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Top ICT tenders: Gauteng targets software and services

Kimberly Guest
By Kimberly Guest, ITWeb contributor
Johannesburg, 09 Jan 2024
SITA’s head office in Pretoria. (Photograph by Lesley Moyo)
SITA’s head office in Pretoria. (Photograph by Lesley Moyo)

As the ICT sector gradually returns to work in the new year, it will need to keep an eye out for a number of upcoming tender briefings to ensure they can participate in this week’s top tenders.

The Gauteng province takes the spotlight this week with three tenders advertised by its Provincial Treasury and Department of Infrastructure Development.

In the first notice from Provincial Treasury, bids are invited for the implementation of an accounts payable supplier invoice processing platform with robotic process automation capabilities for use across all Gauteng Provincial Government departments and entities that are making use of the SAP system.

The department notes it has contracted with Kofax Readsoft for the accounts payable (AP) e-invoicing software since 2007, to automate the submission, receiving, scanning, and processing of all invoices received from suppliers.

“Each year, about 480 000 invoices and supporting paperwork are received and processed. As part of the province’s automation journey, robotics process automation (RPA) provides the ideal capabilities for the province to provide an enhanced invoice processing environment with the capacity to further facilitate 30-day payment compliance,” it says.

The goal of the project is to enhance the current e-invoicing system with RPA capabilities or implement an alternative web-based system with RPA capabilities. The proposed solution should be implemented in four months, with two months added for performance monitoring, support and knowledge transfer.

In a second advertisement, the treasury is advertising for the upgrade, enhancement, implementation, and maintenance of its SAP supplier relationship management (SRM) system which the province uses for all the ‘procure to pay’ processes.

“While the procure to pay process is automated, some of the critical procurement processes such as, procurement planning, observing the tender process, requesting quotations, and evaluating them take place outside the SAP SRM system, which may be susceptible to human error and other nefarious activities. SAP SRM system has limited functionality, which poses significant risks and impedes the company's ability to negotiate better prices,” it says.

The upgrade of the system is required to address challenges in demand management, acquisition management, contract management, supplier management and information storage, and catalogue and content.

In the final advertisement from Gauteng, the Department of Infrastructure Development wishes to appoint a service provider to provide outsourced payroll services for the National Youth Service, Health Maintenance, and Vacant Land and Facilities Maintenance EPWP programmes.

The department notes that the success of the EPWP programmes in mobilising participants has inadvertently placed a strain on administrative resources within the department.

“To ensure the efficient functioning of the EPWP, it is imperative that participants receive stipend payments promptly and accurately. Unfortunately, the existing administrative mechanisms, such as utilising vendor payment methods and processing participant payments through the Persal System, has proven inadequate,” it says.

This has led to overburdened systems, payment errors, decreased public confidence, livelihood impact and service disruptions. The appointment of an outsourced payroll services provider aims to ensure that participant stipends are disbursed accurately and in a timely manner. Moreover, it seeks to address participants' grievances with “the dignity and urgency they deserve”.

Other tenders that make this week’s top 10 include:

  • The Government Printing Works is advertising for the supply, delivery, installation and maintenance of an enterprise firewall solution for a period of three years. The solution will replace the current solution, consisting of 13 firewalls across the organisation, which has limitations that the organisation intends to address.
  • The Road Accident Fund requires professional services and tools to assist with the implementation and management of a multi-cloud strategy over a period of five years. Its digital and technology unit has chosen to adopt cloud hosting services for all RAF owned software applications, systems and workloads and has opted for a multi-cloud strategy, leveraging hosting services from Amazon web services and Microsoft Azure as primary hyperscalers.

  • The South African Revenue Service is looking for a digital forensics review platform software solution which must be able to support the Forensic Took Kit (FTK) and Magnet AXIOM Review tools which are currently in use. SARS notes its digital forensics investigation unit investigates 100 to 150 digital media cases a year with a combined data size of at least 100 terabytes. This function is aligned with the Fourth Industrial Revolution which brings with it the collection, ingestion, and analysis of huge volumes of data enabling businesses to make swift informed decisions in determining tax/customs liability.

  • The Public Protector wishes to lease a private automatic branch exchange (PABX) and telephone management system (TMS) for three years for five provincial and five regional offices. The current PABX and TMS solutions at these locations are outdated and dysfunctional, it says, and as a result some of the offices are not able to receive and make calls.

  • In a second tender, the public protector is calling for the design, deployment, and management of a wi-fi solution to serve all 19 PPSA offices nationally with three years support and maintenance services. It notes the current Wi-Fi hardware is out of warranty and cannot be extended any further.

  • Transnet requires information for the provision of a Transnet integrated management system (TIMS). The company notes its transversal risk and compliance management approach has been disintegrated and operating division specific, resulting in business inefficiencies and an ineffective safety, security, health, environment, risk, compliance and quality (SSHERCQ) model. The main objective of the TIMS programme was to integrate management systems in place at the various divisions, establish a consistent and standardised approach for managing SSHERCQ and other business processes whose co-ordination has been a “constant challenge to manage” for Transnet given its size and complexity.

  • The National Energy Regulator of South Africa is looking for information on the supply, implementation, maintenance and support of a voice-over-IP telephone system to replace the existing Samsung 7400 PABX system at its Kulawula House offices. It should be noted that only bidders who respond to the RFI will be considered for phase II of the bidding process.

New tenders

Provincial Treasury, Gauteng

Bids are invited for the implementation of an accounts payable supplier invoice processing platform with robotic process automation capabilities for the Gauteng Provincial Government.

Compulsory briefing: 15 Jan
Tender no: GT/GPT/116/2023
Information: Mpilonhle Buthelezi, Tel: 011 689 6035, E-mail: Mpilonhle.Buthelezi@gauteng.gov.za.
Closing date: 26 January 2024
­Tags: Software, Supply chain management, Invoice processing, Robotics, Business process automation

The provincial government also requires SAP procurement upgrade, enhancement, implementation, and maintenance over 3 years.

Non-compulsory briefing: 12 Jan – Microsoft Teams
Tender no: GT/GPT/127/2023
Information: Wilson Mudau, Tel: 011 689 1442, E-mail: wilson.mudau3@gauteng.gov.za.
Closing date: 26 January 2024
­Tags: Software, Supply chain management, Procurement, Software development, Services, Support and maintenance

Department of Infrastructure Development, Gauteng

The department wishes to appoint a service provider to provide outsourced payroll services for three (3) EPWP programmes, for a period of 3 years.

Compulsory briefing: 15 Jan
Tender no: DID21/12/2023
Information: Millicent Chauke, Tel: 011 355 5338, E-mail: millicent.chauke@gauteng.gov.za.
Closing date: 24 January 2024
­Tags: Software, Services, Payroll, Outsourcing

Government Printing Works

A service provider is sought for the supply, delivery, installation and maintenance of an enterprise firewall solution for a period of three (3) years.

Compulsory briefing: 17 Jan
Tender no: GPW-2023/24-03
Information: Noko Kekana, Tel: 012 764 3961, E-mail: noko.kekana@gpw.gov.za.
Closing date: 31 Jan 2024
­Tags: Software, Hardware, Security, Network, Firewall, Services, Support and maintenance

Road Accident Fund

The RAF seeks to appoint a service provider for the provision of professional services – cloud access implementation for a period of five (5) years.

Non-compulsory briefing: 17 Jan
Tender no: RAF/2023/00031
Information: Ilish Seema, Tel:012 429 5135, E-mail: ilishs@raf.co.za.
Closing date: 2 Feb 2024
­Tags: Services, Professional services, Cloud computing, Cloud access

South African Revenue Service

SARS is advertising for the provision of a digital forensics review platform software solution.

Compulsory briefing: 16 Jan – Virtual, Meeting ID: 365 946 647 849 Passcode: NqMepV.
Tender no: RFP 30/2023
Information: Tender Office, Tel: 012 422 4078, E-mail: tenderoffice@sars.gov.za.
Closing date: 6 Feb 2024
­Tags: Software, Digital, Forensics, Digital forensics

Public Protector South Africa

The Public Protector is advertising for the leasing of private automatic branch exchange (PABX) and telephone management system (TMS) for three (03) years including maintenance plan for five (05) provincial and five (05) regional offices.

Compulsory briefing: 17 Jan – Microsoft Teams, Link.
Tender no: PPSA 009/2023
Information: Lesego Tlou, Tel: 012 366 7178, E-mail: Lesegot@pprotect.org.
Closing date: 2 Feb 2024
­Tags: Telecommunications, Hardware, Software, Telephony, PABX, Telephone management system, Services, Support and maintenance

Bids are also invited for the design, deployment, and management of a wi-fi solution to serve all nineteen (19) PPSA offices nationally with three (03) years support and maintenance services.

Compulsory briefing: 17 Jan – Microsoft Teams, Link.
Tender no: PPSA 011/2023
Information: Lesego Tlou, Tel: 012 366 7178, E-mail: Lesegot@pprotect.org.
Closing date: 2 Feb 202
­Tags: Telecommunications, Hardware, Software, Wi-fi, Services, Support and maintenance

Request for information

Transnet SOC Ltd

The organisation requires information for the provision of a Transnet integrated management system (TIMS).

Non-compulsory briefing: 12 Jan
Note: Respondents are to send through their email addresses to Deon.tobias@transnet.net before the 11 January for the briefing.
Tender no: TCC/2023/10/0001/46716/RFI
Information: Deon Tobias, Tel: 011 308 4106, E-mail: Deon.tobias@transnet.net.
Closing date: 26 Jan 2024
­Tags: Software, Integrated management system

National Energy Regulator of South Africa

Nersa is looking for information on the supply, implementation, maintenance and support of a voice-over-IP telephone system to replace the existing Samsung 7400 PABX system at its Kulawula House offices.

Non-compulsory briefing: 16 Jan – Microsoft Teams.
Note: Bidders who want to participate in the non-compulsory virtual briefing session must send their request/confirmation to: briefingsessions@nersa.org.za by 16 January 2024 at 09:00.
Tender no: NERSA/2324/ICT/VOIP/RFI001
Information: SCM Team, Tel: 012 401 4696, E-mail: scm@nersa.org.za.
Closing date: 26 Jan 2024
­Tags: Telecommunications, Telephony, Voice over IP, VoIP, PABX

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