at the time of signing the Contract may lead

to the cancellation of the Contract.

Training Requirement: Training should be divided into three parts.

1) Training of 10 employees’ right after signing the Contract and before implementation of

the project. Training materials should be designed in a way that these people can monitor

the implementation phase.

2) Train the trainers: A group of 8 employees from Marketing, technical, IT and Finance will

be trained as Master trainers to further train others on using the software package.

3) Training administrators so that they can make any changes that are possible inside the

software package for the purchaser.

4) Training of employees to carry out their job responsibilities from all related departments.

Bidder shall submit detailed costs, syllabus and duration of the training courses

considering the five working days per week and office hours of 09:00 hours to 16:00

hours of Employer.

The instructors shall be fluent in English and have better communication skills.

The Bidder shall provide documents detailing instructor’s qualifications and experience

for approval by Employer.

The Bidder shall provide appropriate training material including Notes and diagrams

appropriate to the training program and training Setup not later than two weeks

before the start of the course.

The Contract shall not be considered complete for the purpose of acceptance until

such training requirements as called for have been provided.

More detailed information regarding training is mentioned in Technical part.

Conditions Of Contract

19

Conditions OF Contract

1. Definitions ................................................................................. 23

2. Interpretation ............................................................................ 30

3.Notices ........................................................................................ 33

4. Governing Law ........................................................................... 34

5. Settlement of Disputes .............................................................. 34

6. Scope of the System .................................................................. 38

7. Time for Commencement and Operational Acceptance .............. 38

8. Supplier’s Responsibilities ......................................................... 40

9. Purchaser’s Responsibilities ....................................................... 40

10. Contract Price ........................................................................... 43

11. Terms of Payment ..................................................................... 43

12. Securities .................................................................................. 44

13. Taxes and Duties ....................................................................... 45

14. Copyright .................................................................................. 45

15. Software License Agreements ................................................... 46

16. Confidential Information ........................................................... 47

17. Representatives ...................................................................... 50

18. Project Plan ............................................................................... 53

19. Design and Engineering ............................................................. 53

20. Product Upgrades ..................................................................... 56

21. Inspections and Tests ................................................................ 57

22. Installation of the System .......................................................... 59

23. Commissioning and Operational Acceptance ............................. 59


20

24. Operational Acceptance Time Guarantee .................................. 63

25. Defect Liability .......................................................................... 65

26. Functional Guarantees .............................................................. 67

27. Intellectual Property Rights Warranty ....................................... 69

28. Limitation of Liability ................................................................ 69

29. Transfer of Ownership ............................................................... 70

30. Care of the System .................................................................... 70

31. Loss of or Damage to Property; Accident or Injury to Workers;

Indemnification .............................................................................. 71

32. Force Majeure ........................................................................... 74

33. Changes to the System .............................................................. 75

34. Extension of Time for Achieving ................................................ 80

35. Termination .............................................................................. 81

36. Assignment ............................................................................... 89

Special Conditions of Contract ....................................................... 92

1. Definitions (GCC Clause 1) ....................................................... 92

2. Interpretation (GCC Clause2) ................................................... 94

3. Notices (GCC Clause 3) ............................................................ 94

4. Governing Law (GCC Clause 4) ................................................. 94

5. Settlement of Disputes (GCC Clause 5) ..................................... 94

6. Scope of the System (GCC Clause 6) ......................................... 96

7. Time for Commencement and Operational Acceptance (GCC

Clause 7) ......................................................................................... 96

8. Supplier’s Responsibilities (GCC Clause 8) ................................ 96

9. Purchaser’s Responsibilities (GCC Clause 9) ............................. 97


21

10. Contract Price (GCC Clause 10) ................................................ 97

11. Terms of Payment (GCC Clause 11) .......................................... 98

12. Securities (GCC Clause 12) ..................................................... 100

13. Taxes and Duties (GCC Clause 13) .......................................... 100

14. Copyright (GCC Clause 14) ..................................................... 100

15. Software License Agreements (GCC Clause 15) ...................... 101

16. Confidential Information (GCC Clause 16) .............................. 101

17. Representatives (GCC Clause 17) ........................................... 102

18. Project Plan (GCC Clause 18) ................................................. 103

19. Design and Engineering (GCC Clause 19) ................................ 105

20. Product Upgrades (GCC Clause 20) ........................................ 106

21. Inspections and Tests (GCC Clause 21) ................................... 106

22. Installation of the System (GCC Clause 22) ............................. 106

23. Commissioning and Operational Acceptance (GCC Clause 23) 106

24. Operational Acceptance Time Guarantee (GCC Clause 24) ..... 107

25. Defect Liability (GCC Clause 25) ............................................. 107

26. Functional Guarantees (GCC Clause 26) ................................. 108

27. Intellectual Property Rights Warranty (GCC Clause 27) .......... 108

28.Limitation of Liability (GCC Clause 28) ...................................... 109

29. Transfer of Ownership (GCC Clause 29).................................. 109

30. Care of the System (GCC Clause 30) ....................................... 109

31. Loss of or Damage to Property; Accident or Injury to Workers;

Indemnification (GCC Clause 31) ................................................... 109

32. Force Majeure (GCC Clause 32) .............................................. 109


22

33. Changes to the System (GCC Clause 33) ................................. 110

34. Extension of Time for Achieving Operational Acceptance (GCC

Clause 34) ..................................................................................... 110

35. Termination (GCC Clause 35) ................................................. 110

36. Assignment (GCC Clause 36) .................................................. 110


23

General Conditions of contract

A. CONTRACT AND INTERPRETATION

1. Definitions

1.1 In this Contract, the following terms shall be interpreted as

indicated below.

(A) Contract elements

(i) “Contract” means the Contract Agreement

entered into between the Purchaser and the

Supplier, together with the Contract Documents

referred to therein. The Contract Agreement

and the Contract Documents shall constitute

the Contract, and the term “the Contract” shall

in all such documents be construed accordingly.

(ii) “Contract Documents” means the documents

specified in Article 1.1 (Contract Documents) of

the Contract Agreement (including any

amendments to these Documents).

(iii) “Contract Agreement” means the agreement

entered into between the Purchaser and the

Supplier using the form of Contract Agreement

contained in the Sample Forms Section of the

Bidding Documents and any modifications to

this form agreed to by the Purchaser and the

Supplier. The date of the Contract Agreement

shall be recorded in the signed form.

(iv) “GCC” means the General Conditions of

Contract.

(v) “SCC” means the Special Conditions of Contract.

(vi) “Technical Requirements” means the Technical

Requirements Section of the Bidding

Documents.

(vii) “Procurement Guidelines” refers to the edition


24

specified in the SCC of the Islamic Republic of

Afghanistan Procurement Law.

(viii) “Bidding Documents” refers to the collection of

documents issued by the Purchaser to instruct

and inform potential suppliers of the processes

for bidding, selection of the winning bid, and

Contract formation, as well as the contractual

conditions governing the relationship between

the Purchaser and the Supplier. The General

and Special Conditions of Contract, the

Technical Requirements, and all other

documents included in the Bidding Documents

reflect the Procurement Guidelines that the

Purchaser is obligated to follow during

procurement and administration of this

Contract.

(B) Entities

(i) “Purchaser” means the entity purchasing the

Information System, as specified in the SCC.

(ii) “Project Manager” means the person named as

such in the SCC or otherwise appointed by the

Purchaser in the manner provided in GCC

Clause 17.1 (Project Manager) to perform the

duties delegated by the Purchaser.

(iii) “Supplier” means the firm or Joint Venture

whose bid to perform the Contract has been

accepted by the Purchaser and is named as such

in the Contract Agreement.

(iv) “Supplier’s Representative” means any person

nominated by the Supplier and named as such

in the Contract Agreement or otherwise

approved by the Purchaser in the manner

provided in GCC Clause 17.2 (Supplier’s

Representative) to perform the duties

delegated by the Supplier.

(v) “Subcontractor” means any firm to whom any

of the obligations of the Supplier, including

preparation of any design or supply of any

Information Technologies or other Goods or


25

Services, is subcontracted directly or indirectly

by the Supplier.

(vi) “Adjudicator” means the person named in

Appendix 2 of the Contract Agreement,

appointed by agreement between the

Purchaser and the Supplier to make a decision

on or to settle any dispute between the

Purchaser and the Supplier referred to him or

her by the parties, pursuant to GCC Clause 5.1

(Adjudication).

(C) Scope

(i) “Information System,” also called “the System,”

means all the Information Technologies,

Materials, and other Goods to be supplied,

installed, integrated, and made operational

(exclusive of the Supplier’s Equipment),

together with the Services to be carried out by

the Supplier under the Contract.

(ii) “Subsystem” means any subset of the System

identified as such in the Contract that may be

supplied, installed, tested, and commissioned

individually before Commissioning of the entire

System.

(iii) “Information Technologies” means all

information processing and communications-

related hardware, Software, supplies, and

consumable items that the Supplier is required

to supply and install under the Contract.

(iv) “Goods” means all equipment, machinery,

furnishings, Materials, and other tangible items

that the Supplier is required to supply or

supply and install under the Contract,

including, without limitation, the Information

Technologies and Materials, but excluding the

Supplier’s Equipment.

(v) “Services” means all technical, logistical,

management, and any other Services to be

provided by the Supplier under the Contract to


26

supply, install, customize, integrate, and make

operational the System. Such Services may

include, but are not restricted to, activity

management and quality assurance, design,

development, customization, documentation,

transportation, insurance, inspection,

expediting, site preparation, installation,

integration, training, data migration, Pre-

commissioning, Commissioning, maintenance,

and technical support.

(vi) “The Project Plan” means the document to be

developed by the Supplier and approved by the

Purchaser, pursuant to GCC Clause 18, based

on the requirements of the Contract and the

Preliminary Project Plan included in the

Supplier’s bid. The “Agreed and Finalized

Project Plan” is the version of the Project Plan

approved by the Purchaser, in accordance with

GCC Clause 18.2. Should the Project Plan

conflict with the Contract in any way, the

relevant provisions of the Contract, including

any amendments, shall prevail.

(vii) “Software” means that part of the System

which are instructions that cause information

processing Subsystems to perform in a specific

manner or execute specific operations.

(viii) “Intellectual Property Rights” means any and

all copyright, moral rights, trademark, patent,

and other intellectual and proprietary rights,

title and interests worldwide, whether vested,

contingent, or future, including without

limitation all economic rights and all exclusive

rights to reproduce, fix, adapt, modify,

translate, create derivative works from, extract

or re-utilize data from, manufacture, introduce

into circulation, publish, distribute, sell,

license, sublicense, transfer, rent, lease,

transmit or provide access electronically,

broadcast, display, enter into computer

memory, or otherwise use any portion or copy,

in whole or in part, in any form, directly or

indirectly, or to authorize or assign others to


27

do so.


28

(ix) “Supplier’s Equipment” means all equipment,

tools, apparatus, or things of every kind

required in or for installation, completion and

maintenance of the System that are to be

provided by the Supplier, but excluding the

Information Technologies, or other items

forming part of the System.

(d) activities

(i) “Delivery” means the transfer of the Goods from

the Supplier to the Purchaser in accordance with

the current edition Incoterms specified in the

Contract.

(ii) “Installation” means that the System or a

Subsystem as specified in the Contract is ready

for Commissioning as provided in GCC Clause 22

(Installation).

(iii) “Pre-commissioning” means the testing, checking,

and any other required activity that may be

specified in the Technical Requirements that are

to be carried out by the Supplier in preparation

for Commissioning of the System as provided in

GCC Clause 22 (Installation).

(iv) “Commissioning” means operation of the

System or any Subsystem by the Supplier

following Installation, which operation is to be

carried out by the Supplier as provided in GCC

Clause 23.1 (Commissioning), for the purpose of

carrying out Operational Acceptance Test(s).

(v) “Operational Acceptance Tests” means the tests

specified in the Technical Requirements and

Agreed and Finalized Project Plan to be carried

out to ascertain whether the System, or a

specified Subsystem, is able to attain the

functional and performance requirements

specified in the Technical Requirements and


29

Agreed and Finalized Project Plan, in

accordance with the provisions of GCC Clause

23.2 (Operational Acceptance Test).

(vi) “Operational Acceptance” means the

acceptance by the Purchaser of the System (or

any Subsystem(s) where the Contract provides

for acceptance of the System in parts), in

accordance with GCC Clause 27.3 (Operational

Acceptance).

(E) Place and time

(i) “Purchaser’s Country” is the country named in

the SCC.

(ii) “Supplier’s Country” is the country in which the

Supplier is legally organized, as named in the

Contract Agreement.

(iii) “Project Site(s)” means the place(s) specified in

the SCC for the supply and installation of the

System.

(iv) “Eligible Country” means the countries and

territories eligible for participation in

procurements financed by the Afghan

Government.

(vi) “Defect Liability Period” (also referred to as the

“Warranty Period”) means the period of validity

of the warranties given by the Supplier

commencing at date of the Operational

Acceptance Certificate of the System or

Subsystem(s), during which the Supplier is

responsible f o r d e f e c t s with respect to the

System (or the relevant Subsystem[s]) as

provided in GCC Clause 29 (Defect Liability).

(vii) “The Coverage Period” means the Days of the

Week and the hours of those Days during which

maintenance, operational, and/or technical

support services (if any) must be available.


30

2. Interpretation

2.1 Governing Language

2.1.1 All Contract Documents and related correspondence

exchanged between Purchaser and Supplier shall be

written in the language specified in the SCC, and the

Contract shall be construed and interpreted in

accordance with that language.

2.1.2 If any of the Contract Documents or related

correspondence are prepared in a language other

than the governing language under GCC Clause 2.1.1

above, the translation of such documents into the

governing language shall prevail in matters of

interpretation. The originating party, with respect to

such documents shall bear the costs and risks of such

translation.

2.2 Singular and Plural

The singular shall include the plural and the plural the

singular, except where the context otherwise requires.

2.3 Headings

The headings and marginal notes in the GCC are included

for ease of reference and shall neither constitute a part of

the Contract nor affect its interpretation.

2.4 Persons

Words importing persons or parties shall include firms,

corporations, and government entities.

2.5 Incoterms

Unless inconsistent with any provision of the Contract, the

meaning of any trade term and the rights and obligations

of parties there under shall be as prescribed by the current

Incoterms (“Incoterms 2000” or a more recent version if

and as published). Incoterms are the international rules

for interpreting trade terms published by the International

Chamber of Commerce, 38 Cours Albert 1er, 75008 Paris,

France.

2.6 Entire Agreement


31

The Contract constitutes the entire agreement between

the Purchaser and Supplier with respect to the subject

matter of Contract and supersedes all communications,

negotiations, and agreements (whether written or oral) of

parties with respect to the subject matter of the Contract

made prior to the date of Contract.

2.7 Amendment

No amendment or other variation of the Contract shall be

effective unless it is in writing, is dated, expressly refers to

the Contract, and is signed by a duly authorized

representative of each party to the Contract.

2.8 Independent Supplier

The Supplier shall be an independent contractor

performing the Contract. The Contract does not create any

agency, partnership, joint venture, or other joint

relationship between the parties to the Contract.

Subject to the provisions of the Contract, the Supplier shall

be solely responsible for the manner in which the Contract

is performed. All employees, representatives, or

Subcontractors engaged by the Supplier in connection with

the performance of the Contract shall be under the

complete control of the Supplier and shall not be deemed

to be employees of the Purchaser, and nothing contained

in the Contract or in any subcontract awarded by the

Supplier shall be construed to create any contractual

relationship between any such employees,

representatives, or Subcontractors and the Purchaser.


32

2.9 Joint Venture

If the Supplier is a Joint Venture of two or more firms, all

such firms shall be jointly and severally bound to the

Purchaser for the fulfillment of the provisions of the

Contract and shall designate one of such firms to act as a

leader with authority to bind the Joint Venture. The

composition or constitution of the Joint Venture shall not

be altered without the prior consent of the Purchaser.

2.10 No waiver

2.10.1 Subject to GCC Clause 2.10.2 below, no relaxation,

forbearance, delay, or indulgence by either party in

enforcing any of the terms and conditions of the

Contract or the granting of time by either party to

the other shall prejudice, affect, or restrict the

rights of that party under the Contract, nor shall

any waiver by either party of any breach of

Contract operate as waiver of any subsequent or

continuing breach of Contract.

2.10.2 Any waiver of a party’s rights, powers, or remedies

under the Contract must be in writing, must be

dated and signed by an authorized representative

of the party granting such waiver, and must specify

the right and the extent to which it is being waived.

2.11 Severability

If any provision or condition of the Contract is prohibited

or rendered invalid or unenforceable, such prohibition,

invalidity, or unenforceability shall not affect the validity or

enforceability of any other provisions and conditions of the

Contract.

2.12 Country of Origin

“Origin” means the place where the Information

Technologies, Materials, and other Goods for the System

were produced or from which the Services are supplied.

Goods are produced when, through manufacturing,

processing, Software development, or substantial and

major assembly or integration of components, a

commercially recognized product results that is

substantially different in basic characteristics or in purpose

or utility from its components. The Origin of Goods and


33

Services is distinct from the nationality of the Supplier and

may be different.

3.Notices

3.1.1 Any notice sent by cable, telegraph, telex, facsimile, electronic mail, or EDI shall be confirmed within two (2) days after dispatch by notice sent by airmail post

or special courier, except as otherwise specified in

the Contract.

3.1.2 Any notice sent by airmail post or special courier shall

be deemed (in the absence of evidence of earlier

receipt) to have been delivered ten (10) days after

dispatch. In proving the fact of dispatch, it shall be

sufficient to show that the envelope containing such

notice was properly addressed, stamped, and

conveyed to the postal authorities or courier service

for transmission by airmail or special courier.

3.1.3 Any notice delivered personally or sent by cable,

telegraph, telex, facsimile, electronic mail, or EDI

shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date

of its dispatch.

3.1.4 Either party may change its postal, cable, telex,

facsimile, electronic mail, or EDI addresses for receipt

of such notices by ten (10) days’ notice to the other

party in writing.

3.2 Notices shall be deemed to include any approvals,

consents, instructions, orders, certificates, information and

other communication to be given under the Contract.

3.3 Pursuant to GCC Clause 17, notices from/to the Purchaser

are normally given by, or addressed to, the Project

Manager, while notices from/to the Supplier are normally

given by, or addressed to, the Supplier's Representative, or


34

in its absence its deputy if any. If there is no appointed

Project Manager or Supplier's Representative (or deputy),

or if their related authority is limited by the SCC for GCC

Clauses 17.1 or 17.2.2, or for any other reason, the

Purchaser or Supplier may give and receive notices at their

fallback addresses. The address of the Project Manager

and the fallback address of the Purchaser are as specified

in the SCC or as subsequently established/amended. The

address of the Supplier's Representative and the fallback

address of the Supplier are as specified in Appendix 1 of

the Contract Agreement or as subsequently

established/amended.

4. Governing Law

4.1 The Contract shall be governed by and interpreted in

accordance with the laws of the country specified in the

SCC.

5. Settlement of Disputes

5.1 Adjudication

5.1.1 If any dispute of any kind whatsoever shall arise between the

Purchaser and the Supplier in connection with or arising

out of the Contract, including without prejudice to the generality of the

foregoing, any question regarding its existence, validity, or termination,

or the operation of the System (whetherduring the

progress of implementation or after its achieving Operational Acceptance

and whether before or after the termination, abandonment,

or breach of the Contract), the parties shall seek to resolve

any such dispute by mutual consultation. If the parties fail to resolve such a

dispute by mutual consultation within fourteen (14) days after one party has

notified the other in writing of the dispute, then, if the Contract Agreement

includes and names an Adjudicator, the dispute shall,

within another fourteen (14) days, be referred in writing by either party to

the Adjudicator, with a copy to the other party. If there is no Adjudicator


35

specified in the Contract Agreement, the mutual consultation period stated

above shall last twenty-eight (28) days (instead of fourteen), upon

expiry of which either party may move to the notification of arbitration


36

pursuant to GCC Clause 5.2.1.

5.1.2 The Adjudicator shall give his or her decision in

writing to both parties within twenty-eight (28) days

of the dispute being referred to the Adjudicator. If

the Adjudicator has done so, and no notice of

intention to commence arbitration has been given by

either the Purchaser or the Supplier within forty

(40) days of such reference, the decision shall

become final and binding upon the Purchaser and the

Supplier. Any decision that has become final and

binding shall be implemented by the parties

forthwith.

5.1.3 The Adjudicator shall be paid an hourly fee at the rate

specified in the Contract Agreement plus reasonable

expenditures incurred in the execution of duties as

Adjudicator, and these costs shall be divided equally

between the Purchaser and the Supplier.

5.1.4 Should the Adjudicator resign or die, or should the

Purchaser and the Supplier agree that the

Adjudicator is not fulfilling his or her functions in

accordance with the provisions of the Contract, a

new Adjudicator shall be jointly appointed by the

Purchaser and the Supplier. Failing agreement

between the two within twenty-eight (28) days, the

new Adjudicator shall be appointed at the request of

either party by the Appointing Authority specified in

the SCC, or, if no Appointing Authority is specified in

SCC, the Contract shall, from this point onward and

until the parties may otherwise agree on an

Adjudicator or an Appointing Authority, be

implemented as if there is no Adjudicator.

5.2 Arbitration

5.2.1 If

(a) the Purchaser or the Supplier is dissatisfied with

the Adjudicator’s decision and acts before this

decision has become final and binding pursuant

to GCC Clause 6.1.2, or

(b) the Adjudicator fails to give a decision within the

allotted time from referral of the dispute


37

pursuant to GCC Clause 5.1.2, and the Purchaser

or the Supplier acts within the following

fourteen (14) days, or

(c) in the absence of an Adjudicator from the

Contract Agreement, the mutual consultation

pursuant to GCC Clause 5.1.1 expires without

resolution of the dispute and the Purchaser or

the Supplier acts within the following fourteen

(14) days,

then either the Purchaser or the Supplier may act to

give notice to the other party, with a copy for

information to the Adjudicator in case an Adjudicator

had been involved, of its intention to commence

arbitration, as provided below, as to the matter in

dispute, and no arbitration in respect of this matter

may be commenced unless such notice is given.

5.2.2 Any dispute in respect of which a notice of intention

to commence arbitration has been given, in

accordance with GCC Clause 5.2.1, shall be finally

settled by arbitration. Arbitration may be

commenced prior to or after Installation of the

Information System.

5.2.3 Arbitration proceedings shall be conducted in

accordance with the rules of procedure specified in

the SCC.

5.3 Notwithstanding any reference to the Adjudicator or

arbitration in this clause,

(a) the parties shall continue to perform their respective

obligations under the Contract unless they otherwise

agree;

(b) the Purchaser shall pay the Supplier any monies due

the Supplier.


38

B. SUBJECT MATTER OF CONTRACT

6. Scope of the System

6.1 Unless otherwise expressly limited in the SCC or Technical

Requirements, the Supplier’s obligations cover the provision

of all Information Technologies, Materials and other Goods

as well as the performance of all Services required for the

design, development, and implementation (including

procurement, quality assurance, assembly, associated site

preparation, Delivery, Pre-commissioning, Installation,

Testing, and Commissioning) of the System, in accordance

with the plans, procedures, specifications, drawings, codes,

and any other documents specified in the Contract and the

Agreed and Finalized Project Plan.

6.2 The Supplier shall, unless specifically excluded in the

Contract, perform all such work and / or supply all such

items and Materials not specifically mentioned in the

Contract but that can be reasonably inferred from the

Contract as being required for attaining Operational

Acceptance of the System as if such work and / or items and

Materials were expressly mentioned in the Contract.

6.3 The Supplier’s obligations (if any) to provide Goods and

Services as implied by the Recurrent Cost tables of the

Supplier’s bid, such as consumables, spare parts, and

technical services (e.g., maintenance, technical assistance,

and operational support), are as specified in the SCC,

including the relevant terms, characteristics, and timings.

7. Time for Commencement and Operational Acceptance

7.1 The Supplier shall commence work on the System with the time schedule specified in

the Implementation Schedule and any refinements made in the Agreed and Finalized

Project Plan.

7.2 The Supplier shall achieve Operational Acceptance of the System (or Subsystem(s)

where a separate time for Operational Acceptance of such Subsystem(s) is

specified in the Contract) within the time specified in the SCC and in accordance

with the time schedule specified in the Implementation Schedule in the

Technical Requirements Section and any refinements made in the Agreed and


39

Finalized Project Plan, or within such extended time to which the Supplier shall

be entitled under GCC Clause 34 (Extension of Time for Achieving Operational

Acceptance).


40

8. Supplier’s Responsibilities

8.1 The Supplier shall conduct all activities with due care and diligence, in accordance

with the Contract and with the skill and care expected of a competent provider of

information technologies, information systems, support, maintenance, training, and other

related services, or in accordance with best industry practices. In particular, the

Supplier shall provide and employ only technical personnel who are skilled and

experienced in their respective callings and supervisory staff who are

competent to adequately supervise the work at hand.

8.2 The Supplier confirms that it has entered into this Contract on the basis of a proper

examination of the data relating to the System provided by the Purchaser and on the

basis of information that the Supplier could have obtained from a visual inspection

of the site (if access to the site was available) and of other data readily available

to the Supplier relating to the System as at the date twenty-eight (28) days prior to

bid submission. The Supplier acknowledges that any failure to acquaint

itself with all such data and information shall not relieve its responsibility for

properly estimating the difficulty or cost of successfully performing the Contract.

8.3 The Supplier shall be responsible for timely provision of all resources, information,

and decision making under its control that are necessary to reach a mutually

Agreed and Finalized Project Plan (pursuant to GCC Clause 18.2) within the time

schedule specified in the Implementation Schedule in the Technical Requirements

Section. Failure to provide such resources, information, and decision making

may constitute grounds for termination pursuant to GCC Clause 35.2.

8.4 The Supplier shall comply with all laws in force in the Purchaser’s Country. The

laws will include all national, provincial, municipal, or other laws that affect the

performance of the Contract and are binding upon the Supplier. The Supplier shall

indemnify and hold harmless the Purchaser from and against any and all liabilities,

damages, claims, fines, penalties, and expenses of whatever nature arising or resulting from

the violation of such laws by the Supplier or its personnel, including the Subcontractors and

their personnel, but without prejudice to GCC Clause 9.1. The Supplier shall not

indemnify the Purchaser to the extent that such liability, damage, claims, fines,

penalties, and expenses were caused or contributed to by a fault of the Purchaser.

9. Purchaser’s Responsibilities

9.1 The Purchaser shall ensure the accuracy of all information and/or data to be supplied

by the Purchaser to the Supplier, except when otherwise expressly stated in the

Contract.


41

9.2 The Purchaser shall be responsible for timely provision of all resources, information,

and decision making under its control that are necessary to reach an Agreed and

Finalized Project Plan (pursuant to GCC Clause 18.2) within the time schedule

specified in the Implementation Schedule in the Technical Requirements Section.

Failure to provide such resources, information, and decision making may constitute

grounds for Termination pursuant to GCC Clause 41.3.1 (b).

9.3 In such cases where the responsibilities of specifying and acquiring or upgrading

telecommunications and/or electric power services falls to the Supplier, as

specified in the Technical Requirements, SCC, Agreed and Finalized Project Plan, or

other parts of the Contract, the Purchaser shall use its best endeavors to assist the

Supplier in obtaining such services in a timely and expeditious manner.

9.4 The Purchaser shall be responsible for timely provision of all resources, access, and

information necessary for the Installation and Operational Acceptance of the

System (including, but not limited to, any required telecommunications

or electric power services), as identified in the Agreed

and Finalized Project Plan, except where provision of such items is explicitly identified

in the Contract as being the responsibility of the Supplier. Delay by the Purchaser

may result in an appropriate extension of the Time for Operational Acceptance, at

the Supplier’s discretion.

9.5 Unless otherwise specified in the Contract or agreed upon

by the Purchaser and the Supplier, the Purchaser shall

provide sufficient, properly qualified operating and

technical personnel, as required by the Supplier to properly

carry out Delivery, Pre-commissioning, Installation,

Commissioning, and Operational Acceptance, at or before

the time specified in the Technical Requirements Section’s

Implementation Schedule and the Agreed and Finalized

Project Plan.

9.6 The Purchaser will designate appropriate staff for the

training courses to be given by the Supplier

9.7 The Purchaser assumes primary responsibility for the

Operational Acceptance Test(s) for the System, in

accordance with GCC Clause 23.2, and shall be responsible

for the continued operation of the System after Operational

Acceptance. However, this shall not limit in any way the

Supplier’s responsibilities after the date of Operational

Acceptance otherwise specified in the Contract.

9.8 The Purchaser is responsible for performing and safely

storing timely and regular backups of its data and Software

in accordance with accepted data management principles,

except where such responsibility is clearly assigned to the


42

Supplier elsewhere in the Contract.


43

C. PAYMENT

10. Contract Price

10.1 The Contract Price shall be as specified in (Contract

Price and Terms of Payment) of the Contract Agreement.

10.2 The Contract Price shall be a firm lump sum not subject to

any alteration, except:

(a) in the event of a Change in the System pursuant to

GCC Clause 33 or to other clauses in the Contract;

(b) in accordance with the price adjustment formula (if

any) specified in the SCC.

10.3 The Supplier shall be deemed to have satisfied itself as to

the correctness and sufficiency of the Contract Price, which

shall, except as otherwise provided for in the Contract,

cover all its obligations under the Contract.

11. Terms of Payment

11.1 The Supplier’s request for payment shall be made to the

Purchaser in writing, accompanied by an invoice describing,

as appropriate, the System or Subsystem(s), Delivered, Pre-

commissioned, Installed, and Operationally Accepted, and

by documents submitted and upon fulfillment of other

obligations stipulated in the Contract.

11.2 No payment made by the Purchaser herein shall be deemed

to constitute acceptance by the Purchaser of the System or

any Subsystem(s).

11.3 All payments shall be made in the currency(ies) specified in

the Contract Agreement, pursuant to GCC Clause 10. For

Goods and Services supplied locally, payments shall be

made in the currency of the Purchaser’s Country, unless

otherwise specified in the SCC.

11.4 Unless otherwise specified in the SCC, payment of the

foreign currency portion of the Contract Price for Goods


44

supplied from outside the Purchaser’s Country shall be

made to the Supplier through an irrevocable letter of credit

opened by an authorized bank in the Supplier’s Country and

will be payable on presentation of the appropriate

documents. It is agreed that the letter of credit will be

subject to Article 10 of the latest revision of Uniform

Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, published

by the International Chamber of Commerce, Paris.

12. Securities

12.1 Issuance of Securities

The Supplier shall provide the securities specified below in

favor of the Purchaser at the times and in the amount,

manner, and form specified below.

12.2 Performance Security

12.2.1 The Supplier shall, within fifteen (15) days of the

notification of Contract award, provide a security for

the due performance of the Contract in the

amount and currency specified in the SCC.

12.2.2 The security shall be a bank guarantee in the form

provided in the Sample Forms Section of the Bidding

Documents, or it shall be in another form acceptable

to the Purchaser.

12.2.3 The security shall automatically become null and void

once all the obligations of the Supplier under the

Contract have been fulfilled, including, but not limited

to, any obligations during the Warranty Period and

any extensions to the period. The security shall be

returned to the Supplier no later than twenty-eight

(28) days after its expiration.

12.2.4 Upon Operational Acceptance of the entire System,

the security shall be reduced to the amount specified

in the SCC, on the date of such Operational

Acceptance, so that the reduced security would only


45

cover the remaining warranty obligations of the

Supplier.

13. Taxes and Duties

13.1 For Goods or Services supplied from outside and

inside the Purchaser’s country, the Supplier shall

be entirely responsible for all taxes, stamp

duties, license fees, and other such levies

imposed outside and inside the

Purchaser’s country.

13.2 For Goods or Services supplied locally, the Supplier shall be

entirely responsible for all taxes, duties, license fees, etc.,

incurred until delivery of the contracted Goods or Services

to the Purchaser.

13.3 For the purpose of the Contract, it is agreed that the

Contract Price specified in (Contract Price and Terms of

Payment) of the Contract Agreement is based on the

taxes, duties, levies, and charges prevailing at the date

twenty-eight (28) days prior to the date of bid submission in

the Purchaser’s Country (also called “Tax” in this GCC Clause

13.4). If any Tax rates are increased or decreased, a new

Tax is introduced, an existing Tax is abolished, or any change

in interpretation or application of any Tax occurs in the

course of the performance of the Contract, which was or

will be assessed on the Supplier, its Subcontractors, or their

employees in connection with performance of the Contract,

an equitable adjustment to the Contract Price shall be made

to fully take into account any such change by addition to or

reduction from the Contract Price, as the case may be.

D. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

14. Copyright

14.1 The Intellectual Property Rights in all Standard Software and

Standard Materials shall remain vested in the owner of such

rights.

14.2 The Purchaser agrees to restrict use, copying, or duplication

of the Standard Software and Standard Materials in


46

accordance with GCC Clause 16, except that additional

copies of Standard Materials may be made by the Purchaser

for use within the scope of the project of which the System

is a part, in the event that the Supplier does not deliver

copies within thirty (30) days from receipt of a request for

such Standard Materials.

14.3 The Purchaser’s contractual rights to use the Standard

Software or elements of the Standard Software may not be

assigned, licensed, or otherwise transferred voluntarily

except in accordance with the relevant license agreement

or as may be otherwise specified in the SCC.

15. Software License Agreements

15.1 Except to the extent that the Intellectual Property Rights in the Software vest in the

Purchaser, the Supplier hereby grants to the Purchaser license to access and

use the Software, including all inventions, designs, and marks embodied in the

Software.

Such license to access and use the Software shall: (a) be:

(i) nonexclusive;

(ii) valid throughout the territory of the Purchaser’s Country (or such other

territory as specified in the SCC); and

(iii) subject to additional restrictions (if any) as

specified in the SCC.

(b) permit the Software to be:

(i) used or copied for use on or with the computer(s) for which

it was acquired (if specified in the Technical Requirements and/or the

Supplier’s bid), plus a backup computer(s) of the same or similar

capacity, if the primary is(are) inoperative, and during a reasonable

transitional period when use is being transferred between primary and

backup;

(ii) as specified in the SCC, used or copied for use on or transferred to a

replacement computer(s), (and use on the original and replacement

computer(s) may be simultaneous during a reasonable transitional

period) provided that, if

the Technical Requirements and/or the

Supplier’s bid specifies a class of computer to


47

which the license is restricted and unless the

Supplier agrees otherwise in writing, the

replacement computer(s) is(are) within that

class;

(iii) if the nature of the System is such as to permit

such access, accessed from other computers

connected to the primary and/or backup

computer(s) by means of a local or wide-area

network or similar arrangement, and used on or

copied for use on those other computers to the

extent necessary to that access;

(iv) reproduced for safekeeping or backup purposes;

(v) customized, adapted, or combined with other

computer software for use by the Purchaser,

provided that derivative software incorporating

any substantial part of the delivered, restricted

Software shall be subject to same restrictions as

are set forth in this Contract;

(vi) as specified in the SCC, disclosed to, and

reproduced for use by, support service suppliers

and their subcontractors, (and the Purchaser

may sublicense such persons to use and copy for

use the Software) to the extent reasonably

necessary to the performance of their support

service contracts, subject to the same

restrictions as are set forth in this Contract; and

(vii) disclosed to, and reproduced for use by, the

Purchaser and by such other persons as are

specified in the SCC (and the Purchaser may

sublicense such persons to use and copy for use

the Software), subject to the same restrictions as

are set forth in this Contract.

15.2 The Standard Software may be subject to audit by the

Supplier, in accordance with the terms specified in the SCC,

to verify compliance with the above license agreements.

16. Confidential Information

16.1 Except if otherwise specified in the SCC, the "Receiving Party" (either the


48

Purchaser or the Supplier) shall keep confidential and shall not, without the

written consent of the other party to this Contract (“the Disclosing Party”), divulge

to any third party any documents, data, or other information of a

confidential nature (“Confidential Information”) connected

with this Contract, and furnished directly or indirectly by the Disclosing Party

prior to or during performance, or following termination, of this Contract.

16.2 For the purposes of GCC Clause 16.1, the Supplier is also deemed to be the

Receiving Party of Confidential Information generated by the

Supplier itself in the course of the performance of its obligations under the Contract

and relating to the businesses, finances, suppliers, employees, or other contacts of

the Purchaser or the Purchaser’s use of the System.

16.3 Notwithstanding GCC Clauses 16.1 and 16.2:

(a) the Supplier may furnish to its Subcontractor Confidential Information

of the Purchaser to the extent reasonably required for the Subcontractor to

perform its work under the Contract; and

(b) the Purchaser may furnish Confidential Information of the Supplier: (i) to its

support service suppliers and their subcontractors to the extent reasonably

required for them to perform their work under their support service

contracts; and (ii) to its affiliates and subsidiaries,

in which event the Receiving Party shall ensure that the person to whom it

furnishes Confidential Information of the Disclosing Party is aware of and abides by

the Receiving Party’s obligations under this GCC Clause 16 as if that person were

party to the Contract in place of the Receiving Party.

16.4 The Purchaser shall not, without the Supplier’s prior written consent, use any

Confidential Information received from the Supplier for any purpose other than

the operation, maintenance and further development of the System. Similarly,

the Supplier shall not, without the Purchaser’s

prior written consent, use any Confidential Information

received from the Purchaser for any purpose other than

those that are required for the performance of the Contract.

16.5 The obligation of a party under GCC Clauses 16.1 through

16.4 above, however, shall not apply to that information

which:

(a) now or hereafter enters the public domain through no

fault of the Receiving Party;

(b) can be proven to have been possessed by the

Receiving Party at the time of disclosure and that was

not previously obtained, directly or indirectly, from


49

the Disclosing Party;

(c) otherwise lawfully becomes available to the Receiving

Party from a third party that has no obligation of

confidentiality.

16.6 The above provisions of this GCC Clause 16 shall not in any

way modify any undertaking of confidentiality given by

either of the parties to this Contract prior to the date of the

Contract in respect of the System or any part thereof.

16.7 The provisions of this GCC Clause 16 shall survive the

termination, for whatever reason, of the Contract for three

(3) years or such longer period as may be specified in the

SCC.


50

E. SUPPLY, INSTALLATION, TESTING,

COMMISSIONING, AND ACCEPTANCE OF THE SYSTEM

17. Representatives

17.1 Project Manager

If the Project Manager is not named in the Contract, then

within fourteen (14) days of the Effective Date, the

Purchaser shall appoint and notify the Supplier in writing of

the name of the Project Manager. The Purchaser may from

time to time appoint some other person as the Project

Manager in place of the person previously so appointed and

shall give a notice of the name of such other person to the

Supplier without delay. No such appointment shall be made

at such a time or in such a manner as to impede the

progress of work on the System. Such appointment shall

take effect only upon receipt of such notice by the Supplier.

Subject to the extensions and/or limitations specified in the

SCC (if any), the Project Manager shall have the authority to

represent the Purchaser on all day-to-day matters relating

to the System or arising from the Contract, and shall

normally be the person giving or receiving notices on behalf

of the Purchaser pursuant to GCC Clause 3.

17.2 Supplier’s Representative

17.2.1 If the Supplier’s Representative is not named in the

Contract, then within fourteen (14) days of the

Effective Date, the Supplier shall appoint the

Supplier’s Representative and shall request the

Purchaser in writing to approve the person so

appointed. The request must be accompanied by a

detailed curriculum vitae for the nominee, as well as

a description of any other System or non-System

responsibilities the nominee would retain while

performing the duties of the Supplier’s

Representative. If the Purchaser does not object to

the appointment within fourteen (14) days, the

Supplier’s Representative shall be deemed to have

been approved. If the Purchaser objects to the

appointment within fourteen (14) days giving the

reason therefor, then the Supplier shall appoint a

replacement within fourteen (14) days of such


51

objection in accordance with this GCC Clause 17.2.1.

17.2.2 Subject to the extensions and/or limitations specified

in the SCC (if any), the Supplier’s Representative shall

have the authority to represent the Supplier on all

day-to-day matters relating to the System or arising

from the Contract, and shall normally be the person

giving or receiving notices on behalf of the Supplier

pursuant to GCC Clause 3.

17.2.3 The Supplier shall not revoke the appointment of the

Supplier’s Representative without the Purchaser’s

prior written consent, which shall not be

unreasonably withheld. If the Purchaser consents to

such an action, the Supplier shall appoint another

person of equal or superior qualifications as the

Supplier’s Representative, pursuant to the procedure

set out in GCC Clause 17.2.1.

17.2.4 The Supplier’s Representative and staff are obliged to

work closely with the Purchaser’s Project Manager

and staff, act within their own authority, and abide by

directives issued by the Purchaser that are consistent

with the terms of the Contract. The Supplier’s

Representative is responsible for managing the

activities of its personnel and any subcontracted

personnel.


52

17.2.5 The Supplier’s Representative may, subject to the

approval of the Purchaser (which shall not be

unreasonably withheld), at any time delegate to any

person any of the powers, functions, and authorities

vested in him or her. Any such delegation may be

revoked at any time. Any such delegation or

revocation shall be subject to a prior notice signed by

the Supplier’s Representative and shall specify the

powers, functions, and authorities thereby delegated

or revoked. No such delegation or revocation shall

take effect unless and until the notice of it has been

delivered.

17.2.6 Any act or exercise by any person of powers,

functions and authorities so delegated to him or her

in accordance with GCC Clause 17.2.5 shall be

deemed to be an act or exercise by the Supplier’s

Representative.

17.3 Objections and Removals

17.3.1 The Purchaser may by notice to the Supplier object to

any representative or person employed by the

Supplier in the execution of the Contract who, in the

reasonable opinion of the Purchaser, may have

behaved inappropriately, be incompetent, or be

negligent. The Purchaser shall provide evidence of

the same, whereupon the Supplier shall remove such

person from work on the System.

17.3.2 If any representative or person employed by the

Supplier is removed in accordance with GCC Clause

17.3.1, the Supplier shall, where required, promptly

appoint a replacement.


53

18. Project Plan

18.1 In close cooperation with the Purchaser and based on

the Preliminary Project Plan included in the Supplier’s bid,

the Supplier shall develop a Project Plan encompassing

the activities specified in the Contract. The contents of

the Project Plan shall be as specified in the SCC

and/or Technical Requirements.

18.2 The Supplier shall formally present to the Purchaser the

Project Plan in accordance with the procedure specified in

the SCC.

18.3 If required, the impact on the Implementation Schedule of

modifications agreed during finalization of the Agreed and

Finalized Project Plan shall be incorporated in the Contract

by amendment, in accordance with GCC Clauses 33 and 34.

18.4 The Supplier shall undertake to supply, install, test, and

commission the System in accordance with the Agreed and

Finalized Project Plan and the Contract.

18.5 The Progress and other reports specified in the SCC shall be

prepared by the Supplier and submitted to the Purchaser in

the format and frequency specified in the Technical

Requirements.

19. Design and Engineering

19.1 Technical Specifications and Drawings

19.1.1 The Supplier shall execute the basic and detailed design and the

implementation activities necessary for successful installation of the System in

compliance with the provisions of the Contract or, where not so specified, in

accordance with good industry practice.

The Supplier shall be responsible for any discrepancies, errors or

omissions in the specifications, drawings, and

other technical documents that it has prepared, whether such

specifications, drawings, and other documents have been approved by the

Project Manager or not, provided that such discrepancies, errors, or omissions

are not because of inaccurate information furnished in writing to the Supplier

by or on behalf of the Purchaser.


54

19.1.2 The Supplier shall be entitled to disclaim responsibility for any

design, data, drawing, specification, or other document, or any

modification


55

of such design, drawings, specification, or other

documents provided or designated by or on behalf of

the Purchaser, by giving a notice of such disclaimer to

the Project Manager.

19.2 Codes and Standards

Wherever references are made in the Contract to codes and

standards in accordance with which the Contract shall be

executed, the edition or the revised version of such codes

and standards current at the date twenty-eight (28) days

prior to date of bid submission shall apply unless otherwise

specified in the SCC. During Contract execution, any

changes in such codes and standards shall be applied after

approval by the Purchaser and shall be treated in

accordance with GCC Clause 33.3.

19.3 Approval/Review of Technical Documents by the Project

Manager

19.3.1 The Supplier shall prepare and furnish to the Project

Manager the documents as specified in the SCC for

the Project Manager’s approval or review.

Any part of the System covered by or related to the

documents to be approved by the Project Manager

shall be executed only after the Project Manager’s

approval of these documents.

GCC Clauses 19.3.2 through 19.3.5 shall apply to

those documents requiring the Project Manager’s

approval, but not to those furnished to the Project

Manager for its review only.

19.3.2 The Project Manager shall not disapprove any

document except on the grounds that the document

does not comply with some specified provision of the

Contract or that it is contrary to good industry

practice.

19.3.3 If the Project Manager disapproves the document,

the Supplier shall modify the document and resubmit

it for the Project Manager’s approval. If the Project

Manager approves the document subject to

modification(s), the Supplier shall make the required

modification(s), and the document shall then be

deemed to have been approved, subject to GCC

Clause 21.3.5. The procedure set out

shall be repeated, as appropriate, until the Project

Manager approves such documents.


56

19.3.4 The Project Manager’s approval, with or without

modification of the document furnished by the

Supplier, shall not relieve the Supplier of any

responsibility or liability imposed upon it by any

provisions of the Contract except to the extent that

any subsequent failure results from modifications

required by the Project Manager or inaccurate

information furnished in writing to the Supplier by or

on behalf of the Purchaser.

19.3.5 The Supplier shall not depart from any approved

document unless the Supplier has first submitted to

the Project Manager an amended document and

obtained the Project Manager’s approval of the

document, pursuant to the provisions of this GCC

Clause 19.3. If the Project Manager requests any

change in any already approved document and/or in

any document based on such an approved document,

the provisions of GCC Clause 33 (Changes to the

System) shall apply to such request.

20. Product Upgrades

20.1 At any point during performance of the Contract, should

technological advances be introduced by the Supplier for

Information Technologies originally offered by the Supplier

in its bid and still to be delivered, the Supplier shall be

obligated to offer to the Purchaser the latest versions of the

available Information Technologies having equal or better

performance or functionality at the same or lesser unit

prices, pursuant to GCC Clause 33 (Changes to the System).

20.2 During performance of the Contract, the Supplier shall offer

to the Purchaser all new versions, releases, and updates of

Standard Software, as well as related documentation and

technical support services, within thirty (30) days of their

availability from the Supplier to other clients of the Supplier

in the Purchaser’s Country, and no later than six (6)

months after they are released in the country of origin. In

no case will the prices for these Software exceed those

quoted by the Supplier in the Recurrent Costs tables in its

bid.

20.3 During the Warranty Period, unless otherwise specified in

the SCC, the Supplier will provide at no additional cost to

the Purchaser all new versions, releases, and updates for all


57

Standard Software that are used in the System, within thirty

(30) days of their availability from the Supplier to other

clients of the Supplier in the Purchaser’s country, and no

later than six (6) months after they are released in the

country of origin of the Software.

20.4 The Purchaser shall introduce all new versions, releases or

updates of the Software within nine (9) months of

receipt of a production-ready copy of the new version,

release, or update, provided that the new version, release,

or update does not adversely affect System operation or

performance or require extensive reworking of the System.

In cases where the new version, release, or update

adversely affects System operation or performance, or

requires extensive reworking of the System, the Supplier

shall continue to support and maintain the version or

release previously in operation for as long as necessary to

allow introduction of the new version, release, or update.

In no case shall the Supplier stop supporting or maintaining

a version or release of the Software less than twelve (12)

months after the Purchaser receives a production-

ready copy of a subsequent version, release, or update. The

Purchaser shall use all reasonable endeavors to implement

any new version, release, or update as soon as practicable,

subject to the twelve-month-long stop date.

21. Inspections and Tests

21.1 The Purchaser or its representative shall have the right to inspect and/or test any

components of the System, as specified in the Technical Requirements, to confirm

their good working order and/or conformity to the Contract at the point of delivery

and/or at the Project Site.

21.2 Should the inspected or tested components fail to conform to the Contract,

the Purchaser may reject the component(s), and the Supplier shall

either replace the rejected component(s), or make alterations as necessary so that it

meets the Contract requirements free of cost to the Purchaser.

21.3 The Project Manager may require the Supplier to carry out any inspection and/or

test not specified in the Contract, provided that the Supplier’s reasonable costs and

expenses incurred in the carrying out of such inspection and/or test shall be added to

the Contract Price. Further, if such inspection and/or test

impedes the progress of work on the System and/or the Supplier’s performance of its

other obligations under the Contract, due allowance will be made in respect of the Time for

Achieving Operational Acceptance and the other obligations so affected.

21.4 If any dispute shall arise between the parties in connection

with or caused by an inspection and/or with regard to any

component to be incorporated in the System that cannot be

settled amicably between the parties within a reasonable


58

period of time, either party may invoke the process

pursuant to GCC Clause 5 (Settlement of Disputes), starting

with referral of the matter to the Adjudicator in case an

Adjudicator is included and named in the Contract

Agreement.


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22. Installation of the System

22.1 As soon as the System, or any Subsystem, has, in the opinion of the Supplier,

been delivered, Pre-commissioned, and made ready for Commissioning and

Operational Acceptance Testing in accordance with the Technical Requirements,

the SCC and the Agreed and Finalized Project Plan, the Supplier shall so notify the

Purchaser in writing.

22.2 The Project Manager shall, within fourteen (14) days after receipt of the Supplier’s

notice under GCC Clause 22.1, either issue an Installation Certificate in the form

specified in the Sample Forms Section in the Bidding Documents, stating that the

System, or major component or Subsystem (if Acceptance by major component

or Subsystem is specified pursuant to the SCC for GCC Clause 23.2.1), has achieved

Installation by the date of the Supplier’s notice under GCC Clause 22.1, or notify the

Supplier in writing of any defects and/or deficiencies, including, but not limited to,

defects or deficiencies in the interoperability or integration of the various

components and/or Subsystems making up the System. The Supplier shall use all

reasonable endeavors to promptly remedy any defect and/or deficiencies

that the Project Manager has notified the Supplier of. The Supplier shall

then promptly carry out retesting of the System or Subsystem and, when in the

Supplier’s opinion the System or Subsystem is ready for Commissioning and

Operational Acceptance Testing, notify the Purchaser in writing, in

accordance with GCC Clause 22.1. The procedure set out in this GCC Clause 22.2

shall be repeated, as necessary, until an Installation Certificate is issued.

22.3 If the Project Manager fails to issue the Installation Certificate and fails to

inform the Supplier of any defects and/or deficiencies within fourteen (14) days

after receipt of the Supplier’s notice under GCC Clause 22.1, or if the

Purchaser puts the System or a Subsystem into production operation, then the System (or

Subsystem) shall be deemed to have achieved successful Installation as of the date of the

Supplier’s notice or repeated notice, or when the Purchaser put the System into production

operation, as the case may be.

23. Commissioning and Operational Acceptance

23.1 Commissioning

23.1.1 Commissioning of the System (or Subsystem if specified pursuant to the

SCC for GCC Clause 23.2.1) shall be commenced by the Supplier:

(a) immediately after the Installation Certificate is issued by the Project

Manager, pursuant to GCC Clause 22.2; or

(b) as otherwise specified in the Technical Requirement or the

Agreed and Finalized Project Plan; or


60

(c) immediately after Installation is deemed to have occurred, under GCC

Clause 22.3.

23.1.2 The Purchaser shall supply the operating and technical personnel and all

materials and information reasonably required to enable the Supplier to carry

out its obligations with respect to Commissioning.

Production use of the System or Subsystem(s) shall not commence prior

to the start of formal Operational Acceptance

Testing.

23.2 Operational Acceptance Tests

23.2.1 The Operational Acceptance Tests (and repeats of such tests) shall be the

primary responsibility of the Purchaser (in accordance with GCC Clause 9.7), but

shall be conducted with the full cooperation of the Supplier during

Commissioning of the System (or major components or Subsystem[s] if

specified in the SCC and supported by the Technical Requirements), to

ascertain whether the System (or major component or

Subsystem[s]) conforms to the Technical Requirements and

meets the standard of performance quoted in the Supplier’s bid, including,

but not restricted to, the functional and technical

performance requirements. The Operational

Acceptance Tests during Commissioning will be

conducted as specified in the SCC, the Technical

Requirements and/or the Agreed and Finalized

Project Plan.

At the Purchaser’s discretion, Operational Acceptance

Tests may also be performed on replacement Goods,

upgrades and new version releases, and Goods that

are added or field-modified after Operational

Acceptance of the System.

23.2.2 If for reasons attributable to the Purchaser, the

Operational Acceptance Test of the System (or

Subsystem[s] or major components, pursuant to the

SCC for GCC Clause 23.2.1) cannot be successfully

completed within the period specified in the SCC,

from the date of Installation or any other period

agreed upon in writing by the Purchaser and the

Supplier, the Supplier shall be deemed to have

fulfilled its obligations with respect to the technical

and functional aspects of the Technical Specifications,

SCC and/or the Agreed and Finalized Project Plan, and

GCC Clause 24.2 and 24.3 shall not apply.

23.3 Operational Acceptance


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23.3.1 Operational Acceptance shall occur in respect of the

System, when

(a) the Operational Acceptance Tests, as specified in

the Technical Requirements, and/or SCC and/or

the Agreed and Finalized Project Plan have been

successfully completed; or

(b) the Operational Acceptance Tests have not been

successfully completed or have not been carried

out for reasons that are attributable to the

Purchaser within the period from the date of

Installation or any other agreed-upon period as

specified in GCC Clause 23.2.2 above; or

(c) the Purchaser has put the System into

production or use for sixty (60) consecutive days.

If the System is put into production or use in this

manner, the Supplier shall notify the Purchaser

and document such use.

23.3.2 At any time after any of the events set out in GCC

Clause 23.3.1 have occurred, the Supplier may give a

notice to the Project Manager requesting the issue of

an Operational Acceptance Certificate.

23.3.3 After consultation with the Purchaser, and within

fourteen (14) days after receipt of the Supplier’s

notice, the Project Manager shall:

(a) issue an Operational Acceptance Certificate; or

(b) notify the Supplier in writing of any defect or

deficiencies or other reason for the failure of

the Operational Acceptance Tests; or

(c) issue the Operational Acceptance Certificate, if

the situation covered by GCC Clause 23.3.1 (b)

arises.

23.3.4 The Supplier shall use all reasonable endeavors to

promptly remedy any defect and/or deficiencies

and/or other reasons for the failure of the

Operational Acceptance Test that the Project

Manager has notified the Supplier of. Once such

remedies have been made by the Supplier, the

Supplier shall notify the Purchaser, and the

Purchaser, with the full cooperation of the Supplier,

shall use all reasonable endeavors to promptly carry


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out retesting of the System or Subsystem. Upon the

successful conclusion of the Operational Acceptance

Tests, the Supplier shall notify the Purchaser of its

request for Operational Acceptance Certification, in

accordance with GCC Clause 23.3.3. The Purchaser

shall then issue to the Supplier the Operational

Acceptance Certification in accordance with GCC

Clause 23.3.3 (a), or shall notify the Supplier of

further defects, deficiencies, or other reasons for the

failure of the Operational Acceptance Test. The

procedure set out in this GCC Clause 23.3.4 shall be

repeated, as necessary, until an Operational

Acceptance Certificate is issued.

23.3.5 If the System or Subsystem fails to pass the

Operational Acceptance Test(s) in accordance with

GCC Clause 23.2, then either:

(a) the Purchaser may consider terminating the

Contract, pursuant to GCC Clause 35.2.2;

or

(b) if the failure to achieve Operational

Acceptance within the specified time period is

a result of the failure of the Purchaser to fulfill

its obligations under the Contract, then the

Supplier shall be deemed to have fulfilled its

obligations with respect to the relevant

technical and functional aspects of the

Contract, and GCC Clause 26.3 shall not apply.

23.3.6 If within fourteen (14) days after receipt of the

Supplier’s notice the Project Manager fails to issue

the Operational Acceptance Certificate or fails to

inform the Supplier in writing of the justifiable

reasons why the Project Manager has not issued the

Operational Acceptance Certificate, the System or

Subsystem shall be deemed to have been accepted as

of the date of the Supplier’s said notice.


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F. GUARANTEES AND LIABILITIES

24. Operational Acceptance Time Guarantee

24.1 The Supplier guarantees that it shall complete the supply, Installation,

Commissioning, and achieve Operational Acceptance of the System

(or Subsystems, pursuant to the SCC for GCC Clause 23.2.1) within the time periods

specified in the Implementation Schedule in the

Technical Requirements Section and/or the Agreed and Finalized Project Plan

pursuant to GCC Clause 7.2, or within such extended time to which the Supplier

shall be entitled under GCC Clause 40 (Extension of Time for Achieving Operational

Acceptance).

24.2 If the Supplier fails to supply, install, commission, and achieve Operational Acceptance

of the System (or Subsystems pursuant to the SCC for GCC Clause 23.2.1) within the

time for achieving Operational Acceptance specified in the

Implementation Schedule in the Technical Requirement or the Agreed and Finalized

Project Plan, or any extension of the time for achieving Operational Acceptance

previously granted under GCC Clause 34 (Extension of Time for Achieving

Operational Acceptance), the Supplier shall pay to the Purchaser liquidated

damages at the rate specified in the SCC as a percentage of the Contract Price, or the

relevant part of the Contract Price if a Subsystem has not achieved Operational

Acceptance. The aggregate amount of such

liquidated damages shall in no event exceed the amount specified in the SCC (“the

Maximum”). Once the Maximum is reached, the Purchaser may consider termination of

the Contract, pursuant to GCC Clause 35.2.2.

24.3 Unless otherwise specified in the SCC, liquidated damages

payable under GCC Clause 24.2 shall apply only to the

failure to achieve Operational Acceptance of the System (and

Subsystems) as specified in the Implementation Schedule in

the Technical Requirements and/or Agreed and Finalized Project

Plan. This Clause 24.3 shall not limit,

however, any other rights or remedies the Purchaser may have

under the Contract for other delays.

24.4 If liquidated damages are claimed by the Purchaser for the

System (or Subsystem), the Supplier shall have no further

liability whatsoever to the Purchaser in respect to the

Operational Acceptance time guarantee for the System (or

Subsystem). However, the payment of liquidated damages

shall not in any way relieve the Supplier from any of its


64

obligations to complete the System or from any other of its

obligations and liabilities under the Contract.


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25. Defect Liability

25.1 The Supplier warrants that the System, including all

Information Technologies, Materials, and other Goods

supplied and Services provided, shall be free from defects in

the design, engineering, Materials, and workmanship that

prevent the System and/or any of its components from

fulfilling the Technical Requirements or that limit in a

material fashion the performance, reliability, or extensibility

of the System and/or Subsystems. Exceptions and/or

limitations, if any, to this warranty with respect to Software

(or categories of Software), shall be as specified in the SCC.

Commercial warranty provisions of products supplied under

the Contract shall apply to the extent that they do not

conflict with the provisions of this Contract.

25.2 The Supplier also warrants that the Information

Technologies, Materials, and other Goods supplied under

the Contract are new, unused, and incorporate all recent

improvements in design that materially affect the System’s

or Subsystem’s ability to fulfill the Technical Requirements.

25.3 In addition, the Supplier warrants that: (i) all Goods

components to be incorporated into the System form part

of the Supplier’s and/or Subcontractor’s current product

lines, (ii) they have been previously released to the market,

and (iii) those specific items identified in the SCC (if any)

have been in the market for at least the minimum periods

specified in the SCC.

25.4 The Warranty Period shall commence from the date of

Operational Acceptance of the System (or of any major

component or Subsystem for which separate Operational

Acceptance is provided for in the Contract) and shall extend

for the length of time specified in the SCC.

25.5 If during the Warranty Period any defect as described in

GCC Clause 25.1 should be found in the design, engineering,

Materials, and workmanship of the Information

Technologies and other Goods supplied or of the Services

provided by the Supplier, the Supplier shall promptly, in

consultation and agreement with the Purchaser regarding

appropriate remedying of the defects, and at its sole cost,

repair, replace, or otherwise make good (as the Supplier

shall, at its discretion, determine) such defect as well as any

damage to the System caused by such defect. Any defective


66

Information Technologies or other Goods that have been

replaced by the Supplier shall remain the property of the

Supplier.

25.6 The Supplier shall not be responsible for the repair,

replacement, or making good of any defect or of any

damage to the System arising out of or resulting from any of

the following causes:

(a) improper operation or maintenance of the System by

the Purchaser;

(b) normal wear and tear;

(c) use of the System with items not supplied by the

Supplier, unless otherwise identified in the Technical

Requirements, or approved by the Supplier; or

(d) modifications made to the System by the Purchaser, or a

third party, not approved by the Supplier.

25.7 The Supplier’s obligations under this GCC Clause 25 shall not

apply to:

(a) any materials that are normally consumed in operation

or have a normal life shorter than the Warranty Period;

or

(b) any designs, specifications, or other data designed,

supplied, or specified by or on behalf of the Purchaser or

any matters for which the Supplier has disclaimed

responsibility, in accordance with GCC Clause 19.1.2.

25.8 The Purchaser shall give the Supplier a notice promptly

following the discovery of such defect, stating the nature of

any such defect together with all available evidence. The

Purchaser shall afford all reasonable opportunity for the

Supplier to inspect any such defect. The Purchaser shall

afford the Supplier all necessary access to the System and

the site to enable the Supplier to perform its obligations

under this GCC Clause 25.

25.9 The Supplier may, with the consent of the Purchaser,

remove from the site any Information Technologies and

other Goods that are defective, if the nature of the defect,

and/or any damage to the System caused by the defect, is

such that repairs cannot be expeditiously carried out at the

site. If the repair, replacement, or making good is of such a

character that it may affect the efficiency of the System, the


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Purchaser may give the Supplier notice requiring that tests

of the defective part be made by the Supplier immediately

upon completion of such remedial work, whereupon the

Supplier shall carry out such tests.

If such part fails the tests, the Supplier shall carry out

further repair, replacement, or making good (as the case

may be) until that part of the System passes such tests. The

tests shall be agreed upon by the Purchaser and the

Supplier.

25.10 If the Supplier fails to commence the work necessary to remedy such defect or any

damage to the System caused by such defect within the time period specified in the SCC,

the Purchaser may, following notice to the Supplier, proceed to do such work or contract a

third party (or parties) to do such work, and the reasonable costs incurred by the Purchaser

in connection with such work shall be paid to the Purchaser by the Supplier or may be

deducted by the Purchaser from any monies due the Supplier or claimed under the

Performance Security.

25.11 If the System or Subsystem cannot be used by reason of such defect and/or

making good of such defect, the Warranty Period for the System shall be extended

by a period equal to the period during which the System or Subsystem could not be

used by the Purchaser because of such defect and/or making good of such defect.

25.12 Items substituted for defective parts of the System during the Warranty Period shall

be covered by the Defect Liability Warranty for the remainder of the Warranty

Period applicable for the part replaced or two (2) months, whichever is greater.

25.13 At the request of the Purchaser and without prejudice to any other rights and

remedies that the Purchaser may have against the Supplier under the Contract, the

Supplier will offer all possible assistance to the Purchaser to seek warranty

services or remedial action from any

subcontracted third-party producers or licensor of Goods included in the System,

including without limitation assignment or transfer in favor of the Purchaser of the

benefit of any warranties given by such producers or licensors to the Supplier.

26. Functional Guarantees

26.1 The Supplier guarantees that, once the Operational

Acceptance Certificate(s) has been issued, the System represents a

complete, integrated solution to the Purchaser’s

requirements set forth in the Technical Requirements and it

conforms to all other aspects of the Contract. The Supplier acknowledges that GCC

Clause 23 regarding Commissioning and Operational Acceptance

governs how technical conformance of the System to the Contract requirements will

be determined.

26.2 If, for reasons attributable to the Supplier, the System does not conform to the

Technical Requirements or does not conform to all other aspects of the Contract,

the Supplier shall at its cost and expense make such changes,


68

modifications, and/or additions to the System as may be necessary to conform to

the Technical Requirements and meet all functional and performance standards.

The Supplier shall notify the Purchaser upon completion of the necessary

changes, modifications, and/or additions and


69

shall request the Purchaser to repeat the Operational

Acceptance Tests until the System achieves Operational

Acceptance.

26.3 If the System (or Subsystem[s]) fails to achieve Operational

Acceptance, the Purchaser may consider termination of the

Contract, pursuant to GCC Clause 35.2.2, and forfeiture of

the Supplier’s Performance Security in accordance with GCC

Clause 12.2 in compensation for the extra costs and delays

likely to result from this failure.

27. Intellectual Property Rights Warranty

27.1 The Supplier hereby represents and warrants that:

the System as supplied,installed, tested, and accepted;

(b) use of the System in accordance with the Contract;

and

(c) copying of the Software and Materials provided to the

Purchaser in accordance with the Contract

do not and will not infringe any Intellectual Property Rights held by any third party and

that it has all necessary rights or at its sole expense shall have secured in writing all

transfers of rights and other consents necessary to make the assignments,

licenses, and other transfers of Intellectual Property Rights and the warranties set

forth in the Contract, and for the Purchaser to own or exercise all Intellectual

Property Rights as provided in the Contract. Without limitation, the Supplier

shall secure all necessary written agreements, consents, and transfers of rights

from its employees and other persons or entities whose services are used for

development of the System.

28. Limitation of Liability

28.1 Provided the following does not exclude or limit any liabilities of either party in

ways not permitted by applicable law:

(a) the Supplier shall not be liable to the Purchaser, whether in contract,

tort, or otherwise, for any indirect or consequential loss or damage, loss of

use, loss of production, or loss of profits or interest costs, provided that this

exclusion shall not apply to any obligation of the Supplier to pay liquidated

damages to the Purchaser; and


70

(b) the aggregate liability of the Supplier to the Purchaser,

whether under the Contract, in tort or otherwise, shall

not exceed the total Contract Price, provided that this

limitation shall not apply to any obligation of the

Supplier to indemnify the Purchaser with respect to

intellectual property rights infringement.

G. RISK DISTRIBUTION

29. Transfer of Ownership

29.1 With the exception of Software and Materials, the ownership of the

Information Technologies and other Goods shall be transferred to the Purchaser at the

time of Delivery or otherwise under terms that may be agreed upon and specified

in the Contract Agreement.

29.2 Ownership and the terms of usage of the Software and Materials supplied under

the Contract shall be governed by GCC Clause 14 (Copyright) and any elaboration

in the Technical Requirements.

29.3 Ownership of the Supplier’s Equipment used by the Supplier and its Subcontractors in

connection with the Contract shall remain with the Supplier or its Subcontractors.

30. Care of the System

30.1 The Purchaser shall become responsible for the care and custody of the System or

Subsystems upon their Delivery. The Purchaser shall make good at its own cost any

loss or damage that may occur to the System or Subsystems from any cause from

the date of Delivery until the date of Operational Acceptance of the System

or Subsystems, pursuant to GCC Clause 23 (Commissioning and Operational

Acceptance), excepting such loss or damage arising from acts or omissions of

the Supplier, its employees, or subcontractors.

30.2 If any loss or damage occurs to the System or any part of the System by reason of:

(a) (insofar as they relate to the country where the Project Site is located)

nuclear reaction, nuclear radiation, radioactive contamination, a pressure

wave caused by aircraft or other aerial objects, or any other occurrences that an

experienced contractor could not reasonably foresee, or if reasonably

foreseeable could not reasonably make provision for or insure against,

In so far as such risks are not normally insurable on

the insurance market.

(b) any use not in accordance with the Contract, by the

Purchaser or any third party;


71

(c) any use of or reliance upon any design, data, or

specification provided or designated by or on behalf of

the Purchaser, or any such matter for which the

Supplier has disclaimed responsibility in accordance

with GCC Clause 19.1.2,

the Purchaser shall pay to the Supplier all sums payable in respect of the System or

Subsystems that have achieved Operational Acceptance, notwithstanding that the same be

lost, destroyed, or damaged. If the Purchaser requests the Supplier in writing to make

good any loss or damage to the System thereby occasioned, the Supplier shall make good

the same at the cost of the Purchaser in accordance with GCC Clause 33. If the

Purchaser does not request the Supplier in writing to make good any loss or damage to

the System thereby occasioned, the Purchaser shall either request a change in

accordance with GCC Clause 33, excluding the performance of that part of the

System thereby lost, destroyed, or damaged, or, where the loss or damage affects a

substantial part of the System, the Purchaser shall terminate the Contract pursuant

to GCC Clause 35.1.

30.3 The Purchaser shall be liable for any loss of or damage to any Supplier’s

Equipment which the Purchaser has

authorized to locate within the Purchaser's premises for use in fulfillment of Supplier's

obligations under the Contract, except where such loss or damage arises from acts or

omissions of the Supplier, its employees, or subcontractors.

31. Loss of or Damage to Property; Accident or Injury to Workers; Indemnification

31.1 The Supplier and each and every Subcontractor shall abide by the job safety,

insurance, customs, and immigration measures prevalent and laws in force in the

Purchaser’s Country.

31.2 Subject to GCC Clause 31.3, the Supplier shall indemnify and hold harmless the

Purchaser and its employees and officers

from and against any and all losses, liabilities and costs

(including losses, liabilities, and costs incurred in defending

a claim alleging such a liability) that the Purchaser or its

employees or officers may suffer as a result of the death or

injury of any person or loss of or damage to any property

(other than the System, whether accepted or not) arising in

connection with the supply, installation, testing, and

Commissioning of the System and by reason of the

negligence of the Supplier or its Subcontractors, or their

employees, officers or agents, except any injury, death, or

property damage caused by the negligence of the

Purchaser, its contractors, employees, officers, or agents.

31.3 If any proceedings are brought or any claim is made against

the Purchaser that might subject the Supplier to liability

under GCC Clause 31.2, the Purchaser shall promptly give

the Supplier notice of such proceedings or claims, and the

Supplier may at its own expense and in the Purchaser’s

name conduct such proceedings or claim and any


72

negotiations for the settlement of any such proceedings or

claim. If the Supplier fails to notify the Purchaser within

twenty-eight (28) days after receipt of such notice that it

intends to conduct any such proceedings or claim, then the

Purchaser shall be free to conduct the same on its own

behalf. Unless the Supplier has so failed to notify the

Purchaser within the twenty-eight (28) day period, the

Purchaser shall make no admission that may be prejudicial

to the defense of any such proceedings or claim. The

Purchaser shall, at the Supplier’s request, afford all available

assistance to the Supplier in conducting such proceedings or

claim and shall be reimbursed by the Supplier for all

reasonable expenses incurred in so doing.

31.4 The Purchaser shall indemnify and hold harmless the

Supplier and its employees, officers, and Subcontractors

from any and all losses, liabilities, and costs (including

losses, liabilities, and costs incurred in defending a claim

alleging such a liability) that the Supplier or its employees,

officers, or Subcontractors may suffer as a result of the

death or personal injury of any person or loss of or damage

to property of the Purchaser, other than the System not yet

achieving Operational Acceptance, that is caused by fire,

explosion, or any other perils, in excess of the amount

recoverable from insurances, provided that such fire,

explosion, or other perils were not caused by any act or

failure of the Supplier.

31.5 If any proceedings are brought or any claim is made against

the Supplier that might subject the Purchaser to liability

under GCC Clause 31.4, the Supplier shall promptly give the

Purchaser notice of such proceedings or claims, and the

Purchaser may at its own expense and in the Supplier’s

name conduct such proceedings or claim and any

negotiations for the settlement of any such proceedings or

claim. If the Purchaser fails to notify the Supplier within

twenty-eight (28) days after receipt of such notice that it

intends to conduct any such proceedings or claim, then the

Supplier shall be free to conduct the same on its own

behalf. Unless the Purchaser has so failed to notify the

Supplier within the twenty-eight (28) days, the Supplier

shall make no admission that may be prejudicial to the

defense of any such proceedings or claim. The Supplier

shall, at the Purchaser’s request, afford all available

assistance to the Purchaser in conducting such proceedings

or claim and shall be reimbursed by the Purchaser for all

reasonable expenses incurred in so doing.

31.6 The party entitled to the benefit of an indemnity under this


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GCC Clause 31 shall take all reasonable measures to

mitigate any loss or damage that has occurred. If the party

fails to take such measures, the other party’s liabilities shall

be correspondingly reduced.


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32. Force Majeure

32.1 “Force Majeure” shall mean any event beyond the

reasonable control of the Purchaser or of the Supplier, as

the case may be, and which is unavoidable notwithstanding

the reasonable care of the party affected and shall include,

without limitation, the following:

(a) war, hostilities, or warlike operations (whether a state

of war be declared or not), invasion, act of foreign

enemy, and civil war;

(b) rebellion, revolution, insurrection, mutiny, usurpation

of civil or military government, conspiracy, riot, civil

commotion, and terrorist acts;

(c) confiscation, nationalization, mobilization,

commandeering or requisition by or under the order

of any government or de jure or de facto authority or

ruler, or any other act or failure to act of any local

state or national government authority;

(d) earthquake, landslide, volcanic activity, fire, flood or

inundation, tidal wave, typhoon or cyclone, hurricane,

storm, lightning, or other inclement weather

condition, nuclear and pressure waves, or other

natural or physical disaster;

32.2 If either party is prevented, hindered, or delayed from or in

performing any of its obligations under the Contract by an

event of Force Majeure, then it shall notify the other in

writing of the occurrence of such event and the

circumstances of the event of Force Majeure within

fourteen (14) days after the occurrence of such event.

32.3 The party who has given such notice shall be excused from

the performance or punctual performance of its obligations

under the Contract for so long as the relevant event of

Force Majeure continues and to the extent that such party’s

performance is prevented, hindered, or delayed. The Time

for Achieving Operational Acceptance shall be extended in

accordance with GCC Clause 34 (Extension of Time for

Achieving Operational Acceptance).

32.4 The party or parties affected by the event of Force Majeure

shall use reasonable efforts to mitigate the effect of the

event of Force Majeure upon its or their performance of the

Contract and to fulfill its or their obligations under the


75

Contract, but without prejudice to either party’s right to

terminate the Contract under GCC Clause 32.6.

32.5 No delay or nonperformance by either party to this Contract

caused by the occurrence of any event of Force Majeure

shall:

(a) constitute a default or breach of the Contract;

(b) (subject to GCC Clauses 30.2, 32.3, and 32.4) give rise

to any claim for damages or additional cost or expense

occasioned by the delay or nonperformance,

if, and to the extent that, such delay or nonperformance is

caused by the occurrence of an event of Force Majeure.

32.6 If the performance of the Contract is substantially

prevented, hindered, or delayed for a single period of more

than thirty (30) days or an aggregate period of more than

sixty (60) days on account of one or more events of

Force Majeure during the time period covered by the

Contract, the parties will attempt to develop a mutually

satisfactory solution, failing which, either party may

terminate the Contract by giving a notice to the other.

32.7 In the event of termination pursuant to GCC Clause 38.6,

the rights and obligations of the Purchaser and the Supplier

shall be as specified in GCC Clauses 35.1.2 and 35.1.3.

32.8 Notwithstanding GCC Clause 32.5, Force Majeure shall not

apply to any obligation of the Purchaser to make payments

to the Supplier under this Contract.

H. CHANGE IN CONTRACT ELEMENTS

33. Changes to the System

33.1 Introducing a Change

33.1.1 Subject to GCC Clauses 33.2.5 and 33.2.7, the Purchaser shall have the

right to propose, and subsequently require, the Project Manager to order

the Supplier from time to time during the performance of the

Contract to make any change,

modification, addition, or deletion to, in, or from

the System (interchangeably called “Change”),

provided that such Change falls within the general


76

scope of the System, does not constitute unrelated

work, and is technically practicable, taking into

account both the state of advancement of the

System and the technical compatibility of the

Change envisaged with the nature of the System as

originally specified in the Contract.

A Change may involve, but is not restricted to, the

substitution of updated Information Technologies

and related Services in accordance with

GCC Clause 20 (Product Upgrades).

33.1.2 The Supplier may from time to time during its

performance of the Contract propose to the

Purchaser (with a copy to the Project Manager) any

Change that the Supplier considers necessary or

desirable to improve the quality or efficiency of the

System. The Purchaser may at its discretion

approve or reject any Change proposed by the

Supplier.

33.1.3 Notwithstanding GCC Clauses 33.1.1 and 33.1.2, no

change made necessary because of any default of

the Supplier in the performance of its obligations

under the Contract shall be deemed to be a Change,

and such change shall not result in any adjustment

of the Contract Price or the Time for Achieving

Operational Acceptance.

33.1.4 The procedure on how to proceed with and execute

Changes is specified in GCC Clauses 33.2 and 33.3,

and further details and sample forms are provided

in the Sample Forms Section in the Bidding

Documents.

33.1.5 Moreover, the Purchaser and Supplier will agree,

during development of the Project Plan, to a date

prior to the scheduled date for Operational

Acceptance, after which the Technical

Requirements for the System shall be “frozen.” Any

Change initiated after this time will be dealt with

after Operational Acceptance.

33.2 Changes Originating from Purchaser

33.2.1 If the Purchaser proposes a Change pursuant to

GCC Clauses 33.1.1, it shall send to the Supplier a

“Request for Change Proposal,” requiring the

Supplier to prepare and furnish to the Project

Manager as soon as reasonably practicable a


77

“Change Proposal,” which shall include the

following:

(a) brief description of the Change;

(b) impact on the Time for Achieving Operational

Acceptance;

(c) detailed estimated cost of the Change;

(d) effect on Functional Guarantees (if any);

(e) effect on any other provisions of the Contract.

33.2.2 Prior to preparing and submitting the “Change

Proposal,” the Supplier shall submit to the Project

Manager an “Change Estimate Proposal,” which

shall be an estimate of the cost of preparing the

Change Proposal, plus a first approximation of the

suggested approach and cost for implementing the

changes. Upon receipt of the Supplier’s Change

Estimate Proposal, the Purchaser shall do one of

the following:

(a) accept the Supplier’s estimate with instructions

to the Supplier to proceed with the preparation

of the Change Proposal;

(b) advise the Supplier of any part of its Change

Estimate Proposal that is unacceptable and

request the Supplier to review its estimate;

(c) advise the Supplier that the Purchaser does not

intend to proceed with the Change.

33.2.3 Upon receipt of the Purchaser’s instruction to

proceed under GCC Clause 33.2.2 (a), the Supplier

shall, with proper expedition, proceed with the

preparation of the Change Proposal, in accordance

with GCC Clause 33.2.1. The Supplier, at its

discretion, may specify a validity period for the

Change Proposal, after which if the Purchaser and

Supplier has not reached agreement in accordance

with GCC Clause 33.2.6, then GCC Clause 33.2.7

shall apply.

33.2.4 The pricing of any Change shall, as far as

practicable, be calculated in accordance with the

rates and prices included in the Contract. If the

nature of the Change is such that the Contract rates

and prices are inequitable, the parties to the

Contract shall agree on other specific rates to be


78

used for valuing the Change.

33.2.5 If before or during the preparation of the Change

Proposal it becomes apparent that the aggregate

impact of compliance with the Request for Change

Proposal and with all other Change Orders that

have already become binding upon the Supplier

under this GCC Clause 33 would be to increase or

decrease the Contract Price as originally set forth in

(Contract Price) of the Contract Agreement by more

than fifteen (15) percent, the Supplier may give a

written notice of objection to this Request for

Change Proposal prior to furnishing the Change

Proposal. If the Purchaser accepts the Supplier’s

objection, the Purchaser shall withdraw the

proposed Change and shall notify the Supplier in

writing of its acceptance.

The Supplier’s failure to so object to a Request for

Change Proposal shall neither affect its right to

object to any subsequent requested Changes or

Change Orders, nor affect its right to take into

account, when making such subsequent objection,

the percentage increase or decrease in the Contract

Price that any Change not objected to by the

Supplier represents.

33.2.6 Upon receipt of the Change Proposal, the Purchaser

and the Supplier shall mutually agree upon all

matters contained in the Change Proposal. Within

fourteen (14) days after such agreement, the

Purchaser shall, if it intends to proceed with the

Change, issue the Supplier a Change Order. If the

Purchaser is unable to reach a decision within

fourteen (14) days, it shall notify the Supplier with

details of when the Supplier can expect a decision.

If the Purchaser decides not to proceed with the

Change for whatever reason, it shall, within the said

period of fourteen (14) days, notify the Supplier

accordingly. Under such circumstances, the

Supplier shall be entitled to reimbursement of all

costs reasonably incurred by it in the preparation of

the Change Proposal, provided that these do not

exceed the amount given by the Supplier in its

Change Estimate Proposal submitted in accordance

with GCC Clause 33.2.2.

33.2.7 If the Purchaser and the Supplier cannot reach

agreement on the price for the Change, an


79

equitable adjustment to the Time for Achieving

Operational Acceptance, or any other matters

identified in the Change Proposal, the Change will

not be implemented. However, this provision does

not limit the rights of either party under GCC

Clause 5 (Settlement of Disputes).


80

33.3 Changes Originating from Supplier

If the Supplier proposes a Change pursuant to GCC

Clause 33.1.2, the Supplier shall submit to the Project

Manager a written “Application for Change Proposal,” giving

reasons for the proposed Change and including the

information specified in GCC Clause 33.2.1. Upon receipt of

the Application for Change Proposal, the parties shall follow

the procedures outlined in GCC Clauses 33.2.6 and 33.2.7.

However, should the Purchaser choose not to proceed or

the Purchaser and the Supplier cannot come to agreement

on the change during any validity period that the Supplier

may specify in its Application for Change Proposal, the

Supplier shall not be entitled to recover the costs of

preparing the Application for Change Proposal, unless

subject to an agreement between the Purchaser and the

Supplier to the contrary.

34. Extension of Time for Achieving

34.1 The time(s) for achieving Operational Acceptance specified in the Schedule of

Implementation shall be extended if the Operational Acceptance

Supplier is delayed or impeded in the performance of any of its obligations under the

Contract by reason of any of the following:

(a) any Change in the System as provided in GCC Clause 33 (Change in the

Information System);

(b) any occurrence of Force Majeure as provided in GCC Clause 32 (Force Majeure);

(c) default of the Purchaser; or

(d) any other matter specifically mentioned in the

Contract;

by such period as shall be fair and reasonable in all the circumstances and as

shall fairly reflect the delay or impediment sustained by the Supplier.

34.2 Except where otherwise specifically provided in the Contract, the Supplier shall

submit to the Project Manager a notice of a claim for an extension of the time for

achieving Operational Acceptance, together with particulars of the event or

circumstance justifying such extension as soon as reasonably practicable after the

commencement of such event or circumstance. As soon as reasonably practicable


81

after receipt of such notice and supporting particulars of the claim, the Purchaser and

the Supplier shall agree upon the period of such extension. In the event that

the Supplier does not accept the Purchaser’s estimate of a fair and reasonable

time extension, the Supplier shall be entitled to refer the matter to the provisions

for the Settlement of Disputes pursuant to GCC Clause 5.

34.3 The Supplier shall at all times use its reasonable efforts to minimize any delay in the

performance of its obligations under the Contract.

35. Termination

35.1 Termination for Purchaser’s Convenience

35.1.1 The Purchaser may at any time terminate the

Contract for any reason by giving the Supplier a

notice of termination that refers to this GCC

Clause 35.1.

35.1.2 Upon receipt of the notice of termination under

GCC Clause 35.1.1, the Supplier shall either as soon

as reasonably practical or upon the date specified in

the notice of termination

(a) cease all further work, except for such work as

the Purchaser may specify in the notice of

termination for the sole purpose of protecting

that part of the System already executed, or any

work required to leave the site in a clean and

safe condition;

(b) terminate all subcontracts, except those to be

assigned to the Purchaser pursuant to GCC

Clause 35.1.2 (d) (ii) below;

(c) remove all Supplier’s Equipment from the site,

repatriate the Supplier’s and its Subcontractors’

personnel from the site, remove from the site

any wreckage, rubbish, and debris of any kind;

(d) in addition, the Supplier, subject to the payment

specified in GCC Clause 35.1.3, shall

(i) deliver to the Purchaser the parts of the

System executed by the Supplier up to the

date of termination;

(ii) to the extent legally possible, assign to the

Purchaser all right, title, and benefit of the


82

Supplier to the System, or Subsystem, as

at the date of termination, and, as may be

required by the Purchaser, in any

subcontracts concluded between the

Supplier and its Subcontractors;

(iii) deliver to the Purchaser all nonproprietary

drawings, specifications, and other

documents prepared by the Supplier or its

Subcontractors as of the date of

termination in connection with the

System.

35.1.3 In the event of termination of the Contract under

GCC Clause 35.1.1, the Purchaser shall pay to the

Supplier the following amounts:

(a) the Contract Price, properly attributable to the

parts of the System executed by the Supplier as

of the date of termination;

(b) the costs reasonably incurred by the Supplier in

the removal of the Supplier’s Equipment from

the site and in the repatriation of the Supplier’s

and its Subcontractors’ personnel;

(c) costs incurred by the Supplier in protecting the

System and leaving the site in a clean and safe

condition pursuant to GCC Clause 35.1.2 (a); and

35.2 Termination for Supplier’s Default

35.2.1 The Purchaser, without prejudice to any other

rights or remedies it may possess, may terminate

the Contract forthwith in the following

circumstances by giving a notice of termination

and its reasons therefore to the Supplier, referring

to this GCC Clause 35.2:

(a) if the Supplier becomes bankrupt or insolvent,

has a receiving order issued against it,

compounds with its creditors, or, if the Supplier

is a corporation, a resolution is passed or order

is made for its winding up (other than a

voluntary liquidation for the purposes of

amalgamation or reconstruction), a receiver is

appointed over any part of its undertaking or

assets, or if the Supplier takes or suffers any

other analogous action in consequence of debt;


83

(b) if the Supplier assigns or transfers the Contract

or any right or interest therein in violation of


84

the provision of GCC Clause 36 (Assignment); or

(c) if the Supplier, in the judgment of the

Purchaser, has engaged in corrupt, fraudulent,

collusive, coercive or obstructive practices, in

competing for or in executing the Contract,

including but not limited to willful

misrepresentation of facts concerning

ownership of Intellectual Property Rights in, or

proper authorization and/or licenses from the

owner to offer, the hardware, software, or

materials provided under this Contract.

For the purposes of this Clause:

(i) “corrupt practice”1 is the offering, giving,

receiving or soliciting, directly or

indirectly, of anything of value to

influence improperly the actions of

another party;

(ii) “fraudulent practice” 2 is any act or

omission, including a misrepresentation,

that knowingly or recklessly misleads, or

attempts to mislead, a party to obtain a

financial or other benefit or to avoid an

obligation;

(iii) “collusive practice” 3 is an arrangement

between two or more parties designed to

achieve an improper purpose, including

to influence improperly the actions of

another party;

(iv) “coercive practice” 4 is impairing or

harming, or threatening to impair or

1 “Another party” refers to a public official acting in relation to the procurement process or contract

execution]. In this context, “public official” includes MCIT staff and employees of other organizations taking or reviewing procurement decisions.

2 A “party” refers to a public official; the terms “benefit” and “obligation” relate to the procurement process or contract execution; and the “act or omission” is intended to influence the procurement process or contract execution.

3 “Parties” refers to participants in the procurement process (including public officials) attempting to establish bid prices at artificial, non competitive levels.

4 A “party” refers to a participant in the procurement process or contract execution


85

harm, directly or indirectly, any party or

the property of the party to influence

improperly the actions of a party;

(v) “obstructive practice” is

(aa) deliberately destroying, falsifying,

altering or concealing of evidence

material to the investigation or

making false statements to

investigators in order to materially

impede AFTEL investigation into

allegations of a corrupt, fraudulent,

coercive or collusive practice; and/or

threatening, harassing or

intimidating any party to prevent it

from disclosing its knowledge of

matters relevant to the investigation

or from pursuing the investigation;

or

(bb) acts intended to materially impede

the exercise of AFTEL’s inspection

and audit rights .

35.2.2 If the Supplier:

(a) has abandoned or repudiated the Contract;

(b) has without valid reason failed to commence

work on the System promptly;

(c) persistently fails to execute the Contract in

accordance with the Contract or persistently

neglects to carry out its obligations under the

Contract without just cause;

(d) refuses or is unable to provide sufficient

Materials, Services, or labor to execute and

complete the System in the manner specified in

the Agreed and Finalized Project Plan furnished

under GCC Clause 18 at rates of progress that

give reasonable assurance to the Purchaser that

the Supplier can attain Operational Acceptance

of the System by the Time for Achieving

Operational Acceptance as extended;

then the Purchaser may, without prejudice to any

other rights it may possess under the Contract, give

a notice to the Supplier stating the nature of the

default and requiring the Supplier to remedy the


86

same. If the Supplier fails to remedy or to take

steps to remedy the same within fourteen (14) days

of its receipt of such notice, then the Purchaser may

terminate the Contract forthwith by giving a notice

of termination to the Supplier that refers to this

GCC Clause 35.2.

35.2.3 Upon receipt of the notice of termination under

GCC Clauses 35.2.1 or 35.2.2, the Supplier shall,

either immediately or upon such date as is specified

in the notice of termination:


the Purchaser may specify in the notice of

termination for the sole purpose of protecting

that part of the System already executed or any


safe condition;


assigned to the Purchaser pursuant to GCC

Clause 35.2.3 (d) below;

(c) deliver to the Purchaser the parts of the System

executed by the Supplier up to the date of

termination;

(d) to the extent legally possible, assign to the

Purchaser all right, title and benefit of the

Supplier to the System or Subsystems as at the

date of termination, and, as may be required by

the Purchaser, in any subcontracts concluded

between the Supplier and its Subcontractors;

(e) deliver to the Purchaser all drawings,

specifications, and other documents prepared

by the Supplier or its Subcontractors as at the

date of termination in connection with the

System.

35.2.4 The Purchaser may enter upon the site, expel the

Supplier, and complete the System itself or by

employing any third party. Upon completion of the

System or at such earlier date as the Purchaser

thinks appropriate, the Purchaser shall give notice

to the Supplier that such Supplier’s Equipment will

be returned to the Supplier at or near the site and

shall return such Supplier’s Equipment to the

Supplier in accordance with such notice. The

Supplier shall thereafter without delay and at its

cost remove or arrange removal of the same from


87

the site.

35.2.5 Subject to GCC Clause 35.2.6, the Supplier shall be

entitled to be paid the Contract Price attributable to

the portion of the System executed as at the date of

termination and the costs, if any, incurred in

protecting the System and in leaving the site in a

clean and safe condition pursuant to GCC

Clause 35.2.3 (a). Any sums due the Purchaser from

the Supplier accruing prior to the date of

termination shall be deducted from the amount to

be paid to the Supplier under this Contract.

35.2.6 If the Purchaser completes the System, the cost of

completing the System by the Purchaser shall be

determined. If the sum that the Supplier is entitled

to be paid, pursuant to GCC Clause 35.2.5, plus the

reasonable costs incurred by the Purchaser in

completing the System, exceeds the Contract Price,

the Supplier shall be liable for such excess. If such

excess is greater than the sums due the Supplier

under GCC Clause 35.2.5, the Supplier shall pay the

balance to the Purchaser.

35.3 Termination by Supplier

35.3.1 If:

(a) the Purchaser has failed to pay the Supplier any

sum due under the Contract within the specified

period, has failed to approve any invoice or

supporting documents without just cause

pursuant to the SCC, or commits a substantial

breach of the Contract, the Supplier may give a

notice to the Purchaser that requires payment

of such sum, with interest on this sum,

requires approval of such invoice or

supporting documents, or specifies the breach

and requires the Purchaser to remedy the

same, as the case may be. If the Purchaser fails

to pay such sum together with such interest,

fails to approve such invoice or supporting

documents or give its reasons for withholding

such approval, fails to remedy the breach or

take steps to remedy the breach within

fourteen (14) days after receipt of the

Supplier’s notice; or

(b) the Supplier is unable to carry out any of its

obligations under the Contract for any reason

attributable to the Purchaser, including but not


88

limited to the Purchaser’s failure to provide

possession of or access to the site.

then the Supplier may give a notice to the

Purchaser of such events, and if the Purchaser has

failed to pay the outstanding sum, to approve the

invoice or supporting documents, to give its reasons

for withholding such approval, or to remedy the

breach within twenty-eight (28) days of such notice,

or if the Supplier is still unable to carry out any of its

obligations under the Contract for any reason

attributable to the Purchaser within twenty-eight

(28) days of the said notice, the Supplier may by a

further notice to the Purchaser referring to this GCC

Clause 35.3.1, forthwith terminate the Contract.

35.3.2 The Supplier may terminate the Contract

immediately by giving a notice to the Purchaser to

that effect, referring to this GCC Clause 35.3.2, if

the Purchaser becomes bankrupt or insolvent, has a

receiving order issued against it, compounds with

its creditors, or, being a corporation, if a resolution

is passed or order is made for its winding up (other

than a voluntary liquidation for the purposes of

amalgamation or reconstruction), a receiver is

appointed over any part of its undertaking or

assets, or if the Purchaser takes or suffers any other

analogous action in consequence of debt.

35.3.3 If the Contract is terminated under GCC

Clauses 35.3.1 or 35.3.2, then the Supplier shall

immediately:


may be necessary for the purpose of protecting

that part of the System already executed, or any


safe condition;


assigned to the Purchaser pursuant to

Clause 35.3.3 (d) (ii);

(c) remove all Supplier’s Equipment from the site

and repatriate the Supplier’s and its

Subcontractor’s personnel from the site.

(d) In addition, the Supplier, subject to the payment

specified in GCC Clause 35.3.4, shall:

(i) deliver to the Purchaser the parts of the


89

System executed by the Supplier up to the

date of termination;

(ii) to the extent legally possible, assign to the

Purchaser all right, title, and benefit of the

Supplier to the System, or Subsystems, as

of the date of termination, and, as may be

required by the Purchaser, in any

subcontracts concluded between the

Supplier and its Subcontractors;

(iii) to the extent legally possible, deliver to

the Purchaser all drawings, specifications,

and other documents prepared by the

Supplier or its Subcontractors as of the

date of termination in connection with the

System.

35.3.4 If the Contract is terminated under GCC

Clauses 35.3.1 or 35.3.2, the Purchaser shall pay to

the Supplier all payments specified in GCC

Clause 35.1.3, and reasonable compensation for all

loss, except for loss of profit, or damage sustained

by the Supplier arising out of, in connection with, or

in consequence of such termination.

35.3.5 Termination by the Supplier pursuant to this GCC

Clause 35.3 is without prejudice to any other rights

or remedies of the Supplier that may be exercised

in lieu of or in addition to rights conferred by GCC

Clause 35.3.

35.4 In this GCC Clause 35, the expression “portion of the System

executed” shall include all work executed, Services

provided, and all Information Technologies, or other Goods

acquired (or subject to a legally binding obligation to

purchase) by the Supplier and used or intended to be used

for the purpose of the System, up to and including the date

of termination.

35.5 In this GCC Clause 35, in calculating any monies due from

the Purchaser to the Supplier, account shall be taken of any

sum previously paid by the Purchaser to the Supplier under

the Contract, including any advance payment paid pursuant

to the SCC.

36. Assignment

36.l Neither the Purchaser nor the Supplier shall, without the

express prior written consent of the other, assign to any


90

third party the Contract or any part thereof, or any right,

benefit, obligation, or interest therein or thereunder, except

that the Supplier shall be entitled to assign either absolutely

or by way of charge any monies due and payable to it or

that may become due and payable to it under the Contract.


91


92

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT

(SCC)

Special Conditions of Contract

The following Special Conditions of Contract (SCC) shall supplement or amend the

General Conditions of Contract (GCC). Whenever there is a conflict, the provisions of the

SCC shall prevail over those in the General Conditions of Contract. For the purposes of

clarity, any referenced GCC clause numbers are indicated in the left column of the SCC.

Note: The following are sample clauses. The Purchaser/supplier may complete, modify, add, or

delete the following sample SCC clauses as appropriate at the time of contract negotiation.

A. CONTRACT AND INTERPRETATION

1. Definitions (GCC Clause 1)

GCC 1.1 (a) (ix) The applicable edition of the Procurement Guidelines is dated: April,

2009.

GCC 1.1 (b) (i) The Purchaser is: Afghan Telecom, Islamic Republic of

Afghanistan.

GCC 1.1 (b) (ii) The Project Manager is: Jabir Sarfaraz, Chief Information Officer, Afghan

Telecom.

GCC 1.1 (e) (i) The Purchaser’s Country is: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

GCC 1.1 (e) (iii) The Project Sites are: Afghan Telecom, Kabul, Afghanistan.

GCC 1.1 (e) (x) The Contract shall continue in force until the Information System and all

the Services have been provided unless the Contract is terminated

earlier in accordance with the terms set out in the Contract.


93

GCC 1.1. (e) (xii) The Post-Warranty Services Period is 12 months starting with the

completion of the Warranty Period.


94

2. Interpretation (GCC Clause2)

GCC2.1.1 The Contract's

governing language is

English with

translation in one of

the local language

Pashto/Dari.

3. Notices (GCC Clause 3)

GCC 3.3 Address of the Project Manager: CIO Office, 4th Floor, Afghan Telecom,

Post Parcel building, Kabul. [email protected].

4. Governing Law (GCC Clause 4)

GCC 4.1 The Contract shall be interpreted in accordance with the laws of:

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

5. Settlement of Disputes (GCC Clause 5)

GCC 5.1.4 The Appointing Authority for the Adjudicator is: not applicable.


95

GCC 5.2.3 If the Supplier is foreign (including a Joint Venture when at least one

partner is foreign), the Contract shall contain the following

provision: Arbitration proceedings shall be conducted in

accordance with the rules of arbitration of the International

Chamber of Commerce (ICC) These rules, in the version in force

at the time of the request for arbitration, will be deemed to

form part of this Contract.

If the Supplier is a national of the Purchaser's country, the Contract

shall contain the following provision: Any dispute between the

Purchaser and a Supplier arising in connection with the present

Contract shall be referred to arbitration in accordance with the

laws of the Purchaser’s country.


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B. SUBJECT MATTER OF CONTRACT

6. Scope of the System (GCC Clause 6)

GCC 6.3 The Supplier’s obligations under the Contract will include the following

recurrent cost items, as identified in the Recurrent Cost tables in

the Supplier’s Bid:

The Supplier agrees to supply spare parts required for the operation and

maintenance of the System, as stated below, for the 12 months

beginning with Operational Acceptance. Moreover, the price of such

spare parts shall be those specified in the spare parts price schedule

submitted by the Suppler as part of its bid. These prices shall

include the purchase price for such spare parts and other costs and

expenses (including the Supplier’s fees) relating to the supply of spare

parts

7. Time for Commencement and Operational Acceptance (GCC Clause 7)

GCC 7.1 The Supplier shall commence work on the System within: 30 days of

days from the Effective Date of the Contract.

GCC 7.2 Operational Acceptance will occur on or before: Operational Acceptance

date consistent with the Implementation Schedule

8. Supplier’s Responsibilities (GCC Clause 8)

GCC 8 There are no Special Conditions of Contract applicable


97

9. Purchaser’s Responsibilities (GCC Clause 9)

GCC 9 There are no Special Conditions of Contract applicable to GCC Clause9

C. PAYMENT

10. Contract Price (GCC Clause 10)

GCC 10.2 (b) Adjustments to the Contract Price shall be as follows: after the

calculation if the purchaser wants to remove certain items or

increase/decrease quantity of certain items then the price will be

adjusted accordingly.


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11. Terms of Payment (GCC Clause 11)

GCC 11.1 The Details on Annexture 2


99

GCC 11.2 There are no Special Conditions of Contract applicable to GCC Clause

12.3.

GCC 11.3 For Goods and Services supplied locally, the Purchaser will pay the

Supplier in the currency stated in the Contract Agreement and

the Price Schedules it refers to.

The Supplier will invoice the Purchaser in the currency used in the

Contract Agreement and the Price Schedules it refers to, for

Goods and Services supplied locally, and the conversion

between this currency and Afghani for payment purposes - in

case the two currencies are different - will be made as of the

actual payment date using the exchange rate found in Herald

Tribune.

GCC 11.4 Payment for Goods supplied from outside the Purchaser’s Country shall

be in the form of: a confirmed, irrevocable, divisible, and

transferable Letter of Credit.


100

12. Securities (GCC Clause 12)

GCC 12.2.1 The Performance Security shall be denominated in US Dollars for an

amount equal to 10 percent of the Contract Price, excluding any

Recurrent Costs.

GCC 12.2.4 During the Warranty Period (i.e., after Operational Acceptance of the

System), the Performance Security shall be reduced to 5 percent

of the Contract Price, excluding any Recurrent Costs.

13. Taxes and Duties (GCC Clause 13)

GCC 13 For Goods or Services supplied from outside and inside the Purchaser’s

country, the Supplier shall be entirely responsible for all taxes, stamp

duties, license fees, and other such levies imposed outside and inside

the Purchaser’s country.

D. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

14. Copyright (GCC Clause 14)

GCC 14.3 Trademarks included in any software or on any equipment or

documentation delivered hereunder shall not be altered,

hidden or removed from the software, equipment or

documentation. The trademarks are exclusively owned by

Supplier and/or Supplier’s vendors and no other party shall

represent that it has any right, title or interest in or to the

trademarks. Purchaser agrees not to register, and agrees to

obtain the agreement of its end-user(s) not to register, any

trademarks. Upon Supplier’s request from time to time,

Purchaser agrees to provide Supplier with copies of statements

made by Purchaser bearing trademarks so that Supplier can

verify that the quality of Purchaser’s use of such trademarks is

comparable to that of the Supplier’s use. Purchaser shall

suspend use of Supplier’s trademarks if such quality is

reasonably deemed inferior by Supplier until Purchaser has

taken such steps as Supplier may reasonably require to solve


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the quality deficiencies.

15. Software License Agreements (GCC Clause 15)

GCC 15.1 (a) (ii) The Standard Software license shall be valid: throughout the territory of

the Purchaser’s Country.

GCC 15.1 (a) (iii) Use of the software shall be subject to the following additional

restrictions: None

GCC 15.1 (b) (ii) The Software license shall permit the Software to be used or copied for

use or transferred to a replacement computer provided the

replacement computer falls within approximately the same class

of machine and maintains approximately the same number of users, if a

multi-user machine. GCC 15.1 (b) (vi) The Software license shall permit the Software to be disclosed to and

reproduced for use (including a valid sublicense) by subject to the same

restrictions set forth in this Contract clause GCC 15.4. GCC 15.1 (b) (vii) In addition to the persons specified in GCC Clause 16.1 (b) (vi), the

Software may be disclosed to, and reproduced for use by,

employees and customers of Ministry of Communications and IT,

Ministry of Interior of Islamic republic of Afghanistan subject to the same GCC 15.2 The Supplier’s right to audit the Standard Software will be subject to the

following terms: none

16. Confidential Information (GCC Clause 16)

GCC 16.1 State: here are no modifications to the confidentiality terms expressed

in GCC Clause 17.1

GCC 16.7 The provisions of this GCC Clause 17 shall survive the termination, for

whatever reason, of the Contract for the period specified in the

GCC.


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E. SUPPLY, INSTALLATION, TESTING, COMMISSIONING, AND ACCEPTANCE OF THE SYSTEM

17. Representatives (GCC Clause 17)

GCC 17.1 The Purchaser’s Project Manager shall have the following additional

powers and / or limitations to his or her authority to represent

the Purchaser in matters relating to the Contract: will have full

authority to approve, change, amend, and instruct any sections

of the contract in mutual agreement with the supplier.

GCC 17.2.2

The Supplier’s Representative shall have the following additional

powers and / or limitations to his or her authority to represent

the Supplier in matters relating to the Contract: no additional

powers or limitations.


103

18. Project Plan (GCC Clause 18)

GCC 18.1 Chapters in the Project Plan shall address the following subject:

(a) Project Organization and Management Plan;

(b) Delivery and Installation Plan

(c) Training Plan

(d) Pre-commissioning and Operational Acceptance Testing

Plan

(e) Warranty Service Plan

(f) Task, Time, and Resource Schedules

(g) Post-Warranty Service Plan (if applicable)

(h) Technical Support Plan (if applicable)

Further details regarding the required contents of each of the

above chapters are contained in the Technical Requirements,

Section IV.


104

GCC 18.2 Within 30 days from the Effective Date of the Contract, the Supplier

shall present a Project Plan to the Purchaser. The Purchaser

shall, within 14 days of receipt of the Project Plan, notify the

Supplier of any respects in which it considers that the Project

Plan does not adequately ensure that the proposed program of

work, proposed methods, and/or proposed Information

Technologies will satisfy the Technical Requirements and/or the

SCC (in this Clause 19.2 called “non-conformities” below). The

Supplier shall, within 6 days of receipt of such notification,

correct the Project Plan and resubmit to the Purchaser. The

Purchaser shall, within 6 days of resubmission of the Project

Plan, notify the Supplier of any remaining non-conformities. This

procedure shall be repeated as necessary until the Project Plan is

free from non-conformities. When the Project Plan is free from

non-conformities, the Purchaser shall provide confirmation in

writing to the Supplier. This approved Project Plan (“the Agreed

and Finalized Project Plan”) shall be contractually binding on the

Purchaser and the Supplier.

GCC 18.5 The Supplier shall submit to the Purchaser the following reports:

(a) Monthly (Quarterly) progress reports, summarizing: (i)

results accomplished during the prior period;


105

(ii) cumulative deviations to date from schedule of

progress milestones as specified in the Agreed and

Finalized Project Plan;

(iii) corrective actions to be taken to return to planned

schedule of progress; proposed revisions to

planned schedule;

(iv) other issues and outstanding problems;

proposed actions to be taken;

(v) resources that the Supplier expects to be provided

by the Purchaser and/or actions to be taken by

the Purchaser in the next reporting period;

(vi) other issues or potential problems the Supplier

foresees that could impact on project progress

and/or effectiveness.

(vii) inspection and quality assurance reports

(viii) training participants test results

(ix) monthly log of service calls and problem resolutions

19. Design and Engineering (GCC Clause 19)

GCC 19.2 The Contract shall be executed in accordance with the edition or the

revised version of all referenced codes and standards current at the

date as specified in the GCC.

GCC 19.3.1 The Supplier shall prepare and furnish to the Project Manager the

following documents for which the Supplier must obtain the

Project Manager’s approval before proceeding with work on the

System or any Subsystem covered by the documents

(i) detailed site surveys;

(ii) final Subsystem configurations; (ii)

and such others


106

20. Product Upgrades (GCC Clause 20)

GCC 20.4 The Supplier shall provide the Purchaser with all new versions,

releases, and updates to all Standard Software during the

Warranty Period, for free, as specified in the GCC.

21. Inspections and Tests (GCC Clause 21)

GCC 21 There are no Special Conditions of Contract applicable to GCC Clause 21.

22. Installation of the System (GCC Clause 22)


23. Commissioning and Operational Acceptance (GCC Clause 23)

GCC 23.2.1 Operational Acceptance Testing shall be conducted in accordance with

System or the Subsystems, the tests, the test procedures, and

the required results for acceptance.

GCC 23.2.2 If the Operational Acceptance Test of the System, or Subsystem(s),

cannot be successfully completed within 90 days from the date

of Installation or any other period agreed upon by the Purchaser

and the Supplier, then GCC Clause 23.3.5 (a) or (b) shall apply, as

the circumstances may dictate.

F. GUARANTEES AND LIABILITIES


107

24. Operational Acceptance Time Guarantee (GCC Clause 24)

GCC 24.2 Liquidated damages shall be assessed at 0.5 percent per week. The

maximum liquidated damages are 5 percent of the Contract

Price, or relevant part of the Contract Price if the liquidated

damages apply to a Subsystem.

GCC 24.3 Liquidated damages shall be assessed only with respect to achieving

Operational Acceptance.

25. Defect Liability (GCC Clause 25)

GCC 25.1 There are no Special Conditions of Contract applicable to GCC Clause

25.1.

GCC 25.3 (iii) The Supplier warrants that the following items have been released to the

market for the following specific minimum time periods: No

specific minimum time requirements are established for this

Contract other than that the Information Technologies must have

been previously released to the market.

GCC 25.4 The Warranty Period (N) shall begin from the date of Final Acceptance

of the System or Subsystem and extend for 12 months.

GCC 25.10 During the Warranty Period, the Supplier must commence the work

necessary to remedy defects or damage immediately


108

26. Functional Guarantees (GCC Clause 26)


27. Intellectual Property Rights Warranty (GCC Clause 27)

GCC 27

Supplier warrants that Supplier will not knowingly infringe on the copyright or trade secrets of any third party in performing services under this agreement. To the extent any material used by Supplier contains matter proprietary to third party, contractor shall obtain a license from the owner permitting the use of such matter and granting contractor the right to sub-license its use.

If any third party brings a lawsuit or proceeding against

purchaser based upon a claim that the software

breaches the third party’s patent, copyright or

trade secrets rights, and it is determined that

such infringement has occurred, contractor

shall hold customer harmless against any

loss, damage, expense or cost, including

reasonable attorney fees, arising from the claim.

This indemnification obligation shall be effective only if:

• The third party intellectual property rights

involved were known to contractor prior to delivery

of the software • Supplier has make all payments

required by this agreement

• Supplier has given prompt notice of the claim

and permitted contractor to defend, and

• The claim does not result from customer’s

modification of the software.

To reduce or mitigate damages, contractor may at

its own expense replace the software with a

non-infringing product.


109

28.Limitation of Liability (GCC Clause 28)

GCC 28 There are no Special Conditions of Contract applicable to GCC Clause

28

G. RISK DISTRIBUTION

29. Transfer of Ownership (GCC Clause 29)


30. Care of the System (GCC Clause 30)

GCC 30 There are no Special Conditions of Contract applicable to GCC Clause30

31. Loss of or Damage to Property; Accident or Injury to Workers; Indemnification (GCC Clause 31)


31.

32. Force Majeure (GCC Clause 32)


32.

H. CHANGE IN CONTRACT ELEMENTS


110

33. Changes to the System (GCC Clause 33)


39.

34. Extension of Time for Achieving Operational Acceptance (GCC Clause 34)

GCC 34 There are no Special Conditions of Contract applicable to GCC Clause 34

35. Termination (GCC Clause 35)


36. Assignment (GCC Clause 36)

GCC 36 There are no Special Conditions of Contract applicable to GCC Clause 36

Licenses Requirements

111

Our requirements for licenses

Current

No Service No of licenses

1 PSTN 150000

2 Wimax 1000

3 VSAT 5000

4 GSM and 3G 500000

Future

No Service No of licenses

1 GSM and 3G 2000000

2 PSTN 500000

3 Wimax 1000

4 VSAT 10000

Technical Requirements

112

Table of Contents

General requirements ............................................................................................................................................................................... 113

Platform ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 114

Technical architecture .............................................................................................................................................................................. 123

Interface and integration ......................................................................................................................................................................... 124

Monitoring and fault reporting ................................................................................................................................................................. 129

Data management ................................................................................................................................................................................... 132

Encryption and security ............................................................................................................................................................................ 135

Web environment .................................................................................................................................................................................... 139

Support and maintenance......................................................................................................................................................................... 141

Mediation ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 144

Interconnect and whole sale ..................................................................................................................................................................... 153

Products and services ............................................................................................................................................................................... 160

Distribution channels ................................................................................................................................................................................ 164

Customer, account and credit MGT ........................................................................................................................................................... 165

Tariff and charges ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 168

Charging and balance control .................................................................................................................................................................... 174

Rates and rating ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 186

Fees & Taxes............................................................................................................................................................................................. 195

Pkgs, Discounts & Promotions .................................................................................................................................................................. 198

Invoices & Billing ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 202

Payments & Credits .................................................................................................................................................................................. 215

Reporting ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 221

Time to Market......................................................................................................................................................................................... 223


113

CBS Technical Requirement

1 General Requirements FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

1.1

Minimum Requirements

Vendor asserts that its solution:

1.1.1 Is an end-to-end convergent billing and charging system (CBS)

1.1.2 Supports pre- and post-paid subscribers

1.1.3 Supports retail and wholesale billing arrangements

1.1.4 Supports interconnection settlement and carrier billing

1.1.5 Complies with TM Forum standards

1.1.6 Provide unified Rating Engine for charging/billing

1.2

Executive Summary

Provide an Executive Summary of your solution, including, at a minimum:

1.2.1 Your understanding of the requirements

1.2.2 Your experience in meeting the requirements

1.2.3 A high-level overview of your solution

1.2.4

A description of components of your solution and whether they are mandatory or optional

1.2.5 Key features, advantages, and benefits of your solution

1.2.6 An overview of the expected project timeline, milestones, and deliverables

1.2.7 The availability of support remotely, locally, regionally, and otherwise

1.2.8 Differentiating factors and competitive strengths


114

1.3

Overview of Architectures

Provide a description and explanation of your solution's architecture, including:

1.3.1 Hardware architecture

1.3.2 Logical model architecture

1.3.3 Tarriff/product/package architecture

1.3.4 Customer/subscriber/account architecture

1.4

Partners and Third Parties

Describe all partners and third parties involved in the solution, including:

1.4.1 Company name and country

1.4.2 Relationship and role(s)

1.4.3 Primary and secondary responsibilities

1.4.4 Duration of working relationship

1.4.5 Any other material information

1.5

Product Road Map; Research and Development (R&D)

Describe your product road map for the next:

1.5.1 Three (3) years

1.5.2 Five (5) years

1.5.3 Ten (10) years

1.5.4 Vendor has R&D capability of CMMI Level 4 or higher

1.5.5

Vendor's partners and third-party providers have R&D capabilities of CMMI Level 4 or higher

2 Platform FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

2.1

Platform Components

Vendor asserts its solution:

2.1.1 Offers a customer billing system

2.1.2 Offers a mediation system


115

2.1.3 Offers a unified Rating engine for online/offline/batch

2.1.4 Offers an online charging gateway (OCG)

2.1.5 Offers a universal voucher center (UVC)

2.1.6 Supports invoice creation, presentment, and printing

2.1.7 Offers a customer relationship management (CRM) system

2.1.8 Offers a customer care system

2.1.9 Offers a service order/provisioning system

2.1.10 Offers an interconnect settlement/carrier billing system

2.1.11 Offers a fraud management system

2.1.12 Offers a revenue assurance system

2.1.13 Offers an enterprise data warehouse system

2.1.14 Offers a business intelligence system

2.1.15 Has built-in redundancy for all components

Vendor shall:

2.1.16

Describe the hardware platform components in the solution including type of equipment, vendor, and model or version number with detailed specifications

2.1.17

Describe the functionality of each of the platform components in the offered solution and state whether each is mandatory or optional.

2.1.18

Describe how the different components communicate (i.e., middleware), including type, name, vendor, and version.

2.2

Platform Hardware & Software

Vendor asserts the hardware in its proposed solution:


116

2.2.1

Is from world-renowned suppliers and carries all necessary and standard certificates and warranties

2.2.2 Is current and compliant with industry standards

2.2.3

Is CE (European Conformity) and FCC (Federal Communications Commission) compliant

2.2.4 Has a life cycle of ten (10) years

2.2.5 Has operating systems with 64-bit technology

Vendor asserts the software in its proposed solution:

2.2.6

Is the most recent and stable version of the software released by the manufacturer

2.3

Platform Architecture and Design


2.3.1

Complies with Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA)

2.3.2 Is able to exploit distributed hardware architectures appropriately

2.3.3

Employs a modular design that utilizes a common data architecture across all modules to enable "plug-and-play" scenarios and applications and the use of subsets of applications as required.

2.3.4 Is component-based to increase flexibility and reusability of code

2.3.5

Functions properly even when not all of the applications are implemented

2.3.6

Has functionality such that when the functionality on a single application module is updated, all applications do not necessarily need to be upgraded


117

2.3.7

Uses layered architecture that allows applications to interoperate with each other and evolve independently at each layer

2.3.8

Supports a flexible migration path, to expand capabilities without loss of initial investment

2.3.9 Supports database and operating system independence

2.3.10 Can be accessed over a TCP-IP network

2.3.11 Supports symmetrical multiprocessing

2.3.12 Employs mirrored disks, such as RAID, for storage

2.3.13 Includes backup devices such as optical disks and DLTs

2.3.14

Is designed to eliminate single points of failure (SPOF). Any exceptions to this requirement must be documented and agreed with Afghan Telecom prior to inclusion in the design

2.3.15 Is designed such that any agreed-upon SPOF will not lead to any data loss

2.3.16

Is configurable, in the case of a failure, to recover through a fully automatic fail-over process to a hot standby

2.3.17 Supports hot plug-ins and swaps with no interruption to service

2.3.18 Supports physical expansion with no interruption to service

2.3.19

Solution supports connection of multiple sites using private lines or the Internet

2.3.20

Supports geographical redundancy in two sites that might be deployed now or at a later stage

2.3.21 Has inherent flexibility to support customization

2.4

Platform Functionality


118


2.4.1 Supports a unified profile for pre- and post-paid subscribers

2.4.2 Supports the same account structure for pre- and post-paid subscribers

2.4.3 Supports on- and offline charging

2.4.4

Has a single data model with the same data used by all functions (on- and offline charging and billing)

2.4.5

Supports hierarchical customer relationship management with at least three layers of hierarchy

2.4.6

Supports inheritance from upstream customer to downstream customer of, e.g., product ordering relationship, accounts, and accumulators

2.4.7

Has a product catalog application that can configure tariff plans, rates, and packages for pre- and post-paid products and services

2.5

Platform Availability


2.5.1 Is a high-availability (HA) platform

2.5.2

Architecture ensures a high level of network availability through redundant or spare network components, backup links, load sharing links, and advanced troubleshooting tools

2.5.3

Architecture ensures a high level of data availability through replication technologies capable of synchronizing main and disaster recovery sites


119

2.5.4

Architecture can redirect client access and fail over databases to surviving servers by using state-of-the-art technologies (load balancing, database clustering, etc.). Please describe.

2.5.5

Architecture supports a shadow platform (hardware and software), acting as a disaster recovery site, that is capable of supporting key business functions, though with a lower throughput

2.6

Configuration Management

Vendor asserts its solution suports:

2.6.1

Configuration that can performed with either an individual or multiple network elements simultaneously and is applicable to both upload/import and download/export configurations

2.6.2

A fully-configurable backup operation for each element, which outputs the result of the backup into a log file. The backup operation must allow configuration of both full and incremental operation to both hard disk and tape or other removable media and to FTP servers.

2.6.3

A recovery mechanism to allow the restoration of any element from a stored backup

2.6.4 Functionality to perform remote software upgrades on any applicable element

2.7

Performance Management

Vendor asserts its solution supports:


120

2.7.1

A mechanism for viewing the measurement intervals/reporting periods on any element

2.7.2

A facility to configure any measurement parameters on any element via a GUI application

2.7.3

The ability to configure multiple parameters and/or elements in a single operation from the EMS

2.7.4

The ability for an external system to collect performance data automatically

2.7.5

Measuring of performance statistic from all network elements in real-time or near real-time manner (5-minute intervals or less, configurable per measurement or task)

2.7.6

The ability to view the performance measurement counters in real time directly on the system

2.7.7

Generaton of alarms when predefined (Afghan Telecom-configurable) thresholds are reached for certain system/application measurements/parameters. Where there are threshold alarms, e.g. a processor load, Afghan Telecom must be able to set multiple separate onset and abatement thresholds. These should be variable depending on the time of day and each onset threshold can have a different alarm severity associated with it. These must communicate these alarms to maintenance personnel by email, SMS and other methods

2.7.8

Generation of "clear" events to cancel alarms generated, with the alarm and abatement thresholds not able to be the same value


121

2.7.9

The monitoring and management of performance collection tasks individually or in the aggregate

2.7.10

Storing of statistics and performance data for all managed elements in a database for number of days configurable by Afghan Telecom

2.8

User Management

Vendor asserts its system supports:

2.8.1 Multiple concurrent users

2.8.2

The assigning of every user to user group according to Afghan Telecom-defined parameters

2.8.3

The ability of a system administrator to monitor active users and force users to logout

2.8.4

The creation of a user log every day at midnight and simultaneous closing of the current log, with a nomenclature that clearly identifies the date to which the log refers

2.8.5

Recording in a "user log" all user login/logout and user activity, to include date and time stamps, user ID, terminal or IP address of user, detail of commands and activities

2.8.6

Querying and filtering of user log content by a system administrator according to user ID, date, time, terminal or IP address, commands, activities, etc.

2.9

Platform Capacity and Scalability



122

2.9.1

Has the capacity to scale up vertically. Please specify the initial capacity, as well as the maximum capacity, that the installed systems can reach without the need for installing a new platform.

2.9.2

Has the capacity to scale out horizontally when the maximum vertical scaling is achieved

2.9.3

Has hardware with the ability to scale up and support the requirements of the target maximum capacity by adding, rather than replacing, hardware

2.9.4

Provides updates, at no extra cost, that enable the software to scale up and support the requirements for the target maximum capacity

2.9.5 Supports load-balancing to accommodate additional hardware

2.9.6 Is scalable up to 2 million customers

2.10

Dimension Requirements Capability Remarks

Please provide your capabilities as follows:

Capacity Requirements

2.10.1 Total subscribers

2.10.2 FNS sub ratio

2.10.3 Community sub ratio

2.10.4 Incoming call screen sub ratio

2.10.5 Data sub ratio

2.10.6 Management CAPS from CRM

2.10.7 Traffic Requirements

2.10.8 Voice call: X BHCA

2.10.9 IVR recharge : X BHCA

2.10.10 IVR query : X BHCA

2.10.11 System redundancy ratio

2.10.12 CDR storage duration

2.10.13 Mediation

2.10.14 Total number of subscribers

2.10.15 CDRs of each subscriber per day


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2.10.16 Other

2.10.17 Default system busy hour per day

2.10.18 Default working days per month

3 Technical Architecture FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

3.1

Servers

Vendor asserts its solution supports the following servers:

3.1.1 BSD (such as FreeBSD, NetBSD, or OpenBSD)

3.1.2 GNU/Linux (such as Debian, SUSE, or Red Hat)

3.1.3 Server-centric application architecture

3.1.4 Unix

3.1.5 Windows

3.1.6 Other

3.2

Clients

Vendor asserts its solution supports the following clients:

3.2.1 GNU/Linux (such as Debian, SUSE, or Red Hat)

3.2.2 Microsoft Windows

3.2.3 Platform-independent solution

3.2.4 Thin-client application architecture

3.2.5 Other portable device operating systems

Vendor asserts its solution supports the following Java web clients:

3.2.6 Linux

3.2.7 Microsoft

3.2.8 Other

3.3

Databases

Vendor asserts its solution supports the following databases:

3.3.1 Microsoft

3.3.2 MySQL

3.3.3 Oracle

3.3.4 SQL server


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3.3.5 PostgreSQL

3.3.6 Server 914 UC7, 914

Other (please list)

Vendor asserts its solution supports the following with respect to databases:

3.3.7

Has a central data repository accessible from multiple hosting centers.

3.3.8

Utilizes in-memory database (IMDB) technology with DB Query transaction <1us and DB Modify transaction < 10us.

3.3.9

IMDB supports global data repository (GDR) mechanism and has the ability to realize real-time data synchronization among different places. Please describe.

3.3.10

The database(s) of the solution support flexible data models.

Vendor shall:

3.3.11

Present a detailed data model (e.g., Entity Relationship Diagram) that includes all entities, their definitions/descriptions, attributes, and the relationships between and among the entities.

3.3.12

Indicate which are primary and secondary database keys.

3.3.13

State how it ensures that any changes made to individual database components within its solution will not affect other database components and applications (internal as well as external to your solution).

4 Interfaces and Integration FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

4.1

Platform Interfaces


125

Vendor asserts its solution supports interfaces to (please describe):

4.1.1 Mediation system

4.1.2 Contact manager/sales and marketing system

4.1.3 Customer relationship management (CRM) system

4.1.4 Provisioning system

4.1.5 Customer care system

4.1.6 Financial systems

4.1.7 Fraud management system

4.1.8 Revenue assurance system

4.1.9 Security and audit systems

4.1.10 Workflow management processes

4.1.11 Order management processes

4.1.12 Provisioning and activation processes

4.1.13 Call center system

4.2

Industry and Technical Interfaces


4.2.1

Industry standard interfaces, to facilitate integration of heterogeneous systems and to communicate with network components

4.2.2 TCP/IP protocol suite

4.2.3

Industry standard application programming interfaces (APIs) and development environments

4.2.4

Industry standard programming languages (C, C++, Java, etc.) and reporting tools

4.2.5

Industry standard database connectivity (ODBC, JDBC, etc.) and data exchange formats (XML, etc..)

4.2.6 HTTP

4.2.7 IBM MQSeries

4.2.8 MSMQ

4.2.9 BizTalk

4.2.10 File


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4.2.11 COM

4.2.12 CORBA

4.2.13 Java

4.2.14 SQL

4.2.15 OLEDB

4.2.16 SAP IDOC

4.2.17 SAP BAPI

4.2.18 Oracle OI

4.2.19 Ethernet connectivity

4.3

Protocols

Vendor asserts its solution supports the following protocols:

4.3.1 Signaling Protocols

4.3.2 Signaling System 7 (SS7)

4.3.3 Internet Commerce & Security Protocols

4.3.4 Secure transaction technology (SST)

4.3.5 Secure electronic payment protocol (SEPP)

4.3.6 Secure electronic transactions (SET)

4.3.7 Secure sockets layer (SSL)

4.3.8 Private communication technology (PCT)

4.3.9 Transport layer security (TLS)

4.3.10 Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS)

4.3.11 Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) adapters

4.3.12 Active Directory Service Interface (ADSI) adapters

4.3.13 E-mail: S/MIME

4.3.14 E-mail: UUEncode

4.3.15 E-mail: MIME

4.3.16 Please mention if it supports anyother than mentioned above

4.3.17 Messaging Protocols

4.3.18 Remote procedure call (RPC) options

4.3.19 Message oriented middleware

4.3.20 Object request broker options

4.3.21 Application protocol interfaces


127

Other

4.3.22

SNMP (version 1, 2c and 3) through TCP/IP with an NBI fully compatible with the standard described in RFC3411 and subsystems that provide SNMP support

4.3.23

SFTP to transfer performance data between the CBS system and the external performance management systems

4.4

Platform/System Integration


4.4.1

Supports full integration of the individual components and systems that constitute the CBS

4.4.2 Employs an integration methodology follows widely-accepted integration models

4.4.3 Has an integration platform that can accommodate colocated systems

4.4.4

Supports the automatic propagation of the addition, update, and deletion of data in one system to other relevant systems

4.4.5 Supports the import and export of data in common formats

4.4.6 Supports output to local, networked, and remote printers

4.4.7 Utilizes middleware that is founded on open (not proprietary) standards

4.4.8 Integrates with third-party applications

4.4.9 Interfaces with existing legacy and standard ERP systems

4.4.10 Supports next generation framework standard

4.4.11 Supports computer-telephony integration (CTI)

4.4.12 Integrates with systems generating alerts


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4.4.13 Has adapters for third-party enterprise application integration (EAI)

4.4.14

Has industry standard application programming interfaces (APIs) and integration tools available to the different systems, such that all data extractions, transfers, and loads between systems are automatic and reliable.

4.4.15

Interfaces between the real-time rating engine and different network elements (e.g. call / session control for

voice, data) on a real-time

basis. Please describe in detail each of these interfaces, including the protocols.

Vendor shall:

4.4.16

Describe each of the external interfaces, including the protocols, and state if they are open for other parties to use.

4.5

Desktop Tools Integration

Vendor asserts its solution supports real-time delivery of data to and integration with:

4.5.1 Spreadsheets

4.5.2 Microsoft Excel

4.5.3 Apache OpenOffice.org Calc

4.5.4 Google Docs

4.5.5 Other

4.5.6 Word Processing Programs

4.5.7 Microsoft Word

4.5.8 Apache OpenOffice.org Writer

4.5.9 Google Docs

4.5.10 Other

4.5.11 Databases

4.5.12 Microsoft Access

4.5.13 Apache OpenOffice.org Base

4.5.14 Google Docs

Other


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4.5.15 Do we need Email integration here?

4.6

User Interfaces

Vendor asserts its solution has:

4.6.1

A user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) that is intuitive and easy to navigate

4.6.2

A GUI that has a standard forms and screens and a consistent look and feel across components and applications

4.6.3

A GUI that support access to multiple platforms with a single sign on

4.6.4

GUIs that are tailored to specific user roles and needs

4.6.5

A GUI that supports multiple languages and language choice

4.6.6 A GUI with interactive help and hot key shortcuts

4.6.7 A GUI that supports "drag and drop" functionality

4.6.8

A web browser user interface, preferably with the same look and feel as the GUI, that complements the traditional GUI and supports occasional users

5 Monitoring and Fault Reporting FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

5.1

Network Topology Management


5.1.1

A GUI with an editor that allows a system administrator to create graphical views of the network with icons representing various network elements

5.1.2

The ability of a system administrator to create icons for a new network element types

5.1.3 The ability to name network views that can be referred to by any authorized user


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5.1.4 The ability to nest views to allow users to drill down to subsystem levels

5.1.5

A graphic display of states of currents alarms occurring on objects in a view with color coding of icons indicating severity of alarms

5.1.6

The ability for a user to, through a view, bring up a list of active and historical alarms for a selected icon

5.2

System Resource Management

Vendor asserts its solution supports monitoring of:

5.2.1 CPU utilization

5.2.2 Memory utilization

5.2.3 Disk utilization

5.2.4 Database table utilization

5.3

Fault Management

Vendor asserts its solution has event management system (EMS) that supports:

5.3.1

The performance of fault management functions locally or remotely, using command line and graphical user interfaces (GUIs)

5.3.2

SNMP and subsystems that provide SNMP support and generate appropriate events and alarms

5.3.3

Alarms and events constructed based on the format described in ITU-T X.733 and in a readable plain text

5.3.4

Compliance of EMS alarm severity levels with ITU-T Rec. X.733 and assigning of each alarm to one of the following severity levels if this has not already been done by the source element: critical, major, minor, warning, and cleared indeterminate


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5.3.5 Color coding of alarms according to severity

5.3.6 Optional audible alerts for alarms

5.3.7 Reporting and management of alarms and events in real time

5.3.8 Real-time updating of monitor windows as alarms enter the EMS

5.3.9

The ability for system administrators and authorized users to set threshholds for alarms

5.3.10 The ability for authorized uers to enable and disable alarms

5.3.11

The ability for authorized users to query historical alarms with flexible search criteria and configurable filters

5.3.12

Logging of alarms and events in configurable event logs or by recording in databases

5.3.13

The creation of an event log every day at midnight and simultaneous closing of the current log, with a nomenclature that clearly identifies the date to which the log refers

5.3.14

Storing of all event logs according to Afghan Telecom-defined parameters

5.3.15 Time-stamping of all events and alarms at point of origin

5.3.16

The ability to forward alarms and events to the external network management system (NMS)

5.3.17

The ability of the event management system (EMS) to buffer alarms on the output connection to the NMS


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5.3.18

The ability to filter alarms for multiple points of view according to Afghan Telecom-defined parameters. A filter for generating on the system and forwarding to the external system shall be independent.

5.3.19

The ability of the EMS to alter the reported severity of individual alarms as they enter the system

5.3.20

Inclusion in the EMS of on-line alarm manuals for itself and the systems under its control

5.3.21

The requirement to enter the name of the alarm acknowledger or canceller along with the system-generated date and time

5.3.22

Export and printing of alarm data from the alarm monitor and alarm history applications

5.3.23

Robust reporting of all log and alarm events, with standard and customizable reports

6 Data Management FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

6.1

Data Architecture


6.1.1 A logical data model covering all entities of the system

6.1.2

Data updates that are effected at once in the repository and are immediately available to all other users

6.1.3 Data backup processes and procedures for all data elements

6.1.4 Backtracking facilities for all data records

6.1.5

Resiliency to transaction failure or hardware failure via suitable system checkpoints, thus ensuring data integrity at all times


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6.1.6

Automated archiving procedures that copy active data to storage media when the archive age has been reached

6.1.7

Built-in facilities that access archived historical data from storage media upon authorized user request, with a vendor-specified amount of time to access archived data

Vendor shall provide:

6.1.8 An entity relationship diagram

6.2

Importing Data


6.2.1 Importing of data in a comma separated values (CSV) format

6.2.2 Importing of data into custom fields

6.2.3 Import templates or profiles that can be defined and saved for future use

6.2.4 Import wizards to simplify the creation of import templates or profiles

6.2.5 No limit to the number of records that can be imported

6.3

Exporting Data


6.3.1 Exporting of data in a comma separated values (CSV) format

6.3.2 Exporting of data into custom fields

6.3.3 Export templates or profiles that can be defined and saved for future use

6.3.4 Export wizards to simplify the creation of import templates or profiles

6.3.5 No limit to the number of records that can be exported

6.4

Data Transfers


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6.4.1 Real time messaging and event data transfers

6.4.2 Real time and batch mode file-based data transfers

6.4.3

Data conversion from the source system format into one or more formats compatible with the destination system

6.4.4 No loss of data during transfer

6.5

Data Record Access


6.5.1

Data record permissions (create, read, edit, and delete) that can be managed based on hierarchical user role definitions

6.5.2

Granting specific users or groups access to an individual or groups of records

6.5.3

Record sharing rules set the default access that users have to each other's data records

6.5.4

Determine by system administrators which record layout views are available to users or user groups

6.5.5

Definition of user profiles that controls users' permissions, login access, and field level security

6.5.6

Definiation by system administrators as to which specific data fields users can view or edit

6.5.7

Adherence to the user's defined record and data field acessibility for all reports and analytics

6.6

Data Backups



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6.6.1

Supports continuous real-time or periodic (system parameter) backups of all data. Please describe

6.6.2

Supports the performance of database backups by exporting all data into a set of comma-separated values (CSV) files

6.6.3

Supports reinstatement of data into system components from backups. Please describe.

6.7

Data Storage


6.7.1

Efficient SAN devices (that allow stripping and mirroring with minimal performance degradation) and media libraries for data backup and off site storage

6.7.2

Storage management software to ensure that data is not corrupted or lost in the case of hardware or software failures

6.8

On-line Data


6.8.1 On-line availability of customer interaction data for a period of one year

6.8.2

On-line availability of customer billing data (bills and account information) for a period of two years

6.8.3

On-line availability of usage data (mandatory review reporting, call details records, etc.) for a period of 1 year

6.8.4 On-line availability of other data for a period of one year

6.8.5

Access, via data backups and for a period of five years, to all data not available on-line

6.8.6 Industry standard data compression capabilities

7 Encryption & Security FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

7.1


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Encryption


7.1.1 Server authentication

7.1.2 Data integrity assurance

7.1.3 Data encryption standard (DES) data

7.1.4 Support for third-party encryption tools or modules

7.1.5 Security zones

7.1.6 Encrypting and decrypting of messages

7.1.7

Encoding of information transmitted over the Internet using HTTPS and SSL protocols

7.1.8 Digital certifications

7.1.9 Digital signatures

7.2

Access Control


7.2.1 Multilevel access control

7.2.2 Organization-level access control

7.2.3 Group-level access control

7.2.4 Position-level access control

7.2.5 User, object, and method access control

7.2.6 Responsibility (view control)

7.2.7 Individual unique user IDs and user authentication

7.2.8 An access mechanism that supports encrypted protocols

7.3

System Security

7.3.1

Vendor shall describe the key design principles regarding security of its solution.

7.3.2

Solution includes, in all modules, protection (e.g., firewalls, and other hardware and software protection mechanisam) from unauthorized individuals and hackers, both locals and Web-based intruders


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7.3.3 Multiple configurable security levels

7.3.4 Database-level security

7.3.5 Definition of login and password policies and rules

7.3.6 User passwords held internally to the systems

7.3.7

Use of a single user ID and password that lets a valid system user access all functions required across multiple systems (single sign on or SSO)

7.3.8

Multi-level access privileges based on which category users belong to; for example, managers, system users, system administrators, etc.

7.3.9

The ability to handle user access conflicts, e.g, two users attempting to modify the same data at the same time

7.3.10

Secure user profiling to restrict data or functional permissions within the system, both in terms of data visibility, and of ability to perform a function and to access a data type at the field level

7.3.11

Password protected access to restricted data (e.g., customer details and log files)

7.3.12

Password management and authentication centralized such that any change in passwords will be effected across all systems

7.3.13 Expiration of user passwords after a preset period

7.3.14 A fixed timescale password rotation for user passwords

7.3.15

Secure remote access (dial-in or web-based) for selected users in a multilevel access platform


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7.3.16

Local and remote access for authorized personnel, including access to diagnosis, maintenance, software updates, application development, and reporting tools

7.3.17 The ability to lock users' sessions to a specific IP addresses

7.3.18

The ability of an administrator to restrict an access to the system based on IP addresses

7.3.19 Logging of all system user activities to provide an audit trail

7.3.20

The inability for users to bypass the access control and audit trails when accessing the fields, screens, functions, and data

7.4

Security Management and Audit Tools


7.4.1

A mechanism to lock users out from all systems after a number (set as a system parameter) of unsuccessful login attempts

7.4.2

Reinstatement of locked out users by a system administrator, and only a system administrator

7.4.3

Daily recording and reporting of the terminal and user ID of unauthorized attempts to log onto the system

7.4.4 A mechanism to deactivate users from all systems

7.4.5

Administrator access to on-demand reports of the login history for all users in the organization

7.4.6

Automatic logging of changes to the system setup, and tagging of which user made each change


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7.4.7

Automatic and on-demand generation of audit trail reports of all security settings by and for authorized users

8 Web Environment & Web Enablement FC/PC/NC+P/NP OB/MOD Comments

8.1

Web Browsers

Vendor asserts its solution supports the following web browsers:

8.1.1

Internet Explorer 9.0 with forward compatibility and backward compatibility to 6.0

8.1.2 Mozilla Firefox

8.1.3 Opera

8.1.4 Safari

8.1.5 Other (please list)

8.2

Degree of Web Enablement


8.2.1

A true web-based thin client accessible via a web browser

8.2.2 Intranet capabilities

8.2.3 Extranet capabilities

8.2.4 That lookups processed online occur in real-time

8.2.5 That browses processed online occur in real-time

8.2.6

That data validations processed online occur in real-time

8.2.7

That transactions processed online occur in real-time

8.2.8 Information on demand

8.3

Web Interface


8.3.1 Supports an API program interface

8.3.2

Has an API configuration

tool

8.3.3

Has inherent tools or third-party tools to build a web interface


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8.3.4

Supports or has third-party tools for drag and drop creation of interfaces

8.3.5 Supports pre-configured screens

8.3.6 Has a built-in tool for drag and drop web page design

8.3.7 Has a setup toolkit

8.3.8 Has an administration toolkit

8.3.9

Uses plug-ins, helper applications, and other existing off-the-shelf tools

8.3.10 Supports customization and tailoring capabilities

8.3.11 Is J2EE enabled

8.3.12 Is XML enabled

8.4

Web Functions and Functionality


8.4.1 Dynamic, embedded URL support

8.4.2 Browser-level read, write, and data modification

8.4.3 Robust data type sets

8.4.4

Dynamic SQL statements from all form inputs, URL strings, and environment

8.4.5

A function for generating e-mail based on HTML form input

8.4.6 User-defined procedures

8.4.7 Deployability across multiple platforms

8.4.8

Intuitive drag-and-drop tool for easily accessing ad hoc database information

8.4.9

The ability to navigate through the application via directory tree structure

8.4.10

A single enterprise-wide application that houses product management, sales and order management, and customer support

8.4.11 Mobile processing environment

8.4.12 Multiple languages

8.4.13 Multiple window navigation and tiling


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8.4.14 Access for remote and stand-alone users

8.4.15 A robust development and customization toolkit

8.4.16 Common development language

9 Support & Maintenance FC/PC/NC+NP/p OB/MOD Comments

9.1

Help Facilities

Vendor asserts its system supports:

9.1.1

A comprehensive help facility for each component that can be initiated online for each screen and each data item on that screen

9.1.2

A help facility that informs the user about the format and values of each data item on the screen

9.1.3

An associated field prompt text, showing a range of values or picking lists, that is displayed upon entry to each data entry field

9.1.4 Content sensitive help text available down to the field level

9.1.5 A help facility that guides users in carrying out specific transactions

9.1.6

A help facility that assits users with questions about applications, business rules and processes, or practices

9.1.7 Availability of separate help for error messages

9.1.8

A help facility that provides meaningful explanations of any error that occurs while the user is using a screen

9.1.9

A clear explanation or reason code when an application error causes abnormal termination

9.1.10 Accessibility to help text for customization and maintenance

9.1.11 Access to organized and indexed documentation

9.2

Technology Transfer and Training


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Vendor asserts it supports:

9.2.1

A comprehensive in-person training program that ensures that Afghan Telecom is prepared to operate and support the solution and systems

9.2.2 Training covering the use and administration of the customer billing system

9.2.3 Training covering the use and administration of the mediation system

9.2.4 Training covering the use and administration of the bacth rating engine

9.2.5 Training covering the use and administration of the real-time rating engine

9.2.6 Training covering the use and administration of the CRM system

9.2.7 Training covering invoice creating, presentment, and printing

9.2.8 Training covering the use and administration of the customer care system

9.2.9

Training covering the use and administration of the service order/provisioning system

9.2.10

Training covering the use and administration of the interconnect settlement/carrier billing system

9.2.11 Training covering the use and administration of the fraud management system

9.2.12 Training covering the use and administration of the revenue assurance system

9.2.13

Training covering the use and administration of the enterprise data warehouse system

9.2.14 Training covering the use and administration of the business intelligence system

9.2.15 Follow on training via e-learning

9.2.16 Train-the-trainer


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9.2.17 Certification training

9.2.18 Industry (non-product) training in CBS

9.2.19 Industry (non-product) training in fraud management

9.2.20 Industry (non-product) training in revenue assurance

9.2.21

Industry (non-product) training in business process management (eTOM/NGOSS)

9.2.22 The provision of comprehensive training manuals

9.3

Documentation

Vendor asserts it will provide:

9.3.1 Printed manuals and training materials

9.3.2

Documentation in an electronic format, such as MS Word, PDF, ODF, or similar

9.3.3

Documentation that is cross-referenced according to a consistent naming and numbering convention

9.3.4 An update log when the documentation is updated

9.3.5

Documentation in easy-to-understand formats that includes flow charts and data flow diagrams

9.3.6 Business requirements documentation

9.3.7 Systems requirements documentation

9.3.8 Functional documentation

9.3.9 Technical documentation

9.3.10 Business process documentation

9.3.11 Operational documentation

9.3.12 Data/object model documentation

9.3.13 Database documentation

9.4

Support and Maintenance



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9.4.1

Full support of the solution through Afghan Telecom acceptance and sign off, as well as for a subsequent two (2) year warranty period, as part of the initial deliverable

9.4.2 The option to extend full support for the solution for a period of five (5) years

9.4.3

Software and application maintenance services needed to implement required enhancements for a total period of five (5) years

9.4.4

In-country personnel with the appropriate technical expertise to provide on-site support when required

9.4.5

Application of necessary quality assurance processes during the initial development, as well as post-production support and maintenance

9.4.6 24x7 support

9.4.7 Secure, remote access support

9.4.8 Tier one support

9.4.9 Tier two support

9.4.10 Tier three support

9.5

Release Management & Control


9.5.1 Version control procedures

9.5.2 Release management procedures

10 Mediation & CDR Aggregation

FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

10.1

General


10.1.1 Incorporates industry standards into the mediation platform

10.1.2 Supports interface to multiple networks


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10.1.3

Supports various network elements including but not limited to MSC, CG, SGSN/GGSN, MMSC, SMSC, SCP, CRBT, USSD and WAP GW

10.1.4

Has the flexibility to accommodate the introduction of new network elements and other downstream applications

10.1.5

Supports Afghan Telecom enablement and disablement of NEs for polling

10.1.6 Supports national and international roaming CDR collection and handling

10.1.7 Supports sender- and receiver-initiated sessions

10.1.8 Has the ability to operate in centralized or decentralized modes

10.1.9 Supports interface to automated clearing house (ACH) systems

10.1.10

Collects, converts, processes and distributes event records from all sources, including switches, third-party files, servers, AAA servers and RADIUS servers

10.1.11

Supports automatic collection, conversion, and routing of event records from arbitrary network equipment to arbitrary business and operations support systems

10.1.12 Supports fixed and variable (Afghan-Telecom specified) data formats

10.1.13

Has a flexible format translator to translate any usage data input formats into a standard formats such as ASN.1, AMA, CSV, Binary, ASCII, BCD, HEX, or any other required by up- and downstream applications. Please describe formats supported.


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10.1.14

Utilizes FTAM, FTP, SFTP or diameter transfer protocols. Please provide a list of all sources and software versions you support.

10.1.15

Is rules-based and table-driven (does not require code changes when a new record format or business rule is encountered)

10.1.16 Supports SNMP and generation of appropriate events and alarms

10.1.17

Stamps every change to the system with an effective date and keeps a history of changes

10.1.18

Automatically backs up files polled from network elements (NE) into another directory or machine

10.1.19 Can identify and handle exception (abnormal and error) events

10.2

Data Element Collection, Handling, Processing, and Distribution

Vendor asserts that its solution supports:

10.2.1 Both online and offline data collection

10.2.2 Both real-time and batch collection

10.2.3 Pulling or receiving of pushed files from a system-configurable directory

10.2.4

Automatic and scheduled polling from NEs and an arbitrary (configurable) number of polls per day

10.2.5

Pulling and spontaneous transfer of event records of specific accounts for hot billing; for example, for the rating of telephone calls made from rented handsets

10.2.6 Sequence number validation during collection so that no files are lost or duplicated

10.2.7 Missing and duplicate file detection


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10.2.8 The assurance of data integrity and reliability of data being transferred.

10.2.9

Deletion of files after collected and logged, according to Afghan Telecom-defined parameters

10.2.10

Supports backup and retrieval of data from storage devices like CDs, DATs, and magneto-optical, optical, and magnetic discs

10.2.11 The decoding/encoding of event records

10.2.12 Filtering of event records

10.2.13 Conversion of event records

10.2.14

Validation of each field in each event record for readability, type and value, and value intervals. The system compares maximum and minimum values in multiple intervals. Both negative and positive values are possible.

10.2.15 Event record enrichment (using complex and configurable reference data)

10.2.16 CDR normalization. Please specify which format(s).

10.2.17 Detection of duplicate records and elimination of duplicate event records

10.2.18

Detection of duplicate records based on the composite key method, full record or physical record number gap analysis, or time gap validation

10.2.19

Correlation and aggregation of event records according to Afghan Telecom-defined parameters and correlation keys


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10.2.20

Correlation of records from different network elements so that several CDRs from the same event may be combined into a single billable event. If an event is routed through .several network elements it may be necessary to correlate the data from each network element

10.2.21

Correlation of data generated from GPRS, IP, content billing, VoIP, and specialized Internet services, wireless calls with handoffs, long duration calls, and sessions, etc.

10.2.22 Buffering of event records

10.2.23 Replication (cloning) of event records

10.2.24 Filtering and sorting of event records

10.2.25 Reconciliation of event records

10.2.26

Configurable and easily customizable rules for collection, correlation, validation, conversion, routing, filtering, and sorting

10.2.27 Downstream format mapping

10.2.28 Header and trailer generation

10.2.29

The addition or modification of fields to event records and and the population of fields according to customer-defined business rules

10.2.30

Storage of raw event records for a specified time frame for queries and reprocessing

10.2.31

Application of rules to change the value of a field upon certain predefined conditions in batch mode

10.2.32 Splitting of event records as a function of the duration of the event


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10.2.33

Combination of multiple event records into one intermediate record of long duration

10.2.34

File-based and online (asynchronous mode) event record distribution to other subsystems

10.2.35

Replication and distribution of the same source event records to more than one subsystem upon request. The system maintains relevant logs for each distribution.

10.2.36 Set up and scheduling of event record file distribution to business applications

10.2.37 Archiving of event records. Please describe.

10.3

Error Detection and Handling


10.3.1 Performance of syntax checks according to user defined rules

10.3.2

Performance of checks on data retrieved from database lookups, such as circuit, route, dialed number, MSC, customer, etc.

10.3.3 Automatic generation of alarms when errors are detected in event records

10.3.4

Automatic generation of alarms when an error type repeats beyond a predefined threshold

10.3.5 Configuration of alarm conditions by Afghan Telecom

10.3.6

Storage of erroneous records for correction later, and an editor to check records, change the value of the field, and provide authority checks and an audit trail


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10.3.7

Online deletion facilities for abnormal and erroneous records, including authority checks and the audit trail

10.3.8 Subsequent re-input or recycling of suspended event records

10.3.9 Automatic collection recovery when there are abnormalities

10.4

CDR Aggregation and Processing


10.4.1

Has a real-time database that stores all ongoing calls and sessions for later processing

10.4.2

Logs and stores collected CDRs and generated fields in an internal database by type (e.g., processed, not processed, normal, duplicate, error, etc.)

10.4.3 Detects duplicate CDRs within files and across files

10.4.4 Detects erroneous CDRs based on configurable error criteria

10.4.5 Stores CDRs by type

10.4.6

Can be configured to filter out certain types of CDRs according to Afghan Telecom parameters

10.4.7

Can be configured to include or exclude data fields from the original CDR, and to merge these fields with generated fields, such as customer data or calculated information

10.4.8 Aggregates and summarizes CDR data

10.4.9 Supports aggregation of CDR data based on any field of the CDRs

10.4.10 Supports aggregation of CDR data based on any group of fields or time span

10.4.11

Supports configurable criteria for CDR data aggregation and summarization


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10.4.12

Can process CDRs according to any rules configured by Afghan Telecom

10.4.13 Can distribute CDRs to internal and external post-processing systems

10.4.14

Maintains historical mean values characterizing individual subscribers, which can be compared to alarm levels set up for their subscriber types

10.4.15 Supports a sophisticated query tool for searching the CDR database

10.4.16 Supports setting query conditions defined by Afghan Telecom

10.4.17 Has a reporting tool for extracting aggregated CDR data from the database

10.4.18 Supports exporting CDR data in standard formats, such as MS Excel, CSV, etc.

10.5

Mediation GUI Tasks

Vendor asserts that its solution has a GUI:

10.5.1 From which user can add, delete, or modify NEs

10.5.2 From which user can add, delete, or modify the record formats of NEs

10.5.3

From which user can schedule, prioritize, and initiate pulling or receiving data from selected NEs

10.5.4 From which user can modify the configuration parameters of the system

10.5.5

From which user can set configuration parameters for event correlation or event split

10.5.6 From which user can specify the required format for a given business application

10.5.7 From which users can add, delete, and modify validation rules


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10.5.8 From which user can add, delete, and modify filtering rules

10.5.9

From which user can schedule, prioritize, and route the distribution of CDRs

10.5.10 That displays data activity reports

10.5.11 That displays errors and alarms both in text form and graphical form

10.5.12 That can support added network elements

10.6

Reporting and Audit Trail


10.6.1

Generates statistics regarding the number of event records, by type (normal, abnormal, error) and in total

10.6.2 Generates statistics regarding the number of files

10.6.3 Generates statistics regarding the number of event units

10.6.4 Generates statistics regarding the number of bytes

10.6.5 Creates an audit trail for all event records

10.6.6 Generates audit trail reports on a daily or periodic basis

10.6.7 Generates performance reports

10.6.8 Offers standard reports

10.6.9 Supports scheduling of reports

10.6.10 Supports ad hoc and on-demand reports

10.6.11 Allows for customizable reports

10.6.12 Generates exception reports

Vendor asserts that its solution can produce the following reports:

10.6.13 Aggregate number of records received by record type


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10.6.14 Total number of event records processed per time perioid

10.6.15 Total processing time

10.6.16 Total down time for record processing

10.6.17 Total abnormal records per time period

10.6.18 Total erroroneous records per time period

10.6.19 Total number of duplicate records per day

10.6.20 Total number of records or files processed

10.6.21 Summary of the number of correlated records per a correlation rule

10.6.22 Summary of the filtered records per a filtering rule

11 Interconnect Settlement and Wholesale Billing


11.1

Basic Interconnect System Services and Functionality

Vendor asserts that its system supports:

11.1.1

National interconnect settlement and wholesale billing and reconciliation based on parameters in the interconnect agreements

11.1.2

International interconnect settlement and wholesale billing and reconciliation based on parameters in the interconnect agreements

11.1.3

The flexibility to handle multiple, different interconnect agreements with variables configured by interconnect partner

11.1.4

A robust accumulator that accommodates all network transactions and service applications

11.1.5 Equal access billing

11.1.6 Splitting of a transit call into ingress and egress parts

11.1.7 The ability to handle Internet Protocol Detail Records (IPDR)


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11.1.8 Record processing and exchange in real-time (not batch run)

11.1.9

Status checking of interconnection settlement rating files received from multiple exchanges

11.1.10 Can identify and handle exception (abnormal and error) events

11.1.11 Both direct and indirect accounting with other networks

11.1.12 Multiple CDR formats

11.1.13 Configurable CDR formats

11.1.14 Setting of query conditions for different types of CDRs (normal, abnormal, error)

11.1.15 Management of suspended CDRs

11.1.16 Settlement billing workflow diagram

11.1.17 Interconnect partner management

11.1.18

Functionality in sections 12-22 for interconnect settlement and wholesale billing

11.2

Interconnect Agreement Arrangements

Vendor asserts its system supports the following interconnect agreement arrangements:

11.2.1 Origination and termination

11.2.2 Total accounting rates agreements (ITU-based)

11.2.3 Transit agreements (ITU-based)

11.2.4 Cascade and direct accounting agreements (ITU-based)

11.2.5 Divisions of revenue agreements (ITU-based)

11.2.6 Interconnect settlement

11.2.7 International Simple Resale (ISR)

11.2.8 Special Drawing Right (SDR)

11.2.9 Hubbing and refilling


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11.2.10 Minutes-based

11.2.11 Tiered rates for volume thresholds

11.2.12 Total volume commitment

11.2.13 Tiered rates for revenue thresholds

11.2.14 Total revenue commitment

11.2.15 PSTN-mobile interconnection (and vice versa)

11.2.16

Mobile-to-mobile (roaming) interconnection and settlement (national and international)

11.3

Service Types

Vendor asserts its system supports interconnect settlement and wholesale billing:

11.3.1 For all service types in Section 12

11.4

Internetworking

Vendor asserts its system supports the following:

11.4.1 Outgoing direct calls to a network adjacent to the home network

11.4.2

Outgoing indirect calls to another network, not adjacent to the home network

11.4.3 Incoming direct calls from a network adjacent to the home network

11.4.4 Incoming indirect calls from a network not adjacent to the home network

11.4.5 Transit direct calls to and from networks adjacent to the home network

11.4.6 Transit indirect calls to and from networks not adjacent to the home network

11.4.7

Call transactions with service providers located in same geographic location (revenue share)


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11.5

Roaming and Billing Support Functionality


11.5.1 National and international roaming settlement

11.5.2 In- and outbound roaming settlement

11.5.3 Roaming fees and flag fall charges

11.5.4 Transfer account procedure (TAP) file generation (list standards supported)

11.5.5 TAP file receiving (list standards supported)

11.5.6 Configurable TAP charge items to include, e.g., taxes and discounts

11.5.7

Returned accounts procedure (RAP) file receiving (list standards supported)

11.5.8 Inquiry and processing of RAP files by setting query conditions

11.5.9 Checking the status of roam-out rating files

11.5.10 Checking the status of roam-in rating files

11.5.11 Inquiry of notification files by setting query conditions

11.5.12 Supports interface to automated clearing house (ACH) systems

11.6

Dial Code Treatment

Please describe how your solution handles dial codes.


11.6.1 Multiple, carrier-specific dial code lists (origination and termination)

11.6.2 Multiple, carrier-specific rate tables (origination and termination)

11.6.3 Different origination and termination dial code lists for the same carrier


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11.6.4 Different origination and termination rate tables for the same carrier

11.6.5 The ability to rate down to the city code level

11.6.6 The ability to rate according to Nth digit

11.6.7 The ability to default to the country (or other) rate if dial code is not recognized

11.7

Reconciliation and Settlement


11.7.1 A flexible reporting subsystem to facilitate CDR analysis

11.7.2 A portal to post and receive CDR files

11.7.3 Scattered settlement dates

11.7.4

Manual inputting of incoming non-electronic summary usage figures from interconnect partners

11.7.5

Importing of incoming electronic summary usage figures from interconnect partners

11.7.6

Importing of incoming CDRs and usage data as declared by interconnect partners, including wire line operators, mobile operators, ISPs, and other operators

11.7.7

Processing of incoming CDRs and usage data as declared by interconnect partners, including wire line operators, mobile operators, ISPs, and other operators

11.7.8 Validation of received declarations against Afghan Telecom data

11.7.9 CDR reconciliation against Afghan Telecom data

11.7.10

A CDR analysis tool that is designed to compare CDRs to investigate and resolve disputes


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11.7.11 The ability to drill up or down on dial code levels for reconciliation purposes

11.7.12

The ability to pull raw (unrounded, unrated) CDR files on demand by any number of variables (customer, route, date, time period, etc.)

11.8

Statement Preparation and Production; Invoicing and Accounting


11.8.1 Modules to control and report on all aspects of inter-carrier accounting

11.8.2

Production of statements that include detailed incoming, outgoing, and transit information

11.8.3 Production of preliminary (pre-settlement) statements

11.8.4

Adjustments in the settlement process before final statements are produced

11.8.5 Production of final (post-settlement) statements on call charges per partner

11.8.6 Flexible invoicing arrangements and methods

11.8.7 Offsets (in- and out-payment netting arrangements)

11.8.8 Interface to financial systems to send and receive G/L transactions

11.9

Reporting


11.9.1 Availability of all data for reporting

11.9.2 Robust and flexible reporting per interconnect partner and in the aggregate

11.9.3

Robust and flexible querying and sorting of interconnect settlement and wholesale data


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11.9.4 Robust and flexible querying and sorting by single and multiple data elements

11.9.5

Reporting by element or unit, groups of elements or units, individually, and in the aggregate

11.9.6

Reporting by standard and configurable time periods (e.g., hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, start and end dates, etc.)

11.9.7

Generation and production of reports by Afghan Telecom-defined variables, such as originating country, groups of routes (ingress and egress), and type of call or event

11.9.8

The ability to drill up or down to different levels for all reports (e.g., country to city, groups of customers to single customer)

11.9.9 Standard reports

11.9.10

Standard and customizable cost, revenue and profit reports by selected criteria, such as product/service, customer, account, line of business, geographic area, etc.

11.9.11 Standard and customizable usage reports

11.9.12 Standard and customizable customer and account status reports

11.9.13 Standard and customizable billing and financial reports

11.9.14 Standard and customizable tax reports

11.9.15 Customizable reports

11.9.16 Scheduling of reports

11.9.17 Ad hoc and on-demand reports

11.9.18 Exception reports

11.9.19 Location-based statistics and reports

11.9.20 Application specific reports

11.9.21 Easy creation of new reports through GUI interface with drag and drop functionality


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11.9.22 Configurable report layouts

11.9.23 Multiple report formats

11.9.24 Ability to generate reports in multiple languages

11.9.25 Ability to generate reports in multiple currencies

11.9.26 Ability to specifcy language and currency for reports

11.9.27 Ability to report in a different language or currency than what was originally used

11.9.28 Multiple export file formats

11.9.29 Easy export of reports to other standard viewing tools

11.9.30 Export of generated reports to online analytical processing (OLAP) tools

12

Products and Services FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

12.1

Product and Service Catalog


12.1.1

Availability of product and service catalog to both pre- and postpaid subscribers/customers

12.2

Voice Services

Vendor asserts its solution supports billing for:

12.2.1 Fixed-line voice service, in- and outbound, switched and dedicated

12.2.2 Local and regional calling service

12.2.3 Intra- and inter-provincial service

12.2.4 National and international long distance service

12.2.5 Toll-free, shared-cost, and premium rate service

12.2.6 Operator services

12.2.7 Directory services (lookup and through connect)

12.2.8 Calling card service

12.2.9 Abbreviated dialing service

12.2.10 Emergency calls


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12.2.11 IVR & USSD & USSD call back

12.2.12 Other (please describe)

12.3

Data Services


12.3.1 Packet switched data service

12.3.2 Dedicated data service

12.3.3 Internet access, Internet usage

12.3.4 Digital subcriber line (DSL) service (Future Requirement)


12.4

Other Services


12.4.1 Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) service

12.4.2 ISDN BAR and PRI service

12.4.3 Centrex/IP Centrex service

12.4.4 Closed user group (CUG) service

12.4.5 Private number plan (PNP) service

12.4.6 Virtual private network (VPN)/IP VPN service

12.4.7 Unified message system (UMS) service

12.4.8 Other intelligent network (IN) services (please describe)

12.4.9 Number portability

12.4.10 Alert service (e-mail)

12.4.11 Satellite-based village communication network (VCN) service

12.4.12 IPTV (Future Requirement)

12.4.13 Content and third-party platform services



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12.5

Features and Value-Added Services (VAS)


12.5.1 CLIP and CLIR

12.5.2 Call divert

12.5.3 Call forward

12.5.4 Call barring

12.5.5 Call transfer

12.5.6 Call hold

12.5.7 Call waiting

12.5.8 Audio conferencing service

12.5.9 Video conferencing service

12.5.10 Voicemail service

12.5.11 Voice, fax, and family mailboxes

12.5.12 Voice and fax store-and-forward service

12.5.13 Other (please desribe)

12.6

Equipment and Related Services


12.6.1

Equipment (dongles, modems, handsets, PBX, other customer premise equipment (CPE), etc.) and accessories sales and rentals

12.6.2 Maintenance contracts and extended warranties

12.6.3 Insurance

12.6.4 Colocation and associated services

12.7

Mobile Products and Services and Wireless Technologies


12.7.1 Mobile telephony (GSM, TDMA, CDMA, GPRS, 3G etc. - please list)


163

12.7.2 Mobile data services

12.7.3 Mobile fax services

12.7.4 2G to 4G services, including 3GPP and 4G/LTE - please list

12.7.5 GPRS/EDGE

12.7.6 HSDPA/HSPA/HSUPA

12.7.7 Near field communication service (NFC)

12.7.8 Short message service (SMS), voice SMS

12.7.9 Multi-media message service (MMS)

12.7.10 Smart messaging, extended message service (EMS)

12.7.11 Information services delivered via SMS

12.7.12 Caller ring back tones (CBRT)

12.7.13 Unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) and USSD callback

12.7.14 Standard GPRS-based features and upgrades

12.7.15 Standard IN and CAMEL-based features and upgrades

12.7.16 National and international roaming

12.7.17 Features and mobile VAS as per above

12.7.18 Subscriber identity module (SIM) cards

12.7.19 Top-up cards

12.7.20 Microwave circuits

12.7.21 WiFi

12.7.22 WiMAX

12.7.23 WiMAX fixed


12.8

Optical Fiber Services


12.8.1 Domestic digital private line circuits (DPLC)


164

12.8.2 International digital private line circuits (IPLC)

12.8.3 Point-to-point and point-to-multi-point circuits

12.8.4 Dark fiber

12.8.5 Indefeasible right of use (IRU)


13 Distribution Channels FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

Vendor asserts its solution supports billing for the following distribution channels:

13.1 Retail

13.2 Resale

13.3 Wholesale

13.4 Agents

13.5

Distributors

13.6 Affinity marketers

13.7 Call shops

13.8 Internet cafés


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13.9 Points of sale (POS)

13.10 Other (please describe)

14

Customer, Account and Credit Management FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

14.1

General


14.1.1 Default subscription definition by system and Afghan Telecom

14.1.2 Overriding of default subscription definition

14.1.3 Creation of subscriptions within account and customer hierarchies

14.1.4 Modification of subscription expiration date upon activation

14.2

Authorization and Audit


14.2.1

Authentication for access to and modification of customer, account and credit data

14.2.2

Recording of authority reference and date of approval for changes to customer, account and credit data

14.2.3

Built-in controls to ensure data integrity, revenue assurance, and error administration

14.2.4

Audit tracking and audit trail reporting for all modifications to customer, account and credit data

14.3

Credit Verification, Limits and Control



166

14.3.1 Online credit checks using third-party databases, such as credit bureaus

14.3.2

Establishment of credit limits for customers and accounts and enforcement of limits by control of usage and charges based on business rules

14.3.3 Different credit limit grades owning different credit balances

14.3.4 Parameter-driven credit thresholds and limits

14.3.5

For post paid a near real time credit check, for prepaid online real time control and information

14.3.6

The ability to extend an additional credit balance to high-value pre- and postpaid customers

14.3.7 Use/application of a credit balance for charges and fees and toward usage

14.3.8 Decrementing of account balance in full prior to using credit balance

14.4

Account Establishment


14.4.1

Configurable default account parameters by multiple variables (product/service, type of customer, location, etc.)

14.4.2 Customizable accounts

14.4.3 End-user establishment of accounts via multiple media (online, IVR, etc.)

14.5

Account Hierarchy and Groups


14.5.1 Mulitiple and configurable levels of account/customer hierarchy

14.5.2 Multiple subscribers using a single account and vice versa


167

14.5.3 Multiple products and services using a single account and vice versa

14.5.4 Multiple simultaneous reservations on shared accounts

14.5.5 Configurable consumption limits by individual group member and total group

14.5.6 Unlimited number of groups and group members

Vendor asserts its solution supports the following group sharing modes:

14.5.7 Consumption limit

14.5.8 Service type

14.5.9 Time schema

14.5.10 Percentage

14.5.11 Unlimited

14.6

Account Adjustments


14.6.1 Authorization for all account adjustments

14.6.2 Adjusting accounts at the user level

14.6.3 Adjustment of basic balance and free resource

14.6.4 Account adjustments by a third party

14.6.5 Creation of a detailed log event and log file for all account adjustments

14.6.6 Audit trail for all account adjustments

14.7

Lifecycle States


14.7.1

Multiple lifecycle states with different groups of sequences and transition rules

14.7.2

Support for more than single state transitions when the lifecycle check is performed, provided all state transition rules are met


168

14.7.3

Notification of other BSS components through file-based record interface of new lifecycle state, in real-time and batch processing modes

14.7.4 Allowing or barring of certain services depending on the lifecycle state

Vendor asserts its solution supports lifecycle state transitions:

14.7.5 Due to the detection of the first call or usage event

14.7.6 Due to recharge operation of a certain value

14.7.7 Due to recharge operation of a specific configurable type

14.7.8 Due to recharge operation through a specific channel

14.7.9 Due to a defined balance or credit limit action

14.7.10 After a pre-defined period of time (e.g., hours or days) in a specific state

14.7.11 After a pre-defined number of days without recharging the balance

14.7.12 Due to an upstream (back-end) provisioning command

15 Tariffs and Charges FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

15.1

Tariffs

General

Vendor assertsits solution supports the following:

15.1.1 Flexible creation and management of tariff plans

15.1.2 Table-driven rates and structures for tariff plans

15.1.3 A rule-based application that simplifies maintenance of tariff tables

15.1.4 An offline tariff management tool

15.1.5 Stepped rating within tariff plans

15.1.6 Grouping of locations into zones (for both origination and termination)

15.1.7 Tariffs that can be defined by a combination of tariff elements


169

15.1.8 Packaging of products and services with different tariffs

15.1.9 Multicurrency tariff plans

15.1.10 Preferential home zone tariff plans

15.1.11

Ability to accommodate and differentiate among local, regional, national, and international tariff plans

15.1.12 Storage, maintenance, archiving and retrieval of historical tariffs

15.1.13 Storage, maintenance, and retrieval of future tariffs

15.2

Tariff Modifications

Functionality



15.2.1 Authentication for access to and modification of tariff information

15.2.2

Recording of authority reference and date of approval for changes to tariffs and tariff plans

15.2.3


15.2.4

Audit tracking and audit trail reporting for all modifications to tariffs and tariff plans

15.3

General

Vendor asserts its solution supports the following:

15.3.1

A simulator or test platform for tariff modications for use prior to implementing in rating engine

15.3.2 Version control for tariff plans

15.3.3 Configuration of tariffs through an easy-to-use GUI


170

15.3.4

Ability to import tariff data from common sources in common formats (e.g., Microsoft Excel, csv files)

15.3.5

Easy copying and pasting of rates, and performance of bulk updates, in order to allow the timely introduction of new rate plans

15.3.6

Accommodation of tariffs with start and end dates, or start date and open end date

15.3.7

Application of pricing packages, discounts, and promotions without modifying original tariff plan

15.3.8 Addition, modification, or removal of tariff plans prior to the change effective date

15.3.9 Automatic expiration of old and introduction of new tarrif plans on the effective date

15.3.10

The ability to notify users that a tariff plan is about to expire, based on Afghan Telecom-defined variables

15.3.11

The ability to apply default tariff plans upon expiration of old plans if no new tariff is effective

15.3.12 The ability to override default tariff plans with customized rates

15.3.13 Verification of tariff plan changes before they are used

15.3.14

Modeling and testing of tariff plans prior to implementation into production

15.3.15 Testing of the effects of proposed tariff plan changes prior to their introduction

Please describe:

15.3.16 End-user interface for changing tariff plans

15.3.17 How your solution handles structural changes to existing tariff plans

15.3.18 What your solution offers for new tariff capability


171

15.4

Tariff Plan Search, Storage and Retrieval


15.4.1 Storage, maintenance, archiving and retrieval of historical tariff plans

15.4.2 Storage, maintenance, and retrieval of future tariff plans

15.4.3 The ability to correct historical tariff plan and tariff errors

15.4.4 Extensive search criteria to query tariff plans (past, present and future)

15.4.5 Easy retrieval of tariff plans (past, present and future)

15.4.6 Extensive modeling of future tariff plans

15.5

Charges

Categories of Charges


15.5.1 Prepaid charges

15.5.2 Postpaid charges

15.5.3 Charges billed in advance

15.5.4 Charges billed in arrears

15.5.5 Recurring charges

15.5.6 Non-recurring charges (e.g., installation, equipment)

15.5.7 Flat-rate charges

15.5.8 Usage-based charges

15.5.9 Duration-based charges

15.5.10 Distance-based charges

15.5.11 On-net and off-net charges

15.5.12 Allowance charges (tiered and stepped)

15.5.13 Roaming charges

15.5.14 Location-based charges

15.5.15 Non-charged events

15.5.16 Non-charging based on defined business rules (e.g., X minutes or KBs free)


172

15.5.17 Session charges

15.5.18 Surcharges

15.5.19 Charges by zone, for both incoming and outgoing calls

15.5.20 Manually added charges (exception events)

15.5.21 Service charges (e.g., installation and repair)

15.5.22 Taxes, fees and surcharges and special taxes on special customers

15.5.23 Charges at accout level and at subscription level

15.5.24 Bundling of charges

15.5.25 Differential charging

15.5.26 Third-party charges (from and to third-party vendors)

15.5.27 Commission charges

15.5.28 Online charges and recharges

15.5.29 On- and offline charging

15.6

Specific Types of Charges


15.6.1 Circuit-switched voice calls

15.6.2 Standard telephony events

15.6.3

Standard telephony features (e.g, call waiting, call forwarding), per-use and flat-rate

15.6.4 Operator-assisted calls

15.6.5 Directory assistance calls

15.6.6

Non-charged events (e.g., free calls to customer service and emergency services)

15.6.7 Shared charges (e.g., shared-cost services)

15.6.8 Premium charges (e.g., premium-rate services)

15.6.9 Reversed charges (called party pays)

15.6.10 Value-added services (VAS) (e.g, voice mail, conference calling)


173

15.6.11 Packet-switched voice and data calls

15.6.12 Content-based charges (Afghan Telecom and third-party)

15.6.13 Interactive services

15.6.14 Mobile services

15.6.15 TAP charges (list standards supported)

15.6.16 Mobile service features and supplementary services (e.g., SMS)

15.6.17 Minimum and maximum charges

15.6.18

Charging for the above components either independently or in any combination

15.6.19 Simple charge rate

15.6.20 Fixed fee

15.6.21 Rank pricing

15.6.22 Time span pricing

15.6.23 Reference pricing

15.6.24 Mixed pricing

15.6.25 Tariff tree mode for the previous six entries

15.7

Charge Functionality



15.7.1 Authentication for access to and modification of charge information

15.7.2

Recording of authority reference and date of approval for changes to charges

15.7.3


15.7.4 Audit tracking and audit trail reporting for all modifications to charges


174

16 Charging and Balance Control


16.1

General


16.1.1

A robust accumulator that accommodates all network transactions and service applications

16.1.2 Switching between pre- and post-paid accounts

16.1.3 Real-time balance/credit monitoring

16.1.4

Different charging mechanisms available for different sales and distribution channels, including for POS and hybrid customers

16.1.5

Generation of charges based on applicable tariff plan(s) or other relevant charge data

16.1.6 Generation of charges based on third-party costs and prices

16.1.7 Charging based on calling and called party locations or a combination of both

16.1.8

Application of different charges for the same destination, unit, or other charged service or event depending on variables such as account, subscriber, activation date, and type of customer

16.1.9

The ability to charge for simultaneous events (e.g., multi-party calls, voice call and web browsing)

16.1.10 Real-time event charging capability (one-off and recurring)

16.1.11

Configurable charge periods according to Afghan Telecom-defined parameters (e.g., per-minute, per-hour, daily, monthly, annually)


175

16.1.12

Accommodation of charges with start and end dates, or start date and open end date

16.1.13

Flexible addition, changing, and removal of charges based on customer-defined criteria

16.1.14 Accrual of charges up to prepaid balance and credit limit

16.1.15 Denial of service once prepaid balance or credit limit is reached

16.1.16 Proration of charges based on billing cycle

16.1.17 Proration of charges based on customer-defined criteria

16.1.18

Charging by a period different than the bill cycle, such as on an annual basis, over multiple bill cycles, and by remaining days of the month or year

16.1.19 The ability to charge in customer-defined installments

16.1.20 The ability to reverse charges (called party pays)

16.1.21 Calculation of operator-assisted charges, both per-call and per-minute

16.1.22 Calculation of tax charges according to stored tax tables

16.1.23

Calculation of fees and penalty charges, such as late fees and reactivation fees

16.1.24

The ability to match charges to the correct subscriber, account and customer, including service activation and deactivation dates

16.1.25 Storage, maintenance, archiving and retrieval of historical charges

16.1.26 Storage, maintenance, and retrieval of future charges

16.1.27

Automatic generation of charges for the printing and reprinting of invoices and call detail reports


176

16.1.28 The ability to setup different active time based on top up value/voucher denomination

16.1.29

The ability to setup different active time based on customer-defined variables, such as class of service (COS), package, and price plan

16.1.30

The ability to setup different active time based on account status (e.g., if subscriber tops up during active period, s/he gets a longer active period than if s/he tops up in grace period)

16.1.31

The ability for customers to choose packages and rate plans via IVR, USSD, and web portal

16.2

Recurring Charges


16.2.1

Calculation of recurring charges based on standard and customer-defined intervals

16.3

Non-recurring Charges


16.3.1 Calculation of non-recurring charges, standard and customer-configurable

16.3.2 Manually-added one-off charges

16.4

Flat-rate Charges


16.4.1 Calculation of flat-rate charges

16.4.2

The ability to charge a flat-rate based on customer-defined criteria (e.g., X for Y minutes)

16.4.3 The ability to combine charged events into flat-rate charges


177

16.5

Usage-based Charges


16.5.1 Calculation of usage-based charges for both voice and data services

16.5.2 Call setup charges

16.5.3 Charging based on origination, termination, or both

16.5.4

Application of multiple rating schemes to the same call (e.g., calls that span multiple rating periods)

16.5.5

Initiation of charge upon receipt of answer supervision from the called subscriber

16.5.6 Stopping of charge when either party stops the call

16.5.7

Recording of the time period between the initiation and the stoppage of charge (raw call duration)

16.5.8

Configurable minimum number of seconds before a call is charged (minimum call duration)

16.5.9 Setting of charge to zero when a call does not meet the minimum call duration

16.5.10 Customer-defined rounding rules for usage charges

16.5.11 Application of rounding rules by subscriber, account or customer type

16.5.12

The ability to charge different charges for an intitial duration period and subsequent duration periods (e.g., 30"/6", 1"/1")

16.5.13

Calculation of charges for call duration that is based on rounding rules (rounded call duration)


178

16.5.14

Configurable minimum call charge duration set for calls setup using operators, whereby a successful call setup by the operator is charged at least the minimum call duration

16.5.15

The ability to charge for data services per unit of speed (e.g., mbps), by volume (e.g., X MB), or by time period (e.g., per hour), all customer-configurable

16.5.16

The ability to charge up to a defined threshhold and for amounts exceeding that threshhold

16.6

Charging for Packet-switched Data Calls


16.6.1 Charging for mobile subsriber-initiated sessions

16.6.2 Charging for mobile subscriber-terminated sessions

16.6.3 Charging by amount of data transferred for moblie subscriber-initiated sessions

16.6.4

Charging by amount of data transferred for moblie subscriber-terminated sessions

16.6.5

Non-charging of sessions (e.g., for mobile-to-mobile calls, toll-free calls, emergency services calls, short codes)

16.6.6 Reverse charging on various service provisioning nodes

16.6.7

Charging of mobile subscriber-originated calls to independent network services

16.7

Data Service Charges


16.7.1 Charging for data services based on a diameter solution


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16.7.2 Different charges based on different data speeds or levels of data speeds

16.7.3 Data charging by time and volume

16.7.4 Charging for content by unit and in total

16.7.5 Easy changing of data plans, including temporary changes

16.8

Differential Charging


16.8.1 Charging based on time of day (e.g., day, evening, night or peak and off-peak)

16.8.2

Charging based on calendar day (e.g., day of week, holidays, promotional "free" days)

16.8.3 Charging based on calendar date

16.8.4

Discounted charging based on customer-defined packages, promotions and rules

16.9

Preferential Charging


16.9.1

Charging of different rates to different third-parties and customers of different third parties

16.10

Caclulation and Application of Charges


16.10.1 Complete CDR/UDR, real-time charging functionality and protocols

16.10.2 Batch charging capabilities, scheduled and on demand

16.10.3 Validation to ensure a charge is valid

16.10.4 Calculation of charges in multiple currencies

16.10.5 Display of charges in multiple currencies


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16.10.6

Inclusion or exclusion of specific charges in the calculation of discounts, fees and taxes

16.10.7 Application of charges to a subscriber, account or customer directly

16.10.8 Application of charges to another subscriber, account or customer

16.10.9

Aggregation of charges for defined groups (e.g., family plans, multi-location corporate customers)

16.10.10

The choice by Afghan Telecom to apply charges or not if subscriber's balance is insufficient

16.10.11

The choice by Afghan Telecom to apply charges or not if subscriber's status is suspended

16.11

Commission and Third-Party Charges


16.11.1 Calculation of commission charges on units and usage (volume and revenue)

16.11.2

Calculation of commission charges by account, customer, product/service, or other criteria

16.11.3

Calculation of commission charges by sales person and sales channel, individually and in the aggregate

16.11.4

Calculation of fees and charges due from and to third-party vendors and intermediaries based on negotiated terms and business rules

16.12

Online Charging Gateway


16.12.1 Online charging gateway (OCG) functionality (please list protocols supported)


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16.12.2 Universal voucher center (UVC) capabilities (please provide description)

16.12.3 Pre-charge confirmation

16.12.4 Balance-on-demand capabilities

16.12.5 Multiple access modes (please describe)

16.12.6 Virtual distribution

16.13

Balance Functionality


16.13.1 Controls the account balance in real time

Please elaborate on the following:

16.13.2 Where the master account balance is stored?

16.13.3

How does your solution ensure the accuracy of the account balance during the real-time charging process?

16.13.4 Does your solution use a reservation mechanism? How does it work?

16.13.5 Are duplicates of the account balance used?

16.13.6 How do you keep the duplicate(s) in sync with the master account balance?

16.13.7

How do you support charging of parallel services from the account balance (e.g., when a user makes a phone call and sends data at the same time)?

16.13.8 Vendor asserts its solution supports:

16.13.9 Configurable minimum balance requirements

16.13.10 Configurable maximum balances allowed

16.13.11 Configurable balance usage requirements


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16.13.12

Configurable rules for allowing services (e.g, incoming calls, and outgoing calls to certain numbers such as emergency, customer service, and recharge) regardless of balance

16.13.13

Expressing the account balance in multiple ways (e.g., in total; for voice, data, and content; in currency; in time; in value)

16.13.14 The option to have a single account balance used for all products and services

16.13.15

Administering several balances in different units for an account (e.g., a voice balance in money and a data balance in MB)

16.13.16

A master account structure whereby the master account controls payments/recharges, sharing and distribution of credit, and controling/limiting usage for all subordinate accounts

16.13.17 Balance sharing across customers and accounts, including across SIMs

16.13.18

The ability to define the rules by which a balance can be shared (e.g., for a specific service or group of services or among specfic customers or account types)

16.13.19

Registering of multiple balances in the same unit, e.g., a private balance and a business balance

16.13.20 Configurable balance expirations with override capability

16.13.21 Communication of balance expiration to change account state

16.13.22 Automatic resetting of customer to active state upon recharge


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16.13.23

The ability to extend an additional credit balance to high-value pre- and postpaid customers

16.13.24 Decrementing of account balance in full prior to using credit balance

16.13.25 Use/application of a credit balance for charges and fees and toward usage

16.13.26

Balance modification after every charge. An account balance may also be negative.

16.13.27

Customer self-care functions (IVR, USSD, web interface) by which customer can control and manage balance and payment information

16.13.28

Configurable bonus units of balance according to Afghan Telecom-defined parameters (e.g., amount of top up, type of voucher)

16.13.29 Application of refunds, discounts, and rebates as a balance credit

16.14

Reserve Balances


16.14.1

Real-time balance reservation capabilities, configurable and executable by end-users

16.14.2

Balance reservation across accounts by sequential priority (or example: if the balance of a premium account (priority=1) is insufficient, the reservation can switch to the master account (priority=2)).

16.14.3 Multiple simultaneous balance reservations

16.14.4 Balance reservation cancellation and refunds in real time

16.15

Balance Transfers


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16.15.1

Tranferring balances between and among accounts of different subscribers

16.15.2 State control for balance transfers

16.15.3 Modification of the balance expiration during balance transfers

16.15.4 Limitations on transferer's balance during transfers

16.15.5 Limitations on transferer amounts

16.15.6 Charging for balance transfers

16.15.7 Notifications of balance transfers

16.15.8 Multiple method of balance transfer (e.g., SMS, IVR, online, etc.)

16.15.9 Transfer of free resource accounts between and among different subscribers

16.15.10 The exchange of balance funds for expiration period extenstion

16.16

Hybrid Customers


16.16.1

Balance transfer from prepaid account to postpaid account of the same hybrid customer

16.16.2

Balance transfer from postpaid account to prepaid account of the same hybrid customer

16.16.3

Balance transfer from prepaid account to postpaid account from different customers

16.16.4

Balance transfer from postpaid account to prepaid account from different customers

16.17

Voucher Management

Please describe:


185

16.17.1 How voucher batches are entered

16.17.2 How batches are activated

16.17.3 How new voucher records are created in your system

16.17.4 How your solution supports fraud detection


16.17.5 The creation and activation of voucher ranges and updates to voucher status

16.17.6

An import function to introduce internal and externally-generated voucher number ranges via a batch interface

16.17.7 Voucher activation by entering voucher serial number only

16.17.8 No time restrictions on voucher activations (can be done at any time of day)

16.17.9 Voucher activation via remote systems

16.17.10 Querying of vouchers by voucher serial number and by voucher code

16.17.11

Querying of the subscriber who has used a voucher by entering serial number or code of the voucher

16.18

Recharging


16.18.1

Configurable minimum and maximum number of recharges according to Afghan Telecom-defined parameters

16.18.2

Configurable minimum and maximum amount of recharges according to Afghan Telecom-defined parameters

16.18.3

Customer-triggered and automatic recharging (e.g., upon reaching minimum balance)


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16.18.4

Recording and storing of recharge information, including date and time and other identifiers

16.18.5

Recording of full recharge history with all related status changes, including dates and times

16.18.6 Recharging by all supported payment methods

16.18.7 Recharging via multiple modes (e.g., IVR, USSD, online, customer service)

16.18.8

Recharging by third parties (e.g., an individual charging another's account and balance top-ups due to affinity partners)

16.19

Messaging and Charge Information


16.19.1

Inbound and outbound triggered charge, recharge, transfer, and balance messages according to Afghan-Telecom defined parameters

16.19.2

Ability to provide charge, recharge, transfer, and balance information to end-user automatically

16.19.3

Ability to provide charge, recharge, transfer, and balance information to end-user on demand

16.19.4

Ability to provide charge, recharge, transfer, and balance information to end-user both automatically and on demand

16.19.5 Ability to provide notifications in multiple languages and currencies

17 Rates and Rating

FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments 17.1

Rating by Event Type/Category

Vendor asserts its solution supports rating by/for:


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17.1.1 Type of product or service

17.1.2 Tariff plan

17.1.3 Tariff class

17.1.4 Type of subscriber

17.1.5 Type of account

17.1.6 Type of customer

17.1.7 Unique customer ID (custom rating)

17.1.8 Event

17.1.9 Usage

17.1.10 Duration (raw and rounded)

17.1.11 Distance

17.1.12 Total usage/volume

17.1.13 Time of day

17.1.14 Day of week

17.1.15 Day and date of month

17.1.16 Day and date of year

17.1.17 Ingress, transit and egress

17.1.18 Local calls

17.1.19 Extended local calls

17.1.20 Regional calls

17.1.21 National calls

17.1.22 International calls

17.1.23 Long distance calls (regional, national and international)

17.1.24 Transit calls/transit traffic

17.1.25 On-net calls

17.1.26 Off-net calls

17.1.27 Free calls (toll-free, emergency services, short codes)

17.1.28 Shared-cost calls

17.1.29 Premium-rate calls


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17.1.30 Originating zone/band (A number)

17.1.31 Terminating zone/band (B number)

17.1.32

Combination of originating zone/band (A number) and terminating band/zone (B number)

17.1.33 Special B numbers and short codes

17.1.34 Special A and B number pairs

17.1.35 Preferential numbers, such "friends and family" services

17.1.36 Destination-specific calls

17.1.37 Peg counts (e.g, answering service or paging calls)

17.1.38 Zone based calls, both to and from

17.1.39 Free calling zones

17.1.40 Time bands

17.1.41 Inbuilt calls and spends

17.1.42 Packages and bundles

17.1.43 Internet bandwidth/data service, by usage (e.g, Mbytes)

17.1.44 Internet bandwidth/data service, by duration connected

17.1.45 Flag fall components

17.1.46 Roaming calls, incoming and outgoing

17.1.47 Roaming calls, national and international

17.1.48 Location-based services

17.1.49 Quality of service (QoS) from elements within the CDR/UDR

17.1.50 Content (type and amount)

17.1.51 Tiered and stepped rating

17.1.52 Volume rating

17.1.53 Flat-rate events


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17.1.54 Fixed-charge events

17.1.55 Interactive events

17.1.56 Other applicable charges, fixed and calculated

17.1.57 Multiple combinations of the above

17.1.58 User defined elements and rules

17.2

Rating Engine

Vendor asserts its rating engine supports:

17.2.1 Direct interface to the mediation system

17.2.2 Multiple direct interfaces

17.2.3 Real-time rating

17.2.4 Batch rating, scheduled and on demand

17.2.5 Real-time credit limit monitoring

17.2.6 Balance-on-demand capabilities

17.2.7

Retail and wholesale (interconnect settlement/carrier billing) rating

17.2.8 Operator dependent rating

17.2.9 Rating in multiple currencies

17.2.10 Configurable dynamic exchange rates

17.2.11 Multi-dimensional rating

17.2.12 Standard and customer-customizable definition of input record format

17.2.13 Standard and customer-customizable definition of output record format

17.2.14 Standard and customer-customizable definition of stored record format

17.3

Functionality




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17.3.1 Authentication for access to and modification of rate information

17.3.2

Recording of authority reference and date of approval for changes to rates

17.3.3


17.3.4 Audit tracking and audit trail reporting for all modifications to rates

17.4

Multiple Rating Processes


17.4.1

Initial rating prior to calculation and application of fees, discounts, taxes and commissions

17.4.2

Rating processes to calculate and apply, separately or in combination, fees, discounts, taxes and commissions

17.4.3 Final rating after application of fees, discounts, taxes and commissions

17.4.4 Reporting of and at all rating processes

17.5

General


17.5.1 Filtering of non-chargeable records from chargeable records

17.5.2 Rating by any field in the CDR/UDR

17.5.3 Rating by a combination of fields in the CDR/UDR

17.5.4 Rating of raw and rounded usage/data

17.5.5 Storage of both cost (vendor) and price (Afghan Telecom's customer) data

17.5.6 Rating of both cost (vendor) and price (Afghan Telecom's customer) data


191

17.5.7 Rating according to duration rules (initial and incremental)

17.5.8 Rating according to rounding rules (initial and incremental)

17.5.9 Rating for packet data

17.5.10 Processing of pre-rated CDRs/UDRs

17.5.11 Effective error reprocessing that minimizes the number of unrated CDRs/UDRs

17.5.12 Re-rating of unrated CDRs/UDRs, automtically and on demand

17.5.13 Reject processing and reporting

17.5.14 Verification of rated CDRs/UDRs

17.5.15

Re-rating of incorrectly rated CDRs/UDRs (e.g., for a billing dispute resolved in customer's favor)

17.5.16 Interface to a least cost routing engine or application

17.5.17

Determination of the most efficient use of available routing options by performing a comprehensive analysis of costs, available routes, capacity and quality of service

17.5.18

Customer prices and Afghan Telecom costs that can represent the sum of components that are computed based on the above event types/categories

17.5.19 Minimum prices per call, event, customer, etc.

17.5.20 Maximum prices per call, event, customer, etc.

17.5.21

Minimum spends and consolidation of minimum spends at the subsriber, account and customer levels

17.5.22

Minimum spends and consolidation of maximum spends at the subsriber, account and customer levels


192

17.5.23

Application of type of rating (real-time or batch) according to customer-defined parameters

17.5.24 Real-time determination of the tariff plan under which the service shall be rated

17.5.25 Querying of third-party costs

17.5.26 Application of third-party rates and tariff plans

17.6

Usage Rating


17.6.1 Voice and data usage rating

17.6.2

Analysis of variables (e.g., product, service, customer, time, day, destination) and application of different rates, rate categories, or tariff plans based on defined variables for different types of calls or sessions

17.6.3 Rating of usage records based on the defined tariff plan/rate table

17.6.4

Configurability as to whether, for calls/sessions spanning different time bands, the whole call/session is charged at the initial time band rate or the call is charged at the appropriate rate for the time duration in each time band

17.6.5

Identification of variations in usage records and generation of warning messages

17.6.6 Identification of unrated usage

17.6.7 Identification of volume and amount (price and cost) of rejected usage

17.6.8 Examination of usage records through on-line access to these records

17.6.9 Robust usage reporting to support usage investigation


193

17.6.10

Investigations based on customer-defined criteria, such as a search for B number usage

17.7

Call Charge and Long Distance Rating


17.7.1 Rating by dial-code, by origination, termination or both

17.7.2

Ability to accommodate multiple dial-code lists, whether by product, service, account, customer, etc.

17.7.3 No limit to the number of dial-code digits used for rating

17.7.4 Multiple long distance carriers

17.7.5

Calculation of toll charges according to the rates of the specified long distance carrier used by the subscriber

17.7.6 Outcollect processing

17.7.7 Incollect processing

17.7.8 Clearinghouse functionality

17.7.9 Local portability

17.7.10 Service portability

17.8

Mobile and Wireless


17.8.1

Rating for services provided through wireless protocols based on content, application volume, quality of service, transactions, and location

17.8.2

Common business models within the IP environment, such as revenue sharing and sponsored billing for services delivered over wireless protocols


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17.8.3

Rating of national calls based on: (a) both the originating zone and the terminating zone when calling another mobile or fixed line number, (b) whether the originating zone is the home zone of the handset or not, (c) the area code of the phone number for mobile to fixed calls, (d) which zone a mobile receives a call in, and (e) other parameters, such as the time of day

17.8.4

Rating of international calls based on: (a) the originating zone and the international country code, (b) if the originating zone is the home zone of the handset or not, (c) which zone a mobile receives an international call in, and (d) other parameters, such as the time of day

17.9

Other


17.9.1

Calculation of both the price for the customer and the revenue for the service provider for premium rate services

17.9.2 Receipt of inquiries and disputes from the customer care application

17.10

Rate Search, Storage and Retrieval


17.10.1 Storage, maintenance, archiving and retrieval of historical rates

17.10.2 Storage, maintenance, and retrieval of future rates

17.10.3 The ability to correct historical rate errors

17.10.4 Extensive search criteria to query rates (past, present and future)


195

17.10.5 Easy retrieval of rates (past, present and future)

17.10.6 Extensive modeling of future rates

18

Fees and Taxes FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

18.1

Types of Fees


18.1.1 Standard billing fees (e.g., activation fees, service fees)

18.1.2 Standard financial fees (e.g., late fees, interest fees)

18.1.3 Regulatory fees

18.1.4 Transaction fees

18.1.5 Activity fees

18.1.6 Commission fees

18.1.7 Base fees and flat base fees

18.1.8 Recurring and one-time fees

18.1.9 Permanent and temporary fees

18.1.10 Internal and external fees

18.1.11 Third-party provider and intermediary fees

18.1.12 Minimum and maximum fees, individually or aggregated

18.1.13 Miscellaneous fees

18.1.14 Fee credits/reversal of fees

18.2

Fee Schedules


18.2.1 Specification of which portfolios are associated with which fee schedules

18.2.2 Grouping of assets together and associating different fee schedules to groups

18.2.3 Account-specific fee schedules and discounts

18.2.4 Application of multiple fee schedules


196

18.2.5

Assignment of fee schedules based on activities that require manual intervention, versus those that are a straight through process

18.3

Calculation and Application of Fees


18.3.1 Specification of the beginning and end date for a fee period

18.3.2 Proration of fees

18.3.3 Calculation of fees as a unit, total, percentage of, deferred, or imputed

18.3.4

Calculation of fees automatically by customer-defined variables and manually

18.3.5 Specification of the currency to calculate fees in

18.3.6 Specification of the currency to charge fees in

18.3.7 Calculation of fees in multiple currencies

18.3.8

Designation of the number of free customer-defined variables before fees are charged

18.3.9

Inclusion or exclusion of attributes (such as payments, receivables, other fees) for fee calculation

18.3.10

Ability to calculate fees for bundled products and services individually or as a package

18.3.11 Calculation of commission fees on units and usage (volume and revenue)

18.3.12

Calculation of commission fees by account, customer, product/service, or other criteria

18.3.13

Calculation of commission fees by sales person and sales channel, individually and in the aggregate


197

18.3.14 Real-time and batch processing and application of fees

18.3.15

Calculation, modification, and accrual of fees for third-party providers and intermediaries based on fee schedules, transaction volumes, assets, or negotiated terms and rates and business rules

18.3.16 Display of different fees on invoices

18.3.17 Aggregation of fees by type and other variables

18.3.18 Calculation and application of fee credits according to all of the above

18.3.19

Billing of a client ahead of actual collection of the fee, followed by charging on a specific date

18.3.20 Review of fee calculations prior to actual invoicing

18.3.21 Recalculation/correction of erroneous fees

18.3.22 Reveresal of fees charged

18.4

Taxes


18.4.1 Direct interface to a stand-alone taxing system or tax tables

18.4.2

Definition of taxes that apply to all subscribers/customers, and taxes that only apply to certain subscribers/customers

18.4.3

Definition of taxes that apply to all products and services, and taxes that only apply to certain products or services

18.4.4 Flagging and recognition of tax-exempt customers

18.4.5 Specification of the currency to calculate the tax in


198

18.4.6 Specification of the currency to charge the tax in

18.4.7

Inclusion or exclusion of attributes (such as payments, receivables, other fees) for tax calculation

18.4.8 Flat and multi-tiered taxes

18.4.9 Fixed amount and percentage based taxes

18.4.10 Selective application of tax to certain types of transaction or services

18.4.11 Charging of selected taxes, such as tax stamps, only when the bill is paid

18.4.12 Setting of the type and level of taxation individually for every charge

18.4.13 Editing of taxes

18.4.14 Display of different taxes and tax rates on invoices

18.4.15

Calculation and accrual of taxes for all services provided to third-party providers or intermediaries

18.4.16 Aggregation of taxes by type and other variables

18.4.17 Recalculation/correction of erroneous taxes

18.4.18 Calculation and application of tax credits according to all of the above

18.4.19 Reveresal of taxes charged

19 Packages, Discounts, and Promotions FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

19.1

Packages (Bundling)


19.1.1

Flexibility to bundle multiple products, services, and supplementary services into packages

19.1.2

Flexibility to specify pricing/tariff plans and conditions, such as eligible customer profiles and payment terms, for each package


199

19.1.3

Application of discounts and conditions to packages even though they may not apply to individual products, services, or supplementary services

19.1.4

Bundled packages with mixtures of recurring, non-recurring, and flat rate charges

19.1.5

Flexibility to create "on-the-spot" tailored packages, e.g., for high-value customers

19.1.6

Quick introduction and implementation of new packages with short times-to-market

19.1.7

Display of packages, discounts, and promotions (e.g, savings rendered and how) on invoices

19.2

Discounts

Types of Discounts

Vendor asserts its solution supports discounts based on:

19.2.1 Account - type of, specific, and combination of

19.2.2 Product/service and product/service category

19.2.3 Customer and groups of customers

19.2.4 Origination (country and network)

19.2.5 Destination (country and network)

19.2.6 Type of call (on-net, off-net, long distance, data, etc.)

19.2.7 Specific number, numbers, or groups of numbers

19.2.8 Groups of destinations (e.g., all calls to Europe)

19.2.9 Packages or bundles

19.2.10 Time of day

19.2.11 Day of week, day of year, and specific date

19.2.12 Total number of calls


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19.2.13 Total call duration

19.2.14 Features or groups of features

19.2.15 Value-added services (VAS)

19.2.16 Number of units (accounts, lines, handsets, etc.)

19.2.17 Step-wise discount per step (at least five levels)

19.2.18 Step-wise cumulative discount (at least five levels)

19.2.19 Volume/usage - specific destination, product/service and total

19.2.20 Volume/usage that spans multiple billing periods

19.2.21 Volume threshhold or ceiling (units, usage, and currency amount)

19.2.22 A particular bill type

19.2.23 Total amount of the bill

19.2.24

A particular traffic or usage type (e.g., voice, video calls, traffic from a particular access point, etc.)

19.2.25 Loyalty plans

19.2.26

"Affinity" or "association" programs, where identified customers are part of a specific group that is given a reduced rate or discount

19.2.27 Referrals

19.2.28 Customized contracts

19.3

Discount Functionality


19.3.1 Real-time discounting

19.3.2 Periodic discounting

19.3.3 Flexible, customizable discounting mechanisms

19.3.4 Percentage discounts


201

19.3.5 Currency amound discounts

19.3.6 Unit discounts

19.3.7

Cross-product/service discounts, such as buy one product/service and get a discount on another other product/service

19.3.8 Flat and multi-tier discounts

19.3.9

Assignment of multiple discounts plans to multiple products/services, accounts, customers, etc.

19.3.10 Start dates and end dates for discounts

19.3.11 Setting of default discounts

19.3.12 Discount exclusion rules

19.3.13 "Double-dipping" discounting

19.3.14 Multi-discount qualification rules

19.3.15 Multi-customer usage aggregation for volume discounting

19.3.16 Rebates

19.3.17 Application of discounts as a balance credit

19.4

Promotions


19.4.1 Flexible, customizable promotions

19.4.2 Promotions specific to products/services and supplementary services

19.4.3 Promotions specfic to new, existing, specific, and groups of customers

19.4.4 Promotions specific to market segments

19.4.5 Multi-product and multi-service promotions

19.4.6 Promotions for referrals

19.4.7 Award of free units as promotional scheme

19.4.8 Promotions that combine discounts and free units

19.5

Free Units



202

19.5.1

Calculation and application of earned free units (as part of packages, discounts, promotions, loyalty programs, and external alliances)

19.5.2 Pooling of free units across several accounts

19.5.3 Prioritization of free units and discount packages

19.5.4 Carryover of free units to the next billing cycle

19.6

Customer Loyalty Programs


19.6.1

Customer loyalty programs that permit reducing the cost of customer acquisition and enhancing customer retention

19.6.2

Loyalty programs based on customer-defined variables such as high usage, subscribed or added services, and payment history

19.7

External Alliances


19.7.1

Interface with external alliance partners' platforms such as for frequent flyer miles, reward points, etc.

19.7.2 The ability to include status of external alliance rewards on invoices

20 Invoices, Statements, and Billing


20.1

General


20.1.1

Convergent billing, providing customers with a single bill combining multiple products and services

20.1.2 Paper invoicing

20.1.3 Electronic bill presentation and payment (EBPP)


203

20.1.4

Online invoices, WAP invoices, e-mailed invoices, SMS invoice totals, and billing services provided through GPRS, 3G and IVR

20.1.5 Combination of methods of invoicing

20.1.6 Itemized and summary invoices and statements

20.1.7 Interface to automated clearing house (ACH) systems

20.2



20.2.1 Authentication for access to and modification of invoices and billing information

20.2.2 Recording of authority reference and date of approval for all changes

20.2.3


20.2.4 Audit tracking and audit trail reporting for all modifications

20.2.5

Bill cycle control and verification reports to support the bill cycle approval process

20.3

Data Importing


20.3.1

Import of calculated customer charges from other billing systems, such as IN, ISP and PDN billing systems through standard interfaces

20.3.2

Import of calculated customer charges generated by other billing systems/partners, such as the IN, ISP, and PDN billing systems, from standard text formatted files

20.3.3 Import of charges from a standard text formatted files


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20.4

Billing Functionality


20.4.1

Specification by Afghan Telecom or customer of the currency to calculate invoices in

20.4.2

Specification by Afghan Telecom or customer of the currency to present invoices in

20.4.3

Specification by Afghan Telecom or customer of the language to present invoices in

20.4.4 Calculation and presentation of invoices in multiple currencies

20.4.5 Presentation of invoices in multiple languages

20.4.6 Monitoring of back-end billing processes and status checks on each node

20.4.7 A default monthly billing cycle

20.4.8 Scattered settlement dates

20.4.9 Floating settlement dates

20.4.10 Multiple settlement dates

20.4.11

Invoicing generation by BTN or customer, account, or group number (Afghan Telecom-defined)

20.4.12 Flagging of charges, fees, and taxes as nonbillable

20.4.13 Re-rating of events (if required) using fixed or sliding tiers and total volume

20.4.14

Setting of an Afghan-Telecom defined billing limit, under which an invoice is not generated, and adding of unbilled charges to next invoice

20.4.15 Invoicing of multiple phone numbers associated with one piece of equipment

20.4.16 Invoicing of an account or customer directly


205

20.4.17 Invoicing of one account or customer to another account or customer

20.4.18 Delineation and separation of different types of charges (e.g., usage, rental,

20.4.19 Combining accounts or customers into a single invoice

20.4.20

Single invoices for single product/service and summary invoices for multiple products/services

20.4.21

Association of invoices with accounts that may have one or more services associated with them

20.4.22

Production of either detailed or not-detailed invoices at the customer, subscriber, account, and group levels

20.4.23 Flexible invoicing to customers with hierarchical accounts

20.4.24

Creation of invoice summary sections by charge type and separating charge components for an event

20.4.25

Itemization of billing to allow for an optional detailing of all events in a date and time sequence

20.4.26

Custom messages on invoices and statements, based on variables such as customer type, product/service, payment status

20.4.27 Balance forward capability

20.5

Bill Messages


20.5.1 Addition of messages (marketing and financial) to invoices


206

20.5.2

Addition or suppression of specific messages based on selected criteria, such as type of customer or account, total bill amount, products/services, and location

20.5.3 Prioritization of messages based on customer profile

20.5.4 Addition of reminders to invoices

20.5.5 Messages that are in the same language as the bill

20.5.6 Messages from external alliance partners, such as earned and accrued rewards

20.5.7

Different remittance advice based on selected criteria, such as type of customer or account, total bill amount, products/services, and location

20.5.8 Tracking of all customer messages

20.6

Invoice and Statement Formats


20.6.1 The following minimum invoice information:

20.6.2 Customer/subscriber information, including name and unique identifier

20.6.3 Account(s) information

20.6.4 Summary charge information

20.6.5 Itemized charge information

20.6.6 Previous balance, payments, and credits

20.6.7 Remittance information

20.6.8

Parameter-driven invoice and statement formats, in which fields and sections may be added, amended, and deleted without help from the vendor, and with flexible, configurable layouts

20.6.9 Different formats for different currencies and languages


207

20.6.10 Different formats for different sections

20.6.11

Quick and easy modification of invoice and statement formats using an on-line graphical-based tool with cut and paste features

20.6.12 Elimination of the need for coding format changes

20.6.13 Multiple fonts and font sizes

20.6.14 Multiple number formats

20.6.15

Customer choice among several invoice formats that change the way services and usage details are displayed

20.6.16 Customization of invoice and statement formats for specific customers

20.6.17

Display or suppression of call details based on specified criteria and customer preference, such as usage type, service type, and bill amount

20.6.18 Double-sided printing of invoices and statements

20.6.19 Printing of sequential page numbers on invoices and statements

20.6.20 Inclusion and presentation of graphs

20.6.21 The ability to present data in multiple columns

20.6.22 Braille bills

20.7

Bill Cycle Processing


20.7.1 Processing of bills for all customers, accounts, and chargeable events

20.7.2 Parallel and high-volume processing

20.7.3 Bill runs to generate charge details (meta bill data)

20.7.4 Parameterized and schedule-driven bill cycle processing


208

20.7.5 Robust and fully-recoverable bill cycle processing

20.7.6 Stopping and restarting of bill cycle processing at logical points

20.7.7 Inclusion of all transactions that have arisen since the last bill run

20.7.8

Automated bill reconciliation process to check that all charges in the processed bill cycle were billed

20.7.9

Identification of any discrepancies found in the reconciliation process, investigation of these discrepancies, and reporting on any discrepancy found

20.7.10

Reprocessing of a billing cycle in order to accommodate new billing data and to correct errors

20.7.11 The ability to carry forward any non-billed amounts to the next billing cycle

20.7.12

Standard scheduled bill cycles (e.g., weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, etc.)

20.7.13 Multiple and parallel cycles and overlapping billing cycles

20.7.14 Out-of-cycle on demand billing (hot billing)

20.7.15

Assignment of new billable accounts to the most appropriate billing cycle based selected criteria, such as type of customer, activation date, and product/service

20.7.16 Easy transfer of customers from one billing cycle to another

20.7.17 Automatic or manual bulk transfers of accounts between billing cycles

20.7.18

Flagging of customers or accounts whose billing cycles should not be changed


209

20.7.19

Configurable exclusion of event records from an indefinite number of days before the date of the actual bill run, and then addition of them in the next bill run (configurable cut-off dates)

20.7.20 Definition of two or more billing cycles on the same date

20.7.21

Viewing and reporting of billing cycle totals (billed and unbilled) and by configurable parameters

20.7.22

Generation of exception reports for all unbilled charges and unaccounted for events, in total and by configurable parameters

20.8

Bill Management Files


20.8.1 Creation of bill management files, automatically and on demand

20.8.2 Bill management files that are used for the creation of invoices and statements

20.8.3

Bill management files that are used for the transfer of billing data in portable electronic record formats

20.8.4

Bill management files that are used for the creation of databases for on-line billing inquiry

20.9

Sample Bills and Bill Verification


20.9.1 Test billing according to Afghan-Telecom defined sample parameters

20.9.2

Creation of sample bills for review and any necessary revision before the bills are actually generated

20.9.3

Sample bills that do not affect the invoice generation process or the customer or account


210

20.9.4

Sample bills that are created for bills with different formats and for selected products/services, accounts, customers, and groups of those

20.9.5 An online sample bill viewing tool

20.10

Invoice and Statement Generation, Printing, and Presentment


20.10.1 Multiple standard printing interfaces

20.10.2 Interfacing with bill printing facilities

20.10.3

Provision of a list of all necessary hardware and software (including all equipment required at remote sites) for printing invoices and statements.

20.10.4 Printing of invoices and statements on predefined forms

20.10.5 Ability to print logos on invoices and statements

20.10.6 Number conversion and number masking for the protection of privacy.

20.10.7

Generation of print files for selected accounts, customers or groups of both in order to allow bill printing at a bill print facility or at a remote location without an online connection

20.10.8

Invoice and statement information that is accessible at the billing center and from remote locations

20.10.9

Invoice and statement printing that can be performed at outlying offices routinely and on demand


211

20.10.10

Printing at remote sites via dedicated connectivity or other available means (e.g., via the Internet, download, and ftp)

20.10.11

Outsourced solutions for printing, e.g., dynamic layout support and standard file transfer types (text, PDF, HTML print files, etc.)

20.10.12

Configurable parameters for statement printing (e.g., all customers, customers with past-due balance, type of customer or account)

20.10.13 Bar code printing on the invoice

20.10.14 Changing of the bar code format without vendor assistance

20.10.15

Flexibility and configurability to produce any invoice on demand, e.g., summary invoices for corporate clients with more than one account or multiple locations

20.10.16 Generation of multiple copies of invoices and statements

20.10.17

Sending of invoices to multiple addresses within the customer or account hierarchy

20.10.18 Reprints of invoices and statements on demand

20.10.19 Charging for reprints of invoices and statements

20.10.20 Online display of invoices and statements for the current bill cycle

20.10.21

Availability or export of invoice and statement informaton to external systems, such as IVR

20.10.22 Quick and easy access to archived invoice and statement information

20.11

Bill Inserts


20.11.1 Customer choice to opt out of bill inserts


212

20.11.2 General inserts

20.11.3 Specific inserts based on selected criteria or defined parameters, such as:

20.11.4 Customer type

20.11.5 Product/service

20.11.6 Account type or group

20.11.7 Bill cycle

20.11.8 Geographical area

20.11.9 Dollar value or dollar range of invoice

20.11.10 Consumption level

20.11.11 Afghan Telecom definable variables

20.12

Types of Bills and Billing Advice

Normal Bills


20.12.1

Normal bills, issued at the end of the billing cycle, that reflect all charges, fees, taxes, and discounts during the current bill cycle

20.12.2

Normal bills that include the previous and accrued balance and reflect all payments made and credits issued during the current billing cycle

20.13

Bills upon Subscription or Service Termination


20.13.1

Bills, automatically or on demand, for customers terminating their subscription or services

20.13.2

Bills that reflect all charges, fees, taxes, and discounts, including any termination charges or penalties, up to a specified service termination date


213

20.13.3

Bills that include the previous and accrued balance and reflect all payments made and credits issued as of the most recent billing cycle

20.13.4 Bills that have the same format and content as normal bills

20.13.5 Bills for which recurring charges are prorated

20.13.6 Bills for which any payments in advance are prorated, credited, or refunded

20.14

Split Bills


20.14.1 Splitting of a bill into two separate bills

20.14.2

Bills that can be split based on having a fixed amount in one bill with any remaining charges in another bill

20.14.3

Bills that can be split based on having usage charges in one bill and the remaining charges in another bill

20.14.4

Bills that include the previous and accrued balance and all payments made and credits issued as of the most recent billing cycle

20.14.5 Bills that have the same format and content as normal bills

20.14.6 Charging of split billing requests

20.15

Bills on Demand


20.15.1 Customer bills on demand

20.15.2

Bills on demand that reflect all usage charges from the most recent normal bill up to a specified date


214

20.15.3

Bills on demand that include the previous and accrued balance and reflect all payments made and credits issued as of the most recent billing cycle

20.15.4

Bills on demand that have the same format and content as normal bills, but are clearly marked as bills on demand and specify the period covered

20.15.5

Bills on demand that include recurring and non-recurring charges that will be incurred and billed in the current bill cycle

20.15.6

Bills on demand that do not include items that depend on the final bill, such as discounts, taxes, fees, and other charges, but that clearly indicate those items are excluded

20.15.7

Bills on demand that do not have any impact on the customer or account. At the end of the billing cycle, a normal bill is issued.

20.15.8 Charging of bill on demand requests

20.16

Billing Advice


20.16.1 Issuing of billing advice upon request

20.16.2 Billing advice that is based on all processed charges

20.16.3

Billing advice that includes recurring and non-recurring charges that will be incurred in the current bill cycle

20.16.4

Billing advice that does not include items that depend on the final bill, such as discounts, taxes, fees, and other charges, but that clearly indicate those items are excluded

20.16.5 Billing advice that does not have any impact on the customer account


215

20.16.6 Charging of bill advice requests

20.16.7 On screen and printed bill advice

20.17

Interface to Financial Systems


20.17.1 Direct interface to financial systems to send and receive billing transactions

20.17.2

Export of all billing data to bookkeeping/account software, automatically and on demand

20.17.3 Mapping of billing data (AP and AR) to appropriate general ledger (GL) codes

20.17.4 Tracking and reporting of unpaid/balance forward charges

20.17.5

Import of financial data (e.g., AP and AR) from bookkeeping/account software, automatically and on demand

20.17.6

Calculation of late fees, penalty fees, and interest charges based on data stored in the billing system or other financial systems

21 Payments and Credits FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

21.1



21.1.1

Authentication for access to payment system and for modification of payment information

21.1.2 Recording of authority reference for all payment transactions

21.1.3


21.1.4 Approval process for all payment adjustments and credits


216

21.1.5

Audit tracking and audit trail reporting for all payment transactions and modifications

21.2

Types and Methods of Payments

Vendor asserts its solution supports the following payment methods:

21.2.1 Cash

21.2.2 Check

21.2.3 Direct bank debit (DBD) and automated clearing house (ACH)

21.2.4 Credit card

21.2.5 Debit card

21.2.6 Wire transfer (national and international)

21.2.7 Lockbox

21.2.8 Deposits and prepayments

21.2.9 Vouchers

21.3

EBPP


21.3.1 Complies with international electronic payment standards

21.3.2 Follows international best practices and standard industry protocols

21.4

Deposit and Prepayments


21.4.1

Ability to accept and assign deposit and prepayment amounts to customers and accounts

21.4.2

Ability to accept and assign deposit and prepayment amounts to other customers and accounts

21.4.3 Ability to decrement a deposit or prepayment for unpaid charges


217

21.4.4

Ability to handle the calculation and refunding of any interest for deposits and prepayments and reflect such on invoices and statements

21.4.5

Ability to credit or refund deposits and prepayments and reflect such on invoices and statements

21.5

Payments and Payment Processing


21.5.1 Auto pay arrangements (DDCC and DDBA)

21.5.2 Generation, receipt, and processing of auto pay bill files

21.5.3

Confirmation and error message generation and sending for auto pay file transactions

21.5.4 Querying of auto pay files

21.5.5 End-user initiated payment requests from (in) bank

21.5.6 End-user initiated payment requests via bank

21.5.7 Externally-initiated payment requests (e.g., from payment gateways, e-care)

21.5.8

Payments from external sources (e.g., payment kiosks, third-party payment centers)

21.5.9

Payment control functions so that Afghan Telecom can decide how to apply the payment

21.5.10 Application of payments, in full or in part, to customer accounts

21.5.11 Application of payments, in full or in part, to other accounts

21.5.12 Recording and reporting of dates of all payments applied


218

21.5.13

Flexibility to apply payments as Afghan Telecom chooses (e.g., to a specific account in a group of hierarchical accounts, to most outstanding charge, to charge specified by customer, etc.)

21.5.14

Calculation and application of any late payment fees, penalties, and interest and reflection on invoices and statements of such

21.5.15 Generation of receipts for all payments, automatically and on demand

21.5.16

Determination of late payments according to defined payment cut-off dates

21.5.17 Calculation of late payments based on the balance brought forward

21.5.18

Calculation and generation of late payment charges based on a fixed amount or as a percentage of balance outstanding, or based on an interest rate charged over the time period outstanding, or a combination of all

21.5.19 Calculation and generation of penalty fees and charges for late payments

21.5.20 Web self-service payment interface

21.6

Credits, Refunds, Rebates, and Adjustments


21.6.1 Crediting against fees and charges

21.6.2 Refunding of fees and charges

21.6.3 Rebates of fees and charges

21.6.4

Ability to make and accept adjustments (credits and debits) to paid or due amounts


219

21.6.5 Overrides of fees and charges, thereby rendering them null

21.6.6 Voiding of payments

21.6.7 Processing of authorized credits, refunds, rebates, overrides, and voids

21.6.8 Rejection of unauthorized credits, refunds, rebates, overrides, and voids

21.6.9 Application of adjustments immediately or upon next bill cycle processing

21.6.10 Regular and exception reporting of all of the above

21.7

Collections, Dunning, and Bad Debts


21.7.1

Ability to categorize outstanding receivables according to standard and Afghan Telecom-defined aging rules (e.g., 30 days, 60 days, etc.)

21.7.2

Ability for Afghan Telecom to define and configure dunning policies by various parameters (e.g., customer and account type, amount, age of receivable, etc.)

21.7.3 Multi-step, multi-phase dunning procedures and actions

21.7.4

Ability to automatically initiate dunning processes according to Afghan Telecom-defined parameters

21.7.5

Generation of pre-defined customer communication via multiple media (e.g., reminders via letter, email, and SMS)

21.7.6

Automatic triggering of dunning-related actions (e.g., blocking, suspending, and barring)

21.7.7 Ability to override dunning policies based on various parameters


220

21.7.8

Ability to generate standard and exception aging and dunning reports, automatically, by schedule, and on demand

21.7.9

Ability to flag outstanding amounts as uncollectible (bad debts) according to Afghan-Telecom defined parameters

21.7.10 Ability to write off (remove) bad debts during bill processing

21.7.11

Ability to generate standard and exception bad debt/write off reports, automatically, by schedule, and on demand

21.8

Storage and Retrieval of Payment Information


21.8.1

Short-term storage and long-term archiving of all payment and related transactions on an unalterable database

21.8.2 Easily accessible payment history information

21.9

Interface to Financial Systems


21.9.1 Direct interface to financial systems to send and receive payment transactions

21.9.2

Export of all payment data to bookkeeping/account software, automatically and on demand

21.9.3 Mapping of payment data (AP and AR) to appropriate general ledger (GL) codes

21.9.4 Tracking and reporting of unpaid/balance forward charges

21.9.5

Import of financial data (e.g., AP and AR) from bookkeeping/account software, automatically and on demand


221

21.9.6

Calculation of late fees, penalty fees, and interest charges based on data stored in the billing system or other financial systems

22 Reporting FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

22.1

Vendor asserts its system supports reporting on/for the following:

22.1.1 System components and network elements

22.1.2 Performance metrics and compliance to standards

22.1.3 Input, throughput, and output of all systems and system data

22.1.4 Mediation and CDR aggregation

22.1.5 Interconnect settlement and wholesale billing

22.1.6 Customers and accounts, including life cycle events and churn

22.1.7 Products and services

22.1.8 Distribution channels

22.1.9 Tariffs, charges, and rates

22.1.10 Fees and taxes

22.1.11 Packages, discounts, and promotions

22.1.12 Invoices and billing

22.1.13 Payments and credits

22.1.14 Vouchers (activation, status, use, etc.)

22.1.15 Recharges

22.1.16 Modifications and auditable events

22.1.17 Exceptions


22.1.18 Availability of all data for reporting

22.1.19 Robust and flexible reporting of all data elements

22.1.20 Robust and flexible querying and sorting of all data


222

22.1.21 Robust and flexible querying and sorting by single and multiple data elements

22.1.22

Reporting by element or unit, groups of elements or units, individually, and in the aggregate

22.1.23

Reporting by standard and configurable time periods (e.g., hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, start and end dates, etc.)

22.1.24 Generation and production of reports by Afghan Telecom-defined variables

22.1.25 The ability to drill up or down to different levels for all reports

22.1.26 Statistics and statisical analysis tools

22.1.27 Standard reports

22.1.28 Customizable reports

22.1.29 Exception reports

22.1.30

Standard and customizable cost, revenue and profit reports by selected criteria, such as product/service, customer, account, line of business, geographic area, etc.

22.1.31 Standard and customizable usage reports

22.1.32 Standard and customizable customer and account status reports

22.1.33 Standard and customizable billing and financial reports

22.1.34 Standard and customizable tax reports

22.1.35 Scheduling of reports

22.1.36 Ad hoc and on-demand reports

22.1.37 Location-based statistics and reports

22.1.38 Application specific reports

22.1.39 Easy creation of new reports through GUI interface with drag and drop functionality

22.1.40 Configurable report layouts

22.1.41 Multiple report formats


223

22.1.42 Ability to generate reports in multiple languages

22.1.43 Ability to generate reports in multiple currencies

22.1.44 Ability to specifcy language and currency for reports

22.1.45

Ability to report in a different language or currency than what was originally used

22.1.46 Multiple export file formats

22.1.47 Easy export of reports to other standard viewing tools

22.1.48 Export of generated reports to online analytical processing (OLAP) tools

23

Time to Market

Please indicate your time to market (TTM) for the following:

Item Description/Example TTM

23.1

Modify existing tariff plans and tariff values Modify rates or add

destinations


224

23.2

Establish a new tariff plan for existing product or service

Configure new tariff based on existing tariff

23..3

Establish a tariff plan for new product or service

Create new tariff plan

23.4

Modify a charging rule

Add new charge factor, such as add birthday as reward condition

23.5

Add a new charging rule Create new charging rule

based on new condition

23.6

Add a new package or bundle Combine existing products

or services in a new way

23.7

Add new discount schema Create new discount criteria,

such as occupation or season

23.8

Add new accumulator

Accumulate rules of the accumulator; add the accumulaor to the charge rule

23.9

Add a new account type

Add a new dedicated

account, such as voice or

data volume account


225

23.10

Add a new customer attribute Add market class of

customer

23.11

Add a new diameter parameter Add song ID in RBT

download DCC interface

23.12

Modify web service interface

Modify the fuction of subscriber management; add new interface function

23.13

Create a new report Provide new customized

reports

List OF Acronyms

226

List Of Acronyms

2G to 5G Second to Fifth Generation [Mobile Service]

3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project

4G/LTE Fourth Generation [Mobile Service]/Long Term Evolution

A/P , A/R Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable

ACH Automated Clearing House

BTN Business Termination Number

CBRT Caller Ring Back Tones

CDMA Code Division Multiple Access

CDRs/UDRs Call Detail Record/Usage Detail Record

CLIP Calling Line Identification Presentation

CLIR Calling Line Identification Restriction

CPE Customer Premise Equipment

CUG Closed User Group

DBD Direct Bank Debit

DPLC Domestic Digital Private Line Circuits

DSL Digital Subcriber Line

EBPP Electronic Bill Presentation and Payment

EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution

EMS Extended Message Service

GPRS General Packet Radio Service

GSM Global System for Mobile Communications

HSDPA/HSPA/HSUP High Speed Downlink Packet Access/High Speed Packet Accesss/High Speed Uplink Packet Access

IN Intelligent Network

IP Internet Protocol

IPLC International Digital Private Line Circuits

IPTV Internet Protocol Television

IRU Indefeasible Right of Use

ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network

ISP Internet Service Provider

IVR Interactive Voice Response

MBPS Megabytes Per Second

MMS Multi-Media Message Service

NFC Near Field Communication

OCG Online Charging Gateway

PBX Private Branch Exchange

PDSN Packet Data Serving Node

PNP Private Number Plan

POS Point of Sale

List OF Acronyms

227

PRI Primary Rate Interface

QoS Quality of Service

SIM Subscriber Identity Module

SMS Short Message Service

TDMA Time Division Multiple Acces

UMS Unified Message System

USSD Unstructured Supplementary Service Data

UVC Universal Voucher Center

VAS Value-Added Service

VCN Village Communication Network

VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol

VPN/IP VPN Virtual Private Network/Internet Protocol VPN

WAP Wireless Application Protocol

SGSN

NE Network Elements

SDR Special Drawing Right

TAP Transfer account procedure

RAP Returned accounts procedure

OLAP Online Analytical Processing

DSL Digital Subcriber Line

GL General Ledger

AP and AR Mapping of Billing Data

COS Class of Service

CRM Customer Relationship Management

CE European Conformity

FCC Federal Communications Commission

ATCA Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture

SPOF Single Points of Failure

HA High-Availability

IMDB In-Memory Database

GDR Global Data Repository

SS7 Signaling System 7

SST Secure Transaction Technology

SEPP Secure Electronic Payment Protocol

SET Secure Electronic Transactions

SSL Secure Sockets Layer

PCT Private Communication Technology

TLS Transport Layer Security

HTTPS Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure

LDAP Lightweight Directory Access Protocol

ADSI Active Directory Service Interface

RPC Remote Procedure Call

CTI Computer-Telephony Integration

EAI Enterprise Application Integration

APIs Standard Application Programming Interfaces

GUI Graphical User Interface

NMS Network Management System

EMS Event Management System

CSV Comma Separated Values

DES Data Encryption Standard

Bidding Forms

228

BID SUBMISSION FORM (SINGLE-STAGE BIDDING)

Date: [ Bidder insert: date of bid ]

Loan/Credit No.: [ Purchaser insert: number ]

RFP: [ Purchaser insert: RFP title and number ]

Contract: [ Purchaser insert: name of Contract ]

To: [ Purchaser insert: name and address of Purchaser ]

Dear Sir or Madam:

Having examined the Bidding Documents, including Addenda Nos. [ insert numbers ], the

receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, we, the undersigned, offer to supply, install, achieve

Operational Acceptance of, and support the Information System under the above- named Contract

in full conformity with the said Bidding Documents for the sum of:

[ insert: amount of

Bidding Forms

229

local currency in words ]

plus [ insert: amount of foreign

currency A in words ]

[ as appropriate, add the following ]


currency B in words ]


currency C in words ]

([ insert: amount of local currency in

figures from corresponding Grand Total

entry of the Grand Summary Cost Table

])

([ insert: amount of foreign currency A

in figures from corresponding Grand

Total entry of the Grand Summary Cost

Table ])

([ insert: amount of foreign currency B



Table ])

([ insert: amount of foreign currency C



Table ])

Bidding Forms

230

or such other sums as may be determined in accordance with the terms and conditions of the

Contract. The above amounts are in accordance with the Price Schedules attached herewith

and made part of this bid.

We undertake, if our bid is accepted, to commence work on the Information System and to

achieve Installation and Operational Acceptance within the respective times stated in the Bidding

Documents.

If our bid is accepted, and if these Bidding Documents so require, we undertake to

provide an advance payment security and a performance security in the form, in the

amounts, and within the times specified in the Bidding Documents.

[ As appropriate, include or delete the following paragraph ]

“We accept the appointment of [ Purchaser insert: name of proposed Adjudicator from

the COC ] as the Adjudicator.”

[ and delete the following paragraph, or, as appropriate, delete the above and

include the following, or, if no Adjudicator is stated in the Bid Data Sheet,

delete both the above and the following ]

“We do not accept the appointment of [ Purchaser insert: name of proposed

Adjudicator from the COC ] as the Adjudicator, and we propose instead that [ insert: name ] be

appointed as Adjudicator, whose résumé and hourly fees are attached.”

We hereby certify that the Software offered in this bid and to be supplied under the

Contract (i) either is owned by us, or (ii) if not owned by us, is covered by a valid license from

the proprietor of the Software.

We agree to abide by this bid, which, in accordance with ITB, consists of this letter (Bid

Submission Form) and the enclosures listed below, for a period of [ Purchaser insert: number from

ITB ] days from the date fixed for submission of bids as stipulated in the Bidding Documents, and it

shall remain binding upon us and may be accepted by you at any time before the expiration of that

period.

Commissions or gratuities, if any, paid or to be paid by us to agents relating to this

Bid, and to Contract execution if we are awarded the Contract, are listed below:

Bidding Forms

231

Name and Address

of Agent

Amount and

Currency

Purpose of

Commission or

Gratuity

Bidding Forms

232

Etc. [if none, state: “none”]

Until the formal final Contract is prepared and executed between us, this bid,

together with your written acceptance of the bid and your notification of award, shall

constitute a binding contract between us. We understand that you are not bound to accept the

lowest or any bid you may receive.

Dated this [ insert: ordinal ] day of [ insert: month ], [ insert: year ].

Signed:

Date:

In the capacity of [ insert: title or position ]

Duly authorized to sign this bid for and on behalf of [ insert: name of Bidder ]

ENCLOSURES:

Bidding Forms

233

Resume of Proposed Personnel

Name of Bidder

Position

Personnel

information

Name

Date of birth

Professional qualifications

Present

employment

Name of employer

Address of employer

Telephone

Contact (manager / personnel officer)

Fax

E-mail

Job title

Years with present employer

Summarize professional experience over the last 20 years, in reverse chronological order. Indicate

particular technical and managerial experience relevant to the project.

From To Company / Project / Position / Relevant technical and management

experience

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Bidder Information Sheet

Date: ______________________

RFP No.: ________

Page ________ of _______ pages

1. Bidder’s Legal Name

2. In case of JVA, legal name of each party:

3. Bidder’s actual or intended Country of Registration:

4. Bidder’s Year of Registration:

5. Bidder’s Legal Address in Country of Registration:

6. Bidder’s Authorized Representative Information

Name:

Address:

Telephone/Fax numbers:

Email Address:

7. Attached are copies of original documents of:

� Articles of Incorporation or Registration of firm named in 1, above.

� In case of JVA, letter of intent to form JVA including a draft agreement, or JVA agreement.

� In case of government owned entity from the Employer’s country, documents establishing legal

and financial autonomy and compliance with the principles of commercial law

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Party to JVA Information Sheet

Date: ______________________

RFP No.:_________

Page ________ of_ ______ pages

1. Bidder’s Legal Name:

2. JVA’s Party legal name:

3. JVA’s Party Country of Registration:

4. JVA’s Party Year of Registration:

5. JVA’s Party Legal Address in Country of Registration:

6. JVA’s Party Authorized Representative Information

Name:

Address:

Telephone/Fax numbers:

Email Address:

7. Attached are copies of original documents of:

� Articles of Incorporation or Registration of firm named in 1, above.

� In case of government owned entity from the Purchaser’s country, documents establishing legal

and financial autonomy and compliance with the principles of commercial law.

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Current Contract Commitments / Works in Progress

Bidders and each partner to a JVA should provide information on their current commitments on all contracts

that have been awarded, or for which a letter of intent or acceptance has been received, or for contracts

approaching completion, but for which an unqualified, full completion certificate has yet to be issued.

Name of contract Employer,

contact

address/tel/fax

Value of

outstanding work

(current US$

equivalent)

Estimated

completion date

Average monthly

invoicing over

last six months

(US$/month)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

etc.

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Financial Situation

Historical Financial Performance

Bidder’s Legal Name: _______________________ Date: _____________________

JVA Partner Legal Name: _______________________

Page _______ of _______ pages

To be completed by the Bidder and, if JVA, by each partner

Financial information

in US$ equivalent

Historic information for previous ______ (__) years

(US$ equivalent in 000s)

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year … Year n Avg. Avg. Ratio

Information from Balance Sheet

Total Assets (TA)

Total Liabilities (TL)

Net Worth (NW)

Current Assets (CA)

Current Liabilities (CL)

Information from Income Statement

Total Revenue (TR)

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Profits Before Taxes (PBT)

� Attached are copies of financial statements (balance sheets, including all related notes, and income statements) for the years required above complying with the following conditions:

(a) Must reflect the financial situation of the Bidder or partner to a JVA, and not sister or parent companies

(b) Historic financial statements must be audited by a certified accountant

(c) Historic financial statements must be complete, including all notes to the financial statements

(d) Historic financial statements must correspond to accounting periods already completed and audited (no statements for partial periods shall be requested or accepted)

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Average Annual Turnover

Bidder’s Legal Name: ___________________________ Date: _____________________

JVA Partner Legal Name: ____________________________

Page _______ of _______ pages

Annual turnover data (construction only) Year Amount and Currency US$ equivalent

_________________________________________ ____________________

_________________________________________ ____________________

_________________________________________ ____________________

_________________________________________ ____________________

_________________________________________ ____________________

*Average Annual Construction Turnover

_________________________________________ ____________________

*Average annual turnover calculated as total certified payments received for work in progress or

completed, divided by the number of years specified in Section III, Evaluation Criteria, Sub-Factor 2.3.2.

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Financial Resources

Specify proposed sources of financing, such as liquid assets, unencumbered real assets, lines of credit, and

other financial means, net of current commitments, available to meet the total construction cash flow

demands of the subject contract or contracts as indicated in Section III, Evaluation and Qualification Criteria

Source of financing Amount (US$ equivalent)

1.

2.

3.

4.

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Experience - General Experience

Bidder’s Legal Name: ____________________________ Date: _____________________

JVA Partner Legal Name: ____________________________

Page _______ of _______ pages

Starting

Month /

Year

Ending

Month /

Year

Years*

Contract Identification

Role of

Bidder

______

______

Contract name:

Brief Description of the Works performed by the

Bidder:

Name of Employer:

Address:

_________

______

______

Contract name:


Bidder:

Name of Employer:

Address:

_________

______

______

Contract name:


Bidder:

Name of Employer:

Address:

_________

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Starting

Month /

Year

Ending

Month /

Year

Years*

Contract Identification

Role of

Bidder

______

______

Contract name:


Bidder:

Name of Employer:

Address:

_________

______

______

Contract name:


Bidder:

Name of Employer:

Address:

_________

______

______

Contract name:


Bidder:

Name of Employer:

Address:

_________

*List calendar year for years with contracts with at least nine (9) months activity per year starting with

the earliest year

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Specific Experience

Bidder’s Legal Name: ___________________________ Date: _____________________

JVA Partner Legal Name: _________________________

Page _______ of _______ pages

Similar Contract Number: ___ of ___

required.

Information

Contract Identification _______________________________________

Award date

Completion date

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

Role in Contract �

Contractor �

Management

Contractor

� Subcontractor

Total contract amount ____________________________

US$__________

If partner in a JVA or subcontractor, specify participation of total contract amount

__________%

_____________

US$_______

Employer’s Name: _______________________________________

Address:

Telephone/fax number:

E-mail:

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

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Form of Bid Security (Bank Guarantee)

Beneficiary: __________________________

Date: __________________________

BID GUARANTEE No.: __________________________

We have been informed that __________________________ (hereinafter called “the Bidder”) has submitted to you its bid dated ___________ (hereinafter called “the Bid”) for the execution of ________________ under Invitation for Bids No. ___________ (“the IFB”).

Furthermore, we understand that, according to your conditions, bids must be supported by a bid guarantee.

At the request of the Bidder, we ____________________ hereby irrevocably undertake to pay you any sum or sums not exceeding in total an amount of ___________ (____________) upon receipt by us of your first demand in writing accompanied by a written statement stating that the Bidder is in breach of its obligation(s) under the bid conditions, because the Bidder:

(a) has withdrawn its Bid during the period of bid validity specified by the Bidder in the Form of Bid; or

(b) having been notified of the acceptance of its Bid by the Employer during the period of bid validity, (i) fails or refuses to execute the Contract Form, if required, or (ii) fails or refuses to furnish the performance security, in accordance with the ITB.

This guarantee will expire: (a) if the Bidder is the successful Bidder, upon our receipt of copies of the contract signed by the Bidder and the performance security issued to you upon the instruction of the Bidder; and (b) if the Bidder is not the successful Bidder, upon the earlier of (i) our receipt of a copy your notification to the Bidder of the name of the successful Bidder; or (ii) twenty-eight days after the expiration of the Bidder’s bid.

Consequently, any demand for payment under this guarantee must be received by us at the office on or before that date.

This guarantee is subject to the Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees, ICC Publication No. 458.

_____________________________

[signature(s)]

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246

Manufacturer’s Authorization

[To be given for the Equipment, and it’s associated Power Supply Equipment, where the Bidder is not

the Manufacturer of these items]

Date: __________________

To: ________________________

WHEREAS

We ___________________, who are official manufacturers of ____________________, having factories

at _____________________, do hereby authorize ______________________ to submit a bid the

purpose of which is to provide the following goods, manufactured by us _______________________,

and to subsequently negotiate and sign the Contract.

We hereby extend our full guarantee and warranty in accordance with Conditions, with respect to the

goods offered by the above firm.

Signed: _______________________________________

Name: ______________________________________

Title:______________________________________

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Duly authorized to sign this Authorization on behalf of: ______________________________________

Dated on ____________ day of __________________, _______

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Annexture1. Time schedule

The Project will be fully commissioned within 9 months after Contract effective date (CED). The Contractor will submit his compliance with the following suggested time schedules of the Project:

Phases:

• Phase 1: Commercially operational system to support GSM& 3G network within 6 month after

the contract effective date (CED).

• Phase 2: Commercially operational system to support PSTN, Wimax, VSat within 3 months after

phase 1.

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Annexture .2 Payment Terms

Bid Performance Guarantee

AFTEL will get from winner 10% of total contract value as Bid Performance Guarantee till end of

contract and

will release this amount to the winner.

If there is any issue or dispute which winner, supplier did not accomplish in the contract base, AFTEL

will

have the rights to reject 10% of Bid Performance to the winner and transfer to the AFTEL revenue

account.

AFTEL will make the following payment terms to the winner/contractor in stages;

1. 30% of the total contract value upon arrival of goods at AFTEL warehouse.

2. 20% of the total contract value after installation of Hardware.

3. 20% of the total contract value after PAC.

4. 30% of the total contract value after FAC.

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Annexture .3 the clauses which has been modified

SL.No clause Number Original Statement Revised Statement

1 10.2.16 (technical requirements)

CDR normalization please specify which format CDR normalization

2 17.6.8 (technical requirements)

examination of usage records through Online Access to These Records.

Examination of usage records through Web based GUI.

3

17.7 (ITB Section)

All electronic Bid Submissions shall be encrypted or protected and shall be delivered via FTP as per instructions by Afghan Telecom(ITB Section).

17.7. All electronic Bid Submissions shall be

encrypted or protected and shall be delivered

via FTP as per instructions by Afghan Telecom

and Vendor can CD for the electronic Bid as

well.

4

8.4.8 intuitive drag and-and-drop tool for easily accessing ad hoc database information

This clause has been shifted from Point:8 web

environment and web enablement under

reporting section 22 technical requirements.

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Annexture .4 Schedule of Rates and Prices(Mandatory)

S.No

Estimated Major Softwares , Hardware, Licenses, Maintenance

,Commissioning and Trainings QTY

Country

Of

Origin

Unit

Cost

DDP

Total

Price

DDP

1 CBS Software Including all Backends& other Related S/W

1.1 CBS(Convergent Billing System)

1.1.1 Hardware

1.1.2 Software

1.2 Mediation System

1.2.1 Hardware

1.2.2 Software

1.3 PRM(Partner Relationship Management)

1.3.1 Hardware

1.3.2 Software

1.4 Provisioning

1.4.1 Hardware

1.4.2 Software

1.5 CRM(Customer Relationship Management)

1.5.1 Hardware

1.5.2 Software

2 Insurance

2.1 Hardware

2.2 Spare parts

3 Licenses

3.1 656,000 Licenses For Whole Required System

4 Maintenance

4.1 2 Years Maintanance

5 Spare parts

5.1 Spare part

6 Training

6.1 Expert

8 persons

for 45 days

6.2 Intermediate

11 persons

for 20 days

6.3 Beginner

40 persons

on Job

7 Project

7.1 Complete Project Management Implementation and Commissioning

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All Modules(Provisioning, CRM, PRM, Mediation, CBS) in solution. So that we can exclude anyone or

many of these if required

1: Total Cost Should be DDP

2: Insurance Cost Should Be Mentioned separately

3: All Prices should be excluding local taxes

4:The 2 year maintenance will start after PAC

Schedule of Rates and Prices(Optional)

S.No QT

Y

Country Of

Origin

Unit Cost

DDP

Total Price

DDP

1 Hardware Upgrade to Support 2,511,000

Customer

2 2,511,000 licenses for whole required

system(upgrade)

3

5 Years Maintenance After Two Year

Mandatory

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Annexture .5 The Clauses which has been excluded From the RFP

SL.No Clause :No Statement

1 12.2.6 operator Services

2 16.1.26

Storage, maintenance, and retrieval of future charges

3 17.1.49

Quality of service (QoS) from elements within the CDR/UDR

4

17.8.2

Common business models within the IP environment, such as revenue sharing and sponsored billing for services delivered over wireless protocols

5 20.6.22 Braille bills

6 13.2.3(ITB) manufacturer Authorization letter

7

9.2.11 Training covering the use and administration of

fraud management system

8

9.2.12 training covering the use and administration of

Revenue Assurance system

9


enterprise data warehouse

10


Business Intelligence system

11

We are not going to migrate CDMA to our CBS

So if any clause related to CDMA you can skip it.

2.1.11 Offers a fraud management system

2.1.12 Offers a revenue assurance system

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2.1.13

Offers an enterprise data warehouse system

2.1.14

Offers a business intelligence system

Annexture 6. the clauses which has been added to RFP Technical Requirement

Provisioning Technical Requirement

General Requirements FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

2.1.19.1

Standardization: to standardize current and future business

processes of X in compliance with eTOM using the Data and

Flow control as well as COTS components as understood under

NGOSS

2.1.19.2

Vendor Independence: Be open and independent from Network

Element vendors and from Customer care and billing system

vendors

2.1.19.3

Speed: Enable rapid introduction of new services with flexibility

& short time to market

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2.1.19.4

Performance & scalability: To meet the growth expectations

and performance targets by providing seamless integration

between the “cardinal” points of an NGOSS solution: the

business process framework, the shared data model and the

defined contract interface between components

2.1.19.5 Business Requirements

2.1.19.6

have an efficient, state of the art IT infrastructure that can roll

out these services quickly and efficiently to X customers

2.1.19.7 Technical Requirements

2.1.19.8

The provisioning system in vendor’s solution should be able to

support various telecom networks such as GSM, PSTN,

Broadband, IPTV, 3G (, UMTS), WiMAX, VSAT, etc.

2.1.19.9 Provisioning Requirements

2.1.19.10 General

2.1.19.11

System provides real time provisioning automation, allowing

multiple BSS sending service orders in parallel.

2.1.19.12

The system must be able to perform product mapping to

technical service provisioning in network layer with business

rules and provisioning flow applied.

2.1.19.13

The provisioning flow must be robust, configurable with

business logic such as supporting scheduling, prioritizing, roll-

back when error.

2.1.19.14

System should be able to archive data, present reports and

statistics.

2.1.19.15

Web GUI is supported for performing system and user

administration.

2.1.19.16 The solution must be network vendor independent.

2.1.19.17 Interface

2.1.19.18

The provisioning system must be able to integrate with CRM via

EAI for Order Management.

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2.1.19.19

The system supports an open standard client API for BSS/OSS

clients or Network Element (Network Initiated Provisioning) to

interface with the provisioning system for sending service order.

2.1.19.20

System must support all types of interface to Network Element,

either open interface or proprietary to the network element

vendor.

2.1.19.21

The interface to NE must be easily customized and codes

available as X.

2.1.19.22

The provisioning system should be able to support various

connection interfaces such as SOAP, TCP/IP, serial port and

interface table etc.

2.1.19.23 The provisioning system should be easily to integrate with new

network elements without affecting business running for future.

2.1.19.24

2.1.19.25

2.1.19.26 System Functions

2.1.19.27

Must be able to create several user profiles with limited or

unlimited administrative rights providing access control and

security.

2.1.19.28

Provides audit trail that stores configuration changes made to

the system; details like user, time stamp, action.

2.1.19.29

The system should provide a business tool that can support easy

configuration of workflow and provisioning logic. And this can

be done using WEB GUI.

2.1.19.30

Business rules such as number routing and filtering can be

configured via WEB GUI.

2.1.19.31

The system must have the intelligence to handle errors while

processing service orders from client systems.

2.1.19.32

The system maintains data of service orders to perform request

and tasks status.

2.1.19.33

The system should support multi session management and

handle parallel execution.

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2.1.19.34

The provisioning flow is not affected when either one of the link

to Network Element is down. Execution of task can be made

independent on each channel to NE in the flow. Hence avoiding

X request in the system when one of the NE is down during the

process of execution.

2.1.19.35

The system can provide a clear view and status of all its

connectivity towards the NE.

2.1.19.36

Application start-up or shutdown must have the intelligence to

handle service order that is being process during this activity.

2.1.19.37

System must be scalable, vertical (adding more CPUs) and

horizontal (adding more servers in parallel).

2.1.19.38 The solution must support High Availability (HA).

2.1.19.39

Performance of the system should meet the minimum

throughput of 150k tasks per hour.

2.1.19.40

The online provisioning commands can be configured by

command template extremely reduce the development and

maintenance costs.

2.1.19.41

The system should provide convenient graphical testing tool to

test provisioning command

2.1.19.42

The work order access module of provisioning system should be

able to receive provisioning request from external system, and

parse and translate the data.

2.1.19.43

The work order dispatching receives the internal work orders

and translates them to standard work orders, then execute the

work with time limited.

2.1.19.44

The provisioning should be able to communicate with NEs,

process protocol, and control flow.

2.1.19.45

The system should be able to monitor process, workload and

alarm

2.1.19.46

The system should be able to Sustain Peak-time Concurrency

Pressure

Marketing|Sales & Inventory Management Requirement

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General Requirements FC/PC/NC+NP/P OB/MOD Comments

24 Marketing Management

24.1

System should cover the end-to-end management of campaigns

from the, planning, design, selection and creation of a campaign

to execution and to reporting.

24.2

System should provide and easy to user interface to enable

marketers to control the entire campaign cycle.

24.3

System should be able to apply offers directly to customer

accounts and launch the campaigns - all without any need for

manual intervention, with the minimal time and minimal system

interventions.

24.4 System should be able to grant offer/promotions to customers.

24.5

System should allow for a two-way personalized dialogue with

mobile customers and provides the customers with opt-in / opt-

out facility for campaigns via SMS or USSD by integrating with

our gateways.

24.6

6. System should provide the ability to analyze the responses

received from the customers as part of campaigns.

24.7

System should provide the ability to monitor/track active

campaigns in real time, with the capability to pause, and re-start

the campaign.

24.8

System should support running multiple campaigns

concurrently to customer micro segments.

24.9

System should be able to Manage multiple communication

gateways ( , SMSC, MMSC and email & USSD ) for automated

push/ pull campaigns.

24.1

System should be able to support multi-phase & multi-wave

promotions.

24.11

System should be able to execute large scale campaigns

(campaign might range from targeting a micro segment to a

whole base profile) and high volume delivery.

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24.12

System should support marketer triggered campaigns where the

campaign will be designed and run by the marketer at a specific

period of time.

24.13 System should provide list import and export capabilities.

24.14 System should support scheduling of campaigns.

24.15

System should have and alert and notification module for the

campaign manager.

24.16

Support to record basic information of marketing & sales plan,

at least including: SN ,Date & time, i.e. the exact date of the

coming plan ,

24.17

Version No. Through the version No., it can support initial plan as

well as the incremental plan. Status,Designer,Rules

24.18

System should be able to Support to display of the whole plan

information.

24.19

System should be able to Support to record marketing activity

attributes, at least including:

24.20 Marketing activity name,

24.21 Objective,

24.22 Marketing type, e.g. advert, meeting,

24.23 Content of marketing activity,

24.24 Starting date,

24.26 End date,

24.27 Cost budget,

24.28 Expenditure,

24.29 Duty channel(s).

24.30

System should be able to Support to set the initial status of

marketing activity, including:

24.31 Initial status

24.32 Complete status

24.33 Exceptional abortion, the abort reason must be described in detail

24.34

System should be able to Support correlation between

marketing & sales plan and activity. Through the accumulation,

analysis of activity data, finally we obtain the executing

information of the plan.

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24.25

System should be able to Support the creation of alert and

alarm information according to the configured rules. For

example, when the actual value is lower than the expected one,

then it will generate alarm automatically.

24.26

System should be able to Support the evaluation of marketing &

sales plans in compliance with channels, products and customer

groups. The summary information of the evaluation consists:

24.27 Name of Summary

24.28 Marketing & Sales KPI

24.29

Outcome of monitoring, that should give out the factors causing

service enhancement or degradation.

24.30 Evaluation comment (The result is accurate or to-be-improved)

24.31

The level of necessity to improve (High, medium, low)

24.32

Suggestion of improvement (The aspect to improve and

suggestion)

24.33

24.34

Support to summarize the product and customer group

evaluation and monitoring into report to enhance the marketing

& sales planning.

24.35

Support to set the status of each document item, the following

statues are allowed:

24.36 Reviewing (The document is in review)

24.37

Final release (The document can be regarded as the final

version)

25 Sales Management

25.1

The system should be able to support Pre-configure

opportunities’ home page and data records.

25.2

The system should be able to support Open and closed

(completed) selling activities can be associated with

(hyperlinked to) opportunity records.

25.3

The system should be able to support Documents and files can

be associated with (hyperlinked to) opportunity records.

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25.4

The system should be able to support Competitor detail records

can be associated with (hyperlinked to) opportunity records.

25.5

The system should be able to support an opportunity record can

be associated with (hyperlinked to) the lead data record that

spawned the opportunity.

25.6

The system should be able to Support the legal user adding and

maintenance business opportunity data. Store business

opportunity for corresponding customer, business opportunity

decision-maker, business opportunity content, potential

competitor, success probability, status and so on.

25.7

The system should be able to Support single and batch or

grouping methods for distributing the business opportunities to

team or sales personnel.

25.8

The system should be able to Support the business opportunity

automatically distributing rule be configured, according to

customer, team work plan, and sales areas. According to the

rule, the business opportunity can be distributed automatically

by the system.

25.9

The system should be able to Support business opportunity

upgrade processing, for example, when the sales personnel find

him cannot satisfy the customer requirements in his privilege,

but the customer is important; he can transfer the business

opportunity to the high level sales personnel.

25.10


period of validity process, for the out-of-date and no progress

business opportunity, it can be closed according to the rule.

25.11


close and record the close reason.

25.12

The system should be able to Support recording team/individual

sales activity, and sales cost for the real production of business

opportunity.

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25.13

The system should be able to Support sales activity and business

opportunity production budget cost super addition after definite

approval.

25.14

The system should be able to Support recording sales activity

process content. Include saving all kinds of documents during

the sales activity as attachment.

25.15

The system should be able to Support automatically reminding

according to the alarm set by sales.

25.16

The system should be able to Support to arrange the activity

order and distribute to the individual.

25.17

The system should be able to Support to record and maintain

the activity cost/resource.

25.18

The system should be able to Support recording effect

evaluation data of sales activities.

26 Inventory management

26.1

The system should be able to Support Activate SIM(s) cards on

billing, HLR, MSC authentication center, and CBS.

26.2

The system should be able to Support Activate MSISDN(s) cards

on billing, HLR, and CBS.

26.3

The system should be able to Support Assign SIM cards to retail

channels (shops, dealers, direct sales).

26.4

The system should be able to Support Assign MSISDNs to retail

channels (shops, dealers, direct sales).

26.5 The system should be able to Support define CPE

26.6

The system should be able to Support assign CPEs to sales

channels.

26.7

The system should be able to Support should fully integrated

with third party ERP through international standards of

integration.

More specifications which has been add to Interconnection and settlement

27 Interconnection and settlement FC/PC/NC+P/NP OB/MOD Comments

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27.1

Interconnection Settlement should include voice,

SMS,MMS and data services, such as PSTN and GSM and

3G service, as well as mobile Internet access and value

added services (VAS).

27.2 International Roaming should support two types: foreign subscribers roaming in and local subscribers roaming out.

27.3 Shall support to set settlement billing cycle, such as a half month. The CBS shall have the ability to support multiple, user-defined billing cycles.

27.4

Multi-currency Exchange Rate should be configurable and

dynamic to set currency exchange rates for the settlement

charges.

27.5 Settlement Pre-processing Rules should be configured for handling settlement CDRs.

27.6

Settlement Billing Monitoring should be supported to

monitor the back-end billing handling processes and check

the status of tasks running on each node.

27.7

Settlement Billing Inquiry should provide the functions of inquiring CDR details and rating files created in settling billing processes, such as CDRs (normal, abnormal and error), Roam-in Rating Files, and Roam-out Rating Files.

27.8 Shall support to inquire the (normal, abnormal) Roam-in CDRs by setting query conditions.

27.9 Shall support to check the status of an interconnection settlement rating file received from multiple exchanges.

27.10 Shall support to inquire and print out settlement invoices.

27.11 Shall supprt query facility.

27.12 Shall support to provide daily, monthly and yearly IC/OG minutes as per operator, trunks, prefix and customer numbers.

Main Storage

28 the speed of disk in disk array from 10 to 15 k

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