CALL FOR TENDER: Procurement of Digital Security

Tender reference number: UE7M_OT_001 – A
Date of publication: 15 April 2025
Deadline for the submission of proposals: 13 May 2025, midnight (CET)

1. CONTEXT & PURPOSE

TRIAL International is a non-governmental organization fighting impunity for international crimes and supporting victims in their quest for justice. In support of its activities, the organization is looking to identify and select qualified security services providers that can perform comprehensive digital and/or field security assessments and tailored protocols for risk mitigation and response at the benefit of its staff, partners and beneficiaries. To this end, one or several framework agreements of a duration of two years (renewable) will be established with the selected providers. The framework agreements established will be separate for digital security services and for field security services and specific contracts detailing each service will be signed on a need-basis.

2. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The scope of the services to be provided falls within two lots: Digital Security and Physical Security.

Lot I: Digital Security

1. Development of a digital security protocol for high-risk activities, including risk matrix and mitigation/contingency measures (threat analysis, capability and vulnerability analysis, risk assessment, mitigation measures and contingency plan – including for communication and archiving of sensitive data).
2. Assessment of specific digital tools used by the staff and regular security checks and tests.
3. Development and revision of digital security incident report and crisis response protocol in case of cyber-attacks.
4. Delivery of training modules on digital security to TRIAL International’s staff (online).
5. Delivery of training modules on digital security TRIAL International’s partner organizations in different countries (online).
6. Development of a digital security short guide for TRIAL International’s partner organizations in different countries.

3. TIMELINE

• Deadline for the submissions of tenders: 13 May 2025, midnight (CET)
• Selection of the services provider(s): 27 May 2025 at the latest
• Signature of Framework Agreement(s): 13 June on the latest
• Duration of Framework Agreement(s): 2 years from the date of signature

4. ELIGIBILITY

Participation in tendering is open to all qualified bidders, on equal terms to natural and legal persons, regardless of nationality or location. However, all bidders must meet the following criteria:

• Be able to effectively provide the required services (Lead consultant should have at least 10 years of relevant experience in the sector)
• Fluency and capacity to work in English, French (working knowledge of Spanish strongly preferred and, Portuguese and Arabic would constitute an asset)
• Provide proof of registration as a company or as an individual contractor.
• Submit a signed declaration confirming that they are not in any of the situations listed in Article 136(1) of the EU Financial Regulation (such as bankruptcy, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, etc.). (see “Tender Declaration form” attached)
• Submit a Declaration of Honor on Exclusion Criteria and Selection Criteria (see “Declaration of Honor on Exclusion Criteria and Selection Criteria” attached)

5. SELECTION CRITERIA

TRIAL International is committed to ensuring a transparent and fair procurement process. All bidders will be treated equally, and the evaluation process will be conducted in line with the organization’s procurement principles.

The following criteria will be applied to the tenderers:

The technical offers will be evaluated according to the following criteria (60% of the final score):

• Understanding of the organization’s requirements and suitability of the proposed services (20%);
• Quality and relevance of supporting documents (20%);
• Relevant qualifications and experience (20%).

Financial offers will be evaluated according to the following criteria (40% of the final score):

• Cost-effectiveness and value for money (30%);
• Clarity, detail and justification of fees (10%).

Please note that the submission of offers in response to this call for tender will result in the award of one or several framework contract agreements. TRIAL reserves the right to award each lot to a different supplier and framework agreements can be awarded to multiple tenderers per lot.

For each lot, TRIAL reserves the right to establish a cascade framework agreement with the selected bidders ranked based on the evaluation results.

In this case, the contracting authority will award service requests as follows:

1. Primary Contractor: The highest-ranked tenderer will be offered the service request first.
2. Secondary Contractor(s): If the primary contractor is unable to fulfill the request within the required timeframe or declines the assignment, the request will be passed to the next-ranked contractor in the cascade.
3. Subsequent Contractors: This process will continue sequentially down the ranked list until the request is accepted.

Each lot will operate independently under this cascade mechanism, and contractors may be ranked differently per lot.

TRIAL International will not be responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by the tenderers in connection with the preparation and submission of their tenders to TRIAL International. Any missing information or documentation may lead to rejection of the offer. Tenders submitted by any other means will not be considered. Late tenders will automatically be rejected.