DEPARTMENT: PRE-SALES/BID

REPORT TITLE: COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS OF THE BID FOR

SWEDISH MISSION
MENTOR: MR. MANU GUPTA
 Tender Analysis between BLS and Competitors

TABLE OF CONTENT
I. AWARD CRITERIA
II. REQUIREMENTS REGARDING THE TENDERER
III. REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION
IV. FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT
V. COMPANY INTRODUCTION
VI. SECURITY OF DATA AND PROTECTION
VII. STAFF
VIII. INTERNAL AND PERFORMANCE CONTROL
IX. INSTRUCTION MANUAL AND PROCESS
X. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
XI. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
XII. CRITERIA OF EVALUATION
XIII. PROS AND CONS OF BLS
Award criteria
 Geographical coverage
 Service level, Implementation regarding technical administration, Staff, Security, Technical
description, Internal and performance control
 Service fee
 Manual for standard process
 Project description

REQUIREMENTS REGARDING THE TENDERER

 Introductory statements: confirm you can do the job
 Highlight key points of differentiation
 Describe contributions to local development
 Summarise value for money
 Presentation

Requirements specification
 Service fees should be charged by the mission advisory
 Max time of 30 minutes is allowed
 Should have all the necessary infra in place
 Evacuation path should be smooth
 Surprise inspection can be conducted by the mission
 Staff should be well equipped with the knowledge of everything
 Payment has to be collected in the national currency
 Should be ready for any adjustments by the mission required

This Data Processor Agreement is made to formalize the processing of personal data of visa applicants
regarding cooperation with a Service Provider on receipt of visa applications under and under the
Ministry of Justice framework agreement (hereinafter called the Framework Agreement) and at all
Swedish embassies and consulate generals (hereinafter called the Swedish Mission) that have made a
local agreement with a Service Provider (hereinafter called the Service Provider).

FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT
 Parties involved
 Sweden migration agency
 Ministry of Justice
 Service provider
 Scope of services, requirements and description
 Start providing the visa services as stated in the contract
 Extension can be made by the customer and the service provider should be ready to adjust
according to it.
 The service provider should be ready to provide the service at a particular location and also should
be ready to take the suborder for any other location.
 The service provider has to continuously develop the technology or any other requirement as per
the demand of the Ministry of Justice.
 Personnel should be well qualified and should be well equipped with knowledge of the domain.
 The service provider has to communicate any changes that it makes in the services
 Local agreement should be made and a spoc should be assigned who will be in charge of all the
communications
 The service fees should be charged as per the agreement.
 The service provider should be having its setup for IT or any other services including the biometric
and the vac facility.

COMPANY INTRODUCTION
BLS INTERNATIONAL VFS GLOBAL
62 million visa applications processed 251million visa applications processed
Focuses more on the domestic business front like Sharply underlines the point and emphasizes the
e-governance company's international activities
Redundant sentences (3rd para is irrelevant) To the point
What we have done? (BLS International operates What we can do? (Our digital expertise, and a
123 Visa Application Centers for the Embassy of suite of online and digital solutions, will also
Spain across 47 countries; for the Embassy of ensure that all countries and operations will be
Italy in Singapore and Russia, for the Embassy of supported by state-of-the-art IT equipment and
Germany in the USA and Mexico, for the an online presence that is secure and facilitates
Embassy of Portugal in Russia, and the Embassy digital application processing effectively and with
of Hungary in Azerbaijan. Overall, BLS reduced burden on Mission and VFS staff.)
International has processed +2 million visa
applications by EU regulations at all locations.
Services include)
The organizational chart seems irrelevant Highlighted the key persons in the organisation.
Misses out on highlighting the prospects Focusing on fundamental competencies and long-
term viability grabs readers' attention.

SECURITY OF DATA AND PROTECTION

BLS INTERNATIONAL (SECTION 4.10B) VFS GLOBAL (ANBUD 3, 5.3.1)
doesn't give a good breakdown of the tech VFS highlights every major security device used
they're utilizing or planning to use. and addresses all the possible concerns that the
client will be having.
Addressed all the issues. Detailed analysis of the process provided
In between bolding

STAFF
BLS 5.3.3 VFS 5.3.3
Abrupt start short as compared to the BLS document
The training process is well explained Emphasizes more on its already established
relationship with the Swedish agency.
Learning management system (use of AI in The recruitment and training process is almost
training) the same for both firms.
Repetitive explanation of the process Breakthrough of the process provided

INTERNAL AND PERFORMANCE CONTROL

Bls International VFS Global comment
The submission officer verifies the visa VAC Manager/Deputy With the help of its POC,
application type, verifies the fees Manager and Finance VFS is becoming more
collected, and reports any discrepancies Manager reconcile ICR responsive to its clients.
to the submission officer before copies and tally fees
enrolling the biometric. collected against Fee Tally
Report.
Every applicant is issued an individual Bolt a CRM software is used Bls went into unnecessary
fee receipt and a visa fee report is to generate unique detail, but the process by
generated at the end of the day. This application reference which each organisation
report is checked by the Supervisor and numbers. generates its unique
reconciled with fees collected daily. All reference number for an
collections entered in the CRM solution application is identical.
are also checked by Regional Accounts
teams. The fee report and bank
remittance confirmation are shared
with the Swedish Mission every day
BLS ensures that fees are correctly The finance team reviews No improvement is needed.
reconciled at the end of each day before and verifies the tally of
they are remitted, and has a written applications and visa fees
policy for refunds for fee waivers or collected for the Swedish
special conditions. Automated software mission, and authorizes the
prevents incorrect fees from being visa fee transfer in the VFS
collected, and unique reference banking system.
numbers link each applicant to the
correct visa category.
BLS will use EU-LISA software to USK Kit and Kit6 are used to Both firms are complying
measure fingerprints and facial verify fingerprints and face with the standards.
images. quality.
No such point mentioned VAC’S finance processes and If bls has any certification for
controls are ISO/IEC 27001 finance processes it should
certified, with digital have been mentioned and if
payment options to not, the firm should opt for
minimize risks. certification.

INSTRUCTION MANUAL AND PROCESS

BLS INTERNATIONAL VFS GLOBAL COMMENT
Presented in a single Word document. Has been provided in a single In general, the bls
Word document and has given international document
reference pages from its is less difficult to read
working instruction manual. than the vfs global,
 which necessitates
frequent switching.
no separate space for agents and Separate space is provided for The rival vfs does a
individual appointments agents and individual better job of managing
appointments crowds.
BLS's appointment booking system is Applicants need to schedule While both include
efficient, technological, reliable, and an appointment online identical steps, bls
designed to ensure impartiality and through the VAC website, provide more financial
transparency. It allows applicants to book selecting the VAC location and flexibility by requiring
slots based on parameters such as date, entering the number of payment only at the
time interval, and visa type, and assign applicants and Visa Category. time of service, rather
slots based on the queue counter. The system prompts the than at the time of
Applicants must fill in mandatory earliest available date, and booking, unlike vfs.
information to commence the booking applicants must fill in their
form. The reference number generated basic information. The
on the BLS Website is unique and cannot appointment is confirmed or
be replicated. displayed with fees, and an
Appointment confirmation
letter and payment receipt are
generated.
The optional fees charged by bls are not Vfs has mentioned its service Better breakup is
given in a proper format and there is no fee for Sweden and has provided by bls
mention of the service fee for the mentioned everything in the international though it
Schengen region. INR. fails to provide the
service fee, which can
cause concern.
Although the optional
fees charged by vfs are
less than bls
international.

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
BLS INTERNATIONAL VFS GLOBAL COMMENT
The logical view is presented they have used a combination The explanation makes it simple
fully in the diagram of diagrams and text. to understand the VFS data, so
we can quickly and readily
analyze it.
the data has 3 types of user’s VFS has divided it into 4 phases VFS now places a greater
customers, vac office and appointment, vac application, emphasis on providing detailed
embassy biometric and backend technical descriptions of each
software and links between
them. They've laid out the steps
so clearly that a complete
novice could understand their
logic.
Bls hasn’t provided the vfs has explained its system in The physical view should be
quantitative figures in the the process and highlighted its drafted with the reader's
physical view and again the points through quantitative comprehension in mind.
whole process is represented figures.
with one diagram.
Picture graphics are not Text wrapping is good but the Bls did a good job of not trying
adequate data in the image is not to force the image to fit and
readable. instead concentrating on the
finer details of the picture.
The explanation is missing in all the use of sub-points and As specified in the appendices,
parts and the sub-points are detailed explanation makes vfs screenshots of the entire
divided improperly. points strong and far more procedure were required.
understandable

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BLS INTERNATIONAL VFS GLOBAL COMMENT
It shows a Gantt chart without Gantt chart made with the Having the contract in hand
any time data that doesn’t make assumptive figure of 20 days. gives vfs a leg up, thus that's
sense. That doesn’t make sense why they've set a timeline of 20
as no date-wise distribution is days. However, BLS has
there. specified a time frame of two
weeks to two months,
depending on its availability in
that area. As a result, the
embassy will feel more at ease if
the time estimate is decreased.
Project organization is Focuses on using an explanation Provide context for each
mentioned as a diagram where for the diagram that increases diagram to strengthen your
the roles are not understood by the understandability of the argument and demonstrate you
an outsider. diagram and the text. did your due diligence with the
numbers presented.
A sequence is not maintained in Sequence and a good breakup all the points have been
the risk management column as of all the risks are provided. provided but a little breakup
first, you have mentioned the would have been better.
raid log which is a risk
management Programme and
post that gone on to identify the
different types of risk.
IMPLEMENTATION OF TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
Bls International Vfs global Comment
it has been explained through VACs will consist of Submission Officers, Unfortunately, BLS did
a diagram where they have Back-office Officers, and Biometric Officers, not give a
divided it into three levels managed by a VAC Supervisor. Monthly comprehensive
authority, corporate, and review meetings will be held with each description. However,
operational. respective Embassy and the minutes of if they took the time
these meetings will be provided to the to explain each
Central AMT. Staffing for each VAC is diagram they
forecasted based on projected demand, provided, they could
historical operational data, and global make the process
experience. Security, IT support, appear
housekeeping, and maintenance staff will straightforward.
also be employed. IT Support may be
provided by a 3rd party organization but
will remain under the operational
management of the VAC Supervisor and
Deputy Manager.
Change Management aims to Change management requests will be The BLS has provided a
minimize disruption of managed by AMT (Nitya Nair) and Project detailed description of
services, reduce back-out Manager (PM). Changes will be reviewed the procedure,
activities, and ensure clear and tested to ensure no adverse impact complete with a
communication between IT and will be communicated through internal diagram and
and customers. It involves six channels. Changes will be published in theoretical
steps: inform, analyze, explore English and widely spoken local languages. explanation.
alternatives, present, explain,
document, and capture key
points.
BLS International adheres to The Corporate Security Function is Both companies
ISO 27001:2013 standards to responsible for security management clearly articulated
ensure the confidentiality, activities such as risk assessment, design of their positions, and
integrity, and availability of VAC equipment, emergency preparedness the iso mark used by
personal data, services, and training, and incident response. They also bls helped increase
resources. conduct investigations for complaints and consumer confidence.
violations of the code of conduct.
There are three ways to We appoint a local IT manager in each VAC, In contrast to what
capture the quality of services: assisted by an IT engagement manager, to was expected, BLS
Internal Quality Analyst, oversee IT requirements and system International has
Constant Feedback from the functioning. Quality measurement and provided a
Applicant, and Complaints follow-up are monitored through SLAs, significantly more
raised by contacting BLS. systems management tools, defect detailed procedure.
management, and monthly inspection of
hardware.

CRITERIA OF EVALUATION
CRITERIA BLS INTERNATIONAL VFS GLOBAL
1. SERVICE LEVEL  The typical caller will be on  A call is picked up in three
hold for one minute. rings, or roughly 20 seconds.
 The explanation is difficult to  have provided a good
follow. breakup of the SLAs.
 A good breakup of SLA is not
provided.
2. IMPLEMENTATIO  There is a comprehensive  The short length of 1 page
N REGARDING evaluation here. makes it ideal for speed
TECHNICAL  An explanation of the visuals reading.
ADMINISTRATION and a clearer organisational  Exhibited a hierarchical chain
structure would have helped of command in an effort to
readers better grasp the improve company
subject matter at hand transparency.
3. STAFF  It would have been helpful to  has used the subheadings
include more information provided by the embassy and
about the onboarding process, kept the explanation brief.
but this is not a must. The
explanation of the verification
process alone was crucial.
4. SECURITY  no adequate timeframe  a detailed description of
description following an every subpoint is mentioned
emergency  preserves a suitable
 detailed explanation introduction to the paper
5. TECHNICAL  In a logical view, the  Each and every diagram has
DESCRIPTION explanation is inadequate. a thorough description.
 It would have been helpful to  Detailed the entire
have a pasted collection of procedure
screenshots that covered the
entire procedure for the front
end
6. INTERNAL AND  Explained everything in great  Were able to cram
PERFORMANCE detail everything onto one page.
CONTROL
7. MANUAL FOR  Has encapsulated the  Multiple context switches
STANDARD procedure in a single report are needed.
PROCESS  A better solution would have  A pdf with a clickable index
 been to provide an index. has been made available so
that readers can quickly find
the information they need.
8. PROJECT  It's a little hard to follow due to  Consistently meets
DESCRIPTION the structure. specifications
 Overuse of Bolding  The breakdown is clear and
 The diagram's explanation helpful.
must be included.

BLS INTERNATIONAL

EACH POINT IS EXPLAINED IN DETAILED. FORMATIING MIGHT USE SOME WORK.

PRIORITISES CHART STYLES OF INAPPROPRIATE USE OF BOLDING.
EXPLANATION. NOT ENOUGH STUDY DID BEING DONE TO
AESTHETICALLY PLEASING BECAUSE OF EXPLAIN KEY POINTS.
THE USE OF COLOUR. WRITTEN MATERIALS SHOULD HAVE BEEN
PREPARED ON LETTER HEAD.
INSUFFICIENT EXPLANTION OF THE
DIAGRAM HINDERS COMPREHENSION
THE LENGHT OF DOCUMENTS WAS
BLOATED WITH REPETETIVE
PARAGRAPHS.

NO USE OF LETTER HEAD

FORMATTING AND BOLDING ERROR