Tender Notice - Procurement and Delivery of Software Licenses, Server and Network Hardware and Deployment Services for the Cyber-resilient Architecture (Backup & Restore System) of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Ukraine

International IDEA - The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance

Tender Reference No: 2026-01-082
Assignment Name: Procurement and Delivery of Software Licenses, Server and Network Hardware and Deployment Services for the cyber-resilient architecture (Backup & Restore System) of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Ukraine
Project Name: U-VOTE (Ukrainians Voting: Organizing Trustworthy Elections)

Deadline for Submissions: Proposals must be submitted on or before 23:59 (CET), 20 February 2026. Late submissions will not be considered for evaluation.

Address for Submissions: E-mail: tendersubmissions@idea.int

This email address is set up with auto-response to acknowledge emails received. In the event that you did not receive an autoreply, please send a text message prior to the deadline for submission (NO CALLS, CALLS WILL NOT BE ANSWERED) to this number +46725375735. In your text message, please provide the following:

Tender reference no. and title;
Email address you used for submission;
Date and Time, you sent your submission (e.g. 01 December 2021, 12:30 CET);
Please also send the above information to tender@idea.int before the deadline for submission.

Format for Submissions: Proposals must be submitted by email. Technical and Financial proposals must be submitted in separate files and marked accordingly. Price should not be mentioned in the Technical Proposal.

The following text should be put in the subject field of the email: Tender No. (2026-01-082) Technical and Financial Proposals – Do not open before 23:59 (CET), 20 February 2026.

Email Address for Clarifications: E-mail: tender@idea.int

Clarifications may be requested via e-mail no later than 13 February 2026 to the submission at the above email address. Note a response to a request for clarifications will be issued to all tenderers on our website http://www.idea.int/. Therefore, tenderers are advised to check the website regularly during the process.

Note: there are two different email addresses as outlined above, one to be used for Submission of your final proposal and the second one to be used for clarifications and other related correspondence.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Section 1 General Information

1.1 The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) is an intergovernmental organization established in 1995, with member states across all continents, which aims to support sustainable democracy world-wide and assist in the development of institutions and the culture of democracy. At the interface between research, fieldwork and the donor community, International IDEA provides a forum for dialogue, builds networks of experts, develops training materials and provides strategic advice at international, regional and national level, cooperating with a range of organizations.

1.2 International IDEA now invites proposals from qualified bidders (firms, organizations) to procure and deliver Software Licenses, Server and Network Hardware and Deploy the Services for the cyber-resilient architecture (Backup & Restore System) of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Ukraine. A detailed description of the assignment is provided in the Terms of Reference attached to this Request for Proposals.

1.3 The procurement will be conducted as a part of a Norway-funded award. The award will be registered with the Government of Ukraine as an international technical assistance project within the Cabinet of Ministers Resolution 153 dated February 15, 2002 including changes.

1.4 All details related to the VAT exemption status will be provided to the final candidate. The successful bidder is responsible for ensuring custom clearance of the delivered goods.

1.5 The bidder is responsible for any related legalization of the software and hardware in Ukraine, including but not limited Customs clearances if required. International IDEA will support the obtaining of the necessary documentation from the CEC if needed.

Section 2 Preparation of Proposals

2.1 Essential Requirements

Language: The official language for the proposal, contract, reports and any other documents in relation to the assignment is English. Documents for the CEC, as well as correspondence with the CEC, must also be translated into Ukrainian.

To be eligible for consideration, the bidder must demonstrate the following experience and capabilities:

Legal and Organizational Eligibility:
1. The bidder must be a legally registered entity in Ukraine and possess all necessary licenses, permits, and government approvals required to perform the scope of work described in this solicitation;
2. Subcontracting is permitted under this solicitation (the bidder will remain legally bound).
Relevant Experience:
1. The bidder must demonstrate successful completion of at least three (3) projects of comparable size and complexity.
Capacity Statement:
1. The bidder must have a sufficient financial, technical, and managerial resources, as well as the necessary facilities, to successfully complete the Scope of Work.
Special Authorization:
1. The bidder must be authorized by the vendors (Fortinet, Commvault and Lenovo – or from the official representative office of the specified manufacturer in Ukraine).

Failure to provide evidence of essential requirements will disqualify any bid.

2.2 Proposal

The proposal should provide the following information, in this order, and clearly marked as such:

A brief description of the bidder’s company/organization:
- Full legal name and address;
- Corporate and tax registration documents;
- Year business was started or established;
- Full name of the legal representative (president or managing director) of the company;
- Name of any individuals or entities that own 50% of more of the company.
  Bidders must be legally registered under the laws of the Ukraine in which they are organized and possess all licenses, permits and government approvals necessary for performance of the work.
Evidence of successful completion of no less than three (3) projects of similar size and complexity. Similar projects shall be understood as projects involving the supply of server and network equipment, as well as the relevant software. References from previously completed projects shall be provided as supporting evidence (preferably the most recent references);
A document signed by an officer or authorized representative of the bidder that the bidder has sufficient financial, technical and managerial resources and facilities to complete the Scope of Work;
Copy of the authorization letter from the vendors – Fortinet, Commvault and Lenovo – or from the official representative office of the specified manufacturer in Ukraine, indicating the subject of the procurement, stating that the bidder is an active authorized partner of the vendor, and also confirming the right of the bidder to participate in the bidding in accordance with the subject of the procurement;
Confirmation that the bidder has employees with appropriate qualifications who have the necessary knowledge and experience to provide the services stipulated in the Technical Requirements of the subject of procurement and will be involved during the performance of the contract (indicating full name, position, copy of the valid certificates).
1. Availability of at least 2 (two) employees, with a valid Fortinet certificate;
2. Availability of at least 2 (two) employees, with a valid Lenovo Certified Storage certificate;
3. Availability of at least 2 (two) employees, with a valid Commvault certificate.
The proposed implementation plan with the timeline for the delivery of services.

2.3 Declaration of Honour Form

A completed and signed declaration of honour form.

Please note that the attached Declaration of Honour Form should be submitted as a separate file together with the proposal. All sections must be ticked YES or NO. Please note that in Section 3, in the absence of conflict of interest, this section should be marked Yes to confirm the absence of a conflict.

2.4 Financial Proposal

The price broken down in fee (showing unit rates and input) and incidental expenses likely to be incurred. Specifically, the proposal shall clearly itemize the price per unit for software and hardware, as well as service rates (quoted on a daily, hourly, or similar basis) and the total cost. The Bidder must act in accordance with their country’s tax laws as it relates to providing services to the customer/client. The Bidder shall be responsible for their own tax obligations as per the laws of the respective country. The assessment of financial proposal will be based on the total overall fee you will put in this bid. The prices shall be provided without and with VAT.

Section 3 Submission of Proposals

3.1 Proposals should be submitted in electronic format by e-mail. Technical and Financial Proposals must be submitted in separate files and marked accordingly. The full details on how to submit proposals is under Tender Notice at the beginning of this document.

3.2 Proposals must remain valid for at least 90 days following the deadline for their submission stated under the Tender Notice. Should there be any unexpected delays in the tendering process, International IDEA will treat the proposals as valid until the tender process and evaluation of proposals has been completed. During this period, the vendors are expected to keep the same prices for the requested licences.

Section 4 Evaluation of Proposals

Technical Evaluation

4.1 The proposals will be evaluated and scored against the following technical criteria with respective corresponding weights:

COMPLIANCE: Ability to deliver all services (Software Licenses, Server and Network Hardware, Deployment Services) in accordance with ToR and Annex 2.2., Annex 2.3 confirmed by technical proposal and confirmed by the documents provided in accordance with 2.2 (iv-v) (60 points);
EXPERIENCE AND PAST PERFORMANCE: The bidder shall demonstrate experience on delivering similar complexity type of assignments confirmed by the documents provided in accordance with 2.2 (i – iv) of this Tender Notice (20 points);
TIMELINE: The feasibility of the proposed implementation schedule provided in accordance with 2.2 (vi) of this Tender Notice. Preference will be given to the shortest and most realistic delivery time. (20 points).

Proposals must score a minimum of 80 points to proceed to the financial evaluation.

The maximum technical score (T) is 100 points.

Financial Evaluation

4.2. The financial proposals will be verified and, if necessary, adjustments will be made to the prices to ensure consistency with the technical proposals in terms of work input and to eliminate arithmetical errors.

4.3. The corrected prices will then be converted to the currency of evaluation to obtain the evaluation price (E). The exchange rate is the IDEA monthly exchange rate.

4.4 The currency used for evaluation is EURO.

4.5 The financial scores (F) will be computed as follows:

The lowest evaluation price proposal (E_m) will be given a financial score (F_m) of 100 points.

The financial scores of the other proposals will be computed applying the formula:

F = 100 x E_m/E, where:

E_m is the lowest evaluation price; and
E is the evaluation price of the proposal under consideration.

Consolidated Technical and Financial Score

4.6 The final consolidated scores (S) will be computed by applying the formula:

S = t x T + f x F, where:

t is the weight given to the technical score;
f is the weight given to the financial score.

4.7 The weights given to the technical and financial scores are:

t = 80%;
f = 20%.

4.8 The bidder ranked highest will be invited to negotiate the contract and if negotiations are successful the selected vendor will be awarded the contract. Should the negotiations fail; the second ranked vendor will be invited to negotiations.

4.9 International IDEA reserves the right during the negotiation stage to vary at the time of award of contract, the quantity of services and/or goods, or scope of work by up to a maximum of twenty-five per cent (25%) of the original TOR. This negotiation will not permit any changes to unit fee rates or other terms and conditions outlined in the tender proposal.

4.10 International IDEA reserves the right to directly award a follow up contract to the contractor selected for the tender to carry out potential future work related to this initial assignment. This will depend on satisfactory delivery of the tender assignment.

Section 5 Final Considerations

5.1 International IDEA will not be bound to select any of the proposals.

5.2 The following documents are enclosed with this Request for Proposals:

Annex 2.1 Terms of Reference;
Annex 2.2. Technical specifications of Software Licenses, Server and Network Hardware for the cyber-resilient architecture (Backup & Restore System) of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Ukraine;
Annex 2.3. Technical requirements for Deployment services of Software Licenses, Server and Network Hardware for the cyber-resilient architecture (Backup & Restore System) of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Ukraine;
Annex 2.4. Documentation provided by Bidder;
Declaration of Honour Form;
General Terms and Conditions.

5.3 Further information on International IDEA may be found on our website https://www.idea.int/.

5.4 Both the successful and unsuccessful bidders will be notified in writing following the completion of the evaluation and contract award process.

Complaints regarding any aspect of the tender process should be addressed in writing to both the Internal Auditor and the Executive Director at International IDEA. The address is tender.complaints@idea.int.

The Tender Notice and Request for Proposals, Terms of Reference, Technical Specifications, Technical Requirements for Deployment of Services, Documentation to be provided by the Bidder, Declaration of Honour Form and Agreement General Terms are available at: https://www.idea.int/procurement-and-tenders.

Don't forget to mention EuroBrussels when applying.

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