Appointment of a service provider to render an integrated employee health, wellness & work-life balance programme to the commission for conciliation, mediation and arbitration (ccma) for a period of thirty-six (36) months.

The CCMA invites service providers to submit proposals for an integrated Employee Health, Wellness and Work-Life Balance Programme for a period of thirty-six months. The programme must support the CCMA's strategic mandate by delivering a holistic, preventative, responsive, and people-centred wellness programme. The service provider will work closely with the Employee Health & Wellness Sub-Unit, and operations will be governed by a Service Level Agreement.

Compulsory briefing session: 20 August 2026 at 11:00 AM, held virtually via Microsoft Teams. Attendance is compulsory; failure to attend leads to disqualification. Bidders must ensure they can access the briefing link before the session.

Closing date for enquiries: 26 August 2026 at 16:00. Consolidated responses will be posted on the CCMA website within two days after the last day of enquiries.

Bid closing date: 02 September 2026 at 11:00 AM (Telkom time), at the CCMA National Office, 28 Harrison Street, JCI Building, 12th Floor, Johannesburg (deposit in the tender box).

A compulsory briefing session will be held virtually on 20 August 2026 at 11:00 AM via Microsoft Teams. Bidders must ensure they can access the briefing link before the session. Failure to attend will lead to disqualification.

All enquiries must be directed in writing to:

• Name: Mr. Nathan Mamogobo
• Telephone: +27 11 377 6939
• Email: [email protected]

Closing date for enquiries: 26 August 2026 at 16:00. Consolidated responses will be posted on the CCMA website (www.ccma.org.za) under tenders.

Bids must be submitted as two hard copies (original and copy) and one electronic copy on USB in PDF format, all bound in a sealed envelope. The envelope must be endorsed with the bid reference number and description, and placed in the bid box at the CCMA National Office, 28 Harrison Street, JCI Building, 12th Floor, Johannesburg, by 11:00 AM on 02 September 2026. Bids must be in English. The bidder name, closing date, and return address must be on the envelope. If using a courier, the delivery note must be endorsed and documents placed directly into the bid box. Bids sent by email, fax, or similar will not be considered. Late bids will not be evaluated.

Returnable documents (each schedule clearly marked):

• Cover page: RFP reference number, bid description, bidder name.
• Schedule 1: Executive Summary, duly completed and signed RFP document, company registration documents, identity documents of owners, proof of medical certificate confirming disability (if applicable), latest Central Supplier Database report.
• Schedule 2: Valid tax clearance certificate with tax compliance status PIN, SBD 1, SBD 3.3, SBD 4, SBD 6.1, SBD 7.2, CCMA's Standard Conditions of Bid and General Conditions of Contract (signed), POPIA consent form, financial statements for the latest financial year signed by an independent registered accountant, copy of Joint Venture/Consortium/Subcontracting Agreement (if applicable), and B-BBEE certificate. For consortia or joint ventures, these documents must be submitted for each member.
• Schedule 3: Response to Sections 2 and 3 of the RFP.

Disqualification risks:

• Failure to attend the compulsory briefing session.
• Submission of incomplete or fraudulent information.
• Failure to comply with tax compliance directives.
• Failure to submit mandatory documentation, including the EAPA-SA certificate and Lead Account Clinician details.
• Bids not in the bid box at closing time.

Bidders must submit their bid responses in the prescribed format: Cover page, Schedule 1 (Executive Summary, RFP document, Company Registration Documents, Identity Documents, Medical Certificate if applicable, CSD report), Schedule 2 (Tax clearance certificate, SBD 1, SBD 3.3, SBD 4, SBD 6.1, SBD 7.2, CCMA's Standard Conditions, POPIA consent form, Financial Statements, JV/Consortium agreement if applicable, BBBEE Certificate), and Schedule 3 (Response to Sections 2 and 3).

Evaluation is in two stages: functional evaluation and price/specific goals evaluation.

Functional evaluation (100 points total):

• Understanding of scope and implementation plan with Gantt chart (60 points). Bidders must address all aspects of the Scope of Work; failure to do so results in a zero score for this criterion.
• Multidisciplinary clinical team spreadsheet (25 points). To score full points, bidders must have 251 or more clinicians in their database, with uploaded documents accompanied by signed letters of intent or employment contracts for at least 50% of listed names. The spreadsheet must include full name, province/geographic location, professional body, and valid professional registration/practice number for each clinician. Current cycle (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027) Annual Practising Certificates or active registration cards must be provided in the same order as the spreadsheet.
• Signed contactable reference letters (15 points). Five positive reference letters not older than five years from previous companies where similar services were rendered. Letters must be on company letterhead with company name, contact person, telephone numbers, and email address.

Minimum qualifying threshold: 70 out of 100 points on functional evaluation. Bids below this are disqualified and not considered for price evaluation.

Price and specific goals evaluation (100 points total):

• 80 points for price.
• 20 points for specific goals (ownership) under the 80/20 preference point system in line with the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act and Preferential Procurement Regulations (PPR) 2022.

Bidders must submit proof of specific goals to claim these points; failure to do so means no preference points are awarded.

The CCMA requires an integrated Employee Health, Wellness and Work-Life Balance Programme for a period of 36 months, delivered on a utilisation-based model, accessible to permanent, fixed-term, and independent contractor employees and their immediate families. The programme must cover four pillars:

Pillar 1: Occupational Health & Safety Support

• Lifestyle disease risk assessment and reporting.
• Annual health screening and wellness days for approximately 963 employees per year.
• Coordination of Employee Wellness Days, data capturing of results, and provision of wellness exhibitions by national health foundations and service providers.
• Full reports on wellness results, including demographics, health overview, and recommendations, broken down by region.
• Annual executive medical assessments for approximately 20 executives, including comprehensive health risk assessment, full blood pathology, and tailored coaching programmes.
• Fatigue and burnout risk management programme.
• Cognitive ergonomics assessments.
• Return-to-Work support and case management for extended absence.
• Provision of clinical specialists for second opinions where required.

Pillar 2: Work-Life Balance Integration Support

• Parenting Support Programme (pre- and post-natal support, parental guidance, child development needs).
• Flexible work and hybrid work psychosocial risk mitigation interventions (digital fatigue, isolation, boundaries).
• Time management and productivity interventions.
• Pre-Retirement Programme (transition readiness, identity, relationship, financial planning, wellness coaching).
• Family support interventions targeting caregiving, disability, elder care, and school-age stress.

Pillar 3: Lifestyle & Behavioural Wellness

• Physical wellbeing interventions, nutrition education and healthy eating campaigns.
• Smoking cessation and substance abuse intervention pathways.
• Mindfulness, meditation, and relaxation techniques.

Pillar 4: Psychosocial Wellness Support

• 24/7/365 toll-free counselling in all official South African languages, with a national network matching CCMA's geographic map.
• First appointment scheduled within 24-48 hours of inbound call.
• Counselling by practitioners registered with their respective professional bodies.
• Database of multidisciplinary subject matter experts for referrals for long-term therapy.
• If further intervention is needed beyond the sixth session, the bidder must inform the employee verbally and in writing.
• Face-to-face or virtual counselling (minimum six sessions per incident or case) near the employee's residence or place of work.
• Trauma debriefing onsite within 24 hours for critical incidents (robbery, death, violence), including incident containment and counselling.
• Crisis and grief support.
• Support following sexual harassment, domestic trauma, or workplace conflict.
• Debt counselling, budgeting support, money management training.
• Telephonic financial wellness coaching.
• Basic legal advisory services (contracts, will, family law).
• Referral pathways for severe cases.

Organisational Wellness & Culture Initiatives:

• Change management facilitation.
• Team cohesion, conflict mediation and intergenerational inclusion workshops.
• Leadership wellness coaching and supervisor-focused training.
• Organisational climate interventions and psychosocial risk assessments.

Training, Capacity Building and Organisational Development:

• Annual and quarterly implementation plans for approval by the Project Manager.
• Training may be delivered virtually or in-person (hybrid model).
• Training topics must cover employee wellbeing and health promotion, work-life balance, organisational wellness and culture, and management and leadership support.

Management, Administration & Reporting:

• Monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting is mandatory, including utilisation statistics by office, gender, age, problem category, and dependants; health risk trends; follow-up support outcomes; participation dashboards; and early warning indicators.
• A dedicated Client Relationship Manager must be assigned, with monthly meetings with the CCMA.
• Implementation must not take longer than one month from the date of award.
• Provide CVs of proposed team members, including a Partner or Director as Lead Advisor.

Marketing & Communication:

• Develop a full marketing toolkit using CCMA branding (wallet cards, posters, infographics, digital materials).
• Deliver monthly wellness articles aligned to national health calendars.
• Support the CCMA with a digital wellness engagement platform.

Confidentiality & Ethics:

• All information must adhere to confidentiality and ethics standards as laid down by the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

Special condition for current service providers: If the bidder is an existing service provider to the CCMA, reference checks will include an evaluation of current services being provided, and the CCMA will use the bidder's existing performance as a reference to assess compliance with service standards.

The scope of work includes four pillars: Occupational Health & Safety Support (health screenings, executive assessments, fatigue management, return-to-work support), Work-Life Balance Integration Support (parenting support, flexible work risk mitigation, pre-retirement programme), Lifestyle & Behavioural Wellness (physical wellbeing, nutrition, smoking cessation, mindfulness), and Psychosocial Wellness Support (24/7 counselling, trauma debriefing, crisis support, financial wellness, legal advisory). Also includes organisational wellness initiatives, training and capacity building, management and administration with monthly/quarterly/annual reporting, and marketing and communication.

Bidders must be competent, experienced, and appropriately accredited service providers.

Bidders must submit a multidisciplinary clinical team spreadsheet (e.g., Psychologists, Social Workers, Registered Counsellors) demonstrating national footprint, capacity, and scalability to service the CCMA over 36 months. The spreadsheet must include full name, province/geographic location, professional body, and valid professional registration/practice number for each clinician.

To score full points, bidders must have 251 or more clinicians in their database, with uploaded documents accompanied by signed letters of intent or employment contracts for at least 50% of listed names.

Bidders must provide signed contactable reference letters not older than five years from previous companies where similar services were rendered.

The Lead Account Clinician must have a valid and active professional registration certificate with a statutory body (HPCSA or SACSSP) and a CV with at least one written contactable reference.

Current service providers to the CCMA will have their existing performance evaluated as part of reference checks.

The bidder must assign a designated Lead Account Clinician who will oversee the contract, clinical governance, and quality assurance.

The Lead Account Clinician must have a valid and active professional registration certificate with a statutory body (HPCSA or SACSSP) showing a clear practice/registration number.

A CV of the Lead Account Clinician and at least one written contactable reference not older than five years must be provided.

Certification must be original, dated and signed, and not older than six months from the bid closing date. Failure to ensure proper certification results in disqualification.

All information must adhere to confidentiality and ethics standards as laid down by the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

Bidders must complete and submit the Pricing Schedule in accordance with Annexure A.

Price evaluation uses the 80/20 principle: 80 points for price and 20 points for specific goals (ownership) under the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act and Preferential Procurement Regulations (PPR) 2022.

Bidders must submit financial statements for the latest financial year signed by an independent registered accountant.

Bidders must submit a valid tax clearance certificate with tax compliance status PIN.

Bidders must be registered on the Central Supplier Database (CSD) and include their Master Registration Number.

Bidders must submit a B-BBEE certificate to claim specific goals points.

Mandatory compliance documents:

• Valid and certified EAPA-SA membership certificate (Employee Assistance Professionals Association of SA). Failure to submit results in automatic disqualification.
• Valid and active professional registration certificate for the Lead Account Clinician with a statutory body (HPCSA or SACSSP), showing a clear practice/registration number.
• CV of the Lead Account Clinician and at least one written contactable reference not older than five years.
• Certification must be original, dated and signed, and not older than six months from the bid closing date.

Other compliance requirements:

• Valid tax clearance certificate with tax compliance status PIN.
• Central Supplier Database (CSD) registration, with Master Registration Number included in the bid.
• Company registration documents.
• Identity documents of owners.
• Proof of medical certificate confirming disability of owners (if applicable).
• B-BBEE certificate.
• Signed Board Resolution authorising the signatory (for companies).
• POPIA consent form.
• All documentation must be in English.

Returnable standard forms (each to be completed and signed):

• SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid): bidder and contact details, signed as the offer cover page.
• SBD 3.3 (Pricing Schedule for professional services): pricing commitment.
• SBD 4 (Declaration of Interest): discloses whether any director or shareholder is employed by the state or connected to anyone at the CCMA.
• SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim): claims B-BBEE points under the PPPFA 80/20 system.
• SBD 7.2 (Contract Form for rendering of services): contract terms.
• CCMA's Standard Conditions of Bid and General Conditions of Contract (signed).
• POPIA consent form.

The 80/20 evaluation principle is applied in line with the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act and Preferential Procurement Regulations (PPR) 2022, where 80 points are allocated for price and 20 points for specific goals promoting CCMA's ownership goals. Bidders must submit proof of specific goals to claim these points.

The programme includes an Occupational Health & Safety Support pillar, which requires:

• Lifestyle disease risk assessment and reporting.
• Annual health screening and wellness days for approximately 963 employees per year.
• Coordination of Employee Wellness Days, data capturing of results, and provision of wellness exhibitions.
• Full reports on wellness results, including demographics, health overview, and recommendations.
• Annual executive medical assessments for approximately 20 executives.
• Fatigue and burnout risk management programme.
• Cognitive ergonomics assessments.
• Return-to-Work support and case management for extended absence.
• Provision of clinical specialists for second opinions where required.

Psychosocial wellness support includes trauma debriefing onsite within 24 hours for critical incidents, crisis and grief support, and support following sexual harassment, domestic trauma, or workplace conflict.

Training must include psychological first aid, trauma awareness and coping strategies, and early identification of psychosocial risks for managers and wellness champions.

The successful bidder must conclude a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the CCMA, which will form an integral part of the supply agreement and be used to measure, monitor, and assess supplier performance.

Bids must remain valid for 120 days from the bid closing date.

The CCMA may amend bid conditions, validity period, specifications, or extend the closing date before the closing date; amendments will be posted on the CCMA website.

The CCMA reserves the right not to accept the lowest priced bid or any bid in part or in whole, and to award the bid as a whole or in part.

The CCMA may verify any submitted documents and request clarification; unverifiable documents will not be considered.

The CCMA may conduct background checks on the bidding entity and its directors, trustees, shareholders, or members.

Fraudulent, false, or misleading information may lead to disqualification and referral to National Treasury.

Bidders may be required to attend an interview or practical demonstration.

The bidder's offer remains binding during the validity period.

Bidders must ensure all supporting documentation is valid and compliant at the closing date.

The successful bidder accepts full responsibility for proper execution and fulfilment of all obligations under the supply agreement and SLA.

All costs incurred in preparing and presenting the bid are for the bidder's account.

Supplier development: successful bidders may be required to mentor SMMEs and/or youth-owned businesses, subject to negotiation.

Mandatory documentation: Bidders must submit a valid and certified certificate from Employee Assistance Professionals Association of SA (EAPA-SA), a CV and at least one written contactable reference for the Lead Account Clinician, and a valid professional registration certificate for the Lead Account Clinician. Failure to submit these will result in automatic disqualification.

Functional evaluation criteria: 1) Understanding of scope with implementation plan (60 points), 2) Multidisciplinary clinical team spreadsheet with 251+ clinicians (25 points), 3) Five signed contactable reference letters (15 points). Total 100 points. Minimum threshold of 70 points required to proceed to price evaluation.