Responses to questions received from interested parties under section
3.1.1 of the “Invitation for Proposals for the IPCC 2006 GHG Inventory
Software"
1. What is the budget for this project?
Interested parties should submit their proposals for the resources required, taking into
account the needs of the project and that funds from the IPCC are limited.
2. Is the call for tenders (dated April 13, 2007) valid? If so, what is the new project
timeline?
April 13, 2007 is the date the invitation was issued. The deadline for submission ofproposals is 22 May.
3. Is the document \"Invitation for Proposals for the IPCC 2006 GHG Inventory
Software\" still valid?
Yes
4. Is the principle contact listed in the 2006 document (Mr Hiroyuki Ishitobi) stillvalid? If so, what is his e-mail address?
While Mr Hiroyuki Ishitobi will be the principal contact for IGES for contractual
matters any communications on this invitation should be made to Dr Simon Egglestonat <2006software@iges.or.jp>
5. Is there a formal application procedure?
6. Is there any initial application required for companies going to submit theProposal? Or it's enough if potential contractor would send Proposal to theaddress of Head, Technical Support Unit IPCC National Greenhouse Gas
Inventories Programme C/o Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (seeparagraph 3.1.2 of the Invitation for Proposals for the IPCC 2006 GHG
Inventory Software and http://www.ipccnggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/tender_software.htm)?
Details of the application procedure are given in sections 3.1.1 and 3.1.2 of“Invitation for Proposals for the IPCC 2006 GHG Inventory Software" and willcomply with the requirements of IGES under Japanese law. There is no initialapplication required.
7. What supporting documentation do you require?
See section 3.1 of "Invitation for Proposals for the IPCC 2006 GHG Inventory
Software"8. Does the software updated by UNFCCC supersede the IPCC 1996 GHG
software? Can we use UNFCCC software as the reference for our understanding
and to respond this RFP?
The software updated by the UNFCCC Secretariat does supersede the IPCC 1996
GHG Software by including corrections and the Good Practice Guidance for Land
Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry. While the software is useful as a reference, theSoftware to be developed should not be constrained by the approach and software
platforms used.
9. Would the new software require have to support migration of data from thecurrent software? If yes, you want to support IPCC 1996 or UNFCCC data orboth?
No
10. Importing data from external sources (other systems) is not a requirement.
Please confirm.
No – apart from the bulk import specified in section 2.1.8 of Invitation for Proposals
for the IPCC 2006 GHG Inventory Software
11. Importing data from MS Excel is not required. Only export to MS Excel (in apre-defined format) is required. For any import, files exported by the system inlimited pre-defined formats (e.g. XML) will be provided. Please confirm.
See section 2.1.8 of Invitation for Proposals for the IPCC 2006 GHG Inventory
Software – it is not necessary that data import from Excel is possible but as aminimum import from text files (comma separated variable in a format to be definedby the software developer).
12. 2006 IPCC guideline - "V2_x_An1_Worksheets.pdf" lists only 6 worksheets forenergy input module but page 9 of RFP(table 3) refers 11 worksheets ascalculation pages. Do we use the reporting table formats from the guideline
document for the missing worksheets?
Some of the missing worksheets in2006 guidelines are 1A3, 1A4, 1A5, 1B3, 1C1,1C2, 1C3 etc
Section 2.6 and table 2.16 in volume 2 of the 2006 Guidelines discuss the worksheets.
The first worksheet is repeated for multiple sectors as shown in table 2.16. (1A3,1A4, 1A5), IB3 is an “other” category where no methods can be specified so a simple
data entry form should be provided which includes entry for a description of thecategory. Emissions from 1C are based on measurements so a worksheet is notneeded. Therefore a data entry sheet based on the reporting table “Table 1.4a Energy
Background Table: 1C CO2 Transport, Injection and Storage” should be used (asstated in table 3 in Invitation for Proposals for the IPCC 2006 GHG InventorySoftware).

13. The new system will be internationalized (language-enabled) to allow support for
additional languages in future. i.e. User Interface can be created in UN
languages, however, for data input/output a. Numerical data & other key character data (e.g. Notation Keys) will only be instandard format / English.
b. Textual data e.g. comments in Reference Information can be in UN languages.
Please confirm.
a) Yes the use of notation keys as specified in English is mandatory.
b) Reference information and other textual data must be in any UN language. It
would be preferable for the user also to be able to input in any language
installed on their system.
14. We assume at least e-mail facility is available for the end users to exchange
inventory data –please confirm
Yes
15. Where would the Data Management Core be located? Is thisa. one per country (i.e. aggregated at country level) or
b. one per region orc. one globally
A – one per country
16. Does region level data collection also need to be supported?
V1_2_Ch2_DataCollection.pdf, section 2.2.3 does specify some guidelines related
to regional inventory data.
Regional (sub-national) data collection is not needed at Tier 1 (the methods thesoftware should implement.)
17. Section 2.1.8 of the RFP - The data modules will then need to be brought
together and reconciled with the central data management module. Any specificreconciliation procedure (replace, aggregate etc) to be used? or are these same as
the QA/QC checks?
Clearly the individual sectors will need to be aggregated to provide the nationalinventory. If the reconciliation reveals duplicates for specific individual sectors thenthe software should prompt users for the appropriate action (reject all or accept oneoption).
18. Can multiple users enter same worksheet of an input module simultaneously?
No19. We understand that when specifying reference sources, it is only free-form text
(in the documentation box). There is no requirement for the users to be able toembed (as attachments) reference sources (documents, files etc) during the data
input process. Please confirm.
Yes
20. Can Reporting Tables be produced from input modules directly? Or will these
only be produced post data consolidation, QA/QC checks?
Not from input modules directly but only through data consolidation and QA/QCchecks.
21. How many users will use the software? A split by users of Input Modules, DataManagement Core (Analysis & Output functions) would be useful. Additionally,an indication of frequency of usage will also be helpful.
This depends on the country and its resources. In principle there can be a central bodythat would use the data management core and output functions. Input modules would
be used by individual sector experts. However, where resources are limited theseroles could be combined into one person. The aim will be to produce an inventoryeach year.
22. Who would be responsible for operational aspects (e.g. backups, archrivals') of
the system (especially Data Management Core)?
This would be part of the role of the body with responsibility for compiling theoverall inventory.
23. Any security requirements? We understand that Username will need to becaptured. But are there any specific authentication & authorization
requirements?
There are no specific requirements beyond recording the username and changes as
noted in section 2.2.1. We do not anticipate that the system will store confidentialdata.

24. Section 2.2.1 of the RFP - The system should have a data version control. This
will record the user name of who made changes to the database and the date ofthe change. Do you also need the system to track data changes (e.g. before andafter image of data)? Do you need the ability to maintain multiple versions ofdatasets for each year?
No, multiple versions of the datasets are not required. Users will be instructed toexport data as a archive for backup. Back-up and security should be part of the wider
inventory process.
25. Training users/TSU members is out of Vendor's scope. If any assistance intraining is required, it will be costed separately
Yes (note sections 2.1.6 and 2.2.7 for documentation required)
26. Archive requirements– How many years of data and inventories that the system
is expected to maintain?
This is depends on the country: some inventories go back to 1970. Typically users
would store inventories annually from 1990 to 2020. Each inventory consists of thelatest year and all previous years. Thus several inventories would imply multiple
copies of data for each year (e.g. an inventory system for 1993 could contain:
1990 Inventory – Data for 1990
1991 Inventory – Data for 1991 and revised 1990
1992 Inventory – Data for 1992 and revised 1990, 1991
1993 Inventory – Data for 1993 and revised 1990, 1991, 1992)
27. We assume testing machines will be provided by TSU - please confirm
We anticipate distributing copies of the software to testers in their own countries foruse of their own machines – thus replicating actual intended use.
28. What are the problems faced with current software on non-English version ofMicrosoft Windows? We assume that the problems that may occur are more to
do with non-English version of MS Excel rather than the OS.
We have identified problems with non-English versions of Excel that are unable torun programs and macros written for the English version of Excel. We are unable tostate that there are no operating system errors.
29. MS Excel spreadsheets is not the best solution for the new software but thedatabase system should be used (as written in your specification chapter 1.4).
However there exists a combined solution where the frame of the program anddatabase operations will be programmed in the native language like C/C++ andsome complicated tables like worksheets (with cell dependences and backgroundcalculations) will be implemented in the embedded Excel. Excel will be used aspure user interface where in the same time all the data will be stored into thedatabase. This solution can essentially spare the table's development time andimprove flexibilities for future changes in the worksheets. This solution requiresthat MS Office Excel must be preinstalled on the target computer. Is thistechnology acceptable for you or not?
Any solution will be considered on its merits (including this one). Proposals should
demonstrate that they are compatible with the requirements in the invitation to tender– inter alia: sections 2.1.4, 2.1.5 and 2.1.7. Proposals may assume users will have MS
Office (Word and Excel) installed – though not the latest versions of Office orWindows.
30. The UNFCCC CRF Reporter is a software solving most of your requirements
and functions. CRF Reporter does not implement Reporting according to 2006
IPCC Guidelines but the used user interface and technology could be aninspiration. Which features of the CRF Reporter technology and functions arethose you don't like? Consequently which CRF Reporter limitation would you
like to implement otherwise in the new IPCC2006 software?
The CRF reporter 1 is aimed at reporting while the software we want from this
proposal is aimed at estimating emissions. In fact is more analogous to the UNFCCC
inventory software 2 itself based on IPCC software for the 1996 Guidelines. One ofthe outputs form the software should be INTO the CRF reporter (sections 1.3 &2.2.4.v). It is difficult to pick out individual features from the CRF reporter as it is theoverall usability and functionality that matter. However the hierarchical tree structure
for displaying the sectors does demonstrate to users the relationships between theindividual sectors.
31. We have noticed the inconsistency between the Proposal delivery date - 22 May
2007 (see paragraph 3.1.2 of the Invitation for Proposals for the IPCC 2006
GHG Inventory Software) and Contract timeline accordingly to which theContract sign date planned for April 2006 ( see paragraph 3.3 Figure 6 of theInvitation for Proposals for the IPCC 2006 GHG Inventory Software). Could
you please clarify this inconsistency as it's critical for project planning purposes
to be presented in the Proposal?
The project will start as soon as contracts can be exchanged. Clearly this will bedelayed from the original plan. The following milestones can be adjustedappropriately except the COP14/MOP4 meeting that is fixed. Subsequent milestones
can also be adjusted, however we still intend to hold the review meeting in early
2008.

1
2

http://unfccc.int/national_reports/annex_i_ghg_inventories/reporting_requirements/items/3901.php
http://unfccc.int/resource/cd_roms/na1/ghg_inventories/index.htm

32. Could you please update us with appropriate links to web pages which werementioned in paragraph 3.3 item 2 Start Phase 1b of the Invitation for Proposals
for the IPCC 2006 GHG Inventory Software?
33. The Invitation for Proposals for the IPCC 2006 GHG Inventory Software has
two 'Error! Reference source not found.' which prohibits the reader to locate thehyperlink or reference. One error is page 11 in section 2.1.2 Modular structure
and the second on page 19 in the stage 2. Start Phase 1b.
These are both references to Figure 2.
34. Please confirm that 'at it premises' from page 18, 3.3 Timing item 1 Phase 1a:(Design) 'At the end of this stage the developer will present the design to theTSU at its premises' means at our offices in Ottawa, Canada or does this mean
the TSU offices in Japan?
This means the TSU office in Hayama, Japan.

Simon Eggleston
Head TSU,
IPCC National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Programme
IGES, Hayama, Japan