The National Reserve Bank of Tonga has issued a request for proposals for an expert review of a preliminary design for a new network infrastructure, including a virtual private network (VPN) solution for secure remote access and site-to-site connectivity. The engagement is intended to validate that the proposed design meets technical standards, operational needs, and security requirements appropriate for a central bank. The scope includes reviewing design documentation and assessing alignment with industry and financial-sector security standards, including ISO 27001, the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, and the SWIFT Customer Security Programme where applicable. The review is expected to cover scalability, reliability, performance, and maintainability, alongside a detailed security assessment covering segmentation and zone-based design, defense-in-depth, threat modelling, access controls and privilege management, encryption, monitoring and incident response, and backup and disaster recovery segregation. A dedicated VPN assessment covers architecture, protocols and key management, authentication and multi-factor authentication, capacity and failover, split-tunnelling and endpoint requirements, and integration with existing controls such as firewalls and IDS/IPS. Deliverables include a written report with prioritised recommendations and a high-level implementation roadmap, plus a presentation and final consultation session; the consultant must also sign a non-disclosure agreement and follow the bank’s security policies. Proposals are due by 6 March 2026. The assignment is expected to take 3–4 weeks from contract signing, with document review in weeks 1–2, report preparation in week 3, and final delivery and presentation in week 4; evaluation weightings are 40% experience and qualifications, 30% methodology, 20% cost competitiveness, and 10% references and past performance.
National Reserve Bank of Tonga 2026-01-09
National Reserve Bank of Tonga launches request for proposals for network design review and VPN solution assessment
The National Reserve Bank of Tonga seeks proposals for an expert review of a preliminary design for new network infrastructure, including a VPN solution for secure remote access. The review will assess alignment with industry standards like ISO 27001 and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, focusing on scalability, security, and performance. Deliverables include a report with recommendations and an implementation roadmap, with evaluation criteria emphasizing experience, methodology, and cost.