Kemp Network Load Balancers 3 years’ Subscription Renewal - Electoral Commission

Returnable Documents:

1.1 The Electoral Commission seeks to renew Kemp Load balancers license subscriptions for a period of 36 months. 1.2 Bidders must place a bid on the Votaquotes (e-Procurement) system and then provide all the required documentation before the due dates as specified in this document and on the Votaquotes web site. Bidders must be registered and approved on Votaquotes (e-Procurement) to bid on this auction. 2 Background Information 2.1 The Electoral Commission has invested extensively in ICT technologies, which provide a platform to effectively support and enable its business processes and to meet its goal of providing a free and fair election process in an open and transparent environment. The Electoral Commission’s ICT Department intends to continue running a highly efficient, secure and stable ICT environment making full use of industry standards, best practices and disciplines based upon stable, secure and reliable technologies. 2.2 The Electoral Commission has the following devices: 2.2.1 4 x Kemp Hardware devices 2.2.2 4 x Kemp Virtual Load Balancers 2.3 The license subscriptions of 6 of the load balancer devices expire on 14 March 2026, while for the other 2 virtual devices, the expiry is on 27 August 2026. The procurement process wishes to co-term all the licenses to expire at the same time on 26 August 2029. 3 Technical Specifications 3.1 The technical specification for the required products is as per the bid specifications provided below. It must be noted that the technical specifications below are the minimum requirements. The only variation that may be accepted will be in case where the service provider’s specification exceeds the minimum requirements. Any offers below the minimum specification requirement will be disqualified at the evaluation stage. 3.2 The specifications are as below: 2 | P a g e Suitable for Public Use Product Description Quantity Code 1. CT-LM- Hardware Load Balancers -4 x LM-X25 (Prod and DR) Co-Term 3 Years 4 HW-X25- Enterprise Plus for LM-X25. Support from 14 March 2026 – 26 August ENP 2029. Serial numbers: TSCAB2006737, TSCAB2006773, TSCAB2006743, TSCAB2006746 2. CT-VLM- Virtual Load Balancers – 2 x VLM-MAX (DR) Co-Term – 3 Years 2 MAX-SUB subscription for VLM MAX. Support from 14 March 2026 – 26 August 2029 Serial numbers:1293257, 1292457 3. VLM-MAX- Virtual Load Balancers – 2 x VLM-MAX (Prod) 3 Years subscription for 2 SUB-3Y VLM MAX. Support from 27 August 2026 – 26 August 2029 Serial numbers: 1333225, 1333217 4. LM-360-01 Load Master 360 – 3 Years subscription for 8 Kemp Load Balancers 8 5. OEM / OEM / Reseller Services as and when required for a period of 3 years. 1 Reseller The Electoral Commission prefers credit hours to be allocated over the Services next 3 years, where consumption of those hours will be on a need basis 4 Planning Assumptions The Electoral Commission has made the following assumptions: 4.1 The Electoral Commission will provide technical resources for all the Electoral Commission’s designated work including setup and configuration of own systems and databases. 4.2 Wherever the need arises the successful bidder shall do initial equipment configuration of operating systems and environmental specific requirements. 4.3 The delivery of the software licenses and implementation services required must be completed within the days as stipulated in the delivery and implementation schedule below. 4.4 The bidder’s change control management process must be flexible enough to facilitate speedy deployment and resolution of problems without compromising management 3 | P a g e Suitable for Public Use controls and security. 4.5 Bidder to provide applicable change management processes. 4.6 The recommended service provider shall provide all relevant details needed to ensure successful operations capability within the organization. 5 General Auction Conditions The following standard bid conditions must be adhered to and complied with; failing which the bid will be disqualified. 5.1 All bids must be placed online on eProcurement website https://votaquotes.elections.org.za 5.2 Bidders must complete and submit Appendix A: Technical Bid Response Sheet to demonstrate compliance with the required technical specification. 5.3 The bidder must provide at least three (3) contactable references of past and current products, installation and configuration services of a similar nature that the bidder provided or is currently providing (Kemp Load balancer licenses and support services). Reference details must include the following: customer name, contact person, contact details (telephone, email, physical address) and service description and value of services defined in terms of budget and number of licenses supplied. The table in Appendix C: Guideline Reference Table is attached as a guideline for the compilation of the required reference information to be submitted for each reference. 5.4 The bidder must be authorized to sell the product supplied. 5.5 An Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) letter of proof of the reseller agreement/authorization must accompany the written documentation for this bid. 5.6 Should the reseller authorization be from a distributor, then a proof of authorization authorizing the distributor to resell and/or to authorize others by the OEM, must be submitted. 5.7 Bidder must have at least three (3) years’ experience in providing the licenses and services required. Bidder must provide a profile or letter to confirm. 5.8 Bidder must provide a proposal detailing the OEM/Reseller services to be provided as part 4 | P a g e Suitable for Public Use of this bid. The bidder must also include an engagement model as to how the services will be provided to the Electoral Commission. Failure to provide such may lead to disqualification 5.9 The bidder must include a formal proof of OEM statement of licensing stating associated services terms and conditions. 5.10 Bidders must adhere to the delivery schedule in Section 9 6 Quality Control The following quality control conditions must be adhered to and complied with, failing which the bid may be disqualified. 6.1 The bidder takes responsibility for the completeness and quality of their bid submission. 6.2 The Electoral Commission may contact the references directly to confirm the references provided. It is up to the bidder to ensure that the references provided are current and contactable. Failure to confirm a reference may lead to disqualification. 6.3 The Electoral Commission may also call on bidders to make presentations in order for the Electoral Commission to ensure full compliance with all its requirements and as part of the bid evaluation process prior to the conclusion of the adjudication of the bid. Any such request for presentations shall only be for clarification purposes in support of mandatory requirements that must be adhered to as part of the written submission requirements of this bid. Failure to submit mandatory requirements shall not be rectified by the call for presentations. 6.4 Any restrictions or conditions associated with any elements of the service offering/s must be detailed. The Electoral Commission reserves the right to reject conditions which are considered unfavourable to its business or unacceptable. 6.5 The bidder must provide the associated support and maintenance for the duration of the contract. The support and maintenance must include all services as per product code. 6.6 The submission of a bid implies acceptance of the terms specified in the provisions laid down in the specifications, the procurement and, where applicable, additional documents. 6.7 Bidders are expected to examine carefully and respect all instructions and standard 5 | P a g e Suitable for Public Use formats contained in these specifications. 6.8 A bid that does not contain all the required information and documentation will be disqualified. 6.9 Although the Electoral Commission will only deal with the principal service provider, if a bidder plans to sub-contract any of the services in this bid, they are required to attach copies of sub-contracting agreements in their bid response documentation. 6.10 Notwithstanding any shortcomings in these specifications, service providers must ensure that the proposed solution will form a workable and complete solution. 6.11 The Electoral Commission will issue a formal purchase order to the successful bidder before any services can be delivered. 6.12 Awarding of the bid to the successful bidder will be subject to the Electoral Commission’s due diligence audit requirements, where applicable. 6.13 The Electoral Commission reserves the right and discretion to amend the quantities or cancel or not award this bid based on any reason including operational or financial requirements. 6.14 Awarding the bid to a successful bidder will be subject to the bidder entering into a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the Electoral Commission that will formalize and regulate the final deliverables and associated processes and procedures. 7 Pricing Requirements Completion of the detailed pricing schedule by responding to each item is compulsory. Failure to complete and submit this detailed pricing schedule as part of the bid submission shall lead to disqualification. 7.1 Total bid price must be submitted online on the eProcurement (Votaquotes) portal. 7.2 Bidders must complete and submit Appendix B: Pricing Schedule. The bid price on the Appendix B: Pricing Schedule must be the same as the bid price submitted online. If there is a discrepancy between the Pricing Schedule bid price and the online submitted bid price, 6 | P a g e Suitable for Public Use the online submitted bid price will be used for adjudication. 7.3 All costs associated with the software licensing, implementation services and associated support must be included in the total bid price. The total bid price must be inclusive of all factors which may contribute to the cost of fulfilling the bid, factors such as: 7.3.1 License subscription costs over 36 months including co-Term. 7.3.2 Delivery costs to the Electoral Commission’s national office in Centurion, Gauteng, South Africa. 7.3.3 Support and Maintenance over 36 months 7.3.4 Configuration and Customization OEM services credit costs. 7.3.5 Licenses will be paid annually in advance. The bidder must for increases and rate of exchange fluctuations in their costing. 7.4 Bid prices must be VAT inclusive and must be firm for contract period. The Electoral Commission will pay annually in advance for the licenses and the services. 7.5 The Electoral Commission reserves the right to adjust costs by excluding some cost factors. 7.6 All costs associated with the solution must be captured on the pricing schedule - no additional costs will be entertained. 8 Adjudication and Award of Contract 8.1 Bidders are advised to refer to the Appendix D: Bid Evaluation Criteria to ensure that they have addressed all critical bid requirements. 8.2 The bid will be awarded to a bidder whose solution successfully conforms to specifications and is able to deliver the services, and in terms of the provisions of the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act, 2000 and specifically the Preferential Procurement Regulations, 2022. 8.3 The Electoral Commission will issue a formal order before any services can be delivered 8.4 It should be noted that the Electoral Commission seeks to gain the best solution technically 7 | P a g e Suitable for Public Use and financially. 9 Delivery and Implementation Timeframe 9.1 The successful bidder will be required to complete delivery of licenses within ten (10) days from receipt of an official Purchase Order. 9.2 Delivery will be at the Electoral Commission’s National Office in Centurion, Gauteng, South Africa 10 Written Submissions All submissions must be received before the closing date and time for submissions as stipulated on the eProcurement website https://votaquotes.elections.org.za Submissions received after the final date and time will lead to bids being disqualified and not considered. All bids must be placed online on eProcurement website https://votaquotes.elections.org.za. Supporting documentation can be submitted in any or both of the following options: • Upload to the auction site. • Place in the Electoral Commission tender box situated in the foyer of the Electoral Commission National Office in Centurion at the following address before the closing date and time of this auction Election House Riverside Office Park, 1303 Heuwel Avenue, Centurion, 0157 Note: Clearly mark your submission: For the attention of Procurement and Asset Management Department – Auction 0010556460 Failure to submit all of the required documentation before the closing date and time shall invalidate the bid. It remains the responsibility of the bidder to confirm receipt of the required documentation with the Electoral Commission Procurement and Asset Management Department. 8 | P a g e Suitable for Public Use 11 Summary of Submission Requirements 11.1 All bids must be submitted online on eProcurement (Votaquotes) portal. 11.2 All written supporting documentation must be submitted as stipulated on the bid requirement. 11.3 Submissions received after the closing date and time will lead to bids being disqualified and not considered. 11.4 The following supporting documents must be submitted as part of the written submissions. Failure to submit these will lead to the bid being disqualified: 11.4.1 Completed technical specifications in accordance with the requirements in Appendix A: Technical Bid Response Sheet to demonstrate compliance with the bid specification as per 5.2. 11.4.2 Three (3) relevant contactable References, Guideline Appendix C: Guideline Reference Table as per 5.3 11.4.3 Completed pricing schedule in Appendix B: Pricing Schedule as per 7.2 11.4.4 A letter of proof of the reseller agreement either from the OEM or an authorized distributor as per 5.4, 5.5 and 5.6; (i.e. if the reseller is authorized by a distributor). If the reseller agreement is from a distributor, then proof from the OEM authorizing the distributor needs to be included.

Bidder is registered on the National Treasury Central Supplier Database (CSD). * Bidder is tax compliant. ** The bidder is not an employee of the state. Having certified the SBD4, it is accepted that the bidder’s conduct does not constitute a transgression of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act. Having certified to the SBD4, it is accepted that the bidder’s conduct does not constitute a transgression of the Competition Act. The bidder is not a tender defaulter as per the register published on the National Treasury website. The bidder is not a restricted supplier as per the register published on the National Treasury website. No bid shall be accepted if a supplier is not registered on the National Treasury Central Supplier Database (CSD). * A bidder must be tax compliant before a contract is awarded. A bid will be disqualified if the bidder’s tax affairs remains non-compliant as per the provisions of National Treasury Instruction No /2018 Tax Compliance Status Verification. 19 | P a g e Suitable for Public Use 17.2 Stage 2: Key Qualifying Criteria Stage 2 – Key Qualifying Criteria Failure to comply with any of the requirements below will result in the bid being disqualified No. Description Yes No Comments Did the bidder place their bid online as per 5.1 Did the bidder complete and submit technical specification as per 5.2? (Appendix A: Technical Bid Response Sheet) Did the bidder complete and submit pricing schedule as per 7.2? (Appendix B: Pricing Schedule) Did the bidder supply three (3) relevant references as per 5.3? Did the bidder submit a letter of proof of the reseller agreement either from the OEM or an authorized distributor (i.e. if the reseller is authorised by a distributor) as per 5.4, 5.5 and 5.6? Did bidder include an OEM Statement of licensing as per 5.9? Assessment Comments: Overall Stage 2 Outcomes: Bid qualifies for further consideration: (YES/NO): 20 | P a g e Suitable for Public Use 17.3 Stage 3: Technical Evaluation Stage 3 – Technical Evaluation – Technical Disqualifying Factors. Failure to comply with any of the requirements below will result in the bid being disqualified Product Code and Compliance Minimum Requirements Bidder Comments Description indicated Quantity Yes No Hardware Load Balancers -4 x LM-X25 (Prod and DR) CT-LM-HW-X25- 4 Co-Term 3 Years Enterprise Plus for LM-X25. Support ENP from 14 March 2026 – 26 August 2029. Serial numbers: TSCAB2006737, TSCAB2006773, TSCAB2006743, TSCAB2006746 Virtual Load Balancers – 2 x VLM-MAX (DR) Co-Term CT-VLM-MAX- 2 – 3 Years subscription for VLM MAX. Support from 14 SUB March 2026 – 26 August 2029 Serial numbers: 1293257, 1292457 Virtual Load Balancers – 2 x VLM-MAX (Prod) 3 Years VLM-MAX-SUB- 2 subscription for VLM MAX. Support from 27 August 3Y 2026 – 26 August 2029 Serial numbers: 1333225, 1333217 Load Master 360 – 3 Years subscription for 8 Kemps LM-360-01 8 OEM / Reseller Services as and when required for a OEM / Reseller 1 period of 3 years. The Electoral Commission prefers Services credit hours to be allocated over the next 3 years, 21 | P a g e Suitable for Public Use Stage 3 – Technical Evaluation – Technical Disqualifying Factors. Failure to comply with any of the requirements below will result in the bid being disqualified Product Code and Compliance Minimum Requirements Bidder Comments Description indicated Quantity Yes No where consumption of those hours will be on a need basis Assessment Comments: Overall Stage 3 Outcomes: Bid qualifies for further consideration: (YES/NO): 22 | P a g e Suitable for Public Use 17.4 Stage 4: Technical Scoring Bid Evaluation Criteria Stage 4 – Technical Scoring To qualify to the next phase of adjudication a bidder must score a minimum of 75% (33/44) Product Available Points Allocation Actual Comments Description Score Score 1 References: Customer name = 1 point Contact Person = 1 point Email = 1 point Telephone = 1 point Physical address = 1 point Relevant f) Product/Solution = 2 points Reference 30 g) Description of Services provided =2 points. Value (Number of Licenses Supplied) = 1 points Total for references (30 points): 3 references (maximum 10 points per reference) 2 5 Experience with Network Load Balancers. (Max 5 points) Relevant a) The bidder has at least three (3) years’ or more experience with Experience Kemp Network Load Balancers (4 points). The bidder has at least five (5) years’ or more experience with Kemp Network Load Balancers (5 points). 23 | P a g e Suitable for Public Use Bid Evaluation Criteria Stage 4 – Technical Scoring To qualify to the next phase of adjudication a bidder must score a minimum of 75% (33/44) Product Available Points Allocation Actual Comments Description Score Score OEM / 9 Bidder has included a proposal to provide the Electoral Commission Reseller with services on an ad-hoc basis during the contract period as per 5.8: Services a) The bidder has detailed an engagement model (4 points) The services are allocated on a credit basis throughout the contract period (5 points) The services are full time (managed) basis (0 points) Assessment Comments: Overall Stage 4 Outcomes: Bid qualifies for further consideration: (YES/NO): 24 | P a g e Suitable for Public Use 17.5 Stage 5: Adjudication of Bids Only bids that comply with the requirements and conditions of the bid and that meet the minimum criteria in the bid evaluation process as stipulated above will be considered for bid adjudication purposes. Acceptable bids must be market related. This bid is deemed not to exceed R50 million including VAT. Therefore, the 80/20 preference point system (PPPFA scoring) in terms of the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act, 2005 (PPPFA) and the Preferential Procurement Regulations, 2022 shall apply in the adjudication process of this auction where all acceptable bids received are equal to or below R50 million including VAT. Preference points will be allocated as follows: B-BBEE Status Level of Contributor Number of Points 1 20 2 18 3 14 4 12 5 8 6 6 7 4 8 2 Non-compliant contributor 0 Bid Evaluation Committee Evaluation Committee Member’s Signature Date Name Overall Adjudication Outcomes: ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 25 | P a g e Suitable for Public Use B-BBEE Minimum Level: 0