CARITAS NAIROBI

Archdiocese of Nairobi

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

FOR ON-PREMISE SERVER ROOM INFRASTRUCTURE

Modernizing Infrastructure and Enhancing Operational Resilience

CONFIDENTIAL — FOR AUTHORIZED RECIPIENTS ONLY

Cardinal Otunga Plaza, P.O. Box 43007–00100, Nairobi, Kenya

1.  Confidentiality Notice and General Conditions

This Request for Proposal (RFP) document has been prepared solely to enable Caritas Nairobi to select a vendor for the supply, installation, and commissioning of on-premise server room infrastructure. The RFP document is not a recommendation, offer, or invitation to enter into a contract, agreement, or any other arrangement. The provision of services is subject to the observance of a strict selection process and appropriate legal documentation being agreed upon and executed between Caritas Nairobi and the successful vendor.

Suppliers must provide all requested information. Failure to do so may result in proposal rejection.

Proposals must meet or exceed the technical specifications contained in this document. Caritas Nairobi reserves the right to negotiate further with one or more suppliers at any stage of evaluation.

Caritas Nairobi is not liable for any costs incurred by prospective vendors in the preparation of their proposals.

2.  Purpose of Request for Proposal and Project Overview

Caritas Nairobi invites proposals from qualified Information and Communications Technology (I.C.T.) service providers for the supply, installation, configuration, testing, and commissioning of a comprehensive on-premise server room infrastructure at the Cardinal Otunga Plaza Basement, Nairobi. This primary site will house the core infrastructure, while a geographically separate secondary Disaster Recovery (DR) site will be established to guarantee uninterrupted business continuity.

2.1  Procurement Schedule and Key Dates

All proposals must be submitted by email to:

Caritas Procurement | procurement@caritasnairobi.org

Caritas Nairobi reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive any irregularities or informalities in the procurement process.

3.  Background, Organizational Context and Strategic Goals

Caritas Nairobi is the social development arm of the Archdiocese of Nairobi, running healthcare, education, economic empowerment, and emergency relief programs. Currently, digital operations rely on Microsoft Azure and AWS. To solve escalating cloud costs, gain direct backend control over mission-critical platforms like the CoBank+ core banking platform, and protect sensitive data, Caritas Nairobi is executing its 2025–2028 Strategic Plan to repatriate workloads to an enterprise-grade on-premise environment.

3.1  Project Goals and Objectives

Enhance Security Posture: Proactively identify and mitigate vulnerabilities across network and server assets.

Reduce the Attack Surface: Correlate infrastructural exposures with advanced threat indicators and next-generation firewall policies.

Improve Operational Efficiency: Automate routine configuration checks, backup testing, and infrastructure monitoring tasks.

Streamline Change Management: Maintain a closed-loop system for all infrastructure and firewall policy modifications.

Gain Application-Centric Visibility: Understand and manage resource allocations in the direct context of core business applications.

Leverage Advanced Analytics & AI: Integrate modern decision-support capabilities, including automated baseline recommendations, risk predictive models, and natural language query interaction.

Ensure Regulatory Compliance: Fully comply with Kenya data protection frameworks and internal governance metrics.

4.  Vendor Eligibility Criteria

• The Vendor must be an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or an explicitly authorized Tier-1/Gold Partner with the highest level of certified partnership for the proposed hardware and software
• The bidder must provide relevant valid OEM Manufacturer Authorization Form
• The bidder must be a Microsoft Partner with a Solutions Partner Designation on Modern Work and Gold/Silver Legacy Competencies in the following Windows and Devices, Project and Portfolio Management, Collaboration and Content, Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions.
• The solution must have been successfully deployed by the respective bidder in Financial Institutions, or major Non-Governmental Organizations within the last three (3) years, spanning environments with an equivalent scale of core compute/networking arrays.
• The bidder’s key proposed personnel must possess valid certifications (e.g., PMP, professional-tier infrastructure or cybersecurity accreditations) along with clear evidence of engineering expertise.
• Submission of a proposal shall be deemed as acceptance of all terms, conditions, and specifications contained Any proposed modification must be accepted in writing by Caritas Nairobi prior to the award of any contract.
• Caritas Nairobi reserves the right to negotiate further with one or more suppliers and/or to request additional information or clarification at any stage of the evaluation
• A purchase order referencing the awarded vendor’s proposal documents will constitute a binding contract, without the necessity for further action by either party.
• All proposals and associated documentation will be treated as

• Caritas Nairobi is not liable for any costs incurred by prospective vendors in the preparation of their proposals.

5.  Detailed Scope of Work

5.1  Compute Infrastructure — Server Hardware

5.2  Storage Area Network (SAN)

5.3  Networking and Security Parameters

5.4  Security and Monitoring

• Installation and configuration of Next-Generation Firewalls (Sophos XGS 3100).
• Provision of Security Operations Centre (SOC) as a Service, including 24/7 security
• Delivery of weekly and monthly security reporting to Caritas Nairobi ICT

5.5  Virtualization, Operating Systems and Core Software

5.6  High Availability and Disaster Recovery

• Dual Dell PowerEdge R660xs servers configured in a VMware vSphere HA Cluster at the primary DC site.

• Dell PowerVault ME5012 Dual-Controller SAN shared between both DC hosts via Fibre
• DR server deployed at a geographically separate secondary site, with SQL Server Always On Availability Group replication.
• Redundant power supplies on all servers, storage arrays, and network
• Dual Cisco Catalyst switches in stacked/redundant configuration for network
• Sophos XGS 3100 pair recommended for firewall redundancy (optional upgrade).
• UPS and generator power backup at both DC and DR

5.7  Knowledge Transfer and Support

• Comprehensive technical training for internal ICT staff covering all deployed systems and platforms.
• Delivery of a 3-year support SLA covering hardware maintenance, software patching, and escalation procedures.
• Full documentation package including network diagrams, as-built configurations, and operational runbooks.

6.  Evaluation Criteria and Compliance Matrix 

6.1  Evaluation Process Flow

Stage 1: Mandatory Desktop Evaluation — Compliance with hardware metrics and credentials. Stage 2: Live Technical Demonstration — Demonstration of setup resilience and core hypervisor clusters.

6.2  Weighted Evaluation Criteria Breakdown

6.3  Reference Check Verification Metrics

6.4  Technical Compliance Matrix

7.  Service Levels and Maintenance Penalties

8.  Bill of Materials and Commercial Proposal Format

8.1  Project Payment Terms

Software Subscriptions & Annual Licenses: Paid annually in advance.

Hardware & Implementation Fees: 40% upfront at project initiation; 60% post-handover upon UAT sign-off.

Staff Training and Certification: Paid post-facto upon complete training delivery.

Annual Maintenance Support (SLA) & SOC Charges: Payable annually starting from the second year onwards.

9.  Required Proposal Format and Content

To facilitate a consistent and fair evaluation, all proposals must be organized as follows:

9.1  Title Page

• State the RFP subject and reference number (CN/ICT/RFP/2026/001).
• Provide the full legal name of the proposing firm, registered address, telephone number, email address, and the name and title of the primary contact.
• State the date of

9.2  Table of Contents

• Include a clear section-by-section breakdown with corresponding page

9.3  Letter of Transmittal

• Provide a concise statement of your understanding of the work to be
• Confirm that all deadlines specified in this RFP will be
• State the names, titles, and contact details of individuals authorized to make representations on behalf of the proposing firm.

9.4  Company Background and Qualifications

• Brief company history, ownership structure, and years in
• Relevant experience in similar ICT infrastructure
• Financial stability — provide audited accounts or a financial reference letter for the last two years.
• Certifications held (e.g., Microsoft, VMware, Dell, Sophos).

9.5  Technical Proposal

• Detailed work plan and implementation methodology for the Scope of Work (Section 4).
• Proposed project timeline with key
• Network and infrastructure architecture
• Completed Bill of Materials with full specifications for all proposed equipment and software (Section 6).
• Confirmation of compliance with, or stated deviation from, each specification in this

9.6  Financial Proposal

• Itemized pricing for all hardware, software, licensing, installation, and support
• All prices must be in Kenya Shillings (KES) and inclusive of VAT and all applicable
• Pricing must remain valid for a minimum of 60 days from the submission

9.7  Support and Managed Services Plan

• Detailed description of the proposed 3-year SLA, including response times, escalation procedures, and service levels.
• SOC as a Service offering — describe monitoring capabilities, incident response, and reporting cadence.
• Training plan for Caritas Nairobi ICT

9.8  References

• Provide a minimum of three (3) references from organizations for whom similar infrastructure has been deployed.
• Include: organization name, contact name, telephone number, email address, and a brief description of the engagement.

9.9  Proposal Checklist

The following exhibits must be included with the proposal:

• Completed Proposal Certification Form (Section 9).
• Proposal response in the format described
• Description of all available support options with associated
• Copies of relevant certifications and

10.  Proposal Certification Form

By submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, the undersigned duly authorized representative of the proposing firm certifies that they have read, understood, and accept all terms, conditions, and technical specifications contained within this RFP document. Pricing submitted will remain valid for a minimum of 60 days from the submission deadline.

— End of Request for Proposal Document —

Caritas Nairobi | Archdiocese of Nairobi | Cardinal Otunga Plaza, P.O. Box 43007–00100, Nairobi, Kenya