Maharashtra Public Service Commission RFP for System Integration Partner

TENDER NO.
2 / 2008
Maharashtra Public Service Commission

Bank of India Building. 3rd floor, Hutatma Chowk, Fort, Mumbai 400 001. Telephone No 22670210 Ext. - 213 e-mail- sec_mpsc@maharashtra.gov.in
RFP for Appointment of System Integration Partner for MPSCAS
[ PRICE RS.10,000/- ] Total Pages 146
Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008
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INDEX Chapter 1 2 Important Notice Essential Information General Information A About MPSC 3 B Project Summary C Objective and Vision of the Project D Project Phases and Timelines Scope of Work A Scope B Indicative Modules C Functional Requirements 4 D Interfaces with other systems E Indicative Solution Architecture F Security of Systems and Data G Training H Suggestive List of Deliverables 5 6 7 8 9 10 SLA Evaluation Methodology Award of Contract Payment Terms for Successful Bidder Instruction to Bidders Annexure 43 - 47 48 - 50 51- 52 53 54 - 60 61 - 146 13-42 6-12 Topic Page Number 3 4-5
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CHAPTER- 1 IMPORTANT NOTICE 1.1 THIS RFP IS NOT TRANFERABLE. 1.2 Bidders are advised to study the RFP document carefully. Submission of bid shall be deemed to have been done after careful study and examination of the tender document with full understanding of its implications. 1.3 The response to this RFP should be full and complete in all respects. Incomplete or partial bids shall be rejected. The bidder must quote for all the items asked for in this RFP. 1.4 The bidder shall bear all costs associated with the preparation and submission of the bid, including cost of presentation for the purposes of clarification of the bid, if so desired by MPSC. MPSC will in no case be responsible or liable for those costs, regardless of the conduct or outcome of the bidding process. 1.5 All the communication to MPSC including this RFP and the bid documents shall be signed on each page by the authorized representative of the bidder and attach authority letter.
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CHAPTER- 2 ESSENTIAL INFORMATION 2.1 ISSUER Maharashtra Public Service Commission 2.2 GENERAL INFORMATION 2.2.1 The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to seek the services of a reputed IT firm as a System Integrator who would conduct requirement analysis, design, develop, test and implement MPSC Application Software and Procure, Supply, Test, Implement and Support the Hardware & Network Infrastructure. This document provides information to enable the bidders to understand the broad requirements to submit their "Bids". 2.2.2 PricewaterhouseCoopers Pvt. Ltd. (PwC) shall act as Project Management Consultants for MPSC for this project. 2.2.3 The bidders are expected to submit their offers in two parts namely, Technical bid and Commercial bid and in the format given in this document. Two copies of each part have to be submitted, titled as Original and Duplicate. So, in all, there has to be (1) (2) (3) (4) Technical Bid Original - One Copy. Technical Bid Duplicate - Five Copies. Commercial Bid Original - One Copy Commercial Bid Duplicate - One Copy
2.3 ADDRESS FOR BID SUBMISSION AND CORRESPONDENCE The Secretary Maharashtra Public Service Commission Bank of India Building, 3rd Floor Hutatma Chowk, Fort, Mumbai 400001 Tel. No. 022- 22670210, 22670148, 22670248,22670337 Ext.213 Fax 022-22673915 Website-http://www.mpsc.maharashtra.gov.in or www.mpsc.gov.in e-mail: sec_mpsc@maharashtra.gov.in 2.4 KEY EVENTS & DATES Event Floating of RFP Date and Time of Pre Bid Meeting Place of Pre Bid Meeting Maharashtra Public Service Commission Bank of India Building, 3rd Floor Hutatma Chowk, Fort, Mumbai 400001 Queries on RFP for Pre Bid Meeting have to be submitted in writing 7 business days before the Pre Bid Meeting at the above mentioned address as per format given in Annexure 11. Last Date, Time and Place for Bid Submission Maharashtra Public Service Commission Bank of India Building, 3rd Floor Hutatma Chowk, Fort, Mumbai 400001 Date, Time and Place for Opening of Technical Bids Maharashtra Public Service Commission Bank of India Building, 3rd Floor, Hutatma Chowk, Fort, Mumbai 400001 Tentative Date 7th March,2008
8th April,2008 15.00 Hrs.
23rd April,2008 14.00 Hrs.
23rd April,2008 14.30 Hrs.
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Date and Time for Presentation on Technical Bids by Bidders Place for Presentation on Technical Bids by Bidders Maharashtra Public Service Commission Bank of India Building, 3rd Floor, Hutatma Chowk, Fort, Mumbai 400001 Date and Time for Declaration of Technically Qualified Bidders Place for Declaration of Technically Qualified Bidders Maharashtra Public Service Commission Bank of India Building, 3rd Floor, Hutatma Chowk, Fort, Mumbai 400001 Opening of Commercial Bids Place for Opening of Commercial Bids Maharashtra Public Service Commission Bank of India Building, 3rd Floor, Hutatma Chowk, Fort,Mumbai 400001 Award of the Project Commencement of Project 2.5 IMPORTANT LIMITS / VALUES RELATED TO BID Item Bid Security (Earnest Money Deposit EMD) in the form of Demand Draft or Bank Guarantee Bid Validity Period Period for furnishing performance security Performance security value (Performance Bank Guarantee) Performance security validity period Period for signing contract
It will be communicated later
It will be communicated later It will be communicated after evaluation of Technical Bids It will be communicated later Within 7 days of award of contract
Description
Rs. 5.00 lakhs (Rupees Five lakhs) 6 months from the date of submission of bids by the bidder(s) Within thirty (30) working days of the date of notice of award of the contract or prior to signing of the contract whichever is earlier 20% of contract value 3 months beyond maintenance Contract period Within 30 working days from date of receipt of notification of award
2.6 TIMELY SUBMISSION Bidders are solely responsible for timely delivery of the bids to the location as mentioned above in this section, set forth herein prior to the stated Proposals Submission due date and are solely responsible for delays in receipt, including but not limited to third party carriers. Proposals not received on or before the last date and time of submission will not be considered. 2.7 OPENING OF BIDS Proposals/Bids will be opened in front of bidders representatives (if present). MPSC reserves the right at any time to postpone or cancel a scheduled bid opening. The bids will be opened at the address mentioned above in this section. 2.8 USE & RELEASE OF BIDDER SUBMISSIONS MPSC is not liable for any cost incurred by the Bidder in the preparation and production of any Proposal, the preparation or execution of any benchmark demonstrations, simulation or laboratory service or for any work performed prior to the execution of a formal contract. All materials submitted become the property of MPSC and may be returned at its sole discretion. The content of each Bidders Proposal will be held in strict confidence during the evaluation process, and details of any Proposals will not be discussed outside the evaluation process. 2.9 LIMITS ON PROMOTION The Bidder agrees to make no reference to MPSC or this procurement or resulting contract in any literature, promotional material, brochures, sales presentation or the like without the express prior written consent of MPSC. .
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CHAPTER- 3 GENERAL INFORMATION 3.1 ABOUT MPSC The Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) is an apex body established under the provisions of the Constitution of India. The Commission in turn provides a smooth and efficient functioning of the Government of Maharashtra (the term Government used in the document would refer to the Government of Maharashtra, unless otherwise mentioned) by providing the suitable candidates for the various Government posts and advising them on various service matters like formulation of recruitment rules, advice on promotions, transfers and disciplinary actions etc. The Commission has been entrusted with the following major functions:3.1.1 To conduct Examinations for appointment to the services of Government of Maharashtra and its allied organizations. 3.1.2 Advise Government of Maharashtra on:(1) Matters relating to methods of recruitment to the various services (2) Suitability of candidates for appointment to the services through Promotions, Deputations and Nomination (3) In making promotions and transfers from one service to another (4) Disciplinary matters affecting Government servants (5) Claims for reimbursement of legal expenses incurred by Government Servants while defending legal proceedings instituted against them for acts done or purporting to be done in the execution of their duties. (6) Claims for award of injury/family pension to Government servants (7) Any other matter referred to them by the Government 3.1.3 To hold Departmental Examinations for certain Government Servants for promotions,confirmations etc. 3.1.4 In addition, in the State of Maharashtra, Under section 80-B of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, the Commission have been entrusted with the responsibility of advising 3.1.4.1 The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai regarding appointments to posts of Executive Engineer and above under the control of Corporation 3.1.4.2 The Mumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking regarding appointments to posts in Grade A I and above 3.2 MPSC Organization Structure 3.2.1 The major Wings and Branches at MPSC are as follows: 3.2.1.1 Pre Examination Wing 3.2.1.2 Post Examination Wing 3.2.1.3 Confidential Wing 3.2.1.4 Direct Recruitment Wing 3.2.1.5 Departmental Examination Branch 3.2.1.6 Appointment Wing 3.2.1.7 Establishment Branch 3.2.1.8 Accounts Branch 3.2.1.9 IT Branch 3.2.1.10 Legal Branch 3.2.1.11Vigilance Branch 3.2.1.12 Statistics Branch
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3.2.2 The following chart presents an overview of the organizational structure of MPSC with respect to the various Wings and Branches that are present:
Organization Structure
MPSC
Pre Examination
Confidential
Departmental Examination
Establishment
IT
Vigilence
Post Examination
Direct Recruitment
Appointment
Accounts
Legal
Statistics
3.2.3 For administrative purposes, some of the Wings and Branches have been clubbed together to function under a Deputy Secretary. Each such Wing/Branch or group of Wing/Branch is headed by a Deputy Secretary who is responsible for all the activities and functions of the respective Wing/Branch. There are five Deputy Secretaries heading five different Wing/Branch or group of Wing/Branch (the detailed structure has been provided later). The entire functioning of MPSC is divided into different desks under the Wing/Branch. Some of the desks like the legal Desk, the statistics Desk etc, although reporting to a Deputy Secretary in charge of a specific Wing/Branch, actually cater to the whole of the Commission. 3.2.4 These desks are spread across the two offices of MPSC in Mumbai. The locations of these offices are as follows: 3.2.4.1. Bank of India Building, Fort 3.2.4.2 Sales Tax Bhavan, Mazgaon 3.2.5 There is a proposal to shift the entire office to Central Business District (CBD), Belapur, Navi Mumbai in the near future.
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3.2.6 The following chart presents an overview of the present organizational structure of the MPSC:
Organization Structure
Chairman + 5 Members
Secretary
Deputy Secretary (Pre Examination)
Deputy Secretary (Post Examination)
Deputy Secretary (Est, Accts, Confd & IT) US 11 & 24
Deputy Secretary (Direct Recruitment)
Deputy Secretary (Appointments)
US 3 & 12
US 9 & 13
US 10
US 2
SO 3
SO 9
SO 11 US 15 SO 24 US 4
SO 12
SO 13 US 5, 16 & 20
SO 15 SO 21
SO 6
US 14
SO 5
US 7
SO 14
SO 16
SO 8
SO 1
SO 20
RO 17
US 18 & 22
SO 22
AO 19
SO 23
Note: In the above figure, the acronym U.S. is used for Under Secretary and the acronym SO are used for Section Officer. 3.2.7 Summary of MPSC Wing/Branch 3.2.7.1 The summary given below is in accordance to the five Wing/Branch or group of Wing/Branch (like Confidential, Accounts, Establishment, IT has been grouped into one under a single Deputy Secretary) under each of the Deputy Secretary at present 3.2.7.2 Pre Examination Wing (1) The Pre-Examination work for Competitive Examinations like receiving requisition from the Government of Maharashtra, publishing advertisement, receiving application from candidates, scrutiny and verification of applications, generation various statistical reports like number of candidates appeared, category wise & subject wise statistical information, logistics management for papers and other stationary, correspondence with District Collectors and other Institutes for fixation of venues, etc. is done by this Wing (2) Some of the competitive Examinations have a two-step format, i.e., a Preliminary Examination followed by the Main Examination. Candidates who have successfully cleared the preliminary are eligible for appearing for the Main Examination. For main Examinations, a similar process is followed. But the process is only initiated after the notification from the Post Examination Wing regarding the publication of the results of the Preliminary Examination. 3.2.7.3 Post Examination Wing (1) The Post Examination Wing handles the various activities to be performed post the conduction of Examination like receiving Answer Papers after Examination, coding of the Answer Papers, preparation and publication of results, conducting interviews, coordination with other Wing/Branch and desks like the Confidential Wing and the IT Branch regarding evaluation of the Answer Papers, etc.
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(2) The Post Examination Wing (through the Departmental Examination Branch) also manages the conduction of Departmental Examinations for the Government of Maharashtra. Departmental Examinations are held 4 times in a year, namely in January, April, July and October. Same Examinations are held in Jan & Jul (15 Examinations each) and Apr & Oct (12 Examinations each). So, 27 different Departmental Examinations are held twice in a year (total of 54 Examinations). 3.2.7.4 Establishment, Accounts, Confidential & IT Branch - This Wing/Branch handles the following areas: (1) The Establishment Branch handles various establishment related activities like internal transfer, trainings, employee attendance management, handling of ACR etc. (2) The Accounts Branch handles the financial aspects of the Commission like budgeting, maintaining books of account, interfacing with DAT etc. (3) The Confidential Wing handles all the confidential information like Examination Question Papers etc, which should only be known to few select people. The main activities of this Wing include preparation of the Question Papers, evaluation of Subjective Answer Papers, appointment of the panel of subject experts for various subjects and appointment of the panel of Examiners and Moderators. (4) The IT Branch manages and maintains all IT assets and processes at MPSC. (5) Direct Recruitment Wing - This Wing deals with publishing of advertisement, scrutinizing applications, conducting Screening Tests, conducting Interviews as per schedule and recommending suitable candidates to the various Government (technical, medical, engineering and other related) posts . (6) Appointment Wing - This Branch manages and maintains various appointments (service related) related matters pertaining to employees of the Government of Maharashtra like Promotion, Disciplinary Action, etc including advising the Government of Maharashtra on similar matters. 3.3 PROJECT SUMMARY 3.3.1 MPSC has envisaged the Maharashtra Public Service Commission Automation System (MPSCAS) project, an initiative to reengineer certain business processes, adopt the best practices in their domain and to automate the system, which would facilitate smooth and efficient functioning of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission. The Commission wants to achieve efficient delivery of services by leveraging IT, which in turn would 3.3.1.1 Ensure transparency in the overall Examination and selection process 3.3.1.2 Increase efficiency in each and every aspects of the Commissions working 3.3.1.3 Facilitate rendering of quality services to the public through participatory initiatives 3.3.1.4 Form interfaces for all stakeholders within the Commission as well as for outsiders 3.3.2 The proposed automation solution, while allowing MPSC to organize all the Wing/Branches activities to conduct various Examinations and maintaining their internal employee details, pay roll activities, attendance, etc through a Web based solution, would also serve as a communication and workflow tool for the Wing/Branches. 3.3.3 As part of its vision, MPSC had appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as the Project Management Consultant for the project. PwC had prepared and submitted a document outlining and analyzing the As Is process at MPSC and recommended the To Be process in the technology enabled scenario. MPSC now intends to appoint a reputed IT firm as a System Integrator who would conduct requirement analysis, design, develop, test and implement MPSC Application Software and Procure, Supply, Test, Implement And Support the Hardware & Network Infrastructure as outlined in this RFP. 3.3.4 The scope of work of PwC include in the project include 3.3.4.1 Prepare detailed project report based on the requirements of the MPSC, the best suitable technology, reliability, efficiency, security and cost effectiveness. 3.3.4.2 Prepare detailed specifications of the various components (including active, passive, security, etc) required to setup the state of art Local Area Network. 3.3.4.3 Evaluate the Technology provided by various manufacturers, cost effectiveness and the reliability. 3.3.4.4 Prepare complete Bid document which may be EOI,RFP,Tender Document along with Qualification Criteria,Scope of the work,Service level agreement,penalties, etc.
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3.3.4.5 Assist MPSC for floating EOI/RFP/Tender, conducting meetings with interested Bidder (including pre-bid), giving clarifications to the interested Bidders, etc. 3.3.4.6 Assist the MPSC for evaluation of the Technical document/bids received 3.3.4.7 Assist the MPSC to compare and evaluate commercial bids received 3.3.4.8 Prepare detail contract agreement to be signed by MPSC with the successful Bidder. 3.3.4.9 Prepare proposal for submission to the Government of Maharashtra for required funds for MPSCAS 3.3.4.10 Undertake the complete bid process management i.e. from preparation of the bid up to selection of the Vendor and signing of the contract. 3.3.4.11 Supervise/monitor the project upto the total completion stage once the Vendor is appointed through a bid process. 3.3.4.12 Help in identification of various management processes undertaken by the department. 3.3.4.13 Suggest roadmap implementation. for implementation and prepare RFP/Tender Document for
3.3.4.14 Help in identifying areas of application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the processes and suggesting modifications, simplifications and re-engineering of the process (BPR). 3.3.4.15 Preparation of a scheme of information model within the department indicating interdependencies of the processes and also the need for integrated data models and preparation of integrated information systems. 3.3.4.16 Identifying and suggesting software modules for department computerization, including priorities. 3.3.4.17 Studying the presently available IT infrastructure including Hardware, Software licenses, Network, Human resources status of digitally captured and paper based data of the department and the infrastructure provided by the DIT, Government of Maharashtra, as also the plans in the pipe line for computerization by the other departments. The department desires to align with the efforts of the DIT and other departments.The consultant shall suggest the best practices for the same. 3.3.4.18 Estimating workloads and project costs of modules. 3.3.4.19 Suggesting technological and financial models, off-the-shelf softwares, customize softwares to the department for the ICT project, including options, phases, mixes, financial implications. 3.3.4.20 Submitting a Detailed Project Report (DPR) with recommendations for acceptance of the department. 3.3.4.21 Prepare the solution architecture, phasing, detailed specifications in-line with the agreed BPR based on the acceptance by the department 3.3.4.22 Identifying the responsibilities of the department at various levels for ICT intervention. 3.3.4.23 Helping department for implementation of BPR including training, change management or legal issues if any 3.3.4.24 Identifying and preparation of EOI/RFP documents for selecting the implementing agency/agencies. 3.3.4.25 Completing bid process management. 3.3.4.26 Recommending the implementer(s) to the department for execution of the project. 3.3.4.27 Co-ordination and Monitoring implementation 3.3.4.28 Co-ordinating with the implementer and the department. 3.3.4.29 Scrutinizing and verification of the document submitted by the implementer for ensuring adherence to the standards and specifications decided by the department. 3.3.4.30 Detailed monitoring of the implementation of the project with periodic reporting on the Commissions Website. 3.3.4.31 Testing of the systems and deliverables given by the implementers and certifying the same. 3.3.4.32 Auditing the bills of the Consultants/implementers and certifying same to the departments for payments. 3.3.4.33 Ensuring compliance of time schedules for the implementation
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3.3.4.34 Submitting the MIS Report in prescribed formats for the status of the project to the reviewing authorities including GOM. 3.3.4.35 One Pre Go-Live auditing of the ICT system. 3.4 PROJECT PHASES AND TIMELINES 3.4.1 The Software Implementation Project (as a part of MPSCAS) has been envisaged in 2 Phases. The Phase 1 of the project would ensure implementation of key modules which are core to the functioning of MPSC. Phase 2 would involve other subsequent phases and integrations with various systems. The Phase 2 elements have been mentioned to highlight the IT roadmap for the organization. 3.4.2 The scope of work mentioned in this RFP is for Phase 1. Bidders have to provide their commercial bids for Phase 1 only. 3.4.3 The details of the phases are given below Phase 1 (1) MPSC Application Software Requirement Analysis, Design, Development and Implementation and Post Go-Live Support as defined in the RFP. The modules to be included have been detailed in Section 4. (2) IVR System (3) Procurement, Testing, Installation and Maintenance of Hardware, Network Equipments, Off the Shelf Software Licenses, Database licenses etc. 3.4.4 Proposed Timelines for the Phase 1 of the project is given below Activity/Task (1) Project Start (2) Detailed Requirement Analysis and submission of System Requirement Specification (SRS) document Approval of SRS (by MPSC) (3) System Design and submission of High Level (HLD) and Low Level Design (LLD) document Approval of HLD and LLD (by MPSC) (4) Preparation and submission of Test Plan and test cases Approval of Test Plan and test cases (by MPSC) (5) Development, Testing and Implementation of Incremental Application Software and User Training for MPSC and submission of source code for all the modules (6) User Acceptance Testing and Bug Fixes (7) System Go Live (8) Post Go Live Support (9) Preparation and Submission of the following manuals (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) Systems Administration Manuals User manuals Installation Manuals Operational Manuals Maintenance Manuals T + 12 months Timeline T (within 7 days of award of contract) T + 2.5 months (Duration 2.5 months) T + 4 months (Duration 1.5 months) T + 4.5 months (Duration 0.5 months) Phase 2 (1) Online Examination system for Open Competitive Examinations, Screening Test for Direct Recruitment (2) Library Management System (3) Data Warehouse or Data Mining System
T + 11.5 months (Duration 7 months) T + 12 months (Duration 0.5 months) At T + 12 months T + 48 months (Duration 36 months)
(10) Preparation of Training Material, Conduction of Training and submission of Training documents
As per project requirement
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3.4.4.1 The successful bidder needs to submit a detailed project plan on the commencement of the project. MPSC may also prioritize the deliverables and can ask the successful bidder to incrementally implement the high priority items initially during the Development Phase. 3.4.4.2 The period (of 7.5 months) of development of software may be used to incrementally implement some of the selected solution, so as to inject the IT culture within the organization and promote continuous learning and carry out training programs. It is assumed that installation of hardware and network equipments would be in place by then (through appropriate phased installation). 3.4.4.3 MPSC and/or its designated organization (e.g. Project Management Consultant, committees etc) would conduct periodic reviews and audits of the work done by the Successful Bidder. 3.4.5 For Hardware & Network Infrastructure, the procurement, testing and installation should be completed within 6 weeks of intimation by MPSC to procure and install the same.
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4 5
4.1
CHAPTER- 4
SCOPE OF WORK
SCOPE The scope of work can be classified into the following four broad areas (1) Design (2) Development & Supply (3) Implement (4) Operate The scope of work would be for the 2 Locations of Fort and Mazgaon, Mumbai. The users would be spread across these two locations, although there is a plan to shift the offices to the single premise in Belapur, Navi Mumbai in the future 4.1.1 GUIDELINES FOR SCOPE OF WORK The guidelines for the Scope Scope Design Application Requirement Software Analysis based on the Functional Specifications provided in the document and interactions with the various wings/ divisions at MPSC Design of the Software application Provide all necessary documentation including SRS Design Documents Hardware, Network Equipment & Off the Shelf Software Design the Hardware and Network requirements and specifications based on the proposed Software, Performance and Security Requirements and Load. Prepare list of Off the Shelf Software to be procured. of Work is given below Development & Supply Preparation of Test Plans and Test cases Software Coding, Testing (Unit Testing and Integration Testing). Assistance in User Acceptance Testing (UAT). During UAT, the successful bidder shall setup the environment for UAT, and facilitate the same. UAT Planning shall be done by the Project Management Consultant with consultation with MPSC. MPSC Employees shall perform the testing on the application software as developed by the successful bidder. Resolution of defects/bugs found in UAT Provide all necessary documentation including Test Cases and Test Plan Defect Logs Procure the Hardware, Network equipments & Off the Shelf Software Ensure BoM Inspection Implement Provide User trainings Implementation of the Software Application accepted after UAT Provide all necessary documentation including a. Systems Administration Manuals b. User manuals c. Installation Manuals d. Operational Manuals e. Maintenance Manuals f. Training and training material Operate Maintain and Support the Software Application for a period of 3 years after the implementation.
Test, Install, Configure the Hardware and Network equipments
Manage, Maintain and Support the Hardware and Network equipments for a period of 3 years post installation.
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For both of the above
During all the above four areas of work, the successful bidder also needs to (a) Providing Status Reports and Participation in Status Reviews (b) Provide all necessary documentation (c) Submit internal review, testing results and necessary documents (e.g. If the successful bidder performs internal code review, then corresponding results and document should be submitted to MPSC). All the internal review and test plans should be mentioned by the successful bidder in the detailed project plan to be submitted at the stage of project initiation.
4.1.2 Basic Requirements/ features of the Software Application: 4.1.2.1 General and Technical Requirements (1) The Software Application should be multi-tier, web-based solution (having Web-based front-end for users and as well as for system administrative functions) having centralized database, web and application server (2) The software should be technology and platform independent and compatible with various open standards and technologies. (3) The system should be W3C compliant (4) The system should support Digital and Biometric authentication (5) Should support interoperable, portable, and scalable applications, services, interfaces, data formats and protocols. (6) Should be compatible with any of the Microsoft and Unix based operating systems. (7) The system should work on the latest version following RDBMS based database systems: MS SQL Server, Oracle, IBM DB2. (8) The system database should be atleast ODBC compliant. (9) Should be compatible with all leading Web Browsers in India, especially with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or above and/or Mozilla Firefox 2 etc. (10) The systems development environment and databases should be from an OEM with presence in India (and easy availability of skilled resources for the product in India) and should not restrict MPSC from using the application or data or database structure in any future requirement. 4.1.2.2 Minimum features required (1) The system should have Pull down menus, command buttons, short-cut keys, and pop-up windows and use other navigation aids wherever possible to make the product efficient and easy to use. (2) The system should use standard drop-down lists wherever possible for standard values to be selected by the User. (3) The system should have capability to cut/ paste/ format, etc at a field level on the inputs screens, output screens, etc. (4) The systems user interface should make use of horizontal and vertical scroll bar feature wherever needed, depending on the layout of the window. (5) The system should have an ability to configure restricted and mandatory fields wherever relevant. (6) The system should at the time of input pre-fill the field with the next value in the restricted list that matches the characters which have already been entered. (7) The system should include a calendar tool which can be used to graphically select a date when a date field is to be used. (8) The system should have the functionality to: (a) Define user groups (b) Define users (c) Map users to groups (d) Assign the users a role and privileges in the applications (e) Assign the menus/ forms/ functionalities in the system to the users / groups (f) Grant / impose data-based access / restrictions to the users e.g. specific currencies, customers, products etc. (g) Define menus and attach such menus to users/ groups (h) Disable/re-enable users / groups from the system (i) Disable / re-enable modules within application (9) The system should enable multi factor authentication including biometric/ smart card or hardware tokens, software tokens, etc.
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(10) The system should store all authentication credentials of users in an encrypted format. (11) The system should suspend the user in case of a specified number of unsuccessfully attempts to logon to the system and these suspended user IDs should only be reactivated by system administrator. (12) The system should allow administrator to forcibly log out users, in case needed. (13) System should maintain following categories of logs: (a) System access logs (b) System health logs (c) System error logs (14) The system should have an integrated audit log capable of recording, displaying and reporting all transactions occurring in the system. (15) The system should time-out after a stipulated period of idle time. 4.1.2.3 Performance Requirements (1) The expected load on the system is (a) The peak number of concurrent users using the system at Go-Live is expected to be between 100 and 120. This may go up by about 50 if online examinations held concurrently. The number of concurrent users may increase by 10 to 15 % per year in the future. (b) MPSC receives about 6,00,000 applications for various examinations in a year. This number may keep increasing by 10 to 15 % per year in the future. (c) The proposed solution provides a scope of online submission of application form. Assuming 10% of the applicants use this facility in the first year, so the number of candidates submitting online application would be 60,000 in a year. The number may increase by 10 to 15 % per year in the future. (2) The average application response time for users (time taken for loading of a web page) should not exceed 3 seconds per month, while the 95th percentile point of application response time for users should not exceed 6 seconds in a month. (Definitions and Penalty for non conformance mentioned in Section 5) (3) The application software should be designed to cater to this load without any degradation of performance as defined above. (4) The system should utilize a database schema, design that is capable of handling current and future work load as defined above. (5) System should be upwardly scalable in the event of increased usage of the system or inadequate performance or new business requirements as defined above. 4.1.2.4 Availability Requirements The average availability of the application should be at least 99% in a month. (Definition and Penalty for non conformance mentioned in Section 5) 4.1.2.5 Security Requirements (1) MPSCAS should be protected, without any impact on the system, from the following security incidents: (a) Virus Attack This shall include Malicious code infection of any of the desktops/servers in the network. (b) Denial of Service Attack - This shall include non availability of service (c) Data Theft - Compromise of any kind of data through network. (d) Intrusion Successful / unsuccessful unauthorized access to MPSC Application/ network resulting in loss of confidentiality/Integrity/availability of data. (2) In case of an impact, the data, database and database structure should not be compromised. Recovery time should not be more than one hour from the time the impact affects the system. The tolerance for compromise of confidential data is zero. 4.1.3 The successful bidder shall get the necessary security, quality certifications from independent Government approved agencies for the developed Software Application. The successful bidder should also assist MPSC in documentation and preparation for any security certification like ISO 27001. 4.1.4 Basic Requirements of the Hardware, Network equipments and Software Licenses:
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4.1.4.1 An indicative network diagram is given below

External User `
Router Internet Cloud
A separate VLAN should be created with certain Workstations for Internet access. IPS VLAN Gateway Antivirus DNS Web Server Server SMTP/ Mail Certificate server
VLAN
Application Server Switch Network (LAN) Database Server
External firewall
DMZ
L3 Switch
IPS
IPS Internal forewall
Server Farm L3 Switch
Document Management server
NM server
L2 Switch Printers VLAN NAS head L2 Switch VLAN
L3 Switch ` SAN Storage ` ` ` User Workstations at MPSC
` Admin
SAN Switch
4.1.4.2 The basic premise of the hardware and network equipments is to support the software application to be built for MPSC. The hardware and network equipments and their corresponding specifications suggested by the bidder should take into consideration the requirement of the software application, number of users, performance parameters and system security. If the bidder is unable to provide hardware and network equipments that meet the performance and security standards specified in the RFP, then the bidder would have to upgrade / change the same at no extra cost to MPSC. 4.1.4.3 As MPSCAS has centralized architecture, the IT architecture needs to be designed accordingly. The successful bidder will be required to establish a centralized upgraded Sever Room inside the MPSC premises (proposed to be at Belapur, Navi Mumbai). MPSC office, and hence all Software Applications, Hardware, Network equipments should be based out of the MPSC office at Belapur. MPSC will provide space required for all hardware, network equipments residing at MPSC office. The architecture design should be able to meet the performance and security requirements as specified in the RFP and should be approved by the MPSC.The minimum acceptable specifications have been mentioned below 4.1.4.3.1 Servers (1) The successful bidder should provide the servers for hosting the Application including Document Repositories, IVR System; Web Portal; Database; E-mail etc based on the software to be implemented and performance and security requirement as mentioned in the section on SLAs. The web server and the application server should be clustered. (2) The servers and the corresponding software and OS stack must be from any of the Top 3 OEM based on the latest IDC data for market share and must carry a minimum of 3 years comprehensive parts and on-site warranty. (3) The servers should not have a single point of failure, and must have the RAID controller which supports RAID level 0, 1 and 5 RAID protection.
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(4) The server sizing, number of servers required and specification must be provided by the successful bidder based on the application and architecture requirement. (5) The servers should have future-proofing design to ensure that capacity expansion is possible without completely changing or replacing the server or its components. (6) Appropriate Test/Staging servers must also be proposed by the successful bidder. (7) Recovery point should be specified in consultation with MPSC. (8) The bidders should also provide the requisite I/O Device like Monitor (17 TFT), Keyboard (Heavy duty etched keyboard) and Mouse (PS2 Type) etc for the Servers. (9) Facility for remote management of the servers should be provided 4.1.4.3.2 Clients (1) The successful bidder should provide 170 Fat Clients (PCs). Users should be able to access and use the application software and office automation software through the proposed client without any degradation of performance from the standards defined in Section 4.1.2 The bidder should propose the type of client based on the software application being developed and the performance and security requirements. (2) The clients would be used as follows (a) Approximately 120 for the internal users (employees of MPSC) for daily transactions (b) Approximately 50 for various online examinations. (3) The bidders should also provide the requisite I/O Device like Monitor (17 TFT), Keyboard (Heavy duty etched keyboard) and Mouse (PS2 Type) etc for the Servers. (4) The clients and I/O devises from any of the Top 3 OEM based on the latest IDC data for market share and must carry a minimum of 3 years comprehensive parts and on-site warranty. (5) The clients should support a Windows or Linux based Operating System (should be provided with recovery CD) (6) The client type, sizing and specification must be provided by the successful bidder based on the application, architecture, performance and security requirement. 4.1.4.3.3 UPS (1) The UPS system should be support able to support at least 170 fat clients, the proposed number of servers, switches, routers, Scanning System, printers etc for a minimum of 2 (two) hours. (2) The UPS must be from any of the Top 3 OEM based on the latest IDC (or equivalent) data for market share. (3) The bidder should recommend the final output power rating of the UPS Solution based on the actual energy consumption of the Hardware and Network equipments proposed. The proposed UPS should be of the 3 phase input/ output type. The proposed UPS solution of the bidder should also have other minimum specification as defined below (a)Technology Specifications 1. On Line UPS 2. UPS should be with Intelligent Battery Management for longer battery life 3. The UPS should be with input power factor 0.95 4. UPS should have an option for SNMP connection. 5. IGBT based rectifier and inverter Voltage Range: 160 to 265 V ac at 100% load; 145 to 265 VAC at 50% load, Frequency Range: 47 to 53 Hz Power Factor: 0.95 to Unity. Voltage: 230 VAC Voltage Regulation: 2% Frequency: 50 Hz 0.2% Harmonic Distortion (THD): Less than 3% on linear load; less than 4% on non-linear load. Waveform: Pure Sine wave Crest Factor: 3:1 Efficiency (AC/AC): More than 90%. Power Factor: 0.7 Overload capacity: 125% of required capacity for at least 1 Minute and150% of required capacity for at least 30 Seconds.
(b) Input
(c) Output
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(d) Transfer Time (e) Operating Temperature (f) General Specifications
No break 0 to 45 degree C Indicators: Mains ON, Inverter ON/OFF/Faulty, Battery Level, Static Bypass ON, Load Level Meters: Metering for all standard parameters Audible Alarms: Mains Failure Alarm, Low Battery Alarm, and Overload Alarm Protection: Electronic protection for device safety backed with MCBs / MCCBs / fast acting fuses. High speed pulse blanking, electronic over voltage and under voltage protection, over temperature protection. Static Bypass at output. The UPS system should provide power to the hardware and network equipments for a minimum of 2 hours on event of a power failure. Deep discharge protection should be provided. Communication Interface: RJ45 port for software interface. Microprocessor controlled design PWM Technology with IGBTs Cold start feature Floor mount Management software: Provide SNMP and Web monitoring. Provide management and monitoring software for Windows 2003 server and support for Linux Test certificates from DoE, ERTL, ETDC or equivalent Three years comprehensive onsite replacement warranty for the UPS excluding batteries. Three years post Warranty comprehensive onsite support (including replacement of parts except batteries). Battery: Sealed Maintenance Free Battery. Bidder to provide details about VAH, number & AH rating of batteries. Battery Backup time: Battery Backup time of 2 hour backup on full load. The UPS should get charged with 8 hours of power supply. In case any additional charger is required; the same should also be quoted. Battery Rack: Provide as required for housing all the batteries. (Please provide details about the proposed battery housing). Note: All batteries shall be covered for replacement warranty for 36 months from the date of acceptance. Should provide overload and short circuit protection
(g)Other features
(h)Test Certifications (i) Warranty (j) AMC Support (k) Battery
(l)Safety Features 4.1.4.3.4 Printers
(1) MPSC needs printers in its office for the following purposes (a) Personal Laser Printers (total 7) for installation in the office of senior officials like Chairman, Members and Secretary with minimum speed of at least 20 papers per minute, Duty Cycle of at least 8000 A4 pages per month (b) Network Laser Printers (total 10, i.e. 2 in each of the 5 Wings/Branches that are under each Deputy Secretary) with minimum speed of at least 30 papers per minute, Duty Cycle of at least 20000 A4 pages per month. Each of the network laser printers are expected to handle 10 - 15 users on an average, with average 100 papers printed per person per month. This may increase by 15-20% every year. So, the successful bidder should ensure that the Network Laser Printers can manage this load. (c) Laser Printers for Print shop (at least 2, but final number to be defined by the successful bidder based on his estimate of the printing load for performing heavy duty printing activities for the Commission) with minimum speed of at least 40 papers per minute, Duty Cycle of at least 200000 A4 pages per month. The load on the Print Shop would be approximately 12,00,000 pages per annum (based on current load of
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printing of letters to candidates, muster sheets, mark statements, interview sheet etc.). This may increase by 15-20% every year. So, the successful bidder should ensure that the Print Shop has printers that can manage this load. The number of printers in the print shop should be recommended by the bidder (2) The Printers must be from any of the Top 3 OEM based on the latest IDC data for market share. The successful bidder must provide necessary Printer Configuration based on the load requirement. (3) The Printers must support the various Microsoft and Linux based Operating systems. (4) All printers should come with three years comprehensive onsite warranty (including replacement of parts) excluding consumables. The bidder should also provide complete item wise list (with part numbers) of printer parts and spares not covered under warranty / AMC. All other parts, for which the part numbers do not appear in this list, shall be covered under the warranty / AMC. All printers should carry Energy Star Certificate or equivalent. 4.1.4.3.5 Scanning System and appropriate software (1) MPSC scans about 20,00,000 pages annually from application forms and answer sheets of candidates for the various examinations, which can increase by 15 20% every year. So, the successful bidder should ensure that the Scanning System can manage this load. The number of Scanning System should be recommended by the bidder (2) The Scanning System must be alongwith appropriate software as per the requirement of the MPSC. The successful bidder must provide necessary Scanning System Configuration based on the load requirement. (3) The Scanning System should be able to support Mark Sense (OMR), Hand Print (ICR), Machine Print (OCR), Barcode, Tables scan of the application forms and objective answer sheets. The Software should be able to read 2-D Bar-Code. (4) The Scanning System must support Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) and Colour scanning. (5) The Scanning System must have a minimum optical resolution of 600 dpi X 600 dpi (6) The Scanning System must have a document feeder speed of at least 50 images per minute in black-and-white and color (in simplex) (7) The scanner must support both simplex and duplex jobs. (8) Scanning System must provide network support (9) Scanning System must support English language (10) Scanning System must support output generation in ASCII, Excel, Word, Access, FoxPro, dBase, Oracle, SQL Server, ODBC complaint databases or any other format as required in the MPSCAS. (11) Scanning System must provide batch processing support (12) The Scanning System must support the various Microsoft and Linux based Operating systems. (13) All Scanning System should come with three years comprehensive onsite warranty (including replacement of parts). The bidder should also provide complete item wise list (with part numbers) of scanner parts and spares not covered under warranty / AMC. All other parts, for which the part numbers do not appear in this list, shall be covered under the warranty / AMC. 4.1.4.3.6 LAN Setup and Internet Connectivity (1) The successful bidder should setup a LAN in the MPSC office (proposed location of the office is at Belapur, Navi Mumbai). It would be a single office, situated on a single floor. The server room should also be hosted out of the same office. (2) The LAN should connect the office clients (at least 170) and the proposed number of servers, printers, Scanning System etc. The LAN setup should include requisite number of LAN Active Components (24 Port L2 Switch, Core Switch and Internet Router, Fiber Channel Switch), LAN cabling and the other related Passive components, Patch Cords (CAT 6 Booted, with minimum Length of 3 meters). The proposed switch(es) should have minimum 24 x 10/100 Fast Ethernet Ports, including 2 Gigabit ports for uplink purpose (3) The bidder needs to define the specifications and the number of all such components required based on the requirements specified.
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(4) All components should carry three years comprehensive onsite replacement warranty. Three years post Warranty comprehensive onsite support (including replacement of parts).The LAN cable should be confirming to CAT 6 or above standards. (5) All LAN components like Switch and Routers should be from any of the Top 3 OEMs based on the latest IDC (or equivalent) data for market share in India. The minimum specification for the Switch and Routers is given below (5.1) LAN Active Component 24 Port L2 Switch Total Minimum 8 (a) General Switches should be 19 rack mountable. Guidelines Switches should have health LED for all modules to indicate status. Switches should support: IP version 4 IP Version 6 The switch should have minimum 24 x 10/100 Fast Ethernet Ports, including 2 Gigabit ports for uplink purpose Switch chassis should be fully redundant with dual power supply and management modules. Cables and accessories: All accessories including data cables, connectors, etc should be provided. Switches should support IEEE 802.1Q VLAN encapsulation Switches should support spanning-tree root guard feature to prevent other edge switches becoming the root bridge. (b) Quality of Switches should support centralized QoS management of devices Service(QoS) spread across Local area networks requirement Flash memory: should provide adequate memory (at least (c) Memory Requirement 4MB) to accommodate all NOS features required at present. DRAM: The memory (at least 16MB) provided for Switches should satisfy the present performance requirement and should be upgradeable for future needs. (d) Security Switches should support AAA (Authentication, Authorization, Features and Accounting) using RADIUS or TACACS for better management and security of the network devices. Switches should support centralised management of passwords through defined policies. Switches should support generation of SNMP traps and syslog based logs for monitoring and mitigating security violations. Switches should support MD-5 hashing mechanism. Switches should have multiple levels of access or role based access mechanisms. Switches should support SSH v2.0 and SNMP v1, 2, and 3. Switches should support interface binding of static/dynamic MAC and 802.1x based authentication. Switches should support in-band and out-of-band management. Switches should support remote monitoring and tracking of Service Level Agreement (SLA). (e) Switching Store and forward Method (f) Switch Fabric 12.0 Gbps or more (g) Wire Speed 6.6 Mbps or above Forwarding Rate (h) MAC Address Should support at least 8,000 entries Table (i) Filtering/ Full line rate/full wire speed Forwarding/ Learning Rates (j) High Availability Switches should support full-feature software upgrades without any requirement downtime.
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(k) Warranty Three years comprehensive onsite replacement warranty. (l) Post Warranty Two years post Warranty comprehensive onsite support (including AMC replacement of parts). (5.2) LAN Active Component 24 Port Core L3 Switch Total Minimum 1 (a) General Switch should be based on single unit. Requirement Switch should have a minimum of one USB port for supporting use with USB Flash memory, security tokens Switches should support: IP Version 4 IP Version 6 (b)Memory Minimum 32 MB RAM/Compact Flash expandable to 64 MB is Requirement required (c) Quality of Switch should support a class-based scheduling/queuing mechanism Service (QoS) that provides configurable minimum bandwidth allocation to each requirement class for assigning priority to critical traffic. Switch support Policy Routing for changing the normal routing process of specific mission critical traffic through specified alternate routes in the network. (d)Security Switch should support Standard/ extended ACLs, Reflexive (stateful) Features ACLs, Dynamic (Time of Day) ACLs, IP permit list filtering, Media Access Control (MAC) ID based filtering. All the ACLs should function at wire rate speed. Switch should support network flow and role based access control. Switch should support Network address translation (NAT). Switch should support dual clocks and hot swappable line cards. (e)Network RJ-45: 100ohm, UTP/STP cable Interface 10/100Base EIA/TIA Categories 3 or 5 cable (f) Switching Store and forward Method (g)Switch Fabric 12.0 Gbps or more (h)Wire Speed 6.6 Mbps or above Forwarding Rate (i)MAC Address Should support at least 8,000 entries Table (j) Filtering/ Full line rate/full wire speed Forwarding/ Learning Rates (5.3)Internet Router Total Minimum 1 (a) Hardware Router should be based on single unit. Necessary alarms (indicators) for indication of faults at various levels of hardware shall be provided on the individual modules. The router should support VOIP & Video Conferencing. A power down condition shall not cause loss of configuration data storage. In the event of full system failure, a trace area shall be maintained in nonvolatile memory for analysis and problem resolution. Configuration changes made on the router should take effect without rebooting the router or modules. The device should have built-in monitoring and diagnostics to detect failure of hardware. The Router shall contain minimum of 256 MB of DDR SDRAM memory and should be extendable to 1 GB & minimum of 64MB of Compact Flash memory and should be extendable to 256 MB. The router should be Rack mountable, and Rack mounting kits should be supplied along with it. (b) Software Required features: a) TCP/IP,RIPV2,OSPF,X.25,PPP,HDLC,PPP/Multilink PPP, PIM-SM and PIMDM b) CIDR, VLSM and BGP4. c) Should be capable of Network Address Translation.
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(c)Performance (d) Network Interface
(e) Security Features
d) Proper congestion management techniques. e) Packet filtering based on IP address, Network address, port number etc. f) SNMP manageable. g) QoS support for Traffic prioritization, differentiated services and committed access rate. The unit(s) should be capable of running RSVP. h) Bandwidth optimization with Dial backup / Dial-on-demand / Bandwidth on demand / inactivity timeouts / Data compression. i) Extensive accounting features including Network Time Protocol Traffic polling including the following:Packet & Byte counts/Start Time stamp & End Time stamps/Input & Output Interface ports/Type of service/TCP Flags and Protocol/ Source & Destination IP Address/Source & Destination TCP/UDP Address/Next HOP Address/Source Autonomous No./Destination Autonomous No./Subnet Masks j) Must be capable of multiple access level to manage the router unit(s). Should be capable of supporting RADIUS for authentication, k)Should provide Command Line Interface (CLI) to administer and manage the router l) Must provide the latest firmware to manage the device Must have a minimum packet processing capacity of 50,000 packets per second The Router should have minimum throughput of 720 Gbps The Router should have the following Interfaces: 4 X 2 Mbps WAN Ports: Each port should support up to 2 Mbps speed and should work on Sync mode. Two LAN Ports: Auto sensing 10/100/1000 Mbps conforming to IEEE 802.3u specifications. 1 console port 1 auxiliary port 2 USB ports Packet filtering / Access Control mechanism based on IP and TCP NAT PAT Stateful packet inspection Activity Logging Authentication for PPP Embedded Hardware based VPN support: IPSEC,MD5,IKE,SHA-1, DES/3DES
(6) The bidder should also provide for dedicated Procurement and Management of a minimum Bandwidth of 2 Mbps with redundant 2 Mbps link for internet connectivity. The bidder should provide for required internet connectivity for at least 170 users at MPSC. 4.1.4.3.7 Racks The bidder should provide the required number of 19 inch 600*600 12U lockable wall mount Rack with Accessories, hardware panel / cable tray, at least two cooling fans, and one power strip with requisite power points and Minimum 3 years comprehensive onsite warranty based on the Server requirements as defined by them. 4.1.4.3.8 Telephony Interface Card The bidder should provide the required hardware and accessories like Telephone Interface Card for the proposed IVR system. The Telephone Interface Card must be from any of the Top 3 OEMs based on the latest IDC (or equivalent) data for market share in India. 4.1.4.3.9 Storage (1) The vendor should provide a storage design which should support at least 5 years (going forward) of data requirement. It should have Minimum Capacity of at least 1 TB on Raid 5, scalable up to 5 TB with latest available HDD capacities. The storage system should have no single point of failure design and should Support for multiple operating systems. The Storage System must be from any of the Top 3 OEMs based on the latest IDC (or equivalent) data for market share in India. The storage design must be done by the bidder based on the expected data volume from the software application.
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(2) MPSC handles the examination of at least 6,00,000 applicants in a year on an average. The requisite data for the candidates, the necessary documents etc should be stored in the system. 4.1.4.3.10 Backup The bidder should provide a LTO based high speed backup device for Replication of MPSCAS, and Email Server data at a latency of maximum 1 day. This means that at any point of time, maximum data loss MPSC can face is last 1- day data. The backup device should be from any of the Top 3 OEMs as per the latest IDC (or equivalent) data in India based on Market Share. 4.1.4.3.11 Security Services (1) Security would be one of the most important aspects of the MPSC network. The detailed scopes of services for security are given below in order to ensure complete security of the network. (2) In general, the Successful Bidder shall ensure the following: Integration of all security components used in the MPSC network Secured network access provision for all authorized users Ability to detect and control any unauthorized access to the system Configure network management policies for managing all the network and security devices using network management systems (e) Secure data transaction within MPSC (f) Malicious code (viruses etc) infected desktops/servers should be isolated so as to prevent its further spread. (g) Secure access to centralized applications (h) Formulate and Implement access rules for Wings/Branches to be connected to MPSC (i) Appropriate Anti Virus rules and general security policies. (j) Shall filter packets based on protocol, source & destination address, source & destination ports, interface of the firewall that the packet entered (k) Proxy operations shall, at a minimum, be operable on the content of SMTP, FTP and HTTP protocol traffic (l) Shall perform stateful inspection of connections (m)Support for protection of common internet applications like mail, DNS, AAA, etc. and shall prevent IP Spoofing & Denial of Service Attacks. (n)Shall perform URL Filtering. (o)Shall be able to filter malicious viz. Java Applets, ActiveX. (p)Shall log different type of events viz. Traffic allowed, denied etc. in Syslog format. Filters shall allow viewing of different events based on IP address, network numbers, connection types, domain names, date & time etc. (q)Shall have facility to query the logs and display the appropriate results (r)Should support 24/7 Security Update Service (s) Adherence to all security guidelines issued by GoM and GoI from time to time. 4.1.4.3.12 Software Licenses The software license requirement for MPSC is given below Software Licenses All the licenses have to be procured in the name of Maharashtra Public Service Commission. The bidder should propose an optimal license procurement between client based license and enterprise/processor based license based on cost benefit. All the procured licenses should be perpetual licenses. (1) Database The Successful bidder has to provide RDBMS as per the requirement of the Software Application, following all standard industry norms for performance, data security and authentication. The database should be amongst the Top 3 in market share in India as per the latest IDC data. (2) Anti Virus The software should provide for (a) Shall be able to scan through several types of desktops, compression formats. servers, (b) Able to perform different scan Actions based on the virus email and type (Trojan/ Worm, Joke, Hoax, Virus, other) groupware (c) Shall be able to scans only those file types which are applications potential virus carriers (based on true file type) (a) (b) (c) (d)
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(if any)
(3) Gateway Antivirus
(4) Office Automation Software (5) Backup Software
(d) Shall be able to scan for HTML, VBScript Viruses, malicious applets and ActiveX controls for emails (e) Shall provide mechanism for scanning and remove SPAM (unsolicited junk mail) with the help of rule based scanning to control spam and Offensive and Sensitive Contents (f) Shall provide Real-time product Performance Monitor of email statistic and Built-in Debug and Diagnostic tools, and context- sensitive help. (g) Shall provide for secure remote access via web browser. (h) The solution must support multiple remote installations (i) Shall provide for virus notification options for Virus Outbreak Alert and other configurable Conditional Notification. (j) Shall provide for following logging features (k) Shall provide Mass-mailing Virus detection and removal (l) Shall allow administrators to quarantine mails as and when required. The system (a) Shall scan at least HTTP, SMTP, POP3, FTP traffic (sending & receiving) in real time and protect against viruses, worms & Trojan attacks and other malicious code. (b) Shall have facility to clean, delete and quarantine the virus affected files. (c) Shall scan all major type of compressions in compressed file attachments (d) Shall have protection against denial of service. (e) Shall automatically update the virus definitions from Internet on daily basis. In case of failure to update from Internet, it shall be configured so as to update these definitions manually. (f) Should be able to block infected attachments at the gateway level (g) Should have the facility to incorporate user defined policy (h) Should be able to control IM and P2P usage (i) Attack sources should be blocked automatically (j) Should proactive intrusion prevention facilities for zero day attack prevention. MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) or Equivalent.
(6)Monitoring Software
The software should support (a) Scheduled unattended backup using policy-based management for all Server and OS platforms (b) The software will support on-line back up and restore of various applications and Databases (c) The back up software will be capable of having multiple back-up sessions simultaneously (d) The back up software shall support different types of back up such as Full back up, Incremental back up, Differential back up, Selective back up, Point in Time back up and Progressive Incremental back up (e) The back up software will support different types of user interface such as GUI, Web-based interface Bidder should provide MPSC with a centralized monitoring solution for all its IT assets (including servers, network equipments etc) The solution should provide: (a) The solution should support real time network monitoring
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(b) Network management function must monitor performance across heterogeneous networks from one end of the network to the other (c) It must proactively analyze problems to improve network performance. (d) Identify, isolate, and helps to resolve response time problems on LANs, remote links, and servers. (e) The network management function should create a graphical display of all discovered resources. (f) The system should provide multiple predefined network reports. (g) The system should provide Historical graphs on the network performance and past trends, and automated process restarts when required. (h) The system should provide status reports on customers hardware (static report) when a change in operational state occurs (i) The system should provide Bandwidth reporting using graphical information to depict traffic volumes between equipment and the network (j) Should provide Service level management capabilities with detailed reports on the availability, uptime, downtime and outage information status of leased line interfaces, and critical servers. (k) The network management function must have extensive reporting facility, providing the ability format and present data in a graphical and tabular display. (l) This network-wide data should be easily accessed from a central location and used to help with capacity planning, reporting, and analysis. (m) The network management function must also provide information on performance of Ethernet segments, including capacity utilization and error statistics for the segment (n) It should automatically be able to generate a event in the event of a link failure to ensure proper handling of link related issues. (o) The system must be capable of automatically discovering manageable elements connected to the network and mapping the connectivity between elements, including port-level connectivity. (p) The solution should have the capability to discover Layer2 & Layer 3 Devices & connectivity. (q) The system should provide root cause analysis out of the box & custom definable algorithms such as Modeling Technology, Event Correlation & conditional correlation. (r) In order to maintain efficient management traffic, the system must support localized polling and minimize management traffic across low-speed links (s) The system should have a web-portal based user interface for administrators. (t) The system should generate intelligent alarms in cases of outages, threshold exceeds or other service disruptions. (u) The system must provide the capability to designate planned maintenance periods / downtime for services and take into consideration maintenance periods/service window defined at the IT resources level. In addition the capability to exempt any service outage from impacting an SLA must be available. The solution should generate static server and network reports multiple time frames (like 15 minute, 30 minute, 1 hour, 24 hour, User definable time frame etc.)
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(7) Mail Messaging system
The following features should be made available in the Mail Messaging system (a) Unified Messaging (b) Anti Spam Functionalities (c) Standard Client Support for Outlook, Notes, Other Clients (d) Support for Multiple address book (e) VPN Less Access through Internet/Intranet Using Mail Client (f) Support for retention and recovery of mails even after deletion of messages and provide options of deleting the retained mails after the system has been backed up (g) Support SMTP as default messaging protocol for mail transfer (h) Support for multiple Domains over the internet (i) Routing Engine like ESMTP (j) Mail Access using Web Browser (k) Messaging Antivirus Support from All leading Vendors (l) Support for Clustering & high Availability (m) Tools for Optimization & performance (n) Ability to Limit Users Mail Store (o) Support for Multiple Email Domains (p) Mail restriction and User Quota (q) Multiple User Accounts in the Mail Client (POP3/IMAP/SMTP) (r) Calendaring, Scheduling and Availability (s) Propose Time for meeting and the ability to Accept, Deny or Propose new time (t) Message tracking with variety filters (u) Enable Disable User Account (v) Option to access Calendaring from Web based Client (w) Web based Appointments Events for A day Week And Month (x) Support for Event Spanning Across Days (y) Invite / Deny / Update in Senders Calendar (z) Users Ability to add Quick List Group In Address Book (aa) Block Email from Domain Email Add and Username (bb) Index Address Book (cc) Perform LDAP Address Book Lookup (dd) Support for Global Address and Personal Address Book Access-Global Modification By Admin (ee) Automatic Online Backup (ff) Online Backup and Restore (gg) GUI Based Central Control to Monitor Servers Services and mails (hh) Message Tracking and Logging (ii) Anti Spamming and Virus Control
4.1.5 MPSC may at any time, by written order given to the Successful Bidder, make changes within the general scope of the Contract. If any such change causes an increase or decrease in the cost of, and/or the time required for the Successful Bidders performance of any provisions under the Contract, an equitable adjustments shall be made in the Contract Price or delivery schedule, or both, and the Contract shall accordingly be amended. 4.1.6 If the proposed change increases the project cost by more than 10%, then it would be considered as a separate project, and not a change request within the same project. 4.1.7 Any claims by the Successful Bidder for adjustment under this clause must be asserted within thirty (30) days from the date of the Successful Bidders receipt of MPSCs change order. All such claims shall be validated and finalized by the Technical Expert Committee constituted by MPSC with Members of eminent Public Institutions and the Members having experience in fields related to C.S., I.T., etc. The rate applicable for such adjustment is as fixed by Commercial Bid (format given in the RFP).
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4.1.8 MPSC and/or its appointed consultant or vendor would audit the complete system for compliance to industry best practices, standards (like the draft National e-Governance standards on localization and Language Technology Standards, Network and Information Security Standards, Technical Standards and E-Governance Architecture, Meta Data and Data Standards for Application Domains, Quality and Documentation Standards, Web Accessibility Standards, eForms, Identity and Access Management), security standards etc (agreed at the time of signing of the agreement). Any non-compliance observed at this time would be reported to the successful bidder within 7 days in writing, and the successful bidder would have to rectify the non-compliance issues within 30 days at no extra cost to MPSC. 4.2 INDICATIVE MODULES FOR MPSC APPLICATION SOFTWARE 4.2.1 A web-based software solution has to be developed and implemented at MPSC for meeting the needs of the organization 4.2.2 The various functionalities in the software solution are as follows: 4.2.2.1Basic: The major areas that are to be addressed in the proposed solution would involve the processes for the following Wings/Branches (a) Pre Examination (b) Post Examination (c) Confidential (d) Direct Recruitment (e) Statistics & Report generation (f) Legal (g) Establishment (h) Finance (i) Filing (j) Vigilance (k) MIS 4.2.2.2 Document Repositories 4.2.2.3 Website/Web portal 4.2.2.4 The Application System must be UNICODE compliant with at least one more language (Marathi) support such as data entry, search etc. 4.3 FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR MPSC APPLICATION SOFTWARE 4.3.1 The MPSC Application Software should possess the following key functional requirements as given below (but not limited to the following). Certain areas might be specific to a specific Wing/Branch, while certain can be common to multiple Wings/Branches. Also, there can be interlinkages between the various modules (e.g. most of the modules will be linked to the Finance module for various activities like Budgeting, Payments etc):4.3.2 A Document Repository System with features for storage, retrieval, tracking and management of documents (including scope to upload/download scanned documents) should be an integral part of the solution encompassing all the above mentioned modules. A standard file (or document) naming convention should be used for all the files (or document) that have been uploaded into the system. The guidelines provide by Government of Maharashtra for naming of a file should be used for the same. This would ensure that every file name is unique, thus making the document retrieval process easier and faster. It has been proposed that going forward all hard copy documents would be scanned and then moved into the system. The system should be able to convert both scanned and e-mail documents into electronic images. It should also act as a central repository making fast retrieval of the documents without any document loss. The system should be GUI based, and should have the required security features to prevent any unauthorized access. 4.3.3 The process workflow has been captured as part of the functional requirement mentioned in the RFP. The workflow, including user access management should be an essential part of the solution. 4.3.4 The detailed functional specifications and workflow processes (but not limited to the following) for each of the Wing/Branches is given below.The To Be Process Document with details of the functional processes at MPSC has been provided in Annexure-12. The successful bidder is expected to perform a detailed requirement analysis and prepare a SRS document before software development and implementation. Also, the functionalities mentioned below are the ones to be primarily automated. Apart from these, there may be some manual processes, but the same should be triggered in the system either through the dashboard functionality or through automated email. Also, once the concerned personnel at MPSC have performed the manual task, there should be a scope in the system to update the status in the system.
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4.3.5 Pre Examination 4.3.5.1 The Pre-Examination Wing at MPSC manages and coordinates the activities which are required to be performed before conducting an Examination. The process involves announcing and advertising the dates of the Examination, receiving and scrutinizing applications, sending of Hall Tickets and coordinating with other Wing/Branches like the Confidential Wing for preparation of Question Paper etc.
4.3.5.2 Requisition : Requisitions from the Government departments for recruitment should be online through the website of MPSC. In-built validation is to be provided to check the correctness of the data provided. On posting the requisition, the system should send automated notifications to stakeholders about the requisition 4.3.5.3 Examination date (1) The system shall maintain a list of date on which Examination cant be scheduled due to other Examinations, holidays, elections etc. This list can be updated as and when any information is received by the Wing. (2) Depending upon these dates and the requirement (of date) as entered by the personnel in the Pre-Examination, the system generates the list of possible days on which the Examination can be conducted. (3) Once the list of dates is generated, the system sends out alerts to the Commission, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. The system would then allow the Commission to assign a date for the Examination, and all the Wing/Branches and the Website Team would be notified about the same. (4) The system would then generate letters (pre-defined format shall be maintained in the system) to be sent to other exam bodies and Government Departments informing them about the Examination date 4.3.5.4 Advertisement (1) The system shall maintain a pre defined list of newspapers wherein the advertisements for conducting the Examinations is to be published. Scope of updating the list should be provided. (2) The system shall maintain a pre defined advertisement format and scope of updating the advertisement should be provided. (3) Generation of advertisement in requisite format (from the pre-defined one) on entering certain variables like name of the Examination, dates etc. Once the advertisement details have been entered, the system would generate the advertisement material. The system shall send out alerts to the Chairman/Members for approval, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. (4) On approval, the system would inform the Deputy Secretary (Pre-Examination Wing), other relevant Wing/Branches (like Post Examination, Confidential) and the Website Team about the new approved advertisement to be published, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. 4.3.5.5 Examination Centers (1) The system shall maintain a list of all the Government approved schools and colleges which can be considered as suitable for conducting the Examinations. The list shall be verified and updated on a half yearly basis. (2) The system shall calculate the tentative number of candidates expected for the Examination based on the last 3 years trend (A straight line moving average method to be used for trend analysis by the system). This would be used for defining the number of centers to be needed. (3) Once the Examination date has been finalized and the tentative number of candidates is known, the system shall generate letters (from pre-defined letter formats) to be sent to the Head of the Institutions, District Collectors, Director of Education, Director of Higher/Technical Education about the decision to conduct Examination at their locations. (4) Similarly, the other relevant Wing/Branches (like Post-Examination, Confidential etc) are also informed about the approximate number of candidates through the system (the system sends out the information to the by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality) (5) Similarly, the other relevant Wing/Branches (like Post-Examination, Confidential etc) are also informed about the final number of candidates through the system (the system sends out the information to the by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality)
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4.3.5.6 Invigilators and Supervisors The system shall maintain letter formats for obtaining the list of Invigilators and Supervisors for conducting the Examination in Mumbai. 4.3.5.7 Application Forms (1) The system shall generate a list with approximate numbers (based on past 3 year data) for distribution to the individual Post Offices. (2) The MPSC Website shall have a provision of online fill-up and submission of forms. The candidate has to register in the system and fill-up the form and submit it in the system. The application fees have to be paid by means of Credit Card/Debit Card payment using any of the secured e-payment gateways (3) Scanned photograph and signature also should be submitted along with the form. Similarly, the scanned copy of all the requisite documents (if any) should be submitted along with the form. (4) The online form shall have the functionality of saving part of the work; so that candidates need not fill up the same at one go. The form should also have in-built validation mechanism so that common errors in filling up the form can be avoided. 4.3.5.8 Scrutiny of Applications Scanning of application form (OMR and ICR forms) and generation of relevant reports. Processing of the application forms of candidates who have submitted their forms online. Preparation of list of successful and unsuccessful candidates Preparation of Muster Roll System generated Letters (from pre-defined formats) to successful and unsuccessful candidates (6) System generated Hall Tickets/Admit Cards with help of details about the Examination centers, the scanned photographs and signature and other necessary details. The Hall Ticket Number (seat number in the Examination centre) should be randomized and not based on the Application Form Number or order of submission of form (7) The system should allow for storage of scanned copy of such forms can be stored in the system for a longer duration as defined by the Commission. 4.3.6 Post Examination 4.3.6.1 This Wing handles the Post Examination related activities for Open Competitive Examination. Post examination activities of both subjective and objective examinations are handled by this desk. 4.3.6.2 Evaluation of Objective Answer Papers (1) Scanning of Objective type Answer Papers and generation of relevant reports. (2) Once the data has been captured from the scanning system, the merit list is to be prepared by the MPSC Application Software as per the categories mentioned. The system should notify the Commission about the same by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. The system should then allow the Commission of the Post Examination Wing to finalize the list (and number) of candidates to be interviewed. The system should then notify the relevant Wings/Branches about the same by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. 4.3.6.3 Evaluation of Subjective Answer Papers (1) Maintaining the list of number of Answer Papers for evaluation. (2) Scanning of Answer Scripts and generation of relevant reports. (3) Generation of requisite reports and merit list (based on categories) on entering the final marks after evaluation (4) Notifying the relevant Wings/Branches through an automated email/automated dashboard. 4.3.6.4 Physical Examination Process / Interview (1) Preparation of interview case from the details in the system. (2) Generation of requisite reports and merit list (based on categories) on entering the final marks after physical examination/interview. 4.3.6.5 Selection of Panels and Dispatch of Interview letters (1) The system shall maintain a list of date on which interviews cant be scheduled due to other interviews, Examinations, holidays, elections etc. This list has to be updated as and when any information is received by the Wing. Depending upon these dates and the requirement (of date) as entered by the personnel in the Post Examination Wing, the system generates the list of possible days on which the interview can be conducted. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
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(2) Once the list of dates is generated, the system should send out alerts to the Commission informing of the list of dates, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. The system would then allow the Commission to assign a date (or multiple dates) for the interview and finalize the schedule (with timings), and all the Wing/Branches and the Website Team would be notified about the same. (3) The system would then generate letters (pre-defined format shall be maintained in the system) to be sent to Government Departments informing them about the interview date. A list is obtained from the Government Departments for Government representative for conducting the interview. Individual letters (pre-defined formats are maintained in the system) are sent to the experts and the Government representative to check about their availability. Depending upon the availability, the final panel is finalized, the Examination committee formed and the detailed interview program finalized. 4.3.6.6 Interview Process (1) Guidelines for conducting the interview are prepared (through the system) and provided to the interview panel. (2) On completion of the interviews, the final marks obtained in the process (interview) are updated in the system. (3) Notifying the relevant Wings/Branches through an automated email/automated dashboard. 4.3.6.7 Recommendation to the Government (1) All the marks (combined total of written, oral and Physical (if applicable)) are fed into the system for final tabulation. The rank list (with category details etc) with total marks is then generated by the system. The system then sends the results to the Commission for review and approval by means of automated email and/or dashboard functionality. On obtaining the approval, the list is published on the Website (the Website Team is informed by means of automated e-mail) and on the notice board at MPSC office. (2) The successful candidates are sent letters of recommendation (pre-defined format maintained in the system) (Letter of appointment is sent by the Government Departments only). The unsuccessful candidates are sent a letter (pre-defined format maintained in the system) along with details of the marks obtained. The letters are generated from the system. 4.3.7 Confidential 4.3.7.1 This Wing handles all the confidential matters like preparation of Question Papers, facilitation in Answer Paper evaluation etc. The other activities of this Wing include, appointing the panel of Subject Experts, Examiners and Moderators etc for various subjects. 4.3.7.2 Selection of Subject Experts and Examiners (1) The system notifies the Confidential Wing about the Examination details including the date by means of automated e-mails and/or the dashboard functionality. (2) The information about the list of available Subject Experts for the specific subjects, Examiners etc is maintained in the system. This information is updated periodically (the time-frame for the same shall be defined). (3) On finalizing the Subject Experts, Examiners etc (the list is prepared from the database in the system) for the Examination, the system generates application letters to be sent to them (templates like invitation letter, acceptance format, formal communication letter etc. are maintained in the system) by means of e-mail, which needs to be filled up and submitted by them. 4.3.7.3 Preparation of Question Bank Question Bank is to be prepared and maintained for every subject by the Subject Experts as per the Item Categorization (Subject, area of Question, Difficulty level etc). The system should ensure that Questions in the Question Bank is protected and secured from any possible external threat. There should a scope of update of an existing question, or addition of questions as and when necessary. 4.3.7.4 Question Paper Setting Process The examiners assigned by MPSC should be able to generate the Question Paper from the Question Bank maintained in the system based on certain criteria (like number of questions, syllabus details, difficulty level etc) to be entered as variable. The system should generate the question paper upon entering these variables. The bidder should options to MPSC related to the logic based on which the question selection can be randomized. The option that is deemed mot appropriate by MPSC would then be implemented by the successful bidder
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4.3.7.5 Question Paper Printing Process (1) The system should generate relevant letters (from pre defined formats) to be provided to the press. (2) The system should be able to generate the list of number of candidates per centre etc for packing and dispatching. 4.3.8 Direct Recruitment 4.3.8.1 Direct Recruitment deals with recruitment for posts wherein Open Competitive Examinations are not considered. The process involves receiving recruitment requisition from the Government Departments, application management process, conducting screening test (if required), conducting interviews and finalization and publication of results.
4.3.8.2 Requisition : Government Department personnel shall enter the requisition details in a Website. The Website will have all necessary validations (e.g. Correct calculations of the reservations depending upon the number of seats etc). Once the requisition has been successfully made, the system shall generate a receipt for the same and send it to the Government Department(s) by means of automated e-mail. 4.3.8.3 Advertisement (1) The system shall maintain a pre defined list of newspapers wherein the advertisements for conducting the recruitment is to be published. This is a one time activity, and shall be done only if there is any change in the list. The list shall be reviewed at a fixed interval as defined by the Commission. (2) The advertisement content shall also be published on the Website of MPSC. (3) A pre-approved advertisement format shall be maintained in the system. The advertisement format shall be approved by the Commission. Only the variables like name of the post, important dates, documents needed etc shall be kept blank in the format, which needs to be entered into the system by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing. Once the advertisement details have been entered, the system would generate the advertisement material. The system would then send out an alert to the Commission by means of automated email or dashboard functionality for approval. On approval, the system shall send out alerts to the Deputy Secretary of the Direct Recruitment Wing, other relevant Wing/Branches (like IT Branch etc) and the Website Team informing them of the new advertisement to be published, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. 4.3.8.4 Application forms (1) The system shall generate a list with approximate numbers (based on past 3 year data) for distribution of application form to the individual post offices. (2) Online submission - The MPSC Website shall have a provision of online fill-up and submission of forms. The candidate has to register in the system and fill-up the form and submit it in the system. The application fees have to be paid by means of Debit/Credit Card through a secured gateway. Scanned photograph and signature also should be submitted along with the form. Similarly, the scanned copy of all the requisite documents (if any) should be submitted along with the form. The online form shall have the functionality of saving part of the work; so that candidates need not fill up the same at one go. The form should also have in-built validation mechanism so that common errors in filling up the form can be avoided. 4.3.8.5 Scrutiny of Applications (1) A separate system is in place for capturing data of the applicants from the Application Form, and generation of relevant reports. An integration needs to be made between these two systems so that MPSC Application Software system can capture, store and process data from the Scanning System. (2) Processing of the application forms of candidates who have submitted their forms online. (3) Preparation of list of successful and rejected candidates (4) System generated Letters (from pre-defined formats) to rejected candidates (5) The system should allow for storage of scanned copy of such forms can be stored in the system for a longer duration as defined by the Commission. 4.3.8.6 Selection Mode (1) The system shall calculate the actual number of candidates eligible for the recruitment process based on the following calculation
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(2)
(3)
(4)
(5) (6) (7)
(8)
(9)
No. of eligible candidates = Total no. of applications No. of applications rejected (incorrect data, incomplete form etc) The maximum no. of interviews that can be taken is based on the following table Number of vacant posts Maximum number of candidates to be interviewed 15 5 times 6 10 5 times 11 and Above 3 times If the system generated no. of eligible candidates match with the above, then the system would initiate the process of interviews by informing all relevant Wing/Branches by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. This information will also be stored in the system for future reference. If the system generated no. of eligible candidates doesnt match with the above, then the system would send an alert regarding the same by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. The system would then allow the selection the mode of recruitment. Two options would be given by the system (a) Applying Criteria to short-list (b) Screening test The finalization of all the above options would take place only with the approval of the Commission (online approval would be given in this case) If Criteria are to be applied then the system would prompt for the criteria to be applied. Based on the criteria, the list of the eligible candidates shall be displayed. Once the process of applying criteria is complete, then the system will display the final list of candidates eligible for the recruitment process. If the number of candidates matches with the above table, then the system would initiate the process of interviews by informing all relevant Wing/Branches by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. This information will also be stored in the system for future reference. The system shall prepare a fresh list of rejected candidates with new reasons for rejection (details of the criteria). Letters shall be sent to the rejected candidates with reasons for rejection. A pre defined format shall be maintained in the system for the letter. If the option of Screening Test is selected, then the system would initiate the process of conducting the test by informing all relevant Wing/Branches by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. This information will also be stored in the system for future reference. The finalization of all the above options would take place only with the approval of the Commission (online approval would be given in this case)
4.3.8.7 Screening Test Date (1) The system shall maintain a list of date on which the test cant be scheduled due to other Examinations, holidays, elections etc. This list has to be updated as and when any information is received by the Wing. (2) Depending upon these dates and the requirement (of date) as entered by the personnel in the Direct Recruitment division, the system generates the list of possible days on which the test can be conducted. (3) Once the list of dates is generated, the system sends out alerts to the Commission informing him/her of the list of dates, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. The system would then allow the Commission to assign a date for the test, and all the Wing/Branches and the Website Team would be notified about the same. (4) The system would then generate letters (pre-defined format shall be maintained in the system) to be sent to other exam bodies and Government Departments informing them about the screening test date 4.3.8.8 Advertisement for Screening Test (1) The system shall maintain a pre defined list of newspapers wherein the advertisements for conducting the screening test is to be published. This is a one time activity, and shall be done only if there is any change in the list. The list shall be reviewed at a fixed interval as defined by the Commission. (2) A pre-approved advertisement format shall be maintained in the system. Only the variables like name of the post, dates etc shall be kept blank in the format, which needs to be entered into the system by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing. Once
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the advertisement details have been entered, the system would generate the advertisement material. The system shall send out alerts to the Deputy Secretary of the Direct Recruitment Wing, other relevant Wing/Branches and the Website Team informing them of the new advertisement to be published, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. 4.3.8.9 Examination Centers for Screening Test (1) The system shall maintain a list of all the Government approved schools and colleges which can be considered as suitable for conducting the Examinations. The list shall be prepared in consultation with the concerned authorities, and all details like accommodation capacity etc shall be documented. The list shall be verified and updated on a half yearly basis. (2) The system shall calculate the tentative number of candidates expected for the Examination based on the last 3 years trend (A straight line moving average method to be used for trend analysis by the system). This would be used for defining the number of centers to be needed. (3) Once the Examination date has been finalized, the system shall generate letters (from pre-defined letter formats) to be sent to the Head of the Institutions, District Collectors, Director of Education, Director of Higher/Technical Education about the decision to conduct Examination at their locations. (4) Similarly, the other relevant Divisions (like Confidential etc) are also informed about the approximate number of candidates through the system (the system sends out the information to the by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality) (5) Similarly, the other relevant Divisions (like Confidential etc) are also informed about the final number of candidates through the system (the system sends out the information to the by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality) 4.3.8.10 Invigilators and Supervisors for Screening Test The system shall generate a letter (format shall be pre approved by the Commission) for obtaining the list of Invigilators and Supervisors for conducting the Examination in Mumbai. 4.3.8.11 Hall Tickets for Screening Test The system shall prepare the Hall Tickets with help of details about the Examination centers, actual number of candidates appearing for the Examination (based on regions, geography etc), the scanned photographs and signature and other necessary details. The Hall Ticket number (seat number in the Examination centre) should be randomized and not based on the application form number or order of submission of form. 4.3.8.12 Examination Preparation for Screening Test (1) The system shall notify the Confidential Wing about the number of candidates (to set the Question Paper) by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. (2) Preparation of the Muster Roll from the information available in the system. 4.3.8.13 Preparation of result for Screening Test (1) Scanning of Objective type Answer Papers and generation of relevant reports. (2) Once the data has been captured from the scanning system, the merit list is to be prepared by the MPSC Application Software as per the categories mentioned. The system should notify the Commission about the same by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. The system should then allow the Commission of the Post Examination Wing to finalize the list (and number) of candidates to be interviewed. The system should then notify the relevant Wings/Branches about the same by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. 4.3.8.14 Interview Date (1) The system shall maintain a list of date on which interviews cant be scheduled due to other interviews, Examinations, holidays, elections etc. This list has to be updated as and when any information is received by the Commission. (2) Depending upon these dates and the requirement (of date) as entered by the personnel in the Direct Recruitment Wing, the system generates the list of possible days on which the interview can be conducted.
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(3) Once the list of dates is generated, the system sends out alerts to the Commission informing him/her of the list of dates, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. The system would then allow the Commission to assign a date (or multiple dates) for the interview and finalize the schedule (with timings), and all the Wing/Branches and the Website Team would be notified about the same. (4) The system would then generate letters (pre-defined format shall be maintained in the system) to be sent to Government Departments informing them about the interview date. (5) The information about the number of eligible candidates is stored in the system, and also sent to the relevant Wing/Branches by way of automated e-mail and/or dashboard functionality. 4.3.8.15 Government Representative Generation of letters from the system (from the pre defined formats maintained in the system) for sending to Government Representatives. 4.3.8.16 Interview Letter Generation of letters from the system (from the pre defined formats maintained in the system) for sending to candidates for interviews. 4.3.8.17 Interview Case (1) The system should generate an interview case 1 day prior to the interview. This has details of the number of posts vacant under each category, the number of candidates to be interviewed etc. The data required to prepare this case is readily available in the system from the previous processes in Direct Recruitment. A pre defined and approved format for the interview case shall be maintained in the system. (2) Preparation of the Muster Roll and the interview mark sheet from the pre defined format and data stored in the system. 4.3.8.18 Interview Committee The system notifies the Chairman by way of automated e-mail and/or the functionality for finalization of the Interview Committee. The system then Chairman to finalize the name and other details of the interview committee. On the system notifies all the relevant Wing/Branches about the same by way of e-mail and/or the dashboard functionality 4.3.8.19 Conducting Interview System shall allow the Interview Committee to enter the marks obtained by the candidates in the system. 4.3.8.20 Finalization and Publication of Results (1) The interview marks has already been provided to the system by the interviewers while conducting the interview. The system now generates the merit list based on the categories etc. and is sent to the Chairman of the Interview Committee for approval. The Chairman is notified by the system by way of automated e-mail and/or the dashboard functionality of the system. The system then allows the Chairman to approve the results. On approval, the system informs all the concerned Wing/Branches by the way of automated e-mails about the same. The results are then published on the Website of the Commission by the Website Team and on a notice board at the Commission office by the personnel from the Direct Recruitment Wing. (2) The successful candidates are sent letter of recommendation. The unsuccessful candidates are sent letters of non recommendation. The Government Department is sent a letter with list of recommended candidates and corresponding application form. All these pre defined and approved letter formats are to be maintained in the system. 4.3.9 Departmental Examinations 4.3.9.1The Departmental Examination Branch at MPSC manages and coordinates the activities which are required to be performed for conducting an Examination for Departmental promotions, confirmations etc. The process involves announcing and advertising the dates of the Examination, receiving applications and list of the number of applications, coordinating with other Wing/Branches like the Confidential Wing for preparation of Question Paper, evaluating the Answer Papers, preparing and publishing the results etc. 4.3.9.2 Preparation of Gazette (1) An Examination Gazette is prepared for the Examinations to be conducted during the scheduled month. This Gazette would have all details of the Examination to be dashboard allows the completion automated
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conducted. A pre-defined format shall be maintained in the system for preparing the Gazette. The personnel at Desk 1 shall prepare the Gazette by feeding variables like Examination name, date etc into the system. (2) On preparation, the system notifies the Head, Departmental Examination Branch for approval by means of automated e-mails and/or the dashboard functionality. (3) On the approval of the Examination date and other details (guidelines, venue and time etc), the Website Team are notified by means of automated e-mails and/or the dashboard functionality, and the same is updated into MPSC Website according to the type of examination. An automated e-mail is sent to the Government Department informing them about the Examination schedule, sample admission letter, Examination guidelines etc. Other relevant Wing/Branches like the confidential Wing are also informed about the Examination schedule by means of automated e-mails. 4.3.9.3 Number of Candidates & Appointment of Invigilators (1) The candidates (employees of Government Departments) shall log into (The login ID shall be generated on logging into the Website for the first time) the MPSC Website and register themselves for the Examination. On submission of the application and payment of Application Fees, an automated notification is sent to the personnel at Desk 1 regarding the same. The database is automatically updated with the candidate details. (2) The application fees have to be paid by means of Credit Card/Debit Card payment using any of the secured e-payment gateways (3) On completion of the application submission process (the deadline for submission of application having expired), the system calculates the number of Invigilators/Supervisors required based on the number of candidates. (4) A letter is sent (by using a pre-defined format) to the Government Departments to appoint Invigilators for conducting the Examination. On appointment, the Government Departments shall inform MPSC about the same by means of e-mail. 4.3.9.4 Preparation of Question Papers The system would generate randomized questions from the Question Bank as per the predefined logic or criteria that has been set into the system by personnel at the Confidential Wing. The bidders should recommend a logic for generating randomized questions from the Question Bank. 4.3.9.5 Exam Conduction (1) All candidates need to obtain their admission certificates (Hall Tickets) by logging into the MPSC Website through their IDs (2) The candidates shall be provided with a unique identity code to login into the system. This identity code shall be mapped with the candidate details provided earlier. The candidate shall answer the questions through the Examination system software itself. The answers can be entered by clicking or typing the particular choice code. (3) On completion, the candidate needs to press submit button. This would trigger the evaluation of the answers by the system. The individual result (pass/fail) shall be displayed in the screen itself once the candidate has pressed the submit button. (4) The passing percentage/cut-off should be predefined and maintained in the system for this purpose. (5) The system would also store the result for future reference, and for publication of the final combined result at the end of all the Examinations. 4.3.9.6 Answer Paper Evaluation The results are stored in the system, and the personnel at the Departmental Examination Branch are notified about the same on completion of the complete set of Examinations (i.e. all the candidates have appeared for the Examination). All the results shall be collated and same forwarded for publication. Also the candidates are informed about their individual results by the system after the completion of their test. 4.3.9.7 Publishing the Result (1) The results are prepared (by the system from the data available) and published in the Gazette by the personnel at the Wing handling Departmental Examinations. This is then forwarded to the Website Team for publishing it in the Website of the Commission. (2) The candidates who have been unsuccessful in clearing the Examination are mailed (by means of e-mail) their detailed mark sheets for perusal. The same is also sent to their corresponding Department Heads (in-charge) for reference.
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4.3.10 Appointments Wing 4.3.10.1The various service related matter under the purview of the Commission can be associated with (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Recruitment Rule (RR) Departmental Enquiry Promotion Transfer Claims for reimbursement of Legal expenses incurred by Government Servants while defending Legal proceedings instituted against them for acts done or purporting to be done in the execution of their duties. (6) Claims for award of injury/family pension to Government servants (7) Deemed Date of Promotion (8) Appeal against Disciplinary Action Order as per rules (9) Up gradation of Post (10) Opinion on various Service Related Matters (11)Inclusion, Exclusion of any Post within the purview of the Commission 4.3.10.2 Document storage (1) All the necessary documents like recruitment rules etc. shall be maintained in the system (as scanned copies, or typed documents), as part of a one time activity. These should be done only if a new document is received, or there is any change in the existing one. The personnel at Appointment Division should review them whenever there is a change in it. (2) A checklist should be prepared and maintained in the system which would outline the various activities/checks to be performed while evaluating any Government proposal. (3) Also, documents related to all past cases should be maintained in the system (with appropriate labeling for easy retrieval) so that it can act as a ready reference for future decision making. 4.3.10.3 Validation and Verification (1) On receiving the request, the details are updated in the system. The personnel at the Branch managing service related matter related to a post verifies the request with respect to documents available in system. He/ She can add comments based on the verification done. On completing the verification, a notification is send by means of automated e-mail and/or dashboard functionality to the higher authorities (Deputy Secretary) for approving the same. The system then allows the person in higher authority positions to approve the comments/ response related to the request. (2) On approval, a notification is send by means of automated e-mail and/or dashboard functionality to all the relevant Wing/Branches informing them about the same. 4.3.10.4 Response The personnel at the Branch managing service related matters shall send out a letter to the Government Department (from a pre defined format maintained in the system) with all the relevant details related to the request (including comments and approval). 4.3.10.5 Online query receiving The system should provide a scope of for accepting service related queries from the Government Departments (like Departmental Enquiry, Recruitment Rule etc). The personnel at the Government Department shall log in to the MPSC Website and upload the relevant details and documents into the system. Each Government Department would have a unique ID and Password for the same. 4.3.11 Establishment 4.3.11.1 Training and Development : Manage and maintain requirements, nominations etc for training and development. 4.3.11.2 Annual Confidential Record : Manage the Annual Confidential Record (Appraisal Management Process) including the following (1) Employee Workflow Management (2) Online Appraisal Form (3) Appraisal Timetable Management System (4) Online Self Appraisal facility and submission (5) Online Approval by Senior Management (6) Data Storage and Retrieval facility
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4.3.11.3 Service Book (1) Employee Service Book Management including all service related details of the employees like qualifications, postings, transfer, leave, increments etc. (2) MAHAPIS (Maharashtra Personnel Information System), an establishment office application which automates the various matters related to service book of State Government personnel or Sevaarth, a Personnel Resource Information & Salary Management System (PRISM) software provided by Government of Maharashtra can be used in this case and the scope of the bidder would be restricted to ensuring integration between the MPSC Application Software and any of these software, if needed. 4.3.11.4 Internal Transfer (1) The internal transfer requests shall be generated in the system by personnel of the Establishment Branch, and on approval of the Secretary, all Wing/Branches would be notified by means of automated e-mails and dashboard functionality. (2) The internal transfer would be based on pre-defined criteria as defined by the Commission like more than three years of service in the same Desk/Wing/Branch etc. The system will generate a list of employees who have worked for more than three years in the same Desk/Wing/Branch on a periodic basis. The personnel of the Establishment Branch would generate transfer requests based on the system generated list. However, internal transfer can also be done based on any decision by the Commission regarding the same. 4.3.11.5 Employee Attendance (1) Swipe/Proximity cards are to be used by the employees while entering or leaving the office. The attendance and the time of entry/exit etc shall be automatically stored in the system by its use. Daily/Weekly/Monthly attendance report shall be generated by the system, and sent to the concerned authority by means of automated e-mail. The installation of Swipe/Proximity cards system would be implemented separately by MOPSC, and is not in scope of this RFP. (2) The bidders are expected to provide a solution to capture data/reports (may not be real time data capture) from the Swipe/Proximity cards system into MPSC Application Software for use in modules and areas like Service Book Management. 4.3.11.6 Centralized Purchase Management System MPSC might use the eProcurement system developed by Government of Maharashtra as a Mission Mode Project later on. MPSC Application Software should be integrated with the eProcurement system then. But this activity is not in scope of the present RFP. 4.3.11.7 Management of Daily Wagers (1) Contract given to agencies through the tendering process by the Establishment Section for a fixed duration of time with the approval of the Commission. A pre-defined tender format shall be maintained in the system for the same. The contract should ensure that payment made to the agency should be linked to the performance of the daily wages deployed by them. This would be a one time activity done at the starting of the year. (2) Request for appointment of daily wagers raised by Deputy Secretary of the relevant Wing/Branch by submitting the requisite details in the system (3) The system would generate an automated notification and send to Establishment Branch for approval. (4) On approval of the Establishment Branch, Automated notification sent to the Commission for approval (5) Automated notification (triggered by update of hire status in the system) to the concerned Deputy Secretary on appointment. (6) Automated notifications sent to other relevant Wings/Branches like Accounts etc about the appointment. 4.3.11.8 Publication of Seniority List The Establishment Branch should publish the Seniority List every year based on guidelines of the Commission like their date of joining, date of admission into the current role/level etc. The process of generation of the Seniority List should be completely automated as per the following (1) The system would generate the Seniority List for every class of employees based on the guidelines of the Government of Maharashtra. The List should be generated every year at a fixed time as defined by the Commission. The pre-defined timeframe should be maintained in the system, so that the system can generate the list every year. The List
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(2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) 4.3.12 Filing
would be based on the data maintained in the Service Book, and so the system should be tightly integrated with the Service Book. The system would send an automated mail to the Deputy Secretary of the Branch for approval. On approval of the Deputy Secretary, the system would send an automated mail to the Commission for approval. On approval, the list would be published Any objection raised by the employees can be submitted to the Establishment Branch (either in writing, or though the system) Changes are made to the Seniority list by the Establishment Branch, if required. The revised list is published (if changes have been made) after approval of the Commission.
4.3.12.1 Checking of blacklisted candidates list (1) Format of storing data related to blacklisted candidates (2) Functionality of update, deletion of data related to blacklisted candidates (3) Search functionality (this functionality shall be accessible to all the relevant Wing/Branches, so that the search can be done as and when required) 4.3.12.2 Maintaining letter details : The personnel at the Filing Branch shall update the system regarding receiving and dispatch of letters. 4.3.12.3 Monthly billing : All billing related information related to dispatch of letters shall be maintained in the system and automated monthly totals shall be generated by the system. (1) System should facilitate the maintenance of the details of the file storage location (physical), duration etc. This would ensure better management and faster of files. Also, it would be easier to search for an old file. Similarly, the duration would help in planning the disposal of the file. (2) It shall be updated whenever there is any movement of the file, or if any new file is added, or an older one is disposed off. (3) A standard file naming convention should be used for all the files. The guidelines provide by Government of Maharashtra for naming of a file should be used for the same. This would ensure that every file name is unique. 4.3.12.5 Upload of documents/file : The system should facilitate the upload, storage, retrieval of scanned documents and file. 4.3.13 Accounts (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) 4.3.14 Legal (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) 4.3.15 Vigilance (1) (2) (3) Receiving complaints/grievances online through the website, and initiating and performing the analysis/checks/validations etc through the online workflow system Update of scanned copy of the complaints/grievances into the system, and initiating and performing the analysis/checks/validations etc through the online workflow system. Generation of letters (from pre defined formats) from the system to sent to the person/agency raising the complaints/grievances. Update of initial case details in the system Search functionality for old cases based on parameters like Case Number, Type of Case, Initiator etc. Preparation of case file, based on inputs provided by the personnel at MPSC through the online workflow system Alerts to the relevant personnel(s)/Wing(s) on dates of court hearing. Update hearing details and final case judgement details Budget (the process of collecting budget details from individual Wing/Branches and collating it to finalize the overall budget for MPSC) Maintaining Progressive register through the system Maintaining Service Book Various forms submitted to the DAT and other Government Departments A double entry Accounting system has to be followed. Also, Government of Maharashtra has planned to implement Sevaarth for the various modules in Accounts. So the system should be able to integrate with Sevaarth
4.3.12.4 File storage records
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4.3.16 Statistics 4.3.16.1 Automated report generation by the system by capturing the relevant data. 4.3.16.2 Automated notification to the Commission on completion of report(s) for approval. 4.3.16.3 Scope for certain ad-hoc reports that can be generated. 4.3.16.4 The reports generated include (but not limited to) (1) Report with examination related details (2) Report with details of interviews conducted (3) Reports with statistical analysis (like mean, median, variance of the candidates applied, successful, rejected etc) for each post for which examination is conducted 4.3.17 IVR Systems 4.3.17.1 An IVR system would have to be designed and built for providing information to the candidates. The following information (but not limited to) should be available through the IVR system (1) Upcoming Examinations and important dates related to it (2) Tentative date of result publication (3) Individual result and interview schedule (to be provided based on authentication like Roll Numbers) (4) Other queries 4.3.17.2 The IVR system should be integrated with the main MPSC Application Software, so that data regarding the examinations, dates, results of candidates etc can be extracted from it. 4.3.17.3 Recording of the phrases (voice) for the IVR messages should be done by the successful bidder. 4.3.17.4 Should be able to support at least 20 lines 4.3.17.5 Should have multiple language support including English and Marathi 4.3.17.6 At no stage should the IVR systems have the number of menu items more than 5 (five). 4.3.17.7 The IVR systems should place the most frequently used menu items in the beginning of the list 4.3.17.8 Should provide 24 hour customer support 4.3.17.9 The Main greeting (welcome message) should define the entity reached for e.g. MPSC 4.3.17.10 Wrong entry of numbers (e.g. roll numbers etc) or option should provide scope for retry. 4.3.17.11 The IVR system should not keep a caller on hold for more than 5 minutes 4.4 GUIDELINES FOR WORK RELATED TO HARDWARE, NETWORK EQUIPMENTS AND OFF THE SHELF SOFTWARE 4.4.1 The successful bidder should Procure, Supply, Install, Commission, Configure, Test, Integrate, Manage and Support the Hardware and Networking Equipments and off the shelf software as per the time frame stipulated by MPSC given in the subsequent section(s) that meets or exceeds the requirements/guidelines stipulated in the following documents: (1) This RFP; (2) IT Act 2000 Rules/Regulations 4.4.2 Procurement and Management of Bandwidth of 2 MbpS with redundant 2MbpS link 4.4.3 The successful bidder should define and indicate the preventive maintenance schedule and procedure. Any special tools/ instruments/ equipments required to carry out the preventive and break down maintenance of the system offered should be clearly indicated and offered to MPSC by the Bidder/System Integrator at no extra cost. 4.4.4 The successful bidder shall prepare all necessary documentation for the project, and provide them to MPSC or its designated Consultant for review, approval, record, reference etc as mentioned in this RFP. Some of the documents (but not limited to) to be provided include (1) During installation and post installation, the Systems Integrator shall provide As Built/customized documentation to MPSC. The as built documentation should consist of all the configuration details, diagrams, Test plans, administration manuals, setup guides etc as minimum. (2) Detailed manuals for each appropriate unit of the supplied equipment and services. (3) The training manuals and administration manuals (4) Inspection and testing procedures manual including QA Policy and Procedures for the software/hardware equipments (5) Any other document(s) deemed necessary for implementation, operation and maintenance of the hardware and network equipments and the overall system. 4.4.5 The successful bidder shall rectify and/or take necessary action to overcome any nonconformities/observations with respect to their work as reported by MPSC as promptly as possible
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and at no extra cost to MPSC. The Successful Bidder shall also carry out all necessary patches/security updates on IOS/OS (and all related operating systems) etc as per MPSC requirements expeditiously free of cost during the Contract period. 4.4.6 The successful bidder should provide patch management services, upgrades and updates for OS, Database, Application Servers, Switches etc. 4.4.7 The successful bidder should provide anti-virus updates for all desktops/laptops and other equipments in MPSC LAN 4.4.8 The Successful Bidder shall provide the spares and service support for the entire IT infrastructure supplied by them for the entire contract duration at no extra cost. 4.4.9 The Successful bidder shall provide Backup Management services (conduct regular backups and restoration (if required), of critical data and systems etc as defined by MPSC) 4.4.10 Backup Schedule (1) The bidder should provide for Replication of MPSCAS, and Email Server data at a latency of maximum 1 day. This means that at any point of time, maximum data loss MPSC can face is last 1- day data. The backup device should be from any of the Top 3 OEM as per the latest IDC (or equivalent) data in India based on Market Share. (2) To avoid performance degradation of system, such backup should be schedule out of working hours daily. Incremental backups should be taken. Apart from backing up data at the server room, backups should be taken on external media (tapes) as per following schedule. The external media (tapes) must be provided by the bidder. (3) The specifications of the backup device and the backup tapes must be designed based on the data requirement in the software application. Backup Storage No of Location of Sr No Frequency Type Period Backup Tapes Storage 1. Onsite 1. Incremental Daily 1 week 2 2. Offsite* 1. Onsite 2. Incremental Weekly 1 month 2 2. Offsite* 1. Onsite 3. Full backup Monthly 1 year 2 2. Offsite* 1. Onsite 4. Full backup Yearly Permanent 2 2. Offsite* * Offsite storage location will be specified by MPSC at a later date, however the location will be within the state of Maharashtra and out of the city in which Server Room is located. The bidder would be responsible for transporting the backup tapes to the offsite location. 4.4.11 The successful bidder should provide and ensure data storage of all requisite data for future reference. 4.4.12 Provide adequate training to MPSC personnel 4.4.13 The Successful Bidder shall provide structured cabling (conforming to minimum CAT6, EIA/TIA 568B specifications) at MPSC infrastructure. This should cover detailed design of laying out cables, mounting cards/cables, patch cables, I/Os, jack panels, labeling and testing of cables. The Successful Bidder should provide minimum 15 years certification for the Structured Cabling setup. The Successful Bidder should supply all necessary cables/items/Interface converters etc. to commission and integrate the equipment/solution with MPSCs infrastructure. 4.4.14 The Successful Bidder has to maintain a 24X7 Help desk for recording, escalation and resolution of any issues (faults/problem etc) reported. The Help desk process & procedures including the escalation matrix and procedure, inventory control procedures etc should be provided by the Successful Bidder. 4.4.15 The Successful Bidder shall provide incident management activities. 4.4.16 The Successful Bidder shall be responsible for creating network monitoring environment for regular monitoring of network health and generating reports at regular interval. The NMS system should be configured to generate such reports for MPSC. The final list of reports and the corresponding formats would be supplied to the successful bidder after the project commencement. MPSC may check (either by itself or through external consultant/auditor) the NMS at regular intervals to validate the correctness of the reports generated. 4.4.17 The Successful Bidder shall be responsible for obtaining approvals for any Statutory & Regulatory requirements (if any) from any of the authorities. Further, the Successful Bidder shall be responsible to get required documentation completed for obtaining such approvals from time to time. The Successful Bidder shall undertake to do all such acts and deeds as required to ensure that the approvals are obtained only with prior approval of MPSC. 4.5 INTERFACES WITH OTHER SYSTEMS
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The MPSC Application Software to be designed and developed by the successful bidder would have interfaces with various standard Government applications like Sevaarth (for Accounts) and eProcurement. Although the integration is not in scope of this project, but the successful bidder should ensure that the designed software provides Application Program Interfaces (API) to ensure maximum interoperability so that ensuring integration becomes simple in the subsequent phases of the project. 4.5.2 Similarly, MPSC might incorporate Data Warehousing and Data Mining solutions at a later date, and the data structure should be designed keeping such future needs in consideration. 4.6 INDICATIVE SOLUTION ARCHITECTURE 4.6.1 The user interface provides means by which users would interact with the system. The user interface provides means of providing inputs to the system and receiving outputs from the system 4.6.2 The business logic would define functional algorithms which handle information flow between the user interface and the database. 4.6.3 Data access would typically refer to software and activities related to storing, retrieving, or acting on data housed in a database or any other repository. 4.6.4 An indicative 3 tier solution architecture has been given below. This architecture is only indicative and the bidder is welcome to provide any other solution architecture in the technical solution that may be better suited for designing the MPSC Application Software
Application Tiers Logical Partitioning Deployment Physical Partitioning User Interface Code
Web Browser
4.5.1
User Interface
Tier 1:
Business Rule
Tier 2:
BR 1 BR 2 BR 3
BR 4 BR 5 BR 6
Data Access
Tier 3:
Data Access Code

Data
Database Server
[Data Access]
4.7 SECURITY OF SYSTEMS AND DATA 4.7.1 The Bidder shall, to the extent relevant and possible, be guided by the standard nformation Systems Security Policies and Guidelines or suitable Industry standards 4.7.2 The software solution shall contain all suitable security features and firewalls using the latest features to protect and secure the databases used by the proposed system, data in transit etc. 4.7.3 The software solution shall be designed and developed in a manner that will enable incorporation of any commercially available PKI security solution. 4.7.4 Appropriate access and authorization controls should be incorporated into software. 4.8 TRAINING 4.8.1 The successful bidder is required to train MPSCs technical and end users on the software, its usage and operations and any other area that may be necessary. Period Training for (indicative only) (indicative only) 7 Senior Personnel (Chairman, Members, Secretary) 3 days 35- 40 Personnel (Deputy Secretary, Under Secretary, Section 2 weeks Officers, Account Officer, Research Officer) 150 (approx) Other Personnel (Assistants, Clerks etc) 2 weeks MPSC Technical team, and/or technical team appointed or 3 weeks designated by MPSC
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Training for (indicative only)
Senior Personnel Deputy Secretary, Under Secretary, Section Officers, Account Officer, Research Officer Other Personnel (Assistants, Clerks etc) 6 (approx 25 in a batch) MPSC Technical team and/or technical team appointed or 1 designated by MPSC 4.8.2 A detailed training schedule, including the dates, areas to be covered, time and the training literature (to be supplied to MPSC) at various stages of the cycle will be agreed to by both parties (MPSC and the successful bidder) during the performance of the Contract. 4.9 SUGGESTED LIST OF DELIVERABLES 4.9.1 The suggested list of deliverables (but not limited to) from the successful bidder include (1) System Requirement Specification (SRS) document containing detailed requirement capture and analysis including functional requirement, Interface Specifications, application security requirements. (2) High Level Software Design document including Software Architecture design, Logical and Physical Database Design etc (3) Low Level Software Design document including Programming Logic, Workflows etc. (4) Test Plans and Test cases (including Unit Test Plan, System/Integration Test Plan, User Acceptance Test Plan, Security Test Plan, Load Test Plan) (5) MPSC Application Software (6) Software Source Code (7) Software Testing Documentation (including details of defects/bugs/errors and their resolution) (8) Training Manuals and literature (9) Systems Administration Manuals (10) User manuals (11) Installation Manuals (12) Operational Manuals (13) Maintenance Manuals (14) Periodic Status and Review Reports (15) Internal Review and testing documents of the successful bidder. 4.9.2All electronic documents should be in OASIS Open Document Format for Office Applications or Office Open XML format.
Number of batches (indicative only) 1 (7 in a batch) 2 (approx 20 in a batch)
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CHAPTER- 5
SLA
5.1 Service Level Agreement (SLA) is the contract between MPSC and the successful bidder. SLA defines the terms of the Successful bidders responsibility in ensuring the timely delivery of the deliverables and the correctness of the same based on the agreed Performance Indicators as detailed in the Agreement. This section defines various Service Level Indicators which will be considered by MPSC in the Service Level Agreement with Successful bidder. 5.2 The successful bidder has to comply with nine (9) Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to ensure adherence to project timelines, quality and availability of services. 5.3 Timely Delivery: (1) Definition Timely delivery of deliverables would comprise of software application and all documents that are to be submitted as part of the project deliverables. All the deliverables defined in the contract has to be submitted on or before the stipulated date as defined in the contract or the project plan. (2) Service Level Requirement All the deliverables defined in the contract and/or the project plan has to be submitted on or before the date as mentioned in the contract with zero delay. (3) Measurement of Service To be measured in Number of Business Days of delay from the Level Parameter date of submission as defined in the project contract. (4) Penalty for nonDelay of every Business Day would attract a penalty per day as per achievement of SLA the following Requirement 1. For Software Application = 2 X Per day Penalty 2. For Documents = 1 X Per day Penalty The total penalty would be generated by the product of the above and the number of Business Days Delay. The Penalty per day is INR 20,000. 5.4 Correctness of Delivery: (1) Definition Correctness of deliverables would comprise of software application and all documents that are to be submitted as part of the project deliverables. Any deliverable submitted should not have errors/defects/bugs in them. (2) Service Level Requirement All the deliverables defined in the contract have to be submitted First-Time-Right as mentioned in the contract with minimum errors/defects/bugs (as defined below). Documents The documents submitted to MPSC for final approval should have no errors. Application Software The required service level for the Application software correctness is: 1. No Level 1 errors/defects/bugs in the complete application software. Level 1 errors/defects/bugs would be defined as the ones which has the greatest business impact wherein the user is not able to perform his/her regular work, or the output from the system is not as per the requirement. 2. May have a maximum of 3 (three) Level 2 errors/defects/bugs in the complete application software. Level 2 errors/defects/bugs would be defined as the ones which has medium business impact wherein the user is partially able to perform his/her regular work (3) Measurement of Service To be measured in Number of errors/defects/bugs for each of the Level Parameter deliverables as defined in the project contract. The definition of Bug/Error/Defect would be defined in the contract to be signed with the successful bidder. (4) Penalty for non-achievement Occurrence of errors/defects/bugs would attract a penalty per day of SLA Requirement as per the following 3. For Software Application = 2 X Per Bug/Error/Defect
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Penalty 4. For Documents = 1 X Per Bug/Error/Defect Penalty The total penalty would be generated by the product of the above and the number of Bug/Error/Defect found in the deliverables. The Penalty per Bug/Error/Defect is INR 10,000. 5.5 Resolution Time: (1) Definition (2) Service Level Requirement Time in which a complaint / query is resolved after it has been reported by MPSC to the Post Go Live Support team of the successful bidder (A) Any query after being given a response should be classified for resolution in following three categories. (a) Resolution Level 1 (R1): Queries regarding issues which has the greatest business impact wherein the user is not able to perform his/her regular work For example, unable to login to the system due to errors in software, online examination module not working etc. (b) Resolution Level 2 (R2): Queries regarding issues which has medium business impact wherein the user is partially able to perform his/her regular work For example, user is able to login and perform most of his normal work, but cant approve a certain document. (c) Resolution Level 3 (R3): Queries regarding issues which have the least/no business impact involving cosmetic changes. For example, change of background colour etc. (B) The Successful Bidder should provide service as per the following standards Type of Query Maximum resolution time allowed R1 1 business day R2 3 business day R3 5 business day
The service level would be defined in the number of business days calculated from the date of logging the call/raising the request with the successful bidder. (4) Penalty for non-achievement Delay of every Business Day would attract a penalty per day as per of SLA Requirement the following 1. For R1 = 3 X Per day Penalty 2. For R2 = 2 X Per day Penalty 3. For R3 = 1 X Per day Penalty The total penalty would be generated by the product of the above and the number of Business Days Delay. The Penalty per day is INR 10,000. 5.6 Installation of Hardware and Network Equipment (1) Definition Installation of Hardware and Network Equipment would comprise of procurement, pre inspection check, Configuration and Testing by System Integrator and Roll-out approval from MPSC (2) Service Level Requirement Installation of Hardware and Network Equipment should be completed within 1 week (5 Business Days) after delivering to MPSC office/site (3) Measurement of Service To be measured in Number of Business Days from the date of Level Parameter Intimation or Request from MPSC (4) Penalty for non-achievement Delay of every Business Day in Installation of Hardware and Network of SLA Requirement Equipment would attract a penalty per day as per the following : 2 X Per day Penalty The total penalty would be generated by the product of the above and the number of Business Days Delay. The Penalty per day is INR 10,000. 5.7 Network Availability (Uptime) (1) Definition Network availability is defined as the percentage for which the
(3) Measurement of Service Level Parameter
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(2) Service Level Requirement (3) Measurement of Service Level Parameter
(4) Penalty for nonachievement of SLA Requirement
network was available for the user vis--vis the total time. LAN availability should be maintained at a minimum level of 99.9% The bandwidth availability should be maintained at a minimum level of 99.5% {(Total time in a month in minutes Total Down time in a month in minutes)/Total Time in a month in minutes}*100 The above time would be calculated only for Working Hours during Business Days in a month (excluding Holidays) Any planned outage should not be included in the calculation of network availability. However, the Successful Bidder should take at least 15 days prior approval from MPSC in writing for the network maintenance/planned outage If the Successful Bidder is not able to meet the above defined service level requirement, then any deviation from the same would attract a penalty as per the following LAN 99.9 % > 99.5 % > Service Availability Service Service Availability < Availability > Availability > 98% 99.5% 98% Penalty 20,000 INR 30,000 INR 50,000 INR per month per month per month Bandwidth Availability Penalty 99.5 % > Service Availability > 99% 20,000 INR per month 99 % > Service Availability > 98% 30,000 INR per month Service Availability < 98% 50,000 INR per month
5.8 Latency (1) Definition (2) Service Level Requirement (3) Measurement of Service Level Parameter (4) Penalty for non-achievement of SLA Requirement
Latency refers to the average time required for round-trip packet transfers between identified devices on the selected portions of MPSCs network during a calendar month. The average time taken for all round trip packet transfer within MPSC network should not be more than 0.5 seconds in a month. Latency will be measured on the basis of NMS reports. The above time would be calculated only for Working Hours during Business Days in a month (excluding Holidays) If the Successful Bidder is not able to meet the above defined service level requirement, then any deviation from the same would attract a penalty as per the following Latency 0.5 to 1 sec 1 to 3 sec More than 3 secs Penalty 20,000 INR 30,000 INR 50,000 INR per month per month per month Application response time refers to the page load time, i.e. the time for loading a webpage of the MPSCAS. The average application response time for users (time taken for loading of a web page) should not exceed 3 seconds per month. The 95th percentile point of application response time for users should not exceed 6 seconds in a month Application response time will be measured on the basis of automated reports. The data should be captured through automated tools every 10 minutes during the business hours. Data during business hours can only be used for calculations of average response time and percentile point. Any planned application downtime should not be included in the calculation of application response time. However, the Successful Bidder should take at least 15 days prior approval from MPSC in
5.9 Application Response Time (1) Definition (2) Service Level Requirement
(3) Measurement of Service Level Parameter
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(4) Penalty for non-achievement of SLA Requirement
writing for the planned outage. If the Successful Bidder is not able to meet the above defined service level requirement, then any deviation from the same would attract a penalty as per the following Response >= 3 secs to >=6 secs to >= 10 secs Time <6 secs <10 secs (Monthly average) Penalty 20,000 INR 30,000 INR 50,000 INR per month per month per month 95th Percentile > 6 secs to >=10 secs to >= 20 secs Point <10 secs <20 secs Penalty 20,000 INR 30,000 INR 50,000 INR per month per month per month
5.10 Application Availability (1) Definition
Application availability refers to the total time when the Application is available to the users for performing all activities and tasks. (2) Service Level Requirement The average availability of the application should be at least 99% in a month. (3) Measurement of Service [(Total Uptime of the Application in a month)/ (Total Time in a Level Parameter Month)]*100 The above time would be calculated only for Working Hours during Business Days in a month (excluding Holidays) Any planned application downtime should not be included in the calculation of application availability. However, the Successful Bidder should take at least 15 days prior approval from MPSC in writing for the planned outage. (4) Penalty for non-achievement If the Successful Bidder is not able to meet the above defined service of SLA Requirement level requirement, then any deviation from the same would attract a penalty as per the following Application >= 98 % >= 95% <95% Availability to <99% to <98% (Monthly average) Penalty 20,000 30,000 50,000 INR per INR per INR per month month month 5.11 Security & Incident Management SLA (1) Definition Security incidents could consist of any of the following but not limited to : (a) Virus Attack This shall include Malicious code infection of any of the desktops/servers in the network. (b) Denial of Service Attack - This shall include non availability of service (c) Data Theft - Compromise of any kind of data through network. (d) Intrusion Successful / unsuccessful unauthorized access to MPSC Application/ network resulting in loss of confidentiality/Integrity/availability of data. (2) Service Level Requirement The total number of incidents should not be more than 5 per quarter. (3) Measurement of Service The network should be monitored for: Level Parameter (a) Virus Attack - Any virus infection and passing of malicious code through MPSCs proposed network shall be monitored or member complaints of virus infection shall be logged at the help desk system and collated every quarter. (b)Denial of Service Attack (DoS) - Non availability of any services shall be analyzed and forensic evidence shall be examined to check whether it was due to external MPSC attack. (c) Intrusion - Compromise of any kind of data hosted by MPSC.
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(4) Penalty for non-achievement of SLA Requirement
If the Successful Bidder is not able to meet the above defined service level requirement, then any deviation from the same would attract a penalty as per the following Incidents in a 5< 7< Incidents quarter Incidents Incidents >= 10 <= 7 <= 9 Penalty (in INR per 2,00,000 5,00,000 10,00,000 Quarter)
5.12 For the SLAs mentioned in sections 5.7 to 5.11, the successful bidder would get an initial period of SLA holiday, i.e. a time period for which SLAs will not be applicable. This time should be utilized by the successful bidder to stabilize the system, and to ensure adherence to the performance standards laid down by the SLAs. The SLA holiday period would be defined in the agreement to be signed between MPSC and the successful bidder. 5.13 The successful bidder should provide adequate tools for capturing data required for measuring SLAs at no extra cost to MPSC. 5.14 The maximum penalty at any point of time and for any period should not exceed 25% of outstanding project cost as per the Commercial Bid submitted by the successful bidder. 5.15 Penalties shall not be levied on the successful bidder in the following cases: 5.15.1 The non compliance with the SLA has been due to reasons beyond the control of the bidder 5.15.2 There is a Force Majeure event effecting the SLA which is beyond the control of the successful bidder
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CHAPTER- 6 EVALUATION METHODOLOGY 6.1 Overall Evaluation 6.1.1 MPSC will evaluate and compare the bids determined to be substantially responsive. It is MPSCs intent to select the proposal that is most advantageous to MPSC and each proposal will be evaluated using the criteria and process outlined below 6.1.2 The technical evaluation of Bids will be carried out using a points system. 6.1.3 Bidders with score of 75 and above in the technical bid shall be considered as technically qualified. 6.1.4 The commercial bid of all the technically qualified bidders would be opened and arranged in ascending order of quoted price (in INR). The technically qualified bidder with the lowest quoted commercial price (L1) would be eligible for the award of the contract. 6.1.5 MPSC reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive informalities and minor irregularities in proposals received if deemed in the best interest of MPSC to do so. 6.2 Preliminary Evaluation The Bid evaluation process shall be a three-stage process. The first stage of evaluation would involve examination of the Pre-qualification bid documentation furnished by the Bidder prima facie to see if the technical skill base and financial capacity and other Bidder attributes claimed therein are consistent with the needs of this project. MPSC may ask Bidder(s) for additional information, visit to Bidders site and/or arrange discussions with their professional, technical faculties to verify claims made in Pre-qualification bid documentation. 6.3 Evaluation of Bids 6.3.1 In the second and third steps of evaluation, MPSC will proceed to a detailed evaluation of the Technical Bids of the Bidders who qualify the Pre-qualification bid criteria in order to determine whether they are substantially responsive to the requirements set forth in the Request for Proposals. In order to reach such a determination, MPSC will examine the information supplied by the Bidders, and shall evaluate the same as per the evaluation criteria specified in this RFP. 6.3.2 Based on the technical evaluation, the Commercial Bids of only the technically qualified bidders shall be opened by MPSC. The commercial evaluation will take into account the information supplied by the Bidders in the Commercial Proposal, and shall evaluate the same as per the evaluation criteria specified in this RFP. 6.3.3 A substantially responsive Bid is one, which conforms to the requirements, terms, conditions and specifications of the Request for Proposals without material deviation. A material deviation is one which affects in any substantial way the functionality, scope, quality, or performance of the Deliverables, or which limits in any substantial way, inconsistent with the Request for Proposals, MPSC's rights or the Bidder's obligations for, performance of the Project and the rectification of which deviation would affect unfairly the competitive position of other Bidders presenting substantially responsive Bids. 6.3.4 MPSC may waive any minor informality or non-conformity or irregularity in a Bid, which does not constitute a material deviation, provided such a waiver does not prejudice or affect the relative ranking of any Bidder. 6.4 Evaluation Committee 6.4.1 The Tender Evaluation Committee constituted by the MPSC shall evaluate the tenders. 6.4.2 The Tender Committee may choose to conduct negotiation or discussion with the technically qualified bidder with lowest price quote. 6.4.3 The decision of the Evaluation Committee in the evaluation of the Technical and Commercial bids shall be final. No correspondence will be entertained outside the process of negotiation/ discussion with the Committee. 6.5 Clarifications of Bids and Review of Bidders' Proposed Deviations To assist in the examination, evaluation and comparison of Bids MPSC may, at its discretion, ask the Bidder for a clarification of its Bid. The request for clarification and the response shall be in writing and no change in the price or substance of the Bid shall be sought, offered or permitted. 6.6 Contacting MPSC Any attempt by a Bidder to influence MPSC in its bid evaluation, bid comparison or contract award decisions may result in the rejection of the Bidder's Bid. 6.7 Pre-Qualification 6.7.1 Prior to the detailed evaluation of the Technical Bids, MPSC shall determine whether each bid is (a) complete, (b) is accompanied by the required information and documents and (c) is substantially responsive to the requirements set forth in the RFP document.
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6.7.2 The bidder should be a reputed system integrator or software development firm in India having:(1) Number of years in business, at least 10 years. (Annexure 4) (2) Minimum annual turnover of Rs. 20 Crores each from financial year 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07. (Annexure 4) (3) The bidder should have provided IT/Software Design/ Development/ Implementation (completed project) to minimum three (3) clients in the last 5 years. (Annexure 4) (4) The bidder should have provided Procurement, Install, Test, Configuration of Hardware and Network Equipments to minimum three (3) clients in the last 3 years. (Annexure 4) (5) The bidder should have provided IT/Software Design/ Development/ Implementation to minimum two (2) Government/ public sector clients in India in the last 5 years. (Annexure 4) (6) The bidder should have provided Procurement, Install, Test, Configuration of Hardware and Network Equipments to minimum two (2) Government / public sector clients in India in the last 5 years. (Annexure 4) (7) The Bidder must have a Software Development Centre in India and an Office in Maharashtra. (Annexure 4) (8) Bidder must have an overall IT staff strength (staff performing duties of IT/Software Design/ Development/ Implementation and/or Procurement, Install, Test, Configuration of Hardware and Network Equipments) of at least 200 personnel as on 31-03-2007 (to be certified on a Company letterhead by the Head of HR, along with company seal) (9) The cumulative turnover of the bidder for the last three years should be minimum of Rupees 20 (twenty) crores for Procurement, Installation, Test, Configuration of Hardware and Network Equipments and/or IT/Software Design/ Development/ Implementation business as of 31-032007. (Annexure 4) (10)The bidder should have a minimum of SEI CMM Level 5 certificate for its Software Development Centers in India, which would be catering to the offshore work for this project. (Annexure 4). The firm should mention the year of obtaining this certification. (11)The Bidder should have VAT clearance Certificate or a VAT Payment Challan from concerned Government Department as on 1st April 2007 6.7.3 All the above must be substantiated through suitable document proof in support. 6.7.4 The above-mentioned criteria are applicable to the principal bidder who may collaboratively provide the solution along with other partner(s). In case of the successful bidder, which is a consortium, the parties of consortium shall be jointly and severally held responsible for the implementation of system and provision of services. Further, it is mandatory, in the case of consortium, that each of the consortium members retains its core staff (as deemed necessary) on the project throughout the contract period. If any change is proposed by the successful bidder before issue of Work Order or during the period of Contract, the remuneration of the successful bidder shall be reduced by INR 1,00,000 per such replacement. The details of the contractual agreements between both the parties to the consortium should be included in the technical bid to be submitted by the bidder. 6.8 Technical Bid Evaluation 6.8.1 Bidders who have qualified as per the Pre-Qualification Criteria of this RFP document shall be evaluated by the Evaluation Committee based on a weighted point system, assessing each bidders ability to satisfy the requirements set forth in the RFP Document. The Evaluation Committee will evaluate the technical proposals by taking into account factors mentioned below. The information furnished by the bidders in the technical bid shall be the basis for this evaluation. In case any of the information is not made available the committee will assign zero marks to that item. 6.8.2 Each of the technical bids shall be evaluated on a score of 100 points 6.8.3 Each Proposal will be evaluated according to the following criteria, but not limited to (1) Related Experience of the firm Organizational Strengths of the bidder in terms of financial performance, market position, presence in Maharashtra, presence in e-Governance space will be evaluated. Also, past experience of the firm in providing technical solutions for projects of similar nature will be considered for evaluation. (2) Capability of the Proposed Team Experience and Capability of the proposed team in similar projects and technologies and relevant certifications, if any, of the project team which might help in project delivery. (3) Feasibility and Technical Viability of the Proposed Technical Solution - The Bidders Design, Development and Implementation Plan, its deployment of sound project management strategy etc for the project. Also the quality, responsiveness, responsibility, ease of use, reliability and comprehensiveness of the proposed technologies, adherence to IT Architecture Plans, standard Information Systems Security Policies etc would be evaluated from the perspective of the proposed solution. The evaluation will measure if the Bidders proposed solution meets
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MPSCs needs as outlined in the RFP. Site Inspections and Management Interviews, if requested by MPSC, will be factored into the evaluation. Maximum Sr. No. Technical Evaluation Criteria Points 1 Related Experience of the firm 20 2 Capability of the proposed team 20 3 Feasibility and Technical Viability of the Proposed Technical Solution 60 6.8.4 The minimum qualification marks for Technical Bid will be 75. Any bidder securing 75 or above marks in the Technical section would be deemed to have qualified technically. 6.9 Commercial Bid Evaluation : The commercial bids of only the technically qualified bidders shall be opened for consideration. 6.10 Total Bid Evaluation :The commercial bid of all the technically qualified bidders would be opened and arranged in ascending order of quoted price (in INR). The technically qualified bidder with the lowest quoted commercial price (L1) would be eligible for the award of the contract. 6.11 However in order to ensure that MPSC gets best solutions in Technical terms, the Department reserves the right to enter into negotiation with Bidder having highest Technical score and place order with this Bidder at a suitable price.
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CHAPTER- 7 AWARD OF CONTRACT 7.1 Award Criteria MPSC will award the Contract to the successful Bidder whose Bid has been determined to be substantially responsive and has been determined as the Best Value Bid after Technical and Commercial Evaluation (refer to the evaluation criteria in Section 6 for details). 7.2 MPSCs Right to Accept any Bid and to Reject any or All Bids MPSC reserves the right to accept or reject any Bid, and to annul the bidding process and reject all Bids at any time prior to award of Contract, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected Bidder or Bidders or any obligation to inform the affected Bidder or Bidders of the grounds for MPSCs action. 7.3 Notification of Award 7.3.1 Prior to the expiration of the period of Bid validity, MPSC will notify the successful Bidder in writing or by fax or email, to be confirmed in writing by letter, that its Bid has been accepted. 7.3.2 The notification of award will constitute the formation of the Contract. 7.3.3 Upon the successful Bidder's furnishing of Performance Security, MPSC will promptly notify each unsuccessful Bidder. 7.4 Signing of Contract At the same time as MPSC notifies the successful Bidder that its Bid has been accepted, MPSC shall enter into a separate contract, incorporating all agreements (to be discussed and agreed upon separately) between MPSC and the successful Bidder. Such agreements shall cover, in detail, aspects/ terms of the Contract such as (indicative only, and not restricted to): (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24) 7.5 Performance security Contract form Warranty Payment Prices Assignment Sub-contracts Liquidated Damages Termination Applicable Law Notices Change orders Taxes and Duties Confidentiality Limitation of liability Training and consultancy Technical Documentation Application Software terms Project Management Software ownership rights Source code support Bidders obligations MPSCs obligations Patent Rights, etc.
Performance Bank Guarantee 7.5.1 The successful bidder shall at his own expense deposit with MPSC, within thirty (30) working days of the date of notice of award of the contract or prior to signing of the contract, whichever is earlier, an unconditional and irrevocable Performance Bank Guarantee (PBG) from a Nationalized or Scheduled Bank acceptable to MPSC, payable on demand, for the due performance and fulfillment of the contract by the bidder. 7.5.2 The performance guarantee shall be denominated in the currency of the Contract and shall be by bank guarantee. 7.5.3 This Performance Bank Guarantee will be for an amount equivalent to 20% of contract value. All charges whatsoever such as premium, commission etc. with respect to the Performance Bank Guarantee shall be borne by the bidder.
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7.6
7.7
7.5.4The performance bank guarantee shall be valid until the end of three months after the completion of the Contract with the successful bidder. Subject to the terms and conditions in the Performance Bank Guarantee, at the end of thirty nine months from the contract end date, the Performance Bank Guarantee will lapse automatically. 7.5.5 The Performance Bank Guarantee may be discharged/ returned by MPSC upon being satisfied that there has been due performance of the obligations of the Bidder under the contract. However, no interest shall be payable on the Performance Bank Guarantee. 7.5.6 In the event of the Bidder being unable to service the contract for whatever reason, MPSC would evoke the PBG. Notwithstanding and without prejudice to any rights whatsoever of MPSC under the Contract in the matter, the proceeds of the PBG shall be payable to MPSC as compensation for any loss resulting from the Bidders failure to complete its obligations under the Contract. MPSC shall notify the Bidder in writing of the exercise of its right to receive such compensation within 14 days, indicating the contractual obligation(s) for which the Bidder is in default. 7.5.7 MPSC shall also be entitled to make recoveries from the Bidders bills, performance bank guarantee, or from any other amount due to him, the equivalent value of any payment made to him due to inadvertence, error, collusion, misconstruction or misstatement. Warranty 7.6.1 The successful Bidder warrants a Warranty Period for the duration of thirty six months, commencing from the date when the system goes live i.e. (Go-Live + 36 months). The warranty should include that the MPSC Application Software designed and developed by the successful bidder under this Contract shall have no defect arising from design or workmanship or from any act or omission of the successful Bidder that may develop under normal use of the supplied MPSC Application Software. The Bidder shall specify normal operating environmental conditions in the Contract. 7.6.2 MPSC shall promptly notify successful Bidder in writing of any claims arising under this warranty. Upon receipt of such notice, the Vendor shall, within the warranty period and with all reasonable speed, repair or replace the defective Systems, without costs to MPSC and within time specified and acceptable to MPSC. 7.6.3 If the successful Bidder, having been notified, fails to remedy the defect(s) within the period specified in the contract, MPSC may proceed to take such reasonable and remedial action as may be necessary, at the successful bidders risk and expense and without prejudice to any other rights which MPSC may have against the Vendor under the Contract. 7.6.4 During the Warranty period, the successful Bidder will provide all updates, patches/ fixes, version upgrades and new versions if any within 30 days of their availability and should carry out installation and operationalisation of the same at no additional cost to MPSC. 7.6.5 The successful bidder hereby represents and warrants that the Software as delivered does not and will not infringe any Intellectual Property Rights held by any third party and that it has all necessary rights, or at its sole expense shall have secured in writing all transfers of rights and other consents necessary to make the assignments, licenses and other transfers of Intellectual Property Rights and the warranties set forth in the Contract, and for MPSC to own or exercise all Intellectual Property Rights as provided in the Contract. Without limitation, the Vendor shall secure all necessary written agreements, consents and transfers of rights from its employees and other persons or entities whose services are used for development of the Software. 7.6.6 The successful bidder hereby warrants to MPSC that: 7.6.6.1 The Application Software represents a complete, integrated solution meeting MPSCs requirements and will provide the functionality and performance, as per the terms and conditions under the contract. The successful bidder shall accept responsibility for the successful implementation of the application System and for the compatibility of the application system with the system software and hardware to be procured by MPSC (the details will be provided to the successful bidder); 7.6.6.2 The successful bidder will be responsible for warranty services from subcontracted third party producers or licensers of Products included in the Systems. 7.6.6.3 The successful bidder undertakes to ensure the maintenance of the acceptance criterion/standards in respect of the systems during the warranty period. Failure to agree with the Terms & Conditions of the RFP/Contract Failure of the successful Bidder to agree with the Terms & Conditions of the RFP/Contract shall constitute sufficient grounds for the annulment of the award, in which event MPSC may make the award to the next Best Value Bidder or call for new Bids.
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8
8.1
CHAPTER- 8 PAYMENT TERMS FOR SUCCESSFUL BIDDER
8.2 8.3
MPSC shall pay to the successful bidder the consideration, to be fixed as per terms of the Contract with the successful bidder(s). The broad terms of payment are as follows :8.1.1 On award of the project to the successful bidder (issuing of the Letter Of Intent or Work Order), the successful bidder has to provide a Performance Bank Guarantee of 20% of contract value valid for the prescribed period. 8.1.2 On successful completion and sign-off of the System Requirement Specifications (SRS) by MPSC, 10% of the Contract Value to be paid to the successful bidder. 8.1.3 The Rest 90% of the contract value shall be paid to the successful bidder in the form of Quarterly Guaranteed Revenue (QGR) after adjusting any deductions due to non compliance of SLA etc. Every quarter 7.5% of the contract value would be paid to the successful bidder as QGR at the end of the quarter during the 3 years of Post Production Support after successful sign-off of UAT. All payments to the successful bidder shall be made upon submission of invoices and Advance Stamped Receipt along with the related documents thereof after making adjustments (if required) for penalties for non adherence to defined SLAs. The bidder shall quote an all inclusive fixed price as per the format defined in Annexure 8
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CHAPTER- 9
9
9.1
INSTRUCTION TO BIDDERS
RESPONSE TO TENDER ADVERTISEMENT 9.1.1 In response to the tender advertisement, the bidders are expected to submit their offers in two parts namely, Technical bid and Commercial bid. The interested bidders should send their bids to the address mentioned in Section 2. Two copies of each of the bid needs to be submitted Original and Duplicate 9.1.2 The Bidders are solely responsible for delays in receipt, including but not limited to third party carriers. Bids not received at address mentioned in Section 2 by the date and time mentioned in Section 2 will not be opened. COST OF TENDER DOCUMENT 9.2.1 The tender document is available for download from the MPSC Official website during the period as mentioned in Section 2.4. Vendors who download the tender document from the website needs to provide a demand draft of Rs. 10,000 (Rupees Ten thousand only) drawn in favour of Secretary, Maharashtra Public Service Commission payable at Mumbai at the time of submission of bid. PRE-BID CONFERENCE 9.3.1 MPSC will conduct a pre-bid conference for all potential bidders to clarify the objectives/scope of the project as per the date and time mentioned in Section 2.4. The pre-bid conference would be held at: Maharashtra Public Service Commission Bank of India Building, 3rd Floor,MG Road, Fort, Mumbai 400001 9.3.2 The interested bidders should confirm their participation and submit their queries in writing 7 business days prior to the Pre-Bid Conference. BID SECURITY (EARNEST MONEY DEPOSIT EMD) 9.4.1 The Bidder shall furnish, as part of its pre-qualification bid, a bid security of INR 5,00,000 (Rupees Five lakhs only) valid for Six Months from the date of issue. 9.4.2 The bid security is required to protect the MPSC against the risk of Bidders conduct, which would warrant the securitys forfeiture 9.4.3 The bid security shall be denominated in Indian Rupees, and shall be in the form of a demand draft drawn on a nationalized bank in favour of Secretary, Maharashtra Public Service Commission or a Bank Guarantee from a nationalized or scheduled bank as per the format given in Annexure- 6 9.4.4 Unsuccessful Bidders bid security will be discharged/ returned as promptly as possible but not later than 60 days after the award of the contract to the successful bidder. 9.4.5 The successful Bidders bid security will be discharged upon the Successful Bidder signing the Contract and furnishing the Performance Bank Guarantee given in Annexure-9 and 10 respectively. 9.4.6 No interest will be payable by the MPSC on the amount of the Bid Security. 9.4.7 The bid security may be forfeited: (a) If a Bidder withdraws his bid or increases his quoted prices during the period of bid validity or its extended period, if any; or (b) In the case of a successful Bidder, if the Bidder fails to sign the Contract or to furnish Performance Bank Guarantee in accordance with the format given in the Appendix. AMENDMENT OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS 9.5.1 At any time prior to the deadline for submission of bids, MPSC, for any reason, may modify, change, append or delete certain conditions in the RFP by amendment through official notification published on the website of MPSC, and such an amendment shall be binding on all prospective bidders. 9.5.2 In order to allow prospective bidders reasonable time to take into consideration the amendments while preparing their bids MPSC, at its discretion, may extend the deadline for the submission of bids. LANGUAGE OF PROPOSALS The Proposal and all correspondence and documents shall be written in English. All Proposals and accompanying documentation will become the property of MPSC and will not be returned. An electronic copy of Technical bid on CD must also be included. The hardcopy version will be considered as the official proposal. MPSC SITE VISIT The Bidder may visit and examine MPSCs site(s) at a time to be agreed with MPSC and obtain for himself on his own responsibility all information that may be necessary for preparing the Bid document. The visit may not be used to raise questions or seek clarification; such matters must be submitted in writing. The costs of visiting the site(s) shall be at Bidder's own expense.
9.2
9.3
9.4
9.5
9.6
9.7
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BIDDERS SITE VISIT Bidders site visit may be sought at the discretion of MPSC. The bidder shall provide all the necessary assistance in assessing and evaluating the bidders capabilities during their visit. 9.9 PRICES 9.9.1 The bidder shall quote a fixed price for the entire project on a single responsibility basis. 9.9.2 No adjustment of the contract price shall be made on account of variation of costs of labour and materials or any other cost component affecting the total cost in fulfilling the obligations under the contract. The Contract price shall be the only payment, payable by MPSC to the successful Bidder for completion of the contractual obligations by the successful Bidder under the Contract, subject to the terms of payment specified in the Contract. 9.9.3 The price would be inclusive of all taxes, duties, charges and levies as applicable. 9.9.4 The prices, once offered, must remain firm and must not be subject to escalation for any reason whatsoever within the period of warranty. 9.9.5 A bid submitted with an adjustable price quotation will be rejected as non-responsive. 9.10 CORRECTION OF ERRORS 9.10.1 Bidders are advised to exercise greatest care in entering the pricing figures. No excuse that mistakes have been made or requests for prices to be corrected will be entertained after the quotations are opened. 9.10.2 All corrections, if any, should be initialed by the person signing the bid form before submission, failing which the figures for such items may not be considered. 9.10.3 The copies Original and Duplicate of each bid should be similar in all respects in terms of content. (e.g. the original and duplicate copies of the Technical Bid should be similar in all respects in terms of the content) 9.10.4 Arithmetic errors in bids will be corrected as follows: (a) Where there is a discrepancy between the amounts in figures and in words, the amount in words shall govern. (b) The amount stated in the bid form, adjusted in accordance with the above procedure, shall be considered as binding, unless it causes the overall bid price to rise, in which case the bid price shall govern. 9.11 BID CURRENCY Prices shall be quoted entirely in Indian Rupees. 9.12 DISQUALIFICATION The bid is liable to be disqualified in the following cases (this list is indicative,and not limited to) 9.12.1 The Bid not submitted in accordance with this document. 9.12.2 During validity of the bid, or its extended period, if any, the bidder increases his quoted prices. 9.12.3 The bidder qualifies the bid with his own conditions. 9.12.4 Bid is received in incomplete form. 9.12.5 Bid is received after due date and time. 9.12.6 Bid is not accompanied by all requisite documents 9.12.7 Information submitted in Technical offer is found to be misrepresented, incorrect or false, accidentally, unwittingly or otherwise, at any time during the processing of the contract (no matter at what stage) or during the tenure of the contract including the extension period if any. 9.12.8 Commercial bid is enclosed in the same envelope as Technical bid. 9.12.9 The Deliverables as given in the Technical solution should be in consonance with the Commercial proposal. Any deviations in the final deliverables between technical and commercial proposals shall make the bid as being unresponsive and may lead to disqualification of the bid. 9.12.10 Awardee of the contract qualifies the letter of acceptance of the contract with his conditions. 9.12.11 Bidders may specifically note that while processing the bid documents, if it comes to MPSCs knowledge expressly or implied, that some bidders may have compounded in any manner whatsoever or otherwise joined to form a cartel resulting in delay/ holding up the processing of bid then the bidders so involved are liable to be disqualified for this contract as well as for a further period of two years from participation in any of the bids floated by MPSC. It is also clarified that if need arises MPSC would go in for appointment of outside party(s) to undertake the work under the captioned bid. 9.12.12 In case any one party submits multiple bids or if common interests are found in two or more bidders, the bidders are likely to be disqualified, unless additional bids/bidders are withdrawn upon notice immediately. 9.12.13 The Bidder is expected to submit a statement agreeing to relinquish source code and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) along with the Technical proposal. Non-receipt of such a statement shall make the bid as being unresponsive and shall lead to disqualification of the bid.
9.8
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9.13
9.14
9.15
9.16
9.12.14 Bidder fails to deposit the Performance Bank Guarantee(refer Section 6.5) or fails to enter into a contract within 30 working days of the date of notice of award of contract or within such extended period, as may be specified by MPSC. 9.12.15 PERIOD OF VALIDITY OF BIDS 9.12.16 The bids shall be valid for a period of SIX MONTHS from the closing date for submission of the bid. A Bid valid for a shorter period may be rejected as non-responsive. Till completion of the validity period, unless the bidder withdraws his bid in writing, it will be deemed to be valid until such time that the bidder formally (in writing) withdraws his bid. 9.12.17 In exceptional circumstances, at its discretion, MPSC may solicit the Bidder's consent to an extension of the period of validity. The request and the responses thereto shall be made in writing (or by fax or email). 9.12.18 FORMAT AND SIGNING OF BID 9.12.19 The Bidder must organize the bid in accordance with the format specified in the Appendix of this document. 9.12.20 The Bidder shall prepare an original and one (1) duplicate of the Bid, clearly marking each "Original" and "Duplicate". In the event of any discrepancy between them, the original shall govern. An electronic copy of Technical bid on CD must also be included. Hard copy version is considered for official purposes. 9.12.21 The original and the copies of the Bid shall be typed or written in indelible ink and shall be signed by the Bidder or a person or persons duly authorized to bind the Bidder to the Contract. The letter of authorization shall be indicated by written power-of-attorney accompanying the bid. 9.12.22 The Bid shall contain no interlineations, erasures or overwriting except as necessary to correct errors made by the Bidder, in which case, such corrections shall be initialed by the person or persons signing the Bid in original. PERIOD OF VALIDITY OF BIDS 9.13.1 The bids shall be valid for a period of SIX MONTHS from the closing date for submission of the bid. A Bid valid for a shorter period may be rejected as non-responsive. Till completion of the validity period, unless the bidder withdraws his bid in writing, it will be deemed to be valid until such time that the bidder formally (in writing) withdraws his bid. 9.13.2 In exceptional circumstances, at its discretion, MPSC may solicit the Bidder's consent to an extension of the period of validity. The request and the responses thereto shall be made in writing (or by fax or email). FORMAT AND SIGNING OF BID 9.14.1 The Bidder must organize the bid in accordance with the format specified in the Appendix of this document. 9.14.2 The Bidder shall prepare an original and one (1) duplicate of the Bid, clearly marking each "Original" and "Duplicate". In the event of any discrepancy between them, the original shall govern. An electronic copy of Technical bid on CD must also be included. Hard copy version is considered for official purposes. 9.14.3 The original and the copies of the Bid shall be typed or written in indelible ink and shall be signed by the Bidder or a person or persons duly authorized to bind the Bidder to the Contract. The letter of authorization shall be indicated by written power-of-attorney accompanying the bid. 9.14.4 The Bid shall contain no interlineations, erasures or overwriting except as necessary to correct errors made by the Bidder, in which case, such corrections shall be initialed by the person or persons signing the Bid in original. SEALING AND MARKING OF BIDS 9.15.1 The Bidders shall seal the Technical Proposal in an inner envelope marked "Technical Bid. 9.15.2 The Bidders shall seal the Commercial Proposal in an inner envelope marked "Commercial Bid. 9.15.3 The inner envelopes shall be sealed in an outer envelope. Both inner and outer envelopes shall be addressed to Secretary, MPSC at the address given in the document. 9.15.4 The inner and outer envelopes shall: (1) Bear the Project title and the words (2) "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL TECHNICAL EVALUATION for Commercial bid (3) The inner envelope shall indicate the name and address of the bidder to enable the Bid to be returned unopened in case it is declared "late." (4) If the outer envelope is not sealed and marked as specified above, MPSC will not assume responsibility for the Bid's misplacement or premature opening. SUBMISSION OF BIDS 9.16.1 The bidder shall submit the bids using the format and form provided in the Appendix. The technical bid should not contain any pricing or commercial information.
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9.16.2 Bids along with the relevant documents must be received at the address specified and no later than the time (on the date) specified in Section 2.4 9.16.3 Bids received after the date and time mentioned in the Section 2.4 will not be accepted under any circumstances. The bidder shall ensure that the bid documents, complete in all respects, reach by the due date and time. 9.16.4 In case the bid due date is extended due to any reason the same shall be intimated to all the bidders who have purchased the RFP at the e-mail address/ fax nos./ postal address provided by them. The same will also be available on the website of MPSC. 9.16.5 MPSC may, at its discretion, extend this deadline for the submission of Bids by amending the Request for Proposals, in which case all rights and obligations of MPSC and Bidders previously subject to the deadline will thereafter be subject to the deadline as extended. 9.17 9.18 LATE BIDS Any Bid received by MPSC after the deadline for submission of bids prescribed by MPSC, will be rejected.
MODIFICATION AND WITHDRAWAL OF BIDS 9.18.1 The Bidder may modify or withdraw its Bid after the Bid's submission, provided that written notice of the modification or withdrawal is received by MPSC prior to the deadline prescribed for submission of Bids. 9.18.2 The Bidder's modification or withdrawal notice shall be prepared, sealed, marked and dispatched to MPSC. A withdrawal notice may also be sent by fax or email but should be followed by a duly signed confirmation copy not later than the deadline for submission of Bids. 9.18.3 No Bid may be modified subsequent to the deadline for submission of Bids. 9.18.4 No Bid may be withdrawn in the interval between the deadline for submission of Bids and the expiration of the period of Bid validity specified by the Bidder on the Bid Form. 9.19 CONFLICT OF INTEREST Bidder shall furnish an affirmative statement as to the existence of, absence of, or potential for conflict of interest on the part of the Bidder or any prospective subcontractor due to prior, current, or proposed contracts, engagements, or affiliations with MPSC. Additionally, such disclosure shall address any and all potential elements (time frame for service delivery, resource, financial or other) that would adversely impact the ability of the Bidder to complete the requirements as given in the RFP. 9.20 PROTECTION FROM OBSOLESCENCE The Application Software solution provided should protect MPSC from technical obsolescence and high technology turnover rates. Bidders should explain how they have adopted the standards and must describe how these standards are effective now and how they will position MPSC to inter-operate with future technologies. NON EXCLUSIVITY, LICENSE FEE, IPR The Intellectual Property Rights of the Application Software developed for MPSC shall be vested in MPSC who shall have absolute right to use, license or sell the system without any payment to or permission from the Bidder. SOFTWARE OWNERSHIP RIGHTS The Bidder shall relinquish to MPSC the source code along with adequate detailed documents (from the testing phase onwards) and the rights to the systems, programs and software developed at MPSC's expense and subject to negotiated agreements, all ownership right to the application software packages procured for MPSC. The source code with version control system should be submitted in a DVD to MPSC. PATENT RIGHTS In the event of any claim asserted by a third party of infringement of copyright, patent, trademark or industrial design rights arising from the use of the Goods or any part thereof, the Bidder shall expeditiously extinguish such claim. If the Bidder fails to comply and MPSC is required to pay compensation to a third party resulting from such infringement, the Bidder shall be responsible for the compensation including all expenses, court costs and lawyer fees. MPSC will give notice to the Bidder of such claim, if it is made, without delay. BID OPENING MPSC will open the Technical bids and list them for further evaluation. The commercial bid covers shall be listed and shall not be opened until the evaluation of the Technical bid. The commercial bids of only those bidders who qualify in technical evaluation will be opened. The bids will be opened in the presence of representatives of the bidder(s) (if they are present).
9.21
9.22
9.23
9.24
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9.25
MANPOWER DEPLOYMENT Bidder must submit resumes of the personnel who would be employed for this project. Any change in the personnel on the project will require the prior approval of MPSC.
9.26
POST GO-LIVE SUPPORT 9.26.1 From the day when the system goes live, the Bidder must provide expert personnel onsite at MPSC premises for a period of three (3) years on a full time basis for providing post Go-Live support to the implemented system. 9.26.2 The persons responsible for providing Post Go-Live support should necessarily have a minimum of 2 years implementation experience and their resumes need to be submitted to MPSC for approval 30 days prior to estimated go-live of the system. Any change in the personnel on the project will require the prior approval of MPSC. 9.26.3 At the end of 3 years, MPSC will have the option of extending the Post Go-Live support for any further periods if the need arises so. 9.27 TERMINATION FOR DEFAULT MPSC may, without prejudice to any other remedy for breach of contract by written notice of default sent to the bidder, terminate the contract in whole or in part: 9.27.1 If the bidder fails to deliver any or all of the equipments and services within the time period(s) specified in the contract, or any extension thereof granted by MPSC OR 9.27.2 If the bidder fails to perform any other obligation(s) under the contract 9.28 TERMINATION FOR INSOLVENCY MPSC may at any time terminate the contract by giving written notice to the bidder, without compensation to the bidder, if the bidder becomes bankrupt or otherwise insolvent, provided that such termination will not prejudice or affect any right of action or remedy which has accrued or will accrue thereafter to MPSC.
9.29
FORCE MAJEURE 9.29.1 The bidder shall not be liable for penalty, liquidated damages or termination for default, if and to the extent that, his delay in performance or other failure to perform his obligations under the contract is the result of an event of Force Majeure. 9.29.2 For purposes of this clause, Force Majeure means an event beyond the control of the bidder and not involving the bidder and not involving the bidders fault or negligence and not foreseeable. Such events may include, but are not restricted to, instances of, wars or revolutions, fires, floods, epidemics, quarantine restrictions and freight embargoes which would have an impact on MPSC. 9.29.3 If a Force Majeure situation arises, the bidder shall promptly notify MPSC in writing of such conditions and the cause thereof. Unless otherwise directed by MPSC, the bidder shall seek all reasonable alternative means for performance not prevented by the Force Majeure event. 9.30 FORCE MAJEURE EVENTS 9.30.1. The Force Majeure circumstances and events shall include the following events to the extent that such events or their consequences (it being understood that if a causing event is within the reasonable control of the affected party, the direct consequences shall also be deemed to be within such party's reasonable control) satisfy the appropriate definition as per this agreement. Without limitation to the generality of the foregoing, Force Majeure Event shall include the following classes of events and circumstances and their effects: 9.30.2 Natural events (Natural Events) to the extent they satisfy the foregoing requirements including: 9.30.2.1 Any material effect on the natural elements, including lightning, fire, earthquake, cyclone, flood, storm, tornado, or typhoon; 9.30.2.2 Explosion or chemical contamination (other than resulting from an act of war); 9.30.2.3 Epidemic such as plague; 9.30.2.4 Any event or circumstance of a nature analogous to any of the foregoing. 9.30.3 Other Events (Political Events) to the extent that they satisfy the foregoing requirements including: 9.30.3.1 Act of war (whether declared or undeclared), invasion, armed conflict or act of foreign enemy, blockade, embargo, revolution, riot, insurrection, civil commotion, act of terrorism or sabotage; 9.30.3.2 Strikes, work to rules, go-slows which are either widespread, nation-wide, or state-wide and are of political nature; 9.30.3.3 Any event or circumstance of a nature analogous to any of the foregoing.
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9.31
RESOLUTION OF CONFLICTS 9.31.1 MPSC and the successful bidder shall make every effort to resolve amicably by direct informal negotiation, any disagreement or dispute, arising between them under or in connection with the contract. 9.31.2 If the dispute cant be resolved amicably by direct informal negotiation between MPSC and the successful bidder, then the same can be referred to PwC (Project Management Consultant) in writing within 30 calendar days of dispute arise. PwC should propose an amicable solution to the dispute within 60 calendar days of receiving the written application (mentioning the dispute). 9.31.3 If the proposed resolution given by PwC is not acceptable to any of the parties (MPSC or the successful bidder), then the objection to the same can be referred to the Technical Expert Committee constituted by MPSC at the start of the project with Members of eminent Public Institutions and the Members having experience in fields related to C.S., I.T., etc in writing within 30 calendar days of dispute arise. The Technical Expert Committee should propose an amicable solution to the dispute within 60 calendar days of receiving the written application (mentioning the dispute). 9.31.4 If the proposed resolution given by the Technical Expert Committee is not acceptable to any of t he parties (MPSC or the successful bidder), then the objection to the same can be referred to the award of arbitrators, which will be appointed in accordance to The Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The rules there under and any statutory modification or re-enactments thereof made till the date of signing of contract, shall apply to the arbitration proceedings. 9.32 LAWS The terms of this RFP and the contract shall be governed by the Indian laws under the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts in Mumbai 9.33 NOTICES 9.33.1 Any notice by one party to the other pursuant to the contract shall be sent in writing by registered post only to the addresses as defined under this contract. 9.33.2 A notice shall be effective when delivered or on the notices effective date, whichever is later. DEDUCTION Payments shall be subject to any deductions (such as TDS etc.) of any amount, for which the bidder is liable under the agreement against this RFP. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY Bidders cumulative liability for its obligations under the contract shall not exceed the contract value and the bidder shall not be liable for incidental, consequential, or indirect damages including loss of profit or saving CONFIDENTIALITY 9.36.1 Bidder understands and agrees that all data, materials and information marked and identified by MPSC as Confidential are valuable assets of MPSC and are to be considered MPSC's proprietary information and property. 9.36.2 Bidder will treat all confidential data, materials and information provided by MPSC with the highest degree of care necessary to insure that unauthorized disclosure does not occur. Bidder will not use or disclose any data, materials or information provided by MPSC without MPSC's prior written approval. Bidder shall not be liable for disclosure or use of any materials or information provided by MPSC or developed by Bidder which is: (1) Possessed by Bidder prior to receipt from MPSC, other than through prior disclosure by MPSC, as documented by Bidder's written records; (2) Published or available to the general public otherwise than through a breach of Confidentiality; (3) Obtained by Bidder from a third party with a valid right to make such disclosure, provided that said third party is not under a confidentiality obligation to MPSC; (4) Developed independently by the bidder. 9.36.3 In the event that Bidder is required by judicial or administrative process to disclose any information or materials required to be held confidential hereunder, Bidder shall promptly notify MPSC and allow MPSC a reasonable time to oppose such process before making disclosure. 9.36.4 Bidder understands and agrees that any use or dissemination of information in violation of this Confidentiality Clause will cause MPSC irreparable harm, may leave MPSC with no adequate remedy at law and MPSC is entitled to seek to injunctive relief. 9.36.5 MPSC does not wish to receive any Confidential Information of Bidder, and Bidder agrees that it will first provide or disclose information which is not confidential. Only to the extent that MPSC requests Confidential Information from Bidder, will the bidder furnish or disclose Confidential Information. 9.36.6 Nothing herein shall be construed as granting to either party any right or license under any copyrights, inventions, or patents now or hereafter owned or controlled by the other party.
9.34
9.35
9.36
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9.36.7 The requirements of use and confidentiality set forth herein shall survive the expiration, termination or cancellation of this contract. 9.36.8 Confidential Information disclosed under this contract shall be subject to confidentiality obligations for a period of 3 years following the initial date of disclosure. 9.36.9 Nothing contained in this contract shall limit the bidder from providing similar services to any third parties or reusing the skills, know-how, and experience gained by the employees in providing the services contemplated under this contract. 9.37 AUDIT MPSC reserves the right to audit at any point of time, the work of the bidder related to the project through its internal team or any other third party consultant or auditor.
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ANNEXURE-1 TENDER OFFER FORM (TOF) Date: _________ Tender Reference No.: To The Secretary, Maharashtra Public Service Commission, Bank of India Building, Third Floor, M.G. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400001 Sub: TENDER DOCUMENT FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE TENDER PROCESS FOR Appointment of a System Integrator for Design, Development, Testing, Implementation and Post Go-Live Support of Application Software for MPSC and Procurement, Supply, Test, Implement and Support the Hardware & Network Infrastructure. Gentlemen: Having examined the tender documents including all Annexure the receipt of which is hereby duly acknowledged, we, the undersigned, offer to work for Design, Development, Testing, Implementation and Post Go-Live Support of Application Software for MPSC as mentioned in the Scope of the work as required by Secretary, MPSC in conformity with the said tender documents. I/ We undertake that the Prices are in conformity with the specifications prescribed. The quote is inclusive of all costs likely to be incurred for executing this work. I/ we undertake, if our tender offer is accepted to perform in accordance with the time schedule specified in the Tender. If our Bid is accepted we shall submit the performance guarantee of bank as mentioned in the RFP for the due performance of the Contract during the Contract period at the time of signing of Agreement in the Form prescribed by the Tendering Authority. I / We agree to abide by this Bid for the period of 180 days after the date fixed for Bid opening and it shall remain binding upon us and may be accepted at any time before the expiry of that period. Until a formal contract is prepared and executed, this Bid offers, together with your written acceptance thereof and your notification of award shall constitute a binding contract between us. We understand that you are not bound to accept the lowest or any offer you may receive. We agree to the terms and conditions mentioned in the Tender Document. Dated this ____ day of ________________ Signature: ________________________________ (In the Capacity of: ) ____________________________ Duly authorized to sign the tender offer for and on behalf of Encl.: (A) Envelope-2: Technical Proposal (1) Tender Fee (2) Index (3) Tender offer form duly filled in. (Annexure 1) (4) Bidders Authorization Certificate. (Annexure 2) (5) Self Declaration for unblemished record (Annexure 3) (6) Details of Bidder (Annexure 4) (7) Details of Manpower (Annexure 5) (8) Bid Security/ Earnest Money Deposit (Annexure 6) (9) VAT clearance Certificate or a VAT Payment Challan from concerned Government Department as on 1st April 2007 (10) Project Technical Approach & Methodology, including Design, Development and Implementation Strategies and Plans. Also provide details on how the bidder would plan for support during the Post GoLive Support and Warranty period. (11) Original Tender Document duly signed.p (12) Document supporting Technical Qualifications and eligibility criteria. (13) Pre Qualification Checklist (Annexure 7) (B) Envelope-2: Commercial Proposal Price Schedule (Annexure 8)
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ANNEXURE-2 BIDDER'S AUTHORISATION CERTIFICATE To, The Secretary, Maharashtra Public Service Commission, Bank of India Building, Third Floor, M.G.Road, Mumbai 400001 < Bidder's Name>---------------------------------------< Designation>----------------------------------- is hereby authorized to sign relevant documents on behalf of the Company in dealing with Tender of reference<Tender No. and Date>----------------------------------------. He is also authorized to attend meetings and submit Technical and Commercial information as may be required by you in the course of processing above said tender. Thanking you, Authorized Signatory <Name> Seal ---------------------------This tender document is not transferable
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ANNEXURE-3 SELF-DECLARATION Ref.-------Date: To, The Secretary, Maharashtra Public Service Commission, Bank of India Building, Third Floor, M.G.Road, Mumbai 400001 In response to the tender No.-----------------------------------------dated-----------of Ref.--------------as an owner/Partner/Director of-----------------------------. I/We hereby declare that our Agency-------------- is having unblemished past record and was not declared ineligible for corrupt and fraudulent practices either indefinitely or for a particular period of time. Also, I/We hereby declare that our Agency-------------- does not have any connection with employees at MPSC, its Consultant and the Technical Committee appointed by MPSC for guidance relating this project. Name of the Tenderer: Signature: Seal of the Organization: -
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ANNEXURE-4 DETAILS OF BIDDER Please ensure that your response clearly answers all the questions. If you use additional schedules or documentation to support your response, make sure that they are clearly cross-referenced to the relevant question. A. General Profile of the Company Name and Address of the Company With Telephone Nos., Fax, E-mail and Website Date of Incorporation (with document evidence for Certificate of Incorporation) Offices situated at different locations Address of Software Development facilities in India Address of Office in Maharashtra Turn over for last three years (Audited Annual Accounts and Annual Reports of three accounting years to be submitted) Cumulative Turn over for last three years from Software Design, Development, Implementation business (with document evidence) Sales Tax / Service Tax/ VAT Registration Number (with document evidence) VAT Clearance Certificate from Concerned Government department as on 1st April 07 (with document evidence) PAN NO (with document evidence) Number of IT resources with the organization as on 31st March 07 (with document evidence) Authorized Signatory <Name> Seal B. Project Details (last 3 years) The bidder should provide details of the projects executed.
Sl. No. Name, Address and Ph No. of client Brief project details Period/ Date of contract and tenure Platform/ Environment /Technology used Total Value of the Contract
(Separate sheets may be attached to elaborate the projects undertaken)

Note:- Please enclose Work-orders along with Completion Certificates / Client's Testimonial given by concerned organizations or for whom work is done for Annexure 4 B and C.
C.
Sl. No.
Quality Certificate
Name of the certificate Certified by Date of getting certification Certificate Valid upto date
(Attach copies of the certificate) D. Awards/Certificates for products/services

Sl. No. Name of the certificate Certified by/ Awarded by Date of getting certification/award Field of award (Software/ Hardware etc)
E.
Name and Details of the person to whom all references shall be made regarding the tender
Name: Telephone: Fax No.: E-mail: Mobile: Place: Signature: Date: Company Seal Pl. Note: 1. In-adequate information could lead to disqualification of the bid. 2. All items should be supported by proper documents.
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ANNEXURE-5 DETAILS OF MANPOWER (A) MANPOWER DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE (Only give time deployment schedule indicating full time/part-time deployment without quoting any cost. The cost shall be given in Annexure-8 only) (1) Project Manager/Leader: (2) Business Analyst(s)/ Functional Expert(s): (Number of Members in Team) (3) Technical Experts: (Number of Members in Team) (4) Programmers/Developers/Software Testing personnel:(Number of Members in Team) Note: (1) The Project Manager/Leader shall not be changed during the contract period. (2) If for any reason beyond the reasonable control of the successful bidder, it becomes necessary to replace any of the personnel, the successful bidder shall forthwith provide as a replacement of a person of equivalent or better qualification. However such replacement shall not be permitted in case of Project Manager/Leader, provided the work order is issued within 180 days from the date of opening of Commercial Bid. If such replacement is proposed by the successful bidder before issue of Work Order or during the period of Contract, the remuneration of the successful bidder shall be reduced by Rs.1,00,000/per such replacement. (B) Resumes of resources (Use the format given below for each individual) Attachment Sr.No Reference Item Details for additional information 1 Name 2 Role in the project 3 Current job title and responsibilities 4 Experience in years 5 Number of years with the organization 6 Summary of Professional and Domain experience 7 Skill-sets 8 Highlights of similar assignments handled 9 Education background 10 Training and Certifications Signature of staff: Place: ------------Signature of authorized person from bidder firm: Seal of the Organization Date: --------------
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ANNEXURE-6 BID SECUITY FORM Whereas ________________________________________(hereinafter called "the Bidder") has submitted its tender offer dated ________2007 for the supply of ____________________(hereinafter called "the tender") KNOW ALL MEN by these presents that WE_________________ ___________________ ____ _____of ________________________ _______________ (hereinafter called the Bank:) are bound upto ________________ _________________________ (hereinafter called " THE COMMISSION ") in the sum of _________________ ___________for which payment well and truly to be made to the said Purchaser, the Bank binds itself, its successors and assigns by these presents. Sealed with the Common Seal of the Said Bank this ___________ day of ________2007. THE CONDITIONS of this obligation are: If the Bidder withdraws its tender during the period of tender validity specified by the Bidder on the Tender Form; or If the Bidder, having been notified of the acceptance of its tender by the COMMISSION during the period of tender validity: fails or refuses to execute the contract Form if required; or fails or refuses to furnish the Performance Security, in accordance with the instruction given in tender document; We undertake to pay the COMMISSION up to the above amount upon receipt of its first written demand, without the COMMISSION having to substantiate its demand, provided that in its demand the COMMISSION shall note that the amount claimed by it is due it owing to the occurrence of one or both of the two conditions, specifying the occurred condition or conditions. This guarantee shall remain in force up to and including and any demand in respect thereof should reach the Bank not later than the above date
__________________________ (Signature of the Bank)
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ANNEXURE-7 PRE QUALIFICATION CHECLIST SR. No. 1 2 Item Number of years in business Annual turnover from financial year 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 Details of IT/Software Design/ Development/ Implementation for clients in the last 5 years Details of projects in Procurement, Install, Test, Configuration of Hardware and Network Equipments for clients in the last 3 years Details of IT/Software Design/ Development/ Implementation for Government / Public Sector clients in India in the last 5 years Details of projects in Procurement, Install, Test, Configuration of Hardware and Network Equipments for Government/ Public Sector clients in India in the last 3 years Details of Software Development Center in India and office in Maharashtra Overall IT strength (manpower) The cumulative turnover of the bidder for the last three years for Procurement, Install, Test, Configuration of Hardware and Network Equipments and/or IT/Software Design/ Development/ Implementation business as of 3103-2007 Details of Quality certification) Certification (SEI CMM Level 5 Response of the Bidder Section Page No.
8 9
10
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ANNEXURE-8 PRICE SCHEDULE (PS) [To be part of Envelope 2] The Secretary, Maharashtra Public Service Commission, Bank of India Building, Third Floor, M.G. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400001 Sub: TENDER DOCUMENT FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE TENDER PROCESS FOR Appointment of a System Integrator for Design, Development, Testing, Implementation and Post Go-Live Support of Application Software for MPSC and Procurement, Supply, Test, Implement and Support the Hardware & Network Infrastructure. Sir, We declare: i) That we are sole owner/authorized agents/ of .... That we/the undersigned agency is equipped with adequate hardware/software and other facilities required for providing services and our establishment is open for inspection by the representatives of MPSC We hereby offer to provide Services at the prices and rates mentioned in the financial bid enclosed. We do hereby undertake, that, In the event of acceptance of our bid, the services shall be provided as stipulated in the work order and the tender terms and conditions to the Bid and that we shall perform the entire incidental services. The prices quoted are inclusive of all charges inclusive of traveling; hardware (if any) /software/ manpower etc. for providing the desired services for MPSC. We agree to abide by our offer a period of 180 days from the date fixed for opening of the tenders and what we shall remain bound by a communication within that time. We have carefully read and understood the terms and conditions of the tender and the conditions of the contract applicable to the tender and we do hereby undertake to provide the services as per these terms and condition. We do hereby undertake, that, until a formal contract is prepared and executed, this bid, together with your written acceptance thereof, the tender document and placement of letter of intent awarding the contract, shall constitute a binding contract between us. :
Dated:
Signature: Name of Agency: Company Seal Full Address:
Encl: Price Schedule
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FORMAT FOR QUOTING PRICE - [To be part of Envelope 2] Price A: Software Design, Development, Support Total Amount Unit Cost No of Sr. (In INR) (In Units Cost Item No. INR/Man (In Man In Figs. In Words Month) Months) 1 Project Manager/Leader 2 Business Analyst(s)/ Functional Expert(s) 3 Technical Experts 4 Programmers/Developers/Software Testing personnel 5 Others (Give details of each expense and justification of its applicability for the project) (like any royalty etc cost) 6 Travel and Miscellaneous expenses (Give details of NA NA each expense) * 7 TOTAL Price B: Procure, Supply, Test, Implement And Support The Hardware & Network Infrastructure for a period of 3 years (All the equipments, software etc installed/deployed would be a property of MPSC) (Mention the individual line items, including Support Cost for 3 years. The number of line items can be more/less than the number as mentioned in the template given below) Sr. Line Item Unit Cost Total Amount No of No. (In INR/ (In INR) Units Unit) In Figs. In Words 1 Hardware 1 (mention specifications) 2 Hardware 2 (mention specifications) 3 4 5 Network Equipment 1 (mention specifications) 6 Network Equipment 2 (mention specifications) 7 8 9 Software License 1 (Perpetual licenses) 10 Software License 2 (Perpetual licenses) 11 12 13 AMC Cost 1 (for 3 years) 14 AMC Cost 1 (for 3 years) 15 16 17 Warranty Cost 18 Insurance Cost 19 Support for Year 1 20 Support for Year 2 21 Support for Year 3 21 Others (Give details of each expense and justification of its applicability for the project) 22 Travel and Miscellaneous expenses (Give details of NA NA each expense) * TOTAL Note The Cost should be inclusive of any applicable relevant tax The Total Price to be considered for Commercial Evaluation is Price A + Price B. * The Travel and Miscellaneous expenses should not exceed more than 10% of Price A.
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ANNEXURE-9 CONTRACT FORM AGGREMENT MADE this day of Two thousand and Seven Between (hereinafter called "the Contractor") of the one part and the Secretary, Maharashtra Public Service Commission (hereinafter called "the MPSC") of the other part. WHEREAS the contractor has tendered for providing services to MPSC, Mumbai (hereinafter called "The COMMISSION") as per the terms and conditions mentioned in the tender document. Whereas such tender has been accepted and the contractor has deposited with the COMMISSION the sum of Rs. <amount in figures> (Rupees only) as security for the fulfillment of this Agreement. NOW IT IS HEREBY AGREED between the parties hereto as follows: The contractor has accepted the contract on the terms and conditions set out in the tender notice no. dated as well in the acceptance of tender no. , which shall hold good during period of this agreement. Upon breach by the contractor of any of the conditions of the agreement, the COMMISSION may issue a notice in writing, determine and put an end to this agreement without prejudice to the right of the Government to claim damages for antecedent breaches thereof on the part of the contractor and also to reasonable compensation for the loss occasioned by the failure of the contractor to fulfill the agreement as certified in writing by the COMMISSION which certificate shall be conclusive evidence of the amount of such compensation payable by the contractor to the Government. Upon the determination of this agreement whether by efflux ion of time or otherwise the said deposit shall after the expiration of 24 months from the date of such determination be returned to the contractor but without interest and after deducting there from any sum due by the contractor to the Government under the terms and conditions of this agreement. This agreement shall remain in force until the expiry of 48 months from the date of entering into the contract or the end of the 3 years of Post Go-Live Support, whichever is later, but the COMMISSION may cancel the contract at any time upon giving one months notice in writing without compensating the contractor. In witness whereof the said Contractor hath set his hand hereto and the COMMISSION has on behalf of the Government of Maharashtra affixed his hand and seal thereto the day and year first above written. The COMMISSION may give notices in connection with the contract. In consideration of the payments to be made by the COMMISSION to the Bidder as hereinafter mentioned the Bidder hereby covenants with the COMMISSION to provide the Services and to remedy defects therein conformity in all respects with the provisions of the Contract. The COMMISSION hereby covenants to pay the Bidder in consideration of the provision of the Services and the remedying of defects therein, the Contract Price or such other sum as may become payable under the provisions of the contract at the times and in the manner prescribed by the contract. If subject to circumstances beyond control (Force Majeure) the contract fails to deliver the services in accordance with the conditions mentioned in the tender, the Tendering Authority, shall be entitled to render services from else other organization after giving due notice to the Bidder on the amount and at the risk of the Bidder without canceling the contract in respect of the consignment not yet due for delivery, or to cancel the contract. In the event of action to be taken, the contractor shall be liable for any losses, which the COMMISSION, may sustain on that account. The recovery by way of penalty shall be made by deducting the amount from the bills be made good by a credit note within the stipulated period for the purpose. Mumbai CONTRACTOR Witness: 1. 2. Secretary, Maharashtra Public Service Commission On behalf of Maharashtra Public Service Commission
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ANNEXURE-10 PERFORMANCE SECURITY FORM To: (Name of Indenter) WHEREAS ___________________________________________________ (Name of Bidder) hereinafter called "the tenderer has undertaken, Contract No.________________________ dated, __________________2007 to render services hereinafter called "the Contract". AND WHEREAS it has been stipulated by you in the said Contract that the Bidder shall furnish you with a bank Guarantee by a recognized bank for the sum specified therein as security for compliance with the Bidder's performance obligations in accordance with the Contract. AND WHEREAS we have agreed to give the Bidder a guarantee: THEREFORE WE hereby affirm that we are Guarantors and responsible to you, on behalf of the Bidder, up to a total of_________________________________(Amount of the guarantee in Words and Figures) and we undertake to pay you, upon your first written demand declaring the Bidder to be in default under the contract and without cavil or argument, any sum or sums within the limit of ___________________________ as aforesaid, without your needing to prove or to show this grounds or reasons for your demand or the sum specified therein. This guarantee is valid until the ___________ day of ______________ 200_ Signature and Seal of Guarantors ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Date __________________________________ Address: ______________________________ _________________________________
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ANNEXURE-11 FORMAT FOR REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION Bidders are requested to use the following format: MPSC MPSC Application Software Name of Organization submitting request Name & position submitting request of Bidders Request for Clarification person Full formal address of the organization including phone, fax and email points of contact Tel: Fax: Email: Bidding Document Reference(s) (section number/ page) Content of Clarification RFP requiring Points of clarification required
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ANNEXURE-12
TO Be Process Document
1 Executive Summary The activities of Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) are important to the people of Maharashtra in many ways since the Commission acts as a nodal body for recruitment to Government posts, so an efficient and productive functioning of the same would facilitate better governance in the state. Maharashtra Public Service Commission Automation System (MPSCAS) is under implementation, the Objectives of which are to generate a comprehensive and integrated approach to conduction of Examinations for recruitment to various posts of Government of Maharashtra, including full incorporation of process engineering and adoption of best practices methods and for efficiency and sustainability. A significant component of MPSCAS, within the context of organizational efficiency building, is the use of process reengineering methodology and effective use of IT strategy to institutionally strengthen the Commission. This document highlights this aspect, by detailing the To-Be process after eliminating the non-value added (NVA) activities from the current process, identifying the significant changes in accordance with the voice of the customer (VoC) and outlining a comprehensive information technology solution to ensure that the benefits of the changes can be realized to its maximum extent. To bring MPSCAS to reality, work has started on the assignment with a core group being formed at MPSC to drive the project forward and provide any necessary support to the consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). During the initial phase, PwC has completed the As-Is assessment of the Commission and prepared the To-Be process map after incorporating the VoC using SIPOC methodology. The assessment is being conducted in a top-down fashion, where the focus is on understanding the functioning of the entire Commission and then drilling down to the wings and finally to the individual Desks. Also equal emphasis is being given to the interconnection between the various wings/Desks to ensure that all aspects get properly covered in the design of the proposed solution; enabling effective decision making for the Commission. Some of the important aspects of the To-Be process map involving process reengineering and automation have been Building a comprehensive MIS system, this would ensure faster decision making and improve the efficiency of the Commission. Use of OMR application form to ensure better accuracy and faster processing of application forms Accepting online requisition from Government of Maharashtra for conducting the recruitment process for Government posts Availability of question bank etc in the system for improving the efficiency in the system Scope of online submission of application forms (as one of the means of submission, but not the only mean) Online payment of application fee using secured gateways (as one of the means of fee payment, but not the only mean) Online availability of admission certificates/admit cards/Hall Tickets (as one of the means of receiving admit card, but not the only mean) Storing scanned copy of documents and preparing a framework for retiral of hard copy documents for better space management and faster search and tracing of old documents Introducing a swipe/proximity card system to manage and maintain employee attendance Conducting online Examination for Departmental Examinations Electronic approval and communication process within the framework of the Commission PwC has also outlined the broad IT solution that would encompass the complex functions performed by the Commission, so that the benefits of the process changes can be realized completely. Apart from laying the guidelines for building a comprehensive software solution to meet the needs of the Commission, PwC has also identified the preferred network architecture, and highlighted the importance of Data Center Management, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning, use of advanced IVR systems etc to fulfill the IT requirement of the organization.
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1 INTRODUCTION The Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) is an apex body formulated to organize the Public Service Commission Examination (MPSCAS) to provide suitable candidates for various Government posts in Maharashtra. The Commission also advises the Government of Maharashtra on various service matters in an efficient manner. It has taken up the initiative to reengineer certain business processes, adopt the best practices in their domain and to automate the system, which would facilitate smooth and efficient functioning of the Government of Maharashtra. The Commission wants to achieve efficient delivery of services by leveraging IT, which in turn would significantly bring in transparency, efficiency, and render quality to the public through participatory means. The proposed automation solution, while allowing MPSC to organize all the Wing/Branches activities to conduct various Examinations and maintaining their internal employee details, pay roll activities, attendance, etc over the Internet, would also serve as a communication and workflow tool for the Wing/Branches to facilitate their processes.
1.1
Scope of the project The scope of project includes the following Detailed Project Report (DPR), which includes preparing an AS-IS and TO-BE analysis Facilitating MPSC in the bid management and vendor selection process Designing and preparing a monitoring system for progress and project implementation Final testing of the system and deliverables as provided by the selected vendor Intended audience
1.2
MPSC Consultants working with MPSC in implementing the software, network solutions etc Personnel from Government of Maharashtra Any other expert identified by Government of Maharashtra/MPSC About the document As a part of the assignment, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has prepared and submitted a document outlining and analyzing the As Is process at MPSC. In this 2nd report, the proposed (To-Be) processes for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) in the technology enabled scenario have been presented. It should be read in conjunction with the 1st report (As-Is report) that has been submitted. The document aims to highlight the strategic and operational changes that the implementation of the internet enabled system is expected to bring in. The true benefits of this system shall only be fully realized if the MPSC embraces far reaching measures towards improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the processes, at the same time considering the practical issues in implementing such a solution. The To-Be process document is organized as follows: The approach & methodology used in the design of the To-Be processes is described in the next section, followed by the description of the To-Be processes and the expected key benefits from the processes. The key benefits are organized based on their genesis, as either resulting from automation, or from a process re-engineering effort, or through a policy reform that needs to be undertaken by the Government. The policy reform related changes as well as some of the process reengineering changes may require a decision from the Commission and the Government. These two areas should be reviewed by the Commission and commented upon accordingly. The document has adopted a Process or Service Based Approach and not a Desk Based Approach, as the Process should drive the Desk formulation and segregation, and not vice versa. The project completion might require realignment of personnel in the various Wing/Branches. For example, the IT Branch might require more personnel, as it would be responsible for the complete management, maintenance and support of the new IT Infrastructure. Similarly, the Establishment Branch might require more personnel so that all functionalities performed by the Branch can be completed On-time. Similarly, the Filing Branch would have more bandwidth if the Document and File Management System is implemented. A phase based approach has been recommended for implementing the processes defined in the TO BE Document. Some of the online processes should be taken up in the end, upon completion of other priority items.
1.3
1.4
Approach & Methodology The following provides an overview of the key steps involved as part of our approach in designing the To-Be processes: Understand the As-Is processes through field study and interviews with the concerned staff and review of the related documents. Detailed Analysis of the steps involved in all the processes performed by MPSC
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Identification of the pain areas and opportunities for improvement by identifying the Value Adds and Non Value Add steps of all processes Application of the best practices as applicable and recommendations adopted elsewhere in the organizations Draft the To-Be processes for MPSC leveraging, as applicable, best practices adopted in organizations of similar stature. Analyse requirement of forms in the internet enabled scenario, design forms to reduce effort in filling through sequencing, and facilitating auto-population, where applicable. Best practices in the area of e-forms design have been incorporated. The methodology used for the design of To-Be processes involves the extensive use of process mapping techniques. A combination of various flowcharting techniques, SIPOC (Supplier, Input, Process, Output, Customer) methodology etc have been used for visual depiction of the process flow. The processes have been steadily decomposed to lower level of details in order to capture activity level information. The SIPOC methodology has been depicted in the diagram given below
Supplier
Input
Output
Customer
Entities providing input
The input provided to the Process Sub-process 1 Sub-process 2
The final output from the
The end customer of
The detailed process
The methodology encompasses the following approach towards designing the process map Defining the detailed process Deciding on the inputs required for successfully implementing the process Supplier(s) for providing the input for the process The expected output from the process End customer(s) for the process 2. Description of processes in automation enabled environment The processes at MPSC commences subsequent to the Governments decision to fill the vacant positions. The various Wing/Branches at MPSC are Pre Examination Wing Post Examination Wing Confidential Wing Direct Recruitment Wing Departmental Examination Branch Appointment Wing Establishment Branch Accounts Branch IT Branch Legal Branch Vigilance Branch Statistics Branch The processes discussed in the subsequent sections encompass all the above Wing/Branches at MPSC Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008
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The detailed description of the proposed to-be processes for the above stages is presented in the subsequent sections. The word system used throughout the document refers to the proposed MPSC process solution and processes to be implemented in the Wing/Branches. Diagram 1- High level process map of MPSC operations
MPSC Operations
2.1 Pre-examination
2.3 Establishment, Accounts, Confidential & IT
2.5 Service related activities
2.2 Examination
2.4 Direct Recruitment
Pre Examination Wing The Pre-Examination Wing at MPSC manages and coordinates the activities which are required to be performed before conducting an Examination. The process involves announcing and advertising the dates of the Examination, receiving and scrutinizing applications, sending of Hall Tickets and coordinating with other Wing/Branches like the Confidential Wing for preparation of Question Paper etc. Presently, some of these activities are done manually. But the TO-BE process shall have a software system to cater to most of the activities. The proposed System shall encompass the following characteristics (but not limited to) Online workflow Database (data store) Search functionality Document upload facility Maintenance of access levels Bi-Lingual (in English and Marathi)
1.5
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Process Header Process Name Process Objective BPR Objective
Pre Examination Wing process Efficient management of the Pre Examination related activities at MPSC Reduction in manual effort Reduction in time taken for completion of the process Improvement in the communication process within the organization and with external entities Requisition from the Government and associated Departments through the website with inbuilt validations to initiate the recruitment process. Successful conduction of the Examination Employees of the Pre Examination Wing, Employees of other Wings related to Examination, Approver, System Requisition for conducting the Examination for recruitment to be sent through the MPSC Website with inbuilt validations System generated automated letters System generated advertisement publication Electronic communications and approval process Use of OMR forms Scope of online generation of Hall Tickets/admit card Online submission of application form as one of the means of submission Online submission of application fees
Preconditions Successful Outcomes Actors Involved Suggested changes
Benefit scope
Reduction in manual effort The requisition by the Government Department for recruitment has to be made through the MPSC Website, which would have pre-defined validations inbuilt into the system. So no manual effort will be required for verifying and validating the same Reduction in time taken By using pre-defined formats in preparing and drafting letters, advertisement content etc, the time taken for the same can be reduced. Online submission of application forms will eliminate the process of scanning and result in automated update of the database, thus reducing time for the process Online generation of Hall Tickets would reduce time taken in preparing, printing and dispatching the same to the candidates. It would also ensure reduction in the cost of the same. Reduction in communication time is possible by using e-mails or dashboard based notification system instead of manually (or by snail-mail) sending files, letters to the relevant Desks and Wings Online approval would also reduce the overall time taken in the process. The use of OMR sheets for application would also reduce the time required in scanning the same by increasing the correctness of the scanned data. Improvement in communication process Use of e-mails or dashboard based notification system would ensure an improved and faster communication within MPSC and with external entities. Diagram: High level process map of Pre Examination Wing
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Pre Examination Wing 2.1
2.1.1 Requisition
2.1.2 Examination date
2.1.3 Advertisement
2.1.4 Examination centers
2.1.7 Scrutiny of Applications
2.1.6 Application form
2.1.5 Invigilators & Supervisors
Pre Examination related process
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Supplier Input Process
Maharashtra Government Departments Requisition with all details like name of the post, reservation details etc for conducting the Examination Requisition Government Department personnel shall enter the requisition details through a link in the MPSC Website/portal. The Website/portal would facilitate all necessary validations (e.g. Correct calculations of the reservations depending upon the number of seats etc) through in-built validation mechanism. Decision Point: It is recommended that MPSC uses the process of accepting requisition from Government departments Online through the MPSC Website. Examination date The system shall maintain a list of date on which Examination cant be scheduled due to other Examinations, holidays, elections etc. This list has to be updated as and when any information is received by the Wing. Depending upon these dates and the requirement (of date) as entered by the personnel in the PreExamination, the system generates the list of possible days on which the Examination can be conducted. Once the list of dates is generated, the system sends out alerts to the Commission, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. The system would then allow the Commission to assign a date for the Examination, and all the Wing/Branches and the Website Team would be notified about the same. The system would then generate letters (pre-defined format shall be maintained in the system) to be sent to other exam bodies and Government Departments informing them about the Examination date Advertisement The system shall maintain a pre defined list of newspapers wherein the advertisements for conducting the Examinations is to be published. This is a one time activity, and shall be done only if there is any change in the list. The list shall be reviewed at a fixed interval as defined by the Wing. A pre-approved advertisement format shall be maintained in the system. The advertisement format shall be approved by the Commission. Only the variables like name of the Examination, dates etc shall be kept blank in the format, which needs to be entered into the system by the personnel of the Pre-Examination Wing. Once the advertisement details have been entered, the system would generate the advertisement material. The system shall send out alerts to the Chairman/Members for approval, way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. On approval, the system would inform the Deputy Secretary of the Pre-Examination Wing, other relevant Wing/Branches (like Post Examination, Confidential) and the Website Team about the new approved advertisement to be published, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. The advertisement content can be sent to the Newspaper offices by means of e-mail. The Advertisement details (including details like Examination name and date etc) would also be sent to the various District Collectors in Maharashtra for conducting the Examination in their respective Districts by means of e-mail. The District Collectors would in turn organize all Examination related activities like organizing Examination centers, Invigilators, Supervisors etc. The advertisement content shall also be published on the Website of MPSC. Examination Centers The system shall maintain a list of all the Government approved schools and colleges which can be considered as suitable for conducting the Examinations. The list shall be prepared in consultation with the concerned authorities, and all details like accommodation capacity etc shall be documented. The list shall be verified and updated on a half yearly basis. The system shall calculate the tentative number of candidates expected for the Examination based on the last 3 years trend (A straight line moving average method to be used for trend analysis by the system). This would be used for defining the number of centers to be needed. Once the Examination date has been finalized and the tentative number of candidates is known, the system shall generate letters (from pre-defined letter formats) to be sent to the Head of the Institutions, District Collectors, Director of Education, Director of Higher/Technical Education about
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the decision to conduct Examination at their locations. Similarly, the other relevant Wing/Branches (like Post-Examination, Confidential etc) are also informed about the approximate number of candidates through the system (the system sends out the information to the by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality) On finalization of the number of candidates (after scrutinizing the submitted Application Forms), the personnel at the Pre-Examination Wing finalizes (and is approved by his/her superior) the number of candidates per centre etc. Also, if any of the centers is not required, the same is informed to the Institution Head by means of e-mail/letter. Similarly, the other centers are informed about the number of candidates at the respective centre. Similarly, the other relevant Wing/Branches (like Post-Examination, Confidential etc) are also informed about the final number of candidates through the system (the system sends out the information to the by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality) Decision Point: In the near future, the Commission may also involve the participation of the District Collector of Mumbai for conducting the Examinations in Mumbai. This can be a done in a phased manner. It would help MPSC in concentrating further of its core functions like planning for the Examination, preparing Syllabus, Question Bank, Question Paper, evaluation of the Answer Papers, conducting Interviews etc, while some of the associated activities like appointing Invigilators, Supervisors, arranging for Examination Centres etc can be handed over to the District Collectors (even for Mumbai) Invigilators and Supervisors The system shall maintain letter formats for obtaining the list of Invigilators and Supervisors for conducting the Examination in Mumbai. The format shall be pre approved by the Commission, and further approval will only be required if there is any change in the format. The personnel at the Pre Examination Wing shall prepare the letters and send it to the Government Departments. On receiving the list and the Appointment Letters of the Invigilators and Supervisors from the Government Departments, the same shall be checked for correctness and completeness. Application forms Application forms can be obtained from and submitted through the following methods Through Post Office Application forms shall be dispatched to some selected Post Offices in Maharashtra for distribution. The application fees shall be collected by the Post Offices. The system shall generate a list with approximate numbers (based on past 3 year data) for distribution to the individual Post Offices. The forms should be designed so as to remove any duplicity or redundancy in them. OMR forms shall be used to ensure correctness and faster processing. ICR technology shall be used for scanning the photograph and the signature. Post Offices and the candidates should be given a checklist to ensure that commonly committed mistakes in the form are avoided. The filled up and submitted forms should be sent to MPSC by the post offices. Online submission The MPSC Website shall have a provision of online fill-up and submission of forms. The candidate has to register in the system and fill-up the form and submit it in the system. The application fees have to be paid by means of (i) Demand Draft into MPSC bank Account as mentioned in the Website, and the Draft number has to be mentioned while filling the form, or (ii) Credit Card/Debit Card payment using any of the secured e-payment gateways or (iii) Deposit directly into some of the selected Banks throughout Maharashtra Scanned photograph and signature also should be submitted along with the form. Similarly, the scanned copy of all the requisite documents (if any) should be submitted along with the form. The online form shall have the functionality of saving part of the work; so that candidates need not fill up the same at one go. The form should also have in-built validation mechanism so that common errors in filling up the form can be avoided. Decision Point: Currently the online application form fill-up and submission facility has not been incorporated in the system. But this feature will reduce the time taken for scrutinizing and processing the forms, and will increase accuracy and correctness. Initially, this should be kept optional, as internet facility might not be available throughout Maharashtra. In the near future, all applications should be collected through the online method so that Examinations can be conducted in a more efficient manner. Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008
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Output
Customer
Scrutiny of Applications The Application Forms received from the Post Offices are sent for scanning. A separate scanning system shall be in place for the same. (Scanning process may be outsourced, if required) Upon scanning, the system shall generate a report with all candidate details. The data obtained from the forms that have been submitted online shall also be used in the report. A Muster Roll should also be generated by the scanning system. The system shall prepare a list of successful and rejected candidates with reasons for rejection (incorrect data, incomplete form etc). Letters shall be sent to the rejected candidates with reasons for rejection. A pre defined format shall be maintained in the system for the letter. The system shall calculate the actual number of candidates appearing for the Examination, and all relevant Wing/Branches shall be informed by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. This information will also be stored in the system for future reference. The system shall prepare the Admission Certificates/ Hall Tickets with help of details about the Examination centres, the scanned photographs and signature and other necessary details. The Hall Ticket Number (seat number in the Examination centre) should be randomised and not based on the Application Form Number or order of submission of form. Once the Hall Tickets are prepared, they should be sent to the candidates. This process (franking etc) should be outsourced to the post office or any other relevant body to minimize performing noncore activities. The actual hard copy forms shall be stored for a certain time period as defined by the Commission, after which they should be sent for disposal. This clause should be mentioned in the application form itself. The scanned copy of such forms can be stored in the system for a longer duration as defined by the Commission. Decision Point: In the near future, when the online application process is in vogue, Hall Tickets should also be made online. All the candidates can view their Hall Tickets after logging into the Website (through the same login through which they have filled up the application form) and take a printout of the Hall Ticket and use it for appearing for the Examinations. This would reduce the cost incurred by MPSC for the same, and ensure faster disbursal of Hall Tickets. Letters sent to Invigilators, Supervisors Advertisement published in newspapers and MPSC Website Hall Tickets or Rejection Letters sent to candidates Notification about the Examination sent to relevant Wing/Branches in MPSC Conduction of the Examination Maharashtra Government Departments Candidates appearing for the Examination
Other Associated Activities Printing of Answer Papers (OMR sheets) Sample Answer Paper format should be distributed along with the application form. The process would involve selection of vendor through the process of Tendering as discussed in the AS-IS Document. Decision Point: Going forward, e-Procurement solution should be used in place of the manual tendering process at MPSC. The e-Procurement system developed by Government of Maharashtra as part of a NeGP MMP may be considered for the same. 1.5.1 Other functions Search Functionality Searching of old records with appropriate filter conditions MIS Auto generation of reports related to the functioning of the Pre-Examination Wing. Also, facility for generation of Ad-Hoc Reports should be provided. Payments Maintenance and Tracking of the payments sanctioned and made to the Panel Members etc. Response to Queries Respond to various queries sent by the candidates.
1.6
Post Examination Wing Post Examination activities for Open Competitive Examinations are performed by Desk 9, Desk 13 and Desk 14. Desk 9 is concerned with Examinations of Group C posts such as Clerk, Typist Assistant Limited Departmental Examination Sales Tax Inspector Departmental Examination
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Civil Judge Junior Division & Judicial Magistrate, First Class Screening Test results for all Direct Recruitment Examinations Desk 13 is concerned with Examinations for Assistant, Sales Tax Inspector (STI) and Police Sub Inspector (PSI) Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector Police Sub Inspector Limited Departmental Physical Examination is also conducted for PSI post. The interviews for STI and PSI are common. Desk 14 is concerned with the post Examination work for the following Examinations State Services Examination Group A and Group B Post Maharashtra Engineering Services Group A and Group B Post Maharashtra Agricultural Services Group A and Group B Post Maharashtra Forest Services Group A and Group B Post Currently, the existing process has both Objective and Subjective Examinations for recruitment to the above mentioned posts. Although the same shall be continued, but it is suggested that an evaluation of the same should be done after a fixed interval of time to check if Subjective Examinations can be reduced and then finally eliminated by the Commission. Process Header Process Name Post Examination Wing activities Process Objective Evaluation of Answer Papers in conjunction with the Confidential Wing Conduction of Interviews, and preparation and publication of the results to recommend eligible candidate for various Posts for Government of Maharashtra, through Open Competitive Examinations BPR Objective Reduction in manual effort Reduction in time taken for completion of the process Improvement in the communication process within the organization and with external entities Preconditions Completion of the Pre Examination activities (including conduction of the Examination) Successful Outcomes Publishing the correct result within the prescribed time and making all requisite information available to the Government Departments as the case may be. Actors Involved MPSC, Government of Maharashtra, Invigilators/Supervisors, Examiner, Moderator and Candidates Suggested changes System generated automated letters Use of Automated Workflow (including online approval) and Document Management System Electronic communications and approval process Benefit scope Reduction in time taken By using pre-defined formats in preparing and drafting letters, advertisement content etc, the time taken for the same can be reduced. Reduction in communication time is possible by using e-mails or dashboard based notification system instead of manually (or by snail-mail) sending files, letters to the relevant Desks and Wing/Branches Online approval would also reduce the overall time taken in the process. Reduction in manual effort By using pre-defined formats in preparing and drafting letters, etc, the effort required for the same can be reduced. Improvement in the communication Use of e-mails or dashboard based notification system would ensure an improved and faster communication within MPSC and with external entities.
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MPSC Pre Examination Wing, Candidates appearing for the Examinations, Invigilators, Supervisors Answer Papers Muster Roll, Attendance Sheets The following paragraphs describe the detailed process of conducting Post Examination activities for Open Competitive Examinations. Written Examination Evaluation Objective: After the completion of the Examination, the Answer Papers (OMR), Muster Roll of the candidates are sent from the Examination centers. A centre wise list of present and absent candidates is prepared with respect to the Muster Roll. If there is any discrepancy, then the Wing has to coordinate with the Pre Examination Wing and the Examination Supervisor at the respective centre for the same. After confirming the number of Answer Papers, the personnel in the Examination Wing should send it for scanning and generation of report for the result. Once the scanning is complete, the merit list is prepared as per the categories mentioned. The system notifies the Deputy Secretary of the Post Examination Wing about the same by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. The system would then allow the Deputy Secretary of the Post Examination Wing to finalize the list (and number) of candidates to be interviewed. The system then notifies the Commission about the same by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. On approval of the Commission, the system then would send the information to all relevant Wings/Branches about the same by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. Subjective: In case of Subjective Examinations the front sheet of Answer Paper having the candidate name and roll number is removed, and a separate unique code is put on the Answer Paper. The same code is also put on the front sheet. The whole bunches of the front pages are kept separately in safe custody. The code used on the Answer Paper is as per the number series generated by the Deputy Secretary. Each paper is coded with a unique number and the Examination Hall Ticket no is completely masked out before the papers sent to the Examiners in case of Subjective Examinations. The Answer Papers are sent to the Confidential Wing for evaluation. The sheets are packed in bundles of 50 or 100 before sending to the Confidential Wing. The standards for moderation are set by the Commission. Depending upon the standard that has been set, the Answer Papers are sent to the Confidential Wing for Moderation. Similarly, if required, Answer Papers can be sent to the Third Examiner for independent evaluation. After evaluation, the Answer Papers are tallied to ensure that all questions have been marked, and the total marks have been entered correctly. If there is any discrepancy, then the Answer Paper is returned to the Examiner for re-evaluation. (This activity is done twice, once after evaluation, and again after moderation). The list of candidates is prepared, and the marks of the candidates are entered in that. The front page with the candidate details are put back into the sheet i.e. Decode the Answer Paper and prepare the mark sheet. The Answer Paper marks and the marks entered in the computer generated list are checked for correctness. Similarly, the Deputy Secretary does a random check of the same. The final merit list of candidates with their marks obtained is prepared. (This includes the slab-wise list of all candidates in descending order of marks obtained with corresponding categories like PH, NCL etc. The merit list is prepared based on the categories, reservations etc and sent to the Commission for review and approval. (Based on the rules on the number of candidates to be called for interview depending on the number of vacant posts. Generally, the number of candidates called for the interview is about 2 to 3 times the number of Posts.) The results are declared and published on the Website (the Website Team is notified by means of automated e-mail) and the internal notice board at MPSC. Only the roll number of the qualified candidates is put up in the notice.
Interview / Physical Examination Selection Process The number of candidates to be interviewed or to be selected for the physical test depends on the rules, number of vacant posts and the type of post. Generally, the number of candidates called for the interview is about 2 to3 times the number of Posts. (E.g. for 10 vacant posts, ideally about 20Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008 Page83
Output Customer
30 candidates will be called for interviews) Physical Examination is conducted for Police Sub Inspector Post. The interviews for Assistant Sales Tax Inspector and Police Sub Inspector are common. The written test results are declared and published on the Website (the Website Team is informed about the result by means of automated e-mails) and the internal notice board at MPSC. Only the roll number of the qualified candidates is displayed on the notice-board. Selection of Panels and Dispatch of Interview letters The system shall maintain a list of date on which interviews cant be scheduled due to other interviews, Examinations, holidays, elections etc. This list has to be updated as and when any information is received by the Wing. Depending upon these dates and the requirement (of date) as entered by the personnel in the Post Examination Wing, the system generates the list of possible days on which the interview can be conducted. Once the list of dates is generated, the system sends out alerts to the Commission informing of the list of dates, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. The system would then allow the Commission to assign a date (or multiple dates) for the interview and finalize the schedule (with timings), and all the Wing/Branches and the Website Team would be notified about the same. The system would then generate letters (pre-defined format shall be maintained in the system) to be sent to Government Departments informing them about the interview date. A list is obtained from the Government Departments for Government representative for conducting the interview. Individual letters (pre-defined formats are maintained in the system) are sent to the experts and the Government representative to check about their availability. Depending upon the availability, the final panel is finalized, the Examination committee formed and the detailed interview program finalized. Interview letters or Call letters (pre-defined formats are maintained in the system) are sent to the candidates selected for the interview. Similarly rejection letters (pre-defined formats are maintained in the system) are sent to the rejected candidates or non-qualified candidates by the personnel in the Post Examination Wing. The non-qualified candidates are also sent the details about the marks obtained by them along with the letter. Interview Process Guidelines for conducting the interview are prepared and provided to the interview panel. The certificates and other requisite documents of the candidates, photographs, undertaking about pending criminal proceedings etc are checked on the day of the interview. If any of the candidates is unable to produce the required documents, then he/she is given a 10 day period to produce the same and allowed to appear for the interview. Depending upon the document (as and when it is produced), the candidature of the candidate is finalized or rejected. On completion of the interviews, the final marks obtained in the process (interview) are sent to the personnel in the Post Examination Wing. Recommendation to the Government All the marks (combined total of written, oral and Physical (if applicable)) are fed into the system for final tabulation. The rank list (with category details etc) with total marks is then generated by the system. The system then sends the results to the Commission for review and approval by means of automated email and/or dashboard functionality. On obtaining the approval, the list is published on the Website (the Website Team is informed by means of automated e-mail) and on the notice board at MPSC office. The list of selected candidates along with their application form is sent to the Government Department. The successful candidates are sent letters of recommendation (pre-defined format maintained in the system) (Letter of appointment is sent by the Government Departments only). The unsuccessful candidates are sent a letter (pre-defined format maintained in the system) along with details of the marks obtained. Results of the Open Competitive Examinations being published Results of the interview process being published The recommendations sent to the Government Departments regarding the successful candidates The Government Departments, candidates for the Examination/interview
Diagram: Open Competitive Examination Process Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008
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Post Examination Process
2.2.2 Open Competitive Examinations
MPSC Received the Object type answer sheet with the candidate application form from the Pre examination wing
MPSC Tally the answer sheet with the attendance sheet and prepare the absentee list If any discrepency
MPSC Coordinating with the pre examination wing and also with the exam supervisor
MPSC Send the answer sheet directly to the computer division for evaluation
Start
System Can interview be conducted? No No MPSC MPSC Yes Physical examination is conducted and prepared the result Prepared the Interview schedule and panel for conducting the interview for qualified candidates The final merit list of the objective exam is prepared and the results are published in the website and the notice board of MPSC
MPSC Received the corrected answer sheet and marks from computer department
MPSC Slab wise reports prepared for each category
System
Yes
Answer sheets are corrected and graded
Can Physical test be conducted?
MPSC Interview letters are sent to the qualified candidates and Rejection letters are sent to the non qualified candidates
MPSC Interview is conducted and prepared the final mark sheet by merging the Written test and Interview results and physical report (if applicable)
MPSC The category-wise final merit list is prepared and recommendation of the final candidate lists are sent it to the respective departments
MPSC End Selection/Rejection letters are sent it to the corresponding qualified/ Non qualified candidates.
MPSC Upon the approval, declared the merit list in website and notice board of the MPSC.
Decision Point: Currently, the existing process has both Objective and Subjective type Examinations for recruitment to the above mentioned posts. Although, the same shall be continued, but it is suggested that an evaluation of this decision should be done after a fixed interval of time to check if Subjective Examinations can be reduced and then finally eliminated. The ultimate target of the Commission should be to conduct online Objective Examinations for Open Competitive Examinations
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Confidential Wing This Wing handles all the confidential matters like preparation of Question Papers, facilitation in Answer Paper evaluation etc. The other activities of this Wing include, appointing the panel of Subject Experts, Examiners and Moderators etc for various subjects. Diagram: High level process view of Confidential Wing
2.3 Confidential Wing Process
1.7
2.3.1 Selection Subject Experts, Examiners etc
2.3.2 Question Bank Preparation Process
2.3.3 Question Paper Setting Process
2.3.4 Question Paper Printing Process
Process Header Process Name Process Objective
BPR Objective
Preconditions
Successful Outcomes Actors Involved Suggested changes
Processes related to the Confidential Wing Preparing and maintaining question banks Preparing Question Papers for the various Examinations Maintaining complete secrecy about the whole process Reduction in manual effort and time in question bank preparation, Question Paper preparation etc Improvement in the communication process within the organization and with external entities Pre-Examination Wing has to inform about the Examination schedule in well advance to the Confidential Wing. All other requirements like number of Question Papers required etc needs to be provided. A change in syllabus, or a need to increase/change the questions in the question bank A new Examination has been added to the list Successful printing of the Question Papers and subsequent conduction of Examination. Maintaining the secrecy in the overall process. MPSC, Government of Maharashtra, Subject Matters Experts, Moderator and Candidates Automating the process of preparing questions for Objective Examinations from the question bank Maintaining the question bank in the system System generated automated letters Maintaining a list of Subject Experts in the system Electronic communications and approval process Some of the activities in the Confidential Wing like Question Paper preparation, question bank preparation etc should be monitored under closed circuit surveillance system. Reduction in manual effort By using the automated process for preparation of questions for the Objective Examinations, manual effort and time would be reduced substantially in the process. By using pre-defined formats in preparing and drafting letters, advertisement content etc, the time taken for the same can be reduced. Reduction in communication time is possible by using e-mails or dashboard based notification system instead of manually (or by snail-mail) sending files, letters to the relevant Desks and Wing/Branches Online approval would also reduce the overall time taken in the process. Improvement in communication process Use of e-mails or dashboard based notification system would ensure an improved and faster communication within MPSC and with external entities.
Benefit scope
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1.7.1 Selection Process of Subject Experts and Examiners In the existing process, the selection of Subject Experts for various subjects and Examiners is a time-consuming affair. Prior updated information about availability of subject experts and Examiners is not maintained by MPSC. Thus letters have to be sent every time there is a requirement for Examiners, etc. Manual effort is required in the process of sending the letter to the Colleges/School and getting the lists of experts, sending the letters to the corresponding experts for getting confirmation etc. In the proposed system, the number of Subject Experts, Examiners etc required will be far less, and thus the process will be more efficient. Also, there wont be any requirement for Moderators as all the Examinations would be of the Objective type. The detailed process has been depicted below The system notifies the Confidential Wing about the Examination details including the date by means of automated emails and/or the dashboard functionality. The information about the list of available Subject Experts for the specific subjects, Examiners etc is maintained in the system. This information is updated periodically (the time-frame for the same shall e defined). So the update can be done by communicating with the corresponding colleges/schools by means of e-mails, preferably during the time when there is no Examination scheduled (so that this process doesnt interfere with the Examination process, thus saving time). On finalising the Subject Experts, Examiners etc (the list is prepared from the database in the system) for the Examination, the system generates application letters to be sent to them (All the templates of the letters like invitation letter, acceptance format, formal communication letter etc. are maintained in the system) by means of e-mail, which needs to be filled up and submitted by them. The completed forms are then collected and scrutinized to prepare a list of Subject Experts for Question Paper setting, Examiners for approval from the Chairman/Members. The Chairman/Members selects the panel of experts for setting the Question Paper, conducting the Examination etc. Alternative names are also provided if any of the people in the panel is not able to accept the offer or complete the process. On the approval of Chairman/Members, the personnel in the Confidential Wing sends the invitation to the selected panel of experts, Examiners etc. The panel member has to accept the offer, and send in his/her acceptance to MPSC. If someone in the panel doesnt accept the invitation, then invitation is sent to the people in the alternative list. Diagram: Selection Process of Subject Matters Expert and Examiners
2.3 Confidential Process
2.3.1 Selection Process of Subject Matters Experts & Examiners

No MPSC Pre examination wing informs about the exam to be conducted and the date System List of available Panel member (subject matters experts and examiners) are identified from the system database. System The acceptance form is sent to the selected panel members MPSC Received the forms and scrutinize them and prepared the actual list of panels and alternative list as well
Start
Chairman approval
Yes MPSC Prepared the panel of experts, examiners and moderators MPSC Acceptance of the invitation On the approval of the chairman an invitation is sent to the panel members (experts and examiners )
End
Yes
No MPSC Send the invitations to the alternative list of panel members
End
1.7.2 Preparation of Question Bank Question Bank is prepared for every subject by the Subject Experts as per the Item Categorization. Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008
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Initially this is the one time activity. The Question bank is prepared from the pre-defined syllabus which is prepared by MPSC in consultation with the Government Departments. The proposed system shall have a separate module for Question Bank preparation. The panel of Subject Experts will frame the questions and enter the same into the system. All the relevant fields like category details (difficulty level, topic etc), answer options, correct answer etc have to be updated in the system. Other information like created date etc (this would help in retiring the question after a pre-defined time period) shall also be stored in the system. Once the question bank is maintained in the system database, then Question Papers can easily be generated from the system itself by using parameter combinations (like complexity level, area/topic, no. of questions etc) as defined. Nominated expert should verify the Question Paper for any error/omissions etc. Whenever any update or change is required in syllabus then the question bank needs to be updated accordingly. Similarly, the old questions should be deleted from the question bank and new questions be added after a fixed predefined time interval. 1.7.3 Question Paper Setting Process Objective: The system prepares the Question Papers (3 sets per Examination) based on information provided like question criteria, complexity level, areas/topic of question, no. of question from the particular topic, the total no. of question in the papers etc. Questions are selected from the Question Bank from the proposed system. Along with the questions, the system also provides the corresponding answers too. Examiners are selected and assigned for each of the Examination. They are provided Guidelines for setting the Question Paper. This Question Paper and corresponding answers to the question are verified by the selected Examiner, who is also a Subject Expert in that area. He/She can also modify the Questions in the paper. Subjective: The Examiners are provided Guidelines (number of questions, type of questions, area of question, difficulty level etc) on setting of the Question Paper. The Examiners are also provided previous years Question Paper for reference. (All the past records related to Question Paper is stored in the system) The Question Paper script is prepared in the system by the Examiners. Each Examiner will prepare 1 set of Questions. So, 3 Question Papers (by 3 Examiners) are prepared for every Examination. The Examiner also prepares the scheme of marking for the Question Paper. Common process: Only one packet of the Question Paper is finally sent to the press for printing. The Secretary and/or the Chairman/Members select the set that has to be sent for printing. The name of the press is only known to the Chairman/Secretary. Also, the press as well as the Examiners doesnt know the name of the Examination for which the paper is being printed. Decision Point Going forward, once the authenticity and validity of the questions generated by the system for the Objective Examinations is established and tested, Examiners shall not be required to check and validate the questions. Diagram: Question Bank and Question Papers setting Process
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2.3.2 & 2.3.3 Question Bank & Question Paper Setting Process
Start
System 2.3.2 Question bank prepared by the subject matters expert according to the syllabus given by the government Yes
System Set the categorization of questions in various parameters (complexity, Area of subject, created date, etc.) in the question bank If any update needed?
System 2.3.3 Pass the parameters (complexity, Area of subject, created on, no. of question from particular area, no. of question paper set=3, etc.) into the question bank system and also choose random selection
System According to the parameters the system generates question papers and the corresponding answers. Totally 3 sets of question papers are need to be generated.
No
MPSC
MPSC Verify these question papers and answers by the experts
End
Question papers are sent to press for printing
1.7.4 Question Paper Printing Process The process of printing Objective type questions for Open Competitive, screening test for Direct Recruitment & Departmental Examinations are depicted below The Secretary and the Chairman/Members select the Question Paper set which would be sent for printing. The Chairman/Secretary decides on the press, and the Question Paper is sent to the press for printing. The printed Question Papers are sent back to MPSC (Confidential Wing) Pre-Examination Wing provides the number of candidates per center/District, etc (by means of e-mails). The Question Papers, printed Answer Papers (OMR sheets), Muster Roll etc are sent to the respective centers in packets. The mode of dispatch of question and Answer Papers is given below Location Mumbai Rest of Maharashtra Mode ST Van (own transport) Though Postal Department
Decision Point: In the near future, the Commission may also involve the participation of courier agencies in packing and dispatch of question papers and answer sheets. The timeframe for printing is given below Sent for Printing Collected from Press Diagram: Question Paper Printing Process 8-15 days before the Examination 2-5 days before the Examination
2.3.4 Question Paper Printing Process
MPSC
MPSC Commission decides the press and the question papers are sent to the press from printing
MPSC
MPSC Received the information about the no. of candidates per center/ district from the preexamination wing
MPSC The question paper along with the printed answer sheets (comp. sheet) are sent to the respective centers
Start
Selected question papers and letter formats are sent to the commission
Printed Question papers are sent back to MPSC
End
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1.8
Direct Recruitment Direct Recruitment deals with recruitment for posts wherein Open Competitive Examinations are not considered. The process involves receiving recruitment requisition from the Government Departments, application management process, conducting screening test (if required), conducting interviews and finalization and publication of results.
On completion of the process, the final results are declared and all recommended candidates and the relevant Government Departments are informed. Process Header Process Name Process Objective
BPR Objective
Preconditions Successful Outcomes Actors Involved
Suggested changes
Benefit scope
Direct Recruitment process Conduct the recruitment through a combination of interviews and screening tests (if required) Prepare the result set to select eligible candidate for filling the Government post through Direct Recruitment Reduction in manual effort Reduction in time taken for completion of the process Improvement in the communication process within the organization and with external entities Requisition from the Government and associated Departments to initiate the Direct Recruitment process. Successful conduction of the recruitment List of candidates recommended for the post(s) Employees of the Direct Recruitment Wing, employees of other Wing/Branches related to Examination, Government Departments, candidates appearing for the recruitment process Requisition for conducting the Examination for Direct Recruitment to be sent through the MPSC Website System generated automated letters System generated advertisement publication Electronic communications and approval process Use of OMR forms Online submission of application form as one of the means of submission Online submission of application fees Scope of online generation of Hall Tickets/admit card Reduction in manual effort The requisition by the Government Department for recruitment has to be made through the MPSC Website, which would have pre-defined validations inbuilt into the system. So no manual effort will be required for verifying and validating the same Reduction in time taken By using pre-defined formats in preparing and drafting letters, advertisement content etc, the time taken for the same can be reduced. Online submission of application forms will eliminate the process of scanning and result in automated update of the database, thus reducing time for the process Online generation of Hall Tickets would reduce time taken in preparing, printing and dispatching the same to the candidates. It would also ensure reduction in the cost of the same. Reduction in communication time is possible by using e-mails or dashboard based notification system instead of manually (or by snail-mail) sending files, letters to the relevant Desks and Wing/Branches Online approval would also reduce the overall time taken in the process. The use of OMR sheets for application would also reduce the time required in scanning the same by increasing the correctness of the scanned data. Improvement in communication process Use of e-mails or dashboard based notification system would ensure an improved and faster communication within MPSC and with external entities.
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Maharashtra Government Departments Requisition with all details like name of the post, reservation details etc for conducting the Examination Initial Processing Requisition Government Department personnel shall enter the requisition details in a Website. The Website will have all necessary validations (e.g. Correct calculations of the reservations depending upon the number of seats etc). Once the requisition has been successfully made, the system shall generate a receipt for the same and send it to the Government Department(s) by means of automated e-mail. Advertisement The system shall maintain a pre defined list of newspapers wherein the advertisements for conducting the recruitment is to be published. This is a one time activity, and shall be done only if there is any change in the list. The list shall be reviewed at a fixed interval as defined by the Commission. A pre-approved advertisement format shall be maintained in the system. The advertisement format shall be approved by the Commission. Only the variables like name of the post, important dates, documents needed etc shall be kept blank in the format, which needs to be entered into the system by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing. Once the advertisement details have been entered, the system would generate the advertisement material. The system would then send out an alert to the Commission by means of automated email or dashboard functionality for approval. On approval, the system shall send out alerts to the Deputy Secretary of the Direct Recruitment Wing, other relevant Wing/Branches (like IT Branch etc) and the Website Team informing them of the new advertisement to be published, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. The advertisement content shall also be published on the Website of MPSC. Application forms Application forms can be obtained from and submitted through the following methods Through Post Office Application forms shall be dispatched to the post offices throughout Maharashtra for distribution. The application fees shall be collected by the post offices. The system shall generate a list with approximate numbers (based on past 3 year data) for distribution to the individual post offices. The forms should be designed so as to remove any duplicity or redundancy in them. OMR forms shall be used to ensure correctness and faster processing. ICR shall be used for scanning the photograph and the signature. Post offices and the candidates should be given a checklist to ensure that commonly committed mistakes in the form are avoided. The filled up and submitted forms should be sent to MPSC by the post offices. Online submission The MPSC Website shall have a provision of online fill-up and submission of forms. The candidate has to register in the system and fill-up the form and submit it in the system. The application fees have to be paid by means of Demand Draft into MPSC bank Account as mentioned in the Website, and the Draft number has to be mentioned while filling the form. Scanned photograph and signature also should be submitted along with the form. Similarly, the scanned copy of all the requisite documents (if any) should be submitted along with the form. The online form shall have the functionality of saving part of the work; so that candidates need not fill up the same at one go. The form should also have in-built validation mechanism so that common errors in filling up the form can be avoided. Decision Point: Currently the online application form fill-up and submission facility has not been incorporated in the system. But this feature will reduce the time taken for scrutinizing and processing the forms, and will increase accuracy and correctness. Initially, this should be kept optional, as internet facility might not be available throughout Maharashtra. But in the near future, all applications should be collected through the online method so that Examinations can be conducted in a more efficient manner.
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Scrutiny of Applications The application forms received from the Post offices are sent for scanning. A separate scanning system shall be in place for the same. Upon scanning, the system shall generate a report with all candidate details. The data obtained from the forms that have been submitted online shall also be used in the report. The system shall prepare a list of successful and rejected candidates with reasons for rejection (incorrect data, incomplete form etc). Letters shall be sent to the rejected candidates with reasons for rejection. A pre defined format shall be maintained in the system for the letter. Selection mode The system shall calculate the actual number of candidates eligible for the recruitment process based on the following calculation No. of eligible candidates = Total no. of applications No. of applications rejected (incorrect data, incomplete form etc) The maximum no. of interviews that can be taken is based on the following table Number of vacant posts Maximum number of candidates to be interviewed 15 5 times 6 10 4 times 11 and Above 3 times Situation 1 If the system generated no. of eligible candidates match with the above, then the system would initiate the process of interviews by informing all relevant Wing/Branches by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality (after approval from the Commission). This information will also be stored in the system for future reference. Situation 2 If the system generated no. of eligible candidates doesnt match with the above, then the system would send an alert regarding the same by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. The system would then allow any of the following mode of recruitment. Two options would be given by the system Applying Criteria to short-list Screening test Option 1: Applying criteria The system would prompt for the criteria to be applied. Based on the criteria, the list of the eligible candidates shall be displayed. The Commission may repeat this process of applying further criteria. Once the process of applying criteria is complete, then the system will display the list of candidates eligible for the recruitment process. If the Commission approves the list, then the system would initiate the process of interviews by informing all relevant Wing/Branches by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. This information will also be stored in the system for future reference. The system shall prepare a fresh list of rejected candidates with new reasons for rejection (details of the criteria). Letters shall be sent to the rejected candidates with reasons for rejection. A pre defined format shall be maintained in the system for the letter. If the Commission decides that interviews cant be conducted for all the candidates based on the list generated after the completion of the process of applying criteria, then the Commission can initiate the process of conducting screening test. The system would initiate the process by informing all relevant Wing/Branches by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. This information will also be stored in the system for future reference. Option 2: Screening test If the Commission directly selects the second option, then the system would initiate the process of conducting the screening test by informing all relevant Wing/Branches by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. This information will also be stored in the system for future reference. Screening test Screening test date The system shall maintain a list of date on which the test cant be scheduled due to other Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008
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Examinations, holidays, elections etc. This list has to be updated as and when any information is received by the Wing. Depending upon these dates and the requirement (of date) as entered by the personnel in the Direct Recruitment division, the system generates the list of possible days on which the test can be conducted. Once the list of dates is generated, the system sends out alerts to the Deputy Secretary informing him/her of the list of dates, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. The system would then allow the Deputy Secretary to assign a date for the test, and all the Wing/Branches and the Website Team would be notified about the same. The system would then generate letters (pre-defined format shall be maintained in the system) to be sent to other exam bodies and Government Departments informing them about the screening test date Announcement The system shall maintain a pre defined list of newspapers wherein the announcements for conducting the screening test is to be published. This is a one time activity, and shall be done only if there is any change in the list. The list shall be reviewed at a fixed interval as defined by the Commission. A pre-approved announcement format shall be maintained in the system. The announcement format shall be approved by the Commission. Only the variables like name of the post, dates etc shall be kept blank in the format, which needs to be entered into the system by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing. Once the announcement details have been entered, the system would generate the announcement material. The system shall send out alerts to the Deputy Secretary of the Direct Recruitment Wing, other relevant Wing/Branches and the Website Team informing them of the new announcement to be published, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. Personnel at Direct Recruitment division shall send the announcement contents by way of e-mail to the newspaper office for printing. (After obtaining the approval of the Commission) The announcement content shall also be published on the Website of MPSC. Examination centers The system shall maintain a list of all the Government approved schools and colleges which can be considered as suitable for conducting the Examinations. The list shall be prepared in consultation with the concerned authorities, and all details like accommodation capacity etc shall be documented. The list shall be verified and updated on a yearly basis. The system shall calculate the tentative number of candidates expected for the Examination based on the last 3 years trend (A straight line moving average method to be used for trend analysis by the system). This would be used for defining the number of centers to be needed. Once the Examination date has been finalized, the system shall generate letters (from pre-defined letter formats) to be sent to the Head of the Institutions, District Collectors, Director of Education, Director of Higher/Technical Education about the decision to conduct Examination at their locations. Similarly, the other relevant Divisions (like Confidential etc) are also informed about the approximate number of candidates through the system (the system sends out the information to the by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality) On finalization of the number of candidates (after scrutinizing the submitted application forms), the personnel at the Direct Recruitment Division finalizes (and is approved by his/her superior) the number of candidates per centre etc. Also, if any of the centers is not required, the same is informed to the Institution Head by means of e-mail/letter. Similarly, the other centers are informed about the number of candidates at the respective centre. Similarly, the other relevant Divisions (like Confidential etc) are also informed about the final number of candidates through the system (the system sends out the information to the by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality) Invigilators and Supervisors The system shall maintain letter formats for obtaining the list of Invigilators and Supervisors for conducting the Examination in Mumbai. The format shall be pre approved by the Commission, and further approval will only be required if there is any change in the format. The personnel at the Wing shall prepare the letters and send it to the Government Departments. On receiving the list and the appointment letters of the Invigilators and Supervisors from the Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008 Page93
Government Departments, the same shall be checked for correctness and completeness. Hall Tickets The system shall prepare the Hall Tickets with help of details about the Examination centres, actual number of candidates appearing for the Examination (based on regions, geography etc), the scanned photographs and signature and other necessary details. The Hall Ticket number (seat number in the Examination centre) should be randomised and not based on the application form number or order of submission of form. Once the Hall Tickets are prepared, they should be sent to the candidates. This process (franking etc) of should be outsourced to the post office or any other relevant body to avoid doing any noncore activity. The actual hard copy forms shall be stored for a period of 1 year, after which they should be sent for disposal. This clause should be mentioned in the application form itself. Examination preparation The system shall inform the Confidential Wing about the number of candidates (to set the Question Paper) by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality (as explained in the section on Examination centers). The Muster Roll shall be prepared by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing from the information available in the system. Similarly the Answer Paper (OMR) shall be printed by the concerned branch. All these shall be sent to the Confidential Wing for packing and dispatch to the Examination centers. Only Objective tests should be conducted for the purpose of conducting screening tests for Direct Recruitment. The Question Paper would be prepared by the Confidential Wing as per the process defined in the Section 3.3.3 Conducting the test The tests are conducted, and the Answer Papers and Muster Roll is collected and sent to the concerned wing. Preparation of result On receiving the Answer Papers, and Muster Roll, the personnel at the concerned branch shall manually check and verify the no. of present and absent candidates with respect to the Muster Roll. After confirming the number of candidates present, the Answer papers should be send for scanning and generation of report for the result. Once the scanning is complete, the merit list is prepared as per the categories mentioned. The system shall notify the Deputy Secretary of the Direct Recruitment Wing about the same by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. The system would then allow the Deputy Secretary of the Direct Recruitment to finalize the list (and number) of candidates to be interviewed. The system then sends the information to all relevant branches about the same by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. Publication of result The list of candidates to be interviewed shall be published on Website by the Website Team. Also, the Direct Recruitment Wing shall publish an advertisement in select newspapers about the publication of the interview list. The system shall maintain a pre defined list of newspapers wherein the advertisements is to be published. This is a one time activity, and shall be done only if there is any change in the list. The list shall be reviewed at a fixed interval as defined by the Commission. A pre-approved advertisement format shall be maintained in the system. The advertisement format shall be approved by the Commission. Only the variables like name of the post etc shall be kept blank in the format, which needs to be entered into the system by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing. Once the advertisement details have been entered, the system would generate the advertisement material. The system shall send out alerts to the Deputy Secretary of the Direct Recruitment Wing, other relevant Wing/Branches and the Website Team informing them of the new advertisement to be published, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. Personnel at Direct Recruitment Wing shall send the advertisement contents by way of e-mail to the newspaper office for printing. Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008
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Decision Point In the near future, MPSC should conduct online screening tests for Direct Recruitment after observing and analysing the conduction of Departmental Examinations. Trial run should be done initially with some of the screening tests where the number of candidates is less (100-200) Some of the salient features of the online screening test process are given below Examination questions shall be based on a Question Bank Random questions to be generated for the candidates Examination to be held in MPSC office Candidates shall appear for the tests on different time slots spread over multiple days (preferably 12 days) External Invigilators and Supervisors will not be needed as personnel from MPSC can invigilate. Total marks can be displayed on the screen immediately after completion of the test. But the final result are to be declared after completion of the whole set of tests. Interviews Interview date The system shall maintain a list of date on which interviews cant be scheduled due to other interviews, Examinations, holidays, elections etc. This list has to be updated as and when any information is received by the Commission. Depending upon these dates and the requirement (of date) as entered by the personnel in the Direct Recruitment Wing, the system generates the list of possible days on which the interview can be conducted. Once the list of dates is generated, the system sends out alerts to the Deputy Secretary informing him/her of the list of dates, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality. The system would then allow the Deputy Secretary to assign a date (or multiple dates) for the interview and finalize the schedule (with timings), and all the Wing/Branches and the Website Team would be notified about the same. The system would then generate letters (pre-defined format shall be maintained in the system) to be sent to Government Departments informing them about the interview date. The process of defining the interview date is initiated as per the follows After the initial screening of application form, the number of eligible candidates is within the limits (for interview) as defined by the Commission After the application of criteria, the number of eligible candidates is within the limits (for interview) as defined by the Commission Declaration of results of screening test The information about the number of eligible candidates is stored in the system, and also sent to the relevant Wing/Branches by way of automated e-mail and/or dashboard functionality. Government Representatives The list of possible Government Representatives and Subject Experts are obtained from various Government Departments and organizations. The Deputy Secretary (with approval of the Chairman) then decides on Government Representative and Subject Expert for the interview (wherever necessary) and informs them of the schedule through letters. The letters are generated from the system from a pre-defined and approved format. Interview letter The personnel at the Direct Recruitment Wing prepare letters to be sent to all the candidates selected for interviews. The letters are generated from the system from a pre-defined and approved format. This process (franking etc) of should be outsourced to the post office or any other relevant body to avoid doing any non-core activity. Interview case The system generates an interview case 1 day prior to the interview. This has details of the number of posts vacant under each category, the number of candidates to be interviewed etc. The data required to prepare this case is readily available in the system from the previous processes in Direct Recruitment. A pre defined and approved format for the interview case is maintained in the system. The personnel at the Direct Recruitment Wing also prepare the Muster Roll and the interview mark sheet in the system. Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008
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Interview committee The system notifies the Chairman by way of automated e-mail and/or the dashboard functionality for finalization of the Interview Committee. The system then allows the Chairman to finalize the name and other details of the interview committee. On completion the system notifies all the relevant Wing/Branches about the same by way of automated e-mail and/or the dashboard functionality Verification of certificates The certificates of the candidates are reviewed and verified manually on the Day of the interview by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing. If the candidate is unable to provide any of the documents, then the candidature of the candidate can be cancelled. But, in certain cases an undertaking can be taken from the candidate that he/she will submit the document within a stipulated time-frame, and the candidate can be allowed to appear before the interview panel. Conducting Interview Interviews are conducted by the interviews assigned by the Commission. The interviewers are provided all details required for conducting the interview. (Interview Case, Candidate application form, Muster Roll and interview mark sheet) On completion of each interview, the interviewers can submit the marks obtained by the candidates into the system (Each interviewer would be provided with a computer/laptop wherein he/she can directly submit the marks obtained by the candidate into the system). Finalization and Publication of results The interview marks has already been provided to the system by the interviewers while conducting the interview. The system now generates the merit list based on the categories etc. and is sent to the Chairman of the Interview Committee for approval. The Chairman is notified by the system by way of automated e-mail and/or the dashboard functionality of the system. The system then allows the Chairman to approve the results. On approval, the system informs all the concerned Wing/Branches by the way of automated e-mails about the same. The results are then published on the Website of the Commission by the Website Team and on a notice board at the Commission office by the personnel from the Direct Recruitment Wing. The successful candidates are sent letter of recommendation. The unsuccessful candidates are sent letters of non recommendation. The Government Department is sent a letter with list of recommended candidates and corresponding application form. All these pre defined and approved letter formats are maintained in the system. Results of the screening test being published Results of the interview process being published The recommendations sent to the Government Departments regarding the successful candidates
Output
The Government Departments, candidates for the Examination/interview Customer Diagram: High level process map of initial processing in Direct Recruitment
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Initial processing 2.4.1
Requisition
Advertisement
Application form
Scrutiny of Applications
Mode of selection
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Diagram: High level process map of conducting the screening test process in Direct Recruitment
Screening test 2.4.2
Screening test date
Advertisement
Examination centers
Invigilators and Supervisors
Preparation of result
Conducting the examination
Examination preparation
Hall ticket
Publication of result
Diagram: High level process map of conducting the interview process in Direct Recruitment
Interview process 2.4.3
Interview date
Government representative
Interview letter
Interview case
Finalization and Publication of result
Conducting the interview
Verification of certificates
Interview Committee
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Departmental Examinations The Departmental Examination Branch at MPSC manages and coordinates the activities which are required to be performed for conducting an Examination for Departmental promotions, confirmations etc. The process involves announcing and advertising the dates of the Examination, receiving applications and list of the number of applications, coordinating with other Wing/Branches like the Confidential Wing for preparation of Question Paper, evaluating the Answer Papers, preparing and publishing the results etc. Presently, most of these activities are done manually. Also, all the Examinations are Subjective in nature, and thus the time required for evaluation and publication of the results is very high. But the TO-BE process shall have a software system to cater to most of the activities. Similarly, the Examinations should be Objective in nature, either conducted online or in the written format. Decision Point MPSC has to take a decision related to adopting either of the methods as mentioned above for the purpose of conducting Departmental Examinations. Both these methods have been discussed in details in the subsequent sections. It would be preferable to conduct Online Examinations for the Departmental Examinations, as the conduction and management of the examination can be done in a faster and efficient manner. MPSC should adopt a Phase-Wise approach of conducting all its examinations Online. In the Initial Phase, only the Departmental Examinations can be conducted online. In Phase Two, the Screening Test of Direct Recruitment should be taken up. In Phase Three, the Open Competitive Examinations wherein the number of applicants is less (not more than 1000) should be considered. The Final Phase should consider the other examinations. There should be considerable time gap between each of the Phases, so that the Software Solution can evolve over the period of time and plug any gaps that might be present in any of the previous phases. Also, the time gap would ensure the IT literacy and maturity of the citizens in the State. Similarly, the time gap would see an enhanced IT Infrastructure in the State which would be necessary in conducting Online examinations of such dimension. The present process of conducting Subjective tests should be discontinued as it is time consuming and non-efficient.
1.9
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Departmental Examination related process Conduction, Evaluation and Publication of Results for Departmental Examination
BPR Objective
On-time publication of results Reduction in manual effort Improvement in the communication process within the organization and with external entities Requisition sent by the Government Departments (54 Departmental Examinations have to be conducted in a year). Publishing the correct result within the prescribed time and making all requisite information available to the Government Departments. MPSC, Government of Maharashtra, internal or external Invigilators/Supervisors, Examiner, Moderator and candidates Conducting Objective Examinations either written Objective or Online Objective Examination System generated automated letters System generated Gazette contents Electronic communications and approval process Use of OMR forms for answering the questions (if written Objective Examination is conducted) or conducting Online Examinations On-time publication of results By conducting Objective Examinations, the evaluation process will be faster, thus reducing the time taken for publishing the results. Reduction in manual effort By using pre-defined formats in preparing and drafting letters, Gazette content etc, the effort and the subsequent time taken for the same can be reduced. The use of OMR sheets for answering the questions (if written Objective Examination is conducted) would also reduce the time and effort required in evaluating and finalizing the results. Improvement in communication process Use of e-mails or dashboard based notification system would ensure an improved and faster communication within MPSC and with external entities.
Preconditions
Benefit scope
The process for conducting the Departmental Examination has been depicted below
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Maharashtra Government Departments Details of the Examinations to be conducted, schedule of the Examinations Pre-Examination related Process for Departmental Examinations Preparation of Gazette An Examination Gazette is prepared for the Examinations to be conducted during the scheduled month. This Gazette would have all details of the Examination to be conducted. A pre-defined format shall be maintained in the system for preparing the Gazette. The personnel at Desk 1 shall prepare the Gazette by feeding the variables like Examination name, date etc into the system. On preparation, the system notifies the Head of the Departmental Examination Branch for approval by means of automated e-mails and/or the dashboard functionality. On the approval of the Examination date and other details (guidelines, venue and time etc), the Website Team are notified by means of automated e-mails and/or the dashboard functionality, and the same is updated into MPSC Website according to the type of exam (Online Objective/Written Objective). An automated e-mail is sent to the Government Department informing them about the Examination schedule, sample admission letter, Examination guidelines etc. Other relevant Wing/Branches like the confidential Wing are also informed about the Examination schedule by means of automated e-mails. Number of Candidates & Appointment of Invigilators The candidates (employees of Government Departments) shall log into (The login ID shall be generated on logging into the Website for the first time) the MPSC Website and register themselves for the Examination. On submission of the application and payment of Application Fees, an automated notification is sent to the personnel at Desk 1 regarding the same. The database is automatically updated with the candidate details. The application fees have to be paid by means of (i) Demand Draft into MPSC bank Account as mentioned in the Website, and the Draft number has to be mentioned while filling the form, or (ii) Credit Card/Debit Card payment using any of the secured e-payment gateways or (iii) Deposit directly into some of the selected Banks throughout Maharashtra On completion of the application submission process (the deadline for submission of application having expired), the system calculates the number of Invigilators/Supervisors required based on the number of candidates. A letter is sent (by using a pre-defined format) to the Government Departments to appoint Invigilators for conducting the Examination. On appointment, the Government Departments shall inform MPSC about the same by means of e-mail. Decision Point Going forward, the invigilation and supervision activities for an Examination can be done by personnel from MPSC under appointment from the Chairman/Members. Also, the candidates should apply for the Examinations directly through the Website by completing and submitting the online application form along with the Examination Fees. Preparation of Question Papers For written Objective Examinations, the Question Paper is prepared from the Question Bank by the Confidential Wing as per the process mentioned in the section about the Confidential Wing. The printing of the Question Paper and the dispatch to the Examination center is also done as per the process mentioned in the same section. For Online Objective Examinations, the system would generate randomized questions from the Question Bank as per the pre-defined logic or criteria that has been set into the system by personnel at the Confidential Wing. The process is defined as follows Confidential Wing prepares the certain number of question (Question Bank), which are uploaded into the database. This is the one time activity initially and has to be updated periodically (yearly) or whenever the update is needed. The logic or criteria for the questions (e.g. number of questions, difficulty level, subject area etc) is maintained in the system During the Examination, each candidate gets questions from the Question Bank as per the logic or criteria defined. The appearance of the question is completely randomized, as per a random number logic fed into the system.
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Exam Conduction All candidates need to obtain their admission certificates (Hall Tickets) by logging into the MPSC Website through their IDs and taking a printout the certificates. These would have to be brought on the day of the Examination. Written Objective type Examination - The candidates has to answer the questions in the OMR sheet provided. Online Objective type Examination The candidates shall be provided with a unique identity code to login into the system. This identity code shall be mapped with the candidate details provided earlier. The candidate shall answer the questions through the Examination system software itself. The answers can be entered by clicking or typing the particular choice code. On completion, the candidate needs to press submit button. This would trigger the evaluation of the answers by the system. The individual result (pass/fail) shall be displayed in the screen itself once the candidate has pressed the submit button. The passing percentage/cut-off should be predefined and maintained in the system for this purpose. The system would also store the result for future reference, and for publication of the final combined result at the end of all the Examinations. The Online Objective type Examination shall be conducted on multiple days spread over various timelines so that large number of candidates can be accommodated efficiently. Post Examination related Process for Departmental Examinations Answer Paper Evaluation Written Objective type Examination - The Answer Papers (OMR sheets) are received from the Examination centre (Examination to be conducted in MPSC office premises). After verification of the number of Answer Papers etc, the same is dispatched for scanning and preparation of the report for publication of the results (This activity can be outsourced to a Scanning Agency). Online Objective type Examination For online Examinations, the results are stored in the system, and the personnel at the Departmental Examination Branch are notified about the same on completion of the complete set of Examinations (i.e. all the candidates have appeared for the Examination). All the results shall be collated and same forwarded for publication. Also the candidates are informed about their individual results by the system after the completion of their test. Both these evaluation processes are less time consuming process, then the current one in vogue, and thus either of them should be adopted. Publishing the Result The results are prepared (by the system from the data available) and published in the Gazette by the personnel at the Wing handling Departmental Examinations. This is then forwarded to the Website Team for publishing it in the Website of the Commission. The results are also put up in a notice board at the office of the Commission. The candidates who have been unsuccessful in clearing the Examination are mailed (by means of e-mail) their detailed mark sheets for perusal. The same is also sent to their corresponding Department Heads (in-charge) for reference. Results of the Departmental Examination being published The Government Department employees
Output Customer
Diagram: Pre - Examination related activities for Departmental Examination
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Pre-Examination Process
Departmental Examinations
MPSC Prepared the Examination gazette and got approval from head of the Examination wing
MPSC Gazette, Sample admission letters, guidelines and schedule are sent it to government department heads System The exam is conducted All the candidates have to bring the admission letter duly signed from the govt. dept. head to appear the exam System The exam is conducted. All the candidates have to bring their admission letter duly signed from the govt. dept. head to appear the exam for the given time
MPSC
MPSC Total number of candidates are calculated and muster roll sheet also prepared
MPSC Informed to government to appoint a panel of invigilators according to the number of candidates
Start
The candidates apply for the examination through MPSC website
MPSC Informed about the exam schedule to confidential wing to prepare the Objective type question papers
System Advertisement released in the MPSC website regarding the examination details
Yes
If it is objective type exam
No (Online Exam) System Informed about the exam schedule to the confidential wing to prepare the set of question papers and set randomized for each candidate in the given time period System Advertisement released in the MPSC website regarding the Online examination details and the allotted time for each candidate as well as the maximum no. of attempts he can make.
Diagram: Post Examination related activities for Departmental Examination

2.2.1 Departmental Examinations Post Examination Process
System Answer sheets are collected and sent it to the computer division for correction and grading System Once the exam has been completed by pressing the submit button the formal result (Pass/Fail) has to be displayed in the screen. Yes If it is objective type exam Pre-Examination Process
No (Online Exam)
MPSC The result is published in the gazette, news papers
System Result is uploaded into MPSC website
MPSC Marks of failed candidates sent it to dept. heads as well as the candidates End
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1.10
Appointment Wing Desks 2 and 4 deal with the appointment related activities at MPSC A mix of automated and manual verification process would be required to manage the appointment (service related) activities at MPSC. The various service related matter can be associated with Recruitment Rule (RR) Departmental Enquiry Promotion Transfer Claims for reimbursement of Legal expenses incurred by Government Servants while defending Legal proceedings instituted against them for acts done or purporting to be done in the execution of their duties. Claims for award of injury/family pension to Government servants Deemed Date of Promotion Appeal against Disciplinary Action Order as per rules Up gradation of Post Opinion on various Service Related Matters Inclusion, Exclusion of any Post within the purview of the Commission
Document storage All the necessary documents like recruitment rules etc. shall be maintained in the system, as part of a one time activity. These should be done only if a new document is received, or there is any change in the existing one. The personnel at Appointment Division should review them whenever there is a change in it. A checklist should be prepared and maintained in the system which would outline the various activities/checks to be performed while evaluating any Government proposal. Also, documents related to all past cases should be maintained in the system (with appropriate labeling for easy retrieval) so that it can act as a ready reference for future decision making. Validation and Verification The personnel at the Wing managing service related matters related to a post receives request from Government for verification and approval on matters related to Recruitment Rule (RR), Departmental Enquiry, Promotion and Transfer. On receiving the request, the details are updated in the system. The personnel at the Branch managing service related matter related to a post verifies the request with respect to documents available in system. He/ She can add comments based on the verification done. On completing the verification, a notification is send by means of automated e-mail and/or dashboard functionality to the higher authorities (Deputy Secretary) for approving the same. The system then allows the person in higher authority positions to approve the comments/ response related to the request. On approval, a notification is send by means of automated e-mail and/or dashboard functionality to all the relevant Wing/Branches informing them about the same. Response The personnel at the Branch managing service related matters shall send out a letter to the Government Department with all the relevant details related to the request (including comments and approval). This process can be repeated if the Government Departments are not satisfied with response. Decision Point In future, MPSC should build an online system for accepting service related queries from the Government Departments (like Departmental Enquiry, Recruitment Rule etc). The personnel at the Government Department shall log in to the MPSC Website and upload the relevant details and documents into the system. Each Government Department would have a unique ID and Password for the same. On verification of the documents, the response shall be send back by the way of e-mails by the system. This would ensure faster turnaround time in responding to the queries.
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1.11
Establishment Branch 1.11.1 Establishment Related Activities Establishment related activities To be a single point of contact (SPOC) for all employee matters like internal transfer, leave, attendance, trainings etc at MPSC Reduce manual effort Improvement in the communication process within the organization and with external entities Any Establishment related query, request Approaching time for any Establishment related activity (like date approaching for ACR) Timely completion of Establishment related activities Employees of MPSC Use of swipe card/proximity card to maintain and manage the employee attendance Automation of the service books System generated automated letters Electronic communications and approval process Raising requests for training etc through e-mails Reduction in manual effort By having the swipe card system, the manual effort required in preparing and update of attendance reports would be eliminated By using pre-defined formats in preparing and drafting letters etc, the effort and the subsequent time taken for the same can be reduced. The use of electronic communication and approval process would ensure faster completion of the overall process Automation of the system (like service book, ACR etc) would also ensure reduction in manual effort Improvement in communication process Use of e-mails or dashboard based notification system would ensure an improved and faster communication within MPSC and with external entities.
BPR Objective
Benefit scope
The Establishment Branch should work closely on the various aspects of Human Resources Management for MPSC. Some of the Estate related activities should be handled by any of the other Desks based on optimal Load Balancing, so that Establishment Branch can focus primarily on Human Resources Management aspects. The Establishment Branch should maintain an Establishment/ Human Resources Manual for all employees of MPSC based on Government guidelines. The Manual should focus on various domains like Training and Development Compensation and Rewards Management Appraisal Management Internal Transfer Leave Separation, including Retirement, Resignation etc Some of the aspects that should be the core focus of the Establishment Branch are Training and Development Continuous focus should be given to Training and Development of employees so that MPSC can continuously develop employees competencies for their effective performance on the current job and expected future potential. The training requests shall be generated in the system by personnel of the Establishment Branch, and on approval of the Deputy Secretary, all Wing/Branches would be notified by means of automated e-mails and dashboard functionality. The Establishment Branch should also identify the need for various refresher courses for the employees of MPSC and arrange for the same on a periodic basis. The periodicity for such courses has to be decided by the Commission.
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Annual Confidential Record (Appraisal Management Process) The main aim of annual appraisal is to help maintain and improve individual job performance, realize the true potential of employees and increase the effectiveness and efficiency of MPSC. More specifically, the purposes of the Appraisal System are to: assess past performance, establish current performance and set objectives to maintain and improve future performance in line with MPSC goals and objectives. It is an opportunity to enable individuals to maintain and improve their performance and improve the effectiveness and efficiency with which MPSC is managed. In order to achieve these aims it is important that appraisal takes place in a positive and supportive spirit which recognizes good practice and acknowledges contributions individuals have made in the course of their work. The annual performance appraisal process should be completely automated to ensure timely completion of the process so that the results can be shared with the employees every year as per the guidelines of the Commission. The system should have the following Employee Workflow Management Online Appraisal Form Appraisal Timetable Management System Online Self Appraisal facility and submission Online Approval by Senior Management Data Storage and Retrieval facility Employee Service Book Management Effective Service Book Management is another critical function of the Establishment Branch, as it captures all service related details of the employees like qualifications, postings, transfer, leave, increments etc. The process of Service Book Management should be completely automated, and all data and corresponding updates should be maintained in the system. The Service Book should be maintained by the personnel of the Establishment, with personnel from Finance Branch having requisite access authority. MAHAPIS (Maharashtra Personnel Information System), an establishment office application which automates the various matters related to service book of State Government personnel or Sevarth, a Personnel Resource Information & Salary Management System (PRISM) software provided by Government of Maharashtra can be used in this case. Internal Transfer The internal transfer requests shall be generated in the system by personnel of the Establishment Branch, and on approval of the Secretary, all Wing/Branches would be notified by means of automated e-mails and dashboard functionality. The internal transfer would be based on pre-defined criteria as defined by the Commission like more than three years of service in the same Desk/Wing/Branch etc. The system will generate a list of employees who have worked for more than three years in the same Desk/Wing/Branch on a periodic basis. The personnel of the Establishment Branch would generate transfer requests based on the system generated list. However, internal transfer can also be done based on any decision by the Commission regarding the same. Employee Attendance Monitoring the Employee Attendance is crucial for the Establishment Branch to Performance Management, Leave Management etc. However the system should be automated, so that it can be performed efficiently. Swipe/Proximity cards are to be used by the employees while entering or leaving the office. The attendance and the time of entry/exit etc shall be automatically stored in the system by its use. Daily attendance report shall be generated by the system, and sent to the concerned authority by means of automated e-mail. Weekly/Monthly Attendance Reports can also be generated from the system and sent to the concerned authority. The attendance system should be linked to the Service Book Application for effective management of various service related matters. Centralized Purchase Management System The Establishment Branch should coordinate a centralized purchase process for all items (except IT related items which should be under the purview of the IT Branch). The purchase process should be managed and maintained in the system. The steps in the process have been depicted below. A centralized purchase process would ensure that MPSC gets a more competitive price for the items purchased due to economies of scale. Request for purchase raised by Deputy Secretary of the relevant Division by submitting the requisite details in the system Automated notification sent to Commission for approval Automated notification sent to Establishment Branch on approval Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008
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Purchase of the item by the Establishment Branch through e-Procurement system (as discussed in the section for proposed IT Systems at MPSC) Automated notification (triggered by update of purchase status in the system) to the concerned Deputy Secretary on purchase Management of Daily Wagers The Establishment Branch should coordinate and manage of the appointment of daily wagers for MPSC as part of a centralized process (as given below) Contract given to agencies through the tendering process by the Establishment Section for a fixed duration of time with the approval of the Commission. A pre-defined tender format shall be maintained in the system for the same. The contract should ensure that payment made to the agency should be linked to the performance of the daily wages deployed by them. This would be a one time activity done at the starting of the year. Request for appointment of daily wagers raised by Deputy Secretary of the relevant Wing/Branch by submitting the requisite details in the system The system would generate an automated notification and send to Establishment Branch for approval. On approval of the Establishment Branch, Automated notification sent to the Commission for approval Automated notification (triggered by update of hire status in the system) to the concerned Deputy Secretary on appointment. Automated notifications sent to other relevant Wings/Branches like Accounts etc about the appointment. Decision Point: The Commission may decide to have an automated process for managing daily wagers, as described above. Publication of Seniority List The Establishment Branch should publish the Seniority List every year based on guidelines of the Commission like their date of joining, date of admission into the current role/level etc. The process of generation of the Seniority List should be completely automated as per the following The system would generate the Seniority List for every class of employees based on the guidelines of the Commission. The List should be generated every year at a fixed time as defined by the Commission. The pre-defined timeframe should be maintained in the system, so that the system can generate the list every year. The List would be based on the data maintained in the Service Book, and so the system should be tightly integrated with the Service Book. The system would send an automated mail to the Deputy Secretary of the Branch for approval. On approval of the Deputy Secretary, the system would send an automated mail to the Commission for approval. On approval, the list would be published Any objection raised by the employees can be submitted to the Establishment Branch (either in writing, or though the system) Changes are made to the Seniority list by the Establishment Branch, if required. The revised list is published (if changes have been made) after approval of the Commission.
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1.11.2 Filling Branch Some of the activities of the Filing Branch that would be automated are Checking of blacklisted candidates list The following functions would be available in the system Format of storing data related to blacklisted candidates Functionality of update, deletion of data related to blacklisted candidates Search functionality (this functionality shall be accessible to all the relevant Wing/Branches, so that the search can be done as and when required) Maintaining letter details The personnel at the Filing Branch shall update the system regarding receiving and dispatch of letters. Monthly billing All billing related information related to dispatch of letters shall be maintained in the system and automated monthly totals shall be generated by the system. File storage records The personnel at the Filing Branch should maintain the database in the system having the details of the file storage location (physical), duration etc. This would ensure better management and faster of files. Also, it would be easier to search for an old file. Similarly, the duration would help in planning the disposal of the file. This database shall be updated whenever there is any movement of the file, or if any new file is added, or an older one is disposed off. A standard file naming convention should be used for all the files. The guidelines provide by Government of Maharashtra for naming of a file should be used for the same. This would ensure that every file name is unique. Accounts Branch Most of the processes in the Accounts Branch are presently done manually. Only the salary processing has been automated by the Branch. So, there is a need to automate many of the other functions, which would result in higher productivity and faster turnaround. Some of the functions that should be automated are Budget (the process of collecting budget details from individual Wing/Branches and collating it to finalise the overall budget for MPSC) Progressive register Service Book Various forms submitted to the DAT and other Government Departments IT Branch The proposed IT Branch shall be responsible for management and support of all IT assets and solutions. Some of the areas under the purview of the IT Branch include (but not restricted to) Development of IT Solutions Maintenance and support of IT solutions IT Change management Management, maintenance and support of IT assets (computers,servers,network equipments, hardware etc) Act as a centralized unit for IT related purchases for MPSC Upgrade of IT assets Data center activities IVR systems Support the other functions like Pre Examination etc in scanning of applications, scanning of OMR sheets (Answer Papers), maintaining and update of templates and forms etc. The roles and responsibilities (like Database Administration, Software Development etc) of the various functions within the IT Branch should, ideally, be performed independently to maintain segregation of duties. However, due to operational constraints should more than one functions / roles be performed by the same individual, the prior approval of the Commission shall be obtained. IT Training Requirements To achieve the complete benefits of the computerization initiative being undertaken and planned at MPSC, the Commission also needs to make significant investment in areas of capacity building, training and awareness, specifically in the area of Information Technology. In comparison to the task of driving the corporation in line with the Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008
1.12
1.13
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planned initiatives, MPSC is inadequately equipped in terms of personnel and the skill-sets needed to handle the host of issues involved in IT training. Taking this into consideration, MPSC needs to address the gaps adequately. It is important to build human capacities in terms of necessary knowledge and skills to initiate, implement and sustain the computerization initiatives. It is equally important to generate an attitude and mindset that is receptive to ICT based administration and ICT based delivery of services. Mere developing automation strategies and implementing the technology will not help deliver the quality of services envisaged unless human resources are aligned to provide the right services to the right customers from the right sources with the right tools at the right time. A training calendar must be maintained and adhered to, in order to achieve the vision of successful automation of the services provided by the Commission. A draft template of the calendar is provided below for perusal Sl. No. Initiative Timeframe Trainer/Instructor
Other activities that need to be performed are Drawing up a detailed training schedule for all the Wing/Branches Scheduling training for trainers Preparation of a monitoring and evaluation plan for tracking progress/ shortfall in the capacity building efforts Facilitate collaboration between various trainer institutions and the Commission Support the training institutions in preparation of appropriate training programmes Update the action plan with the progress of the project IT Policies To ensure effective and seamless functioning of the IT infrastructure in the organization, a detailed and effective IT Policy document has to be framed. Some of the areas (but not restricted to) that should be addressed in the Policy document are Asset Management Policy - This policy is aimed at covering Asset Management in terms of Purchase or Acquisition of new Assets Asset Ownership and Use Asset Classification Upgrade of Assets Process of Asset Retirement/Disposal and Write-off Asset Installation and Quality Assurance Software Development and Implementation Policy This policy should encompass software planning, requirement analysis, design, development, testing and implementation Policy on Acquisition & Implementation of Packaged Software This policy would cater to Software product acquisition and purchase, Product selection, implementation Change and Problem Management Policy This policy would include Application Change Management, Infrastructure Change Management & Problem Management/HelpDesk functions. Configuration Management Policy - This policy is aimed at facilitating implementation, management and control of the changes in versions of software, application systems and customized add-on modules, network and operating system software, interfaces and utilities including related documentation. This also aims at ensuring uniformity in versions running across the organization and would involve maintaining up to date documentation for the entire version change process. The organization should endeavor to implement the tools and utilities for automating the version control procedures and documentation IT Security Policy (including Physical & Environmental Security, Logical Access Control, Computing Environment Management, Personnel Security, Network Security, Web Site Security, Virus Management, Backup Management, Incident Management etc). The Objectives of the Information Security Policy are: To prevent unauthorized disclosure of information stored or processed on Dr. Reddys information systems (CONFIDENTIALITY) To prevent unauthorized accidental or deliberate alteration of information (INTEGRITY) To prevent unauthorized accidental or deliberate destruction or deletion of information necessary for operations (AVAILABILITY) Capacity Planning and Performance Management Policy - The Objective is to ensure that cost justifiable capacity always exists for all IT resources of MPSC includingHardware Networking Equipment (LANs, routers etc) Peripherals (bulk storage devices, printers) Software (OS, network Software, purchase/in-house) Skilled People Business Continuity Management Policy Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008 Page109
Third Party and Outsourcing Services Policy (including AMC management Policy) - This policy is aimed at providing a framework and guidelines in identification and management of Third Party and Outsourcing Services employed by the IT Branch. This shall include (but not limited to) out sourcing of IT services, annual maintenance contract (AMC), IT Audit engagements, outsourced software development and implementation etc The policies would act as a generic guide to the personnel at MPSC on IT related matters. It would also provide a minimum framework for managing the IT function as a whole, thereby inducing consistency in the implementation and governance of the IT function
1.14
Legal Branch The Legal Branch at MPSC manages and coordinates all activities related to Legal petitions. The process involves receiving petition details, analysing it and coordinating with other Wing/Branches for timely response, tracking and follow-up of court proceedings etc. Presently, most of these activities are done manually. But the TO-BE Process shall have a software system to cater to most of the activities. The proposed System shall encompass the following characteristics Online workflow Database (data store) Search functionality Document upload facility Maintenance of access levels Bi-Lingual (in English and Marathi) Process Header Process Name Process Objective BPR Objective
Preconditions
Benefit scope
Legal Branch processes Efficient management of the Legal proceedings related to MPSC Reduction in time taken to search for details of old cases Improvement in the communication process within the organization and with external entities Petition filed against MPSC by external agencies/person (Writ Petition or MAT) to initiate the Legal process MPSC receives court notice Favourable judgement from Court Update of all relevant data and information in the system Employees of the Legal Branch, Employees of other Wing/Branches related to the cases, Approver, System Search facility based on various parameters like petitioner name, region etc available in the system System generated automated letters Electronic communications and approval process Automated notifications, reminders regarding approaching dates of hearing etc to relevant stakeholders in MPSC Availability of documents online in the system by using the scan and upload functionality in the system Reduction in search effort By using the search functionality in the system, details of all cases (on-going as well as closed) can be retrieved instantly Improvement in communication process Use of e-mails or dashboard based notification system would ensure an improved and faster communication within MPSC and with external entities.
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External entities filing a case against MPSC in court, the courts issuing the petition Data on the petition filed against MPSC like the petitioner name, court details, hearing dates, petition details etc Capture data The data in entered into the system by personnel in the Legal Branch. Following are the steps involved in the data capture: Receive petition The personnel at Legal Branch physically receive the petition. Enter data in the system The personnel at Legal Branch logs on to the system and creates a petition file providing the details of the petition. The data entered into the system include type of petition, details of the petition, details of the initiator, date, geography/ region etc. Upload original document The personnel at Legal Branch shall scan the original document and upload the scanned file into the system. Upon upload of the scanned document, the system sends out alerts to the Department in charge of the Legal department informing him/her of the new petition, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality (the pending task is displayed on the online dashboard of the officials when they login to the system). The system would then allow the concerned Deputy Secretary/Head of Branch to assign the work to the appropriate officer at a lower level and provide specific instructions to them. Prepare File Analyses petition The personnel at Legal Branch who has been assigned the work shall analyze the petition thoroughly. Upon analysis, he/she has to identify the concerned Wing/Branch for the petition. The Wing/Branch details shall be updated in the system by the personnel at the Legal Branch. Comments about the case are put in by the personnel at the Legal Branch. Upon putting in the comments, the system sends out alerts to the Deputy Secretary/Head of the Branch for the Legal Branch informing him/her of the completion of the initial work on the petition, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality (the pending task is displayed on the online dashboard of the officials when they login to the system). Approval The system would then allow Deputy Secretary/Head of the Branch to review the work done and approve the same. The expected or required date of completion of the work shall also be mentioned by the department-in-charge of the Legal department. Upon approval, the system sends out alerts to the corresponding Deputy Secretary/Head of the Branch informing him/her of the pending petition work, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality (the pending task is displayed on the online dashboard of the officials when they login to the system). The corresponding Deputy Secretary/Head of the Branch assigns the work to the appropriate officer at a lower level and provides specific instructions to them. Response The personnel at corresponding Wing/Branch who has been assigned the work shall analyze the petition thoroughly and prepare the required response. The response shall be entered into the system. All necessary documents shall be scanned and uploaded into the system Upon putting in the response, the system sends out alerts to the corresponding Deputy Secretary/Head of the Branch informing him/her of the completion of the response on the petition, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality (the pending task is displayed on the online dashboard of the officials when they login to the system). The system would then allow Deputy Secretary/Head of the Branch to review the work done and approve the same.
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On approval, the system sends out alerts to the Legal Branch informing them of the response to the initial petition, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality (the pending task is displayed on the online dashboard of the officials when they login to the system). Prepare affidavit A panel is appointed to work on the case on behalf of MPSC in the courts. A database of possible panel members is maintained, and used for this purpose. The database shall be updated at a regular timeframe. The Legal panel shall prepare the affidavit documents, and submit it to MPSC and the corresponding court. The documents are scanned and uploaded into the system by the personnel in the Legal division. The court hearing dates are also entered into the system. Alerts for dates & allocation of work shall be sent to the personnel in the Legal Branch informing them of the response to the initial petition, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality (the pending task is displayed on the online dashboard of the officials when they login to the system). Update judgment details Once the judgement has been passed in the case, the details of the same shall be updated in the system. Also, all the relevant documents shall be scanned and scored in the system. Output Customer Update of judgement details in the system MPSC
Other associated activities Search Searching of old cases with appropriate filter conditions (like ID, Initiator Name, Region etc) Report Auto generation of reports related to the functioning of the Legal Branch. Payments Maintenance and Tracking of the payments sanctioned and made to the panel members etc. Note The original files/ hardcopy documents that have been stored in the computer system shall be destroyed after a pre-defined specific timeframe. The timeframe needs to be decided by the Commission, and may vary from one to another. Diagram: High level process map of Legal process management
2.4.4 Legal Process Management
Capture data
Prepare File
Prepare Affidavit
Update judgment details
Diagram: Capture data
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Capture data
Receive petition
Enter data in the system
Upload documents
Diagram: Prepare File
Prepare file
Analyse Petition
Approval
Response
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1.15
Vigilance Branch Vigilance related activities To be a single point of contact (SPOC) for all external entities regarding any complaints related to irregularities in the functioning of the Commission. Facilitate the response of the Commission to the query posted Inform the originator about the response Take necessary action, or inform relevant authorities about the Commissions response (if required) Providing timely response to the queries posted or complaints raised against the Commission. Improvement in the communication process within the organization and with external entities A query related to possible irregularities in the functioning of the Commission has been raised by an external entity Providing timely response to the query raised, and taking necessary action (if required) Employees of MPSC, Government of Maharashtra, internal or external entities raisin queries, Central Vigilance Cell (CVC) Scope of raising complaints online through the MPSC Website System generated automated letters Electronic communications and approval process Scope of sending the final response from the Commission to the originator of the complaint by electronic means Sending a letter/e-mail with the Commissions response to all originators of complaint, irrespective of the response (whether the complaint is correct or incorrect) Providing timely response to queries/complaints By allowing online complaints, the overall time taken for responding to the same will be reduced. By using pre-defined formats in preparing and drafting letters, Gazette content etc, the effort and the subsequent time taken for the same can be reduced. The use of electronic communication and approval process would ensure faster completion of the overall process of responding to the query. Improvement in communication process Use of e-mails or dashboard based notification system would ensure an improved and faster communication within MPSC and with external entities.
BPR Objective
Benefit scope
The various activities of the Vigilance Branch is listed below Receiving complaints Complains are received in writing from external agencies regarding corruption charges. Mainly (but not restricted to), the complaints are from Candidates Government bodies Anti Corruption Cell The complaints can be related to (but not restricted to) Irregularities Bias Procedures not being followed On receiving the complaint letter, the relevant data is entered into the system by the personnel of the Vigilance Branch. The system should have a template for capturing the relevant data. Also, the scanned complaint letter is uploaded into the system by the personnel in the Vigilance Branch. Alternatively, a provision will be maintained in the Website to raise complaints through it. The initiator should fill up the necessary form and submit the same in the Website. The form would reach the personnel at the Vigilance Branch by means of automated e-mail. Also the database in the system will be updated accordingly. Decision Point Going forward, MPSC should receive complaints only through the online process (through Website). This would ensure that all details related to the complaint is available, no loss of complaint (through Postal Department) happens, and the process can be completed faster and in an efficient manner. Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008 Page114
Verification Initial analysis of the complaint is done, and the system is updated with the Wing/Branch name relevant to the complaint. Also the personnel in the Vigilance Branch can write comments or remarks related to the complaint in the system. Similarly, the date by which the relevant Wing/Branch needs to submit its report is also updated in the system. On completion, the relevant Wing/Branch is notified by way of automated e-mail and/or the dashboard functionality in the system wherein the pending items would be shown in the dashboard for that Wing/Branch. The relevant Wing/Branch personnel then check the validity of the complaint and puts in its response in the system. Also, all relevant files, application forms etc (scanned versions) related to the complaint is uploaded into the system. Upon completion, the corresponding Deputy Secretary is notified by way of automated e-mail and/or the dashboard functionality in the system wherein the pending items would be shown in his/her dashboard. The system would then allow the Deputy Secretary to approve the response. Once the approval is complete, the Vigilance Branch is notified by way of automated e-mail and/or the dashboard functionality in the system. On receiving the details from the relevant Wing/Branch, the personnel at the Vigilance Branch also verifies the validity of the complaint and the response in light of the documents now made available by the corresponding Wing/Branch. Response If the complain is found to be true, then necessary action is taken and Government Departments are informed by the personnel at the Vigilance Branch by means of letters. If the complain is not found to be true, then letters/e-mails are sent by the personnel at the Vigilance Branch to the initiator to inform him/her of the same. A pre-defined and approved format for the letter is maintained in the system. Also, if the complain is related to certain aspects which are not under the purview of MPSC, then the corresponding Government Departments are notified accordingly.
1.16
Statistics Branch The Statistics Branch at MPSC manages and coordinates all activities related to data analysis and report generation. The process involves receiving data from the various Wing/Branches, analyzing and estimating the central tendency and deviation values and presenting them as part of relevant reports. Although, the calculations are done with the help of software solutions like MS Excel, but gathering the data from the individual Wing/Branches is time consuming as there is no integrated system for collecting data for the same. The proposed System shall have an integrated Statistics module so that the standard reports and analysis can be done smoothly. Also, the option of generating ad-hoc reports should also be there. The following features are proposed in the To Be system Report generation (both text and graphical) Database (data store) and Query functionality Online workflow Search functionality Document upload facility Maintenance of access levels Bi-Lingual (in English and Marathi)
Process Header Process Name Goal in Context Preconditions Successful Outcomes Actors Involved
Statistics Branch processes Efficient management of the generation of reports and statistical analysis related to the Examinations conducted by MPSC Conducting Examinations Generation of report
Employees of the Statistics Branch, Employees of other Wing/Branches related to the cases, Approver, System Diagram: High level process map of Statistics process
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2.2.3 Statistics section process
Annual/Monthly report
Statistical Analysis
Ad-hoc reports
Annual / Monthly report Report format The personnel at Statistics Wing/Branches receive the report format from the Government Department or the Commission. The format is prepared and updated in the system by the personnel from the IT Branch. This is a one time activity, and should be done only if a new format is received, or there is any change in the existing format. The personnel at Statistics Branch should review the report format whenever there is a change in it. The format should incorporate calculations, analysis as well as written text (body of the report). Timeline for data collection The personnel at Statistics Branch receive the date/time for publishing individual report from the Government Department or the Commission. The date is updated in the system by the personnel from the IT Branch. This is a one time activity, and should be done only if the date is changed. This would ensure that the data for the report is captured automatically at a specific date as per the requirement. Alert generation If the data required for generation of the report is not available on the requisite date (as per the date mentioned in the section above), the system sends out alerts to the Deputy Secretary/Branch Head of the Statistics Branch and other relevant Wing/Branches informing him/her of the unavailability of data, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality (the pending task related to collection of data is displayed on the online dashboard of the officials when they login to the system). This is an optional step, as no alert would be generated if data is available in the system. Report generation Once all the required data is available, the calculations and analysis will be done by the system automatically as per the programs/logic feed into it. The final report will be prepared by the system as per the format mentioned. The personnel at the Statistics Branch would perform any manual activity in the report generation process that may be needed. Once the report has been prepared, the system sends out alerts to the Commission, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality about the completion of the report generation process. Approval On approval, the system sends out a message to the Deputy Secretary/Branch Head of the Statistics Branch, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality about the approval. Similarly, if any change or modification is required in the report, then the same would be informed to the Deputy Secretary/Branch Head of the Statistics Branch, and the above cycle (as mentioned in the sections above) shall be repeated. Publication The final approved report shall be sent for printing, or to the concerned Wing/Branch as per the requirement. Statistical Analysis Analysis format The personnel at Statistics Branch receive the format of analysis from the respective Wing/Branches (mainly the Post Examination Wing). The format is prepared and updated in the system by the personnel from the IT Branch. This is a Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008
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one time activity, and should be done only if a new format is received, or there is any change in the existing format. The personnel at Statistics Branch should review the report format whenever there is a change in it. The format should incorporate calculations, analysis as well as written text (body of the report), if any. Process initiation The personnel in the Statistics Branch would receive a request for performing any statistical analysis that is required from the personnel in the respective initiating Wing/Branches. The statistical analysis will be performed in the system as per the predefined format that is defined in the previous section. If data is not available for statistical analysis, then the section mentioned below will be performed before performing the statistical analysis. Upon completion, the system sends out alerts to the corresponding Deputy Secretary informing him/her of the statistical analysis that has been done, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality Alert generation If the data required for the analysis is not available, the system sends out alerts to the Branch Head of the Statistics Branch and other relevant Wing/Branches informing him/her of the unavailability of data, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality (the pending task related to collection of data is displayed on the online dashboard of the officials when they login to the system). This is an optional step, as no alert would be generated if data is available in the system. Request for ad-hoc report Request initiation The report for an ad-hoc report or analysis can be made by a Deputy Secretary or Higher. The request can be made through e-mail or through the workflow program in the system. All required details should be provided for generation of the report. Report generation The personnel at the Statistics Branch shall prepare the report with the help of the report generation or query functionality in the system. If the data required for the report or analysis is not available, the system sends out alerts to the Deputy Secretary of the relevant Wing/Branches and the initiating Wing/Branches informing him/her of the unavailability of data, by way of automated email and/or through the dashboard functionality (the pending task related to collection of data is displayed on the online dashboard of the officials when they login to the system). If the required data is unavailable, then the report shall only be generated on availability of the same. This is an optional step, as no alert would be generated if data is available in the system. Publication After preparation of the report, the same shall be sent to the initiator though e-mail. Other functions Search Searching of old reports with appropriate filter conditions Upload of scanned files Upload of scanned copy of the original files into the system (e.g. files sent by the Government Departments related to the report formats etc) Note The original files/ hardcopy documents that have been stored in the computer system shall be destroyed after a pre-defined specific timeframe. The timeframe needs to be decided by the Commission, and may vary from one to another.
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KEY BENEFITS Pre - Examination Area As-is Automation Validation of the Manual verification requisition sent by Government Department for recruitment to a post Letters All letters are manually prepared To-be The requisition to be sent by the Government Department using the Website, which would have all necessary validations built into it. So all verifications to be automated.
2.1
Online approval
Manual approval on file.
Tracking
Transmission between authorities Advertisement
Any tracking by higher officials had to be done manually, or by asking the concerned Wing/Branch for relevant information. Manual movement of files between different authorities. Manual preparation of advertisement content
Letter formats to be maintained in the system, and the letters are to be generated automatically through the system by entering only the variable fields. Approvals will be done through the system. Also notifications before and after the approval to be done through the proposed system. Facility to track online using the reporting and dashboard facility in the system.
Calculation number candidates
of of
Scanned documents Process Reengineering OMR Forms with ICR forms used. Scanning is time no redundancy consuming and only 80-90% accuracy can be ensured as per industry standards Online Only hard-copy applications Application forms accepted. MIS Policy Reform Disposal of hard copy Manual preparation of reports.
The calculation of approximate number of candidates for the Examination to be sent to the District Collectors (as per region or geography) done manually Documents maintained manually
Online file movement, with event-based email alerts based on pre-defined workflow; Communication validated by Digital Certificates. Advertisement formats to be maintained in the system, and the advertisements are to be generated automatically through the system by entering only the variable fields. All calculations done through the system with the help of trend analysis techniques.
Documents scanned and maintained in the system Use of OMR forms, reducing time for scanning and ensuring 100% accuracy
Addition option of applying online for any of the posts. This would ensure 100% accuracy and faster processing time. System generates reports on candidate and Examination details etc. Hard copy materials should be scanned and stored in the system, and thereafter disposed off as per disposal norms and timeline to be defined by the Commission. Can be submitted directly to the Account of MPSC by the candidates applying by online means.
All hard copy materials stored
Application Fee
Collected by the Post office after receiving the forms
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2.2
Examination Area As-is Automation Central System Manually MPSC finding the calendar for available date to conduct the exam. preparing Gazette Also if one dept selects some date to conduct any exam it has to inform manually to all other Wing/Branches. Access to the list of Manual identification of the available available Invigilators/Supervisors Invigilators/Supervi by sending more manual letters to sors the particulars (School/Colleges/Principal) When exam is scheduled. Letters All letters (Admission cards, communication letters) are manually prepared Online approval Manual approval on file.
To-be Central System Calendar should have all the information like available date, booked date for particular exam, holidays list, etc. This calendar can be viewed by all the Wing/Branches. This is used to schedule the exam quickly. Maintaining the updated list of Invigilators. From this list Invigilators can be selected whenever any exam needs to be conducted.
Advertisement
Manual preparation of advertisement content to published in the Website Any tracking by higher officials had to be done manually, or by asking the concerned Wing/Branches for relevant information. Manual movement of files between different authorities.
Tracking
Letter formats to be maintained in the system, and the letters are to be generated automatically through the system by entering only the variable fields. Approvals will be done through the system. Also notifications before and after the approval to be done through the proposed system. Advertisement formats to be maintained in the system, and the advertisements are to be generated automatically through the system by entering only the variable fields. Facility to track online using the reporting and dashboard facility in the system.
Transmission between authorities
Scanned Documents maintained manually documents Process Reengineering OMR Forms with ICR forms used. Scanning is time no redundancy consuming and only 80-90% accuracy can be ensured as per industry standards MIS Not available; reports prepared manually when required
Online file movement, with event-based email alerts based on pre-defined workflow; Communication validated by Digital Certificates. Documents scanned and maintained in the system Use of OMR forms, reducing time for scanning and ensuring 100% accuracy
MIS to be generated with the system data; ready reports like eligible candidate list, Hall Tickets, allocation of exam time, etc. possible; different MIS for different levels of hierarchy. An option of raising complaints online through the Website to be provided to ensure faster turnaround time Hard copy materials should be scanned and stored in the system, and thereafter disposed off as per disposal norms and timeline to be defined by the Commission.
Policy Reform Raising complaints by the candidates regarding their result Disposal of hard copy
Letters sent to MPSC regarding the same
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2.3
Statistics As-is Manual collection for the various Wing/Branches. This was time consuming, and often caused delays in publication of the reports To-be The system, being an integrated one, would be able to capture data internally for processing of reports
Area Automation Data collection for Statistical report generation and analysis Ad-hoc report
Any ad-hoc report that is required has to be prepared manually Process Reengineering MIS Not available; reports prepared manually when required
The system would generate ad-hoc reports based on inputs provided. MIS to be generated with the system data; ready reports like eligible candidate list, Hall Tickets, allocation of exam time, etc. possible; different MIS for different levels of hierarchy. Hard copy materials should be scanned and stored in the system, and thereafter disposed off as per disposal norms and timeline to be defined by the Commission.
Policy Reform Disposal of hard copy
2.4
Confidential Matters Area As-is Automation Selection of This list is prepared at the time of every Subject Examination. This list is prepared Matters manually by MPSC, Government and Experts & Schools/Colleges principals through the Examiners communication letters Question Bank Question bank is prepared manually and kept as a hard copy.
To-be System should have the available list of panel members. Whenever any exam needs to be conducted the panel members should be selected from this system Question bank is prepared in the system by the experts and kept in system database. For each questions certain parameters (Complex level, Area, etc.) are set by the experts and stored as a question bank. Question Papers are derived from the question bank by putting some parameters (complexity, Area, no. of question, random selection). So system generates the Question Papers from the question bank Letter formats to be maintained in the system, and the letters are to be generated automatically through the system by entering only the variable fields. Approvals will be done through the system. Also notifications before and after the approval to be done through the proposed system. Facility to track online using the reporting and dashboard facility in the system.
Question Paper
Question Papers are prepared manually from the question bank. Manually the experts need to write the set of Question Papers All letters (Invitations, Selected/Non Selected candidate lists, communication letters) are manually prepared Manual approval on file.
Letters
Online approval Tracking
Transmission between authorities Scanned Documents maintained manually documents Answer keys Who ever prepares the Question Paper Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008
Any tracking by higher officials had to be done manually, or by asking the concerned Wing/Branches for relevant information. Manual movement of files between different authorities.
Online file movement, with event-based email alerts based on pre-defined workflow; Communication validated by Digital Certificates. Documents scanned and maintained in the system Answers are generated by the system itself while
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Number of Subject Matters Expert
they need to give the answer keys manually through the hand written paper Current system selects experts to frame Question Papers and Answer Papers.
papers are generated.
Very less number of experts is selected because Question Paper and answers are generated by the system itself.
Process Reengineering OMR Forms ICR forms used. Scanning is time with no consuming and only 80-90% accuracy redundancy can be ensured as per industry standards Online Subjective and Objective type Examinations Examinations are conducted. Online Application forms MIS Only hard-copy applications accepted and scanned. Manual preparation of reports.
Use of OMR forms, reducing time for scanning and ensuring 100% accuracy
Objective or Online Examination process are to be conducted for Departmental Examinations ensuring automation and fast process. Addition option of applying online for any of the posts. This would ensure 100% accuracy and faster processing time. System generates reports on candidate and Examination details etc.
Hard copy materials should be scanned and stored in the system, and thereafter disposed off as per disposal norms and timeline to be defined by the Commission.
2.5
Direct Recruitment Area As-is Automation Validation of the Manual verification requisition sent by Government Department for recruitment to a post Letters All letters are manually prepared
To-be The requisition to be sent by the Government Department using the Website, which would have all necessary validations built into it. So all verifications to be automated.
Online approval
Manual approval on file.
Tracking
Transmission between authorities Advertisement
Any tracking by higher officials had to be done manually, or by asking the concerned Wing/Branches for relevant information. Manual movement of files between different authorities. Manual preparation of advertisement content
Letter formats to be maintained in the system, and the letters are to be generated automatically through the system by entering only the variable fields. Approvals will be done through the system. Also notifications before and after the approval to be done through the proposed system. Facility to track online using the reporting and dashboard facility in the system.
Applying criteria Done manually for short-listing candidates Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008
Online file movement, with event-based email alerts based on pre-defined workflow; Communication validated by Digital Certificates. Advertisement formats to be maintained in the system, and the advertisements are to be generated automatically through the system by entering only the variable fields. The system would generate the list of eligible candidates after applying criteria.
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Interview Case
Prepared manually
The system would automatically generate the interview case based on the input given earlier.
Process Reengineering Online Only hard-copy applications accepted. Application forms MIS Manual preparation of reports.
Addition option of applying online for any of the posts. This would ensure 100% accuracy and faster processing time. System generates reports on candidate and Examination details etc.
Application Fee
Collected by the Post office after receiving the forms
Hard copy materials should be scanned and stored in the system, and thereafter disposed off as per disposal norms and timeline to be defined by the Commission. Can be submitted directly to the Account of MPSC by the candidates applying by online means.
2.6
Legal As-is Data entered manually into files Manual To-be Data to be entered into the system System to have search functionality based on file number, name, region (geography) etc.
Area Automation Data capture in Legal process Search for old cases in Legal process
Process Reengineering MIS Manual preparation of reports.
System generates reports on Legal cases, their status etc.
Hard copy materials should be scanned and stored in the system, and thereafter disposed off as per disposal norms and timeline to be defined by the Commission.
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3 PROPOSED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM The proposed IT system at MPSC symbolises the growing need of the Commission to function in a more efficient manner for the conduction of Examinations. The section has been arranged according to the various aspects of Information Technology. Some of the activities have to be done in parallel for successful completion of the project. The Data Centre preparation and procurement of hardware has to be done in parallel to the software development, and should be completed much before the completion of the Software Development. Similarly, the Data Digitization should be done in parallel to the Software Development process, and also needs to be completed prior to the completion of Software Development.
3.1
Software Solution Basic The major areas that are to be addressed in the proposed solution are Pre Examination Post Examination Confidential Direct Recruitment Statistics & Report generation Legal Establishment Finance Filing Vigilance MIS The detailed functional requirement has been given in the earlier sections of this report. Software Architecture A 3 Tier Architecture (a sample depicted below) would be suggested for the Software Architecture at MPSC
A pplication T iers Logical Partitioning D eploym ent Physical Partitioning U ser Interface C ode
W eb B row ser
Tier 1:
U ser Interface
W eb Brow ser
Tier 2:
B usiness R ule
BR 1 BR 2 BR 3
BR 4 BR 5 BR 6 A pplication Server
[B usiness R ules]
Tier 3:
D ata A ccess
D ata A ccess C ode

Server
D ata
D atabase Server
[D ata Access]
[Application & D ata A ccess]
O ption 1
O ption 2
Other Features A Document Management System with features for storage, retrieval and management of documents (including scope to upload/download scanned documents) should be an integral part of the solution encompassing all the above mentioned modules. A standard file (or document) naming convention should be used for all the files (or document) that have been uploaded into the system. The guidelines Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008
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provide by Government of Maharashtra for naming of a file should be used for the same. This would ensure that every file name is unique, thus making the document retrieval process easier and faster. An automated Workflow Management System including User Access Management should be an essential part of the solution. The software shall have an option of bi-lingual interface, and EAI components shall be used to capture real time data from other sources (like data from the online application form that have been submitted, scanning system etc) A comprehensive MIS system would be an integral part of the solution. MIS system would have access to information and pre-defined reports based on the user authentication levels. Reports would be user defined, as well as ad-hoc to cater to the requirements of MPSC. The proposed IT Solution should have an e-Procurement module to facilitate online submission of tender responses by the vendors. The solution should support features like Market Making, Vendor Enlistment, Inviting Sealed Bids, Forward and Reverse Auction, Inviting RFQ/ RFP/Open Quotes etc. For such transactions, MPSC may decide to implement digital signature based authentication services. To manage the Library at MPSC, a Library Information Management System (LIMS) should be incorporated in the proposed solution. The System should facilitate in Catalog Management, Search and Retrieval, Online Book Issue and Renewal etc. Some of the requirements of the proposed software system are given below S. No. Requirement General 1.1 1.2 The software system must be protected from hacker attacks The software system should provide a level of security for access by users that have access passwords. The software system must be available through out the week including Saturday, Sunday and other public holidays The system must provide storage redundancy in case of a failure. A membership is valid till a users profile is active. Users 2.1 Employees of MPSC/ Employees of associated organizations or Government bodies (in certain specific cases only) can use the application. However, the final rights of providing user rights would rest with MPSC. The information stored under user details shall consist of following items: name, user ID, email address, any other information deemed necessary Profiles 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Each user will have a profile. The profile is created and activated when a user is created. A profile is valid for the duration of the users term. The User profile would contain editable set of items such as designation, roles and responsibility etc. Generic information for a user such as name, date of birth etc. should not be editable.
1.3 1.4 1.5
2.2
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S. No.
Requirement A profile should contain personal information about a member such as their name, email address, location, any other information deemed necessary Each profile is unique such that not two profiles can be identical. A profile contains access right information about the user that is used to provide security access to various protected parts of the software system. A profile will be editable for each member through an interface Roles
3.5
3.6 3.7 3.8
4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7
A role is a relationship that a person has to the organization A role has a single reference to profile and MPSC Division/Desk/ Associated Subordinate Organization A role has a type that identifies the activity of the role. Typical roles of user are user, administrator, etc. A role contains access right information about the member that is used to provide security access to various protected parts of the software system. A users role will be editable for each member through an interface. A set of specific notifications that may be of interest to the role can be set in the system. Login The software system must provide a means for users to login All users must login to the software system to access the specific content The login must comprise of two fields User-id and password The password field must be hidden using a HTML password field type Once a user is logged in their username, will be displayed in the page header Searching
5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5
6.1 6.2
There will be a general searching function for the entire software system. A search field should be provided as part of the general header of the software system. Administration of Software systems The software system shall contain a set of pages for performing administrative tasks. The administration pages shall be accessible only to the software system administrator role. An administrator can edit users of the software system.
7.1 7.2 7.3
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S. No. 7.4 7.5 8.1
Requirement An administrator can edit roles An administrator can edit all non-functional requirements of the software system Email Notifications The software system shall provide email notification to its users.
Users (MPSC Employees) should be granted access to information, data and applications on a "need to know" basis. Access to information, data or application shall be restricted according to the users requirement or role in the organization and on the basis of least privilege to achieve the desired business function. The software development framework should involve a standard Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) methodology. The diagram given below depicts the various phases of SDLC, and the corresponding activities involved. The list of activities given in the diagram below is only an indicative one. The phases and associated activities are iterative: for example, changes in the scope or requirements during the development phase will necessitate repetition of previous phases. Whenever the process returns to a previous phase, it may need to do so under the proper Change Management and Control procedure. A project may cross-over into multiple phases and activities simultaneously. Many of the activities in the process given below will have to be performed by the vendor identified for solution development. The same methodology can also be adopted with minor modifications to customization of existing software products too.
Project PLANN Initiation ING
Requirements PLANN Analysis ING
3 Design PLANN ING

Develop Logical Design Models Design Interfaces Design Subsystems Complete System Support Specifications Specify Data Conversion System Cost Benefit Analysis
4 Development PLANN ING

Prepare Development Framework Develop System Databases Conduct Detailed Design Establish Operations Functions Complete Migration Design Code & Test Development Components
5 Testing PLANN ING

Complete Testing Plans & Material Prepare Testing Environments Perform Tests Transfer to Production System Conduct User Acceptance Testing
6 Implementation PLANN ING

Finalize Migration Preparation Prepare New Procedures Migrate Data Finalize Migration Effort Project Completion
Project Scoping & Evaluating Define Project Boundaries & Milestones Develop Work Breakdown & Structure Prepare Project Schedules & Budgets Prepare Project Team & Additional Resources Prepare Project Plan
Analysis Planning and Initiation Define User Needs Current System Review Prototyping Functional Specification Development Cost Benefit Analysis Request for Proposal Evaluate Tenders Solution Definition
Due to the criticality of MPSCs function, Software Testing would be one of the most crucial phases in the Software Development Process. If the Application is not tested exhaustively, it may result in errors which would have a negative impact on the functioning of MPSC. Some of the types of Testing that can be used are S.No 1 Type of Testing Alpha Testing Description Testing after code is mostly complete or contains most of the functionality and prior to users being involved. Sometimes a select group of users are involved.
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Automated Testing
Black Box Testing
4 5
White Box Testing Compatibility Testing
Functional Testing
Integration Testing
Load Testing Performance Testing Regression Testing Stress Testing
10
11
12
Acceptance Testing
13
Security & Controls Testing
Software testing that utilizes a variety of tools to automate the testing process and when the importance of having a person manually testing is diminished. Automated testing still requires a skilled quality assurance team with knowledge of the automation tool and the software being tested to set up the tests. Testing software without any knowledge of the inner workings, structure or language of the module being tested. Black box tests, as most other kinds of tests, must be written from a definitive source document, such as a specification or requirements document. Boundary Condition testing should be performed in this case. Testing in which the software tester has knowledge of the inner workings, structure and language of the software, or at least its purpose. Testing used to determine whether other system software components such as browsers, utilities, and competing software will conflict with the software being tested. Testing two or more modules together with the intent of identifying defects, demonstrating that defects are not present, verifying that the module performs its intended functions as stated in the specification and establishing confidence that the solution meets the ULBs requirements. Testing two or more modules or functions together with the intent of finding interface defects between the modules or functions. Testing completed at as a part of unit or functional testing, and sometimes, becomes its own standalone test phase. On a larger level, integration testing can involve a putting together of groups of modules and functions with the goal of completing and verifying that the system meets the system requirements. Testing with the intent of determining how well the solution handles competition for system resources. The competition may come in the form of network traffic, CPU utilization or memory allocation. Testing with the intent of determining how quickly a product handles a variety of events. Automated test tools geared specifically to test and finetune performance are used most often for this type of testing. Testing with the intent of determining if bug fixes have been successful and have not created any new problems. Also, this type of testing is done to ensure that no degradation of baseline functionality has occurred. Testing with the intent of determining how well a product performs when a load is placed on the system resources that nears and then exceeds capacity. Acceptance testing is generally performed MPSC users with the intent of confirming completeness with respect to the requirements outlined by MPSC and as captured and signed off in the solution requirements specifications. MPSC can also consider such testing done by an independent auditor or have a Consultant for assisting them for the same. The information systems developed for MPSC processes and stores critical Examination related information including. Testing of controls built into the application surrounding the transactions (access and authorization controls), accuracy of processes (business process controls), and data is critical. MPSC needs to consider performing such testing in house or through the acceptance testing performed by an independent auditor.
The system should be readied for implementation upon addressing all the issues identified during the tests conducted by the vendor and MPSC. MPSC must identify a team of users covering all the Wings/Branches who would be responsible for performing the Acceptance Testing On-time. The team should be identified prior to the UAT Phase, preferably during the Project Initiation Phase so that the team can be involved in the complete Project Cycle. Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008
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3.2
Database Data is the essence on which an Information Systems is developed for processing, storing and retrieving the data. Since MPSC would processes and manages large volumes of data, so adequate planning and care for managing the data should be taken. Data is organized and managed through a database management system (DBMS). It is recommended for MPSC to implement a standard Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) for its data storage and management. A relational database management system (RDBMS) is a collection of data organized into related tables so relationships between and among data can be established. Non-relational technology, particularly flat files, should only be used for unstructured data, textual data, and temporary work storage only. The Database to be used for the project should be finalized based on aspects like Data Security features, which include safeguarding the data from Unauthorized use of the database or application, Accidental modifications and deletions, Confidentiality and integrity breaches for data in data transport & physical storage and Disasters; Data Retrieval Speed; and Easier Database Manageability and Availability of Support
3.3
Data Digitization and Migration Availability of data in digitized format is essential for implementation of Information Systems for MPSC. Currently the data in MPSC is primarily in the manual format which needs to be digitized for successful implementation of the project. The data digitization is a key activity to be undertaken by MPSC prior to implementation and usage of the developed software. This section focuses on guidelines to be followed for digitization of the data. Data Digitization Guidelines Sl. Guidelines No. 1 An assessment need to be performed to identify the database requirements for the software envisaged for MPSC. The data requirements in terms of master data, transaction data need to be identified, which is required for the envisaged solution. 2 Based on the initial assessment and the project timelines, MPSC needs to analyze whether the data digitization can be performed using the employees or to outsource such requirement to private operators/vendors. 3 While making such decision, it is vital to evaluate the current level of skill sets existing at MPSC in using computers for data digitization, the timeframe required to train MPSC employees in data digitization and whether such timelines are permissible within overall project timelines. 4 If MPSC wishes to outsource the data digitization process to a private organization, then MPSC should enter into a non disclosure agreement with the vendor to protect the privacy of the information and to ensure accuracy of digitized data. MPSC shall have the complete rights over the digitized data and the data digitization vendor shall not possess MPSC data, partly or completely. 5 MPSC should define the data quality standards and target data formats prior to the commencement of the Data Digitization. 6 The software for performing data entry must be properly designed after an adequate study of the data to be digitized. The software must have adequate validations built in to reduce errors during data entry. 7 The software deployed must be adequately tested before deployment. It is preferable to test data using live data from some of MPSC records that are to be digitized 8 Appropriate controls such as audit trail etc must be built into the software to ensure that changes to entered data are tracked. 9 Data entry personnel must be adequately trained in using the software. 10 The data entry personnel must also be trained adequately on understanding the structure and contents of MPSC records which is to be digitized so as to reduce the incidence of errors while data entry 11 It is preferable to carry out data digitization at a premises designated by MPSC, so as to have better control over the physical registers. Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008 Page128
12
Physical security of the premises must be ensured adequately, by restricting entry to authorized personnel only. It should be ensured that registers and other materials provided to the vendor are kept in the designated premises at all times. 13 MPSC must, at all times maintain track of the registers being digitized by the vendor by maintaining a log of the same. 14 Every register must be checked for number of pages, number of entries (if possible) before they are handed over to the vendor for digitization. The same must be cross checked when the register is returned after digitization 15 MPSC may appoint suitable personnel to supervise the work of the vendor and be available to answer queries relating to data in the registers (in case they are illegible, unclear etc) 16 The vendor may be asked to perform a first level of validation of the entered data against the data in the physical registers, before the same is submitted to MPSC for validation. 17 The vendor on completion of data entry and first level of validation would provide printouts of the digitized data for validation to MPSC. 18 Validation of the digitized data would be performed by personnel from MPSC level by comparing the printouts provided by the vendor with the physical registers. MPSC will be required to validate 100% of the digitized records to ensure that they are error free 19 Every official involved in the validation process must check a prescribed percentage of the entered records and a sign need to be obtained for the verification performed. 20 The errors so found would be marked clearly using special ink on the printouts and returned to the vendor for correction under acknowledgement, a copy of the corrected checklist would be retained by MPSC staff. 21 The vendor shall correct the errors marked out at no extra cost. He would then submit a print out of the corrected records for validation by MPSC 22 All officers and staff involved in the data validation process shall be required to submit a certificate in writing declaring the fact that he/she has verified the required percentage of records as mandated including the corrections, if any. In order to ensure compliance and accountability, all officers would be required to put their official stamp, signature and date on every record verified by them 23 The progress of the vendor must be tracked on a regular basis to ensure that the prescribed number of records are digitized within the timeframe defined for the process The data required for envisaged solution for MPSC might be currently in a digitized format which is currently being used by the existing applications. It might be required to migrate the existing data or digitized data (e.g. evaluation details of the past examinations etc) into the target database platform identified for the solution. This section outlines an approach to undertaking data migration. It also enumerates some good practices that may be adhered to in the data migration exercise. Data Migration Phases The following figure illustrates the phases in a data migration project: Data Migration Phases
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Data Migration Phases
Data Assessment
Data Cleansing
Test Extract & Load
Final Extract & Load
Migration Validation
Post Migration Activities
a. Data Assessment: The key objective of this phase is to assess the state of the data in the source systems and determine whether it meets the criteria for use in the target system. The study of the source system must provide comprehensive insights into the content, structure, quality and integrity of the source system. Inputs from this study would be used to map fields from the source data to the target database, they would also help design data cleansing and transformation techniques for use in later stages of the project. b. Data Cleansing: Data Cleansing is the process of applying agreed criteria to source data to make it suitable for use in the new target system. The criteria may be applied automatically through some program or may be carried out manually. The key activities in this phase are as given below: Identify data cleansing needs and expectations Clean up source data in current system Format unstructured data in other systems Run extracts and queries to determine data quality c. Test Extract and Load: In this stage the data element mapping between the source and target databases is done, this phase would also involve creation of tools for automating the extraction and loading of the data from source to target system. The key activities are as given below: Create/validate element mappings Create tools for automation of extraction Run mock migrations Load extracts into new system using automated tools Perform data validation. d. Final Extract and Load: On success of the test extraction the final extraction and loading is done from the source to the target databases e. Migration Validation This phase consists of validation of the data migrated into the target system. Data quality in the target system is assessed and detailed metrics are prepared for the migrated data. Any exceptions, errors found are resolved and the migrated database is signed off f. Post Migration Activities The key activities in this phase are as given below: Complete data migration reports and cross-reference files/manuals Data sanity reports Target system usage reports Infrastructure capacity report and dashboards Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008 Page130
Sign off on data migration project. Key Considerations: This section presents some key points to be considered during the data migration is given below Risk Identification and Mitigation: It is extremely important to identify all risks associated with the project and enumerate mitigation measures. The plan should address the contingency measures to be adopted during the event of a data migration failure. It should also clearly specify measures to be taken to prevent data loss. It may be preferable to consider migration of data to a back up system at the same time as a new target system to address data loss due to system failures Data Mapping: A comprehensive data mapping exercise must be undertaken before embarking on data migration. A good data map will detail an in-depth cross-referencing of all mutual fields across the source system and the target system. Ideally it should include: Names of applicable to and from fields Lengths and data types of these fields Any logic involved in mapping such as string truncations or validations against any business rules. Data Transformation: Data transformation is the process of changing data from the source format into data that can be used by the target system. Data Transformation can be efficiently performed by technically advanced ETL tools available in the industry. The choice of tool is an important consideration that would determine the success of the migration effort Training: In order to effectively perform data assessment and cleaning, it is important that the vendor is sufficiently familiar with existing data structures of the source registers/databases. The data owners (at MPSC) will have to play an active role in ensuring that the vendor is sufficiently trained on existing data formats and structures. Any documentation on the same will need to be passed on to the vendor. It may also be desirable that representatives of MPSC play an active role during the entire migration process and validation of migrated data It is also equally important, that the staff at MPSC is sufficiently sensitized about the data migration exercise so that they may be in a better position extend the required co-operation to the vendor.
3.4
E-mail system MPSC should use a standard office e-mail system for smooth functioning of its operations. Certain information transfer, file transfer, approval process, internal and external co-ordination etc can be done in an efficient and faster manner through the use of e-mails. A separate mail server needs to be installed and maintained for the same. A list of the basic features required from the Email system is given below MAIL MESSAGING Features Unified Messaging Anti Spam Functionalities Standard Client Support for Outlook, Notes, Other Clients Support for Multiple address book VPN Less Access through Internet/Intranet Using Mail Client Support for retention and recovery of mails even after deletion of messages and provide options of deleting the retained mails after the system has been backed up Support SMTP as default messaging protocol for mail transfer Support for multiple Domains over the internet Routing Engine like ESMTP Mail Access using Web Browser Messaging Antivirus Support from All leading Vendors Support for Clustering & high Availability Tools for Optimization & performance Ability to Limit Users Mail Store
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Support for Multiple Email Domains Mail restriction and User Quota Multiple User Accounts in the Mail Client (POP3/IMAP/SMTP) Calendaring, Scheduling and Availability Propose Time for meeting and the ability to Accept, Deny or Propose new time Message tracking with variety filters Enable Disable User Account Option to access Calendaring from Web based Client Web based Appointments Events for A day Week And Month Support for Event Spanning Across Days Invite / Deny / Update in Senders Calendar Users Ability to add Quick List Group In Address Book Block Email from Domain Email Add and Username Index Address Book Perform LDAP Address Book Lookup Support for Global Address and Personal Address Book Access-Global Modification By Admin Automatic Online Backup Online Backup and Restore GUI Based Central Control to Monitor Servers Services and mails Message Tracking and Logging Anti Spamming and Virus Control While finalizing on the appropriate E-Mail System, MPSC should ask for 5 years Security Updates in messaging solution so that they can compare cost.
3.5
Website MPSC should have a separate Website, and a dedicated Team to manage the Website operations. The Website shall be interactive in nature and shall include (but not restricted to) Basic Information Basic Information about MPSC and relevant brochures. This section should also include the contact details of the Commission. Syllabus detailed syllabus for all the Examinations that are conducted by MPSC. Schedule and advertisements The schedule and advertisements related to the up-coming Examinations and interviews. Online Application A provision has to be provided to the candidates to apply online for any of the posts that have been advertised. Use of EAI is required to feed data from this application into the main database. Hall Tickets A provision has to be provided in the system to enable candidates to print their Hall Tickets by logging in to the system (if they have filled and submitted the form online) Online Post Requisition - A provision has to be provided to the Government Departments to put in an online requisition for recruitment for any of the posts Results Candidates shall be able to check their results online with requisite authentication like Application ID or Hall Ticket ID etc. This would ensure that the Website is interactive in nature. Online Complaint system Any complaint against the Commission can be raised through this system. Answers Key The answer keys for the Objective Examinations should be published on the Website IVR details Details about the IVR system that has been incorporated FAQ Some of the frequently asked questions or information that candidates may frequently require. Some portions of the Website should be bi-lingual (Marathi and English)
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3.6
Network Printers The following options on the network printers were evaluated Dot matrix printer A dot matrix printer or impact matrix printer refers to a type of computer printer with a print head that runs back and forth on the page and prints by impact, striking an ink-soaked cloth ribbon against the paper, much like a typewriter. Unlike a typewriter letters are drawn out of a dot matrix, and thus, varied fonts and arbitrary graphics can be produced. Inkjet printers Inkjet printers spray very small, precise amounts (usually a few picolitres) of ink onto the media. For color applications including photo printing, ink jet methods are dominant. Laser printers A laser printer is a common type of computer printer that produces high quality printing, and is able to produce both text and graphics. A comparative study between the three is given below Printer Type Advantages Disadvantages Dot matrix The printing involves mechanical High wear and tear of mechanical parts, pressure, these printers can create gears, printer heads makes this printer prone carbon copies and carbonless copies to frequent breakdowns. Inkjet These printers give incomparable Inkjet printers are not suitable for office work resolution, vivid color, and sharp text and where the high speed printing is required. are easily affordable to purchase. They Also per page printing cost is high as the are great for home use, and are fairly cartridges are costly. compact and easy to transport. Inkjet printing speed varies and depends on the resolution and printing images. Laser The cost of this technology depends on a Laser printers are costly as compared to inkjet combination of costs - cost of paper, toner printers. replacement, and drum replacement, as well as the replacement of other consumables such as the fuser assembly and transfer assembly. Often printers with soft plastic drums can have a very high cost of ownership that does not become apparent until the drum requires replacement. One helpful trait is that in very high volume offices, a duplexing printer (one that prints on both sides of the paper) can halve paper costs, and reduce filing volumes and floor weight as well.
On evaluating the possible options, it is recommended that Medium size network printers (Laser) should be provided at each Wing/Branches Personal printers should only be provided to the Chairman, Members and Secretary 2 print shops can be set-up within the Computer (IT) Desk to cater the requirement of heavy duty printing jobs.
3.7
IVR System The IVR system shall be used for providing information to the candidates. The following information shall be available through the IVR system Upcoming Examinations and important dates related to it Tentative date of result publication Individual result and interview schedule (to be provided based on authentication) Posting queries IVR systems require both telecommunications resources (phone lines) and telecom processing equipment and software from suppliers.
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The number of lines required to handle the inbound calls have to be effectively measured before implementing the solution. The factors involved in this calculation include: Peak calls per minute Average talk time during peak periods Lines available to handling incoming calls Simulation models can be used for measuring the above. Also, the models can project the number of lost calls based upon inadequate telecom resources as well as idle or under utilized telecom resources. IVR system would ensure that information can be provided on a 24X7X365 basis. Information will be available through the system to the candidates on holidays and after office hours too. IVR facility should be bi-lingual (Marathi and English)
3.8
Scanning System A scanning system, including the requisite software should available to perform the following activities Scanning of Application forms (OMR/ICR) Scanning of Answer Papers Scanning of documents to be uploaded in the system Network and Internet Connectivity A local area network (LAN) shall be created at the MPSC office (this design has been primarily based on the new MPSC office at Belapur) to facilitate efficient connectivity and ease of access to vital information. This section aims to describe in brief, the network proposed to be created. A router shall be the interface between the internal network and the Internet. A 2 Mbps Internet link is proposed to be utilized for internet connectivity. This bandwidth proposed is variable depending on the capacity required by various users and applications. All connections from the outside terminating on the router shall be filtered through an IPS/IDS, which would detect any malicious intrusion attempts. A firewall would then segregate the LAN, the De-militarized zone (DMZ), and the Intranet servers. The firewall would be capable of stateful inspection where it would actually dissect the packet and peer into its contents to recognize any malicious content. The Web server, which would serve web pages to the outside world, shall be placed in the DMZ. All computers on the LAN shall be connected to a layer-2 switch which would in turn be connected to the firewall. The following aspects shall be considered while proposing the final design for the Network Functionality The network design should facilitate all identified functionality requirements. It should give high performance and should meet the real time traffic Quality of Service (QoS) requirement. Scalability As requirements grow, the network must be able to keep pace. The network should be scalable enough to meet future up gradation issues in terms of: Bandwidth Number of offices (if there is any increase in the number of offices in future) Number of Desktops or Additional services Availability The network design should build redundancy at backbone level and component level to make the network highly available. Sufficient number of redundant hardware and links should be installed and all single points of failure should be eliminated. Manageability Manageability Objective of the network is to provide "true" proactive network management. The network must have the proper tools and design to ensure that the network administrators are always aware of its operation and current status. Cost Effectiveness It should be cost effective and should have optimum utilization of Bandwidth available. In any project, there is always a trade off between costs and benefits. The network design should be able to balance both these factors in a satisfactory manner. The proposed network architecture is depicted below
3.9
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Network diagram
Internet Cloud `
Core Router IPS Gateway Web Antivirus Server SMTP/ Mail
Intranet servers Application Management Database Server Server Server
Firewall DMZ
Access Switch
User Workstations
Critical Data Centre Infrastructure
Web Server The Web server will handle requests from users, which come through Internet and Intranet. The web server will handle HTTP and HTTPS type of requests. HTTPS will be used when secure data transfer is required. In the proposed application architecture, it is envisaged that the following are secure transactions: User Logins Secure transactions Application forms decided as critical by the respective Wing/Branches User Registration The main purpose of the Web server is to transfer users request to the Web Container in the application server. The Web server should be clustered with load balancing for better performance and fail-over. Database Server The applications would require a persistent storage mechanism, which would allow the storage of huge amounts of data and retrieval of data easily and intuitively. It is recommended that RISC based process Linux operating system should be used.
3.10 Security and Authentication

As a part of security, both physical and network security shall be addressed. The data centre would utilize fingerprint based authentication or could also have access card based authentication. Proper logging of all user access to the data centre shall be performed. Various servers shall be stored in the data centre on secure racks with proper locking mechanism. Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008
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Logical Access control would play an important role with respect to the MPSC network. In this regard, an access authority matrix shall be created to define user access to specific servers. Each user shall have a dedicated login to enable mapping of each access attempt to a particular user. The network shall be made adequately secure using a combination of a firewall and an IDS/IPS. No unrecognized packet shall be allowed to enter or leave the network. The firewall shall be updated with the latest signature patterns to enable comprehensive stateful inspection. Various networks shall be logically segregated using a combination of virtual LANs (VLANs) All data on the servers shall be stored in encrypted form. This will ensure that data that is accessed in an unauthorized manner cannot be read. To ensure high availability of data, redundant servers would be utilized and data would be pushed simultaneously to these servers on a regular basis. In case of a server failure, the redundant server could be plugged in immediately to ensure availability of services. Digital signatures should also be used for online documents etc to ensure authentication and security.
3.11 Server Room

MPSC shall have a separate upgraded server room for hosting its servers and other critical IT equipments (Servers, Routers, Switches, IDS, Firewall etc). Access to the upgraded server room shall be restricted to authorized users (Network / System administrator) only and such shall be controlled through the use of proximity/swipe card and/or biometric devices. The upgraded server room shall be under continuous surveillance through closed circuit cameras and the corresponding recordings shall be retained, for a specified timeframe, as may be decided by the Commission. Visitors or any third party guests may be allowed inside the upgraded server room with the prior approval of the Commission only. Server Room Site Evaluation Server Room site evaluation should be done, and each site assessed for their appropriateness for the housing the servers. The risks associated with each site should be documented, and steps/ controls that should be identified to be adopted by MPSC in order to mitigate the risks identified. The evaluation should be done on the basis of following factors and TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association) Standards. Site Safety Susceptibility to natural calamities like floods, earthquakes, Susceptibility to electromagnetic interference, Closeness to vibration sources, Impact to neighboring structures Emergency Redundant utility feeds (water & power) and infrastructure support. Services Floor Load bearing capacity, Floor-ceiling clearance. Easy Access Access for hardware equipments, loading dock and pathway to handle all anticipated Mechanism deliveries of supplies and equipments Electricity Power source, Power requirements. Fire Standards, Detection systems, Suppression Mechanisms, Fire Drills, Training, Fire Equipment Maintenance. Lightening Building protected against lightening Protection Network Connectivity Telecom connectivity between telephone exchange and MPSC, Redundancy
Server Room Management Environmental conditions at the Server Room should be maintained within the operating limit. It is important that the systems are provided with an optimum operating environment, so that environment driven errors are minimized. Environmental control covers the following parameters that make up the working environment: Temperature Humidity Electrical supply voltage Dust levels Radiation etc
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Network Administration and Management Administration of network equipment comprises of configuration, setup, security and maintenance. It includes the following Managing LANs, backbone connections, and ensuring high uptime Managing network security systems including the network firewall Monitoring, analyzing, and responding to system events and audit logs Monitoring and troubleshooting network connectivity Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity In recent years, added emphasis has been placed on the continuation of business functions or core domain in the face of potential disasters. Such disruptive acts may be natural disasters such as earthquakes, severe storms, flooding or deliberately caused by man (bombings, arson and sabotage). Since MPSC will be using IT as the key enabler in providing efficient services to the Government of Maharashtra or citizens (candidates), so there would be heavy dependence upon its information processing capabilities in order to support its service delivery. Only through effective advance Business Continuity Planning and preparation can we ensure that critical service delivery functions and activities will continue in the event of a disaster. With such a strategic priority given to the IT, it is extremely crucial for MPSC to review and address all the issues and risks surrounding the IT and to plan for the continuity of the services in case of unforeseen events. MPSC should have a Disaster Recovery site (DR site) ready to manage its activities in case of a disaster. MPSC should also prepare a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) (A plan that sets out the processes that are to be followed for an organization to continue to function and deliver essential services in the event of a significant disruption) for smooth functioning of its operations incase of any emergency or disruption. The plan should be reviewed and updated at regular intervals. Following outlines the guidelines for designing and implementing the Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan. Organize and Manage the BC & DRP Project Establish a dedicated contingency planning team Develop the detailed work plan and schedule for development of BC & DRP Review the current backup facilities and insurance for the information systems and evaluate the relevance and reliability of such facilities. Perform impact analysis Develop a process/service evaluation criterion identifying the individual processes and the activities, criticality and uptime or availability requirements of the services and potential impact to the process and/or service in case of failure in the Information Systems or related enablers Perform the impact analysis based on the evaluation criteria developed and shall prioritize the critical processes/services. Determine minimum processing requirements and Recovery Point and Recovery Time Objectives (RPO and RTO) Define the normal operating requirements for each critical process/service and application (s) identified in the previous step. Define the minimum operating requirements for each critical process/application Define Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) i.e. the point in time to which systems and data must be recovered after an outage as determined by MPSC and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) for each service and the enabling Infrastructure i.e. timelines within which the information systems need to be recovered. Identify and analyze risks Analyze the risk associated with IT and other resources enabling the service delivery shall prioritize the resource needs Identify the scenarios of resource loss situations, which might have impact on the service delivery Analyze alternatives and select strategy For the identified critical resources enabling the key services and processes, MPSC shall identify the recovery alternatives available. MPSC shall evaluate each recovery alternative identified for the critical resources and based on the minimum processing requirements and RPO/RTOs appropriate recovery strategy shall be defined. MPSC shall develop the appropriate test scenarios for verifying the effectiveness of the recovery plan and based on the test results, the recovery plan shall be updated. Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008 Page137
3.12
Other guidelines while developing a Business Continuity Plan: There should be a clear definition of individual responsibilities, including who has the authority to declare a disaster and initiate the BCP procedures. There should be instruction on when, where and how to use the DR site including, but not limited to: Procedures for establishing Information Systems processing in an alternate location including arrangements for office space Replacement equipment Telecommunications Supplies Transportation etc. A list of contacts of key personnel with work, home and cellular phone numbers as appropriate should be maintained. Identification of vital system software documentation should be stored at the DR site. The procedures for retrieving and restoring information and data from the off-site storage facility shall be documented. A list of vendor contact personnel should be made available. Documentation detailing the complete listing of IT Infrastructure including software and hardware shall be maintained. The interim procedures to be followed until systems are restored, and procedures for catching up when systems are back in operation shall be documented. There should be an evaluation of maximum outage tolerable for each system and a restoration priority listing indicating the order in which to restore systems. A copy of the Recovery Plan shall be stored off-site. A Disaster Recovery Crack Team should be formulated under the leadership of the Chairman of the Commission to plan for and manage any disaster situations. The replication at DR site will be performed using the communication link between primary and DR site. In the event of a disaster, operations can start from the DR site until the primary site recovers from damage. Once the primary site again starts operating in normal fashion, then the operations can fall back to the primary site. For the DR site support, knowledgeable manpower similar to Primary site will be required. Rules should be formulated for the operations of the secondary site in the event of disaster.
3.13
Swipe Card/Proximity Card/Smart Card system Swipe card or Proximity card or Smart card system would ensure automation of employee attendance recording at MPSC. The system would comprise of one or more swipe readers for recording arrivals and departures, a set of employee ID badges and a software package for recording and managing the attendance data. The
swipe-card reader within the system runs continually, taking the clocking data from it and feeding it to the communications module. This attendance data is accumulated within the software to provide a range of viewable reports, thus helping the organization in efficient employee management.Online Forms & Pre-defined Formats
The following section presents a synopsis of the online forms and pre-defined formats design exercise and the resulting list of forms and formats that may be used in the internet enabled or automated scenario. It is to be noted though that the list of forms is an indicative one prepared based on the As-Is knowledge (as shared by the Wing/Branches at the time of the As-Is study) and proposed To-Be process. A more comprehensive forms design exercise may be required to be undertaken by the selected implementation partner at the time of the implementation of the computerization project. . The Index table below provides the list of online forms and their intended usage, while the Description of Forms table provides the indicative fields of the forms. The forms are listed in the logical sequence of their usage in the procurement process.
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3.14 Index
Pre Examination No. 1. Form/Format Requisition post Letter format for Stage Pre Examination Requisition Pre Examination Examination date Pre Examination Advertisement Actor & Purpose Used by the Government Department employees to raise a recruitment request for a post. Used by the personnel of the Pre Examination Wing to inform other entities (like UPSC etc) about Examination dates. Used by the personnel of the Pre Examination Wing to generate the advertisement content and material for the Examination. Used by the personnel of the Pre Examination Wing to inform the District Collectors about the Examination. Used by the personnel of the Pre Examination Wing to check the availability of schools and colleges for conducting the Examination on the given dates. Used by the personnel of the Pre Examination Wing for sending to Government Departments to check the availability of Invigilators and Supervisors for conducting the Examination on the given dates in Mumbai. Used by the personnel of the Pre Examination Wing for sending to post offices for distribution. Also, it is used for collecting applications through the online media Used by the personnel of the IT Branch for preparing the details of the candidates who have applied for the post Used by the personnel of the IT Branch for preparing the Hall Tickets for the candidates who have applied for the post
2.
3.
Advertisement format
4.
Letter format
Pre Examination Examination centers Pre Examination Examination centers
5.
Letter format
6.
Letter format
Pre Examination Invigilators & Supervisors
7.
Application form
Pre Examination Application forms
8.
Scanning format
result
Pre Examination Scrutiny of applications Pre Examination Scrutiny of applications
9.
Hall ticket format
Post Examination No. 1. Form/Format Preparation Gazette of Stage Examination (Departmental) Examination Gazette Examination (Departmental) Admission letter issue Actor & Purpose Prepared by the personnel of the Departmental Wing for conducting the Departmental Examination and submit into the Government Used by the personnel of the Departmental Examination Branch for preparing the admission letter for the candidates who have applied for the post Used by the personnel of the Departmental Examination Branch for preparing the Examination guidelines to be followed.
2.
Admission Letter format
3.
Examination guidelines format
Examination (Departmental) Guidelines Preparation
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4.
Muster format
Roll
5.
Letter format
Examination (Departmental) scheduled number of candidates in the exam centre Examination (Departmental) Invigilators & Supervisors
Used by the personnel of the Departmental Examination Branch for preparing the number of candidates allotted in the exam centre (Mazgaon) Used by the personnel of the Departmental Examination Branch for sending to Government Departments to check the availability of Invigilators and Supervisors for conducting the Examination on the given dates. Used by the personnel of the Departmental Examination Branch to generate the advertisement content and material for the Examination. Used by the personnel of the Departmental Examination Branch for preparing the results and publishing it in the Gazette and news papers Used by the personnel of the Post Examination Wing for preparing the absentee list
6.
Advertisement format
Examination (Departmental) Advertisement
7.
Result format
Examination (Departmental) Result set format list Post Examination (Open Competitive) Prepare the absentee list by matching attendance and the Answer Paper Post Examination (Open Competitive) Interview Letters Post Examination (Open Competitive) Result set format
8.
Absentee format
9.
Interview format
Letter
10.
Result format
Used by the personnel of the Post Examination Wing for preparing the interview letters to the candidate for appearing the exam Used by the personnel of the Post Examination Wing for publishing the result.
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Statistics No. Form/Format 1. Monthly report 2. 3. Annual report Statistical Analysis report
Stage Statistics Branch Annual / Monthly report Statistics Branch Annual / Monthly report Statistics Branch Statistical Analysis
Actor & Purpose Used by the personnel of the Statistics Branch for preparing the monthly report Used by the personnel of the Statistics Branch for preparing the annual report Used by the personnel of the Statistics Branch for preparing the statistical analysis
Confidential No. 1. Form/Format Letter format (Acceptance letter to Experts, Moderator & Examiners) List format (List of actual panel members & Alternative) Invitation format Stage Confidential Subject Matters Expert, Examiners & Moderators Actor & Purpose Used by the personnel of the Confidential Wing for the appointment of Subject Matters Expert, Examiners & Moderators.
2.
3.
Confidential scrutiny of acceptance form and applications and prepare the actual list of panels and alternatives as well. Confidential Invitation to the panel members Confidential Preparation of Question bank
Used by the personnel of the Confidential Wing to list down the actual panel members (Experts, Examiners & Moderators) and alternatives. Used by the personnel of the Confidential Wing to prepare the invitation for the selected panel members. Used by the various subject matters expert for preparing the question bank with various parameters (complex level, Area, Created Date, etc.) from the given syllabus Used by the subject matters expert to derive the set of Question Papers and corresponding answers from the question bank by giving some parameters. Used by the press for printing the Question Papers in the specified letter format Used by the personnel of the Confidential Wing for preparing the lists of selected candidates those who are going to appear the Examination Used by the personnel of the Confidential Wing for preparing the qualified / Non qualified candidates list. Used by the personnel of the Confidential Wing for preparing the slab wise reports for each category after scanning and grading of the Answer Papers. Used by the personnel of the Confidential Wing for preparing all the communication letters to the candidates from MPSC.
4.
Question format
bank
5.
Question format
Paper
Confidential Preparation of set of Question Papers and answer keys Confidential Printing the Question Papers in the given letter format) Confidential After scrutiny of application
6.
7.
8.
9.
Letter format (Question Papers) Letter format (Selected candidate list for appearing the exam) Letter format ( Qualified/Non Qualified Candidates) Reports template
Confidential After the result announcement
Confidential Slab wise reports generated
10.
Letter format
Confidential All the communication letters
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Direct Recruitment No. 1. Form/Format Requisition post Advertisement format for Stage Initial Processing Requisition Initial Processing Advertisement Actor & Purpose Used by the Government Department employees to raise a recruitment request for a post. Used by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing to generate the advertisement content and material for the Examination. Used by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing for sending to post offices for distribution. Also, it is used for collecting applications through the online media Used by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing to inform the candidates about rejection of application. Used by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing to inform other entities (like UPSC etc) about Examination dates. Used by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing to inform other entities (like UPSC etc) about Examination dates. Used by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing to generate the advertisement content and material for the screening test. Used by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment to check the availability of schools and colleges for conducting the Examination on the given dates. Used by the personnel of the IT Branch for preparing the Hall Tickets for the candidates who have applied for the post Used by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing to check the availability of schools and colleges for conducting the Examination on the given dates. Used by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing for sending to Government Departments to check the availability of Invigilators and Supervisors for conducting the Examination on the given dates in Mumbai. Used by the personnel of the IT Branch for preparing the Hall Tickets for the candidates who have applied for the post Used by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing to inform other entities (like UPSC etc) about the interview dates. Used by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing to appoint Government representatives and experts for conducting interviews.
2.
3.
Application form
Initial Processing Application forms
4.
5.
6.
7.
Letter format Rejection of candidates Letter format Information about recruitment date Letter format Information about recruitment date Advertisement format
Initial Processing Scrutiny of Applications Initial Processing selection mode Screening test screening test date Screening test Advertisement
8.
9.
Letter format Availability of Schools & Colleges Hall ticket format
Screening Test Examination centers
Pre Examination Scrutiny of applications Scanning test Examination centers
10.
11.
Letter format Availability Schools Colleges Letter format Availability Invigilators Supervisors
of & of &
Scanning test Invigilators & Supervisors
12.
Hall ticket format
Scanning tickets Interviews date
test
Hall
13.
14.
Letter format Information about recruitment date Letter format Appointment of Government representatives
interview
Interviews Government representatives
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15.
16.
Letter format Interview Call letter Interview case format Letter format Recommendation letter Form for capturing data related to a petition
Interviews letters Interviews case
Interview
Interview
17.
Interviews Finalization and publication of results Legal Branch capture data
18.
Used by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing to inform the eligible candidates about the interview schedule. Used by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing for preparing the interview case for the interview panel Used by the personnel of the Direct Recruitment Wing to inform the selected candidates about the recommendation. Used by the personnel of the Legal Branch to capture details about the petition.
Establishment No. 1. Form/Format Daily/ Monthly/ Annual attendance report Appraisal form Stage Establishment Branch employee attendance Establishment Branch Annual confidential report Establishment Branch employee service book Establishment Branch internal transfer Establishment Branch trainings Filing Branch checking of blacklisted candidates list Filing Branch storage records file Actor & Purpose Used by the personnel of the Establishment Branch to capture attendance related details. Used by all employees of MPSC to complete self assessment and provide review comments (only for seniors) Used by the personnel in the Accounts and Establishment Branch to capture details about employees Used by personnel in the Establishment Branch to initiate the process of internal transfer Used by personnel in the Establishment Branch to nominate people for trainings Used by personnel in the Filing Branch and personnel in other relevant Wing/Branches to maintain and search for blacklisted candidates Used by personnel in the Filing Branch to maintain details about the file locations (physical location) so that search and disposal of files can be faster Actor & Purpose Used by all Wing/Branches to prepare and submit their annual budget to the Accounts Branch Used by the Accounts Branch to maintain monthly/quarterly/annual progressive register of cost/expenses Used by the Accounts Branch to prepare the forms which are to be submitted to DAT Actor & Purpose Used by any external entity to register a complaint against MPSC.
2.
3.
Employee service book Internal form transfer
4.
5. 6.
7.
Training request template Format for maintaining list of blacklisted candidates Format for maintaining file storage details
Accounts No. Form/Format 1. Budget format
Stage Accounts Branch
2.
Progressive register format Forms submitted to DAT
Accounts Branch
3.
Accounts Branch
Vigilance No. Form/Format 1. Format for recording complaints to be submitted to Vigilance Branch
Stage Vigilance Branch
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3.15 Description
The information in the fields indicated for each of the forms below may be collected in a number of ways depending on the final graphical user interface design. The system facilitates the entry of the data in a number of ways based on the information flow and sequencing of form. For the purpose of discussion here, the fields have been segregated as follows: Manually entered: These fields have to be filled by the user (or may be selected from drop-down list), the Government Departments, the candidates etc. These fields may be stored in the database and referenced by other online forms. Auto populated: These fields are pre-populated by the system and are further classified as follows. These fields are pre-populated by the system based on data previously entered by the user, but cannot be edited by the user at the time of submission of current form. This type of field is for data that remain constant, such as the name of the Government Department, Post etc. These fields are pre-populated by the system based on data previously entered by the user, but can be edited by the user at the time of submission of the current form. This type of field is for data that are subject to change, such as number of candidates etc. System generated: These fields have not been filled previously by the user but can be auto-populated (generated) by the system. These fields include fields such as date, time, etc. The following table presents a sample form and an indicative list of the required fields categorized as manually entered (filled by the user at first instance), Auto-populated (pre-populated by the system), and System generated i.e. the fields that can be auto-populated by the system itself, although not previously filled by the user. The actual representation shall be done by the software vendor at the time of conducting a detailed requirement analysis. No. Form Manually entered Auto-populated System generated 1. Requisition for Post Name Government Department Request Number Post Number of vacant posts (based on login Reservation Requested date of information) details (based on selection Date of request (based the number of Eligibility criteria on system date) posts) Documents required Alert list (based on Comments, if any post selected)
3.16 Key Benefits

Area Automation Auto population & Calculation System Generation As-is Same information required to be entered at multiple instances. Not applicable To-be System auto populates if information has been entered once. System generates fields such as date and time of submissions, issuance, etc. These fields are not allowed to be edited by a user, thereby ensuring integrity of this data. System records data and generates reports automatically System validates entries at the time of entering itself, thereby eliminating chances of incorrect format entries.
Report Generation System validation information
Data collected manually Manual verification of forms after submission.
of
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4 LEGAL/ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES TO BE CONSIDERED The following section presents a list of Legal/administrative changes to be considered in order to facilitate the various steps involved in the implementation and operation of the proposed digitised system. This is just an indicative list, and it is to be noted that the final set of Legal changes may include but not limited to the issues presented here. No. Requirement 1 Sending emails alerts in lieu of internal/external communication (approvals can also be obtained through e-mails. Similarly, external communication and coordination can be done through e-mails.) 2 Use of system enabled electronic workflow for all approval and notification processes in MPSC. 3 Accepting payment for various fees directly into the Account of MPSC. 4 Accepting payment for various fees in the online mode through a payment gateway, if decided by the Commission. 5 Having facility for Online form fill-up and submission through the Website (Hall ticket generation can also be done through the Website) 6 Certain formats like letters, advertisement etc to be pre-approved and will not require approval from higher authority (Chairman/ Members/Secretary etc) on every occasion (whenever the same format is to be used and only some variable fields need to be updated). However approval will be needed on making any changes to the format, or for adding/deleting any format. 7 Conducting Online Examinations for Departmental Examinations 8 Formation of Team for Website management 9 Outsourcing of Software and Network management services for MPSC (Also a HekpDesk is to be maintained by the service provider to ensure timely and efficient management of services) 10 Building and maintaining a separate data centre for hosting all servers, databases etc for MPSC. 11 Indicative list of Government Orders (GOs): Training of MPSC personnel on the new system and processes All codes, rules, GOs applicable to manual process shall apply to the digitised process. Discontinue use of manual process, data entry into hard copy files for procurement above the value decided for e-tendering Change (if any) in the roles & responsibility of staff at MPSC & Government Departments
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5 APPENDIX A (ABBREVIATIONS) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 MPSC ICR OMR IT IVR VLAN EAI IPS IDS DMZ Maharashtra Public Service Commission Intelligent Character Recognition Optical Mark Recognition Information Technology Interactive Voice Response Virtual Local Area Network Enterprise Application Interface Intrusion Prevention System Intrusion Detection System De-militarized zone
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Maharashtra Public Service Commission RFP for System Integration Partner

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Maharashtra Public Service Commission RFP for System Integration Partner

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TENDER NO.

Maharashtra Public Service Commission

RFP for Appointment of System Integration Partner for MPSCAS

[ PRICE RS.10,000/- ] Total Pages 146

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

8th April,2008 15.00 Hrs.

23rd April,2008 14.00 Hrs.

23rd April,2008 14.30 Hrs.

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

It will be communicated later

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Deputy Secretary (Pre Examination)

Deputy Secretary (Post Examination)

Deputy Secretary (Est, Accts, Confd & IT) US 11 & 24

Deputy Secretary (Direct Recruitment)

Deputy Secretary (Appointments)

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

As per project requirement

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Test, Install, Configure the Hardware and Network equipments

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

For both of the above

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

4.1.4.1 An indicative network diagram is given below

Router Internet Cloud

Application Server Switch Network (LAN) Database Server

IPS Internal forewall

Server Farm L3 Switch

Document Management server

L2 Switch Printers VLAN NAS head L2 Switch VLAN

L3 Switch ` SAN Storage ` ` ` User Workstations at MPSC

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

(d) Transfer Time (e) Operating Temperature (f) General Specifications

(h)Test Certifications (i) Warranty (j) AMC Support (k) Battery

(l)Safety Features 4.1.4.3.4 Printers

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

(c)Performance (d) Network Interface

(e) Security Features

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

(3) Gateway Antivirus

(4) Office Automation Software (5) Backup Software

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

(7) Mail Messaging system

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008

Maharashtra Public Service Commission -Tender 2/2008