Quotation of Server Hosting Service

Request for Quotation (RFQ)

Quotation of Server Hosting Service

1. Background

Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab) is a not-for-profit civic tech company that works at the intersection of emerging cutting-edge technological tools and their applications by equipping young professionals to solve emerging challenges in our community. YI-Lab’s mission statement is, ‘to engage young people to bridge science to people and policy through innovation’. YI-Lab harnesses indigenous knowledge, citizen science approach, develops low-cost technological solutions, promotes open data, promotes entrepreneurship, and conducts evidence-based advocacy campaigns. YI-Lab provides a conducive environment for young people to co-create solutions for inclusive development.

2. Purpose of the Procurement

The purpose of this procurement is to obtain reliable server infrastructure capable of hosting YI-Lab applications, databases, APIs, web platforms, and other digital services.

The selected service provider shall provide, configure, and maintain the required server infrastructure according to the minimum technical specifications stated in this ToR. In the technical evaluation, proposals using a high availability data center shall receive the highest priority because of the fault-tolerant infrastructure and service continuity expected from this category.

3. Minimum Technical Specifications

The proposed server must meet the following minimum requirements:

4. Scope of Service

The selected service provider shall:

• Provision a server meeting or exceeding the specified CPU, memory, and SSD storage requirements.
• Install and configure Ubuntu 24.04 LTS as the server operating system.
• Provide full root/administrative access to authorized YI-Lab technical personnel.
• Configure server networking and provide the required public IP address.
• Host the proposed server within the declared data center facility and disclose the facility name and location
• Ensure reliable server availability and network connectivity throughout the contract period in accordance with the offered SLA.
• Provide necessary technical support related to the underlying server infrastructure.
• Support server restart, recovery, and infrastructure-level troubleshooting when required.
• Ensure allocated CPU, RAM, and storage resources remain available according to the agreed service package.
• Maintain appropriate physical, power, cooling, network, and infrastructure-level security and resilience at the hosting environment.
• Notify YI-Lab in advance regarding planned maintenance that may affect server availability, except emergency maintenance where advance notice is not reasonably possible.

5. Service Availability, Resilience and Support Requirements

The service provider is expected to provide timely technical support and resilient infrastructure for:

• Server unavailability or infrastructure failure.
• Storage, CPU, RAM, or network-related infrastructure issues.
• Server restart or recovery requirements.
• Public IP or network connectivity issues.
• Data center or virtualization platform-related problems.
• Power, cooling, or distribution-path incidents affecting hosting availability.
• Other infrastructure-level technical problems affect the availability of the server.
• Critical infrastructure issues shall receive priority response and escalation. Vendors proposing hosting should describe how fault tolerance and concurrent maintenance are maintained within the certified facility and how incidents are escalated to protect service continuity.

5. Security Requirements

The service provider shall ensure that:

• The server is hosted within a secure and professionally managed infrastructure.
• Access to the physical server/data-center environment is appropriately controlled and monitored.
• YI-Lab retains administrative control over its server environment and hosted data.
• Server resources allocated to YI-Lab are appropriately isolated from unauthorized users.
• No unauthorized person or third party is provided access to YI-Lab server or data.
• Any security incident affecting the hosting infrastructure and potentially impacting YI-Lab is communicated promptly.
• Physical infrastructure includes suitable protections for power, cooling, fire detection/suppression, and network connectivity consistent with the declared data center certification.

7. Vendor Eligibility and Requirements

Interested service providers should:

• Legally registered and authorized in Nepal to provide server, cloud, VPS, or data-center hosting services.
• Demonstrated experience in providing server hosting or related IT infrastructure services.
• Have adequate technical capacity to provide ongoing infrastructure support.
• Clearly specify the proposed server architecture, virtualization platform, and hosting infrastructure.
• Confirm compliance with all mandatory server technical specifications.
• Clearly mention any limitations relating to network traffic, bandwidth, storage, CPU utilization, or server usage.
• Provide a copy of the Company/Business Registration Certificate, PAN/VAT Certificate, and Tax Clearance Certificate of FY 2081/82.
• Provide a clear financial proposal including all applicable taxes.

8. Information Required in the Quotation

The quotation/proposal submitted by the service provider should clearly include:

1. Server specifications offered.
2. Number and type of vCPU cores.
3. RAM capacity.
4. SSD storage capacity and type.
5. Confirmation of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS availability.
6. Public IP allocation.
7. Bandwidth/network limitations, if any.
8. Server uptime/SLA commitment and service-credit terms, if applicable.
9. Backup options, where applicable.
10. Technical support and escalation arrangements.
11. Data center name and physical location.
12. Brief description of power, cooling, connectivity, redundancy, and disaster-resilience arrangements relevant to service continuity.

Please click here to download the Information Request Form.

9. Evaluation Criteria

Youth Innovation Lab will evaluate technically responsive quotations using the following indicative weighting. The mandatory server specifications must be met before a proposal proceeds to detailed evaluation.

Note: The financial proposal should clearly mention whether the proposed cost is inclusive or exclusive of applicable taxes.

10. Payment Terms

Payment shall be made according to the agreed contract, Purchase Order, or service agreement upon successful provisioning and verification of the required server infrastructure. The service provider shall submit a valid invoice and applicable supporting documents as required by Youth Innovation Lab.

11. Confidentiality and Data Ownership

All applications, databases, documents, configurations, and other information hosted on the server shall remain in the property of Youth Innovation Lab and/or the respective project owner.

The service provider shall maintain confidentiality regarding YI-Lab systems and data and shall not access, disclose, copy, transfer, or share such information except where required for authorized technical support or by applicable law.

12. Submission of Quotation

Interested bidders are requested to submit their proposals by 20 August 2026 through Mail at: procurement@youthinnovationlab.org

Interested and eligible service providers are requested to submit their technical Proposal (Information Request Form) and Financial Proposal along with minimum required following documents:

• A copy of the Company/Business Registration Certificate,
• A copy of PAN/VAT registration certificate, and
• A copy of Tax Clearance Certificate of FY 2081/82.

13. Disclaimer

YI-Lab reserves the right to cancel or amend this Call for Quotation at any stage, without incurring any liability to bidders.