This is a guidance template showing the complete structure of a technical proposal for IT tenders — each item has a brief explanation of what to write and why bid evaluators care. Built on the unified Saudi RFP for IT services, covering cybersecurity requirements (Saudi National Cybersecurity Authority NCA), open-source government software (Council of Ministers Resolution 14), and local content.
1. Technical Proposal Cover Page
| Item | Guidance |
|---|
| Tender Name | Write the full name (e.g. develop the cybersecurity system for the ministry, or supply and install IT infrastructure). |
| Tender Number | The number on the RFP cover. |
| Government Entity + Department | e.g. Saudi Data and AI Authority / IT Department. |
| Bidding Company | Commercial name + registration number + activity (must include IT). |
| Submission Date | Hijri + Gregorian. |
| Bid Validity | 90 days from envelope opening date. |
2. Executive Summary
Guidance: 4–6 lines summarizing: service nature (software development / hardware supply / technical support / cybersecurity), proposed technical approach, the company's commitment to NCA / ECC standards, your commitment to open-source software for government systems, and targeted local content and localization percentages.
3. Company Overview
| Field | Guidance |
|---|
| Commercial name + registration number | Must include the activity: IT / software development / technical support. |
| Year of establishment + capital | ≥ 5 years in IT improves ranking. |
| Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) license | Mandatory for digital service providers (Cloud Computing, Data Center). |
| Certifications | ISO 27001 (Information Security), ISO 20000 (IT Service Management), ISO 9001 (Quality), CMMI Level 3+ (process maturity). |
| Partner certifications | Microsoft Gold / AWS Advanced / Cisco Premier / Oracle Platinum… with valid certificates. |
| Number of employees + localization rate | State the total headcount and your Nitaqat band. |
4. Past Experience in IT Projects
Guidance: 3–5 similar projects (development/cybersecurity/supply/support) — attach official completion certificates.
| Project Name |
Owning Entity |
Technologies Used |
Contract Value |
Year |
| Example: Electronic training tracking system | Ministry of Education | Angular + Spring Boot + Oracle | 3.5M SAR | 2024 |
| Add a row for each project | — | — | — | — |
5. Scope of Work Understanding
Guidance: Explain in detail the scope items in the RFP. IT projects fall into 5 main categories (a project may combine more than one):
| Category | Examples |
|---|
| Electronic system development | Tracking systems, management systems, mobile apps, electronic portals. |
| Hardware and equipment supply | Servers, networks, computers, printers, network receivers. |
| Cybersecurity | Vulnerability assessment, communications encryption, SOC build-out, incident response. |
| Technical support and maintenance | 24/7 help desk, preventive maintenance, software updates. |
| Consulting and training | Staff capacity building, knowledge transfer, digital strategic plans. |
6. Execution Methodology
Guidance: The most heavily weighted section in IT technical evaluation. Specify a defined methodology (Agile, Waterfall, DevOps) and break it into realistic phases.
6.1 Analysis and Design Phase
- Stakeholder workshops.
- Functional and non-functional (NFR) requirements documentation.
- System Architecture Design.
- Database design (ERD).
- UI/UX design — Arabic and English language support mandatory per the RFP scope of work.
6.2 Development Phase
| Layer | Suggested Technologies (chosen per RFP requirements) |
|---|
| Frontend | Angular / React / Vue.js — with RTL support. |
| Backend | Java Spring Boot / .NET / Node.js — REST APIs with OpenAPI Spec. |
| Database | Oracle / PostgreSQL / SQL Server per entity requirements. |
| User and permission management | RBAC with Nafath (Unified Digital Identity) integration. |
| Government system integrations | Via Etimad, Nafath, Absher, Mudad — as needed. |
6.3 QA Phase
- Unit Tests with coverage ≥ 80%.
- Integration tests.
- Performance testing (Load / Stress).
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT) involving entity team.
- Penetration testing by NCA-accredited third party.
6.4 Deployment and Operations Phase
- Separate environments: Development → Staging → Production.
- CI/CD Pipeline (Jenkins / GitLab CI / Azure DevOps).
- Hosting on a CST-licensed national cloud (e.g.: STC Cloud, Mobily Cloud, Saudi Cloud).
- HTTPS + valid SSL certificates.
- Daily backups + disaster recovery plan (DR).
7. Cybersecurity Requirements (Mandatory)
Guidance: Compliance with the Essential Cybersecurity Controls (ECC) issued by the Saudi National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) is mandatory for all government projects. The committee disqualifies bids not compliant with ECC.
7.1 Current State Assessment
- Analysis of past intrusion attempts and digital system disruptions.
- Identification of electronic vulnerabilities and human-error vulnerabilities.
- Current systems assessment against ECC-1:2018.
7.2 Strategic Plan
| Axis | Actions |
|---|
| OS and device updates | Patch Management Plan + EOL replacement. |
| Hosting and security certificates updates | SSL/TLS Renewal + Certificate Pinning. |
| Communications encryption | HTTPS only + end-to-end encryption keys (E2E). |
| Password management | Assess use of 1Password / KeePass / Vault. |
| Cloud hosting | Update to secure hosting plans + Saudi Data Residency. |
| Backup | 3-2-1 Backup Rule + tape encryption. |
| Open-source software | Cost, viability, and security assessment (per Council of Ministers Resolution 14). |
7.3 Human Resource Capacity Building
- Analyze usage data and intrusion/disruption logs from the past 2 years.
- Plan a "Cybersecurity Fundamentals" course for all employees.
- Plan a course to certify a specialized cybersecurity officer in each department.
- Run periodic phishing simulation exercises.
8. Open-Source Government Software
Mandatory guidance: When building software for government entities, comply with the Open-Source and Free Government Software Regulations (Council of Ministers Resolution 14, 1443/1/2 H). Open-source alternative is preferred, requiring strong justification for using closed software.
| Requirement | Action |
|---|
| Open-source software preference | Open vs. Proprietary comparison list for each component + selection justification. |
| Source code publication | Deliver the full repository to the entity + technical documentation. |
| Intellectual property retention | The entity owns the resulting code in full. |
| Documentation | User manual + developer manual + Operations Manual. |
9. Schedule (Gantt Chart)
| Phase |
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 |
| Analysis & design | █ | █ | | | | |
| Development (Sprint 1-2) | | █ | █ | █ | | |
| Testing + UAT | | | | █ | █ | |
| Penetration test + fixes | | | | | █ | |
| Deployment + training + handover | | | | | | █ |
10. Project Organizational Structure
| Position | Count | Responsibilities |
|---|
| Project Manager (PM) | 1 | Contract management, entity communication, risk management. |
| Solution Architect | 1 | Architectural design + technology approval. |
| Tech Lead | 1–2 | Development oversight + code review. |
| Frontend developers | 2–4 | — |
| Backend developers | 2–4 | — |
| Database engineer (DBA) | 1 | — |
| DevOps engineer | 1 | CI/CD + hosting + monitoring. |
| Cybersecurity engineer | 1 | ECC compliance + penetration testing. |
| QA analyst | 1–2 | — |
| Business Analyst (BA) | 1 | Requirements documentation + UAT. |
| Technical support specialist | 1–3 | Help desk after launch. |
11. CVs + Mandatory Qualifications
| Position | Mandatory Qualifications |
|---|
| Project Manager | Bachelor's + PMP/Prince2 + 7 years IT experience. |
| Solution Architect | BSc CS/SE + TOGAF or AWS/Azure Architect + 8 years. |
| Cybersecurity engineer | CISSP / CEH / OSCP + 5 years experience + NCA-accredited certification. |
| DevOps engineer | AWS/Azure/GCP DevOps + Docker/Kubernetes + 4 years. |
| Backend Team Lead | Java/.NET Senior + 6 years + government systems experience. |
12. Quality Assurance Plan (QA/QC)
- Apply ISO 9001 + ISO 25010 (software product quality).
- Mandatory code review before any merge.
- Automated tests ≥ 80% coverage.
- SonarQube for code quality and vulnerability analysis.
- Weekly quality KPI reports.
13. Risk Management Plan
| Risk | Mitigation |
|---|
| Entity requirements delays | Weekly meetings + incremental section approval. |
| Cyber breach | Periodic penetration testing + Incident Response Plan (IRP). |
| Performance instability after launch | Pre-deployment load testing + 24/7 monitoring. |
| Loss of technical staff | Detailed documentation + multiple people trained per role. |
14. Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan (IRP)
- Detect and classify the incident (operate SIEM/SOC).
- Immediately isolate affected systems.
- Notify the National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) within 72 hours.
- Root Cause Analysis.
- Recovery + Lessons Learned.
15. Training & Knowledge Transfer Plan
| Program | Target Group | Duration |
|---|
| On-Job Training (OJT) | Entity team | Throughout project |
| System usage training for end users | Employees | 3 working days per the RFP work program |
| Admin/DevOps training | Entity IT team | 5 days |
| Security Awareness training | All employees | 1 day + Phishing Sim |
16. Performance Indicators (SLAs)
| KPI | Target |
|---|
| System uptime | ≥ 99.5% monthly |
| Critical fault response time (P1) | ≤ 15 minutes |
| P1 repair time | ≤ 4 hours |
| P2 response time | ≤ 60 minutes |
| P2 repair time | ≤ 24 hours |
| Critical vulnerabilities discovered post-launch | 0 |
| User satisfaction | ≥ 90% |
17. Local Content Compliance
| Item | Value |
|---|
| Establishment-level baseline | … % |
| Targeted percentage in contract | … % |
| How you'll achieve it | Localize development teams ≥ 50%, host on national cloud, use national tools like Tuwaiq/Lean/Sahab |
Mandatory IT products: Hardware from certified Saudi factories + local cloud services + consulting from classified national companies.
18. Attached Documents
- Commercial registration + licenses (CST if applicable).
- Zakat + social insurance + localization certificates.
- ISO 27001 / ISO 20000 / ISO 9001 / CMMI certificates.
- Partner certifications (Microsoft / AWS / Cisco / Oracle).
- Personnel certifications (PMP / CISSP / CEH / TOGAF).
- Local Content Authority certificate + baseline.
- Past IT project completion certificates.
- Full CVs for key personnel.
- Bid submission letter + local content commitment template.