Redevelopment of the gauteng provincial legislature website – 12-Month contract

Closing date: 19 October 2026 at 11:00

Briefing session (non-compulsory): 14 October 2026 at 11:00, via Microsoft Teams

Non-compulsory briefing session: 14 October 2026 at 11:00, via Microsoft Teams.

Enquiries and submissions:

• Contact: [email protected]
• Email: [email protected]

Submission address: email to [email protected]

Submission method: email

Submission email: [email protected]

Closing time: 19 October 2026 at 11:00

Returnable documents (all must be completed, signed and submitted with the bid):

• Full technical proposal with supporting documents.
• Pricing Schedule (Firm Pricing) on SBD 3.3.
• Bidder's Disclosure (SBD 4), original completed and signed.
• Preference Point Claim form (SBD 6.1), original completed and signed.
• Full company registration documents.
• Copies of South African IDs for all directors.
• Company profile.
• Joint Venture / Consortium agreement or Trust Deed, if applicable, with certified copies of shareholders certificates, company registration documents and ID documents of directors or members for all parties.

Disqualification risks:

• Late submissions are not accepted and are automatically disqualified.
• Failure to submit a completed and duly signed SBD 3 automatically disqualifies the bid.
• Failure to submit all required documentation may result in disqualification.
• False, inaccurate or misleading information may result in immediate disqualification.

Evaluation follows the 80/20 preference point system, in sequential phases:

Phase 1: Administrative compliance (pre-qualification) — mandatory documents checked; failure disqualifies.

Phase 2: Functionality / technical evaluation — scored out of 80 points, minimum qualifying score 60. Criteria (each weighted 20):

• Bidder proven track record: 3 reference letters = 3, 4–6 = 4, 7+ = 5. Reference letters must be signed, include referee contact details, project details and contract period.
• Project Manager experience and qualifications: dedicated PM with ICT qualifications and recognised project management certification (PMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, IPMA or equivalent); 3 similar projects led = 3, 4 = 4, 5+ = 5. Foreign qualifications need SAQA verification.
• Proposed project team: CVs and certificates demonstrating required competencies; 3 = core competencies, 4 = plus business analysis, 5 = plus front-end development and training/change management.
• Draft project plan: must cover 11 elements (implementation phases, key activities, deliverables, milestones, timelines, dependencies, resource allocation, testing, deployment, training, post-implementation support); 3 = 6 of 11, 4 = 7–9, 5 = all 11.

Phase 3: Presentation (20 points) — bidders scoring 60+ in Phase 2 present a PowerPoint at their own cost. Scored on demonstration of website delivery methodology against a 5-item checklist: 0 = fewer than 3 items, 10 = 3 items, 20 = all 5 items.

Phase 4: Price and specific goals (80/20) — only bidders scoring 70+ out of 100 on functionality qualify. Price scored out of 80 using the prescribed formula; specific goals scored out of 20.

Specific goals (20 points):

• Black ownership: 100% = 7, 51% = 5, less than 51% = 3, not Black owned = 0.
• Women ownership: 100% = 5, 51% = 3, less than 51% = 1, not women owned = 0.
• Youth ownership: 100% = 5, 51% = 3, less than 51% = 1, not youth owned = 0.
• Persons with disabilities ownership: 100% = 3, 51% = 2, less than 51% = 1, not PWD owned = 0 (verified by letter from a doctor).

Verification for ownership goals is via registration documents and ID copies. Failure to submit proof means those preference points are not claimed.

The Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) requires the redevelopment, maintenance and support of its website over a period of twelve (12) months from appointment.

Scope of work:

• Discovery and planning: full audit of the current website, benchmarking research, stakeholder engagement and user research, define functional and technical requirements, develop sitemap and information architecture.
• Website design and development: use an enterprise-grade CMS (e.g. Umbraco, October CMS or equivalent Azure-compatible platform) integrating with Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Online; follow a structured SDLC; responsive design aligned with GPL corporate identity and WCAG 2.2 Level AA; homepage with dynamic hero section and tile-based navigation; page load time under 2 seconds and Google Core Web Vitals compliance; minimum 99.9% availability; HTTPS/TLS encryption and POPIA compliance; fully documented and maintainable with administrator training, source code and knowledge transfer.
• Functionality and integration: CMS, advanced search, multimedia and livestreaming, integration with YouTube, Facebook and Microsoft Stream, social sharing, chatbot (Microsoft Power Virtual Agents or equivalent), Microsoft Active Directory integration, SharePoint 365 document library, analytics and reporting, text-to-speech reader.
• Cloud infrastructure, security and performance: host in Microsoft Azure South Africa North region; Azure SOC 2 compliant; cross-browser and mobile responsive; HTTPS/SSL; CDN and caching; no High or Medium risks from Microsoft Defender for Cloud; include cost of all software licences for two years.
• Content migration and public participation: migrate, clean, restructure and optimise existing content; content structure must cover About the Legislature, MPLs and political parties, committees and oversight, GPL business (careers and tenders), legislative process and bills, publications and reports, public participation (e-Petitions, submissions, consultations), media, news and livestreams, contact information, copyright and legal links.
• Training, knowledge transfer and documentation: training for the Electronic Communications Team and for users and administrators; user manuals and SOPs; technical architecture documentation.
• Post-implementation support and maintenance: two-year warranty and support period covering technical support, corrective maintenance, security updates, bug fixes and performance monitoring; support hours Monday to Friday 08:00–17:00; urgent requests responded to within 2 hours; major issues resolved within 8 hours; minor issues within 2 business days; monthly support reports; minimum 99.9% uptime; minor enhancements within 5 business days; major changes within 30 business days; respond to all audits.

Deliverables include: project implementation plan, website audit report, benchmarking research report, stakeholder engagement and user research report, functional and technical requirements specification, approved sitemap and information architecture, approved website design and prototype, fully developed website, configured CMS, integration with Azure and Microsoft 365, migrated and optimised content, administrator training, user manuals and SOPs, technical architecture documentation, successful Go-Live, final project close-out report, product acceptance, and two-year technical support and maintenance.

Ownership and handover: on completion and acceptance, GPL obtains full ownership of all deliverables including source code, domain names, content, databases, configuration files, technical documentation, intellectual property rights in the custom-developed solution, and administrative credentials. The service provider must transfer all source code, documentation, digital assets and access credentials so GPL can operate and enhance the solution without dependency on the original provider.

Reporting: the service provider reports to the designated official in the Communications unit; monthly progress reports required; all deliverables subject to review and approval.

The service provider must follow a structured Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) methodology. The draft project plan must cover 11 elements: implementation phases, key activities, deliverables, milestones, timelines, dependencies, resource allocation, testing, deployment, training and post-implementation support. The presentation phase requires demonstrating a practical, structured and proven website delivery methodology based on previous implementations, covering the complete lifecycle from planning to post-implementation support, with evidence from previous successful projects and demonstration of how quality, security, testing and project governance are managed.

Service providers must demonstrate a minimum of three website development projects completed in the past. The assigned project manager must have relevant experience and qualifications as detailed in the functional criteria, including leading similar website development projects, ICT qualifications (with SAQA verification for foreign qualifications) and recognised project management certification (PMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, IPMA or equivalent). The proposed project team must collectively demonstrate competencies in business analysis, UX/UI design, front-end development, back-end/CMS development, QA and testing, cybersecurity, information architecture and content migration, and training and change management. Proof of relevant experience, including reference letters and details of similar projects, must be submitted with the bid.

Quality assurance and testing are part of the required project team competencies. The website must comply with WCAG 2.2 Level AA accessibility standards, Google Core Web Vitals performance standards, and achieve a minimum service availability of 99.9%. The solution must be fully documented and maintainable, with administrator training, technical documentation, source code and knowledge transfer to enable GPL to independently manage and enhance the website.

Pricing format: SBD 3.3 (Pricing Schedule for Professional Services) with firm pricing.

• Prices must be quoted in South African Rand (ZAR), VAT inclusive or exclusive.
• Bidders must indicate a ceiling price based on total estimated time for completion of all phases, including all expenses and all applicable taxes.
• Provide hourly and daily rates for persons involved, phases with cost per phase and man-days, and travel and other expenses (only actual costs recoverable, with proof accompanying certified invoices).
• Offer valid for 7 days from the closing date of the bid.
• Rates must be firm for the full contract period unless otherwise stated with basis for adjustment.

Financial proposal must cover all costs: design, development, content migration, software licences (where applicable), training, testing, deployment, the mandatory two-year warranty, and post-implementation support and maintenance.

Payment terms:

• Payment upon satisfactory delivery of agreed milestones.
• No advance payments unless approved in writing.

Mandatory documents (failure to submit may lead to disqualification):

• Full technical proposal with supporting documents.
• Pricing Schedule (Firm Pricing) on SBD 3.3.
• Bidder's Disclosure (SBD 4), original completed and signed.
• Preference Point Claim form (SBD 6.1), original completed and signed.
• Full company registration documents.
• Copies of South African IDs for all directors.
• Company profile.
• Joint Venture / Consortium agreement or Trust Deed, if applicable, with certified copies of shareholders certificates, company registration documents and ID documents of directors or members for all parties.

Statutory compliance:

• Bidders must comply with all applicable legislation, regulations and policies, including Supply Chain Management (SCM), CIPC and SARS requirements.
• Bidders must not be listed on the Register for Tender Defaulters or the List of Restricted Suppliers.
• SBD 4 requires disclosure of any director or shareholder employed by an organ of state or connected to anyone at the procuring institution; failure to disclose all CSD-registered active companies linked to directors leads to disqualification.
• SBD 6.1 is the claim for preference points under the 80/20 system.

Experience requirements:

• Minimum of three website development projects completed in the past.
• Dedicated project manager with relevant ICT qualifications and recognised project management certification (PMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, IPMA or equivalent).
• Project team collectively covering business analysis, UX/UI design, front-end and back-end/CMS development, QA and testing, cybersecurity, information architecture and content migration, and training and change management.
• Foreign qualifications must be accompanied by a SAQA verification certificate.

Specific goals (20 points) are claimed as follows, with verification by registration documents and ID copies unless otherwise stated:

• Black ownership: 100% Black owned = 7 points, 51% Black owned = 5, less than 51% Black owned = 3, not Black owned = 0.
• Women ownership: 100% women owned = 5 points, 51% women owned = 3, less than 51% women owned = 1, not women owned = 0.
• Youth ownership: 100% youth owned = 5 points, 51% youth owned = 3, less than 51% youth owned = 1, not youth owned = 0.
• Ownership by persons with disabilities: 100% PWD owned = 3 points, 51% PWD owned = 2, less than 51% PWD owned = 1, not PWD owned = 0, verified by a letter from a doctor.

Confidentiality: all information provided by the institution must be treated as confidential and may not be disclosed without prior written consent.

Warranty: the successful service provider must provide a two-year warranty from the official Go-Live date, during which it must, at no additional cost to the GPL, investigate, rectify and resolve any defects, faults, bugs, configuration errors or system failures attributable to the design, development or implementation of the website.

Duration: twelve (12) months from date of appointment and acceptance of the offer, with commencement and completion dates subject to change by written consent of the Gauteng Legislature.

Ownership: on completion and acceptance, GPL obtains full ownership of all deliverables including source code, domain names, content, databases, configuration files, technical documentation, intellectual property rights in the custom-developed solution, and administrative credentials. The service provider must transfer all source code, documentation, digital assets and access credentials so GPL can operate and enhance the solution without dependency on the original provider.

The GPL reserves the right to appoint one or more service providers, to make no appointment and use an objective criterion, or to establish a panel of service providers instead of appointing a single service provider. The GPL is not bound to accept the lowest-priced bid or any bid received. Late submissions will not be accepted and will be automatically disqualified. The GPL reserves the right to verify all information provided by bidders, including references and past experience. Any false, inaccurate or misleading information may result in immediate disqualification and further action in accordance with applicable legislation. Bidders must comply with all applicable legislation, regulations and policies, including Supply Chain Management (SCM), CIPC and SARS requirements. All costs incurred by bidders in preparing and submitting proposals are for the bidder's own account. The GPL reserves the right to cancel this bid process at any stage.

Evaluation follows the 80/20 preference point system in sequential phases. Phase 1: Administrative compliance (pre-qualification) — mandatory documents checked; failure disqualifies. Phase 2: Functionality/Technical evaluation — scored out of 80 points, minimum qualifying score 60. Criteria (each weighted 20): bidder proven track record (3 reference letters = 3, 4–6 = 4, 7+ = 5); Project Manager experience and qualifications (3 similar projects led = 3, 4 = 4, 5+ = 5, with ICT qualifications and recognised project management certification); proposed project team (3 = core competencies, 4 = plus business analysis, 5 = plus front-end development and training/change management); draft project plan (3 = 6 of 11 elements, 4 = 7–9, 5 = all 11). Phase 3: Presentation (20 points) — bidders scoring 60+ in Phase 2 present a PowerPoint at their own cost; scored on demonstration of website delivery methodology against a 5-item checklist (0 = fewer than 3 items, 10 = 3 items, 20 = all 5). Phase 4: Price and specific goals (80/20) — only bidders scoring 70+ out of 100 on functionality qualify; price scored out of 80 using the prescribed formula, specific goals out of 20.