Request for Proposal (RFP) On-Call IT Support Services

Who We Are

Girl Effect is an international non-profit that builds media and technology that girls want, trust and need. We use evidence-based social and behaviour change approaches to help adolescent girls make informed choices about their health, education and economic future.

In India, Girl Effect’s digital-first youth programme, Chhaa Jaa, reaches girls through social media, digital content, community spaces and interactive products, including Bol Behen. Reliable IT support is essential to the teams delivering this work.

Background

Girl Effect India has approximately 28 staff working across locations including New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Nagpur, Kolkata, Ahmedabad,  Noida, Gurugram and Jaipur.

Girl Effect requires dependable on-call IT support to resolve hardware and software issues, coordinate repairs and warranties, and assist with approved IT sourcing.

Objective

The objective of this engagement is to maintain reliable day-to-day IT operations by providing responsive remote support, timely issue resolution, and effective coordination of repairs, warranties, and approved equipment purchases across India. 

What You will do

The selected service provider will be responsible for:

• Providing remote, on-call IT support to approximately 28 users across India between 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday to Friday.
• Diagnose and resolve laptop, peripheral, operating-system, application, and connectivity issues within agreed service levels.
• Support IT setup and onboarding for new employees, including device configuration and troubleshooting access.
• Coordinating OEM warranty claims, repairs, and replacements, including clear communication on status, cost, and expected completion time.
• Supporting the sourcing of approved IT requirements, such as laptops and accessories, by providing specifications, availability, and quotations where requested.
• Providing access to capable support personnel and service coverage in major Indian cities, either directly or through an established support network.
• Protecting Girl Effect data, credentials and systems and complying with applicable security, confidentiality and data-protection requirements.

Service levels and Deliverables

Requirement	Standard	Evidence	Frequency
Support availability	10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., Monday–Friday	Ticket or support log	Ongoing
Initial diagnosis for a received device	Within 24 hours of receiving the device	Diagnosis or update provided to the user	Per incident
Issue resolution	Within three working days unless parts or OEM action are unavailable	Closure note or agreed action plan	Per incident
Warranty and repair coordination	Prompt escalation and regular status updates	OEM or repair record	As required
Monthly service report	Incidents logged, resolved and pending; response and resolution performance; recurring issues	Approved monthly report	Monthly

Where a delay is outside the service provider’s control, the provider must explain the cause, expected resolution date and any practical workaround.

Any additional costs for parts, travel, call-outs or extended services must receive Girl Effect’s prior written approval.

 Girl Effect Responsibilities 

• Girl Effect will:
• Maintain the required device licences and antivirus protection.
• Provide reasonable access to staff, devices and relevant information needed to diagnose issues.
• Approve additional costs for parts, travel or services before they are incurred.
• Nominate the contract supervisors and provide timely feedback on service quality.

Reporting

The agency will work closely with the Senior IT & Systems Manager and the People and Ops Manager in India

Expected Commitment

• The assignment is expected to take approximately 1 year. Effective Period: November 2026 - November 2027. This is subject to renewal upon satisfactory delivery of the work.
• The consultant will be expected to present to the team if needed.

Applicant Requirements

Applications are welcome from both qualified individual consultants and registered IT support agencies or firms. Applicants must be based in India and demonstrate:

• Relevant experience providing remote and on-call IT support to distributed teams or organisations of comparable size.
• Strong knowledge of laptop hardware, operating systems, productivity applications, endpoint security, connectivity and user support.
• Capacity to meet the stated support window and service levels and coordinate support in major Indian cities.
• Experience working with OEM warranty, repair, and replacement processes.
• Clear communication, accurate documentation, and appropriate confidentiality and data-security practices.
• At least two contactable references for similar assignments.

Individual applicants should submit a current CV.

Agencies or firms should submit a brief company profile and CVs or profiles of the personnel who would deliver the services.

Proposal Submission Requirements

Applicants should submit a concise proposal of no more than five pages, covering the following:

• Understanding and Approach
  Explain how you will provide support, manage incidents, communicate with users, and meet the required service levels.
• Experience and Capacity
  Provide details of relevant assignments, geographic coverage, and the proposed individual or team responsible for delivering the services.
• References
  Provide contact details for at least two clients for whom you have undertaken similar work.
• Financial Proposal
  Provide fees in INR, with applicable taxes quoted separately. The financial proposal should clearly state:
• Proposed monthly retainer or fixed fee.
• Hourly or daily rates, where applicable.
• Call-out or on-site support charges.
• Travel or logistics charges.
• Any other costs that may apply.
• Items, replacement parts, and third-party costs that are excluded from the proposed fee.

Evaluation Process and Criteria

Proposals will be reviewed in the following sequence:

1. Prescreening against the mandatory requirements.
2. Technical evaluation.
3. Financial and value-for-money evaluation.

Only substantially responsive proposals that meet the required technical standard will proceed to financial evaluation.

Evaluation Criterion	Weight
Understanding of the requirement and proposed support approach	15%
Relevant IT support experience	25%
Geographic coverage, availability and ability to meet the SLA	20%
Qualifications, team capacity and references	10%
Technical Total	70%
Financial proposal and value for money	30%
Total	100%

Girl Effect may invite shortlisted applicants to an interview or clarification meeting and may conduct reference checks and due diligence before making an award.

Performance Measures

Performance will be assessed against:

• Response and resolution times under the agreed service levels.
• Quality and accuracy of incident records and monthly reports.
• User satisfaction and effectiveness of communication.
• Timely coordination of repairs, warranties and approved sourcing requests.
• Compliance with Girl Effect’s data-security, confidentiality and safeguarding requirements.

Project Timelines

• Terms of reference published: 16th October, 2026
• Deadline for proposal submission:  30th October 2026

How to Apply

Please email your proposal and supporting documents to suppliers@girleffect.org by 30th October 2026.

Please use the following email subject : On-Call IT Support Services – India

Only submissions received through the stated application process and email address will be considered.

General and Commercial Terms

• Contracting and Payment: The successful applicant will enter into Girl Effect’s applicable agreement. Payment will be linked to satisfactory delivery of the agreed services and receipt of a correct, approved invoice.
• Pricing and Taxes: Fees must be firm for the stated proposal validity period and clearly show the currency, applicable taxes and any separately chargeable costs. Girl Effect will deduct or account for taxes where required by law.
• Additional Costs: Replacement parts, travel, third-party services and other additional costs will only be reimbursable where agreed and approved in writing by Girl Effect before the costs are incurred.
• Confidentiality and Data Protection: The selected provider must protect Girl Effect information, systems, credentials and any personal, confidential or sensitive information accessed during the engagement.
• Safeguarding and Conduct: The selected provider must comply with Girl Effect’s safeguarding, ethical and supplier-conduct requirements and may be subject to appropriate due-diligence checks.
• Conflicts of Interest: Applicants must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest that could affect the procurement process or delivery of the services.
• Right to Award: Girl Effect may seek clarification, negotiate, amend or cancel the procurement process, reject any or all submissions, or make no award. Girl Effect is not liable for any costs incurred in preparing or submitting a proposal.
• Proposal Validity: Proposals must remain valid for 90 days from the submission deadline.