RFP- Microsoft Fabric Implementation Partner To Co-design And Co-develop At Pathfinder International

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

Issued on: September 07, 2026

Solicitation Number: 51450

For: Professional Services for qualified Microsoft Fabric implementation partner to co- design and co-develop.

Bids Deadline: September 25, 2026

Background

Pathfinder is driven by the conviction that all people, regardless of where they live, have the right to decide whether and when to have children, to exist free from fear and stigma, and to lead the lives they choose.

Since 1957, we have partnered with local governments, communities, and health systems to remove barriers to critical sexual and reproductive health services. Together, we expand access to contraception, promote healthy pregnancies, save women’s lives, and stop the spread of new HIV infections, wherever the need is most urgent.

Our work ensures millions of women, men, and young people are able to choose their own paths forward.

Pathfinder is issuing this Request for Proposal to establish a contract with a qualified offeror for the co-design, setup, and initial co-development of a Microsoft Fabric-based data warehouse and lakehouse environment. This initiative is part of Pathfinder’s commitment to strengthening our data governance, security, and performance standards through improved data management capabilities, using a medallion architecture, with Microsoft Purview providing data governance and cataloguing.

Scope of WorkOverview

Pathfinder is seeking a qualified Microsoft Fabric implementation partner to co-design and co-develop, working directly alongside our internal data engineering staff, the target-state architecture, governance model, and an initial reference implementation for our unified enterprise data analytics platform.

This is a co-design and co-development engagement, not a design-then-handoff or full build engagement. Pathfinder’s Data Engineer will work side by side with the offeror’s consultant(s) throughout delivery, so that the collaborative process itself serves as the primary route to internal capability, rather than a training exercise added on afterward. The offeror remains fully responsible for every phase deliverable meeting its agreed acceptance criteria, regardless of how jointly it was produced.

Ongoing build responsibility beyond what is listed below should not be assumed.

Detailed Scope of WorkArchitecture co-design and documentation

Co-design and validate Pathfinder’s proposed domain-based, medallion architecture (OneLake foundation; Fabric Domains at the top level; one workspace per medallion layer per domain), with Pathfinder’s Data Engineer an active participant in design sessions, not a reviewer of pre-formed conclusions.
Confirm Lakehouse versus Warehouse usage per layer and domain jointly, with the reasoning behind each decision documented as it is made.
Document the final architecture in sufficient detail that Pathfinder’s team can build against it without ongoing offeror involvement.Governance model co-design (Microsoft Purview)
Co-design the Purview collection structure, classification approach, and business glossary framework, aligned to Pathfinder’s business domains.
Co-design the sensitivity label taxonomy, with particular attention to the domains carrying the most sensitive data.
Configure initial Purview scanning for Azure SQL and Power Platform sources jointly, with Pathfinder’s Data Engineer performing configuration steps alongside the consultant.
Document the governance model, including current platform limitations relevant to Pathfinder’s architecture, so Pathfinder’s team understands what is automated versus what requires manual process.Metadata-driven ingestion framework: co-design and reference implementation
Co-design the control-table schema and parameterised pipeline pattern for ingestion (API, database, and file-based sources), extending Pathfinder’s existing metadata-driven approach into Fabric Data Pipelines.
Co-develop one working reference implementation per source type against a real Pathfinder source (one API-based source, one database source, and one file-based source, to be confirmed with the selected offeror), with Pathfinder’s Data Engineer authoring alongside the consultant, sufficient for Pathfinder’s team to replicate the pattern against the remaining priority sources without further offeror involvement.

Environment and CI/CD co-configuration

Co-configure the Dev/Test/Prod environment strategy for the Platform Foundation and one pilot domain.
Set up Fabric Deployment Pipelines integrated with Pathfinder’s existing Azure DevOps Git repositories, with Pathfinder’s Data Engineer performing the configuration under the consultant’s direction.
Document the promotion process so Pathfinder’s team can operate it independently.Security model co-design
Co-design and configure the Entra ID security group structure, workspace-level and item-level permission model, and the row-level security pattern for the domains carrying the most sensitive data.

Knowledge transfer and handoff

Structured knowledge transfer sessions with Pathfinder’s internal team, supplementing rather than substituting for the co-design and co-development approach used throughout the engagement.
Written documentation sufficient to stand alone as an operational reference after the engagement ends.
A defined handoff acceptance step confirming Pathfinder’s team can operate independently before the engagement is considered complete.

Explicitly Out of Scope

The following are not included in this engagement and should not be assumed or informally added during delivery. Any of these requiring offeror involvement would be handled through a separate, explicitly scoped change order, not absorbed into the fixed fee.

Full build-out of all domain integrations beyond the reference implementations. The offeror co-develops one reference implementation per source type (three total); Pathfinder’s team replicates the pattern across the remaining domains and sources.
Power BI report rebuilding. Evaluating and rebuilding Pathfinder’s existing reporting estate against the new governed platform is Pathfinder-owned work, to be sequenced separately from this engagement.
Ongoing pipeline maintenance, Silver or Gold model building beyond the reference implementations, or production support after handoff.
Full multi-domain rollout of the Dev/Test/Prod and CI/CD pattern beyond the Platform Foundation and one pilot domain.
Purview Wave 2 scope (sensitivity labelling enforcement, DLP configuration, access policy integration).

Engagement Structure: Phases and Fee Allocation

Phase

Focus

Indicative Duration

Fee Allocation

Phase 1- Architecture co-design and validation; confirm workspace and domain structure (1-2 weeks) -15%

Phase 2- Governance model co-design (Microsoft Purview); security model; CI/CD and environment co-configuration

(2-3 weeks) -30%

Phase 3- Co-development of the three source-type reference pipelines against real Pathfinder sources (2-3 weeks) -35%

Phase 4- Documentation, structured knowledge transfer sessions, handoff acceptance (1 week) -20%

Total indicative timeline: 6-9 weeks.

Payment terms

Fixed Price: Pathfinder anticipates entering into a fixed-price contract with the selected contractor. Payment will be made according to the milestones and fee allocation set out in the Engagement Structure table above, tied to Pathfinder’s formal acceptance of each phase’s deliverables, not hours logged.Acceptance CriteriaEach phase is considered complete only when its deliverables are reviewed and formally accepted by Pathfinder’s Project Lead. Acceptance considers both the quality of the deliverable and evidence of genuine co-design/co-development participation. Final engagement acceptance (Phase 4) requires:

All architecture, governance, and pattern documentation delivered and reviewed.
The three reference pipeline implementations functioning correctly against live Pathfinder sources, with Pathfinder’s Data Engineer able to demonstrate active authorship of the co-developed work.
Knowledge transfer sessions completed, with Pathfinder’s internal team able to demonstrate independent understanding of the delivered architecture and patterns, for example by extending the ingestion pattern to a fourth source under the offeror’s observation, without offeror-led implementation.

Warranty and Payment Holdback

The offeror will provide a warranty period of 30 to 60 days following final acceptance, during which the offeror must remedy defects in delivered work at no additional cost. Critical defects must be acknowledged within 2 business days and resolved or worked around within 10 business days; other severities follow proportionate, mutually agreed response times.A holdback of 10-15% of the total fee will be withheld and released only after the warranty period concludes with no unresolved critical defects. All deliverables, architecture documentation, configuration, and associated code become Pathfinder’s property outright upon payment.

Proposal Guidelines and Instructions

Offerors will be required to submit two proposals, electronically, one a technical proposal and the other a cost proposal. All proposals must be signed and valid for a minimum of sixty (60) days.

Your proposal should provide basic information about your Company/Individual and relevant service offerings. It should have a section addressing each of the following areas:

Company/Individual Profile
Past Performance
Technical Approach
References
Relationship disclosure and mitigation plan
Key Personnel
Other (optional)

Responses should include the following information:

A. Technical Proposal (100 Points)

a. References – pass/fail

Submit two (2) client references for each key member of the proposed client service team, specifically for co-design or co-development engagements where possible.

b. Relationship disclosure – pass/fail

Describe any current or past relationships your organisation may have with Pathfinder, and if it is a potential conflict of interest. If there is a potential conflict of interest, please explain how this risk will be mitigated.
Describe any personal or familial relationships any employee of the offeror has with any employee of Pathfinder. If there is a relationship, please explain how any conflict of interest risk will be mitigated.
Disclosure does not automatically disqualify the offeror.

Company/Individual Profile – 15 points

Provide a general description of the offeror in terms of domestic and international experience, if appropriate.
Briefly summarise the offeror’s qualifications and experience relating to the activities described in the Scope of Work, specifically Microsoft Fabric and Microsoft Purview.
1. Past Performance – 25 points
Provide a detailed track record of previous similar work undertaken, specifically co-design or co-development engagements where possible, not solely independent build-then-handoff engagements.
1. Technical Approach – 30 points
Describe the offeror’s technical approach in responding to the Scope of Work, specifically the proposed methodology for co-designing and co-developing the deliverables, including how working sessions are structured, how work is divided between the offeror’s consultant(s) and Pathfinder’s Data Engineer during joint building, and how genuine participation is ensured rather than passive observation.
Describe the offeror’s experience dealing with the subject matter (Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft Purview, domain-based/data mesh architecture).
Describe the offeror’s approach to knowledge transfer and confirming Pathfinder’s internal team can operate independently at handoff.
Describe the offeror’s approach to identifying and mitigating technical and delivery risk.

f. Key Personnel – 20 points

Describe the key personnel to be utilised on the engagement, along with resumes of key personnel. Indicate their degree of expertise and prior experience with Microsoft Fabric and Microsoft Purview specifically, which would be appropriate for the engagement.
Please include resumes of the proposed key personnel (max 2 pages each).
Substitution of named key personnel after contract award requires Pathfinder’s written approval.

g. Other (optional) – 10 points

Example: sample architecture documentation or governance framework documentation from a prior engagement, demonstrating documentation quality and clarity, given the emphasis this engagement places on documentation as a handoff deliverable.

B. Cost Proposal (100 Points)

Fixed Price: For services performed during the engagement, the offeror will be paid a fixed fee, broken down by the four phases described in the Engagement Structure table above. Please clearly state any assumptions or contingencies underlying your quote. Offerors are also encouraged to indicate optional add-on pricing for any work that may arise outside the defined scope, to be handled through the change control process.

The cost proposal score will be calculated as follows:

Cost Proposal Score = 100 × Cost / lowest cost of the proposals under consideration. The lowest-cost proposal will receive the full 100 points.

C. Total Score

The total score will be calculated as follows:

Total score = (score of the technical proposal under consideration multiplied by 75% + (score of the cost proposal under consideration multiplied by 25%)).

Evaluation Criteria

When evaluating proposals, Pathfinder will seek the best value for money, rather than the lowest-priced proposal. Pathfinder will use a two-stage selection process:

The first stage will evaluate the technical proposal.
The second stage will evaluate the cost proposal for those proposals that pass the technical evaluation of 70 percentage points

Specifically, the selection committee will evaluate each proposal based on the following criteria:

Criteria

Weight

Proposal Submission:

Pass/Fail

a) Was the proposal submitted on time?

b) Offeror is eligible to receive funding per background checks

c) Any potential conflict of interest is sufficiently mitigated

d) Reference checks yield positive result

Techical Proposal- First Stage

Company/Individual Profile- 15 Points

Past Performance: Detailed track record of previous similar work, specifically co-design/co-development engagements-25 Points

Technical Approach: Demonstrated Microsoft Fabric and Microsoft Purview depth, and a credible, specific co-design/co-development methodology -30 Points

Key Personnel: Expertise and prior experience of the named consultant(s) proposed -20 Points

Other (optional) -10 Points

Total Weight -100

Cost Proposal – Second Stage

Cost proposal/Pricing – 100 Points

Total Weight- 100

Important Considerations

If, at any time prior to award, Pathfinder deems it necessary to significantly modify the terms and conditions of this RFP, Pathfinder will issue such modification as a written amendment to the RFP to all bidders. No oral statement by any person shall, in any way, be deemed to modify or otherwise affect any term or condition of this RFP, and no bidder shall rely on such a statement.

Pathfinder is not obligated to accept the lowest bid and reserves the right to accept a proposal in whole or in part, and to reject any or all proposals.

Pathfinder will not be legally bound by any notice of award issued for this RFP until a contract is duly signed and executed with the successful bidder.

The evaluator will record all individual scores for each section and calculate the average score. The total average scores will be added together to obtain the total points earned by the individual supplier. If the total number of points meets or exceeds the threshold established in the evaluation methodology, the supplier’s cost proposal will be eligible for consideration.

Questions or Inquiries

If you have any questions or concerns, please send an email to procurement@pathfinder.org no later than close of business on September 11, 2026. The solicitation number indicated above must be included in the subject line. Responses will be posted to all known offerors.

As part of this RFP process, Pathfinder reserves the right to conduct interviews with bidders in addition to the question-and-answer period.

Proposal Deadline and Submission

All proposals in response to this RFP must be submitted to Pathfinder via email by 11:59 p.m. (Washington, D.C time) on September 25, 2026, to the following address: procurement@pathfinder.org

The solicitation number indicated above must be included in the subject line.

The Technical and Financial proposals must be submitted as separate files.

Modification

If at any time prior to award Pathfinder deems there to be a need for a significant modification to the terms and conditions of this RFP, Pathfinder will issue such a modification as a written RFP amendment to all competing offerors. No oral statement of any person shall in any manner be deemed to modify or otherwise affect any RFP term or condition, and no offeror shall rely on any such statement. Such amendments are the exclusive method for this purpose.

Terms and Conditions

Pathfinder reserves the right to cancel this request/solicitation at any time and is under no obligation to award a subcontract as a result of this request/solicitation.

Resulting Award

Single contract: As a result of this solicitation, Pathfinder anticipates engaging a single independent contractor/company for this co-design and co-development engagement. Pathfinder reserves the right to split the SOW and make multiple awards.

Any resulting contract will be subject to the terms and conditions contained in Annex B

Pathfinder will not reimburse any expenses related to the preparation of any materials or submissions related to the proposal.

Confidentiality

All information disclosed by either party regarding this RFP is confidential and shall be treated as such.

As part of the RFP process, Pathfinder International may be providing confidential information relating to its data architecture, systems, and internal environment. Consequently, offerors must complete a Confidentiality/Non-Disclosure Agreement. See Annex A.

Best regards,

Pathfinder Procurement Team

How to apply