Digital aviation legislation and legal information database subscription for atns (5-Year, multi-user)

Closing: 18 September 2026, 11h00 CAT. Clarification queries must be submitted by 04 September 2026, 17h00 CAT. Responses to queries by 11 September 2026. No briefing session is stated.

Before bid closure: Specialist: Demand Management, Ursula Mosibi, [email protected] (cc: [email protected]). After bid closure: Specialist: Acquisition Management, Pulane Kakumbi, [email protected] (cc: [email protected]). Include the reference number and description in the subject line. Physical submission address: ATNS Company Limited, Eastgate Office Park, Block C, South Boulevard Road, Bruma, 2298.

Bids must be submitted via the National Treasury e-Submission (e-Tender) system, or physically to ATNS Company Limited, Eastgate Office Park, Block C, South Boulevard Road, Bruma, 2298. Hard copies require one original, one copy, and one PDF on USB. Email submissions are not accepted. Closing: 18 September 2026, 11h00 CAT. Bids must be split into three parcels: Parcel A (administrative and mandatory, excluding SBD 3.3 and 6.1), Parcel B (functionality/technical), Parcel C (price and preference points, including SBD 3.3, SBD 6.1, CSD report, CIPC documents, shareholder certificates, ID copies, B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit). Proposals must remain valid for 120 days from submission. Returnable forms include SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid), SBD 3.3 (Pricing Schedule – Professional Services), SBD 4 (Bidder's Disclosure), SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim), and Appendix A (Form Questionnaire). Bidders must complete the Bidders Declaration and Structure Clarification Form, indicating bidding structure (individual, JV, consortium, sub-contractors) and primary bidder type (OEM, authorised distributor/reseller, other). A valid OEM authorisation letter is required for distributors/resellers. Failure to comply with any administrative requirement may lead to rejection, or acceptance subject to supplementary information within seven days.

Bidders must submit: CSD Report, CIPC documents, Shareholder certificates, ID copies of shareholders, B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit. The bid must be submitted in three parcels: Parcel A – Administrative and Mandatory (Volume 1A excluding SBD 3.3 and 6.1, Phase 1 and 2 evaluation), Parcel B – Functionality/Technical Phase (Phase 3 evaluation), Parcel C – Price and Preference Points (SBD 3.3 Pricing Schedule, SBD 6.1 Preference Points Claim Form, CSD Report, CIPC Documents, Shareholder Certificates, ID copies of shareholders, Valid B-BBEE Certificate or Sworn Affidavit).

Evaluation is in five stages. Stage 1 – Administrative: valid SARS Tax Compliance Status PIN, valid for the full validity period. Stage 2 – Mandatory: three contactable reference letters (on client letterhead, signed, within past 5 years, with contact details; appointment letters or contracts not accepted), Title List Extract showing full-text access to SA aviation legislation with version history, concurrent user licensing model (11 aviation legislation licenses and 8 legal database licenses), remote access authentication (IP, proxy, VPN, SSO), and authoritative content sourcing. Failure in any mandatory criterion means automatic disqualification. Stage 3 – Functionality (100 points): Content Coverage (50), Reporting & Administrative Capability (25), Notification and Regulatory Monitoring (25). Minimum qualifying threshold is 70 points; scoring zero in any individual criterion disqualifies. Stage 4 – Demonstration (100 points, 10 criteria at 10 points each): Version Comparison, Cross Referencing, Search Capability, Citation and Export Tools, Content Download, Content Management, Multilingual Support, Artificial Intelligence, Collaboration, Media Intelligence. Bidders must obtain 70% in this phase. Stage 5 – Price and Preference Points: 80/20 system, price 80 points, specific goals 20 points, applicable to tenders up to R50,000,000. Price formula: Ps = 80(1 - (Pt - Pmin)/Pmin).

The service is a single, authoritative, cloud-hosted, web-based digital database subscription providing full-text access to aviation legislation and legal information, with multi-user institutional access for five years. Platform must be available 24/7 with maintenance windows notified 72 hours in advance. Must comply with POPIA and disclose hosting jurisdiction, cloud provider, and data residency. Must support current and prior major versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari; render on desktop, laptop, tablet, mobile. Authentication via IP, proxy, VPN, or SSO (SAML 2.0 or OpenID Connect), with Microsoft Entra ID integration if SSO offered. Must support remote access and allow ATNS administrators to manage users. Advanced search (keyword, phrase, Boolean, proximity, fielded, faceted), filtering, alerts, saved searches. Content downloadable, printable, citeable in PDF/HTML; citation export in Harvard, APA, Chicago, IEEE, Vancouver, OSCOLA, and to Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote. Usage statistics in COUNTER-compliant format, self-service dashboard, export to Excel/PDF/PowerBI, quarterly usage report. Onboarding for library staff, user training at no cost (initial, annual refresher, on-demand), support materials in English. 24/7 technical support or business-hours with escalation; named local support partner or account manager; critical incidents acknowledged within 1 hour, resolved/mitigated within 24 hours; minimum 99.5% uptime. Content updates: new/amended regulations and SACAA documents within 5 business days of publication; ICAO Annex amendments within 30 calendar days of applicability; ICAO circulars, state letters, technical manuals within 30 days of issuance. Content coverage must include SA primary legislation (Civil Aviation Act, ATNS Company Act, SACAA Act, Air Services Licensing Act, International Air Services Act, Aviation Co-Ordination Services Act, Civil Aviation Offences Act), regulations and technical standards (CARs, CATS, CANs, AIPs, SACAA directives), ICAO documents (Chicago Convention and 19 Annexes, PANS, technical manuals, circulars, state letters, Doc 7030), IATA and industry standards, AFCAC and SADC instruments, and regional domestic instruments (NEMA, OHSA, POPIA, PFMA, PAIA). Functional requirements include version history, compare-versions with track-changes, cross-referencing, hierarchical browsing, permalinks, annotation, bookmarking, offline access, and structured alerting at instrument, section, topic, and consultation levels. Bidders must disclose title lists and any excluded titles.

The platform must be cloud-hosted and web-based, available 24/7 with 72-hour maintenance notice, POPIA compliant, compatible with major browsers and devices, support authentication via IP, proxy, VPN, SSO (SAML 2.0 or OpenID Connect), remote access, and user management. Advanced search, filtering, alerts, downloadable/printable/citeable content, citation export in standard formats, COUNTER-compliant usage statistics, integration with discovery layers and APIs, usage analytics and reporting, training and onboarding, technical support with 24/7 or business-hours with escalation, 99.5% uptime, content updates within specified timeframes, data protection aligned to ISO/IEC 27001, copyright compliance, subscription and entitlement management, reference customers, and content coverage including SA aviation legislation, ICAO documents, IATA standards, continental and regional instruments. Functional requirements include version history, compare-versions, cross-referencing, alerts, hierarchical browsing, permalinks, annotation, offline access, and update frequencies.

Bidders must provide a minimum of three contactable reference letters for company experience in digital aviation legislation and comprehensive legal information databases. Letters must be on the client's official letterhead, signed by an authorised representative, include contact details for verification, and the service must have been completed within the past 5 years. Letters of appointment, project award notifications, or contracts are not accepted as substitutes. References from regulated entities, state-owned companies, aviation organisations, or research-intensive institutions are particularly relevant.

Pricing must be submitted on SBD 3.3 (Pricing Schedule – Professional Services), fully completed and signed. The 80/20 point system applies, with price worth 80 points and preference points for specific goals worth 20 points. The system applies to tenders up to R50,000,000 (all applicable taxes included). Price points calculated using the formula Ps = 80(1 - (Pt - Pmin)/Pmin).

Pricing must be submitted on SBD 3.3 (Pricing Schedule – Professional Services), fully completed and signed. The 80/20 preference point system applies, with price worth 80 points. The system applies to tenders up to R50,000,000 (all applicable taxes included). Price points calculated using the formula Ps = 80(1 - (Pt - Pmin)/Pmin). No bond, guarantee, or insurance requirements are stated beyond a requirement for the successful bidder to have adequate professional indemnity insurance.

Bidders must be registered on the National Treasury Central Supplier Database (CSD) before submitting a bid. A valid SARS Tax Compliance Status (TCS) PIN is required, valid for the full validity period. Bidders must submit CIPC documents, shareholder certificates, ID copies of shareholders, and a valid B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit (for EMEs/QSEs). The platform must comply with POPIA and GDPR where applicable, and maintain an information security management system aligned to ISO/IEC 27001 or equivalent, with evidence of certification or independent assurance. Data breaches must be notified within 24 hours. Bidders must disclose hosting jurisdiction and data residency. Returnable forms: SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid), SBD 3.3 (Pricing Schedule), SBD 4 (Bidder's Disclosure), SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim), Appendix A (Form Questionnaire).

Preference points for specific goals: 51% Black Owned suppliers (at least 51% black ownership, conferring both voting rights and economic interest) can claim 10 points; 30% Black Woman Owned Suppliers (at least 30% black woman ownership, conferring both voting rights and economic interest) can claim 10 points. Evidence required: CSD Registration Report, CIPC document, Shareholder Certificates, ID copies of shareholders, and B-BBEE Certificate or Sworn Affidavit (for EMEs/QSEs). Bidders must indicate how they claim points in SBD 6.1.

The subscription must include access to environmental regulations affecting airspace operations, including the National Environmental Management Act and its regulations as applied to aviation. ATNS's mission includes ensuring environmental sustainability.

ATNS may cancel or postpone the procurement process at any stage prior to contract conclusion. Bidders must comply with bid submission conditions and evaluation criteria; non-compliance leads to rejection. ATNS may negotiate with one or more bidders on terms and price, but negotiation does not constitute an award. ATNS is not obliged to accept the lowest or any bid. A contract is only concluded when reduced to writing and signed by both parties. ATNS may reject a proposal if the bidder has committed corrupt or fraudulent acts, abused the SCM system, or failed to perform on previous contracts; such actions may be reported to National Treasury. The General Conditions of Contract must be accepted. Additional information may be requested during evaluation; failure to respond within 7 working days may lead to disqualification. The bid and all information must be held in strict confidence. Copyright of all documentation belongs to ATNS. The bidder must give immediate written notice if it cannot deliver as specified. The bidder warrants it can conclude the agreement to ATNS's satisfaction. On termination, all documentation and deliverables must be handed over to ATNS without right of retention. Any contract variation must be in writing and signed by both parties.

All suppliers must be registered on the National Treasury Central Supplier Database (CSD) before submitting a bid. The CSD website is http://ocpo.treasury.gov.za/Pages/default.aspx. Bidders must disclose hosting jurisdiction, cloud provider, and data residency arrangements. Title-level changes during the contract must be communicated in writing at least 90 days in advance, with equivalent or superior content offered where titles are withdrawn. ATNS has the right to swap or substitute titles within an agreed annual allowance.

Mandatory requirements: three contactable reference letters (on client letterhead, signed, within past 5 years, with contact details; appointment letters or contracts not accepted), Title List Extract demonstrating full-text access to current SA aviation legislation, regulations, SACAA documents, and Civil Aviation Notices with version history and effective dates, concurrent user licensing model specifying 11 aviation legislation licenses and 8 legal database licenses, remote access authentication supporting IP, proxy, VPN, SSO or equivalent, and content sourced directly from publishers or authorised aggregators with sources clearly identified. Failure to provide any mandatory document results in automatic disqualification.

Evaluation is in five stages. Stage 1 – Administrative: valid SARS Tax Compliance Status PIN. Stage 2 – Mandatory: reference letters, Title List Extract, concurrent user licensing model, remote access authentication, authoritative content sourcing. Stage 3 – Functionality (100 points): Content Coverage (50), Reporting & Administrative Capability (25), Notification and Regulatory Monitoring (25). Minimum threshold 70 points; zero in any criterion disqualifies. Stage 4 – Demonstration (100 points, 10 criteria at 10 points each): Version Comparison, Cross Referencing, Search Capability, Citation and Export Tools, Content Download, Content Management, Multilingual Support, Artificial Intelligence, Collaboration, Media Intelligence. Must obtain 70% in this phase. Stage 5 – Price and Preference Points: 80/20 system, price 80 points, specific goals 20 points, up to R50 million. Price formula: Ps = 80(1 - (Pt - Pmin)/Pmin).