RFI NO.: CLOSING TIME: 12H00OSKOR GROUP RFI NO.: FT254/11/KS CLOSING DATE: 22 November 2011 CLOSING TIME: 12H00 Request for Information Backup Solution for the Foskor Group RFI Number:

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RFI NO.: FT254/11/KS

CLOSING DATE: 22 November 2011

CLOSING TIME: 12H00

Request for Information

Backup Solution for the Foskor Group

RFI Number:

FT254/11/KS

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SECTION: A

1. Company background

Foskor (Pty) Ltd (“Foskor”) is a South African company with revenue of R5 billion and total assets in excess of R5 billion.

Originally, Foskor’s core business was to mine and process phosphate rock at its Phalaborwa mining operations as feedstock for the domestic fertilizer industry. Phosphate rock is the raw material used in the manufacture of phosphate fertilizer, animal feed supplements and industrial chemicals. Foskor has over the years extended its activities and currently owns 100% of the largest producer of phosphoric acid in the Southern Hemisphere, Foskor-Richards Bay, which is situated in Richards Bay, Kwazulu-Natal and produces sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid and granular fertilizers from phosphate rock supplied by Foskor Phalaborwa.

The mining operation (Foskor Phalaborwa) is situated in Phalaborwa, Limpopo Province, and was established in 1951 with the aim of rendering independence to the South African Fertilizer industry. Foskor has its head office in Midrand, Johannesburg, where key group business activities are managed.

2. Description of requirements

Foskor intends to replace the current Tape backup strategy with a Tapeless solution and backup replication between the different sites for redundancy and Disaster Recovery. This solution must provide the software, the required licensing and the necessary storage capacity.

The primary system to be evaluated in this RFI is the Backup solution. It is however important to note that the backup solution must accommodate all platforms that we currently have this will include but not be limited to Microsoft File shares and SQL, Exchange, SharePoint, VMware Server as well as the ERP system( Currently JDE One World).

The information obtained at this RFI stage will be used to shortlist solutions and implementation partners that will be selected to participate in a closed Tender Phase.

3. Evaluation Criteria

Suppliers will be evaluated according to the Vendor Questionnaire. All respondents must adhere to the format specified in Section D: Vendor Questionnaire, failure of which may result in disqualification.



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4. HDSA Involvement

Foskor’s procurement policies support Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) as well as corporate and professional entities owned by Historically Disadvantaged South African firms or individuals (HDSAs) as viable suppliers. In this regard,

Tenderers are required to indicate their involvement, current and planned, with HDSAs. Composition of their management structure in terms of employment equity Shareholding structure Possible joint venture / consortium with an HDSA firm or individual for the purpose of the

prospective project



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SECTION: B CONDITIONS AND UNDERTAKINGS BY RESPONDENT IN RESPECT OF THIS PROPOSAL

1. Proprietary Information

Foskor considers this RFI and all related information, either written or verbal, which is provided to the respondent, to be proprietary. It shall be kept confidential by the respondent and its officers, employees, agents and representatives. The respondent shall not disclose, publish or advertise this specification or related information to any third party without the prior written consent of Foskor.

2. Enquiries

All communication and attempts to solicit information of any kind relative to this proposal should be channelled to Names provided in this Proposal.

Contact person for Commercial and Technical

Commercial

Name: Khethiwe Shandu Telephone Number: 035 902 3144

Email address: [email protected]

Technical

Name: Johan Pretorius Telephone Number 035 902 3276

Email address: [email protected]

3. Submission

All documentation submitted in response to this RFI must be in English.

Respondents should check the numbers of the pages to satisfy themselves that none are missing or duplicated. No liability is accepted by Foskor in regard to anything arising from the fact that pages are missing or duplicated.

Your response must be based on a currently available commercial version of the software.



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4. Validity Period

Responses to this RFI received from respondents will be valid for a period of ninety (90) days calculated from the closing date of the RFI.

5. Submission

5.1 The RFI response, together with the covering letter and supporting documents, shall be enclosed in a plain sealed envelope or parcel/s clearly endorsed with relevant enquiry number but without the respondent’s name displayed on it, and submitted/deposited to the tender box situated at the reception area of Foskor, Richards Bay Division, 21 John Ross Parkway, RICHARDS BAY, 3900 or alternatively be emailed to [email protected]. Responses submitted in hard copy must include the soft copy documents on Compact Disc/Digital Video Disc.

5.2 Please note: email submissions larger than 5 MB must be submitted in more than 1 part and clearly marked how the parts fit together.

5.3 The RFI response, together with the covering letter and supporting documents, are to be submitted in duplicate, not later than the closing time and date for submission.

5.4 The closing date and time of this RFI is

5.5 Kindly note that Foskor is entitled to amend any conditions, validity period, specifications or requirements or extend the closing date before the stated closing date. All respondents, to whom the RFI documents have been issued, will be advised in writing of such amendments within a reasonable time.

5.6 Please note that Foskor reserves a right to shortlist respondents who prove to be fully capable of handling the contract and whose response is functionally, technically acceptable and/or financially advantageous to Foskor.

5.7 Foskor also reserves the right to shortlist purely empowerment companies or may shortlist on condition that a joint venture with an empowerment company is formed. This will be added to the criteria when evaluating the respondents.



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6. Respondent declaration

I/We confirm that I/we have satisfied myself/ourselves as to the correctness and validity of my/our RFI response.

Name of your Company (in block letters)

Signature(s) of the Respondent or assignee(s)

Name of person signing (in block letters)

Capacity

Are you duly authorised to sign this RFI?

Registration Number

VAT Registration Number

Postal address (in block letters)

Physical address (in block letters)

Domicilium citandi et executandi in the RSA (full street address of this place) (in block letters)

Telephone Number: Fax Number :

Contact person:



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SECTION: C SPECIFICATION DETAILS

1. Current IT Environment

Foskor currently backs up all data to Tape with Symantec Backup Exec and stores the tapes off site. Richards Bay has about 6TB of data the needs to be backed up, including laptops. Phalaborwa has 4.5TB, also including laptops and Midrand has 1.1TB, including the laptops. We have Daily backups that we keep for a period of 5 weeks, Monthly backups for a period of 6 months and annual backups for a period of 5 years. Foskor has got a 3mb MPLS link between all 3 sites and gigabit LANS connecting all the servers.

2. System objectives

The following are high level objectives that are intended to be achieved through the implementation of the relevant Backup Solution:

To integrate the 3 sites

To replicate the backed up data between the sites to allow for off-site storage

To decrease the amount of time spent backing up the data

To simplify and reduce time spent on the restore process.

To increase the capabilities of doing Disaster Recovery

To simplify the data retention periods of backed up data.

To achieve a tapeless solution

3. Scope of the New Backup Solution

From an operational perspective the priority areas for consideration as it relates to the requirements defined can be summarised by the following:

Exchange 2010 – backup and restore of data

SQL 2008 – backup and restore of data.

SharePoint 2007 and 2010 – backup and restore of data.

File and Print – backup and restore of data.

VMware – backup and restore of data.

Application Servers (Windows 2008) – backup and restore of data.

ERP – backup and restore of data.

Laptops and Desktops – backup and restore of data.



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Replication – Replicate backed up data from Foskor Richards Bay to Foskor Phalaborwa, Replicate backed up data from Foskor Phalaborwa to Foskor Richards Bay and replicate backed up data from Foskor Midrand to Foskor Richards Bay

Disaster Recovery – To simplify the process and time spend.

The areas defined by these points are considered to be core in the delivery of Foskor’s business objectives.

Please note that a detailed listing will be provided in the subsequent tender phase to the shortlisted candidates.

4. IT Standards

The proposed solution must adhere to the following high-level standards:

Application

The solution should be an integrated Backup Solution as far as possible

The solution must be a commercially available off-the-shelf solution

No hosted services or applications will be accepted

Infrastructure

The solution must preferably be able to operate in the following environment:

Open Database - preferable Microsoft SQL Server 2008 (State all supported databases)

Windows Server 2008 R2 Platform (64Bit)

Support VMware for virtualisation

Support Storage Area Network (SAN) usage

Must support a centralised systems over a distributed network and geographical environment



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SECTION: D VENDOR QUESTIONNAIRE The vendor is required to respond to each of the items stated below and responses should be referenced accordingly (i.e. 1.1, 1.2, ). Failure to adhere to the reference may result in the vendor being disqualified.

1. Service Offering

1.1 Provide an overview of your proposed Backup Solution offering as it relates to the high level Foskor requirements that have been provided.

1.2 Provide an overview of your implementation capabilities as it relates to the high level Foskor Requirements (scope) that have been provided.

2. Client References

2.1 Provide a list of contactable client using the solution:

2.1.1 The name of the client

2.1.2 Number of years the client has been using your software

2.1.3 Location of the client (international and local)



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3. Integration

3.1 Provide an overview of the ability of your Backup Solution to integrate with bespoke production systems such as M.E.S (Manufacturing Execution System) including:

3.1.1 The name of the client

3.1.2 Overview of the level of integration

3.2 Provide an overview of the ability of your Backup Solution to integrate with Desktop and Laptop data.

3.2.1 The clients where your system have been implemented.

3.2.2 A generic overview of the integration mechanisms.

3.3 Provide an overview of the ability of your Backup Solution to integrate with Windows 2008 File and Print Share data.


3.3.2 A generic overview of the integration mechanisms

3.4 Provide an overview of the ability of your Backup Solution to integrate with SQL 2008 databases.



3.5 Provide an overview of the ability of your Backup Solution to integrate with Exchange 2010 data.



3.6 Provide an overview of the ability of your Backup Solution to integrate with SharePoint 2007 and 2010 data and metadata.



3.7 Provide an overview of the ability of your Backup Solution to integrate with VMware ESXi 4.1 and 5 Hosts and Virtual Management Server 4.1 and 5 data.



3.8 Provide an overview of the ability of your Backup Solution to integrate with the current and future ERP System Databases(i.e. SQL, DB2 ,Oracle and InSQL)



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4. Financial Status

4.1 Provide detail regarding any potential partnerships that would be relevant should you envisage that a partner would be included in the provision of the requested services

4.2 Please provide your recognised BEE rating

5. Conflict of Interest

5.1 List any directors, partners or associates who have any existing contracts with Foskor or have interest in a company that has a contract with Foskor whether directly or indirectly.

6. Company Profile:

6.1 Provide the following company details:

6.1.1 Registered name and Registration Number

6.1.2 Trading name (if different)

6.1.3 Legal status (partnership, limited company)

6.1.4 Countries of operation (indicate primary as well)

6.1.5 Number of staff employed

6.1.6 Physical and postal address

6.2 Provide the following primary contact details (to be used for all correspondence):

6.2.1 Registered or principal business address

6.2.2 Email address

6.2.3 Telephone number

7. Cost Estimate

Provide an illustrative cost estimate for the implementation of the Backup Solution system based on the requirements stated in the RFI.

Due to the limited nature of the RFI, please note that this cost estimate will only be used for guidance and will not be used for evaluation purposes. The subsequent Tender phase will formally evaluate costing.

Indicative costing should be based on similar installations as required by Foskor and should include:

7.1 Total licence fees (once-off)



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7.2 Total licence fees (annual / on-going)

7.3 Total implementation fees (once-off)

7.4 Total support fees (annual / on-going)



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8. General

8.1 Provide a high level overview of your local skills and availability (indicate if the personnel are permanently employed, contract or temporary)

8.2 Provide a high level overview of your current and on-going support capability and quality

8.3 Provide details of your training capability to address aspects such as user training and change management

8.4 Provide any product documentation relevant to the requirements stated in the RFI as well as information relating to the future of the application

8.5 What part, if any, of the work will be outsourced, to whom and why?

8.6 What partnerships or business relationships relating to the work, if any, are currently in place, with whom and why.



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Section E:

Conditions of RFI

1. Conditions affecting the RFI

1.1 The RFI is intended for information gathering purposes only and is not be interpreted as a tender or contracting process.

1.2 Respondents shall be deemed to have satisfied themselves as to all the conditions and circumstances affecting the RFI in formulating the response, as no additional allowance, except as expressly hereinafter provided, shall afterwards be made. The respondent shall be responsible for any misunderstandings, incorrect assumptions made howsoever obtained.

1.3 Respondents shall be responsible for any discrepancies, errors or omissions in the information supplied by them, provided that such discrepancies, errors or omissions are not due to inaccurate information furnished in writing by Foskor.

2. Response assessment

2.1 During the evaluation period by Foskor, evaluators may require additional information and clarification on responses and will be in contact with respondents via e-mail. Please ensure that you clearly state the designated contact person who will be the contact person and who will be authorised to communicate with Foskor.

2.2 The RFI is not an offer to purchase, nor shall it create an obligation on the part of Foskor to enter into a contract with any recipient of this RFI, nor to serve as a basis for any claim whatsoever for reimbursement of cost for efforts expended in support of any response to this RFI, nor to a subsequent request for information, regardless of whether or not the respondent is successful in entering into a contract as a result of responding to this RFI. Furthermore, the scope of work described herein may be revised at the option of Foskor at anytime and this RFI may be withdrawn, revised or modified, in whole or in part, as Foskor in its sole and absolute discretion shall elect without being obliged to provide reasons for its decision

2.3 Should this process result in a situation where Foskor awards a contract, it will be at the sole discretion of Foskor. By the same token, this process may highlight that further investigation needs to be conducted and all respondents will be advised of Foskor’s decision to do.

2.4 Should a contract be awarded it will be based on the best overall value to Foskor, as determined solely and exclusively by Foskor and any such contract shall only become binding and enforceable once a written agreement, the terms and conditions of which must be acceptable to Foskor is executed by the parties and not before then.



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2.5 The short-listing of potential solutions or application vendors will be based on the responses to this RFI. The primary criteria on which responses will be assessed include, but are not limited to, the following:

Financial stability of the prospective application vendor and/or implementation partner

Reputation of application vendor in the market place as indicated by references

Proven track record of the vendor with projects of a similar nature in the mining and manufacturing industries

Local skills and availability

Ability to operate in a centralised architecture

Functional and technical fit of the proposed solution to Foskor’s business requirements

Support and on-going support capability and quality

Future of the application and research and development

Training capability

System and role-based security and controls

Interface integration capabilities

Commercial equity

Pricing (purchase costs, licensing, on-going costs, etc.)

3. Foskor’s Rights

3.1 Foskor reserves the right to:

Award a contract based on written responses only

“Shortlist” responses

Request further oral presentations and live system demonstrations

Accept offers other than the lowest price

Reject responses that are incomplete or that are not in the best interest of Foskor

Not proceed with and to cancel the process in full or in part at any time

3.2 If Foskor decides that none of the responses meet their needs, Foskor may take whatever further action is deemed necessary to fulfill its needs and requirements.

3.3 The decision on the application vendor selected will be final and Foskor are under no obligation to enter into a discussion or provide reasons for not selecting a particular vendor or why it decided not to proceed with the project.



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4. Pricing

4.1 Pricing is to be valid for a period of ninety (90) days.

4.2 All pricing (including software licenses, maintenance costs, support, helpdesk etc.) to be quoted in South Africa Rand. Where your product is influenced by foreign currency fluctuations, please stipulate the exchange rate used. Please note that any foreign exchange risk remains that of the supplier. Any exchange control approval remains the responsibility of the vendor. All fees and expenses are inclusive of any export and import tax.

4.3 All pricing quoted is to be inclusive of VAT.

4.4 Where applicable, any preferential pricing for Foskor should be used.

4.5 When quoting, a minimum 10% growth factor in the user base must be included as part of the software solution without the need to change the software version should additional users be required.

4.6 Where not specifically requested, you may complete additional costing / options (outside of the standard RFI response documents) and submit as part of your response.

Documents

RFI NO.: CLOSING TIME: 12H00OSKOR GROUP RFI NO.: FT254/11/KS CLOSING DATE: 22 November 2011 CLOSING TIME: 12H00 Request for Information Backup Solution for the Foskor Group RFI Number: