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Concept RFP For SmartSchool ManagementSystem

Wednesday, July 23, 1997

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Concept RFP For Smart School Management System Wednesday, July 23, 1997

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Copyright 1997 Government of Malaysia.

In the event that there exists any discrepancy between an electronic version of this document (or adocument printed or distributed using an electronic version as a source) and the official printedhardcopy distributed by the Government (See Section 1.4.4 Obtaining a Printed Copy of The

CRFPs and Related Documents), or officially distributed addenda or corrections, then theinformation in the official printed hardcopy, addenda or corrections shall prevail.

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Concept Request For Proposal (CRFP) For Smart School Management System (SSMS).................. 11 Overview of the MSC and the Smart School Project................................................................ 1

1.1 MSC Flagship Applications ............................................................................................... 11.2 Smart School Project Objectives and Approach ............................................................... 2

1.3 The Smart School Pilot Effort............................................................................................. 21.3.1 Objectives........................................................................................................................... 21.3.2 Background information of pilots .................................................................................... 31.3.3 Scope of the Pilot Projects ................................................................................................. 3

1.4 Concept Requests for Proposals ........................................................................................ 31.4.1 Overview............................................................................................................................ 31.4.2 Documents to be read with this CRFP ............................................................................. 41.4.3 The Smart School CRFPs................................................................................................... 41.4.4 Obtaining a Printed Copy of The CRFPs and Related Documents................................ 51.4.5 CRFP Process and Timeline .............................................................................................. 6

First stage: Individual Proposal Development..................................................................... 6Second Stage: Total Integrated Solution Development ....................................................... 6

Abbreviated Timeline ............................................................................................................ 72 Introduction to the Smart School Management System (SSMS) CRFP................................... 8

2.1 Background......................................................................................................................... 82.2 Objective.............................................................................................................................. 92.3 The Roles of the Smart School Management System (SSMS) .........................................102.4 Functions of the SSMS.......................................................................................................11

3 Functional Requirements..........................................................................................................123.1 School Governance............................................................................................................123.2 Student Affairs Management............................................................................................133.3 Educational Resources Management ...............................................................................143.4 External Resources Management .....................................................................................153.5 Financial Management......................................................................................................16

3.6 Facilities Management ......................................................................................................173.7 Human Resources Management.......................................................................................173.8 Security Management........................................................................................................183.9 Technology Management..................................................................................................193.10 Hostel Management ..........................................................................................................193.11 Summary of communications requirements....................................................................19

4 Technical Requirements............................................................................................................224.1 Application Architecture ..................................................................................................224.2 Application Framework....................................................................................................234.3 Standards Compliance ......................................................................................................254.4 Integration Requirements .................................................................................................264.5 Security Considerations ....................................................................................................26

4.6 Platform Support...............................................................................................................274.7 System Sizing and Capacity Planning..............................................................................274.8 Multiple Language Support..............................................................................................284.9 Risk Assessment Statement ..............................................................................................284.10 Technical Service Level .....................................................................................................29

5 Implementation Requirements.................................................................................................305.1 Project Management Methodology ..................................................................................305.2 Project Team Structure......................................................................................................305.3 Risk Management Plan .....................................................................................................315.4 Quality Management.........................................................................................................315.5 Change Management Plan................................................................................................31

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5.6 Training Plan .....................................................................................................................315.7 Acceptance Testing Plan ...................................................................................................315.8 Technology Transfer Plan .................................................................................................315.9 Implementation Strategies................................................................................................32

6 Training Programs ....................................................................................................................33

6.1 Overview............................................................................................................................336.2 Training strategy ...............................................................................................................336.3 Training Facilities ..............................................................................................................336.4 Training schedule..............................................................................................................346.5 Training venue...................................................................................................................346.6 Training Modules ..............................................................................................................34

6.6.1 Training Design................................................................................................................346.6.2 Resources and References................................................................................................346.6.3 Time of Delivery...............................................................................................................346.6.4 Training Curriculum ........................................................................................................346.6.5 Format of Training Modules............................................................................................34

6.7 Monitoring and Evaluation...............................................................................................35

6.8 Follow up programme ....................................................................................................357 Maintenance and Support Services..........................................................................................36

7.1 Overview............................................................................................................................367.2 Organisational ...................................................................................................................367.3 Coverage ............................................................................................................................377.4 Services...............................................................................................................................37

7.4.1 Remedial Maintenance Service........................................................................................377.4.2 Preventive Maintenance Service......................................................................................377.4.3 Solution Support and Maintenance.................................................................................377.4.4 Miscellaneous ...................................................................................................................38

8 Performance Requirements......................................................................................................399 External Linkages......................................................................................................................40

9.1 External Databases ............................................................................................................4010 Financial Requirements ........................................................................................................41

10.1 Business Model Requirements..........................................................................................4110.2 Business Model..................................................................................................................41

10.2.1 Government ....................................................................................................................4110.2.2 Responding Organisation ..............................................................................................4210.2.3 Users................................................................................................................................42

Financial modelling assumptions ........................................................................................4310.2.4 Quantities required.........................................................................................................4310.2.5 Financial constraints.......................................................................................................43

11 Capabilities of the Responding Organisation......................................................................4411.1 Project Management Capabilities.....................................................................................44

11.1.1 Project Management Methodology...............................................................................4411.1.2 Project Management Experience ...................................................................................44

11.2 Training Capabilities .........................................................................................................4411.3 Support Capabilities..........................................................................................................4411.4 Financial Capabilities ........................................................................................................4411.5 Technical Capabilities .......................................................................................................45

11.5.1 Technical leadership.......................................................... .............................................4511.5.2 Relevant reference sites ..................................................................................................4511.5.3 Other unique capabilities as applicable ........................................................................45

12 Instructions to Responding Organisations ..........................................................................4612.1 Communication.................................................................................................................46

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12.1.1 Responding Organisations Briefing .............................................................................4612.2 Submission of Proposal.....................................................................................................46

12.2.1 Time and Date.................................................................................................................4612.2.2 Mode of Delivery and Address .....................................................................................4712.2.3 Marking.............................................................................. .............................................47

12.2.4 Number of Copies and Separation of Sections of Proposals........................................4712.2.5 Deposit ............................................................................................................................4712.2.6 Receipt of Proposal.........................................................................................................4812.2.7 Amendments...................................................................................................................4812.2.8 Validity of the Proposal..................................................................................................4812.2.9 Advertisement ................................................................................................................4812.2.10 Short-list ........................................................................................................................4812.2.11 Letter of Intent ..............................................................................................................4812.2.12 Performance Bond........................................................................................................4812.2.13 Letter of Understanding.................................................. .............................................4912.2.14 Language.......................................................................................................................4912.2.15 Currency........................................................................................................................49

12.2.16 Contents ........................................................................................................................4912.3 Proposal Process................................................................................................................49

12.3.1 Communication during the First Stage.........................................................................4912.3.2 First Stage: Proposal Development ...............................................................................4912.3.3 First Stage Evaluation of Proposals and Short-Listing.................................................5012.3.4 Second Stage: Integrated Solution Development ............ .............................................5012.3.5 Second-Stage Evaluation and Shortlisting ....................................................................5212.3.6 Multi-track negotiations.................................................................................................5212.3.7 Final Selection.................................................................................................................5212.3.8 Implementation...............................................................................................................52

12.4 Process Timeline................................................................................................................5212.5 Mandatory Requirements and Evaluation Criteria.........................................................53

12.5.1 Mandatory Requirements ..............................................................................................53Evaluation Criteria................................................................................................................53Responding to specific evaluation criteria...........................................................................54

12.6 Rights of the Government.................................................................................................5512.6.1 Amendments...................................................................................................................5512.6.2 Acceptance of Proposals.................................................................................................5512.6.3 Cost of Proposal..............................................................................................................5512.6.4 Responding Organisations Responsibilities ................................................................5512.6.5 Non-liability....................................................................................................................5612.6.6 Confidential Information ...............................................................................................5612.6.7 Failure of Negotiation ....................................................................................................5612.6.8 Discrepancy of Document..............................................................................................56

12.6.9 Withholding Tax.............................................................................................................5612.6.10 Governing Law.............................................................................................................56

Appendix 1 - Responding Organisations Undertaking Form ......................................................57Appendix 2 - Bank Guarantee Deposit Form..................................................................................58Appendix 3 - Quantum of Deposit for Responding Organisations...............................................60

1. For International Companies....................................................................................................602. For local companies not registered with the Ministry of Finance, Malaysia.........................603. For companies registered with the Ministry of Finance, Malaysia........................................60

Appendix 4 - Bank Guarantee Form for Performance Bond..........................................................61Appendix 5 - Glossary......................................................................................................................64

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Table 1: Summary of Information in School Governance and its Operational Functions ...............13Table 2: Summary of Information for Student Affairs Management and Its Operational Functions.

........................................................................................................................................................14Table 3: Summary of Information on Educational Resource and its Operational Functions ..........15Table 4: Summary of Information on External Resource and its Operational Functions ................16

Table 5: Summary of Information on School Finance Functions.......................................................17Table 6: Summary of Information on School Facilities Systems Functions .....................................17Table 7: Summary of Information on Human Resource Systems Functions...................................18Table 8: Summary of Information on School Security Systems Functions ......................................19

Figure 1: Three-Tier Application Architecture...................................... .............................................23Figure 2: Smart School Application Framework ................................................................................24Figure 3: Funding model between Ministry of Education, Responding Organisations, Users and

Stakeholders..................................................................................................................................44Figure 4: How short-listed Responding Organisations will form an unbound consortium............53

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Concept Request For Proposal (CRFP)For Smart School Management System (SSMS)

1 Overview of the MSC and the Smart School Project

Malaysias Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) aims to revolutionise how the world doesbusiness. Located at the hub of Asias fastest growing markets, the MSC shall unlockmultimedias full potential by integrating ground breaking cyberlaws and outstandinginformation infrastructure in an attractive physical environment. The MSC shall be aregional launch site for companies developing or using leading multimedia technology,allowing these innovators to harness Malaysias unique competitive advantages that arisefrom its multicultural links, committed leadership, and proven track record in developingproducts and services for regional and global markets.

The MSC is a gift from the Malaysian Government to technology developers and users

seeking to expand their Asian presence, to Malaysians wanting their country to prosper, andto neighbouring countries aspiring to partner with a technology hub. The MSC is a 15-by-50-kilometre zone extending south from Malaysias present national capital and businesshub, Kuala Lumpur. The nation is devoting this massive corridor to creating the perfectenvironment for companies wanting to create, distribute and employ multimedia productsand services.

The MSC shall bring together the following four key elements

Best possible physical infrastructure, including Kuala Lumpur City Centre, a newworld class airport and integrated logistics hub, rapid rail links to Kuala Lumpur, asmart highway, and two intelligent garden cities.

New laws, policies, and practices designed to enable and encourage electronic

commerce, facilitate the development of multimedia applications, and position Malaysiaas the regional leader in intellectual property protection.

High capacity global telecommunications infrastructure built on MSCs 2. 5-gigabit-to-10-gigabit digital optical fibre backbone and using Asynchronous Transfer Mode(ATM) switches to provide fibre to the building. This network shall have a 5-gigabitinternational gateway with direct links to the US, Europe, and Japan, as well as the othernations in Southeast Asia.

The Multimedia Development Corporation (MDC) A one-stop Shop created tomanage and market the MSC. The MDCs mission is to create the best environment inthe world for private sector companies to pursue multimedia and to facilitate theirinvestment in the MSC. The MDC is a high powered one-stop super shop wholly

focused on ensuring the success of the MSC and the companies operating in it.

1.1 MSC Flagship Applications

To speed the MSCs evolution, the Malaysian Government has targeted sevenmultimedia applications for rapid development. These flagship applicationsare Electronic Government, Telemedicine, Smart Schools, Multipurpose Card,R&D Clusters, Worldwide Manufacturing Webs, and Borderless MarketingCentres.

The objective of these flagship applications is to attract a critical mass of world-class companies to develop leading edge applications, products, and services

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in the MSC. Specifically, the flagship applications aim to increase theproductivity and competitiveness of Malaysia and also create a global test bedfor innovative solutions.

The flagships shall improve Malaysias productivity and competitiveness byincreasing the efficiency and effectiveness of technology transfer and creatingan environment that nurtures highly competitive webs of Malaysian andinternational small and medium enterprises. The flagships shall also increaseforeign direct investment into high technology and shall accelerate thedevelopment of a robust services sector.

The flagship applications also aim at creating a global test bed for innovationby allowing consortia to pioneer new applications of multimedia in the publicand private sectors. The flagships shall also build platforms for ongoinginnovation and create standards that allow growing reverse investment fromMSC consortia. The flagship shall create the opportunity for the MSC todevelop a strong reputation for commercial R&D and shall also strengthenMalaysias skill base in multimedia R&D.

1.2 Smart School Project Objectives and Approach

Smart Schools, one of the flagships of the MSC, has been identified as a criticalenabler to transform radically, the Malaysian school system. The objectives ofimplementing these Smart Schools, which are based on Malaysias NationalPhilosophy of Education, are to

produce a thinking and technology-literate workforce

democratise education

increase participation of stakeholders

provide all-round development of the individual including (intellectual,physical, emotional and spiritual)

provide opportunities to enhance individual strengths and abilities

The basis for a Malaysian Smart School is provided in the The MalaysianSmart School: A Conceptual Blueprint that has been drafted by a jointindustry Ministry of Education task force, basing itself on an original policydocument (Smart Schools in Malaysia: A Quantum Leap) prepared by theMinistry of Education. This team also prepared a document, The MalaysianSmart SchoolImplementation Plan to guide the conversion of existing schoolsinto Smart Schools in two stages. In the first stage, 90 schools in 1999 shall beconverted into Smart Schools. The second stage is to convert the estimated

10,000 primary and secondary schools by 2010.

1.3 The Smart School Pilot Effort

1.3.1Objectives

These pilots, implemented in the 90 pioneer schools, shall allow fortesting, evaluation, improvement and further fine-tuning to be made tothe solutions proposed. Since the pioneer schools are made up of differentkinds of schools, the pilots shall also be tested according to the suitabilityof their solutions to different schools. The pilots shall also be an

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opportunity to evaluate the extent, to which vendors are able to meetdeadlines, fulfil predetermined performance levels and generally,demonstrate their implementation capabilities.

1.3.2Background information of pilots

The 90 pioneer schools, among which the pilots are to be implementedcomprise six different categories of schools:

9 new schools 5 primary and 4 secondary four in the Sri BintangComplex, two in the Batu Permai Complex and three in Putra Jaya;

36 residential secondary schools;

14 Munshi Network schools, currently piloting electronic resourcecentres;

14 state secondary schools;

14 state primary schools;

3 remote schools without direct electricity supply, comprising 2primary schools and 1 secondary school.

The implementation shall involve allocating schools according topredetermined levels of technology, ranging from a preliminary level tothe highest level. At the highest level, schools are equipped with a highratio of computers to teachers and schoolchildren, and full multimedialaboratories such as labs, audio-visual equipment and Local AreaNetwork (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN) networks.

Full details of these schools including location, staff and student strength,the existing levels of computerisation and other information are listed in

The Malaysian Smart School Implementation Plan.

1.3.3Scope of the Pilot Projects

The pilot efforts shall be in line with the different levels of technology thathave been allocated to the schools. For any given level, the applications inthe pilots shall be implemented to the maximum extent allowed by thelevel of technology assigned. Details of the levels of technology aredescribed in The Malaysian Smart School Implementation Plan.

Each Responding Organisation is expected to detail their deliverables aswell as their performance criteria to be used to evaluate theirimplementation.

1.4 Concept Requests for Proposals

1.4.1Overview

The Concept Request for Proposals (CRFP) outlines the high-levelfunctional requirements expected in each Responding Organisationsproposal. The CRFP does not explicitly specify platforms, but prescribes aframework built around broadly detailed standards and policies. It givesthe Responding Organisation the flexibility to innovate, creating the bestsolutions to deliver these benefits. Specifically, the CRFP details:

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Solution Requirements:

Functional, operational, technical, financial and implementation.

Required capabilities of Responding Organisation:Organisational, financial and technical.

Instructions for Responding Organisations:Proposal procedures and high-level evaluation criteria.

1.4.2Documents to be read with this CRFP

This CRFP shall be read in conjunction with the following documents, inorder to get a full picture of the Smart School project.

The Malaysian Smart School: A Conceptual Blueprint.

This document provides the conceptual overview of the whole SmartSchool project.

The Malaysian Smart School Implementation Plan.

This document presents the roadmap for creating Malaysian SmartSchools.

Smart School Information Technology Policy and Standards.

The primary audience for this document is intended to be MalaysianGovernment Agencies and Multimedia Development Corporationpersonnel responsible for making decisions about informationtechnology, and those organizations desiring to provide systems forthe Malaysian Government that conform to this set of policies.

The other CRFPs for the Smart School pilotsAs the CRFPs describe a tight integration between their variousdescribed components, familiarity with the requirements of the other

CRFPs will be an advantage in producing an integrable solution

1.4.3The Smart School CRFPs

The Smart School Project is built on five CRFPs that invite organisationsto offer solutions on one or more of the following areas:

The Smart School Teaching-Learning MaterialsThis CRFP for Teaching-Learning (T-L) Materials focuses on foursubjects (Bahasa Melayu, English, Mathematics and Science) that shallbe used in classrooms in conjunction with the pedagogical practicesoutlined in The Malaysian Smart School Conceptual Blueprint. Thesematerials, with built-in assessment, shall promote learning in a

manner that is best suited to the students individual learning paceand style. The CRFP shall also outline requests for training modulesand a master-trainer training program.

The Smart School Assessment SystemThe CRFP for the Smart School Assessment System addresses theSmart Schools assessment packages and the Life-Time Database(LTDB), which shall assess and record students academic progressand performance. The CRFP also outlines requests for the trainingand certification of assessors.

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The Smart School Management System (SSMS)

The CRFP for the Smart School Management System outlines the needfor automating schools administrative processes. This system shallhave many linkages with the other sections of the Smart School,especially Teaching-Learning and Assessment systems, as well as

with external Ministry of Education databases. The CRFP shall alsooutline requests for training modules, as well as the training of agroup of management trainers.

The Smart School Technology InfrastructureThe CRFP for the Smart School Technology Infrastructure addressesthe hardware and LAN that shall be used by 79 of the Smart Schools(the technology infrastructure of the nine new schools and two of theresidential secondary schools is beyond the scope of this CRFP). Thisshall be used to support the Teaching-Learning, Management andAssessment system applications. The systems shall conform tospecified standards to ensure interoperability.

The Smart Schools Systems IntegrationThe CRFP for Systems Integration focuses on the System Integrators(SIs) responsibilities for design and implementation of the overallSmart Schools system. The SI shall ensure the detailed design,installation, testing and acceptance of each of the Smart School sub-applications (Teaching-Learning, School Management system,Assessment system and Hardware / Infrastructure). The SI is alsoresponsible for the network management and the user assistanceservices. The CRFP also outlines the need for training for system andnetwork administrators, as well as an overall training strategy andlogistics for teachers and principals. The SI shall design and beresponsible for the management of the WAN architecture.

Although there are five separate CRFPs, Responding Organisations arewelcome to submit proposals that cover the requirements of more thanone CRFP. The two-stage process for selection is outlined in Section 1.4.5,and described in more detail in the chapter titled Instructions toResponding Organisations.

1.4.4Obtaining a Printed Copy of The CRFPs and Related Documents

A hardcopy of all the CRFPs with the related documents shall bepurchased from the

SMART SCHOOL CRFP SECRETARIAT

Educational Technology DivisionMinistry of EducationPesiaran Bukit Kiara50604 Kuala LumpurMalaysia

They may be obtained in person during office hours, from 26 July 1997until 30 September 1997. CRFPs shall not be sold after this period. Theoffice hours are as follows:

Monday-Thursday 0800 1245, 1400 1615

Friday 0800 1215, 1445 1615

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Saturday 0800 1245

The CRFPs may be purchased upon payment of a non-refundable fee.Payment shall be in the form of Bank draft in favour of the Chief

Accountant, Ministry of Education, Malaysia.

The documents are packaged into two sets:

1. The Malaysian Smart School: A Conceptual Blueprint, the MalaysianSmart School Implementation Plan, the Smart School InformationTechnology Policy and Standards document and all five of the CRFPs,

2. The curriculum documents for the relevant subjects, which arenecessary for any Responding Organisation interested in respondingto the CRFP for the Smart Schools Teaching-Learning Materials andthe document, Smart Assessment: An Introduction, which may beuseful for those responding to the CRFP for Smart SchoolsAssessment System.

1.4.5CRFP Process and Timeline

The CRFP process for the Smart Schools project has two stages. The firststage qualifies individual organisations for participation in the secondstage, in which they shall join in an "unbound consortium" that shallprovide a comprehensive, integrated response to the requirements of allfive Smart School CRFPs. In this way, the CRFP process aims to foster thedevelopment of webs of collaborating companies, which shall further thegrowth of the MSC. In addition, the inclusion of Malaysian companies inthese unbound consortia offers one avenue for the transfer of technologyto and development of skills in Malaysian enterprises, though there are

other, additional ways for the unbound consortia to fulfil this obligation.

The chapter titled Instructions to Responding Organisations contains adetailed account of the CRFP process.

First stage: Individual Proposal Development

The first stage consists of organisations responding with a proposal for aproduct or service for a particular CRFP. However, they should be awarethat the CRFPs represent requests for proposals that shall be eventuallyintegrated into a total integrated solution system. Hence, they shall beprepared to state a proposal that incorporates their vision of how theirparticular product or service will fit into the overall solution. In particularthey shall address issues of how they plan to develop, deploy, distribute,support and provide access to the service or product.

The Government shall then evaluate and short-list the proposals toidentify the Responding Organisations capable of participation in thesecond round.

Second Stage: Total Integrated Solution Development

The short-listed organisations shall then work with each other inunbound consortia, in order to produce a complete integrated solution.There are several conditions as to the make-up of these unbound

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consortia that are outlined in the chapter Instructions to RespondingOrganisations.

Abbreviated Timeline

30 September 1997: The deadline by which the RespondingOrganisations shall submit their proposals.

1 December 1997: Short-listed Responding Organisations for theintegrated proposal round are announced.

December to March 1998: Short-listed Responding Organisationsform unbound consortia and prepare integrated proposals.

31 March 1998: Deadline by which the unbound consortia shallsubmit their integrated proposals.

1 July 1998: Second round selection is completed. The successfulproposal and the winning unbound consortium shall be announced.

The Government shall sign a contract with all the RespondingOrganisations that comprise the winning unbound consortium orwith a legally bound consortium that comprise all the RespondingOrganisation of the winning unbound consortium. The terms andconditions of the contract shall be agreed upon between theGovernment and all the Responding Organisations that comprise thesaid legally bound consortium as the case may be.

.

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2 Introduction to the Smart School Management System (SSMS) CRFP

2.1 Background

The primary objective for the SSMS is to support teaching and learningfunctions within schools by managing resources and processes more efficientlyand effectively. This includes linkages and functionality required to supportschool processes that relate to external entities such as:

District Education Offices

State Education Departments

Ministry of Education (MoE)

Relevant Government agencies

Parents

The community Relevant NGOs, suppliers, etc

Each of the activities under the Smart Schools management functions can becategorised into one of nine broad areas. These nine areas, however, areclassified as such because of the major emphasis of their functions. They arenot necessarily mutually exclusive as a number of them may share somecommon databases, providing for the necessity for integration across them.The nine functional areas are briefly described as follows:

School Governance: This part of the school management function deals withschool policies and regulations. It ensures efficient communication betweenrelevant agencies and stake holders, and makes decisions on curriculum

management to fit the school's local environment and to tailor it according tostudents' needs.

Student Affairs: The Student Affairs component of the Smart Schoolsmanagement system deals with all the issues that relate to students' teaching-learning and welfare needs. It maintains a comprehensive database of studentrecords.

Educational Resources: This component manages a teaching-learning resourcedatabase that is quick and easily accessed by students and teachers. Itprovides schools with relevant and appropriate teaching-learning materials ina timely manner.

External Resource: The External Resource component maintains acomprehensive database on available external resources that are relevant andapplicable to the teaching-learning scenarios in schools. It should also provideand manage resources to enable "virtual visits".

Finance: This component of the Smart Schools management system handlesthe fiscal management portion. It consists of a comprehensive educationalaccounting system with direct interface to the District Education Office and theState Education Department.

Facilities: This component of the Smart Schools management systemmaintains and manages the utilisation of the school's facilities. It contains

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comprehensive records of inventories and is capable of tracking the movementof removable assets.

Human Resource: This component comprises a comprehensive HumanResource Management System which tracks the individual staff member'sdevelopment programmes. It manages the staff development programme ofthe school to ensure balanced opportunities for all staff members to attend orparticipate at seminars, conferences and workshops for professionaldevelopment. It also manages staff's promotions and transfers.

Security: A system is required to ensure human safety as well as physicalsafety of the school. Measures required include the need for properidentification or authorisation for access into school or access into certaindatabases of the school communication systems.

Technology: This component of the Smart Schools management systemmanages the technology components of the school and includes IT hardwareand IT resource management, network management and technology designsupgrading.

2.2 Objective

The objective of this CRFP is to invite proposals from RespondingOrganisations for the following:

The supplying, integrating, installing, testing, commissioning, training andpost-acceptance maintenance and support services for an integrated SmartSchools Management System (SSMS).

Each proposal, from either an individual Responding Organisation or aConsortium of Responding Organisations, shall include:

An integrated management software covering the nine areas of themanagement function, namely, Financial, Student Affairs, EducationalResource, External Resource, Human Resource, Facilities, SchoolGovernance, Security, and Technology for the first phase of 90 SmartSchools to be implemented beginning January 1999;

Training Programme for Management Trainers (Training Programme).The Responding Organisation shall prepare and implement a trainingprogramme to train Management Trainers. These Management Trainersshall train other Trainers. Management Trainers and Trainers will then beresponsible for the training of school administration teams comprisingprincipals of secondary schools, headmasters of primary schools, seniorassistants and clerks as well as Ministry of Education officers from district,

state and federal levels.

Training Modules. The Responding Organisation shall prepare Trainingmodules related to the SSMS for Management Trainers to use in theTraining Programme.

Response:

The Responding Organisation shall submit a single proposal for all 3

components.

Since all administrative aspects of the Smart Schools are covered by theSSMS, the applications and systems specified in other Smart School

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CRFPs will need to be integrated with the SSMS. Consequently, theResponding Organisation awarded the contract to implement the SSMSshall be required to integrate all the Smart School systems andapplications.

The Responding Organisation is encouraged to submit innovativeproposals for systems that can be deployed in phases for various,possibly differing, technology platforms commensurate with thedifferent levels of technology that will be deployed in Malaysiasschools. These technology requirements, together with the levels oftechnology to be deployed in the schools, are described in the document,The Malaysian Smart School Implementation Plan.

2.3 The Roles of the Smart School Management System (SSMS)

In addition to supporting the management functions of the Smart School, theSSMS must also integrate the following systems that are to be specified in theother CRFPs:

Teaching-Learning Materials

Assessment

IT Security management

Network and System management

User Support/Helpdesk

The SSMS will help integrate the different functions outlined in the other fourSmart School CRFPs by:

acting as a common user front-end for access to all applications

consolidating database information across multiple applications

allowing access between certain applications and other, possibly external,databases and applications

allowing access to existing databases within the various divisions in theMinistry of Education, thus requiring these databases to be integrated withthe SSMS that will be developed.

By integrating these different systems and applications, the SSMS shouldreduce time and effort spent by teaching staff on non-teaching tasks andprovide timely access to relevant information, which will help morestakeholders participate in, and improve, Malaysias educational decision-

making processes.The Responding Organisation shall propose optimal integration methods andensure:

Alignment of all applications and systems around a common framework ofaccess, deployment, distribution, security, management and support

Minimisation of the number of disparate systems and platforms to beinstalled, managed and supported

Consolidation of information in the interest of reducing unnecessaryinformation redundancy

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Integration of databases where necessary

The access requirements of disparate constituencies encompassing theMinistry of Education, other government agencies, students and theirparents, the community, corporations and other organisations are met.

2.4 Functions of the SSMS

As mentioned in paragraph 2.1, the functions of the SSMS can be categorisedinto 9 areas. Each of these areas does not necessarily need a system of its own,as there are many links between systems.

Residential and semi-residential schools have an additional function of hostelmanagement.

These functional areas are described in the The Malaysian Smart School: AConceptual Blueprint, with the requirements for the SSMS being detailed in thefollowing section.

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3 Functional Requirements

This section describes the function of SSMS. The requirements are organised below into 10sub-sections that correspond to the 9 functional areas listed in the previous section and anadditional Hostel Management function for residential schools. This categorisation does not

imply or mandate that 10 separate sub-systems are to be provided in the SSMS. TheResponding Organisation shall propose an integrated SSMS that, at a minimum

Meets the functional requirements stated in this CRFP

Organises access to all applications and services in a manner consistent with thecategory or role of the user.

3.1 School Governance

School Governance is a function that is primarily concerned with the day-to-day governance of school-wide policies and operations.

The School Governance part of the Smart School Management System Softwareshall

receive and send messages from and to the divisions of the Ministry ofEducation, the State Education Departments, District Education Officesand parents or the community at large.

enable the recording of the daily attendance of students, teachers and allother staff members. This component shall therefore be linked to StudentAffairs, External Resource, and the Human Resource components.

allow the recording and analysing of students achievement measures forall school-based assessment. Plots and groups the growth curves andcalculates the necessary basic summary statistics of the measures at regular

intervals.

allow storage of students co-curricular activities records that are accessibleby the principal, teachers, students and students' own parents, butprotected from others unless given permission to access.

enable the preparation of teachers timetables, given all the necessaryvariables such as total number of periods per week for teachers concerned,the subject(s) taught by each teacher, teachers names, whether teachingperiods should be consecutive or otherwise, total number of teachersavailable for a given subject, etc.

make messaging services available to all in school, for communication

between the principal, teachers, students, office staff members, as well asmembers of the community.

enable transfer and exchange of teaching-learning and reference materialsas well as allowing consultations and the sharing of expertise (outsourcingof expertise) amongst teachers across the country.

allow access to centrally located government materials such as theGovernment General Orders and Government Financial Orders as well asall other government circulars to the principal, teachers and other officestaff members only.

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provide a channel of communication between school and the communityas well as relevant higher authorities in the planning and implementationof school projects such as fund raisers and sports.

enable the school administrators to classify materials and restrict access to

materials according to the type of user and materials.

Information Operational Functions

1 Reports on subject paneldiscussions and minutes ofmeetings

Record, dissemination and retrieval

2. Teacher and class time tablesincluding relief time tables

Construction, record, dissemination andretrieval

3. Teaching and nonteaching tasksperformed by staff

Record, retrieval and analysis for summarydata on workload

4.

Government General Orders Ministry of Education Circulars

Retrieval and dissemination.

5. Students assessment records Record, retrieval, analysis and reporting.

6. Cocurricular activities Participation and assessment

Record, retrieval, analysis and reporting.

7. Curriculum Management System that is able to monitor theimplementation of the school curriculum.

Table 1: Summary of Information in School Governance and its Operational Functions

3.2 Student Affairs Management

The Student Affairs component is concerned with the management of studentinformation and all other items pertaining to student matters. This solutionshall enable

input and retrieval of data on:

students profile which include personal particulars (historical andcurrent) as well as performance records that can be adapted for usagein assessment records,

parents or guardians relevant personal records for usage in scholarshipawards, book loan etc.

reporting and analysing of student data which include assessment scores projection of student performance.

compilation of feedback on student's performance by various parties.

input, retrieval, analysis and reporting of data on students, categorised byage, sex, race, religion, socio-economic status, and other classifiers.

transfer of data on student profiles between schools district and stateeducation offices and the various divisions of the Education Ministry, asmay be required when students move.

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provide information on facilities used by students and teachers such as theborrowing of science equipment, books under the text book loan scheme,books from the school library, scholarships and grants, and the use ofhostel rooms (for fully and semi-residential schools).

recording of attendance and participation details on students curricularand co-curricular activities,

recording and retrieval of confidential information on students discipline,academic performance, health and insurance, and counsellors reports aswell as the follow-up and follow through actions by the school.

on-site and off-site registration of students with the school .

Information Operational Function

1.

Student biodata e.g. health profiles

Record and retrieval2. On-going assessment records and

teacher reports on individual students Record retrieval, and reporting

3. Student family background Record and retrieval

4. Student attendance in school. Record and retrieval

5. Participation in co-curricular activities atvarious levels e.g. debates, sports andgames at district, state, national andInternational levels.

Record, retrieval, analysis andreporting

6. Confidential reports on students overalldiscipline and academic performance

Restricted record and retrieval,analysis and reporting

7. Counsellors confidential report onstudents

Restricted record and retrieval,analysis and reporting

8. Rooming system records on hostelboarders (Residential schools)

Record and retrieval

9. Analysis of students scores andmeasures by some basic variables suchas sex, age, socio-economic status, etc.

Record, retrieval, analysis andreporting

Automated file transfer betweenschools, education offices anddivisions of the Education Ministry

Table 2: Summary of Information for Student Affairs Management and Its Operational Functions.

Note: Report formats include formats for school testimonials, studentsperformance reports, and students profiles.

3.3 Educational Resources Management

The Educational Resources Management component deals with managing theusage of resources for teaching-learning delivery. The Educational Resourceportion of the SSMS shall

enable the input and retrieval of teaching-learning materials

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enable the input and retrieval of personal data of available resourcepersons.

maintain an inventory of all the schools property and records of borrowalsand returns. These records shall be accessible to teachers and other staff

members of the school, consist of an automated library management system to manage borrowals

and returns of library and other educational resource materials, inter-library loans, generation of reminders for overdue materials and themonitoring of fines and payments for overdue materials returned.


1. Detailed inventory of all teaching and audio visual aids. e.g. OHPs, T.V, VCR, science equipment,software, teaching-learning materials, and analysisof usage of all these equipment and materials

Coding of equipment,record, retrieval, trackingand monitoring

Electronic library management system : Cataloguing

Automated Inter-library loan facilities

and communication

On-line catalogue fromteachers and studentshomes

2.

Borrowing and returning of resources from andto the library

Recording, tracking andissuance of reminders forlate returns

Protection against theft oflibrary materials

3. Multiple locations in the school for reception of videodemonstrations.

Centralised control andonline monitoring of videoshows by IT demonstrator

Table 3: Summary of Information on Educational Resource and its Operational Functions

3.4 External Resources Management

The External Resources component deals with the management of resourcesand linkages to constituencies outside the school. The External Resourceportion of the SSMS shall enable access to external databases for the retrieval ofreal-time and recorded data and the monitoring of the access to externalresources by users.

Information Required Operational Function

1. Learning materials from external sources External linkages to otheragencies such as massmedia, museums, mediacentres, and institutionsof higher learning.

2. General and academic materials External linkages to othereducational resources.

Table 4: Summary of Information on External Resource and its Operational Functions

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3.5 Financial Management

Operational Function

1. School Accounts Maintenance Systems: audit reports,debit and credit entries, monthly balances, analysisof financial items, sub accounts, fees collection,accounts tracking.

Record, retrieval and

dissemination to relevantagencies and offices, withrestricted access to some.

2. Purchasing system: Information on invoices,authorisation of payments, quotation requests

Preparation formats,record, retrieval anddissemination

3. Salary: payment and receipt Record, retrieval anddissemination

4. School assets and revenue from usage Record, tracking, retrievaland accounting

5. Inventory: maintenance, schedule of usage, prices Record, scheduling,

retrieval and monitoringTable 5: Summary of Information on School Finance Functions.

The Financial Management component handles the fiscal management portionof the SSMS. The school financial system includes budgeting, reporting,accounting, procurement, project funding, long term planning, audit andcontrol. The solution shall:

generate customised reports periodically as required by various governingagencies for checking and monitoring purposes. Some such reports arethe monthly balance of statement, bank reconciliation, cash-book entry interms of income and expenditure, monthly and annual audit reports.

interface to Ministry of Education finance accounting system to provide

financial information to district, state and federal levels.

have a fixed asset system that gathers data and reports on the acquisition,transfer and use of school funds.

provide a budget development system with an on-line entry of budgetdevelopment information by school, district and state education officesand the federal authorities.

easily track, update and review assets leading to efficient and effectiveaccounting with:

an account payable system for procurement that uses purchase orders,and that receives information and invoices to authorise payment to

vendors;

an ability to generate check transmittal and warrants after check runsand integrate appropriate payable transactions into the generalaccounting system;

have validation and fund checking capabilities

shall track cash flows and make on-demand audit and other reports asrequired by the district, state and federal authorities.

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have a system to monitor the hostel financial management (for fully andsemi-residential schools) such as finances related to food andaccommodation.

3.6 Facilities Management

The Facilities Management component is involved in maintaining andmanaging the utilisation of school facilities. The Facilities Managementportion of the SSMS shall:

enable the tracking of usage and maintenance of all forms of schoolfacilities such as sports facilities, halls and classrooms, hostels, scienceequipment and computers. This includes the scheduling of requiredmaintenance and servicing of equipment

enable the management of all inventory, fixed assets and facilities with abuilt-in reporting system

enable the scheduling of the usage of facilities by staff, students and otherauthorised parties.


1. Inventory of facilities with item specifications Record, retrieval, tracking andreporting

2. Scheduling of usage facilities Record, retrieval, tracking andreporting

3. Budgeting for maintenance Record, retrieval, tracking and

reportingTable 6: Summary of Information on School Facilities Systems Functions

3.7 Human Resources Management

The Human Resources Management component supports the organisation,planning and implementation of school staff development programmes. TheHuman Resource portion of the SSMS shall:

allow the input and retrieval of data on teachers and supporting staff.

have a combination of a payroll/personnel system. The payroll functionsperform along with the related personnel functions of recruiting,

employment, staffing, certification records, professional developmentrecords, records on discipline and other related matters.

be able to access a payroll and personnel system that combines payrollinformation with records on recruiting, employment, staffing, certification,professional development, discipline, and other related matters.

be able to generate monthly and annual reports to district and stateeducation offices, as well as to relevant divisions of the Ministry ofEducation.

enable the recording and planning of staff development programmes.

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enable the input and retrieval of staffs personal biodata, records ofservice, promotions, achievements, courses attended and health.

record attendance and participation details on staff members curricularand co-curricular duties.

enable the transfer of personal files from school to other institutions whenstaff members are transferred, or retire, or leave the service.


1. Teacher and support staffprofiles

Individual data files

Salary records and updates

Service records and updates

Teaching licence records Medical records

Records of expertise andprofessional achievements.

Staff development records foreach teacher

Analysis for basic statistics on teachers, students,in terms of background, categories and ability tosort according to various variables, anddetermination of teacherstudent ratio

Record and retrieval

2. Incorporation of confidential staffappraisals

Record, retrieval and reporting, with restrictedaccess to confidential reports

3. System to determine manpowerneeds

Projections on schools student population andanalysis of future need for staff, based on currentand available previous data, record and retrieval

4. File transfer between schools andvarious divisions of the Ministryof Education.

Record, retrieval and dissemination

Table 7: Summary of Information on Human Resource Systems Functions

3.8 Security Management

The Security Management component helps manage the safety of staff andstudents when they are at school, as well as the safety of the school itself.Requirements for a comprehensive IT security solution are described in theCRFP for Smart School Systems Integration. This Security portion of the SSMS

shall consist of a security monitoring system that: identifies authorised visitors and detects trespassers;

signals early warnings against break-ins, fires, leakage of gas and otherpoisonous fumes in science laboratories.

protection against vandalism.


1. Security of school grounds, staffand students during and afterschool hours.

Monitoring of school access points

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Table 8: Summary of Information on School Security Systems Functions

3.9 Technology Management

Technology functions of the school can be categorised into the following:

IT management. The requirements for a comprehensive IT Managementsolution is described in the document CRFP for Smart School SystemsIntegration.

Non-IT technology management. Descriptions of these components can befound in the document, CRFP for Smart School Technology Infrastructure.Responding Organisations are invited to propose solutions that may assistin the management of these technologies.

3.10 Hostel Management

This component of school management is applicable only to fully residential or

semi-residential schools. The solution shall: enable the input and retrieval of data on hostel fees collection, (income and

expenditure)

input records of usage of rooms by boarders as well as rental by otheragencies

input records of student boarders, their welfare e.g., health, and theiractivities outside school hours, including records of their days in and outof school

record the daily and weekly menus and food supply

record usage and maintenance of hostel facilities such as dormitories,

dining halls and kitchen facilities

record inventories of hostel facilities and monitor their movement.

3.11 Summary of communications requirements

The following tables summarise some of the communication requirements forthe 9 functional areas of the SSMS. The tables show participants in theinformation exchange between the school administration, staff, students,parents and the community, district education offices, state educationdepartments and the various divisions of the Ministry of Education. To reducerepetition, communications, which involve a two-way exchange, are only listed

once.The following abbreviations are used in the tables:

GOV -- School Governance

SA -- Student Affairs Management

EDU -- Educational Resource Management

EXT -- External Resource Management

FIN -- Financial Management

FAC -- Facilities Management

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HR -- Human Resources Management

SEC -- Security Management

TEC -- Technology Management

School-wide broadcast of information From ToGOV

SA

EDU

EXT

FIN

FAC

HR

SEC

TEC

Information on school policy Admin Teachers &Students

General Orders and government circulars(accept restricted ones)

Admin Teachers

Teaching and non-teaching tasks schedule Admin Teachers &

Students

Analysis of students' academic achievementaccording to class, grades and levels

Admin Teachers &Students

Resources available for teaching andlearning

Admin Teachers &Students

Training, seminars and workshops forteachers and supporting staff

Admin Teachers

Announcements and events Admin EntireSchool

Common information exchange betweenparents, community and schooladministration.

From ToGOV

SA

EDU

EXT

FIN

FAC

HR

SEC

TEC

Schools academic and co-curricularachievements

Admin Parents &Public

School and hostel facilities Admin Parents &Public

Funds and scholarship Admin Parents &

Public

Book loan scheme Admin Parents &Public

Opportunities for career development. Admin Parents &Public

Parent-Teachers Association activities Teachers Parents &Public

School-based and external assessment typesand schedules

Admin Parents &Public

Curriculum content Teachers Parents &Public

Assignments Teachers Teachers,

Parents &Public

Co-curricular activities in school Teachers Parents &Public

Public security measures Admin Parents &Public

Resources available for teaching andlearning

Teachers Teachers,Parents &

Public

Training, seminars and workshops forteachers and supporting staff

Admin Teachers,

Parents &Public

Educational resources for fieldwork thatcan be utilised in Teaching and learning

School

staff

Parents &

Public

Feedback from parents and

Community on management of school

Parents& Public

Admin

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(such as changes in internal school policy)

Information which requiressecure, privileged access

From ToGOV

SA

EDU

EXT

FIN

FAC

HR

SEC

TEC

Individual students profiles Admin Parents, MoE, StateEdu.Dept, & District

Edu. Office

Discipline reports Admin Parents, MoE, State

Edu.Dept, & DistrictEdu. Office

Records and reports on studentsdiscipline outside schoolinghours

Admin Parents,&Community and

public safetyorganisations (e.g

police, Welfare Dept)

Counselling reports Admin Parents,&

Community andpublic safety

organisations (e.gpolice, Welfare Dept)

Individual academic and co-curricular progress reports

Admin Parents, MoE, State

Edu.Dept, & DistrictEdu. Office

Financial information Admin MoE, State Edu.Dept,& District Edu. Office

Information exchange betweenindividuals and groups

From To GOV

SA

EDU

EXT

FIN

FAC

HR

SEC

TEC

Lesson plan strategy Teachers Teacherswithin a

school and

otherschools

School-based research Schoolstaff andstudents

Schoolstaff andstudents

from otherschools

Exchange programs Schoolstaff and

students

Schoolstaff and

studentsfrom other

schools

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4 Technical Requirements

This section describes technical requirements that are common across all CRFPs, as well asspecific requirements that are particular to this CRFP.

4.1 Application Architecture

All applications to be deployed in the Smart Schools shall use an n-tieredapplication architecture. Figure 1 shows the minimum three tiers which anyapplication shall split into. These three tiers are:

User-Interface

Application services

Data and database services

Specific applications shall then consolidate or distribute services as required

when performing particular optimisations. These requirements shall likelyevolve over time as additional applications are introduced, or the loads on aparticular server increase. For example, application and database services for aparticular application may initially be deployed on the same platform, withdatabase services migrating to another server later for performance andconsolidation reasons.

This modular architecture provides a flexible, extensibleand open basis fordeploying applications, enabling introduction or substitution of individualcomponents. Modular architectures require standard interfaces and protocols

APPLI CATI ON ARCHI TECT URE

Application ServicesApplication Services

ApplicationApplicationClientClient

++

UIUI

SchoolData Repositories

CentralCentralAssessmentAssessment

TeachingTeachingLearningLearning

MaterialsMaterials

SchoolSchool

ManagementManagement

DatabasesDatabases

Client P.O.A.Device

Client P.O.A.Device

NewNewApplicationsApplications

Figure 1: Three-Tier Application Architecture

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to ensure interoperability between application tiers. Some of these standards are

described in the document, Smart School Information Technology Policy and

Standards. Section 4.3 describes general standards compliance requirements that apply

across all CRFPs.

Responses:

Responding Organisations shall acknowledge requirements for an n-tieredApplication Architecture.

Responding Organisations shall state how their proposed solutions complywith the prescribed application architecture.

4.2 Application Framework

While the previous section describes the preferred three-tier application architecture,

this section describes a framework for organising the applications needed by the Smart

Schools. Figure 2 shows the desired Smart School Application Framework.

All applications shall adhere to the Smart School Application Framework, which has

the following features:

ACommon User Front End, which provides a standard means for

DataData

basesbases

DATA DatabasesDatabases DataData

basesbases

APPS AssessmentAssessment

School ManagementSchool Management

SystemSystemTeaching-LearningTeaching-Learning

MaterialsMaterials

U

SER

AC

CESS

Common User Front EndCommon User Front End

Figure 3: Smart School Application Framework

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accessing all Smart School applications.

Various applications, which are specified in the CRFPs for Teaching-Learning Materials, Assessment, Systems Integration and Smart SchoolManagement System.

Separate databases: In some cases, applications may use several databases.However, at times a centralised, consolidated database may be moreappropriate. Examples include student personal data and persistent datathat exceed the lifetime of individual applications. In these instances, theapplication shall support integration with external databases. Equally, anapplication shall also support and facilitate access by other applications toits own databases.

The application framework needs to have the following features:

Portability: The ability of application systems to operate on variousplatforms regardless of manufacturer or operating system.

Flexibility: The capability to take advantage of new technologies andresources, and be implemented in changing environments. Flexibilitycontributes to lower overall costs by allowing procurement of software andhardware from multiple sources.

Interoperability: The ability to work together on a network, connect with,and share data and processes with computers and applications from othervendors.

Scalability: The capability for application systems to migrate as a client orserver to machines of greater or lesser power, depending uponrequirements, with little or no change to the underlying components.

Usability: The ease of use of applications systems to enhance and support,

rather than limit or restrict, school processes. Human interfaces need to beintuitive and consistent with other application systems in the environment,and within themselves in both purpose and use.

Manageability: The applications, hardware and software shall bemanageable and easy to operate.

Responses:

Responding Organisations shall acknowledge requirements specified inthis section.

Responding Organisations shall describe in detail their proposedapplication framework and the extent to which it meets or exceeds the

specified requirements.

Responding Organisations shall describe their approaches to providinga common user front end

For the First Stage, Responding Organisations shall describe features oftheir solutions that support the requirements for portability, flexibility,interoperability, scalability, usability and manageability.

For the Second Stage, the Unbound Consortium shall describe the extentto which all Smart School applications shall be accessed from thecommon user front end.

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4.3 Standards Compliance

An open standards-based technology architecture is strongly preferred, andalthough Responding Organisations may refer to the technology standards andguidelines specified in the document, Smart School Information Technology Policyand Standards, the following principles shall serve as the basis for the use of

mechanisms or standards to be utilised in solutions proposed:

Open, barrier free, flexible, architecturally neutral technologies that areaccessible and available to all

Availability of solutions conformant with the standard, from multiplevendor sources, in multiple implementations, across multipleheterogeneous platforms.

Standards that are non-proprietary and do not lock a solution to only onehardware platform or operating system

Open systems refers to products and technologies that have been designed

and implemented according to open interfaces. Interfaces are considered openif their specifications are readily and non-discriminatorily available to allsuppliers, service providers, and users, and are revised only with timely noticeand public process.

Responses:

Responding Organisations shall acknowledge requirements for thestandards compliance and conformance as specified in this CRFP andthe Smart School Information Technology Policy and Standardsdocument.

Responding Organisations shall state the standards they propose to usefor the following areas specified in the Smart School InformationTechnology Policy and Standards document, as they apply:

Devices

User services

Logic services

Data services

Communication

Inter-process communication

Application development

Systems management

Responding Organisations shall also list the standards they propose touse for the areas specified in the document, Smart School InformationTechnology Policy and Standards and this CRFP.

Responding Organisations shall state if and how elements of theirproposed solutions comply with the Open Systems requirementsspecified above, and, if not, justify why they have not seen the need tocomply.

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4.4 Integration Requirements

Responding Organisations shall describe in detail all the access and integrationmechanisms supported by the proposed solutions. The mechanisms describedshall address the possible implementation scenarios of centralised ordistributed service tiers. Where multiple options are available for a particularmechanism, Responding Organisations shall indicate the recommended andpreferred option, and justify that choice.

Responding Organisations shall also address the following areas in theirstatement of the applicable standards that each mechanism is based upon:

The interconnection of hardware platforms (computers, network devices,audio-visual equipment).

The transmission of information between two or more applications.

The retrieval, insertion or update of information from or into an externaldata repository or database by any application.

The sharing of information between two or more applications.

The invocation of one application by another application in bothcentralised and distributed service implementations.

The communication between different service layers of an n-tierapplication.

The management of network devices and computer platforms.

Responses:

Responding Organisations shall acknowledge requirements specified inthis section.

Responding Organisations shall state in detail their responses to allrequirements stated in this section.

4.5 Security Considerations

A comprehensive security strategy is one key element that spans the Ministryof Education, schools, and all other constituencies requiring system access.This section outlines broad security requirements that shall be addressed byResponding Organisations proposed solutions.

All proposed applications and systems shall include security features that shall

Ensure confidentiality of data and communications.

Build in authorisation levels and controls so only appropriate people andsystems shall access other systems, networks, applications, data, servicesand system resources.

Ensureoriginal data and communications are not compromised, lost ortampered with.

Provedata origin from individuals and systems.

Prevent transaction denial.

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Provide audit trails and log security events, including different types ofaccess attempts.

The Smart Schools security infrastructure requirements for enterprise-level,multi-vendor, multi-platform, distributed security are specified in thedocument, CRFP for Smart School Systems Integration.

Responses:

Responding Organisations shall describe security features of theirsolutions that support the requirements specified in this document andthe relevant standards in the document, Smart School InformationTechnology Policy and Standards.

Responding Organisations shall specify how their solutions integrateinto security infrastructures by:

Describing in detail the available options to integrate into securityinfrastructures for the First Stage of the CRFP process.

Describing in detail the specific options required to integrate allsolutions into the framework of its proposed security architecturefor the Second Stage of the CRFP process.

4.6 Platform Support

The Responding Organisation shall describe in detail all the hardwareplatforms and operating environments that their proposed solutions run on.Details to be furnished shall include the specific revisions of each softwarecomponent proposed and the corresponding models of hardware platform andrevision of operating system that the said component can operate on.

Responses: Responding Organisations shall acknowledge requirements specified in

this section.

Responding Organisations shall list all proposed software component

revisions together with all the specific hardware platforms andoperating system revisions that support them.

4.7 System Sizing and Capacity Planning

To assist Responding Organisations size the equipment and applicationsrequired for the first phase of 90 Smart Schools, information on the school

population and required levels of technology to be deployed in these schools,are described in the document, The Malaysian Smart School Implementation Plan.

It is the Responding Organisations responsibility to make all examinationsnecessary in order to ascertain all factors, inquiries and questions that mightaffect the Responding Organisations specific proposals. The RespondingOrganisation shall ascertain the specific detailed information it requires tomake informed and accurate design, configuration and sizing decisions.

Responding Organisations shall propose strategies to proactively manage thegrowth of data repositories and databases, systems and other technologyinfrastructure, such as network capacity. Responding Organisations shall

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propose capacity planning mechanisms to meet these growth managementrequirements.

Data management and retention issues involve, but are not limited to, thefollowing areas:

Teaching-learning materials

Persistent student related information that shall be retained throughout thestudents enrolment in a school.

Students portfolio material.

School leavers information that may be referred to in later years.Examples include students requiring transcripts of their school records andtestimonials.

Staff related information.

Financial information.

Communications

Responses:

In the Second Stage of the CRFP process, Unbound Consortium shalldescribe in detail the specific system configurations required for allproposed components, together with the assumptions upon which theyare based.

In the Second Stage of the CRFP process, Unbound Consortium shalldescribe in detail the remaining growth capacity of the specific solutionsproposed.

Responding Organisations shall propose specific growth management

strategies and solutions to meet the immediate and long-termrequirements of the Smart Schools.

4.8 Multiple Language Support

The language support requirements for each application shall be specified inthe relevant CRFP document. In general, language support provisions in thesolutions proposed shall address user input and output methods. Examples ofinput methods include keyboard and speech-to-text. Examples of outputmethods include screen and printer output.

Responses:

Responding organisations shall state the multiple language supportcapabilities of their proposed solutions.

4.9 Risk Assessment Statement

In the Second Stage of the CRFP process, Responding Organisations shallinclude in their proposals a Risk Assessment Statement that describes thepotential impact on Smart School operations if a component or system fails.The Risk Assessment Statement shall describe at least the following:

Points of potentialfailure in the system, including hardware and software,and telecommunications equipment

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Concept RFP F