IT Consultant at the Karakoram Cooperative Bank Limited

The Karakoram Cooperative Bank Limited is seeking proposals from highly skilled Information Technology Consultants and Consultancy Firms to assist the Karakoram Cooperative Bank Limited (KCBL) for the acquisition of a new Core Banking System (CBS), evaluate the proposals received from bidders, and to support KCBL in selection and implementation of the system.

Objectives

The overall objective of the assignment is to prepare Request for proposal (RFP) for the
acquisition of new Core Banking System (CBS), evaluate the proposals received from
bidders, and support KCBL in the selection and implementation of the system that will best
suit the KCBL activities.

Tasks

The consultant will work with the IT department, Steering committee, project manager, the
management of KCBL, and vendor in the implementation of a new core banking system.
The tasks outlined will be as follows:
1. Finalize RFP, and develop the full project plan.
2. Support KCBL in the evaluation and appraising the vendors responding to the RFP;
3. Support KCBL in the selection of CBS, contract negotiation, and executing an
agreement with the selected vendor.
4. Work with the selected vendor, and implementation committee to develop an
implementation plan for installing, testing, and rolling out the new Core Banking
Solution and other functions (Back office and delivery channels);
5. Develop a transition plan from the current working environment to the new
environment with due Consideration for KCBL’s resources;
6. Assessment of the IT team to be required and their hiring in consultation with the
bank team & vendor.
7. Prepare the Request for Proposal (RFP) for purchase and installation of the new IT
equipment based on Vendor recommendations for Data Centre and telecom
infrastructure;
8. Support KCBL to evaluate proposals and selection of the right supplier;
9. Implementation of new CBS, Data Gap Analysis and customization
10. Oversee Data migration and integration from old to new CBS.
11. Review the vendor’s training plan to ensure appropriate training to concerned
officials;
12. Provide appropriate templates for both the business and technical teams to define
their end-user tests scripts and lead the end-user certification of the core banking
system;
13. Assess vendor’s user manual for completeness and understandability;
14. Support the IT department on the proper rollout of the system to all branches;
15. Evaluate the project, and conduct system audits to determine full compliance of the
new CBS with law and regulations.
16. Any other assignment: The consultant may be assigned additional tasks from the
management of KCBL when necessary to fill gaps, quickly respond to vendor
requirements, and meet deadlines.

Deliverables

The outputs and deliverables in this consultancy are:
1. RFP for CBS and full project plan
2. Appraisal for vendor selection and project management tools
3. Assessment of the vendor’s proposal, listing proposed services to be provided, with the
associated costs and recommendations.
4. Request for Proposal (RFP) for purchasing Hardware and install new IT equipment
5. A recommendation for selected suppliers
6. A detailed implementation plan for installing, testing and rolling out the new CBS
7. Transition plan from old CBS to new CBS
8. Technical guideline for the IT department and to oversee data migration and data
transfer risk information
9. Appraisal of the vendor’s training plan on system use
10. Technical guideline to ensure that the KCBL has full capacity to test the User Acceptance
Test (UAT) at Central Branch Data; suggest additional training as necessary or, where
appropriate,
11. Request modifications of the system/customization.
12. Test Scenarios and Test Cases with end User Acceptance Test sign-off
13. Procedures of addressing user comments and requests for modification in a timely
manner
14. Software evaluation report. The report should include but not limited to:
a. A list of the main features of the software application, indicating which work
well and which are inadequate for the institution’s needs.
b. A list of key features that are missing.
c. A summary of user interviews, indicating an overall level of satisfaction.
d. An assessment of the quality of the software design and technical support
Process.
e. Recommendation for future direction for the application.
f. New process maps taking into account new CBS.
g. New procedures manuals, if available.

Schedule

This consultancy work is not daily but for the entire period of 13 months of the estimated
project timeline. A schedule for this effect will be opened for negotiation before the signing
of the contract.

Proposal submission

The proposal requested herein shall cover:

• Introduction and Background of the consultant/Consultancy firm Demonstrate
  understanding of the TOR.
• Demonstrate understanding of the SBP guidelines, market knowledge, project
  management capabilities, communication, independence, and methodology of
  deploying CBS.
• Attach CVs of the relevant personnel who will work on this project proposed
  timeframe and implementation plan.
• References and contacts where similar assignments have been carried out before.
• Financial proposal.