EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) FOR THE SUPPLY OF A SYSTEM AND RELATED SERVICES TO MANAGE ELECTRONIC FISCAL DEVICES (EFDs)

Transcription

1 EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) FOR THE SUPPLY OF A SYSTEM AND RELATED SERVICES TO MANAGE ELECTRONIC FISCAL DEVICES (EFDs) Procurement Reference Number: URA/SRVCS/DTD/ Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) is an autonomous body responsible for managing the collection of Central Government taxes in Uganda. URA has been tasked by government to champion the implementation of EFDs. This implementation is expected to improve service delivery by enabling taxpayers maintain proper records as required by tax laws and regulations. URA requires an affordable, simplified and secure mechanism through which taxpayers can capture, store and relay information to her systems and vice versa. To this end, URA is searching for eligible legal entities with experience in implementing Certified Invoicing Systems (software for managing Electronic Fiscal Devices) to demonstrate through a proof of concept process the ability of their solution to effectively manage EFDs. This will culminate into contracting a vendor for the supply, configuration and installation of a comprehensive system and subsequently suppliers of EFDs. Uganda Revenue Authority now invites all eligible entities to submit their Expression of Interest (EOI) for the supply, configuration and installation of a Certified Invoicing Systems for managing EFDs in Uganda. The Expression of Interest will be conducted in accordance with the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act, 2003, of Uganda. Interested entities may obtain further information and an application form from Uganda Revenue Authority at the address given below or by use of the ProcurementEnquires@ura.go.ug Each Expression of Interest will be evaluated in accordance with the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act, 2003 and against the criteria outlined in the application form and response to requirements. All entities who submit their EOIs to URA will be expected to demonstrate their concept of implementation at a URA office to be communicated later.

2 Problem Statement In bid to ensure that taxpayers comply with their obligations to make declarations to URA as required by the respective tax laws, URA has enhanced her capacity to provide services to all her clients. However, URA is still faced with challenges like deliberate and fraudulent suppression & under-declaration of sales, non-issuance of invoices, failure to break down sales in the VAT returns, false refunds and offset claims, non-traceability of some taxpayers, fictitious input tax invoices, poor record keeping, high administration costs and a large number of unregistered potential VAT taxpayers Purpose The purpose of this EOI is to initiate a process that will identify entities with appropriate methodologies and systems for the implementation of electronic fiscal devices (EFDs) in Uganda. Eligibility In determining the eligibility of the entity, the evaluation committee shall establish whether: a) The entity has the legal capacity to enter into a contract with the procuring and disposing entity; b) The entity is not insolvent, in receivership, bankrupt or being wound up; c) The business activities of the entity are not suspended by PPDA or World Bank; d) The entity is not the subject of legal proceedings for any of the circumstances mentioned in paragraph (b); e) The entity fulfilled the obligations to pay taxes in Uganda or (if non resident company) their country of origin; f) The entity does not have a conflict of interest in relation to the subject of the EOI; g) The entity is not related to the procuring and disposing entity as defined in section 91U of the Act. h) The entity has evidence of having implemented EFDs in other jurisdictions Eligibility documents: a) a copy of the trading licence of the entity for the current period (2015) or its equivalent; b) a copy of the certificate of incorporation/registration of the entity or its equivalent; c) a signed statement indicating that the entity does not have a conflict of interest in the subject of the procurement d) Powers of Attorney registered with the Registrar of documents for comapanies in Uganda or Notoraised powers of Attorney for companies registered outside Uganda. The Powers of Attorney should be in favour of the signatory of the EOI. e) Copies of audited accounts for the last three years of income (2011/2012, 2012/2013, 2013/2014) f) Income Tax Clearance Certificate for the previous financial year (2014) addressed to the Commisoner General URA for the purpose opf this bid. g) 3 Recommendation letter from tax authorities where the system has been installed. h) Contact name, and telephone number of the person from the tax authority i) Countries that you have operated in stating period and work undertaken j) Duration of your implementation

3 k) any other relevant documents or statements as may be stated in the notice inviting expression of interest. Where the entity is not registered in Uganda, the entity may submit alternative/equivalent documents from their country or a statement affirming non-availability of the document(s) in the country of the entity. Capacity of applicant In determining the capacity of the entity to perform an assignment successfully, the evaluation committee shall establish the following; (a) The experience of the entity staff in providing services of a similar nature; (b) The experience of the entity in addressing problems mentioned in the background / problem statement above in countries with conditions similar to the conditions in Uganda; (c) The skills of the entity staff that are relevant to the provision of the assignment; and (d) Any other criteria that is relevant to the capacity of the entity to provide the service. Interested applicants must provide information and documents showing evidence that they are eligible and qualified to perform the services Entities may associate or form joint ventures to enhance their capacity and in this case, a joint Venture Agreement will be required The Expression of Interest and other relevant documents must be delivered to the address below by 10:30 am on Monday June 1, 2015 Proof of Concept (POC) 1. All entities that have submitted EOIs shall be required to make a presentation in any format and style they deem fit to demonstrate their ability to effectively manage the use of EFDs in Uganda. 2. In addition to the above, the entities will be required to demonstrate the key functions of their system and how it interfaces with other systems/devices. 3. Each entity shall be allotted time to make their presentation. A schedule shall be prepared for all entities that have submitted EOIs and communicated through their addresses/ . 4. The POC shall be undertaken within URA premises which shall also be communicated in the schedule. 5. All expenses required for preparation for the POC shall be entirely incurred and borne by the entity. Criteria for Evaluation The evaluation of the EOIs will be based on the entity s ability to: a) Supply, configure and install a Certified Invoicing System in countries with relatively similar economies and level of development as Uganda;

4 b) Support and maintain a Certified Invoicing System in countries with similar level of development as Uganda; Further, the entity s system will be evaluated on its ability to: c) Work with deferent types of EFDs d) Exchange information with existing URA systems like etax and ASYCUDA World e) Transmit data to URA systems on real time or agreed intervals. f) Securely store data from when received to when relayed to URA system. g) Remotely monitor and report any EFDs switched off or tampered with. h) Be scaled to accommodate changing requirements i) Work with different telecommunication networks ( e.g. 2G, 3G and 4G) NOTE: THAT PROOF OF CONECPT WILL BE A BASIS OF SHORTLISTING TO THE NEXT STAGE AND ENTITIES THAT DO NOT MEET THE PROOF OF CONCEPT WILL NOT BE SHORTLISTED. Address for Submission: The Manager, Procurement and Disposal Unit, NIP Building Room No. 2.5, Uganda Revenue Authority, Kinawataka Road, Plot No. M 193 / 194, Nakawa Industrial Area, P. O. Box 7279, NIP Building, Room 2.5, Kampala, Uganda or by use of the ProcurementEnquires@ura.go.ug Tel: /6/7/8/9 The EOI proposals should be properly sealed and clearly marked Expression of Interest for the implementation of EFDs in Uganda and shall be submitted physically in person or by use of courrier(s) to the above address on or before Monday June 1, 2015 at 10:30am (East Africa Standard Time). EOI proposals will be opened in the presence of represenatives of the eligable entities on Monday June 1, 2015 at 11:00 am (East Africa Standard Time) at the IT Boardroom. URA reserves the right to accept or reject any response received to the Expressions of Interest/Proof of Concept, and to cancel the entire process at any time without thereby incurring any liability to the affected respondent(s). URA shall neither be bound to offer any reasons for such acceptance / rejection. All expenses required for preparation and submission of the response to this EOI including providing any additional information shall be entirely incurred and borne by the respondent. The planned EOI process shall follow the schedule below;

5 Activity a. Publish EOI notice b. Closing date for receiving EOI c. d. EOI opening date e. Proof of concept presentations f. Evaluation process of the Expressions of Interest/Proof of Concept g. Display and communication of shortlisted entities Date Thursday April 23, 2015 Monday June 1, 2015 Monday June 1, 2015 Monday June 22, 2015 to Friday July 3, 2015 Monday June 3rd, 2015 to Friday July 17, 2015 Friday July 17, 2015 to Friday August 21, 2015 APPLICATION FORM FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR THE SUPPLY OF A CERTIFIED INVOICING SYSTEM (CIS) FOR MANAGING ELECTRONIC FISCAL DEVICES Please enter the information requested in the spaces provided below. Applications from related legal entities or multinationals are acceptable, provided that the organisations are eligible to compete within themselves. In case of joint application, questions 1, 2 &3 must be completed by the lead company only. Please note that additional information to this application form should be attached in paragraphs 4 6 only. 1. Details of the Applicant Name of Applicant (Legal name of entity) Business/Trading name of entity Holding Company (If Applicable) If a subsidiary, percent of ownership by Holding Company Physical Address of Applicant Entities Contact Telephone Number(s)

6 Applicant s Address Name of Contact Person Name Telephone Brief description of the Entity (major business activities and operations, products and contacts of major clients) Major business activities and operations Description products of Name and contacts of your major clients Country of Incorporation (Company) Registered office (Physical Address of the organisation)

7 Postal Address of the entity Number of Employees Directly Undertaking EFD Implementation activities Others Taxpayer Identification Number (If registered in Uganda) or PIN/file/reference number in other cases 2. Number of Years in Business 3. Turnover Your annual business turnover in United States dollars for the last three years from consultancy services, software development and other activities i.e. 2011/2012, 2012/ /2014, Years Ago One Two Three Consultancy services (USD) Software (USD) Development Other (USD) Activities Total Annual Turnover (USD) 4. Change management Brief description of the involvement of the Entity in managing change following the introduction of EFDs External Clients (government, politicians, taxpayers and general public)

8 Internal Clients (Revenue Administration staff) 5. Capability Statement and Criteria for Assessing your Expression of Interest. Your application will be assessed against your Capability Statement. Please address all the areas below in your Capability Statement, which should not be more than six (6) A4 pages in minimum font size 10. Note that URA will also take into account the financial standing of the applicant during the Expression of Interest assessment process. Experience in the following areas: a) Supply, configuration and installation of Certified Invoicing System (CIS) software in countries with relatively similar economies and level of development as Uganda; b) Implementation of comprehensive software support, particularly Certified Invoicing System (CIS) software; Note: A summary of the solution developed and implemented must be submitted with the following details: Name of client Nature of project Scope of the project Value of the project Architecture of the solution Date of award of contract Date of commencement of the project Date of successful commissioning of the project Person who can be referred to from Clients side; name, designation, postal address, contact phone, fax number, address, etc. (Above details are MANDATORY. Without the above details, the EOI shall not be taken cognizance). 6. CV(s) of Key Personnel Please provide as an annex to this form, abridged CV(s) of no more than three pages for each key personnel who would be expected to implement the system for managing EFDs

9 7. Conflict of Interest You must disclose details of any known circumstances that will, or might give rise to a conflict of interest. Where a potential conflict is identified, you should state how you intend to address such conflict. It is difficult to precisely define a "Conflict of Interest" and there are numerous situations in which it can arise between URA, their employees, former employees and suppliers. The most common of which are: Suppliers and/their subcontractors not declaring their involvement in a project "design phase" when bidding separately for the "implementation" phase; Suppliers who are working with or whose personnel are working with URA staff or partner governments or organisation; Suppliers who are filling or whose personnel are filling a post, which would more usually be filled by a URA member of staff e.g. advisory role, team leader etc.; Suppliers who have friends or relatives working for URA or partner governments or organisations; URA staff on Special Leave or former URA employees associated with suppliers bidding for URA contracts where the employee has knowledge of the programme or project; We understand suppliers may not know at this time whether "Conflict of Interest" is an issue that they need to address. Consequently it will be raised again when the Invitation to tender documents are sent out to those short-listed. 8. History of past implementation Country of implementa tion Revenue Authorities partnered with Nature of software implemented Implementation Period Duration of Implementation 9. Attachments: Your EOI should be accompanied with the following attachments: a) Copies of audited accounts for the last three years of income (2011/2012, 2012/2013, 2013/2014) b) Income Tax Clearance Certificate for the previous financial year (2014) addressed to the Commisoner General URA for the purpose of this EOI.

10 c) 3 Recommendation letter(s) from tax authorities you dealt with and system has been installed. Powers of Attorney Registered with the Registra of documents for comapanies in Uganda or Notoraised powers of Attorney for companies registered outside Uganda. The Powers of Attorney should be in favour of the signatory of the. d) Contact name, and telephone number of the person from the tax authority e) Copy of Trading Licence or its equivalent for the current period 2015 f) Copy of the certificate of incorporation/registration of the entity or its equivalent; g) A signed statement indicating that the entity does not have a conflict of interest in the subject of the procurement; and h) A Report of the successes / challenges during the implementation. i) Lessons learnt. j) Cost of implementation. k) Any other relevant documents or statements as may be stated in the notice inviting expression of interest. l) a copy of the trading licence of the entity for the current period (2015) or its equivalent; 10. Closing Date for Applications This application form and supporting documents must be submitted before 10:30 AM East African Standard Time on June 1, No further information or entity literature is required. April 2015