Call for tender – Human Resources System

The objective of this tender
To acquire a comprehensive and adaptable Human Resources (HR) system that enhances and automate the HR processes, improving efficiency, and ensuring compliance with laws.

Scope
The platform will serve as a centralised solution for managing all aspects of the employee lifecycle: from recruitment, employee on- and off-boarding, performance management, employee training and development, timesheets management to leave management.The ECOS team is currently 45 people (including 42 based in Belgium, 2 in Europe and 1 in Kenya).

ECOS procurement and purchase policy
This tender complies with the ECOS Procurement and Purchase Policy adopted by the ECOS Executive Committee, and last updated February 2023. This policy covers general principles relating to transparency and fairness, value for money, and non-discrimination. It specifies thresholds relating to a competitive negotiated procedure with at least a specified number of candidates either with tender or selection, and sets out the procedure to be followed by ECOS.

Tasks and outputs
The contractor will provide a platform for Human Resource management with the following features:

Talent acquisition

• Manage and promote job openings on various job boards and social media platforms.
• Track applications, schedule interviews, and communicate with candidates through a centralised system.
• Manage the assessment and evaluation of the applications, allow multiple team members to provide feedback and scores for candidates.

Employee onboarding and offboarding

• Automate workflows for new hire documentation, orientation schedules, and task assignments.
• Collect, store, and manage onboarding and offboarding documents digitally.
• Engage new hires with welcome emails, introductory materials, and pre-employment tasks before their start date.

Personnel administration

• Provide an employee self-service portal with documents and contracts, and personal information.
• Store and manage personal information updates.
• Create and manage organisational charts to visualise reporting structures and department hierarchies.

Performance management

• Define and track individual, team, and organisational goals.
• Conduct yearly performance evaluations with customisable templates, according to ECOS procedure.
• Create and monitor personal development plans for employees.

Training and development

• Plan, assign, and track employee training and development activities.
• Maintain records of employee skills and identify training needs.
• Coordination with the Federal Learning Account is a plus.

Timesheets management

• Track work hours per project with a self-service profile per user.
• Streamline the approval process for submitted timesheets.
• Generate detailed reports, compatible with our accounting system (Winbook).

Leave management

• Handle leave requests with customisable approval processes.
• Track and display available leave balances for each employee.
• Define and manage various leave policies from different countries, including legal holidays, sick leave, unpaid leave and teleworking from abroad.

Desirable features

• NGO approach.
• GDPR compliance and data security
• Provide an intuitive and user-friendly interface.
• Seamlessly integrate payroll data with UCM (social secretariat in Belgium),and integrate accounting data with Winbooks (accounting software).
• Integration with other platforms, such as Microsoft Office, Teams, Slack, and DocuSign.
• Provide client support for customisation, and customer assistance during working hours.
• Generate reports with insights for people strategy and decision-making.

Project implementation

Delivery of the service will involve an active contribution from and regular coordination with ECOS. The key milestones include, but are not limited to:

• Initiation: Signature of the contract and kick-off meeting.
• Platform customisation and implementation: customise the platform according to ECOS policies and needs.
• Data migration and integration: migrate data from current systems ensuring accuracy.
• Training and user appropriation: develop and deliver training materials and sessions for ECOS members on how to use the platform effectively.
• Performance monitoring and reporting: establish monitoring mechanisms to track platform performance, usage metrics, and user feedback, enabling continuous improvement and optimisation.
• Throughout the project, the contractor will provide updates when relevant or requested.

Budget
The budget available for this work is a maximum €10,000 per year including VAT, and all other costs will be incurred by the subcontractor.

Timeline
The HR System should be operational in January 2025. A kick-off meeting will be held with the successful applicant in October depending on the management team and contractor’s availability.

Tender assessment
Assessment of the tenders will be made by an appointed selection committee, using a pre-agreed evaluation template. The award criteria are:

• 70% Quality:
• Expertise.
• Company track record.
• Relevance of application.
• Usefulness of the expected outcome.
• 30% price

Publishing a procurement procedure does not oblige ECOS to award the contract to a tenderer simply because its tender fulfils those criteria. It also reserves the right to decide not to award the contract to any tenderer and to cancel the procedure at any time before award. This contract might be subject to a framework contract with ECOS in accordance with ECOS procurement policy.

Tender preparation
Submit your proposals to info@ecostandard.org and cc chloe.vanacker@ecostandard.org by 13 September 2024. Your proposal must include:

• A detailed description of the proposed platform.
• A description of the company and its track of records.
• A description of anticipated activities to implement the HR System.
• A description of how close coordination with ECOS will be ensured throughout the project.
• A detailed timeline on milestones and deadlines.
• Financial proposal.
• References, if available.
• Evidence of previous work setting up HR systems for nonprofit organisations.

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.