| Posted date | 27th April, 2026 | Last date to apply | 14th May, 2026 |
| Category | Tender | ||
| Type | Tender | Position | 1 |
KARANDAAZ PAKISTAN
Request for Quotation – 004
for
Supply, Installation, and Configuration of SWIFT Connectivity Link services 27thApril 2026
REQUEST FOR QUOTATION
Country: Pakistan
Title of RFQ: Supply, Installation, and Configuration of SWIFT Connectivity Link services
RFQ Number: 004
Issuance date of RFQ: 27thApril 2026
Last date for Queries: 4th May 2026
Response to Queries: 6th May 2026
Closing date of RFQ: 14th May 2026
Address RFQ response to: Procurement Department
E-mail Address: [email protected]
SECTION 1. LETTER OF INVITATION
RFQ – 004
27thApril 2026, Islamabad, Pakistan
1. The purpose of this Request for Quotation (the “RFQ”) is to solicit quotation from interested bidders for “Supply, Installation, and Configuration of SWIFT Connectivity Link services” to be provided to the State Bank of Pakistan (“SBP”). The RFQ is designed to assess whether bidders are able to provide the equipment and services required (hereinafter jointly and severally referred to as the “Services”), and through a competitive and fair assessment, select a winning bidder for the Services for a long-term contract.
2. Karandaaz Pakistan invites sealed quotations from interested and eligible bidders. Further details on the Services required are provided in the Terms of Reference (Section 4 of the RFQ).3. The bidder will be selected under open competitive procedures, in accordance with the Procurement Policies and Procedures of Karandaaz Pakistan (the “KRN Policy and Procedures”). In the event of any conflict or inconsistency in terms and conditions of the RFQ
and the KRN Policy and Procedures, the KRN Policy and Procedures shall prevail. 4. Karandaaz Pakistan anticipates issuing a fixed price contract in USD.
5. An award will be made based on Lowest Price Technically Acceptable quotation. 6. This RFQ is only an invitation to the prospective bidders to submit their quotation. It primarily contains indicative terms for the bidders to submit their quotations and does not confer any rights to the bidders. Any information contained in the RFQ or provided to the bidders is on the terms and conditions set out in this RFQ. Karandaaz Pakistan is providing this RFQ without any warranty or representation, express or implied, as to its content, its accuracy or completeness and may at its absolute discretion, but without being under any obligation to do so, update, amend or supplement the information of this RFQ. Each bidder shall be responsible for conducting its own investigation and analysis and should check the accuracy, reliability and completeness of this RFQ and where necessary obtain independent advice. In case of conflict between the provisions of this RFQ and Addendum(s) to the RFQ, the provisions of this RFQ shall prevail unless stated otherwise. In case of any conflict between the provisions of this RFQ, the decision of Karandaaz Pakistan shall be final regarding the overriding effect of the respective provision.
7. Karandaaz Pakistan reserves the right to assign the agreement on the basis of this RFQ or any part thereof to SBP, or any authorized entity, at any time at its sole discretion. 8. Karandaaz Pakistan reserves the right to disqualify any bid at its sole discretion.
1
The entire sets of documents, as mentioned in Clause 11 Section 2 must be submitted in hard copies and in electronic format through email with subject: “Supply, Installation, and Configuration of SWIFT Connectivity Link services” on or before 14th May 2026. Bidders are required to submit the following signed and stamped hard copies, each in separate sealed envelopes:
• One (1) hard copy of the Pre-Qualification Requirements document
• One (1) hard copy of the Technical Proposal
• One (1) hard copy of the Financial Proposal
All hard copies must be addressed to The Procurement Department and delivered to: 1-E, Ali Plaza, D Chowk, Mezzanine Floor, Nazimuddin Road, Blue Area, Islamabad, Pakistan.
In addition, bidders must submit electronic copies of the Pre-qualification, Technical and Financial Proposals via email at [email protected] , organized into one (1) set of separate folders. Electronic copies of the Financial Proposal must be password-protected. The password will be requested by Karandaaz Pakistan’s Procurement Department at the time of financial opening, if required.
Yours sincerely,
The Procurement Department
Karandaaz Pakistan
2
SECTION 2. INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS
A. General
1 Scope of Proposal
Karandaaz Pakistan issues this RFQ for the following Services:
“Supply, Installation, and Configuration of SWIFT Connectivity Link services” Throughout this RFQ:
a. The term “in writing” means communicated in written form (e.g., by mail, e-mail) b. “Day” means calendar day
c. “SWIFT” means the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, a global member-owned cooperative and the world’s leading provider of secure financial messaging services.
2 Fraud and Corruption
Bidders shall comply with Karandaaz Pakistan’s policy regarding fraud and corruption set out in Section 3 of the RFQ.
3 Eligibility
Karandaaz Pakistan may specify certain minimum qualification criteria in the Eligibility / Qualifications tables in Section 2 of the RFQ, e.g., minimum years of relevant experience, etc.
Bidders shall be under an obligation to disclose to Karandaaz Pakistan any situation of actual or potential conflict that impacts their capacity to perform/act in accordance with Karandaaz Pakistan’s best interests or pose a conflict of interest. Failure to disclose such situations may lead to the disqualification of a bidder or the termination of its contract. Karandaaz Pakistan’s policy with regard to conflict of interest is specified in Clause 33 of Section 3 of the RFQ.
Bidders shall, upon request, provide evidence of their continued eligibility to the satisfaction of Karandaaz Pakistan, as may be requested from them from time to time.
Bidders shall be under an obligation to disclose to Karandaaz Pakistan whether they are a Related Party of Karandaaz Pakistan. Failure to disclose may lead to the disqualification of a bidder or the termination of its contract. Karandaaz Pakistan’s policy with regard to related parties is summarized in Clause 35 of Section 3 of the RFQ.
4 Ineligibility
Any entity, company, consultant, agent, or individual that has directly or indirectly proposed, or assisted in the preparation of, the bill of quantities (BOQ), specifications, scope of work, or any other part of this RFQ shall be barred from participating in this RFQ, whether directly or indirectly, either on its own or through an affiliate, partner, or any other form of association.
5 One Proposal Per Bidder
An entity can participate only in one bid; as a single bidder. Partnership firms or similar entities which work under a common brand name or a part of an affiliated network will be regarded as a single entity and may not participate in more than one bid. Similarly, associates and subsidiaries of an entity will be regarded as a part of a group and may not participate in multiple bids. Bidders may ask for clarification, and any decision in this regard by Karandaaz shall be deemed to be final.
3
6 Cost of Preparation of Proposal
The bidder shall bear all costs associated with the preparation and submission of its quotation. Karandaaz Pakistan shall not be responsible or liable for any such costs, regardless of the conduct or outcome of the bidding process.
B. Request for Quotation
7 Contents of the RFQ
The RFQ comprises of the documents listed below plus any Addendum issued pursuant to Clause 9, of Section 2 ‘Amendment of RFQ’.
Section 1 - Letter of Invitation
Section 2 - Instructions to bidders
Section 3 – Procurement Policy – bidder conduct
Section 4 - Terms of Reference
Section 5 – Financial Proposal Forms
Section 6 – Guiding principles on contract terms and conditions
Annexure A – Quotation Submission Form
Annexure B – Undertaking (Blacklisting)
Annexure C – Reference Format
Annexure D – Conflict of Interest Form
Annexure E – Related Party Disclosure
8 Clarification of RFQ
All questions and/or clarifications regarding this RFQ must be submitted via email to [email protected] no later than 4th May 2026. All correspondence and/or inquiries regarding this solicitation must reference the RFQ Number. No phone calls or in person inquiries will be entertained; all questions and inquiries must be in writing. No queries / clarifications regarding this RFQ would be entertained after this deadline.
Only written answers will be considered official and carry weight in the RFQ process and subsequent evaluation. Any verbal information received from a Karandaaz Pakistan employee or other entity should not be considered as an official response to any questions regarding this RFQ.
Questions and requests for clarification and the responses thereto will be uploaded at Karandaaz Pakistan’s website under the procurement section on 6th May 2026.
9 Amendment of RFQ
At any time prior to the deadline for submission of bids, Karandaaz Pakistan may amend the RFQ by issuing an Addendum. Any Addendum so issued shall be part of the RFQ and will be uploaded to Karandaaz Pakistan’s website under the procurement section. To give prospective bidders reasonable time in which to take an Addendum into account in preparing their bids, Karandaaz Pakistan may, at its discretion, extend the deadline for the submission of bids, pursuant to Clause 15, of Section 2 ‘Deadline for Submission of Quotations’.
C. Preparation and Submission of Quotations
10 Language of quotation
All documents relating to the quotation shall be written in the English language.
4
11 Documents Comprising the Quotation
The bidder needs to submit three separate sets of documents in sealed envelopes, for the physical submission; and three separate folders, for the soft copies that are to be emailed. Following is the set of documents that need to be submitted:
The bidder is required to submit one (1) set of documents in separate sealed envelopes for physical submission, and one (1) set of documents in separate folders for electronic submission via email.
Following is the set of documents that need to be submitted:
a. Pre-qualification requirements document which includes:
i. The Eligibility / Qualifications table in Section 2: Pre-Qualification Criteria (Mandatory)
b. Technical proposal document which includes:
i. Description of approach, methodology, and work plan in responding to the terms of reference
ii. The Technical requirements table in Section 4: Scope of Work
iii. Work schedule and planning for deliverables including the Project timelines table in Section 4: Project Timelines, Deliverables, and Payment Schedule
iv. A non-priced Bill of Quantities including items, specifications and quantities, without any pricing information.
v. Team composition, assignment, and key experts to be utilized and Curriculum Vitae (CV of team members and key experts)
vi. Resource allocation plan for the overall tenure of the project
d. Financial proposal document which includes:
i. All the tables that are listed in Section 5: Financial Proposal Forms
Bidders must note that all pricing must be fully comprehensive, complete, and list any available discounts. Pricing information supplied with the quotation must be valid for at least 30 (thirty) days after the due date for quotation submission. All one-time and recurring costs must be fully described. Prices should be quoted, both inclusive and exclusive of all but showing separately, costs of equipment, inspection, services, transportation, Provincial/Federal taxes, import duties, if any, and other levies. Karandaaz will not be responsible for any erroneous calculation of tax rates or any subsequent changes in rates or structure of applicable taxes. All differences arising out as above shall be fully borne by the successful bidder. In case the bidder doesn’t identify inclusion of applicable taxes in the proposal, it shall be assumed that the quoted price is inclusive of all applicable taxes.
5
Technical Pre-qualification Criteria (Mandatory)
Note: Failure to meet any of the mandatory requirements outlined below may result in the Bidder’s disqualification. The proposal must include a duly completed, signed, and stamped version of the table provided below, submitted in both PDF and Excel formats. Any omission, incomplete submission, or deviation from the prescribed format may render the proposal non-responsive at the sole discretion of Karandaaz Pakistan.
|
S# |
Requirement |
Required Documents |
Reference Proposal Section |
Comments |
|
1 |
Name and details of the bidder along with document establishing the authority of the signatory to the proposal |
Necessary documents as per requirement |
||
|
2 |
Proof that the bidder is a firm / company that is registered/incorporated for the last five years. |
Valid registration/incorporation documents, Income Tax & Sales Tax registration certificated, and for firm/company incorporated in Pakistan, confirmation of appearance on FBR Active Taxpayer List (ATL) |
||
|
3 |
The bidder must agree to comply with all relevant laws, rules and regulations prevailing under Pakistani Laws |
Compliance from the bidder i.e. Yes / No |
||
|
4 |
The bidder must be SWIFT’s authorized partner, or an authorized partner/reseller of a SWIFT’s authorized connectivity provider. |
The bidder shall provide valid documentary evidence such as a SWIFT certificate, authorization letter, partnership agreement, contractual agreement, or web reference, demonstrating a current and valid relationship with the SWIFT or the SWIFT’s designated connectivity provider. The evidence shall confirm that the bidder is authorized to supply, implement, and support the proposed solution, either directly or |
through a valid partnership, reseller, or
contractual arrangement.
|
5 |
The bidder shall demonstrate valid authorization to participate in this procurement through the SWIFT or the SWIFT’s designated connectivity provider, either directly or through an established partnership, reseller, or contractual arrangement. |
Authorization letter or equivalent documentary evidence shall be provided from SWIFT orSWIFT’s designated connectivity provider for participation in this procurement, either directly or through an established partnership, reseller, or contractual arrangement. |
||
|
6 |
Bidder must have verifiable service/support offices. If the bidder is a firm/company that is registered in Pakistan or has a place of business in Pakistan, it must have a verifiable service/support office in Karachi, Pakistan |
Address and phone number(s) of the Offices / Service Centers |
||
|
7 |
The bidder must have prior experience in deployment and provisioning of SWIFT connectivity services for financial institutions or organizations requiring secure connectivity to SWIFT infrastructure, with at least three (03) similar deployments completed within the last three (03) years. |
Copy of Purchase or Delivery Orders or Contracts or project Completion or any other relevant Supporting Documents |
||
|
9 |
Individuals who are nationals, permanent residents of India or Israel, or who originate from India or Israel will not be engaged for this Project. Firms/Companies which are based in India and/or Israel are not eligible to participate in the RFQ |
Compliance from the bidder i.e. Yes / No |
7
|
10 |
Minimum average turnover of the bidder should be 0.35 Mn USD over the last 2 years and minimum turnover of 0.21 Mn USD for any individual year out of the past 2 years |
Audited accounts and tax returns for a minimum of 3 years (if in PKR, please provide PKR to USD conversion rate for each year) |
8
12 Quotation Submission Form (Annexure A) Attachment of filled out form provided in
Annexure A
|
13 |
Blacklisting Undertaking (Annexure B) |
Attachment of filled out form provided in Annexure B |
||
|
14 |
Two customer references (Annexure C) |
Attachment of filled out form provided in Annexure C |
||
|
15 |
Conflict of Interest Form (Annexure D) |
Attachment of filled out form provided in Annexure D |
||
|
16 |
Related Party Disclosure (Annexure E) |
Attachment of filled out form provided in Annexure E |
9
12 Currencies of Bid, Contract and Payment
The financial proposal must be submitted in USD only.
For bidders who do not have an office in Pakistan, the contract shall be offered in USD. In case of bidder having office in Pakistan, all payments shall be made in PKR as per the contracted schedule of payments, using selling USD/PKR exchange rate quoted on SBP’s website on the payment date.
All payments are subject to tax deduction as per applicable laws. Bidders must ensure compliance with all relevant tax regulations and provide valid tax registration documents at the time of submission.
Karandaaz Pakistan will pay the successful bidder’s invoice upon receipt of the invoice as well as Karandaaz Pakistan’s approval of the Deliverables. Payment will be made, as agreed, to the account specified in the successful bidder’s invoice within 30 days after the acceptance of deliverables and submission of the invoice subject to central bank’s approval for repatriation of funds.
13 Quotation Validity
Quotation shall remain valid for a minimum of thirty (30) days after the quotation submission deadline date established by Karandaaz Pakistan. A quotation valid for a shorter period shall be rejected as non-responsive.
In exceptional circumstances, prior to the expiration of the quotation validity period, Karandaaz Pakistan may request all bidders who have submitted their quotation to extend the period of validity of their quotation for a specified additional period. The request and the responses shall be made in writing. Agreement by a bidder to extend the validity of its quotation, shall be without any change in the original quotation and with confirmation of availability of the key experts. A bidder has the right to refuse extension in the validity period of its quotation, in which case, the quotation will not be further evaluated.
If any of the key experts/resource become unavailable for the extended validity period, the relevant bidder shall provide an adequate justification in writing and evidence to the satisfaction of Karandaaz Pakistan together with the substitution request. In any such case, the replacement key expert shall have equal or better qualifications and experience than those of the originally proposed key expert.
If the said bidder fails to provide a replacement key expert with equal or better qualifications, or if the reasons provided for the replacement or justification are not to the reasonable satisfaction of Karandaaz Pakistan, the quotation will be rejected at Karandaaz Pakistan’s sole discretion.
14 Format, Signing, and Submission of Quotations
The bidder shall prepare and email a scanned copy of the documents comprising the quotation as specified in Clause 11, of Section 2 on its official letterhead. Each document shall be signed by a person duly authorized to sign on behalf of the bidder and all pages of the quotation shall be initialled by the person or persons signing the quotation.
The quotation shall contain no alterations or additions, other than those which are necessary for complying with instructions issued by Karandaaz Pakistan, or as are necessary for correcting errors made by the bidder, in which case such corrections shall be initialled by the person or persons signing the quotation.
15 Deadline for Submission of Quotations
Quotations must be received by Karandaaz Pakistan no later than 14th May 2026.
Karandaaz Pakistan may extend the deadline for submission of quotations by issuing an amendment in accordance with Clause 9 of Section 2 ‘Amendment of RFQ’, in which case the original deadline shall be extended to the new deadline.
16 Late Quotation
Any quotation received after the deadline for the submission of quotations prescribed in Clause 15 of Section 2 by Karandaaz Pakistan will not be accepted. Offers received after the designated date will be rejected, and returned unopened to the supplier, or shredded, and the supplier of such quotation shall be informed accordingly.
17 Withdrawal, Substitution, and Modification of Quotation
Bidders may withdraw, substitute or modify their quotation by giving notice in writing before the deadline for submission of quotation prescribed in Clause 15 of Section 2 ‘Deadline for Submission of Quotations’.
Each bidder’s withdrawal, substitution or modification notice shall be prepared, sealed, marked, and delivered in accordance with Clause 14 of Section 2 ‘Format, Signing, and Submission of Quotations’, with the subject line: Responding to RFQ for “Supply, Installation, and Configuration of SWIFT Connectivity Link services” [“WITHDRAWAL,” SUBSTITUTION” or “MODIFICATION”] as appropriate. No quotation may be substituted or modified after the deadline for submission of quotation as afore stated.
D. Quotation Opening and Evaluation
18 Quotation Opening
Karandaaz Pakistan shall open the quotations, including modifications made pursuant to Clause 17 of Section 2, on any day after the deadline stipulated in Clause 15 of Section 2 or the extended deadline in accordance with Clause 15 of Section 2, as the case may be.
19 Confidentiality
Information relating to the examination, evaluation, comparison, and post-qualification of bid, and recommendation of contract award, shall not be disclosed to bidders or any other third persons whatsoever, prior to intimation of the contract award. Any effort by a bidder to influence Karandaaz Pakistan in the examination, evaluation, comparison, and post
qualification of the quotation or contract award decision may result in the rejection of its bid. Notwithstanding the foregoing, from the time of quotation opening to the time of bidding process conclusion, if any bidder wishes to contact Karandaaz Pakistan on any matter related to the bidding process, it should do so in writing at the address indicated in Clause 8 of Section 2 ‘Clarification of RFQ’.
20 Clarification of Bids
To assist in the examination, evaluation, and comparison of bids, Karandaaz Pakistan may, at its discretion, seek clarifications in writing and/or through a presentation in respect of the bid from any bidder. The request for clarification and the response shall be in writing, but no change in the price or substance of the bid shall be sought, offered, or permitted except correction of arithmetical errors discovered by Karandaaz Pakistan in the evaluation of the quotations in accordance with Clause 25 of Section 2 ‘Correction of Errors’.
11
21 Preliminary Examination of Bids
Prior to the detailed evaluation of bids, Karandaaz Pakistan shall first review each quotation and check the power of attorney or any other form of delegation of authority demonstrating that the representative(s) has been duly authorized to sign the quotation, initialization of all pages, etc.
22 Determination of Bidder’s Eligibility and Qualifications
Karandaaz Pakistan’s determination of a bid’s responsiveness shall be based on the contents of the bid itself. A substantially responsive bid is one, which conforms to all the terms, conditions, and specifications of the RFQ, without material deviation or reservation. A material deviation or reservation is one (a) which affects in any substantial way the scope, quality, or performance of the Services; (b) which limits in any substantial way or is inconsistent with the RFQ, Karandaaz Pakistan’s potential rights or bidder’s obligations under the proposed contract; or (c) the rectification of which would unfairly affect the competitive position of other bidders presenting substantially responsive proposal.
Karandaaz Pakistan intends to solicit quotationsfrom an eligible firm/company. The bidder must be able to travel and work across Pakistan (if required). Karandaaz Pakistan will not provide any logistical or visa support.
23 Evaluation of Technical Proposal
Each proposal that meets all mandatory requirements shall be qualified for financial evaluation.
Bidders are required to submit a non-priced Bill of Quantities (BOQ) as part of the technical proposal. The BOQ must clearly outline all items, specifications, and quantities without indicating any pricing information.
24 Evaluation of Quotation Price and ranking:
Financial quotation of the technically qualified bidder(s) shall be opened.
The financial quotations submitted shall be evaluated on total quoted price for all-required items. And shall be ranked in accordance with the “Least Cost” selection method. Total price shall include all applicable taxes, duties, levies, inland insurance etc. and all other out of pocket expenses. All services including but not limited to loading, unloading, installation, configuration, and commissioning at the delivery sites in Karachi and Hyderabad etc. shall be the responsibility of the bidder.
Evaluation of the financial quotation will consider, but will not be limited to, the following: • Least cost selection
• Consistency with the technical proposal
The prices for the scope of all-required items (including support and maintenance under warranty) will be fixed for a period of five (5) years from the effective date of the contract, unless otherwise agreed in writing. Karandaaz Pakistan may, at its sole discretion and without any obligation, split the overall order, place split orders, or purchase selected individual goods or services within the five (5) year period (“Split order”). The pricing for any such Split order shall remain consistent with the terms of the original proposal, except where otherwise negotiated and agreed in writing. Karandaaz Pakistan shall only be responsible for payment of the Supply, Installation, and Year - 1 Warranty & SLA under this RFQ. Any future orders relating to Year 2 – 5 Warranty & support shall be placed by SBP or its nominated entity at its sole discretion, as per the prices defined in the financial proposal, except where otherwise negotiated and agreed in writing.
12
The total cost of ownership (summation of upfront costs and recurring costs) for five years would be used for financial evaluation.
Karandaaz Pakistan may also negotiate the price and terms with the top ranked bidder whose bid will be determined as least cost / technically acceptable and which is most advantageous to Karandaaz Pakistan. If the outcome of the negotiation is unsuccessful or an agreement is not reached with the top ranked bidder, Karandaaz Pakistan may then negotiate with the next in-line bidder and so on down the list as per rank until a satisfactory outcome is achieved
25 Correction of Errors
Quotations determined to be substantially responsive shall be checked by Karandaaz Pakistan for any arithmetical errors. Errors shall be corrected by Karandaaz Pakistan as follows:
Where there is a discrepancy between the amounts in figures and in words, the amount in words shall govern.
The amount stated in the quotation shall be adjusted by Karandaaz Pakistan in accordance with the above procedure for the correction of errors and, with the concurrence of the bidder, shall be considered as binding upon the bidder. If the bidder does not accept the corrected amount, the quotation shall be rejected.
26 Currency for Price Evaluation
The financial quotation shall be submitted in USD only.
E. Award of Contract
27 Award Criteria
Karandaaz Pakistan shall award the contract to the bidder whose quotation technically qualifies, has the least cost and is most advantageous to Karandaaz Pakistan.
28 Karandaaz Pakistan’s right to accept any Quotation and to reject any or all Quotations Bidders whose bid is evaluated successful will be notified of award and unsuccessful bidders will also be intimated via regret emails. Karandaaz Pakistan shall observe a 7 calendar days standstill period after intimation of results. Standstill period is defined as the period to give bidders time to assess whether it is appropriate to submit an inquiry/concern/complaint. In case a bidder inquires about the results of the evaluation, only the results of the inquiring party shall be shared.
Any inquiry received after the standstill period shall not be considered for any action.
Karandaaz Pakistan reserves the right to cancel the bidding process and to reject all bids or to accept or reject any bid, at any time prior to the 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 Karandaaz Pakistan’s action.
29 Complaints pertaining to Bidding Process
Without prejudice to Clause 28 of Section 2, any complaint at any stage of the bidding process or on conclusion of the bidding process from a bidder regarding a deviation from the prescribed procurement procedure may be addressed and delivered in writing to:
Karandaaz Pakistan
13
Attention: Chief Executive Officer
1 E, Ali Plaza, Nazimuddin Road, D-Chowk, Islamabad, Pakistan
Any requests via email seeking this explanation should be sent to
The decision of the competent authority on the complaint shall be final in all respects.
30 Notification of Award and Signing of Agreement
The bidder whose quotation has been accepted shall be notified of the award by Karandaaz Pakistan prior to expiration of the quotation validity period through a communication in writing (the “Letter of Acceptance”). The said Letter of Acceptance shall state the full value of the contract payable by Karandaaz Pakistan in consideration of the Services to be provided in accordance with the RFQ.
The contract pursuant to the award shall incorporate all agreements between Karandaaz Pakistan and the successful bidder and shall be signed by Karandaaz Pakistan and sent to the successful bidder, anytime following the date of the Letter of Acceptance. The successful bidder will duly sign the contract and return it to Karandaaz Pakistan with seven (7) days of the receipt of the Letter of Acceptance.
14
SECTION 3. PROCUREMENT POLICY – BIDDER CONDUCT
31 Performance Security
Within twenty-eight (28) days of the receipt of the Letter of Acceptance from Karandaaz Pakistan, the successful bidder shall furnish the performance security amounting to 10% of the contract value (Supply, Installation, and Year - 1 Warranty), in the form of unconditional, irrevocable and payable on first demand Bank Guarantee issued by an AA rated bank in the name of “Karandaaz Pakistan”. A foreign institution providing a Bank Guarantee shall have a correspondent financial institution located in Pakistan. All costs associated with the performance security shall be borne by the bidder. The performance security shall be submitted in USD.
The performance security shall be valid during the contract’s lifetime including the support and maintenance period and until satisfaction of all claims of Karandaaz Pakistan.
32 Corrupt or fraudulent practices
Bidders, suppliers, contractors and their agents (whether declared or not), suppliers, and any personnel thereof, shall observe the highest standard of ethics during the procurement and execution of contracts.
Any effort by the bidder to influence Karandaaz Pakistan in the examination, evaluation, comparison, post-qualification of the quotations, or contract award decisions will result in the rejection of its quotation.
Karandaaz Pakistan shall not award the contract if it is determined that the bidder, or any of its personnel, or its agents, suppliers and/or their employees, has, directly or indirectly, engaged in corrupt, fraudulent, collusive, coercive, or obstructive practices in competing for the contract in question. As part of bidding/ solicitation documents, Karandaaz Pakistan will seek declaration of ‘Non collusive non-corrupt practices’ from each bidder. Format for such declaration is prescribed in Section 3 of the standard bidding document. In pursuance of this policy, following terms are defined as follows:
a. “Corrupt practice” is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting, directly or indirectly, of anything of value to influence improperly the actions of another party;
b. “Fraudulent practice” is any act or omission, including a misrepresentation, that knowingly or recklessly misleads, or attempts to mislead, a party to obtain a financial or other benefit or to avoid an obligation;
c. “Collusive practice” is an arrangement between two or more parties designed to achieve an improper purpose, including to influence improperly the actions of another party;
d. “Coercive practice” is impairing or harming, or threatening to impair or harm, directly or indirectly, any party or the property of the party to influence improperly the actions of a party;
e. “Obstructive practice” is deliberately destroying, falsifying, altering, or concealing of evidence material to the investigation or making false statements to investigators in order to materially impede investigation into allegations of a corrupt, fraudulent, coercive or collusive practice; and/or threatening, harassing or intimidating any party to prevent it from disclosing its knowledge of matters relevant to the investigation or from pursuing the investigation.
15
Karandaaz Pakistan shall not award the contract if it’s determined that the bidder or any of its personnel, agents or, suppliers and/or their employees are directly or indirectly engaged in or support individuals, groups or entities associated with terrorism, including but not limited to the following:
a. HM Treasury’s Office of Financial Sanction Implementation-Financial sanctions consolidated list of targets;
b. UK Home Office- Proscribed terrorist groups or organisations;
c. United Nations- United Nations Security Council Sanctions List;
d. World Bank- World Bank Listing of Ineligible Firms and Individuals.
e. European Union- Consolidated List of Sanctions;
f. Parties on US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons
g. National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA)- Proscribed Organizations List; h. National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA)-Proscribed Persons List i. French DG Trésor Freeze Register Sanctions List
The successful bidder will not use funds provided under the contract directly or indirectly in support of activities (a) prohibited by US laws related to combatting terrorism (b) with or related to parties on the List of Specially Designated Nationals (www.treasury.gov/sdn); or (c) with or related to the countries against which the U.S. maintains a comprehensive embargo (currently, Cuba, Iran, (North) Sudan, Syria, and North Korea). Unless such activities are fully authorized by the U.S. government under applicable laws and specifically approved by Karandaaz Pakistan at its sole discretion.
33 Avoidance of conflict of interest
Any bidder participating in the procurement process should disclose any actual or perceived conflict of interest situation/condition. Any bidder to have a conflict of interest shall be ineligible for award of a contract.
A bidder shall be considered to have a conflict of interest in a procurement process if:
a. Such bidder is providing goods, works, or non-consulting services resulting from or directly related to consulting services for the preparation or implementation of a project that it provided or were provided by any affiliate that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with that bidder; or
b. An entity can participate only in one bid as a single bidder. Partnership firms or similar entities which work under common brand name or a part of affiliated network will be regarded as single entity and may not participate in more than one bid. Similarly associates and subsidiaries of an entity will be regarded as a part of a group and may not participate in multiple bids. Bidders may ask for clarification and any decision in this regard by Karandaaz shall be deemed to be final.
c. Such bidder(including its personnel) has a close business or family relationship with one or more professional staff of Karandaaz Pakistan who: (i) is/are directly or indirectly involved in the preparation of the bidding documents or specifications of the contract, and/or the bid evaluation process of the contract; or (ii) would be involved in the implementation or supervision of the contract unless the conflict stemming from such relationship has been resolved in a manner acceptable to Karandaaz Pakistan throughout the procurement process and execution of the contract; or
16
d. Such bidder falls under any other conflict of interest situation as specified in the standard bidding documents relevant to the specific procurement process.
34 Duty of Care
The successful bidder in performance of services for Karandaaz Pakistan shall exercise a duty of care. Duty of care holds the successful bidder responsible for the safety and well being of its personnel and any third party affected by its activities.
35 Related Parties
Any bidder participating in the procurement process should disclose whether they are a Related Party of Karandaaz Pakistan.
Related Parties of Karandaaz Pakistan include:
(i) a director or his / her relative,
(ii) a key managerial personnel or his relative;
(iii) a firm, in which a director, manager or his relative is a partner; (iv) a private company in which a director or manager is a member or director; (v) a public company in which a director or manager is a director or holds along with his relatives, any shares of its paid-up share capital;
(vi) any body corporate whose chief executive or manager is accustomed to act in accordance with the advice, directions or instructions of a director or manager; (vii) any person on whose advice, directions or instructions a director or manager is accustomed to act:
Provided that nothing in sub-clauses (vi) and (vii) shall apply to the advice, directions or instructions given in a professional capacity;
(viii) any company which is a holding, subsidiary or an associated company of Karandaaz Pakistan; or a subsidiary of a holding company to which Karandaaz Pakistan is also a subsidiary;
(ix) such other person as may be specified.
Here relative is taken to mean: the spouse, siblings, lineal ascendants and descendants of a person.
It is the policy of Karandaaz Pakistan that transactions with related parties shall be on purely commercial terms. There will not be any undue consideration given to such transactions.
In case the bidder is a Related Party, the following minimum information will be required to be provided alongside the quotation for use by the relevant approval body at Karandaaz Pakistan. Such bidders acknowledge that Karandaaz Pakistan may also require additional information not listed below.
a. Names of the interested or concerned persons or directors
b. Nature of relationship, interest or concern along with complete information of financial or other interest or concern of directors, managers or key managerial personnel in the related party
c. Any other relevant and material information that is necessary for the body to make a well-informed decision regarding the approval of related party transactions
The bidder acknowledges that Karandaaz Pakistan may have a separate approval process for its transactions with Related Parties. The bidder further acknowledges that Karandaaz Pakistan is obligated to maintain a register of its transactions with Related Parties, and
17
may disclose this information where required, including, but not limited to, its annual accounts.
36 Intellectual Property Rights
The ownership of all copyright and other intellectual property rights in respect of any data compilations, research, spreadsheets, graphs, reports, diagrams, designs, work products, software, or any other documents, developed in connection with the Services to be provided by the bidder as hereunder will exclusively vest in and remain with Karandaaz Pakistan which shall have all proprietary rights therein, notwithstanding that the successful bidder or its employees may be the author of the intellectual property. All documents relating to the intellectual property or otherwise connected with the Services, or duties must be returned or delivered to Karandaaz Pakistan at the time of the expiration or termination of the contract save that the successful bidder may retain one copy for the keeping of its proper professional records and shall be entitled to use for internal business purposes. Subject to the foregoing, the successful bidder agrees not to publish or make use of any of the intellectual property, or documents relating thereto, without the prior written approval of Karandaaz Pakistan, and where approval is granted, without proper attribution to Karandaaz Pakistan. Provided, however, that any intellectual property rights in any ideas, concepts, trade secrets, data, know-how, software, systems and methodologies (“Contractor Knowledge”) utilized by the successful bidder in the course of producing the deliverables or otherwise in providing the Services, shall belong to the successful bidder. Subject to full payment of the fees, the successful bidder shall to the extent necessary grant to Karandaaz Pakistan a license to use solely for the purpose of the contract and any Contractor Knowledge contained in the deliverables, provided that such use is limited to the purpose for which the deliverables are provided.
18
SECTION 4. TERMS OF REFERENCE
Thematic Area: Digital Financial Services
Project Title: Supply, Installation, and Configuration of SWIFT Connectivity Link services Expected Start Date: May 2026
About Karandaaz Pakistan
KARANDAAZ PAKISTAN, a section 42 company incorporated in Pakistan in August 2014, promotes access to finance for small businesses through a commercially directed investment platform, and financial inclusion for individuals by employing technology enabled digital solutions.
Karandaaz Pakistan has financial and institutional support from leading international development finance institutions; principally the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
Karandaaz Pakistan has four verticals.
• Karandaaz Capital provides wholesale structured credit and equity-linked direct growth capital investments in micro, small and mid-size enterprises (MSMEs) with compelling prospects for sustainable growth and employment generation in Pakistan.
• Karandaaz Digital focuses on expanding the poor’s access to digital financial services in Pakistan by working across the ecosystem with all stakeholders including regulators, policymakers, government departments, businesses and researchers and academics with activities arranged in four key work areas–Policy and Regulation, Seeding Innovation, Experimentation and Solutions Development, and Scale and Outreach.
• Karandaaz Innovation manages the Innovation Challenge Fund, providing risk capital and grants to partners with an aim to generate innovative solutions to complex problems in areas of financial inclusion and entrepreneurship.
• Knowledge Management and Communications support the company's core financial inclusion goal by developing and disseminating evidence-based insights and solutions to influence markets and the financial ecosystem.
Work under this RFQ will fall under the Digital Financial Services Department. Background and Context Setting
Karandaaz Pakistan invites quotations from qualified and eligible bidders for the Supply, Installation, and Configuration of SWIFT Connectivity Link services at the SBP Main Building, Karachi, and BSC Office, Hyderabad, in accordance with the attached Scope of Work. Bidders are requested to submit their quotations in compliance with the technical specifications, delivery schedule, and terms and conditions outlined in this RFQ.
19
Scope of Work - Mandatory Technical Requirements
Note: Bidders failing to satisfy any of the mandatory requirements listed below will be considered non-responsive. The quotation must include a duly completed, signed, and stamped version of the table, submitted in both PDF and Excel formats.
|
Category / Item |
Sr.# |
Technical Requirements |
Expected Quantity and Delivery location |
Bidder Compliance Status (Yes or No) Bidder to fill this column |
|
1. SWIFT Connectivity Service for Primary and DR Sites |
1.1 |
The proposed solution must provide connectivity to the SWIFT network through one of SWIFT’s certified connectivity providers. Ref: https://www.swift.com/products/alliance connect#networkpartners |
Quantity: 03 Two (2) MPLS connectivity links (leased lines) shall be delivered at the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Main Data Centre, Karachi—one designated for Production and one for Production Backup. The two links must be sourced from independent carriers (different service providers) to ensure carrier-level redundancy. One (1) MPLS connectivity links (leased lines) shall be delivered at the at SBP DR Data Centre, Hyderabad. |
|
|
1.2 |
The bidder shall provide connectivity compliant with SWIFT Alliance Connect Silver service requirements. The solution shall comprise MPLS-based leased line connectivity to enable secure and dedicated access to the SWIFTNet infrastructure. |
|||
|
1.3 |
Bandwidth: 2 Mbps (2000 Kbps) per connection. |
|||
|
1.4 |
The bidder shall provide, install, configure and manage all required network and ancillary components (e.g., CPE router) to establish secure connectivity to SWIFTNet infrastructure and ensure compatibility with the overall SWIFT connectivity solution. |
|||
|
1.5 |
The bidder shall submit a complete and itemized Bill of Materials (BOM) with the bid, including product numbers, descriptions, quantities, and all relevant specifications and details of the proposed solution. The proposal section containing the BOM shall also be referenced in the bidder compliance status column. |
|||
|
2. Implementation |
2.1 |
Successful Implementation and Acceptance Certificate shall be issued upon completion of installation, |
|
configuration, testing, and commissioning of the SWIFT connectivity service, including all hardware and associated components. This includes all cabling and installation activities within SBP premises, carried out in line with SBP’s building design and approved layout. The scope shall also cover the installation of UPVC piping for new fiber routing, along with proper laying, termination, and finishing as per SBP requirements. The Service Level Agreement (SLA) shall commence from the date of issuance of the Successful Implementation and Acceptance Certificate. |
||||
|
2.2 |
Supplier will deliver, install, configure and manage maintenance the hardware equipment as per SBP requirements at Karachi and Hyderabad offices. |
N/A |
||
|
2.3 |
Supplier will submit complete project plan along with the bid. The bidder must outline plan of delivery. The expected timeline for delivery is approximately 8 weeks; however, bidders may propose an alternative timeline in their project plan, provided it is justified with a feasible execution strategy. (Please ensure that the proposal section that contains the plan is also included in the bidder compliance status column) |
N/A |
||
|
2.4 |
Delivery of Hardware Equipment at respective locations will be done within the specified and mutually aligned weeks from the date of notification of award. Delivery Certificate will be issued after delivery of all hardware and software licenses. |
N/A |
||
|
2.5 |
All supplies shall be quoted on a Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) basis, inclusive of all taxes, stamps, duties, levies, fees, inland transportation, insurance, incidental services, installation and integration charges imposed till the delivery at location specified in the Schedule of |
N/A |
21
|
Requirements. No separate payment shall be made for the incidental services to delivery of the goods from the port of entry to their destination i.e. SBP’s Site(s). |
||||
|
2.6 |
Supplier will provide installation manual, and all the necessary configuration documentation for all the components. |
N/A |
||
|
3. Service Level Agreement (SLA) during and after Warranty |
3.1 |
Supplier shall ensure end-to-end coordination across all involved service providers, including the SWIFT, SWIFT’s authorized connectivity provider, and any last- mile service providers, for delivery and support of the connectivity service including escalation of link outages till resolution. |
N/A |
|
|
3.2 |
Supplier may engage subcontractors or third-party service providers for delivery of services; however, the supplier shall remain fully responsible for overall service delivery and support. |
N/A |
||
|
3.3 |
Supplier shall ensure coordination with upstream service providers, including SWIFT or SWIFT’s authorized connectivity provider, for resolution of technical issues and service-related incidents. |
N/A |
||
|
3.4 |
Supplier shall define and provide communication and escalation mechanisms, including designated contact points for service support and issue resolution. |
N/A |
||
|
3.5 |
Supplier shall provide access to the support portal of the SWIFT or SWIFT’s authorized connectivity provider. |
N/A |
||
|
3.6 |
Supplier shall provide 24×7×365 support coverage, including weekends and public holidays, and shall acknowledge calls from SBP representatives for logging of support cases. Upon logging a case, the Supplier shall promptly communicate the corresponding case/incident ID to SBP via telephone or email. |
N/A |
22
|
3.7 |
Supplier shall provide services to operate and maintain supplied components in operational condition in compliance with the warranty conditions mentioned in the Technical and SLA requirements. |
N/A |
||
|
3.8 |
Supplier shall coordinate to replace, restore, reinstall, and reconfigure failed components without any additional cost during the SLA period. |
N/A |
||
|
3.9 |
SLA support and subscriptions shall start from the date of Successful Implementation and Acceptance. |
|||
|
3.10 |
Warranty, maintenance, and support of all supplied components shall be registered with the SWIFT or SWIFT’s authorized connectivity provider in the name of State Bank of Pakistan. The supplier shall provide evidence of the same. |
|||
|
3.11 |
Supplier shall provide installation, configuration, and maintenance documentation for all supplied components under the contract. |
|||
|
3.12 |
Supplier shall comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and telecommunications requirements in the provision of the connectivity service. |
|||
|
3.13 |
Supplier shall submit an incident report for each logged case and obtain sign-off from SBP representative prior to closure of the incident. |
|||
|
3.14 |
Supplier shall submit a quarterly report, or as required, detailing all logged cases and their status during the reporting period. |
23
Service Level Agreement (SLA) Matrix
|
Severity |
Red |
Yellow |
Green |
|
Impact |
•The whole or major business is down, interrupted or severely impacted. |
•Some of the system components are down or malfunctioning due to which one or more business domains are significantly impacted. |
•The business is not significantly affected, however, requiring some development / maintenance / guidance efforts. |
|
Criteria |
•The Production and Backup systems are down affecting business. •Major solution components are inoperative. •System performance has severely degraded. |
•Either of the Production or Backup systems is down •Sub-system(s) or some of its components(s) is/are down. •Technical issues are being faced causing interruptions to the operations or any failure in its functionality due any suspected software failure/fault |
•The system is available; however, performance tuning, software patch installation or software update or version upgrade is required during a planned activity. •Operational performance of the appliance/system is facing error(s), while the operations remain functional. |
|
Response Time |
•Within 30 Minutes |
•Within 2 Hours |
•Within 4 Hours |
|
Resolution Time |
•Within 4 Hours |
•Within 8 Hours |
•Within 16 Hours |
|
Action |
•Immediate availability of onsite expert for resumption of Business operations within three hours •Troubleshoot, Rectify, Repair, Replace, Re install, Re-configure and Re-deploy component(s) to ensure error-free resumption of business operations within resolution time. •Escalation by Supplier to OEM/Principal for immediate technical support from OEM via email, internet or phone. |
•On-Site Technical Expert Support on Call Basis. •Troubleshoot, Rectify, Repair, Replace, Re install, Re-configure and Re-deploy component(s) to ensure resumption of business operations within specified hours as per requirement. •Escalation to OEM for immediate technical support from OEM via email, internet or phone as per requirement |
•Technical Support on Call Basis or On-Site as per requirements. •Technical assistance from OEM via internet or phone as per requirements. •Firmware/software patches updates and upgrades. •Information or assistance (as required) from the supplier/manufacturer of product capabilities, installation, or configuration. |
|
Coverage |
• 24x7x365 |
• During business days or otherwise notified by the Government of Pakistan or Procuring Agency on special occasions. |
• During business days or otherwise notified by the Government of Pakistan or Procuring Agency on special occasions. |
Project Timelines, Deliverables and Payment Schedule
The expected project timeline is as follows. Bidders are encouraged to submit the minimum viable timeline and the pre-requisites expected to meet it.
|
# |
Phase |
Expected timeline (in weeks) |
|
1 |
Delivery of Connectivity Link equipment as per BOQ |
04 Weeks |
|
2 |
Installations, configuration, and testing of the equipment at site(s) |
02 Weeks |
|
3 |
Successful Implementation and Acceptance of Complete Connectivity Link service as per BoQ |
02 Weeks |
|
4 |
Commencement of Five (05) years warranty with SLA |
From the date of Successful Implementation and Acceptance |
All phases will not take place back-to-back. The time span between the phases may vary depending on the progress of the project in other areas connected to this procurement. The decision of Karandaaz Pakistan in this regard shall be final.
Tentative Payment schedule
The following payment schedule is indicative and tentative only, provided for planning purposes. The final payment schedule, amounts, timing, and conditions precedent (including milestone definitions and acceptance criteria) shall be agreed in writing with Karandaaz Pakistan at the time of contract finalization and shall be set out in the executed contract. All payments shall be made after successful acceptance of project deliverables and milestones, as certified by SBP or its nominated entity.
• Supply and Installation
o Payment after Delivery & Installation: 70% of the aggregate price of items A.1-A.3 defined in Financial Template in Section 5.
▪ SBP or its nominated entity will provide ‘Certificate of Delivery and
Installation’ which shall constitute evidence of milestone completion for
payment purposes.
o Payment after Successful Implementation and Acceptance: 30% of the aggregate price of items A.1-A.3 defined in Financial Template in Section 5.
▪ SBP or its nominated entity will provide ‘Successful Implementation and Acceptance Certificate’ which shall constitute evidence of milestone completion for payment purposes.
Submission Guidelines
Each set of documents should be submitted separately in sealed envelopes and then included in a larger sealed package. This larger package must be mailed and emailed (soft copies along with proof of mailing of hardcopies) to the following postal address no later than 14th May 2026. Financial quotations must be password-protected. Following sets shall be submitted:
i) Technical Pre-qualification requirements
ii) Technical requirements
iii) Financial Quotation (password protected, in Microsoft Excel format, and in PDF format)
• Office Address: 1 E, Ali Plaza, Nazimuddin Road, D-Chowk, Islamabad, Pakistan • Email: [email protected]
• Envelopes should be marked with RFQ no, title and bidder’s name
SECTION 5. FINANCIAL PROPOSAL FORMS
Financial Template
Table 1 (Mandatory)
|
Item |
Description |
Code |
Qty |
Product information |
Price breakdown (USD) for total quantities specified |
Total Item Price DDP Karachi/Hyderabad (USD) |
||||||
|
Manufactu rer |
Category No. |
Equipment / product price |
Customs, duties, taxes |
Freight / logistics |
Others (please specify) |
|||||||
|
A. Supply, Installation, and Year - 1 Warranty (for contracting by Karandaaz Pakistan) |
||||||||||||
|
A.1 |
Connectivity Service: SWIFT Alliance Connect Silver Each Silver connection assumes MPLS connectivity link (leased line). Connectivity service includes all network and ancillary components (e.g., CPE |
3 (2 silver connection for KHI Primary site, 1 silver connection for HYD DR site) |
||||||||||
|
router) to establish secure connectivity to SWIFTNet infrastructure and ensure compatibility with the overall SWIFT connectivity solution. |
||||||||||
|
A.2 |
Implementation services (Including: Installation, configuration, integration, testing, and commissioning of the complete SWIFT connectivity solution for both sites) |
|||||||||
|
A.3 |
Warranty incl. support & maintenance as per SLA – Year 1 |
|||||||||
|
Sub-Total (Items A.1 – A.3) |
28
|
B. Year 2 – 5 Renewal of connectivity service (for potential contracting by SBP or its nominated entity) |
||||||||||
|
B.1 |
Connectivity Service: SWIFT Alliance Connect Silver – Year 21 |
3 (2 silver connection for KHI Primary site, 1 silver connection for HYD DR site) |
||||||||
|
B.2 |
Connectivity Service: SWIFT Alliance Connect Silver – Year 31 |
3 (2 silver connection for KHI Primary site, 1 silver connection for HYD DR site) |
||||||||
|
B.3 |
Connectivity Service: SWIFT Alliance |
3 (2 silver connection |
||||||||
1 Each Silver connection assumes MPLS connectivity link (leased line).
Connectivity service includes all network and ancillary components (e.g., CPE router) to establish secure connectivity to SWIFTNet infrastructure and ensure compatibility with the overall SWIFT connectivity solution.
This will include Support & maintenance as per SLA
29
|
Connect Silver – Year 41 |
for KHI Primary site, 1 silver connection for HYD DR site) |
|||||||||
|
B.4 |
Connectivity Service: SWIFT Alliance Connect Silver – Year 51 |
3 (2 silver connection for KHI Primary site, 1 silver connection for HYD DR site) |
||||||||
|
Sub-Total (Items B.1 - B.4) |
||||||||||
|
Total Cost of Ownership for financial evaluation (Items A+B) |
Notes:
1. Bidder must ensure that all mandatory requirements are delivered in line with the RFQ scope.
2. Bidder must ensure completeness of costs shared.
3. Split order may be placed as per Clause 24 – “Evaluation of Quotation Price and ranking”.
30
SECTION 6 – GUIDING PRINCIPLES ON CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. Introduction
The following section contains highly preferred guiding principles of the contractual terms and conditions, which the successful bidder should adhere to. Please note that the detailed conditions will be finalized during the contracting phase.
2. The Bidder must adhere to the clauses below
2.1 The successful bidder must comply with all relevant laws, rules and regulations prevailing under Pakistani Laws.
2.2 The responses submitted by the bidder to the RFQ represent a firm offer to contract on the terms and conditions described herein.
2.3 The quotation must be signed by the authorized person, according to the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation/registration and according to the laws of Pakistan, to commit the bidder to the terms and conditions of the RFQ, who shall have full authority to sign the proposal documents on behalf of the bidder.
2.4 The bidder must disclose at the earliest of any actual or potential conflict of interest with Karandaaz Pakistan as referenced above.
2.5 The bidder shall be deemed to have carefully examined the RFQ document to its satisfaction. Any lack of information shall not in any way relieve the bidder of its responsibility to fulfill its obligations under the RFQ.
2.6 The bidder shall ensure that the confidential information shared by Karandaaz Pakistan hereunder this RFQ is kept confidential for perpetuity.
2.7 The successful bidder will neither assign nor subcontract any work without the prior approval in writing of Karandaaz Pakistan. Karandaaz Pakistan reserves the right to call regular meetings of the successful bidder during the tenure of the contract.
3. Performance Security
3.1 Within twenty-eight (28) days of the receipt of the Letter of Acceptance from Karandaaz Pakistan, the successful bidder shall furnish the performance security amounting to 10% of the contract value (Supply, Installation, and Year - 1 Warranty), in the form of unconditional, irrevocable and payable on first demand Bank Guarantee issued by an AA rated bank. A foreign institution providing a Bank Guarantee shall have a correspondent financial institution located in Pakistan unless Karandaaz Pakistan has agreed in writing that a correspondent financial institution is not required. All costs associated with the performance security shall be borne by the bidder.
3.2 The performance security shall be submitted in USD. The performance security shall be valid during the contract’s lifetime including the support and maintenance period and until satisfaction of all claims of Karandaaz Pakistan. In case of assignment or execution of contract or any part thereof to SBP or its nominated entity, the bidder shall provide performance security of 10% of the contract value (Supply, Installation, and Year - 1 Warranty) to SBP or its nominated entity and the performance security submitted to Karandaaz Pakistan shall be returned.
4. Fraud, Corruption and Terrorism
4.1 Karandaaz Pakistan will have zero tolerance approach towards fraud and fraudulent behavior during the procurement process and the implementation of the project itself and will reject a proposal for award if it determines that the bidder or any of the agents, suppliers or any personnel recommended for an award have engaged in Corrupt, Fraudulent, Collusive, Coercive and Obstructive Practices as referenced in Section 3, Clause 32.
4.2 The bidders must immediately and without undue delay inform Karandaaz Pakistan of any event that interferes or threatens to materially interfere with the successful implementation of this RFQ or the contract, including credible suspicion of the actual fraud, bribery, corruption, or any other irregularity or impropriety,
4.3 The bidder must immediately and without undue delay inform Karandaaz Pakistan if it or any of its employees, agents, suppliers, or policies are inconsistent with the United Nations Security Council resolutions or if the same has been blacklisted by any organization, institution, Government or regulatory body anywhere in the world.
4.4 Karandaaz Pakistan may at any time during the procurement process or after successful procurement and during the lifetime of the contract and thereafter up to a period of five year arrange for additional audits, on the spot checks and or/inspections to be carried out if they suspect Corrupt, Fraudulent, Collusive, Coercive and Obstructive Practices.
4.5 Karandaaz Pakistan will have zero tolerance approach towards terrorism and shall not award the contract and cancel the procurement if it is determined that the bidder or any of its personnel, agents or suppliers and or/their employees are, directly or indirectly engaged in or support individuals, groups or entities associated with terrorism, including but not limited to the following:
• HM Treasury’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation-Financial sanctions consolidated list of targets;
• UK Home Office- Proscribed terrorist groups or organizations;
• European Union- Consolidated list of sanctions;
• United Nations- United Nations Security Council Sanctions List;
• World Bank- World Bank Listing of Ineligible Firms and Individuals;
• French DG Trésor Freeze Register Sanctions List.
4.6 The bidder will not use funds provided under the contract directly or indirectly in support of activities (a) prohibited by US laws related to combatting terrorism (b) with or related to parties on the List of Specially Designated Nationals (www.treasury.gov/sdn); or (c) with or related to the countries against which the U.S. maintains a comprehensive embargo (currently, Cuba, Iran, (North) Sudan, Syria, and North Korea). Unless such activities are fully authorized by the U.S. government under applicable laws and specifically approved by Karandaaz at its sole discretion.
5. Subcontractor
The successful bidder shall not utilize the services of any subcontractor as part of the contract.
32
6. Order Cancellation
6.1 Karandaaz Pakistan reserves the right to cancel the contract and forfeit the performance security, referenced in Clause 3 above, in the event of one or more of the following situations:
a. Delay in provision of the Services beyond the specified period as set out in the contract;
b. Serious discrepancy in the quality of Services;
c. If the successful bidder or any of their agents, employees or any other personnel makes any statement, submits any information or encloses any form which turns out to be false, incorrect and/or misleading and or conceals or suppresses material information in relation to the project;
d. If the successful bidder or any of their agents, employees or any other personnel do not comply with the necessary laws, regulations, licenses or certifications.
7. Compliance with applicable laws
7.1 The successful bidder shall undertake to observe, adhere to, abide by, comply with and notify Karandaaz Pakistan about all laws, already in force as are made applicable in the future, pertaining to or applicable to them, their business, their employees or their obligations towards them and all purposes of this project. The successful bidder shall keep indemnified, hold harmless, defend and protect Karandaaz Pakistan, its officers, staff, agents and representatives from any omission on its part to do so and against all claims or demands of liability and all consequences that may occur or arise for any default or failure on its part to conform or comply with laws and all other statutory obligations arising there from.
7.2 The successful bidder shall promptly and timely obtain all such consents, permission, approvals or licenses as may be necessary or required for any of the purpose of the project or for the conduct of their own business under any applicable laws; regulations, rules, guidelines and shall keep the same valid and in force during the term of the project and in the event of any failure or omission to do so, shall indemnify, keep indemnified, hold harmless, defend, project and fully compensate Karandaaz Pakistan and its employees, officers, staff, personnel, representatives, agents from and against all claims or demands of liability and all consequences that may occur or arise for any default of liability and all consequences that may occur or arise for any default or failure on its part to conform or comply with the above and all other statutory obligations arising there from and Karandaaz Pakistan will give notice of any such claim or demand of liability within reasonable time to the bidder.
8. Representations and Warranties
8.1 The successful bidder shall represent and warrant to Karandaaz Pakistan as follows:
a. The quotation is signed by the authorized person, according to the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation/registration and according to the laws of Pakistan, to commit the bidder to the terms and conditions of the RFQ who has full authority to sign the proposal documents and execute the contracts on behalf of the bidder;
33
b. It will not contravene any provision of its documents of incorporation by submitting its quotation under this RFQ;
c. It and its agents, suppliers or employees will not violate or contravene any law, rule, regulation, licensing requirement, order, writ, injunction or decree of any court, governmental instrumentality or other regulatory, governmental or public body, agency or authority by which it is bound or by which any of its properties or assets are bound;
d. It and its, agents, suppliers or employees possess the skills, experience, expertise and ability to undertake and fulfill their obligation under all provisions of this RFQ;
e. It shall not directly or indirectly engage in consultants, experts, or any personnel from India and/or Israel and acquire any goods or services therefrom.
f. Any services, functions or responsibilities not specifically described in this RFQ which form an inherent or necessary part of the deliverables or are required for the provision of the deliverables or Services shall be deemed to be included as part of the deliverables and will be provided by the successful bidder at no additional cost to Karandaaz Pakistan;
g. The entry into and performance according to this RFQ by the successful bidder will not breach any contractual or other obligation owed by the successful bidder to any other third party or any rights of any third party or any other legal provision;
h. It and its agents, suppliers or employees will obtain and maintain all appropriate registrations, approvals, licenses and permissions that are statutorily required to be obtained by the successful bidder during the course of the project;
i. It and its agents or employees shall not infringe any of the Intellectual Property Rights of any third parties during the provision of services for the project;
j. It will assist Karandaaz Pakistan in procuring any registrations, permissions or approvals, which may at any time during the course of the project be statutorily required to be obtained by Karandaaz Pakistan for availing services from the successful bidder;
k. It and its agents, suppliers or employees neither have nor will engage in money laundering, terrorist financing, weapon smuggling, anti-state activities and neither have nor will maintain links with proscribed organizations including but not limited to the organizations, individuals, firms in the List of HM Treasury’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementations, UK Home Office’s Proscribed Terrorist Group and Organizations, European Union’s Consolidated list of Sanction, United Nations Security Council Sanctions List and the World Bank’s list of Ineligible Firms and Individual;
l. It will not use any equipment not approved by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority;
m. It shall timely and diligently participate in all meetings required by Karandaaz Pakistan;
34
n. It and its agents, suppliers and employees shall observe the highest standard of ethics during the term of the contract;
o. It and its staff, consultants, employees or any personnel thereof will not directly or indirectly engage in any Corrupt, Fraudulent, Collusive, Coercive or Obstructive Practices;
p. It shall exercise duty or care for the safety and wellbeing of its members, employees, and consultants, any personnel assigned to perform the services for the project.
8.2 Each of the representation and warranty set out in Clause 8.1 above shall be construed as a separate representation and warranty and shall not be limited or restricted by reference to, or interference from, the terms of any other representation or warranty in the RFQ or contract.
8.3 If at any time Karandaaz Pakistan becomes aware that a representation or warranty given by it under Clause 8.1 has been breached, has become untrue or has become misleading, it shall without undue delay notify Karandaaz Pakistan of the relevant occurrence in sufficient detail to enable Karandaaz Pakistan to make an accurate assessment of the situation.
9. Indemnity
9.1 The successful bidder shall indemnify, protect and hold Karandaaz Pakistan harmless from and against all claims, losses, costs, damages, expenses (including reasonable attorney fees) relating to or resulting directly from:
a. An act or omission of the successful bidder, its employees, its agents, suppliers in the execution of the project under this RFQ;
b. Misappropriation of any third-party trade secrets or infringement of any of the Intellectual Property Rights or such other statutory infringements in respect of all components provided to fulfill the scope of the project;
c. Claims made by successful bidder’s employees who are employed by the successful bidder under the contract;
d. Breach of confidentiality obligations of the successful bidder’s, agents, suppliers and employees;
e. Gross negligence or gross misconduct solely attributable to the successful bidder or by any agency, supplier, contractor, or any of their employees by the successful bidder for the purpose of any or all of the obligations under the contract;
f. Any loss of data, loss of life etc. due to the successful bidder’s employees, supplier and agents and not just arising out of gross negligence of misconduct;
g. An act of omission or commission in performance of the services under the contracts.
35
10. Records and Inspection
a. The successful bidder shall complete, accurate and up-to-date records of all activities carried out by it in relation to and for the purposes of providing its services required for compliance by Karandaaz Pakistan with all applicable laws or the requirements of the regulatory authorities under the laws of Pakistan.
b. The successful bidder shall at the request of Karandaaz Pakistan and upon reasonable notice allow duly authorized representatives of Karandaaz Pakistan, any regulatory authority or Karandaaz Pakistan’s external auditor to inspect, copy and/or audit the Records and or the manner of provision of the services and to enter upon the successful bidders premises for these purposes during normal working hours, under the supervision of the successful bidder for the purpose of confirming compliance with the RFQ.
c. The successful bidder shall provide Karandaaz Pakistan, the regulatory authority or its external auditors with such further assistance as they may reasonably require, provided that it does not materially affect the successful bidder’s ability to provide the services in the normal course.
11. Confidential Information
Any information whether or not marked as such which is disclosed by Karandaaz Pakistan to the successful bidder or the successful bidder to Karandaaz Pakistan either orally or in writing or by any other means, under or in connection with this RFQ (“Confidential Information”), shall at all times from the date of disclosure till perpetuity:
a. Not be disclosed to any third party without the express approval of Karandaaz Pakistan;
b. Not be used for any purpose other than as contemplated by terms of this RFQ and the contracts;
c. Not be made copies of or recorded in any way or part with its possession of any document containing or recording any Confidential Information;
d. Ensure that the successful bidder’s employees, suppliers or agents does any act which if done by that party would be a breach of the provisions of this Clause 12.
The successful bidder may disclose any Confidential Information of Karandaaz Pakistan to: a. Its client, employee or agent provided an undertaking is first obtained;
b. A regulatory authority to which it is required to disclose the Confidential Information in questions; or
c. Any employee or officer of the Karandaaz Pakistan or any of the persons mentioned in (a) and (b) above.
To the extent only that the disclosure is necessary for the purposes of performing its obligations or exercising or enforcing its rights under the RFQ and contracts, and in each case subject to that party first informing the person in question that the Confidential Information is confidential and (except where the disclosure is to a regulatory authority or any employee or officer of any such body) obtaining and submitting to the other party a
36
written under-taking from the person in question, as nearly as practicable in the terms of this clause, to keep the Confidential Information confidential and to use it only for the purposes for which disclosure is made.
12. Penalties for Delay
Karandaaz Pakistan can levy a penalty for up to 0.5% of the total contract value (Supply, Installation, and Year - 1 Warranty) per week up to a limit of 10% of the total contract value (Supply, Installation, and Year - 1 Warranty) in case of late delivery against mutually agreed timelines. Karandaaz Pakistan has the right to cancel the order in case the penalty exceeds 5% of the contract value (Supply, Installation, and Year - 1 Warranty). Only delays directly attributable to the successful bidder would invoke such penalties.
13. Force Majeure
a. The successful bidder and Karandaaz Pakistan will not be liable for any act, omission or failure to fulfill its obligation under the contracts. If such act, omission or failure arises from an event of force majeure, i.e. a natural disaster, act of God, coup, strike, lock out etc. The party unable to fulfill its obligations will notify the other without undue delay in writing of the reasons for its failure to fulfill its obligations due to the event of force majeure, any damage or loss caused (or likely to be caused) and any proposed remedial action.
b. The successful bidder and Karandaaz Pakistan will agree on the extent of any such damage and loss and any remedial action and will, if necessary, vary the timeline for the completion of the project accordingly.
14. Termination
Karandaaz Pakistan may at any time terminate the agreement without assigning any reason by giving a 30-days’ notice of termination. The Parties agree that Karandaaz Pakistan shall compensate the successful bidder for the services rendered up to the effective date of termination only for such services which shall be completed, in the sole decision of Karandaaz, by more than 50%.
15. Arbitration
15.1 All disputes, differences or questions with respect to any matter arising out of or relating to the project shall be resolved by both the successful bidder and Karandaaz Pakistan through mutual negotiations in good faith. Either party may inform each other about any such dispute through a notice in writing specifying the issue in dispute or the matter of difference, within fifteen (15) days following receipt of such a notice the successful bidder and Karandaaz Pakistan shall endeavor to settle the issue through amicable negotiations. In case the issue raised through the notice cannot be settled within the period of fifteen (15) days from the date of issuance of notice with respect there to, the issue or matter shall be referred to Arbitration as provided in Clase 15.2.
15.2 The Arbitration shall be conducted in accordance to the Arbitration Act 1940. Arbitration proceedings shall be conducted by a sole arbitrator appointed by mutual agreement. The decision of the arbitrator shall be final and binding on the Parties. The venue for arbitration shall be Islamabad, Pakistan and the language for arbitration proceedings shall be English.
37
Annexure - A
QUOTATION SUBMISSION FORM
Dear Sir/Madam,
Having examined the Solicitation Documents, the receipt of which is hereby duly acknowledged, “THE FIRM NAME” undersigned, offer to provide consulting for “INSERT REFERENCE NUMBER” to Karandaaz Pakistan in accordance with the Price Schedule attached herewith and made part of this bid. “THE FIRM NAME” undertake, if our bid is accepted, to commence and complete delivery of all services specified in the contract within the time frame stipulated.
“THE FIRM NAME” agree to abide by this proposal for a period of 30 days from date fixed for opening of bid in the invitation for quotation, and it shall remain binding upon us and may be accepted at any time before the expiration of that period.
We understand that you are not bound to accept any or all quotations you may receive. We also accept all terms of conditions in this RFQ. We undertake that we will initiate the delivery of Services as per the client’s request, if our bid is accepted.
The contractor hereby confirms that it has not been involved and has no association in any manner whatsoever related to any act of terrorism or terrorist organization(s)/person(s) listed in any country and also in NACTA Schedules I & IV lists for proscribed companies and individuals and UN terror list.
We understand that you are not bound to accept any proposal you receive. Dated: this------day of -------2026
Yours sincerely,
Signature Name and title of signatory
Name, Designation and Signature of the “firm / company authorized Representative”
38
Annexure - B
[LETTERHEAD OF THE ENTITY]
UNDERTAKING REGARDING NOT BEING BLACKLISTED
It is hereby certified that [Name of Organization] has not been blacklisted by any Govt, Agency/authority as on [Date]. The Organization will immediately inform Karandaaz in case of any change in the status at any time hereinafter.
It is further certified that the bidder or any of its personnel, agents or, suppliers and/or their employees are not directly or indirectly engaged in or support individuals, groups or entities associated with terrorism, including but not limited to the following:
a. HM Treasury’s Office of Financial Sanction Implementation-Financial sanctions consolidated list of targets;
b. UK Home Office- Proscribed terrorist groups or organisations;
c. United Nations- United Nations Security Council Sanctions List;
d. World Bank- World Bank Listing of Ineligible Firms and Individuals;
e. European Union- Consolidated List of Sanctions;
f. Parties on US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons;
g. National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA)- Proscribed Organizations List; h. National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA)-Proscribed Persons List; i. French DG Trésor Freeze Register Sanctions List.
Name of Signatory:
Signature of Authorized Signatory
Date: __/___/____
Company stamp:
39
Annexure C
REFERENCE FORMAT
Name of Bidder: __________________________________
|
Name of Organization and Address: |
|
|
Name and Title of Point of Contact: (provide 2) |
|
|
Telephone Number: |
|
|
Email Address: |
|
|
Period of Performance: |
|
|
Location where project services were performed: |
|
|
Contract Value: |
|
|
Reasons for Termination (if applicable): |
|
|
Description of Products & Services and their relevance to the requirements under this RFQ: |
40
Annexure D
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
1. Does your organization currently have any actual or potential conflict of interest with Karandaaz Pakistan?
☐ Yes ☐ No
2. Does your organization have any conflict of interest as defined in Clause #33 “Avoidance of Conflict of Interest” of the RFQ?
☐ Yes ☐ No
3. Has your organization disclosed any actual or perceived conflict of interest to Karandaaz Pakistan? ☐ Yes ☐ No
4. Do you understand and accept that if a conflict of interest is identified, your organization may be disqualified from the procurement process:
☐ Yes ☐ No
*Conflict of interest is defined in Clause 33 “Avoidance of Conflict of Interest” of the RFQ.
Name
Designation
Signature & Stamp
Date
41
Annexure E
Related Party Disclosure
1. Is your firm/organization a Related Party of Karandaaz Pakistan:
☐ Yes ☐ No
2. Does your firm/organization have a partner who is also a Karandaaz Pakistan director, manager, or his / her relative2:
☐ Yes ☐ No
3. If your firm/organization is a private company, does it have a member or director who is also a director or manager of Karandaaz Pakistan:
☐ Yes ☐ No
4. If your firm / organization is a public company, is a director or manager of Karandaaz Pakistan also a director of your firm / organization, or does a Karandaaz Pakistan director or manager or his / her relatives hold any shares of your firm / organizations paid-up capital:
☐ Yes ☐ No
5. Is the chief executive or manager of your firm / organization accustomed to act in accordance with the advice, directions or instructions of a director or manager of Karandaaz Pakistan (other than advice, directions, or instructions given in a professional capacity):
☐ Yes ☐ No
6. Is a director or manager of Karandaaz Pakistan accustomed to act in accordance with the advice, directions or instructions of your firm / organization or a director or manager thereof (other than advice, directions, or instructions given in a professional capacity):
☐ Yes ☐ No
2 Here relative is taken to mean: the spouse, siblings, lineal ascendants and descendants of a person.
42
7. Is your firm / organization a holding company, subsidiary company, or associated company of Karandaaz Pakistan, or a subsidiary of a holding company of Karandaaz Pakistan:
☐ Yes ☐ No
Name
Designation
Signature & Stamp
Date
Note: If you have answered yes to any of the questions # 1 – 7, please provide the following minimum information (Karandaaz Pakistan reserves the right to request additional information at its discretion).
|
Name(s) of the interested or concerned person(s) or director(s) |
|
|
Nature of relationship, interest or concern along with complete information of financial or other interest or concern of directors, managers or key managerial personnel in the related party |
|
|
Any other relevant and material information that is necessary for the approval body of Karandaaz Pakistan to make a well -informed decision |
Apply By:
Submission Guidelines
Each set of documents should be submitted separately in sealed envelopes and then included in a larger sealed package. This larger package must be mailed and emailed (soft copies along with proof of mailing of hardcopies) to the following postal address no later than 14th May 2026. Financial quotations must be password-protected. Following sets shall be submitted:
i) Technical Pre-qualification requirements
ii) Technical requirements
iii) Financial Quotation (password protected, in Microsoft Excel format, and in PDF format)
• Office Address: 1 E, Ali Plaza, Nazimuddin Road, D-Chowk, Islamabad, Pakistan • Email: [email protected]
• Envelopes should be marked with RFQ no, title and bidder’s name
REQUEST FOR SEALED QUOTATION ....
RFP/EP/AP/2026/00001 Annex 1-Terms of Reference (....
RFP/KFW/AP/2026/00014 Annex 1: Terms....