Professional service provider needed for 360-Degree employee feedback assessment at water research commission (12-Month contract)

• Closing date and time: 26 June 2026 at 11:00.
• No additional dates (e.g., briefings, site visits, or clarification deadlines) are specified in the document.

• All enquiries (technical and commercial) and bid submissions: WRC Supply Chain Management Unit.
• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: 012 761 9300
• Physical address (for reference only): WRC, 2nd Floor Bloukrans Building, Lynnwood Bridge, 4 Daventry Road, Lynnwood Manor, Pretoria. (Note: Relocating to Innovation Hub, 1 Mark Shuttleworth Street, Lynnwood, Pretoria.)
• Fraud hotline: Report suspicious procurement communications to 0800 214 777 or [email protected].

• Submit bids exclusively via email to [email protected]. Hand-delivered submissions or those sent to other email addresses will be rejected.
• Closing date and time: 26 June 2026 at 11:00. Late submissions will not be considered.
• Use only the official bid forms provided (e.g., SBD1, SBD4, SBD6.1). Do not retype or alter these forms.
• Ensure all bid documents are fully completed, dated, signed in ink, and initialed on every page.
• Bind the bid document securely; no pages may be torn or removed.
• Mandatory returnable documents:

• Valid SARS Tax Clearance Certificate or Tax Compliance Status (TCS) PIN.
• B-BBEE Status Level Verification Certificate or sworn affidavit (for EMEs/QSEs).
• Completed SBD4 (Declaration of Interest) and SBD6.1 (Preference Points Claim Form).
• Business registration certificate (e.g., CK1, certificate of incorporation).
• Central Supplier Database (CSD) Compliance History Report.

• Failure to submit any required document or comply with submission rules may result in disqualification.
• Bid validity period: 90 days from closing date.

• Evaluation phases:

1. Screening of minimum requirements: Compliance with submission rules, mandatory documents, and CSD registration. Non-compliance leads to elimination.
2. Pre-qualification: Submit reference letters proving experience in 360-degree feedback assessments and sample reports. Failure to comply results in elimination.
3. Technical/Functionality Evaluation: Minimum threshold of 75% required to progress. Criteria include company profile (25 points), reports (35 points), project proposal/methodology (20 points), and reference letters (20 points).
4. Specification compliance: Quotations must fully comply with the scope of work.
5. Price and Specific Goals: 80/20 preference point system applied. Price (80 points) benchmarked against the lowest acceptable quote. Specific Goals (20 points) awarded for:

• Woman/youth/disability-owned businesses (30%+ ownership): 10 points.
• B-BBEE Level: Level 1 (10), Level 2 (8), Level 3 (6), Level 4 (4), Level 5 (2).

6. Due Diligence: WRC may verify highest-scoring bidders.

• Disqualification risks: Late submissions, incomplete forms, missing documents, fraudulent claims, or failure to meet technical thresholds.

• Scope: Conduct independent 360-degree feedback assessments for ~90 WRC employees over 12 months.
• Key deliverables:

• Project initiation: Start-up meeting with WRC, submit a project implementation plan (milestones, roles, communication, risk management, QA measures).
• Tool design: Customise a 360-degree questionnaire covering competencies (e.g., leadership, communication, accountability). Must support feedback from line managers, 3 peers, direct reports, and self-assessment. Submit tool for WRC approval.
• Administration: Provide a secure online platform for survey distribution, reminders, tracking, and helpdesk support. Ensure confidentiality and data protection compliance.
• Data management: Clean/validate data, ensure completeness, and analyse results at individual (confidential reports) and organisational (anonymised trends) levels.
• Reporting: Deliverables include:

• Individual confidential reports: Competency scores by rater group, strengths, development areas, comparative insights, and recommendations.

• Organisational aggregated report: Anonymised trends, common strengths/gaps, priority development areas, and training recommendations.

• Presentation of findings to management with actionable insights.

• Feedback support: Facilitate workshops/one-on-one coaching, support Individual Development Plans (IDPs), and train managers on ethical feedback use.
• Project team support: Dedicated technical support for nomination, verification, evaluation, reporting, and corrections.
• Communication system: Generate emails for process explanations, invitations, reminders, and reports (~90 employees).
• Automation: System must allow peer/direct report nominations, line manager selection, and accommodate up to 12 raters per ratee.
• Ratee reports: Customised reports for ~90 ratees within 1 month of assessment completion, including bar charts, score interpretations, and overall ratings. Soft copies submitted to WRC Executive Operations.
• Organisational report: Comprehensive leadership effectiveness report per WRC programme, including comparisons.

• Ethics: Ensure confidentiality, prevent rater identification, and align with ethical assessment standards.

Your proposal must include a detailed methodology covering:

• A comprehensive 360-degree feedback assessment methodology, clearly outlining project development and implementation.
• Use of valid, appropriate data collection tools tailored for 360-degree feedback.
• A detailed project plan with:

• Objectives, scope, and participants.
• Competency framework and survey design.
• Technology/tools to be used.
• Communication plan, timelines, and milestones.
• Roles and responsibilities.
• Data analysis and reporting processes.
• Feedback delivery and development planning.
• Evaluation and follow-up procedures.

To pre-qualify and score points, demonstrate:

• Company experience: Submit a company profile detailing years of experience in administering 360-degree employee feedback assessments. Points awarded as follows:

• 10 years: 35 points

• 6–10 years: 30 points
• 4–6 years: 20 points
• 2–4 years: 10 points
• 0–2 years: 5 points

• Past reports: Provide documented evidence (e.g., sample reports) of high-quality individual and organisational 360-degree feedback reports, including:

• Clear instructions and explanations of score meanings.
• Rating scales and dimension descriptions.

• References: Submit up to five signed reference letters on client letterhead from organisations for whom similar work was conducted. Points awarded per letter (1–5 letters = 1–5 points). References must include contact details and specify the work performed.

• Develop and submit a project implementation plan that includes quality assurance measures.
• Submit the 360-degree assessment tool for WRC approval prior to implementation.
• Conduct data cleaning and validation to ensure completeness, accuracy, and adherence to minimum rater thresholds.
• Ensure the assessment process is developmental, ethical, and minimises bias in participation and reporting.

• Quote fees in South African Rand (ZAR), firm and all-inclusive (VAT inclusive where applicable).
• Contract duration: 12 months.
• Payment terms: Invoices submitted for services rendered; payment processed within 30 days of invoice date.
• Pricing must comply with the Preferential Procurement Regulations (2022).

• Mandatory for submission:

• Tax Compliance: Valid SARS Tax Clearance Certificate or TCS PIN. Foreign bidders must complete a questionnaire; if 'no' to all RSA-related questions, a PIN is not required.
• B-BBEE: Valid B-BBEE Status Level Verification Certificate or sworn affidavit (EMEs/QSEs) to qualify for preference points.
• Central Supplier Database (CSD): Must be registered on CSD prior to submission and provide a CSD Compliance History Report.
• Business Registration: Submit a business registration certificate (e.g., CK1, certificate of incorporation).
• SBD Forms: Fully complete and submit SBD4 (Declaration of Interest) and SBD6.1 (Preference Points Claim Form).
• General Conditions: Initial every page of the General Conditions of Contract.
• Restrictions: Bids from state employees, or companies with directors/members in state service, are prohibited.

• Contractual obligations:

• Successful bidder must sign SBD7 (written contract).
• Contract subject to General Conditions of Contract (GCC) and any special conditions.
• WRC reserves the right to terminate for unsatisfactory performance.
• National Treasury GCC applies.
• Service Level Agreement (SLA) will be established.

• Fraud: Fraudulent claims may lead to disqualification, contract cancellation, damages recovery, 10-year business restriction, or criminal prosecution.

• Successful bidder must sign a written contract (SBD7).
• Contract is subject to the General Conditions of Contract (GCC) and any special conditions stipulated by the WRC.
• WRC reserves the right to terminate the contract if the service provider’s performance is unsatisfactory.
• National Treasury General Conditions of Contract apply.
• A Service Level Agreement (SLA) will be established between the WRC and the successful bidder.
• WRC reserves the right to award, cancel, or partially award the contract.
• Fraudulent claims: If specific goals are claimed fraudulently, WRC may disqualify the bidder, cancel the contract, recover damages, restrict the bidder from future public sector business for up to 10 years, and refer the matter for criminal prosecution.