Terms of Reference (ToR) for Software Development Firm

Terms of Reference (TOR) for Software Development Firm 

Project Title: From one-o+ mapping to a living service ecosystem: Development of an Interactive Actor Mapping and Referral System for Mental Health and Psychosocial assist (MHPSS).

1. Background 

Rwanda has progressively decentralized mental health care and integrated it into primary care. Rwanda Biomedical Centre - Mental Health Division (RBC-MHD) also coordinates a growing network of governmental and non-governmental actors providing community-based Mental Health and Psychosocial assist (MHPSS) services, that intersect with other wider peacebuilding and development interventions.

Current information on MHPSS actors, services and referral pathways is fragmented across separate and often static systems and mappings. As projects, focal persons and geographic coverage change, mappings quickly become outdated. This limits coordination, creates duplication and gaps, and makes referrals and follow-up di+icult to oversee. RBC-MHD and its partners, in partnership with other relevant ministries and government institutions, therefore seek a secure, sustainable platform that turns one-o+ mapping into a continuously updated service ecosystem, with the potential to work inter-ministerial.

2. Objectives 

The assignment is to design, create, deploy and assist a user-friendly national digital platform that improves coordination among actors that o+er services related to MHPSS and other relevant sectors, and strengthens referral and counter-referral pathways. 

The platform will:

• keep an up-to-date registry of actors, services, activities and geographic coverage; 
• detect service, geographic and resource gaps and reduce duplication; 
• enable secure referrals, follow-up, feedback and counter-referrals; 
• deliver aggregated dashboards, maps, data visulization and reports for planning and policy; 
• assist data quality, accountability and organizational learning; and 
• remain scalable, interoperable and maintainable by the responsible institutions. 

3. Scope of Work 

3.1 Requirements and co-design 

The firm will perform stakeholder consultations, document business processes and data flows, define user roles and permissions, assess existing systems and integration points, and agree the final functional and non-functional requirements with RBC-MHD, ICBS and other identified partners. The approved System Requirements Specification (SRS) will be the baseline for development and acceptance. 

3.2 Core platform modules

3.3 Data management and access 

• deliver a public area with general information and aggregated dashboards, and secure areas for registered and authorized users. 
• Allow each organization to oversee its own information and view approved information from other actors according to access rules. 
• Preserve previous records and a complete history of changes rather than overwriting data. 
• Apply data minimization: referrals must collect only information necessary for referral and follow-up, with sensitive data restricted to authorized users. 
• Include data-validation and quality-control workflows and require users to accept an information-access policy. 

3.4 Interoperability, hosting and sustainability 

The platform must assist secure data exchange with relevant current and future government systems, where authorized and technically feasible. The firm will propose standards, documented APIs and integration methods; document data structures and procedures; and avoid unnecessary dependence on proprietary technology. Specific integrations will be confirmed in the SRS. 

The firm will propose a hosting and publication approach compatible with government requirements, including access through relevant institutional websites or portals. The architecture must assist nationwide use, future modules and handover to RBC and/or another designated government institution. 

4. Functional and non-functional requirements 

The solution must: 

• be responsive on computers, tablets and mobile devices and assist commonly used browsers; 
• deliver an intuitive, accessible interface and configurable language options agreed during inception; 
• scale to additional users, organizations, services, locations, data volumes and modules without complete redevelopment; 
• keep acceptable performance and availability as usage grows; • use secure authentication, role-based access, session controls and multi-factor authentication for administrators and other high-risk roles; 
• encrypt data in transit and, where appropriate, at rest;
• keep audit logs, version histories, automated backups and tested recovery procedures; 
• assist vulnerability assessment, security testing and incident-response procedures; and 
• comply with applicable Rwandan data protection, security and accessibility requirements. 

A final security assessment is required before go-live. All critical and high-risk vulnerabilities must be resolved before final acceptance. 

5. Deliverables and acceptance 

All deliverables require evaluate and formal approval by RBC-MHD and ICBS. The firm must address comments within agreed timelines. Approval will consider completeness, technical quality, consistency with the SRS and incorporation of stakeholder feedback. Payments are made only after formal approval of the relevant milestone.

6. Firm qualifications and proposed team 

The firm must demonstrate substantial experience and expertise in developing large-scale, interactive information systems with a focus on data integration, security, an interoperability. We expect the following qualifications:

• at least five years of relevant software development and systems-integration experience; 
• successful delivery of comparable management information systems, preferably for government, social protection, health, mental health or NGO programmes; 
• experience with scalable architecture, databases, APIs, data warehousing, analytics and secure interoperability; 
• knowledge of data protection, privacy, cybersecurity and secure software-development practices; 
• capacity to oversee multi-stakeholder projects using an agile or iterative approach; and 
• experience in consultation, change management, training and institutional knowledge transfer. 

The proposed team should cover project management, business and systems analysis, software architecture and development, database and integration engineering, user experience design, cybersecurity, testing and quality assurance, training and assist. Familiarity with Rwanda's institutional and technical environment is strongly preferred. 

7. Proposal requirements 

Technical and financial proposals should include:

• the firm's understanding of the assignment and proposed solution; 
• methodology, development approach, stakeholder engagement and change management plan; 
• proposed architecture, interoperability, security, hosting and sustainability approach; 
• work plan, milestones, dependencies, risks and quality-assurance arrangements; 
• team structure, roles, availability, CVs and relevant certifications; 
• evidence of comparable assignments and references; 
• itemized costs for development, testing, training, deployment and assist; and warranty, maintenance, licensing, recurring fees and estimated long-term operating costs. 

8. Proposed payment schedule 

9. Evaluation criteria 

Proposals will be evaluated on:

10. Data protection, ownership and licensing 

All data must be processed in accordance with applicable Rwandan data protection law and approved governance arrangements. Access to personal or sensitive information must be limited to authorized users and based on documented roles and purposes. 

Upon final payment, RBC and/or another designated government institution will have exclusive ownership of all project-specific deliverables, including source code, database structures, architecture, APIs, configuration and deployment files, interface designs, documentation, training materials, testing records, administrative accounts, and any domain or hosting accounts procured under the project. 

The firm must disclose all proposed third-party, open-source and proprietary components, including licence terms, restrictions, recurring fees and maintenance implications. No component that creates unnecessary vendor lock-in or prevents future operation, transfer, modification or development may be used without prior written approval. 

11. Application process and submission guidelines 

Interested software development firms must submit their complete proposals electronically totender@icbs.ngo, addressed to Mr. Diogene Karangwa, General guide of the Institute for Community Based Sociotherapy, by19October 2026. Late submissions or proposals sent through alternative channels will not be considered for evaluation. The subject line of the email should clearly state:"Proposal: Interactive Actor Mapping – [Your Company Name]". 

Required Submission Package 

To be considered for evaluation, Candidates should submit two separate files: 

1. Technical Proposal 

• Company Profile: A brief overview of the firm, legal registration documents, and evidence of financial stability. 
• Relevant Experience: Case studies or references from at least three (3) similar projects, ideally involving secure national digital platforms, referral systems, or health-related ecosystems. 
• Proposed Methodology: A detailed technical approach demonstrating how the firm will design, create, deploy, and assist the platform according to the objectives.
• Project Timeline & Work Plan:A clear roadmap including key milestones, deliverables, and quality assurance processes. 
• Team Composition: CVs and professional certifications of the core team members (e.g., guide Architect, Frontend/Backend Developers, UX/UI Designer, Project Manager) who will be assigned to this project. 

2. Financial Proposal 

• Itemized Budget: A detailed breakdown of costs related to development, licensing, training, handover, and ongoing technical assist. 
• Payment Schedule: Proposed payment milestones tied directly to the project deliverables outlined in the technical work plan. 

3. Administrative documents 

• Company full registration certificate 
• Valid tax clearance certificate 
• Valid RSSB clearance certificate