[ NCC MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 2000-02, January 02, 2001 ]
PRESCRIBING GUIDELINES FOR ACCREDITATION OF PROSPECTIVE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) SUPPLIERS AND/OR SERVICE PROVIDERS, AND DIRECTING AGENCIES TO REQUIRE PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS TO COMPLY WITH THESE GUIDELINES
SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy - Section 4 of EO 262 (s. 2000) designates the Agency s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) to determine the eligibility of prospective bidders'.
As part of this effort, agencies required suppliers to submit documentary evidence to support their claim of technical capability to undertake the bid requirements. Some of these documents can already be submitted once at the start of the year for those who intend to join the public bidding held by the different government agencies. It is in this light that the NCC is establishing a framework as a scheme for reducing the paperwork in the bidding process. At the same time, this will facilitate the process for government agencies since there will be readily-available list of accredited IT suppliers which may be used for at least one (1) year, which could be renewed and updated on a yearly basis.
Pursuant to Sec. 2c of PD 1480 which states, that, "NCC shall formulate policies and prescribe standards on the acquisition and utilization of computers and related devices, data communications, information systems, and manpower development in support of national computerization objectives." This policy is being prescribed to direct and guide government agencies in the accreditation scheme for prospective IT suppliers/bidders in government. This will also serve as a guide to IT suppliers/bidders who would like to get accreditation from the National Computer Center (NCC).
SECTION 2. Definition of Terms
2.1 Accreditation - "signifies the formal recognition of competence to execute a specific service as described in the so-called field of application. The competence essentially covers independence and integrity, technical qualification, experience, training of personnel, an intact technical qualification, and the maintenance of which, suitable and validated calibration, testing, inspection or certification procedure, clear decisive criteria and an effective Quality Management System, assures the quality of the services to be rendered and the products to be delivered in a systematic manner."
2.2 Two (2) Types of IT Vendor/Supplier which may participate and apply for accreditation:
For joint ventures or consortia, the members or participating firms must be identified by the main proponent and submit a Sworn Statement undertaking that if awarded the contract, they shall bind themselves jointly and severally responsible for the obligations under the contract. However, if the joint venture or consortium organize themselves as a corporation under Philippine laws, the liabilities of such members under the contract shall be in accordance with said laws.
SECTION 4. General Eligibility Criteria - To qualify, an applicant must submit the duly accomplished Information Sheet and required documents listed in Section 3 and comply with the following requirements:
4.1 Firm Experience/Track Records
4.2 Financial Capability
SECTION 5. Procedures/Guidelines for the Accreditation Process
5.1 There are two (2) ways in undertaking the Accreditation Process:
5.2.1 Application Phase - An application letter addressed to the NCC Agency Head (Director General) shall be submitted by the Accreditation applicant to the NCC, with the necessary supporting documents as prescribed in this circular.
The applicant will be informed by the NCC regarding the filling up of the Information Sheet (Annex A) which is available at NCC or at its website.
5.2.2 Documentation Review - Some members of the NCC Accreditation Committee shall perform a completeness check on the Information Sheet and required documents submitted by the applicants. In case the papers are incomplete, the Committee informs the concerned applicant in writing.
5.2.3 Conformity Assessment - This is the thorough evaluation phase to be done en banc by the NCC Accreditation Committee, as soon as the required supporting documents are completed by the applicant. This phase cannot be conducted unless Section 5.2.2 is complied with.
The Accreditation Committee shall use a set of pre-determined evaluation criteria under the Conformity Assessment Phase. Here, points are assigned per parameter based on the information gathered by the committee from the data sent by the IT suppliers/vendors (from the Information Sheet and the documents required for submission in Section 3 of this circular). For the information of the applicants, the major items to be assessed in the criteria shall include the following: Citizenship, Business Credibility, Financial Stability, Technical Capability, and Site Visit Results.
5.2.4 Onsite visit - This is conducted en banc by the NCC Accreditation Committee to check on the physical location/existence of the IT supplier/bidder requesting for accreditation.
5.2.5 Certificate of Accreditation Preparation - As soon as the applicant successfully passes the above evaluation process of NCC, a Certificate of Accreditation which will be good for one year is then prepared accordingly, and forwarded to the accredited applicant.
SECTION 6. Criteria for the Accreditation Process - For the information of the applicants, the major items to be assessed in the criteria shall include the following: Citizenship, Business Credibility, Financial Stability, Technical Capability, and Site Visit Results.
SECTION 7. The NCC Accreditation Committee
7.1 Composition - The Accreditation Process will be conducted by a constituted by (?) the Director General from selected technical staff of NCC and provisional members from any of the following:
(SGD.) RAMON IKE V. SE ERES
Director General
As part of this effort, agencies required suppliers to submit documentary evidence to support their claim of technical capability to undertake the bid requirements. Some of these documents can already be submitted once at the start of the year for those who intend to join the public bidding held by the different government agencies. It is in this light that the NCC is establishing a framework as a scheme for reducing the paperwork in the bidding process. At the same time, this will facilitate the process for government agencies since there will be readily-available list of accredited IT suppliers which may be used for at least one (1) year, which could be renewed and updated on a yearly basis.
Pursuant to Sec. 2c of PD 1480 which states, that, "NCC shall formulate policies and prescribe standards on the acquisition and utilization of computers and related devices, data communications, information systems, and manpower development in support of national computerization objectives." This policy is being prescribed to direct and guide government agencies in the accreditation scheme for prospective IT suppliers/bidders in government. This will also serve as a guide to IT suppliers/bidders who would like to get accreditation from the National Computer Center (NCC).
SECTION 2. Definition of Terms
2.1 Accreditation - "signifies the formal recognition of competence to execute a specific service as described in the so-called field of application. The competence essentially covers independence and integrity, technical qualification, experience, training of personnel, an intact technical qualification, and the maintenance of which, suitable and validated calibration, testing, inspection or certification procedure, clear decisive criteria and an effective Quality Management System, assures the quality of the services to be rendered and the products to be delivered in a systematic manner."
2.2 Two (2) Types of IT Vendor/Supplier which may participate and apply for accreditation:
2.2.a Type A - A firm, local or foreign, which intends to provide the required IT products and services directly (not through dealers and distributors). This firm should be engaged in all or any of the following: (a) manufacture, development and/or supply of computer hardware and/or software; (b) computer consulting and/or systems development; (c) provision of telecommunications and/or network products and/or services; and (d) maintenance of the same.2.3 NCC will issue Certificate of Four Types of IS/IT Vendor/Supplier Category
2.2.b Type B - A joint venture or consortium of several firms, local or foreign or a combination, which can be computer hardware and software manufacturers, developers and suppliers, computer consulting and systems development firms, and telecommunications and network providers and/or services.
2.3.a Technology Provider (TP) - is an organization or team of entities that provides hardware, software, or network products in response to government s requirements for such IT resources, as spelled out in their Invitation to Bid or Request for Bids. Support services may or may not be bundled with such products.SECTION 3. Documentary Requirements for the Accreditation Process - The Agency Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) shall require the participating IT Suppliers/Bidders to fill-up the duly accomplished Information Sheet (Annex A) for submission to NCC for registration purpose. Along with the filled-up form, the supplier/bidder should attach the following pertinent documents to be used as reference for the screening process at the BAC. NCC through another IT advisory, shall only require some of this documents for the issuance of a Certificate of Registration.
2.3.b I.T. Solutions Provider - a "Solution Provider" is an organization of team of entities that acts both as technology provider and service provider, but combines technologies and services to meet agency s functional requirements. It may offer the full extent of electronic buying services and may include the card issuers and the technology providers of electronic commerce solutions. The products included in the solution package may not be their own products.
2.3.c I.T. Consultancy Service Provider - a group of IT professionals, or an organization, or a team of entities that could provide high-level management and technical consultancy services to government agencies on IS Strategic Planning, Project Management, Systems Integration, Contract Management, IS/IT Program Audit, and other similar undertaking, to guide them in IT Planning, Procurement, and IS Implementation Decisions relative to these plans.
2.3.d I.T. Services Provider - an organization, a group of IT professionals, or team of entities which business operations predominantly provide direct IT services to agency-clients in support of the implementation of these IS Plans. These entities usually compete with each other for outsourced bids/contracts.
SEC Certificates of Registration and Incorporation
Audited Financial Statements for the last 3 years as of the last calendar year
Special-Power-of-Attorney to represent the foreign (Type A) bidders
Sworn statement of IT experiences of Type A bidders
List of computerization projects undertaken and completed by Type A bidders in the last 3 years stating contact persons
List of clients in the last 3 years provided with post-sales services by Type A bidders
Certificate of VAT Registration
Latest VAT Return
Certificate of SSS Remittances
Increased Paid-Up Capital approved by Sec, if any
Registration with DTI
Business Registration Certificates of each member-firm
Audited Financial Statements for the last 3 years as of the last calendar year of each member-firm
Written Commitment to Register with the SEC
Authentication of Business Documents from their embassies in the Philippines
Special-Power-of-Attorney to represent foreign member-firms of Type B bidders
Sworn statement of IT experiences of member-firm of Type B bidders
List of computerization projects undertaken and completed by each member-firm of Type B bidders in the last 3 years stating contact persons
List of clients in the last 3 years provided with post-sales services by each member-firm of Type B bidders
Corporate Profile
Annual Report as of the last calendar year to include Organizational (indicate position in the company, citizenship and length of stay within the company)
Income Tax Return with the BIR stamp (receipt copy) for the past two (2) fiscal years
List of Ongoing Projects in the Government Sector including references/contact persons/details
Sworn Statement Undertaking
Audited Financial Statements for the last 3 years as of the last calendar year
Special-Power-of-Attorney to represent the foreign (Type A) bidders
Sworn statement of IT experiences of Type A bidders
List of computerization projects undertaken and completed by Type A bidders in the last 3 years stating contact persons
List of clients in the last 3 years provided with post-sales services by Type A bidders
Certificate of VAT Registration
Latest VAT Return
Certificate of SSS Remittances
Increased Paid-Up Capital approved by Sec, if any
Registration with DTI
Business Registration Certificates of each member-firm
Audited Financial Statements for the last 3 years as of the last calendar year of each member-firm
Written Commitment to Register with the SEC
Authentication of Business Documents from their embassies in the Philippines
Special-Power-of-Attorney to represent foreign member-firms of Type B bidders
Sworn statement of IT experiences of member-firm of Type B bidders
List of computerization projects undertaken and completed by each member-firm of Type B bidders in the last 3 years stating contact persons
List of clients in the last 3 years provided with post-sales services by each member-firm of Type B bidders
Corporate Profile
Annual Report as of the last calendar year to include Organizational (indicate position in the company, citizenship and length of stay within the company)
Income Tax Return with the BIR stamp (receipt copy) for the past two (2) fiscal years
List of Ongoing Projects in the Government Sector including references/contact persons/details
Sworn Statement Undertaking
For joint ventures or consortia, the members or participating firms must be identified by the main proponent and submit a Sworn Statement undertaking that if awarded the contract, they shall bind themselves jointly and severally responsible for the obligations under the contract. However, if the joint venture or consortium organize themselves as a corporation under Philippine laws, the liabilities of such members under the contract shall be in accordance with said laws.
SECTION 4. General Eligibility Criteria - To qualify, an applicant must submit the duly accomplished Information Sheet and required documents listed in Section 3 and comply with the following requirements:
4.1 Firm Experience/Track Records
The applicant and or its contractor(s) must have successfully undertaken and completed at least two (2) project(s) similar or related to the project under bid, duly attested to by the agency concerned. The individual firms and/or their contractor(s) may individually specialize on any or several phases of the project. A joint venture/consortium proponent shall be evaluated based on an aggregate of the individual or collective experience of the member-firms of the joint venture/consortium and of the contractor(s) who will be engaged for the project.
The applicant must have been in operation in the Philippines in the field of Information Technology such as the supply of hardware, software, systems integration, networking, etc., for at least three (3) years.
For relatively new companies formed specifically for new services such as the web services, they should be in operation for at least one (1) year.
The applicant must have been in operation in the Philippines in the field of Information Technology such as the supply of hardware, software, systems integration, networking, etc., for at least three (3) years.
For relatively new companies formed specifically for new services such as the web services, they should be in operation for at least one (1) year.
4.2 Financial Capability
As reflected in its financial statements, applicants must be liquid and must have other financial resources necessary to sustain the financing requirements for the detailed engineering design and construction of the project/bid requirements.
SECTION 5. Procedures/Guidelines for the Accreditation Process
5.1 There are two (2) ways in undertaking the Accreditation Process:
5.1.1 The concerned government agency may require their prospective bidders to write/contact NCC to be accredited; or5.2 In the event that either (1)a or (1)b is adopted, the accreditation Process will pass through the following phases:
5.1.2 The IT suppliers/bidders, may on their own, apply directly to NCC for accreditation in preparation for future bidding activities, even with no immediate projects yet to bid, or are not currently involved in IT bidding projects.
5.2.1 Application Phase - An application letter addressed to the NCC Agency Head (Director General) shall be submitted by the Accreditation applicant to the NCC, with the necessary supporting documents as prescribed in this circular.
The applicant will be informed by the NCC regarding the filling up of the Information Sheet (Annex A) which is available at NCC or at its website.
5.2.2 Documentation Review - Some members of the NCC Accreditation Committee shall perform a completeness check on the Information Sheet and required documents submitted by the applicants. In case the papers are incomplete, the Committee informs the concerned applicant in writing.
5.2.3 Conformity Assessment - This is the thorough evaluation phase to be done en banc by the NCC Accreditation Committee, as soon as the required supporting documents are completed by the applicant. This phase cannot be conducted unless Section 5.2.2 is complied with.
The Accreditation Committee shall use a set of pre-determined evaluation criteria under the Conformity Assessment Phase. Here, points are assigned per parameter based on the information gathered by the committee from the data sent by the IT suppliers/vendors (from the Information Sheet and the documents required for submission in Section 3 of this circular). For the information of the applicants, the major items to be assessed in the criteria shall include the following: Citizenship, Business Credibility, Financial Stability, Technical Capability, and Site Visit Results.
5.2.4 Onsite visit - This is conducted en banc by the NCC Accreditation Committee to check on the physical location/existence of the IT supplier/bidder requesting for accreditation.
5.2.5 Certificate of Accreditation Preparation - As soon as the applicant successfully passes the above evaluation process of NCC, a Certificate of Accreditation which will be good for one year is then prepared accordingly, and forwarded to the accredited applicant.
SECTION 6. Criteria for the Accreditation Process - For the information of the applicants, the major items to be assessed in the criteria shall include the following: Citizenship, Business Credibility, Financial Stability, Technical Capability, and Site Visit Results.
SECTION 7. The NCC Accreditation Committee
7.1 Composition - The Accreditation Process will be conducted by a constituted by (?) the Director General from selected technical staff of NCC and provisional members from any of the following:
7.2 Functions - The NCC Accreditation Committee will perform the following functions:1 representative - Commission on Audit, Technical Service Office (TSO, COA)A secretariat with at least two (2) members from NCC will be assigned by the Committee to assist them in the administrative needs of the Committee.
1 representative - GO-IT
1 representative - CIO Forum
1 representative - IT Consultant (free-lance)
1 representative - relevant IT associations in the private sector
7.2.1 Application Phase - the function of the Committee starts with this phase and ensures that the Application Forms/Information Sheets are properly filled-up as soon as the application process starts. It also ensures that these sheets are updated on a regular basis as needed.SECTION 8. Effectivity - This Memorandum Circular shall take effect on December 1, 2000.
7.2.2 Documentation Review - the next function proceeds with the paper screening process vis- -vis the list of requirements set in Section 3.0 of this Circular.
7.2.3 Conformity Assessment - this function, which will be undertaken en banc by the Committee, covers the thorough evaluation/screening process, after the applicant passes the paper screening process, vis- -vis the set of criteria used by the accreditation committee. Details of the activities under this function is stated in Section 5.2.3 of this Circular.
7.2.4 Certificate of Accreditation Preparation - this function covers the last phase of the accreditation process, wherein the applicant has passed both the Documentation and Conformity Assessment Phases, and the certificate of accreditation is prepared by the Committee and is issued accordingly to the applicant.
7.2.5 Database Maintenance - this function is done by the committee (together with the secretariat) not as part of the accreditation process, but as a means of storing and maintaining a database of the accredited IT suppliers. This is done regularly so as to have an updated listing of all IT suppliers already accredited by NCC; and should be ready any time a concerned party asks for information regarding this. This database will be ready any time a concerned party asks for relevant information. To make it more interactive, the Committee shall establish a link on this database in the NCC web site.
(SGD.) RAMON IKE V. SE ERES
Director General