Dear Mr Lane,

Your email request dated 21 November for information made under the Official Information Act seeking:

"... the RFI and RFP documents that were posted to GETS and scoring criteria / decision process for how the winning company was evaluated" in relation to the Summary of Process of the new Bank Note design was received earlier this afternoon.

Subject to the provisions of the Act, you will be notified of the outcome of your request as soon as practicable, but not later than 20 working days after the date of receipt.

Yours sincerely,

Georgie Fraser
Senior Co-ordinator, Board and Comms | Reserve Bank of New Zealand 
2 The Terrace, Wellington 6011 | P O Box 2498, Wellington 6140
D. +64 4 471 3607 | T. +64 4 472 2029 | F. +64 4 471 2270  
www.rbnz.govt.nz

show quoted sections

17 December 2014

[OIA #2194 email]

Dear Kris Lane

On 21 November 2014 you made a request under the Official Information Act 1982 for:
The RFI and RFP documents that were posted to GETS and scoring criteria / decision process for how the winning company was evaluated for the new banknote design.

The Request for Information (RFI) document you requested is attached, and is available on the Reserve Bank website: http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/notes_and_coins/...

This was posted on the Government Electronic Tender Service (GETS) on 15 June 2012 and was open for anyone to review and/or respond to. Proposals were due on 10 July 2012. No New Zealand companies tendered for the banknote design or print work.

The RFI also details the evaluation criteria and process the Bank used in assessing proposals received – (see 2.6 and 2.7 on Page 14 of the RFI). The scoring criteria and decision process are explained in more detail in a paper dated September 2013 – ‘Request for Tender – Evaluation Process’. This paper is also being released to you, subject to withholding certain information, as noted below.

The Request for Tender document was issued to companies who expressed an interest in participating via the RFI. The document was issued in May 2013. This document is also being released to you, subject to withholding certain information, as noted below.

Both the ‘Request for Tender – Evaluation Process’ and ‘Request for Tender’ documents have had information redacted, under the following provisions of the Act:
• s9(2)(ba) - to protect information that is subject to an obligation of confidence
• s9(2)(ba)(i) - to protect information that is subject to an obligation of confidence where release would be likely to prejudice the supply of information
• s6(c) – making the information available would likely prejudice the maintenance of the law, including the prevention, investigation, and detection of offences, and the right to a fair trial

For background information:
The Reserve Bank published a Bulletin article explaining the design tender and selection process. This is available on the Reserve Bank’s website http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/research_and_pub...

As the Bulletin article notes, the design and printing of notes is an extremely technical endeavour, involving highly specialised skills to ensure a design maximises the security features available and meets the highly complex printing requirements. Technical knowledge is required in a range of areas including security features, banknote equipment requirements, printing techniques and aesthetics. In this instance, the level of technical skill and experience, particularly in accommodating the most up-to-date and more complex security features, was available only offshore – as was demonstrated in the responses to the RFI.

The Auditor-General’s guidelines were followed in carrying out the tender process and an independent review of the procurement process was also completed.

Finally, some of the information supplied in the tender documents is now outdated. The estimated release dates for the new banknotes, for example, are now October 2015 for the $5 and $10, and April 2016 for the $20, $50 and $100. For more information about the project see www.brightermoney.co.nz.

The Reserve Bank intends to publish the information released to you as part of this Official Information Act request on its website. More information about this publication process is available on the Bank's website.

You have the right under section 28 of the Official Information Act to seek a review by the Ombudsman of the Reserve Bank’s decision.

Yours sincerely,

Naomi Mitchell
External Communications Adviser | Reserve Bank of New Zealand
2 The Terrace, Wellington 6011 | P O Box 2498, Wellington 6140 T. +64 4 471 3960 | M. +64 27 485 9474 | F. +64 4 471 2270 www.rbnz.govt.nz

show quoted sections