REQUEST FOR PROPOSALFOR THE

CONSULTANCY SERVICES TO IMPLEMENT

Mail Messaging Solution in RBI

RESERVE BANK OF INDIADepartment of Information Technology

MUMBAI 400-001, INDIA

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This document is the property of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It may not be copied,distributed or recorded on any medium, electronic or otherwise, without the RBI’swritten permission therefor. The use of the contents of this document, even by theauthorised personnel / agencies for any purpose other than the purpose specifiedherein, is strictly prohibited and shall amount to copyright violation and thus, shall bepunishable under the Indian Law.

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES OF Corporate e-mail and WorkflowBackbone for Reserve Bank of India:

Reserve Bank of India has implemented Corporate e-mail setup in its Central Office

Building (COB) at Mumbai and 34 other locations in the country connected through Indian

Financial Network (INFINET). The INFINET is a closed user group (CUG) and a countrywide

backbone network for the Banking and Financial Industry. This network runs applications

such as Public Debt Office-Negotiated Dealing System & Securities Settlement

System(PDO-NDS/SSS), Appropriate Funds Management System (CFMS) , Real Time

Gross Settlement System (RTGS), Structured Financial Messaging System (SFMS),

Electronic Clearing Services (ECS), Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) as well as corporate e-

mail. On the same backbone, Internet browsing has also been enabled to all our offices.

Except COB other 34 locations have an e-mail server (Microsoft Exchange Server 2000) on

Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Standard platform. COB e-mail sever has been configured

on Microsoft Exchange 2003 Server Enterprise Edition on Microsoft Windows 2003 Server

Enterprise platform. At each location, the MS Outlook has been configured on client Desktop

to access the mails from local Exchange server in LAN. Additionally, Web based access

using Browser is used by clients to access the mail in LAN, WAN (INFINET) and Internet.

This facility is provided using Outlook Web Access (OWA) server for users of the Central

office Building whereas users at other 34 locations access the corporate e-mail on

WAN(INFINET) and Internet using a web based front end provided by Institute for

Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) viz. Mithi.

IDRBT, Hyderabad is the Hub for the Corporate email setup of the Bank. IDRBT (SMTP

server) act as a gateway for the Corporate email of the Bank. The mails from one location of

the Bank to another location within the INFINET goes via IDRBT. All the mails of the Bank

from/to Internet also goes via IDRBT. The DNS entry for the MX record type pointing to the

Corporate email gateway at IDRBT is maintained in DNS server of the M/s Sify Ltd.

The Disaster Recovery setup for 34 locations can be activated at IDRBT, Hyderabad. The

DR setup for Central Office Building (COB) has been implemented at COB itself. The

following are the URLs currently provided for accessing the corporate e-mail:

1) https://email.rbi.org.in for users in Central Office Building (Microsoft Outlook Web Access

as the front end – through MTNL and VSNL, Mumbai.

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2) http://rbimail.infinet.org.in for users from Regional Offices and other RBI locations with

front end provided by IDRBT, Hyderabad.

Each of the locations has been provided with Security Solution at gateway which

encompasses PIX firewall, Intrusion Detection systems, Load Balancer etc.

Department of Information Technology has implemented the Mail messaging solution in

Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Its objective is to make the communication quicker and easier

between the Offices, Departments and Officers.

The e-mail architecture using Microsoft Exchange Server as mail server is tightly coupled

with the Windows 2000 Active Directory Structure (ADS). In the current Windows 2000 ADS

implementation, each site/location of RBI forms a forest. A forest in windows network

implementation means a group of domains. A set of computers that share the same security

policy forms a security domain in windows network. Domain in a forest inherits properties

from the forest. Since in the current setup each site/location is in a different forest and there

is no trust relationship, the directory information cannot be shared across different forests.

As per the Microsoft documents, in Windows 2000 network, trust relationship across forests

is not supported. Because of this the global address book (gives the address details of all

the users of corporate e-mail) that derives information from the directory, does not get

updated automatically. As an alternative to the inter-forest trust relationship, all sites of RBI

could be brought under single forest, single domain architecture. This too not supported on

our network as we follow NATed (Network Address Translation) IP addressing scheme on

the network NAT feature provides for address reusability. In this implementation, only the

NATed IPs are visible to the outside world providing additional security. Windows 2000

forest implementation does not support replication across NATed IP. Because of the above

limitations of windows 2000 network, the address book replication cannot be automated and

has to be done manually. Subsequently, other problems that are encountered in existing

multiple forest email setup are shifting of mailboxes, changes in routing entries and ensuring

high availability of email server at all the locations.

Now it is proposed to review the existing mail architecture and make available an

appropriate high availability mail messaging system taking into account of the size and

volume requirements of RBI, and to provide a scalable e-mail system for RBI. Also to review

the existing IP Addressing scheme and implement the single forest and single domain

architecture for the entire Bank. INFINET architecture and existing mail architecture is

detailed in Annexure-I.

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1.2 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

1.2.1 The Project envisages having comprehensive review of the existing corporate e-mail

implemented in the Bank from a medium and long term perspective and suggests

appropriate and scalable mail architecture with high availability, taking into account the size

and volume requirements of the Bank, and to provide for the requirements for the next five

years. The various requirements, as envisaged, are listed below as mentioned above:

Mail Messaging System:

• Appropriate Architecture.

• High availability of mail server.

• Suitable storage solution

• Antivirus solution inter-alia, should secured from the following

o Spam mails

o Junk mails

o Virus mails

• Web interface for accessing the mails through browser. Browser should be

user friendly. Web interface should provide the following options

o Inbox

o Outbox

o Sent Items

o Calendar

o Tasks

o Rules/Change of password etc.

o Junk mails

o Address Book

§ Address should be displayed in alphabetical order

§ Address should be searched through display name, last name

etc.

§ It should be user friendly.

• Migration of existing mailboxes from different locations to appropriate server

with their profiles.

• Security Features.

• System requirement for the appropriate server.

• Infrastructure requirement.

• Backup Solution

• Disaster Recovery Solution

The project also involves implementation of the single forest and single domain architecture

for the entire Bank.

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1.2.2 It would require review of existing mail architecture and IP addressing scheme,

suggestion and design of suitable solution, preparation of Systems Requirement

Specifications, Procurement Services and Supervision Services for installation and

commissioning of the Total solution viz. appropriate mail messaging solution and migration

of existing mailboxes from different locations (different servers) to the proposed mail

messaging solution as well as Unification of the IP Addressing scheme and implementation

of Single forest and Single domain Architecture for the entire Bank. The proposed total

solution is to be implemented in totality.

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CHAPTER 2

INSTRUCTIONS TO CONSULTANTS

2.1 TWO-STAGE BIDDING PROCESSFor the purpose of the Consultancy, a two-stage bidding process will be followed. The

response to the present tender will be submitted in two parts, i.e. the Technical Bid and the

Commercial Bid. The bidders will have to submit the ‘Technical Bid’ separately from the

‘Commercial Bid’. The ‘Technical Bid’ will contain the exhaustive and comprehensive

Consultancy services details, whereas the ‘Commercial Bid’ will contain the pricing

information. The Technical Bid should NOT contain any pricing or commercial information at

all.

2.1.1 In the first stage, only the ‘Technical Bids’ will be opened and evaluated. Those

bidders satisfying the technical requirements of the solution, as determined by the Reserve

Bank of India and as per the requirements/specifications and the terms and conditions of this

document, shall be short-listed.

2.1.2 Under the second stage, the Commercial Bids of bidders which have been short-

listed earlier on the basis of evaluation of their Technical Bids, will be opened.

2.2 Bid Submission2.2.1 CONSULTANTs are not permitted to submit more than one bid. The CONSULTANT

has to offer the best solution available with him. The cost of bidding and submission of the

bids is entirely the responsibility of the CONSULTANTs, regardless of the conduct or

outcome of the tendering process. The response to the present tender will be submitted in

two parts as mentioned in para 2.1

2.2.2 Bids sealed in accordance with the Instructions to CONSULTANTs should be

delivered before 2:00 p.m. on April 11, 2005. Bids may be sent by registered post or hand

delivery, so as to be received at the following address:

G. Padmanabhan, CGM-In-Charge,Department of Information Technology,Reserve Bank of India,14th floor, Central Office Building,Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, Fort,Mumbai 400 001, India.

2.2.3 Receipt of the bids shall be closed at 3:00 p.m. on the April 11, 2005. Bids received

after 3:00 p.m. on the April 11, 2005 will not be accepted by the Bank under any

circumstances. The technical bids will be opened same day (April 11, 2005) at 3:00 p.m.

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Reserve Bank of India will not be responsible for any delay due to postal service or any other

means.

2.2.4 All CONSULTANTs, or their authorised representatives, shall be present at the time

of the opening of the technical bid. Only two persons per CONSULTANT will be allowed to

be present at the time of the opening the technical bids. No bid shall be rejected at bid

opening, except for late bids.

2.3 BIDDERS’ ELIGIBILITY CRITERIABidders must meet the following eligibility requirements. Bids of non-compliant bidders will

not be technically or financially evaluated.

2.3.1 The bidder shall provide evidence that it is a current legal entity.

2.3.2 The bidder must warrant that it is financially solvent, ie. able to meet all its debts as

and when they fall due.

2.3.3 The last three financial years’ audited Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Account

reports shall be provided.

2.3.4 The bidder must warrant that there is no legal action being taken against it for any

cause in any legal jurisdiction. If such an action exists and the bidder considers that it does

not affect its ability to deliver the RFP requirements, it shall provide details of the action(s).

2.3.5 The bidder must demonstrate that it has been engaged for providing consultancy

services for atleast two e-mail messaging projects to other organisation either within or

outside the country during last 5 years. The application should be in use. Each of such

Projects should have involved atleast 12,000 users.

2.3.6 The bidder shall provide references (including Referee names and contact details) and

a documented project management methodology in respect of major projects as stated at

2.3.5.

2.3.7 The Bidder shall offer a minimum of two-site inspection opportunities of consultancy

services, it has completed in major projects of similar type.

2.3.8 Bidder must warrant that key project personnel to be deployed in this project have

been sufficiently involved in similar projects in the past.

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2.3.9 The bidder must organise the bid in accordance with the format specified in the tender

document.

2.4 INSTRUCTIONS FOR SEALING AND MARKING OF TECHNICAL BIDS

2.4.1 Tender responses in one original and one more copy shall each clearly identify the

CONSULTANT submitting them and shall be labelled “Original TECHNICAL Tender” or

“Copy TECHNICAL Tender” as appropriate. They shall then each be sealed in a separate

envelope labelled “Original Tender” or “Copy Tender” as appropriate. All envelopes shall

then be sealed in one envelope or parcel marked “Tender for the Supply and Implementation

of an Mail Messaging Solution for Reserve Bank of India” in the top left hand corner. The

envelope shall be dated with the current date in the top right hand corner and addressed as

in para 2.2.2 above.

2.4.2 In the event of any discrepancies between the ‘Original’ and the ‘Copy’ of the

TECHNICAL tender, the Original shall govern.

2.4.3 The soft copy of the Technical Bid should be submitted in Ms Word Document format

on the CD and enclosed in “Original Technical Tender”.

2.5 INSTRUCTIONS FOR SEALING AND MARKING OF COMMERCIAL BIDS

2.5.1 Tender responses in one original and one copy shall each clearly identify the

CONSULTANT submitting them and shall be labelled “Original COMMERCIAL Tender” or

“Copy COMMERCIAL Tender” as appropriate. They shall then each be sealed in a separate

envelope labelled “Original Tender” or “Copy Tender” as appropriate. All envelopes shall

then be sealed in one envelope or parcel marked “Tender for the Supply and Implementation

of an Mail Messaging Solution for Reserve Bank of India” – Not to be opened before

Technical bid opening and evaluation” in the top left hand corner. The envelope shall be

dated with the current date in the top right hand corner and addressed as in para 2.2.2

above.

2.5.2. In the event of any discrepancies between the ‘Original’ and the ‘Copy’ of the

COMMERCIAL tender, the Original shall govern.

2.5.3 The soft copy of the Technical Bid should be submitted in Ms Word Document format

on the CD and enclosed in “Original Commercial Tender”.

2.6 CLARIFICATION ON THE TENDER DOCUMENTS

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2.6.1 Written requests for clarification may be submitted to the Bank within 14 days of the

date of issue of the Request for Proposal (RFP).

2.6.2 Request for clarification should be submitted in the format outlined in Appendix form T.

2.6.3 Form T should preferably be emailed to the Bank or provided by softcopy – in either

event hardcopy confirmations are also required.

2.6.4 Both questions and responses will be circulated to all prospective CONSULTANTs,

those have obtained this Tender Document.

2.6.5 CONSULTANTs must acquaint themselves fully with the conditions of the tender. No

plea of insufficient information will be entertained at any time.

2.7 AMENDMENTS TO TENDER DOCUMENT

2.7.1 Amendments to the Tender Document may be issued by the Bank at anytime, prior to

the deadline for the submission of bids.

2.7.2. From the date of issue, amendments to Tender Document shall be deemed to form an

integral part of the Tender Document.

2.8 LANGUAGE OF BIDS

All bids and supporting documentation shall be submitted in English.

2.9 DOCUMENTS COMPRISING THE BID

All CONSULTANTs shall submit a tender response, as outlined in chapter 3, duly completed.

2.10 PERIOD OF BID VALIDITY

The Bids shall be valid for a period of ONE YEAR from the closing date for submission of the

bid.

2.11 FORMAT AND SIGNING OF BID

2.11.1 The original and all copies of bids shall be typed or printed in a clear typeface.

Copies may be good quality photocopies of the original. An accompanying letter is required,

signed by an authorised signatory of the CONSULTANT, committing the CONSULTANT to

the contents of the original response. (See Annexure Form V1 Technical Bid and Form V2

Commercial Bid).

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2.12 CORRECTION OF ERRORS

Arithmetic errors in bids will be treated as follows:

2.12.1 Where there is a discrepancy between the amounts in figures and in words, the

amount in words shall govern; and

2.12.2 Where there is a discrepancy between the unit rate and the line item total resulting

from multiplying the unit rate by the quantity, the unit rate will govern unless, in the opinion of

the Bank, there is obviously a gross error such as a misplacement of a decimal point, in

which case the line item total will govern.

2.12.3 Where there is a discrepancy between the amount mentioned in the bid and the line

item total present in the Bill of Material, the amount obtained on totalling the line items in the

Bill of Materials will govern.

2.12.4 The amount stated in the tender form, adjusted in accordance with the above

procedure, shall be considered as binding, unless it causes the overall tender price to rise, in

which case the bid price shall govern.

2.13 DOMESTIC PRESENCE OF THE CONSULTANTSThe CONSULTANTs will have to have a presence in India during the entire period of

contract.

2.14 ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION OF BIDThe Bank reserves the right not to accept any bid, or to accept or reject a particular bid at its

sole discretion without assigning any reason whatsoever.

2.15 SCOPE OF THE WORK OF CONSULTANT

2.15.1 The scope of work to be carried out by the CONSULTANT for implementing the

proposed Mail Messaging Solution for the RBI is given hereunder.

2.15.2 Consultant will address, in consultation with the RBI, the following issues a) Review

of existing mail architecture of RBI b) Suggesting appropriate mail messaging

solution c) High availability of the mail service d) Web Interface for accessing the

mails from LAN(Local Area Network), WAN(Wide Area Network) and Internet e)

Suitable Storage solution f) Security features g) Backup solution h) Antivirus solution

i) Disaster Recovery solution and j) Unification of the IP Addressing scheme and

implementation of Single forest and Single domain Architecture for the entire Bank.

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2.15.3 The consultant should review the existing corporate e-mail setup and IP addressing

scheme and suggest measures to fix any problems. The review should be done quickly

so as to take care of the requirement for the short term.

2.15.4 Consultant should do the comprehensive review of the existing corporate e-mail

implemented in the Bank from a medium and long term perspective. The Consultant should

review, ab initio, the corporate e-mail requirements for the Bank and suggest an appropriate

system, taking into account the size and volume requirements of the RBI and to provide for

the requirements for the next five years.

2.15.5 The Consultant should review the existing IP Addressing scheme and implement the

single forest and single domain architecture for the entire Bank.

2.15.6 Consultant should suggest best and suitable architecture for high availability of the

email solution. The consultant should also identify the suitable technology for migration of

the existing mailboxes of the RBI users to the proposed mail messaging solution. Availability

of the email services should be 99.9% uptime.

2.15.7 Consultant should propose the best web interface for accessing the mails through

browser, with the following features.

i. Inbox

ii. Outbox

iii. Sent Items

iv. Draft Items

v. Deleted items/Tasks/Rules/Change of password options etc.

vi. Calendar

i. Calendar should be shared by more than one user.

vii. Contact.

viii. Address Book :

a. Should be arranged in alphabetical order.

b. Should able to search with display name , last name or with few letters etc

c. Should be user friendly.

ix. User should able to create sub folders.

x. User should have the option to save their mails in their PC through browser.

xi. User should able to change the password through browser itself.

xii. User should be able to login to proposed mailserver, by entering user name and

password one time only without entering the domain name. e.g login to yahoo.

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2. 15.8 Consultant should propose suitable Storage Solution for storing the database of the

email solution which can be retrieved. The consultant should consider storage capacity

requirement atleast for next five years. The Storage Solution should be scalable to support

increasing database size.

2.15.9 Consultant should propose suitable backup solution for the mail messaging solution.

Backup should have Graphical User Interface (GUI) and web based interface to manage

and monitor the backup. Backup solution should inter-alia provide mailbox restoration,

complete restoration of mailboxes, email server as well as operating system and anti-virus

application.

2.15.10 Consultant should propose an Antivirus Solution, so that it should inter-alia prevent

and detect the virus mails, spam mails and Junk mails. Antivirus solution should scan the

attachment for virus. The solution should also prevent users from attaching the virus infected

files to the mail. Antivirus software should get updated continuously and automatically and

protect the system from new viruses.

2.15.11 Consultant should propose an appropriate Disaster Recovery (DR) system for the

proposed mail messaging solution. In case of disaster at proposed mail messaging solution

site, the email services at DR site should be restored immediately and transparently.

2.15.12 Consultant should prepare the System Requirement Specifications (SRS), for the

Total solution viz. appropriate mail messaging solution and migration of existing mailboxes

from different locations (different servers) to the proposed mail messaging solution as well

as Unification of the IP Addressing scheme and implementation of Single forest and Single

domain Architecture for the entire Bank. The SRS shall include both business specifications

and technical specifications of the project.

2.15.13 Proposal for overall system design for the entire organization.

2.15.14 Design for the Total solution and as per SRS finalised as above and accepted by

the Bank.

2.15.15 Submission of the conceptualisation and design document to the RBI for approval.

2.15.16 The CONSULTANT has to consider all available infrastructures with the bank and

suggest design, development and implementation of appropriate Mail Messaging Solution

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and Unification of IP addressing scheme (Single forest, Single domain architecture) in such

a way that maximum use of existing infrastructure is made.

2.15.17 Drawing up the time frame and PERT chart for implementation of appropriate Mail

Messaging System after receiving approval from RBI for the conceptualisation and design

document. Defining the deliverables, milestones etc. for the Total Solution.

2.15.18 On receipt of the Bank’s approval for the time schedule/deliverables/milestsones for

Total Solution implementation, the Consultant would prepare a Request for Proposal

(RFP)/Tender Document for calling competitive quotations from vendors. The RFP would

cover technical, commercial and logistics aspects of the project.

2.15.19 Issue of RFP, evaluation of responses, normalisation, short listing, negotiation and

finalisation of vendor/systems Integrator for the Project, in co-ordination with the RBI. The

detailed set of activities under this head would include the following:

2.15.19.1 Finalisation of technical specifications for Tender document and Tender

floating.

2.15.19.2 Providing clarifications to vendor enquires

2.15.19.3 Formulating the evaluation criteria

2.15.19.4 Evaluating technical and commercial bids

2.15.19.5 Seeking bid clarifications from vendors

2.15.19.6 Tender normalisation process, if necessary

2.15.19.7 Submission of comprehensive Techno-commercial report with

recommendations.

2.15.19.8 Assist RBI in negotiations with vendors

2.15.19.9 Providing technical support to the RBI in preparing purchase order.

2.15.20 Contract Management, Supervision and co-ordination of activities awarded to the

vendor, consortium or group of vendors.

2.15.21 At the time of delivery of Systems for Total Solution, the consultant shall;

i) Inspect physically and verify the condition of equipment / system andapplication software;

ii) Ensure the delivery conforms to specifications.

2.15.22 CONSULTANT shall supervise the installation and commissioning of Total Solution

from the vendor for purpose of the Project.

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2.15.23 CONSULTANT will assist the RBI in accepting the Total Solution for the Project

2.15.24 CONSULTANT should define acceptance criteria for Functionality, Response and

Data Integrity of the Total Solution. Consultant shall prepare Acceptance Test document

and carry out acceptance test of the Total Solution System and sub-systems using

appropriate test methodologies in consultation with the RBI.

2.15.25 CONSULTANT shall confirm the validity of Total Solution as per the specifications.

2.15.26 CONSULTANT shall ensure that the installation and operationalization of the Total

solution is done smoothly without affecting the existing applications of the RBI on LAN, WAN

(INFINET) and Internet. For seamless integration of the Total solution with the existing

setup, the Consultant will have to ensure co-ordination among shorlisted vendor for the

proposed solution, the Network Support Engineers and Application Software Engineers of

the respective Vendors and resolve any problem, which may be encountered in the course

of installation, customization and operationalization of the Total solution.

2.15.27 PROJECT MANAGEMENT

a) CONSULTANT shall co-ordinate different activities related to implementation of this

project to ensure smooth and timely execution of the project.

b) CONSULTANT shall endeavour to make the total project operational within the

approved budget and as per scheduled project plan.

c) CONSULTANT shall review the project status and update RBI on periodic basis.

d) CONSULTANT shall provide timely signals to RBI when the project is not going as

per schedule and suggest methods to adhere to the schedule

e) CONSULTANT shall draw upon their global expertise and knowledge and be at

liberty to associate such expert as considered necessary by CONSULTANT, for the

Commissioning, Live Run and Post-Implementation support of the Project with the

prior permission from RBI.

2.16 DURATION AND CONDITION OF ENGAGEMENT

2.16.1 RBI engages and appoints CONSULTANT to provide services as detailed in the

Scope of Work in Para 2.15 for the Objective and Description of the Project as detailed

under Para 1.1 and 1.2 in consideration of remuneration payable by the RBI to

CONSULTANT in terms of Para 2.17.

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2.16.2 CONSULTANT shall NOT be entitled to bid for the supply and installation of the

Total Solution and perform systems integration related activities.

2.16.3 The Bank will reserve the right to terminate the services of the CONSULTANT at any

point of the Project.

2.17 REMUNERATION FEE AND TERMS OF PAYMENT

2.17.1 The Consultancy fees are inclusive of all taxes, duties, charges and levies of State or

Central Governments, as applicable, at the date of signing the Agreement and subject to

deduction of all statutory deductions applicable, if any. The benefits realised by

CONSULTANT due to lower rates of taxes, duties, charges and levies shall be passed on by

CONSULTANT to the RBI;

2.17.2 The charges of CONSULTANT such as travel within India or abroad, stay,

conveyance etc. will not be charged extra.

2.17.3 TERMS OF PAYMENT AND BILLING

Terms of Payment for various activities shall be as under:

Sl No. Milestones Due

1 Quick review 5%

2 Compherehensive review and preparation of SRS and RFP 15%

3 Selection of vendor for implementation 20%

4 Implementation of Total Solution and its acceptance 50%

5 Expiry of One year Warranty Support starts aftercommissioning and Operationalisation of the Project

10%

Total 100%

2.18 CONFIDENTIALITY

2.18.1 CONSULTANT agrees that all mails, data, mail architecture and personnel data

relating to RBI’s business and other information identified as confidential by the RBI are

confidential information of the RBI; (RBI Confidential Information).

2.19 INDEMNIFICATION

2.19.1 The CONSULTANT shall, at its own cost and expenses, defend and indemnify the

Bank against all third-party claims including those of the infringement of Intellectual Property

Rights, including patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or industrial design rights, arising

from use of the Products or any part thereof in India.

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2.19.2 The CONSULTANT shall expeditiously meet any such claims and shall have full

rights to defend itself there from. If the Bank is required to pay compensation to a third party

resulting from such infringement, the CONSULTANT shall be fully responsible therefor,

including all expenses and court and legal fees.

2.19.3 The CONSULTANT shall also be liable to indemnify the Bank, at its own cost and

expenses, against all losses/damages, which the Bank may suffer on account of violation by

the CONSULTANT of any or all national/international trade laws, norms, standards,

procedures etc.

2.20 SITE VISITS

Site visits may be sought at the discretion of the Bank. CONSULTANT shall provide, in

addition to customer sites, an invitation to the Bank to visit CONSULTANTs’ own site.

2.21 NOTIFICATION OF AWARD

The acceptance of a tender will be communicated in writing at the address supplied by the

CONSULTANT in the tender response. Any change of address of the CONSULTANT,

should therefore be promptly notified to the Chief General Manager-In-Charge, Department

of Information Technology, Reserve Bank of India, 14th floor, Central Office Building, Shahid

Bhagat Singh Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001, India.

2.22 PERFORMANCE BANK GUARANTEE

2.22.1 The CONSULTANT shall at his own expense deposit with the Chief General

Manager-In-Charge, Department of Information Technology, Reserve Bank of India,

Mumbai, within thirty (30) working days of the date of notice of award of the tender, a

Performance Bank Guarantee from a scheduled commercial bank , payable on demand in

terms of Appendix Form “W”, for an amount equivalent to ten percent (10%) of the TOTAL

CONSULTANCY charges for the due performance and fulfilment of the commitment by the

CONSULTANT.

2.23 SIGNING OF CONTRACT

The CONSULTANT shall be required to enter into a contract with Reserve Bank of India,

within thirty (30) days of the award of the tender or within such extended period, as may be

specified by the Chief General Manager-in-Charge, Department of Information Technology,

Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai, on the basis of the Tender Document.

2.23. PENALTY

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Wherever delays occur because of reasons not attributable to CONSULTANT, payment shall

be made on completion in respect of the activity concerned under that particular milestone

on a pro-rata basis. However, if the delay is attributable to CONSULTANT, liquidated

damages shall be payable by CONSULTANT to the extent of 1 percent every month of the

consideration payable for the milestone concerned and shall not in any case exceed 5

percent of the amount payable to CONSULTANT for concerned milestone.

2.24 JURISDICTION

All disputes and differences of any kind, whatsoever, arising out of the consultancy

propositions shall be referred by either party (the Bank or the CONSULTANT), after

issuance of 30 days notice in writing to the other, clearly mentioning the nature of the dispute

/ differences, to a single arbitrator, acceptable to both the parties, for initiation of arbitration

proceedings and settlement of the dispute/s and difference/ strictly under the terms and

conditions of this contract, executed between the Bank and the CONSULTANT. The

arbitration shall be governed by the provisions of the applicable Indian Laws. The award

shall be final and binding on both the parties. The venue for arbitration shall be at Mumbai,

India.

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CHAPTER 3

CONTENT AND FORM OF RESPONSES

3.1 This chapter contains the table of contents for the tender response. In order to

facilitate evaluation and comparison of tender responses, CONSULTANT shall

submit their response in this format. A failure to do so may result in the tender being

eliminated at the examination stage as unresponsive.

3.2 Should the CONSULTANT have additional information to submit that cannot be

encompassed by the current table of contents, additional sections may be added at

the end. Should use be made of this option that is unwarranted in the opinion of the

Bank, it will be regarded unfavourably.

3.3 TENDER RESPONSE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. TECHNICAL BID

The Technical Bid should be in accordance with the following:

INTRODUCTION

§ Purpose§ Objectives§ Scope

MANAGEMENT SUMMARY

§ Overview of CONSULTANT§ Overview of Proposed Consultancy Services§ Overview of Proposed Time-table and Project Management provisions

CONSULTANTThe registered name ofthe bidding companyBusiness address forcorrespondence

LocationStreetLocalityCityPin CodeCountryTelephoneFacsimileEmailOther

20

CONTACT NAME OF THECONSULTANT

CONTACT’S POSITION WITHCONSULTANT

Contact addresses ifdifferent from above

LocationStreetLocalityCityPin CodeCountryTelephoneFacsimileEmailOther

BUSINESS STRUCTUREBID COMPANY’S REGISTERED

ADDRESSDetails of companyregistrationNames of Directors Chairman

President/ManagingDirectorDirectors

Include a structure chart reflecting the organisationChart

Financial standing ofthe CONSULTANT

(Information designed to give client confidence in the financial competence of theCONSULTANT.)Audited financial accounts for past three years should be included in appendix.Total current employees

2002 2003 2004Sales TurnoverNet profit before tax

Company Profile(s)

21

Reference Sites (Useseparate schedule formatsfor this response)

[Details of at least two similar Mail Messaging Projects inthe last 5 years (including contact details) which willdemonstrate the CONSULTANT’s ability to carry out thefunctions which they are projected to provide consultancyfor this project in a timely and professional manner.]

DesignatedStaff

Name Position Project Designation

(Detailedprofiles of keystaff shall beincluded inappendix)3.4 Experience of consultancy to implementation of Appropriate MailMessaging Solution(Give details about the following with respect to the methodology followed by you in MailMessaging projects of similar nature and complexity – a minimum of two projectsplease.)

Project Name:

Project Location:

Client Name:

Client address:Client contact/referenceperson(s):

NameAddress – if different fromabove

TelephoneFacsimileMobile PhoneEmail address

Project started(month/year):

Project elapsed time –months:

Man-months effort:

Project DirectorProject Manager

Name of senior projectstaff:

OtherNature of the Project:

Role of the company,whether complete end-to-end involvement or for aparticular module:

22

Project Detail Hardware installed –make/model

(Broad details) Operating systemSystem SoftwareMail Messaging softwareAntivirus solutionBackup SolutionDisaster recovery technologySecurity featuresSupport/maintenanceobligationsIf any other things mention

THE PROPOSED TOTAL SOLUTION

3.5 Introduction

(Outlines the structure of the remainder of the section and raises any general pointsthat the CONSULTANT wishes to make.)

3.6 Appropriate Mail Messaging Technical Solution

(Provides a detailed response as to how the CONSULTANT proposes to prepareSRS document and implement the Mail Messaging solution requirements andUnification of the IP Addressing scheme and implementation of Single forest andSingle domain Architecture for the entire Bank stated in this SRS document. TheCONSULTANT is required to structure its response to match those sections and theirsubsections and to clearly indicate its ability to meet or not to meet, or to provide analternative means of meeting, each requirement and/or provide the informationand/or documentation requested. CONSULTANTs may add an additional section atthe end of this part of their response, which describes additional features of theirproposed technical solution, which they believe, would be of value to the client.Supporting documentation shall be referenced in the text, to explain its relevance,and included in appendix in numerically incrementing subsections.)

3.7 Proposed Implementation Plan

(Provides detailed information as to how the CONSULTANT proposes to implementthe project). It is recommended that the CONSULTANT uses a project managementtool such as Microsoft ProjectTM to produce the proposed plan in chart form, whichmay be accompanied by narrative clarifications, as required.)

B. COMMERCIAL BID

The Commercial Bid should contain the following:

3.8 COSTS

3.8.1 Introduction(Introduces the costing information)

3.8.2 Schedule of Tendered Prices

23

(A copy of the Schedule of Tendered Prices supplied as Appendix Form “U” in thetender documents, duly completed and signed by the CONSULTANT’s authorisedrepresentative.)The prices should mention the cost as well as the tax and duty components, if any.All taxes, duties, charges shall be borne by the CONSULTANT. Once the prices havebeen tendered to the Bank, no change / modification will be entertained for anycause whatsoever (including changes in regulation, tax and duty structure etc.) Theprices once provided by the CONSULTANT will be valid for the entire period ofvalidity of the bid as defined in the present document.Any revision in the rates of taxes, duties, charges and levies at a later date andduring the tenure of the bid will be borne as under:

a) The benefits realised by the CONSULTANT due to lower rates of taxes, duties,charges and levies shall be passed on by the CONSULTANT to the Bank

b) Any increase in rates of taxes, duties, charges and levies will be borne by theCONSULTANT.

3.8.3 Notes on the Schedule of Tendered Prices(Any notes or comments that the CONSULTANT wishes to make relating tothe Schedule of Tendered Prices. CONSULTANTs should note that a fixedprice is required and that anything that seeks to limit or qualify such a fixedprice is likely to be regarded unfavorably.)

3.9 FORMS3.9.1 Tender Form

(A copy of the TECHNICAL Tender Form, supplied as Appendix Form “V1”,duly completed.)(A copy of the COMMERCIAL Tender Form, supplied as Appendix Form “V2”,duly completed.)

**************

24

Form T

CONSULTANTS REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION

CONSULTANTs requiring specific points of clarification may communicate with the RBI during theperiod using the following format.

All questions received will be formally responded to and questions/points of clarification and RBIresponses will be circulated to all participating CONSULTANTs. The source (identity) of theCONSULTANTs seeking points of clarification will not be revealed.

CONSULTANTs are requested to email form Ts to gpadmanabhan@rbi.org.in,cgmincditco@rbi.org.in and ampedgaonkar@rbi.org.in and forward hardcopy confirmations.CONSULTANTs can also supply softcopy form Ts, but here again hardcopy confirmations will berequired.

CONSULTANTs are asked to use the following format:

IMPLEMENTATION TOTAL SOLUTION FORRESERVE BANK OF INDIA

CONSULTANT’S REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION

To be mailed, delivered,posted, faxed or emailedto:

The Chief General Manager-In-Charge,Department of InformationTechnology,Reserve Bank of India,14th flr Central Office buildingShahid Bhagat Singh Marg,Fort,Mumbai 400 001, India.

Telephone:91-22-22700665Facsimile:91-22-22691557Email:gpadmanabhan@rbi.org.in ,cgmincditco@rbi.org.in andampedgaonkar@rbi.org.in

Name of Organisationsubmitting request

Name & position of personsubmitting request

Full formal address of theorganisation including phone, faxand email points of contactTel:

Fax:Email:

Please Tick preferred contact optionBidding DocumentReference(s) requiringclarificationPoints of clarificationrequired

Name and signature ofauthorised person issuing thisrequest for clarification Signature/Date Official designation1. Please use a separate form for each different Request for Clarification.2. Please indicate the preferred method and address for reply.3. Please use email or softcopy as a preference but forward hard copy confirmations.

25

APPENDIX FORM “U”

SCHEDULE OF TENDERED PRICES

All prices to be quoted in Indian Rupees. Costs are inclusive of taxes, duties, transport and other charges

Item Description Unit Price Taxes, duties, insurance,and other costs charges

(itemized)

Gross price Total one time costs

ConsultancyServices

…………

26

Appendix Form V1 Technical BidTENDER FORM

TO:

The Chief General Manager-In-Charge,Department of Information Technology,Reserve Bank of India,Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, Fort,MUMBAI 400 001, INDIA.

Gentlemen:Re: Tender No. RBI/ TECHNICAL BID

CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF TOTAL SOLUTIONFOR RESERVE BANK OF INDIA

Having examined the Tender Document, the receipt of which is hereby duly acknowledged, we,the undersigned, offer to provide the consultancy services to implement the appropriate mailmessaging solution, including migration of existing mailboxes to the Appropriate mail server alongwith user profiles at Reserve Bank of India and Unification of the IP Addressing scheme andimplementation of Single forest and Single domain Architecture for the entire Bank to meet suchrequirements and provide such services as are set out in the Tender Document.

We attach hereto the Tender Response as required by the Tender document, which constitutesmy/our bid.

We undertake, if our Tender is accepted, to adhere to the implementation plan put forward insection 3.7 of the Tender Response or such adjusted plan as may subsequently be mutuallyagreed between us and the Reserve Bank of India or its appointed representatives.

If our Tender Response is accepted, we will obtain a performance bank guarantee in the formatgiven in the Tender Document issued by a scheduled commercial bank in India for a sumequivalent to 10% of the contract sum for the due performance of the contract.

We agree to abide by this Tender Response for a period of ONE YEAR from the date fixed forTender opening and it shall remain binding upon us with full force and virtue, until within thisperiod a formal contract is prepared and executed, this Tender Response, together with yourwritten acceptance thereof in your notification of award, shall constitute a binding contractbetween us and will initiate the formation of a separate contract in respect of maintenance andsupport services after the expiry of the warranty period.

We agree that you are not bound to accept the lowest or any Tender Response you may receive.We also agree that you reserve the right in absolute sense to reject all or any of the item specifiedin the Tender Response without assigning any reason whatsoever.It is hereby confirmed that I/We are entitled to act on behalf of our corporation/company/firm/organization and empowered to sign this document as well as such other documents whichmay be required in this connection.

Dated this …………………………. Day of …………………..2005

……………………………………………. …………………………………………….(Signature) (In the capacity of)Duly authorised to sign the Tender Response for and on behalf of:

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

27

(Name and address of Bidding Company)

Seal/Stamp of Tender

Witness name:………………………………………………………

Witness address:………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………...

Witness signature:

…………………………………………………Attachments: • Board resolution delegating signing powers

to authorised signatories• Tender Technical Response

CERTIFICATE AS TO AUTHORISED SIGNATORIES

I, certify that I am.........................................................

Secretary ofthe

(Name of bidding company)And that

……….…………………………………………..………………………………………………………………..

(Name of above company signatory (s) )Who signed the above Tender is authorised to bind the corporation by authority of itsgoverning body.

(Seal)……………………………………………………..

(Secretary)

28

Appendix Form V2 Commercial BidTENDER FORM

TO:The Chief General Manager-In-Charge,Department of Information Technology,Reserve Bank of India,Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, Fort,MUMBAI 400 001 INDIA.

Gentlemen:Re: Tender No. RBI/ COMMERCIAL BID

CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF TOTAL SOLUTIONFOR RESERVE BANK OF INDIA

Having examined the Tender Document, the receipt of which is hereby duly acknowledged, we,the undersigned, offer to provide the consultancy services to implement the appropriate mailmessaging solution, including migration of existing mailboxes to the Appropriate mail server alongwith user profiles at Reserve Bank of India and Unification of the IP Addressing scheme andimplementation of Single forest and Single domain Architecture for the entire Bank to meet suchrequirements and provide such services as are set out in the Tender Document.

Indian Rupees in words and figures.

We attach hereto the Tender Commercial Response as required by the Tender document, whichconstitutes my/our bid.

We undertake, if our Tender is accepted, to adhere to the implementation plan put forward insection 3.7 of the Tender Response or such adjusted plan as may subsequently be mutuallyagreed between us and the Reserve Bank of India or its appointed representatives.

If our Tender Response is accepted, we will obtain a performance bank guarantee in the formatgiven in the Tender Document, issued by a scheduled commercial bank in India, for a sumequivalent to 10% of the contract sum for the due performance of the contract.

We agree to abide by this Tender Response for a period of ONE YEAR from the date fixed forTender opening and it shall remain binding upon us, until within this period a formal contract isprepared and executed, this Tender Response, together with your written acceptance thereof inyour notification of award, shall constitute a binding contract between us and will initiate theformation of a separate contract in respect of maintenance and support services after expiry ofthe warranty period.

We agree that you are not bound to accept the lowest or any Tender Response you may receive.We also agree that you reserve the right in absolute sense to reject all or any of thegoods/products specified in the Tender Response without assigning any reason whatsoever.

It is hereby confirmed that I/We are entitled to act on behalf of our corporation/company/firm/organization and empowered to sign this document as well as such other documents whichmay be required in this connection.

Dated this …………………………. Day of …………………..2005

……………………………………………. …………………………………………….(Signature) (In the capacity of)Duly authorised to sign the Tender Response for and on behalf of:

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(Name and address of Bidding Company)

29

Seal/Stamp of Tender

Witness name:………………………………………………………

Witness address:………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………

Witness signature:…………………………………………………

Attachments: • Board resolution delegating signing powersto authorised signatures

• Tender Technical Response

CERTIFICATE AS TO AUTHORISED SIGNATORIES

I, certify that I am.........................................................

Secretary ofthe

(Name of bidding company)And that

……….…………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………..(Name of above company signatory (s) )

Who signed the above Tender is authorised to bind the corporation by authority of itsgoverning body.

(Seal)……………………………………………………..

(Secretary)

30

Appendix Form “W”PERFORMANCE BANK GUARANTEE

The Chief General Manager-in-Charge,Department of Information Technology,Central Office,Reserve Bank of India,Central Office Building,Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg, Fort,Mumbai 400 001

Dear Sirs,

PERFORMANCE BANK GUARANTEE – to provide the consultancy services to implement theAppropriate mail messaging solution, including migration of existing mailboxes to the Appropriate mailsolution along with user profiles at Reserve Bank of India and Unification of the IP Addressing schemeand implementation of Single forest and Single domain Architecture for the entire Bank to meet suchrequirements and provide such services as are set out in the Tender Document.

WHEREAS

M/s. (name of CONSULTANT), a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956, having itsregistered and corporate office at (address of the CONSULTANT), (hereinafter referred to as “ourconstituent”, which expression, unless excluded or repugnant to the context or meaning thereof,includes its successors and assigns), entered into a Purchase Agreement dated …….. (hereinafter,referred to as “the said Agreement”) with you (Reserve Bank of India) to provide the consultancyservices to implement the total solution of the implement the Appropriate mail messaging solution,including migration of existing mailboxes to the Appropriate mail server at Reserve Bank of IndiaUnification of the IP Addressing scheme and implementation of Single forest and Single domainArchitecture for the entire Bank to meet such requirements and provide such services as are set out inthe Tender Document.

We are aware of the fact that in terms of sub-para (…), Section (…), Chapter (…) of the saidAgreement, our constituent is required to furnish a Bank Guarantee for an amount Rs…….. (in wordsand figures), being 10% of the Contract Price of Rs. … (in words and figures), as per the saidAgreement, as security against breach/default of the said Agreement by our Constituent.

In consideration of the fact that our constituent is our valued customer and the fact that he hasentered into the said Agreement with you, we, (name and address of the bank), have agreed to issuethis Performance Bank Guarantee.

Therefore, we (name and address of the bank) hereby unconditionally and irrevocably guarantee youas under :

I. In the event of our constituent committing any breach/default of the said Agreement, whichbreach/default has not been rectified within a period of thirty (30) days after receipt of writtennotice from you, we hereby agree to pay you forthwith on demand such sum/s not exceedingthe sum of Rs…… ( in words and figures) without any demur.

II. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, as contained in the said Agreement, we agree thatyour decision as to whether our constituent has made any such default/s / breach/es, asafore-said and the amount or amounts to which you are entitled by reasons thereof, subject tothe terms and conditions of the said Agreement, will be binding on us and we shall not beentitled to ask you to establish your claim or claims under this Performance Bank Guarantee,but will pay the same forthwith on your demand without any protest or demur.

III. This Performance Bank Guarantee shall continue and hold good till the completion of thewarranty period for the ‘Total Solution’ i.e. (date), subject to the terms and conditions in thesaid Agreement.

31

IV. We bind ourselves to pay the above said amount at any point of time commencing from thedate of the said Purchase Agreement until the completion of the warranty period for the TotalSolution as per said Agreement.

V. We further agree that the termination of the said Agreement, for reasons solely attributable toour constituent, virtually empowers you to demand for the payment of the above said amountunder this guarantee and we have an obligation to honour the same without demur.

VI. In order to give full effect to the guarantee contained herein, we (name and address of thebank), agree that you shall be entitled to act as if we were your principal debtors in respect ofyour claims against our constituent. We hereby expressly waive all our rights of suretyshipand other rights, if any, which are in any way inconsistent with any of the provisions of thisPerformance Bank Guarantee.

VII. We confirm that this Performance Bank Guarantee will cover your claim/s against ourconstituent made in accordance with this Guarantee from time to time, arising out of or inrelation to the said Agreement and in respect of which your claim is lodged with us on orbefore the date of expiry of this Performance Guarantee, irrespective of your entitlement toother claims, charges, rights and reliefs, as provided in the said Agreement.

VIII. Any notice by way of demand or otherwise hereunder may be sent by special courier, telex,fax, registered post or other electronic media to our address, as aforesaid and if sent by post,it shall be deemed to have been given to us after the expiry of 48 hours when the same hasbeen posted.

IX. If it is necessary to extend this guarantee on account of any reason whatsoever, weundertake to extend the period of this guarantee on the request of our constituent underintimation to you (Reserve Bank of India).

X. This Performance Bank Guarantee shall not be affected by any change in the constitution ofour constituent nor shall it be affected by any change in our constitution or by anyamalgamation or absorption thereof or therewith or reconstruction or winding up, but willensure to the benefit of you and be available to and be enforceable by you.

XI. Notwithstanding anything contained hereinabove, our liability under this PerformanceGuarantee is restricted to Rs…… (in words and figures) and shall continue to exist, subject tothe terms and conditions contained herein, unless a written claim is lodged on us on or beforethe afore-said date of expiry of this guarantee.

XII. We hereby confirm that we have the power/s to issue this Guarantee in your favour under theMemorandum and Paras of Association/ Constitution of our bank and the undersigned is/arethe recipient of authority by express delegation of power/s and has/have full power/s toexecute this guarantee under the Power of Attorney issued by the bank in his/their favour.

2. We further agree that the exercise of any of your rights against our constituent to enforce orforbear to enforce or any other indulgence or facility, extended to our constituent to carry outthe contractual obligations as per the said Agreement, would not release our liability underthis guarantee and that your right against us shall remain in full force and effect,notwithstanding any arrangement that may be entered into between you and our constituent,during the entire currency of this guarantee.

Notwithstanding anything contained herein:

I. Our liability under this Performance Bank Guarantee shall not exceed Rs. …. (in words andfigure) ;

II. this Performance Bank Guarantee shall be valid only up to …….. (date, i.e.completion of warranty period for the Total Solution) ; and

III. we are liable to pay the guaranteed amount or part thereof under this PerformanceBank Guarantee only and only if we receive a written claim or demand on or before…. (date i.e. completion of the warranty period for the Total Solution).

32

This Performance Bank Guarantee must be returned to the bank upon its expiry. If the PerformanceBank Guarantee is not received by the bank within the above-mentioned period, subject to the termsand conditions contained herein, it shall be deemed to be automatically cancelled.

Dated ……………………. this ……….. day …………. 2005.

Yours faithfully,

For and on behalf of the …………… Bank,

(Signature)Designation(Address of the Bank)

Note :

a) This guarantee will attract stamp duty as a security bond under Para 54(b) of the MumbaiStamp Act, 1958.

b) A duly certified copy of the requisite authority conferred on the official/s to execute theguarantee on behalf of the bank should be annexed to this guarantee for verification andretention thereof as documentary evidence in the matter.

33

Annexure – I:

INFINET Architecture and Integration of KM System

Note: The information detailed in this annexure is illustrative ONLY, and NOTexhaustive.

I.I INFINET Architecture

Reserve Bank of India has set up a dedicated network to upgrade the country’s paymentsystem infrastructure. This network would provide the necessary connectivity services to theIndian banking and financial sector.

This network, known as the INdian FINancial NETwork (INFINET), is operated andmaintained by the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT),which has been set up by the Bank and is located at Hyderabad.The INFINET is a Closed User Group (CUG) Network for the exclusive use of the Indianbanking and financial sector and uses a blend of communication technologies such asVSATs, Terrestrial Leased and ISDN Lines.

The VSAT network consists of over 2300 remote VSAT’s(TDM/TDMA & SCPC) located in300 cities of the country. The leased line network consists of multiple 2 Mbps terrestrial linkswhich connect 40 RBI offices in 21 cities. Over 450 CUG member leased line links areconnected to the INFINET network in 21 RBI regional offices/ INFINET nodes(Fig 1.1). Theleased line segment of the INFINET is seamlessly integrated with the VSAT portion of theINFINET.

The INFINET network is primarily a TCP/IP based network. A detailed IP addressing schemehas been devised by IDRBT for all CUG members, which is strictly followed by all CUGmembers while interacting via the INFINET communication backbone. This is essentially ofthe form 10.x.x.x, where 10 (first octet of the IP address) represents a private corporatenetwork. The remaining three octet will be used to represent banks, locations(branches/offices/local area networks) and the nodes within the locations.The LAN at the RBI Offices uses Reserve Class B IP Address 172.16.x.x with subnet mask.

A Centralized Network Management(NMS) is placed at IDRBT with back-up NMS at Mumbaifor the Leased Line Network.. The routing protocol followed over the INFINET leased Linenetwork is OSPF. The network monitoring is done using the CA’s Unicenter TNG andNMSWorks Cygnet NMS. ISDN facility as a back up to the Leased Line is available at all RBIlocations. In addition a backup NMS is also available at Mumbai for use in case of anyeventuality.

INFINET is used for both intra and inter bank applications. Banks port intra bank applicationsand most of the Inter bank applications operational on the network are ported by ReserveBank of India. At present a variety of Inter and Intra bank applications are operational on thenetwork. The primary Inter bank application such as Structured Financial MessagingSystem(SFMS), Real Time Gross Settlement(RTGS), Central Funds ManagementSystem(CFMS), Security Settlement System, Electronic Clearing System and National &Retail Electronic Funds Transfer(EFT), are ported on the INFINET and in a true sense,INFINET is the backbone for the National Payment Systems. The Intra bank applications,ported on the network and being used by CUG members are Any Branch Banking (MultiBranch Banking), Fast Collection of Cheques, Cash Management Products, ATM Networks,Inter bank reconciliation, Corporate E-mails, Intranet solutions, FTP etc.

34

I.II Security on the INFINETThe INFINET is a secure platform that technology can provide for this purpose. INFINETbeing a CUG, it provides a high level of security against intruders. Outsiders cannot enter orpenetrate the network. In the case of VSAT & LLN Network, the IP Addresses for remotelocations are allotted and maintained by the Institute and cannot be changed by the endusers. This takes care of the network integrity and security. On the space segment, the datatransmission, even in broadcast mode, is encrypted using proprietary standards and thepackets cannot be opened at any VSAT location except the one specified as the destinationVSAT. All the RBI offices are protected with Firewalls and IDS solution with high availability.Apart from the above layers of network security, there are a host of in-built securitymechanisms in each application that is deployed on the INFINET - like password, accesscontrol, encryption, digital signatures and certification and in some applications there smartcard and/or bio-metric authentication are used. Application level Security at par withinternational standards is provided through Symmetric Key and Public Key Cryptographyand IDRBT acts as the Certification Authority for the Banking and Financial Sector.

INIFINET Architecture of RBI is given below

2 Mbps with ISDN Backup

JAMMU CHANDIGARH

DELHIJAIPUR

AHMEDABAD

MUMBAI

PUNE BANGALORE

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

CHENNAI

IDRBT HYDERABAD

BHUBANESHWAR

CALCUTTA

PATNA

KANPUR

GUWAHATI

BHOPAL

DESIGN OF INFINET AND INTEGRATION WITH VSAT NETWORK

NAGPUR

KOCHI

GOA

LUCKNOW

4 X 2 Mbps

2 X 2 Mbps

New 64 kbs link to be procured

Existing 64 kbs link to be retained

HYDERABAD RBI

Existing 2mbs link to Be retained

35

I.III INFINET and the Total solution :

From the point of view of the Total solution, INFINET will provide the bi-directional,resilient connectivity between Users from different locations, as mentioned earlier.The message flow from one location to another will be using the INFINET bandwidth.Thus a thorough study for bandwidth requirement is required to arrive at aapproximate bandwidth requirement for the Total Solution to work with minimum timedelay and without any disruption. It will be desirable that the Total solution will makeuse of INFINET infrastructure available at all the locations of the Bank.

The existing security measure implemented over the INFINET should be used forany kind of information transfer over the WAN to various locations of the Bank. Theinformation to/fro has to pass all the firewall and other networking instruments, likeIDS etc. for proper authentication.

IDRBT, Hyderabad is the Hub for the Corporate email setup of the Bank. IDRBT(SMTP server) act as a gateway for the Corporate email of the Bank. The mails fromone location of the Bank to another location within the INFINET goes via IDRBT. Allthe mails of the Bank from/to Internet goes via IDRBT. For accessing mails fromInternet, users from 35 locations have to come through IDRBT gateway. CentralOffice users access the central Office mail server from Internet via MTNL and VSNLleased line. Below is mail message flow diagram of RBI. M/s Sify is maintaining theDNS entry for the same in their DNS server.

Flow of Mail Messaging in RBI Network

Interdomain mail flow to RBI networkINTERNET

INFINET WAN SETUP

IDRBT

Exchange Server at RBI Mumbai Office

mumro.rbi.org.in

User y

rbi.org.in

Routing Entriesx mumco.rbi.org.iny mumro.rbi.org.in

Mail for Usery@rbi.org.in

Exchange Server at RBI Mumbai Office

User x

mumco.rbi.org.in

**********************