Issue Date: October 8, 2024

Proposal Due Date: October 18, 2024

Anticipated Award Date: November 8, 2024        

To Whom It May Concern:

IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board) is seeking proposals from qualified respondents to support enterprise resource planning and financial systems transformation, phase I. The anticipated award will be a time and materials (T&M) contract. IREX reserves the right to withdrawal this request for proposal at any time up to the award of the contract. 

Background

The International Research & Exchanges Board, Inc. (IREX or the Organization), is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of knowledge. Central to its mission is the empowering of individuals and institutions to participate meaningfully in civil society. IREX contributes to the development of students, scholars, policymakers, business leaders, journalists, and other professionals; strengthens independent media, academic, public, and nongovernmental institutions; and makes the knowledge and skills developed through its programs available to universities, foundations, policymakers, and the corporate sector. IREX administers programs between the United States and the countries of Eastern Europe, Asia, the Near East, Latin America and Africa. A significant portion of IREX’s operations is carried out in foreign countries. IREX receives funds from the U.S. Department of State (DOS), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), other Federal agencies, and private-sector sources. Approximately 84 percent and 81 percent of the funds received in 2023 and 2022 including cost share, respectively, were through awards from the U.S. government.

In 2024, IREX’s board of directors and management team decided to implement an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system including a next-generation financial management system that will enable IREX to more seamlessly manage budgeting, forecasting, estimating, procurement, sub-awarding, expense and payment processing, revenue recognition, accounting, and reporting. Management’s “north star” goal is a financial system that allows IREX to become a $250M organization that can manage U.S. Government funds globally and comply with the rules and regulations imposed by donors (e.g., 2 CFR 200, Federal Acquisition Regulations, USAID Acquisition Regulations, DSSR, Cost Accounting Standards, etc.) with a high degree of automation and scalability. 

IREX has set the ambitious goal of rolling out a new Enterprise Resource Planning system by 1 July 2026, the beginning of IREX’s 2027 fiscal year. We envision that this will be a three-stage project, with stage I focused on preparation, stage II selection of new systems or reconfiguration of existing systems, and stage III implementation. The focus of this RFP is on stage I only. 

Proposal Requirements

Organizations interested in providing this service must submit a proposal that demonstrates the organizations’ capacity to provide the services outlined in the phases below. The proposal must describe a comprehensive approach to achieve the first stage of this project: preparation for ERP implementation, broken out into four phases as listed below. 

Key Elements

IREX anticipates that Stage I: Preparation for ERP Implementation will include four phases as follows. 

Phase I – Planning and Assessment of Processes

In this phase, the consulting firm will work closely with IREX stakeholders to understand the organization’s strategy, growth plans, overview of systems, requirements, key decision factors, and other relevant aspects for the selection and implementation of the ultimate solution. The planning phase sets the stage for the second and third phases. 

Key tasks in the first phase include:

• Gain an understanding of IREX’s mission and vision, north-star goal for the ERP and next-generation financial system project, etc. 
• Holistic assessment on the organization’s readiness for transformation, including people, processes, and technology; 
• Recommendations for stakeholder engagement, creation of a steering committee, engagement (i.e., meeting cadence and structure), etc.

Phase II – Evaluation of Current Processes and Technology Stack

In this phase, the consulting firm will work with IREX stakeholders to analyze and map existing workflows and processes, including identifying inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement and automation. This phase also includes a comprehensive review and assessment of Costpoint architecture, security, master data management, business intelligence capabilities, and workflows. Each component will be documented to identify inefficiencies, vulnerabilities, and strategic enhancements to improve overall system performance. Items identified for improvement should be accompanied by a cost-benefit analysis. 

Key tasks in the phase II include: 

• Analysis and mapping of current workflows and processes to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement in key value-streams including order to cash, procure to pay, record to report, plan to deliver, hire to retire, opportunity to cash; 
• Review of current Costpoint system architecture and performance; 
• Security assessment and cleanup; 
• Review of Master Data Management (MDM); 
• Assessment of Business Intelligence (BI); 
• Identification of requirements for ERP and next generation financial management system (including industry best practices and IREX’s north-star goal); and 
• Gap analysis between current state and requirements for next-generation system. 

Phase III - Assessment of System Options 

In this phase, the consulting firm will compare the cost of adjusting/reconfiguring Costpoint and/or acquiring new modules and/or acquiring a new ERP and modules. The evaluation will highlight the most cost-effective and scalable solution(s). 

Key tasks in the phase III include:

• Comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of current system architecture vs potential upgrades/changes to Costpoint and associated systems configuration/customization and/or a new system 
• Education of IREX stakeholders on Costpoint alternatives, e.g., keeping Costpoint and reconfiguring processes, selection of new modules, upgrades, or selection of a new ERP and modules. 

Phase IV – Recommendations and Roadmap

In this phase, the consulting firm will prepare its findings and recommendations and create a deployment roadmap that includes steps, key milestones, and resource requirements for addressing identified gaps, workflow enhancements and automation, and execution. 

Key tasks in the phase IV include:

• Consolidation of findings from phases I-III
• Delivery of a comprehensive recommendation report
• Roadmap that includes steps for closing gaps, improving workflows, and implementing recommendations as well as timeline to move from current state to next generation capacities. 
• Onsite/virtual workshop to facilitate discussion on the roadmap, selection strategy, business-process redesign, change management, and other areas to increase potential for success. 

Project Deliverables

• Transformation readiness assessment
• Evaluation of Costpoint and associated technology stack and associated value-stream process (O2C, P2P, etc.). 
• Cost-benefit analysis of improving current technology stack vs implementing a new system
• Final report (recommendations, road map, etc.) including
  • A steering committee and governance structure
  • High-level change management plan 
  • Project timeline 
  • Change management plan including assessment of change-management capabilities and gaps
  • Processes mapped in phase II 

Bidders should provide the following documents:

• Technical approach: a detailed description of the method used to perform the tasks outlined above
• Technical experience: past experience, preferably experience in the iNGOs
• Qualifications: resumes of key staff that will be assigned the project
• References: a list of three similar projects completed by the consulting firm, with contact information for the clients
• Budget: Proposals must be accompanied by a budget in sufficient detail to determine the price elements

Please limit your proposal to 15 pages and appendices to 20 pages. 

Proposal Submission

If you are interested in furnishing this service, please e-mail a proposal to rfp.erp01@irex.org Attn: Jace Smith. If you decide to submit a proposal, it must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the closing date indicated above.  Late submissions will only be considered if in the best interests of the project, and then at IREX’s sole discretion.  

All proposals submitted must be valid for a period of not less than sixty (60) calendar days from the closing date indicated above. 

Proposal Evaluation

The criteria are listed in descending order starting with the most important factors to be evaluated.

• Technical approach and sufficiency of methodology outlined (30%)
• Technical experience, past performance and references (20%)
• Qualifications of key personnel (20%)
• Overall Price Competitiveness (30%)

Evaluation and ranking of proposals will be based on best value approach. IREX may at its discretion ask for additional information and clarifications.

IREX reserves the right to reject any and/ or all proposals and modify any element of the solicitation at any time without prior notification and without any liability or obligation of any kind. This request for proposal (RFP) does not IREX to enter a contract nor to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of submission of any proposal or response.

Renewal

IREX reserves the right, based on availability of funding and vendor performance, to enter into subsequent contractual agreements with the winning vendor for a period of up to three years without issuing a new RFP.

Contact Information

Name: Jace Smith

Title: Procurement Manager

IREX

1275 K Street, NW, Suite 600

Washington, D.C. 20005