Addendum 1: Request for Proposal for the Provision of Consultancy Services for the Bank’s Business Transformation Project

No

Queries

BOM Response

1

Has the Core Banking System (CBS) product been selected by the Bank? If so, could the Bank disclose the product name (under a non-disclosure arrangement, if preferred) to enable bidders to align their methodology, team profiles, and reference experience with the selected platform?

The Core Banking System has been selected. Detailed product information will be shared with the successful bidder at an appropriate stage, subject to confidentiality requirements.

2

Could the Bank confirm the incumbent CBS being replaced, and indicate whether the transformation is a like-for-like migration or includes significant functional expansion (new products, new channels, extended capabilities)?

The transformation involves replacement of the existing system along with enhancements to support improved functionality, integration, and operational efficiency. Detailed scope will be confirmed during the inception phase.

3

Does the scope cover the full central banking functional footprint — including monetary operations, reserve management, currency issuance, the national real-time gross settlement (RTGS) operation, supervisory data, and foreign reserves accounting — or is it focused on specific functional areas?

The project encompasses key central banking functions. The detailed functional scope and prioritisation across domains will be confirmed during the project initiation phase.

4

Which specific "payments and settlement systems" fall within the integration scope referenced in §6.5? Does this include MauCAS, the national RTGS, SWIFT, regional or cross-border clearing interfaces, or other systems?

Integration will include the Bank’s core payment and settlement systems. Detailed system scope and interfaces will be shared at a later stage.

5

Who is the appointed Software Provider? Disclosure will allow bidders to declare any potential conflicts of interest, which is material given the independent payment-claim review responsibility.

Details of the Software Provider will be disclosed to the successful bidder at a later stage.

6

What is the Software Provider's contracted implementation timeline and committed milestones? This information is necessary to anchor the consultant's oversight effort and governance cadence.

High-level timelines are defined; however, detailed milestones will be refined with the Consultant and implementation provider.

7

Are there other third-party service providers already engaged (for example, for data migration, testing, infrastructure, or change management) whose deliverables the consultant will also be expected to oversee and whose payment claims the consultant may be asked to review?

The primary implementation partner is already engaged. Any additional third-party involvement will be communicated as required during the project lifecycle.

8

What is the indicative total duration of the consultancy engagement? The RFP references "contracts exceeding one year" in §8.18 and "three months post go-live" support in §6.1, but no overall duration is specified.

The engagement is expected to span multiple phases of the project, including approximately three months post go-live support. The overall duration will be finalised during project initiation.

9

What is the Bank's target go-live date for the new core banking system, and is there a hard deadline driven by regulatory, operational, or strategic considerations?

The target go-live timeline will be confirmed during the planning phase in alignment with project priorities and dependencies.

10

Test plan and test cases (§6.1): Does the consultant's responsibility cover (a) the overall test strategy and user acceptance testing governance framework, (b) end-to-end test case design including business scenario definition, or (c) production of detailed test scripts? These three interpretations represent materially different levels of effort.

The Consultant will define the overall test strategy, test plan, and quality assurance framework. Test case development will be collaborative, and the Consultant will provide oversight and validation rather than detailed script-level execution.

11

Post-go-live support (§6.1): Does the three-month post-go-live support relate to oversight and stabilisation advisory, or is direct defect-support activity expected? How is this intended to interact with the Software Provider's warranty or hypercare obligations?

Post go-live support is primarily focused on oversight, stabilisation, and advisory. Execution-level support will remain the responsibility of the Software Provider.

12

Business process re-engineering (§6.2): Is the "to-be" process design led by the Software Provider with the consultant validating the output, or is the consultant expected to co-design the "to-be" processes alongside Bank stakeholders?

The Software Provider will propose “to-be” processes. The Consultant will review, validate, and recommend enhancements in collaboration with the Bank.

13

Payment claim review (§6.4): What approval authority rests with the consultant? Are claims routed through the consultant before Bank sign-off, or does the consultant provide independent advisory input to a Bank-led approval process? Does the same protocol apply to claims from other third-party providers?

The Consultant will provide independent review and advisory input on payment claims. Final approval authority rests with the Bank.

14

Data migration oversight (§6.5): Does the consultant oversee only the Software Provider's migration activity, or is there also a data quality and reconciliation responsibility that extends to preparation and cleansing of the Bank's source-system data?

The Software Provider is responsible for execution of data migration. The Consultant will oversee migration activities, including reconciliation and validation. Data preparation and cleansing remain the responsibility of the Bank and/or implementation provider.

15

Regulatory and control alignment (§6 workstream list): Given the Bank of Mauritius is itself
the regulator, does this refer to the Bank's internal control framework, IMF Safeguards Assessment alignment, or external standards such as Basel-related reporting and AML/CFT obligations?

This includes alignment with the Bank’s internal control framework, regulatory obligations, and applicable international standards.

16

Does the Bank currently have a Programme Management Office structure, and are there
internal project management methodologies, templates, or tools (for example, PRINCE2,
PMI, or internal Bank standards) that the consultant is expected to align with?

A governance framework is in place. The Consultant is expected to align with and strengthen existing structures, methodologies, and reporting mechanisms.

17

Is on-site presence required at the Bank's premises in Port Louis, and if so, at what frequency
and for which roles? Is a hybrid working model, with periodic on-site presence for key
milestones, acceptable for the engagement?

On-site presence will be required.

18

For overseas bidders, are there work permit, tax residency, or local entity registration
requirements that need to be addressed before contract signature?

Bidders are expected to comply with applicable local laws and regulatory requirements. Specific obligations will be addressed prior to contract finalisation.

19

The RFP prohibits team changes after award (§7.3). How will the Bank handle unavoidable
changes (for example, resignation, illness, or force majeure)? Is a named substitute
mechanism with equivalent experience acceptable?

The Bank expects team stability; however, unavoidable changes may be considered subject to prior approval and provision of equivalent qualified resources.

20

Is the Financial Proposal expected as a lump-sum fixed fee for the full scope, a milestone linked structure matching §11, or a blended fixed-plus-time-and-materials arrangement? Is a
rate card for incremental scope requests permitted alongside the lump-sum?

The Financial Proposal should be submitted as a lump-sum price aligned with milestone-based payments as outlined in the RFP. Additional details may be agreed during contract finalisation.

21

How should out-of-pocket expenses (international travel, accommodation, per diems, and
visa-related costs for overseas resources) be treated? Are these to be included in the lump sum price, or reimbursed at actuals against pre-agreed rates?

All costs, including out-of-pocket expenses, should be included in the financial proposal unless otherwise agreed.

22

The Financial Proposal must be quoted in Mauritian Rupees and remain fixed under §8.16.
For bidders sourcing a material portion of resources in foreign currency, would the Bank
consider a foreign exchange variation mechanism for the portion of the engagement
exceeding twelve months, consistent with §8.18?

Financial proposals should comply with the RFP requirement for fixed pricing. Any variation mechanisms will be subject to contract terms and applicable provisions.

23

Regarding liquidated damages (§8.53), how does the Bank attribute delay responsibility
when the delay originates from the Software Provider or from the Bank's own teams, rather
than from the consultant?

Liquidated damages will apply to delays attributable to the Consultant. Delays caused by other parties or external dependencies will be assessed accordingly.

24

For the 15-year firm experience requirement (§4.2) and the 15-year Lead Consultant
experience (§7.1a and §7.1b), does the Bank count cumulative senior banking and consulting
experience, or strictly post-qualification consulting years? In particular, does senior line
experience within banking institutions qualify towards the Lead Consultant's 15-year hands on CBS migration, implementation and operations requirement?

Relevant experience includes both consulting and applicable senior banking experience, provided it demonstrates alignment with the required competencies.

25

Are subcontractors permitted under the prime bidder, and if so, must they be named in the
proposal with CVs? Do subcontractor CVs need to meet the same experience thresholds as
the core team, and is the Bank's team-change prohibition in §7.3 intended to apply equally
to named subcontractors?

Subcontracting is not permitted.

26

Could the Bank share the technical evaluation criteria and their weighting, the technical-to financial weighting split applied to the overall bid score, and whether a minimum technical
qualifying score applies before the Financial Proposal is opened?

Bids will be evaluated based on technical and financial criteria as per the RFP. Detailed evaluation methodology will not be disclosed.

27

Does the Bank already have a defined scope and RACI for the vendor and an agreed delivery roadmap, or is the expectation that the consultant creates the end‑to‑end programme plan?

The scope is defined in the RFP. The Consultant shall develop and maintain the detailed delivery roadmap in collaboration with the Bank’s project governance structures during the inception phase.

28

Does the Bank have defined success criteria / KPIs for the programme, or is the consultant expected to define these as part of the engagement?

The Consultant shall support the definition and refinement of KPIs and success criteria in collaboration with the Bank and the implementation service provider.

29

Are there any contractually committed timelines or phased milestones already envisaged for the programme and agreed with the vendor ? What is the duration of the program that we can assume based on the current contract with the vendor and timeline for change management ?

High-level timelines will be aligned during the inception phase. The Consultant shall support detailed planning, milestone definition, and schedule management in coordination with the Bank and the service provider.

30

Who are the other teams (Banks internal or External) that have been identified to work with the vendor for this program?  Will there be specific third-party team SPOC's identified to support the consultant to ensure the quality and timeliness of the dependencies.

The Consultant will work closely with the Bank’s internal stakeholders, including business users and Heads of Departments, as well as the implementation service provider and other relevant third parties as required.

31

Who are the specific stakeholders who we will collaborate with for overall prog Governance (PO for Governance team) - Role in defining the charter of prg governance

A Project Governance structure is in place, comprising a Steering Committee and senior representatives from relevant departments. The Consultant will support and strengthen this governance framework.

32

What is the decision‑making authority of the consultant versus the Bank and the software vendor for scope, timeline, and delivery issues?

Final decision-making authority rests with the Bank’s governance bodies. The Consultant will provide independent advisory input and recommendations, while the implementation vendor is responsible for execution.

33

Please confirm the exact product being implemented and the functional components/modules in scope.

Detailed information on the core banking product, system landscape, integrations, and architecture will be shared with the selected bidder at a later stage.

34

Which systems are being fully replaced, and which existing systems will be retained and integrated?

35

What third‑party systems (payments, settlement, government interfaces, external regulators) are included in scope?

36

Can the Bank share a high‑level functional and integration architecture of the target landscape to clarify scope boundaries?

37

Is the consultant expected to perform a full Business Process Re‑engineering (BPR) exercise, or only review and validate vendor‑proposed processes?

The Consultant is expected to assess, review, and validate vendor-proposed processes, and recommend enhancements in line with best practices and regulatory requirements.

38

Which business domains/processes are explicitly in scope for BPR (e.g., treasury, clearing & settlement, monetary policy operations, regulatory functions)?

Scope includes Accounting, Banking operations, and interfaces with the Bank’s payment systems.

39

Are “as‑is” process documents already available, or is the consultant expected to produce them?

“As-is” process documentation is already available and will be provided.

40

Can we assume that the current contract has the necessary clauses for the implemntation vendor to deliver to the Outcomes expected from BPR process

Yes, the current implementation contract includes provisions to support delivery of expected BPR outcomes.

41

With reference to the text in section 6.1 "Prepare a comprehensive test plan and develop relevant test cases ...... "

What level and types of Testing is agreed upon in the current vendor contract and what test artifacts can we expect to be available. Do we have the ability to define them. Who will be responsible for test Execution ?  Can you clarify the role of consultant, Bank and Vendor in preparing the test plan and test cases(Functional and Non-Functional).  Is the role of consultant limited to governance of test design and test conducted by the vendor ?

The Consultant shall prepare the overall test strategy and test plan and provide quality assurance oversight.
Test case development will be carried out collaboratively between the implementation service provider, Consultant, and Bank business users.
Test execution will primarily be performed by Bank business users, with support from the service provider.
The Consultant’s role includes governance, validation of test coverage (functional and non-functional), and assurance of testing quality and completeness.

42

What is the scope  of data migration (systems, cutover waves, historical depth, data volumes)?

Data migration will cover all relevant data from existing systems to the new platform, with detailed scope to be confirmed during the project.

43

Is the consultant expected to oversee reconciliation and validation, or only governance of migration activities performed by the vendor and its associated evidences.

The implementation service provider is responsible for execution of data migration.
The Bank is responsible for data validation and sign-off.
The Consultant will oversee migration activities, including reconciliation and validation processes.

44

Who are stakeholders consultant will align with to finalise the change management process ?  Will there be change managers from the Bank

The Consultant will work with the Bank’s Project Committee and designated stakeholders to define and implement the change management approach. Change management resources will be coordinated through the Bank.

45

Please clarify the performance guarantee requirement (e.g., 0.5%) and when it is invoked.

The performance guarantee requirements shall be as defined in the final contract and will be invoked in accordance with agreed contractual terms.

46

Under what conditions does the penalty of up to 20% of contract value apply?

Liquidated damages of up to 20% of the contract value may apply in case of delays attributable to the Consultant, in line with the RFP provisions.

47

Are penalties applicable in cases where delivery delays are driven by vendor or Bank dependencies outside the consultant’s control?

Penalties will apply to the party responsible for the delay. Delays arising from factors outside the Consultant’s control, including Bank or vendor dependencies, will be treated in accordance with contractual provisions.