Technical Specifications Development for Government Datacenter ICT Equipment

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION) REPUBLIC OF TAJIKISTAN TAJIKISTAN DIGITAL FOUNDATIONS PROJECT Grant No.: E3950-TJ Assignment Title: Consulting Services to Develop Detailed Technical Specifications for procurement of ICT equipment and supervision of its installation for the Government Datacenter Reference No .: TJ-PIC EOP-531720-CS-QCBS The Government of the Republic of Tajikistan has received financing from the International Development Association (IDA) toward the cost of the Tajikistan Digital Foundations Project, and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services. The consulting services (“the Services”) include Development of Detailed Technical Specifications for procurement of ICT equipment and supervision of its installation for the Government Datacenter. The Consultant will provide technical advisory services to support establishing modern datacenter infrastructure and operational capabilities for the Government of Tajikistan, including:

• Conduct an audit of existing datacenter infrastructure in the public sector in the Republic of Tajikistan and assess suitability to serve as primary datacenter and disaster recovery site;
• Identify and assess potential environmental and social risks and impacts, and identify the appropriate mitigation measures;
• Recommend optimal primary datacenter and the disaster recovery site that will be used to host information systems and digital services / platforms developed under the Tajikistan Digital Foundations project;
• Develop an implementation plan for the primary and disaster recovery datacenter and the NOC, in accordance with project needs;
• Draft detailed technical specifications and technical requirements for a Datacenter Supplier to provide the equipment, software and services necessary for the upgrade of the infrastructure of the primary and disaster recovery site, and establish a NOC as well as provide technical support during the procurement process;
• Prepare implementation plan, estimate budget, and procurement strategy aligned with Tajikistan Digital Foundations Project budget allocation (to be communicated during the assignment), including budget adequacy assessment and rescoping options if needed;
• Supervise installation, commissioning and knowledge transfer activities to ensure compliance with technical specifications and quality standards and support final acceptance and handover to the Client.

The consultant will have to perform the following tasks:

• Identification of stakeholders’ needs and requirements
• Datacenter Site readiness assessment
• Development of the technical specifications and technical requirements for a Datacenter Supplier
• Development of implementation plan and budget
• Technical support during the procurement process
• Supervision of the installation and commissioning of equipment
• Support during final acceptance and project handover

The total duration of the contract is 36 months . The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be found at the following website: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1AR5btTRBDzxJBtf7DOjl5jaZ2G-e0j5h?usp=drive_link The State Institution "Projects Implementation Center Fundamentals of Digitalization in Tajikistan" of the Executive Office of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. The shortlisting criteria are:

• At least 10 years of general experience in informational technology and software development of services;
• At least 5 years of specific experience in developing Technical Specifications for procurement of ICT equipment and supervision of its installation;
• Implementation of at least two similar assignments/projects in establishment of datacenters;
• The Consultant is preferrable to have an Uptime Institute Compliance Certification or an alternative globally recognized certification, i.e of Tier III datacenters.

Key Experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage. The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” September 2023 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications, but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the QCBS (Quality and Cost-based Selection) method set out in the Procurement Regulations. Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 08:00 to 17:00 hours. Expressions of interest (including profile of the firm, experience, supporting documents for referenced contracts etc, primary legal documents, etc) must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person or by e-mail) by February 24, 2026. State Institution "Projects Implementation Center Fundamentals of Digitalization in Tajikistan" of the Executive Office of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Attn: Mr. Muhammad Asror, Director Tel: (+992) 2234005 E-mail: md.asror73@gmail.com; najib.kholov@gmail.com Agency: Project Implementation Center under the Executive Office of the President of Tajikistan Procurement method: Quality And Cost-Based Selection Notice type: Request for Expression of Interest Status: Published Value: 500000.0 USD