RFP/2023/038/9184652-Engagement of IT firm to provide enhancement and maintenance support for RAM India version 3.0 system maintenance for India Country Office, 2023.

UNICEF has now issued a Request for Proposals in order to select a supplier for the provision of Engagement of IT firm to provide enhancement and maintenance support for RAM India version 3.0 system maintenance for India Country Office, 2023. RAM India is an automated platform that responds to the needs of the India country office. It allows for decentralized (field/state offices) results and indicator reporting and automates the state monitoring matrices. From IT perspective, RAM India is based on MS .Net, database on MS SQL 2019 and Power BI. RAM India is a UNICEF India’s internal results framework reporting tool. It has a robust system of tracking results at different level (outputs-short term results, outcomes-longer term results) that are expected to be achieved over a five-year period by UNICEF India country office (ICO). It is an interactive platform that has features around quality assurance or comments, and finalization that can be done online. Further, over time it has also acted as a central repository of information on mid-year and end year results reporting at all levels, for the entire Country Programme (5 years UNICEF plan cycle) for UNICEF India country office. RAM India provides two types of access- Admin and Users. Under the Admin access, features such as defining results matrix, adding users, removing users, assigning rights, updating of Knowledge Hub information for the orientation for staff etc is available. Similarly, with user access, preparation of reports, review, comment, edit and finalization is possible. All users can view all entries. The system is open for everyone. RAM India was rolled out in 2019 to streamline reporting that spanned all 13 state offices and sections at the ICO level. RAM India successfully automated and operationalised the decentralised state results framework that are linked to the national level - ICO results framework with planned milestones and targets for programme outcomes and outputs that covers the country programme period 2018-2022. The system enabled individual and consolidated reporting at the Field offices at state level, Programme and Operations Sections at ICO level to provide the overall progress against the ICO results framework. States report once during end year reporting when more than 400 output reports are created and submitted. At National level- 11 sections, in addition to 35 output level reporting, 11 outcome level reports with narrative and indicator reporting is also done. This system was used extensively by all field offices and sections and by M4R section for consolidation of final reports during the end year reporting of 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, Humanitarian Programme Monitoring (HPM) and COVID19 reporting. Thus, RAM India has been established as an internal result and HPM reporting platform for ICO managed by M4R section. RAM India’s use during the last country programme helped ICO immensely. Among some of the key advantages that ICO has is that RAM India facilitates reporting at different levels and supports its quality assurance. Though it was initially conceptualized as data reporting portal. However, it has become an important tool for planning, monitoring & review as well. Further all staffs have used the platform very extensively for last five years and have become very comfortable. Over the years, the trouble shooting requirements have become almost negligible. One of the major incentives for us to continue RAM India is that if offers flexibility to design and manage ICO’s results. For instance: it provides us with the provision to report at state level sub-indicators at the levels of activity. Going forward the new Country Programme (2023-27) have more than 80% of indicators that are qualitative in nature that requires some special provisions in the reporting system to ensure more credibility, reliability, and consistency. Therefore, M4R has plans to go beyond the standard ‘unit of measures’ that are available and create a new measure type to suit the needs of India country office. This tender will be run through the UNICEF e-submissions system. By clicking on the blue ‘Express Interest’ button in the UNGM tender notice, the full UNICEF e-submission system instructions to bidders document (including instructions on how to access the tender documents and submit an Offer) will be automatically emailed to the ‘contact persons’ included in your UNGM registration. Alternatively, the full UNICEF e-submission system instructions to bidders document is publicly available on the UNICEF supply internet pages here: https://www.unicef.org/supply/index_procurement_policies.html . 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