Sage CRM and loan management system support, maintenance and enhancement for 12 months

Procurement: Consolidated CRM Support and Maintenance for 12 months

Client: National Housing Finance Corporation SOC Ltd (NHFC), a Schedule 3A public entity under PFMA, established 1996 by National Department of Human Settlements as a development finance institution for affordable housing

Business context: NHFC operates as wholesale funder through intermediaries (social housing institutions, property developers, contractors, non-banking retail intermediaries) across four financing channels; also manages First Home Finance subsidy programme for first-time homeowners

Systems landscape: Sage CRM-based solutions (Grant Facilitation System, Web Portal, Loan Management Systems) are business-critical for lending operations, customer relationship management, grant administration, workflow automation, reporting

Purpose: Ensure reliable, secure, sustainable support for in-scope systems; maintain technical capability, system knowledge, responsive support capacity; minimise operational/technology risks; enable timely incident resolution, knowledge continuity, effective maintenance, enhancement capacity

Objectives: continuity/stability of support; improved availability, reliability, performance, security; responsive incident/problem/service request management; controlled/auditable enhancements; current documentation and knowledge repository; internal capability development via knowledge transfer; measurable accountability via SLAs and reporting; orderly transition at start and exit

Scope covers: Sage CRM and LMS environment including associated applications, interfaces, databases, supporting environments

Key risk mitigation: structured service model with defined SLAs, technical capability, comprehensive documentation, knowledge transfer, transition/exit arrangements

Closing date and time: 13 November 2026 at 11:00

Bid validity period: 60 business days from closing date (extendable on same terms)

No compulsory briefing or site visit mentioned in the document

Enquiries (both SCM and technical):

• Contact person: Ms Kamogelo Dagane
• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: not provided (marked N/A in document)

Submission address:

• Email: [email protected]

Service delivery address: not specified in document (services rendered remotely/on-site as approved)

Submission method: email only

Submission email: [email protected]

Closing date and time: 13 November 2026 at 11:00

Format: all documents numbered per checklist, converted to a single PDF, emailed before closing

Mandatory returnable documents (failure to submit any disqualifies the bid):

• Annexure 1: Tax Compliance Status PIN
• Annexure 2: Company Registration Documents
• Annexure 3: Valid B-BBEE Certificate (SANAS accredited) or Sworn Affidavit
• Annexure 4: Current Central Supplier Database (CSD) Report
• Annexure 5: SBD 1 Invitation to Bid (signed)
• Annexure 6: Pricing Schedule (SBD 3.3) – mandatory; if not completed, a separate aligned schedule must be submitted and SBD 3.3 signed as acknowledgement
• Annexure 7: SBD 4 Bidder’s Disclosure (signed)
• Annexure 8: SBD 6.1 Preference Point Claim Form (signed)
• Annexure 9: Identity Documents of Directors
• Annexure 10: General Conditions of Contract (GCC) signed or initialled on every page

Additional requirements:

• Soft copy serves as the legal bid contract document and master record
• Validity period: 60 business days from closing date (may be extended on same terms)
• All forms, annexures and addendums must be signed and completed
• Late submissions will not be accepted
• NHFC may accept a bid conditionally if supplementary information is provided within 7 working days to achieve full administrative compliance

Evaluation in three phases:

Phase 1 – Administrative Compliance (pass/fail):

• Company Registration Documents
• Directors’ ID documents
• Valid B-BBEE Certificate (SANAS accredited) or Sworn Affidavit
• Valid Tax Clearance Certificate and SARS PIN (or CSD number)
• CSD Report / CSD Reference Number
• Pricing Schedule (SBD 3.3) submitted and signed
• SBD 1, SBD 4, SBD 6.1, GCC signed/initialled

Phase 2 – Functionality Evaluation (minimum 70/100 points to proceed):

Section 1: Technical Capabilities – 20 points (10 criteria × 2 points each; all-or-nothing per criterion)

• Application support (Level 1/2 with Level 3 escalation)
• Corrective and problem maintenance
• Preventive and perfective maintenance
• Adaptive maintenance
• Enhancements and change requests
• System administration and security support
• Integration support
• Database and data support (MS SQL Server)
• Release, testing and deployment
• Non-functional requirements (performance, scalability, reliability, usability, maintainability, availability)

Section 2: Company Reference Letters – 15 points

• 5 letters = 15 pts; 4 = 12; 3 = 9; 2 = 6; 1 = 3; 0 = 0
• Letters must be on client letterhead, dated, describe services, include client contact details, signed and dated by client
• Work completed within past 5 years (after 30 April 2019); similar scope and complexity
• NHFC will contact referees; non-response within 7 working days invalidates the letter

Section 3: Proposed Methodology and Service Model – 20 points

• Support and Maintenance Methodology (5 pts)
• Incident Management and Escalation Model (4 pts)
• Service Delivery and Resource Model (3 pts)
• Change, Release and Quality Management (3 pts)
• Monitoring, SLA Management and Reporting (3 pts)
• Service Continuity and Knowledge Management (2 pts)
• Zero score if methodology not submitted, format not followed, or schedule not aligned to deliverables

Section 4: Experience of Personnel – 36 points (5 key roles)

• Service Delivery Manager (8 pts): NQF Level 7+ IT qualification (2 pts) + project leadership experience (6/4/2/0 pts for 7+, 4-6, 1-3, 0 similar projects)
• Sage CRM Technical Consultant/Developer (7 pts): NQF Level 6+ IT qualification (3 pts) + Sage OEM Technical Specialist Certificate + project experience (4/2/0 pts for 4-6, 1-3, 0 projects)
• LMS Functional/Technical Consultant (7 pts): NQF Level 7+ IT qualification (3 pts) + Sage OEM Technical Specialist Certificate + project experience (4/2/0 pts)
• Database Specialist (7 pts): NQF Level 6+ IT qualification (3 pts) + OEM Technical Specialist Certificate + project experience (4/2/0 pts)
• Integration Specialist (7 pts): NQF Level 6+ IT qualification (3 pts) + OEM Technical Specialist Certificate + project experience (4/2/0 pts)
• CVs must show start/end dates, role, duties; foreign qualifications require SAQA verification

Section 5: Skills Transfer – 9 points

• Comprehensive Skills Transfer Plan with As-Is documentation and hands-on labs covering all required topics
• Scoring: 8-9 (detailed plan with labs), 5-7 (plan with limited labs), 1-4 (basic/partial), 0 (non-compliant)

Phase 3 – Price and Specific Goals (preference point system per PPPFA 2022; 80/20 or 90/10 not explicitly stated)

Scope: Consolidated support and maintenance of Sage CRM and Loan Management Systems (LMS) for 12 months on an as-and-when-required basis

Systems in scope:

• Sage CRM versions 7.3 SP3 to 2024 R2
• Microsoft SQL Server 2012 (v11.0) to SQL Management Studio v18.12.1
• Grant Facilitation System
• First Home Finance Web Portal (customer-facing)
• LMS-CRM (Affordable Housing, Wholesale Loans, Retail LMS)
• CRM Marketing module

Integrations: Vodacom Bulk SMS API, FNB Fintegrate for collections

Support model:

• NHFC internal team provides Level 1 application support
• Service provider provides Level 2 support and facilitates escalation to Level 3
• Clear definition of Level 1/2/3 responsibilities, escalation criteria, handover points required

Services required:

• Application support (incident/service request logging, classification, prioritisation, resolution, remote/on-site)
• Corrective and problem maintenance (defect diagnosis, root-cause analysis, permanent fixes via approved change process)
• Preventive and perfective maintenance (scheduled health checks, log review, optimisation, security, technical debt remediation)
• Adaptive maintenance (changes for business, legislative, infrastructure, security, integration changes with impact assessments)
• Enhancements and change requests (analysis, specifications, development, testing, deployment, UAT support)
• System administration and security (user/role/permission/workflow/report/scheduler config, least privilege, vulnerability remediation)
• Integration support (interface monitoring, troubleshooting, documentation, credential management)
• Database and data support (MS SQL performance, integrity, query optimisation, controlled data corrections, extracts, migrations)
• Release, testing and deployment (NHFC-approved DTAP processes, release notes, test evidence, rollback plans, deployment checklists)
• Documentation and knowledge management (architecture diagrams, environment inventories, configuration records, interface catalogues, technical designs, procedures, user guidance, recovery procedures in NHFC-controlled repository)
• Knowledge transfer (plan with topics, participants, frequency, measurable outcomes; walkthroughs, shadowing, technical sessions, administrator training, recordings)
• Transition-in (detailed plan, knowledge harvesting, access validation, transition acceptance report)
• Transition-out/exit (exit plan from start, secure transfer of documentation, code, credentials, ticket history, cooperation with successor, access revocation, written confirmation)

Deliverables and frequency:

• Transition plan and baseline assessment: at commencement
• Service management report (tickets, SLA performance, ageing, recurring issues, changes, risks, capacity): monthly
• Major incident report: after each major incident
• Health-check report (application, database, integration, operational health): quarterly or as agreed
• Change and release pack (requirement, design, tests, release notes, rollback, sign-off): per approved release
• Knowledge transfer report (sessions, attendance, materials, outcomes, gaps): quarterly
• Updated documentation (architecture, configuration, procedures, user guidance): continuous and at each release
• Exit pack (current artefacts, outstanding matters, access closure, handover evidence): at contract exit

Monthly support hours: maximum 70 hours for SLA

Contract term: 12 months from SLA signature, quarterly performance assessment and review

Bidder must submit a detailed Methodology and Service Model (Section 3 of functionality evaluation, 20 points) demonstrating:

• Support and Maintenance Methodology: clear, practical approach for delivering application support and corrective/preventive/adaptive/enhancement maintenance; incident/service request/problem/enhancement management from initiation to closure (5 pts)
• Incident Management and Escalation Model: structured process for logging, categorising, prioritising, assigning, escalating, resolving, closing incidents with defined escalation paths and responsibilities for critical/unresolved incidents (4 pts)
• Service Delivery and Resource Model: proposed operating model including technical/functional resource allocation, support coverage, communication channels, responsibilities, coordination with NHFC ICT stakeholders (3 pts)
• Change, Release and Quality Management: controlled methodology for fixes/enhancements including impact assessment, development/configuration, testing, UAT support, release management, production deployment, rollback, post-implementation support (3 pts)
• Monitoring, SLA Management and Reporting: approach to monitoring service performance, tracking incidents/requests, managing SLA performance, identifying recurring issues, providing regular operational/service reports (3 pts)
• Service Continuity and Knowledge Management: approach to maintaining continuity, system documentation, technical knowledge sharing to minimise reliance on individuals, enable effective support throughout contract (2 pts)

Scoring rubric per criterion: 0 (no methodology), 1 (poor), 2 (fair), 3 (good), 4 (very good), 5 (excellent) for first criterion; similar scaled rubrics for others

Zero score for entire section if methodology not submitted, required milestone format not used, or schedule not aligned to Section 4 deliverables

Company experience (Section 2, 15 pts):

• Demonstrable experience supporting/maintaining Sage CRM or comparable enterprise CRM with custom workflows, reports, portals, integrations
• Demonstrable experience supporting loan management, financial services, development finance or comparable business-critical systems
• Evidence of completed contracts of similar nature, scale, complexity
• Service management methodology, escalation model, quality controls, continuity arrangements
• Capacity to provide required technical/functional resources throughout contract
• Five client reference letters (on client letterhead, dated, detailed service description, client contact details, signed/dated by client) for work completed within past 5 years (after 30 April 2019); NHFC contacts referees, non-response within 7 working days invalidates letter

Personnel experience (Section 4, 36 pts) – five key roles, each requiring:

• Abridged CV with start/end dates, role, specific duties per project
• Certified copies of all listed qualifications
• Foreign qualifications require SAQA verification letter/certificate
• OEM certifications as specified (Sage, MS SQL); NHFC verifies authenticity; invalid/misrepresented certifications disqualify bidder

Role-specific requirements:

1. Service Delivery Manager (8 pts): NQF Level 7+ IT qualification (2 pts); led 7+ similar projects (6 pts), 4-6 (4 pts), 1-3 (2 pts), 0 (0 pts)
2. Sage CRM Technical Consultant/Developer (7 pts): NQF Level 6+ IT qualification (3 pts) + Sage OEM Technical Specialist Certificate; 4-6 similar projects (4 pts), 1-3 (2 pts), 0 (0 pts)
3. LMS Functional/Technical Consultant (7 pts): NQF Level 7+ IT qualification (3 pts) + Sage OEM Technical Specialist Certificate; 4-6 similar projects (4 pts), 1-3 (2 pts), 0 (0 pts)
4. Database Specialist (7 pts): NQF Level 6+ IT qualification (3 pts) + OEM Technical Specialist Certificate (MS SQL); 4-6 similar projects (4 pts), 1-3 (2 pts), 0 (0 pts)
5. Integration Specialist (7 pts): NQF Level 6+ IT qualification (3 pts) + OEM Technical Specialist Certificate; 4-6 similar projects (4 pts), 1-3 (2 pts), 0 (0 pts)

Skills Transfer (Section 5, 9 pts): comprehensive plan with As-Is documentation and hands-on labs covering all required topics (LMS landscape, business processes, grant administration, solution architecture, CRM/LMS/Portal configuration); scoring 8-9 (detailed with labs), 5-7 (limited labs), 1-4 (basic/partial), 0 (non-compliant)

Quality standards aligned to NHFC ICT Project Management Framework:

• Clear business justification, requirements definition, planning, governance, controlled change, testing, deployment, handover to production support
• NHFC-approved development, test, user acceptance and production processes mandatory
• Release management: release notes, test evidence, rollback plans, deployment checklists, implementation records required
• Change management: impact assessments, estimates, designs, testing evidence, implementation plans for all changes
• Non-functional requirements: performance, scalability, reliability, usability, maintainability, availability must be met for all CRM-LMS systems
• Monitoring and reporting: SLA performance tracking, incident/service request tracking, recurring issue identification, regular operational/service reports
• Service continuity: system documentation, technical knowledge sharing to minimise key-person dependency
• Knowledge transfer: structured plan with measurable outcomes, walkthroughs, shadowing, technical sessions, administrator training, recordings
• Documentation maintenance: architecture diagrams, environment inventories, configuration records, interface catalogues, technical designs, support procedures, user guidance, recovery procedures in NHFC-controlled repository with version history
• OEM certifications required for key personnel (Sage, MS SQL); NHFC reserves right to verify authenticity; invalid/misrepresented certifications lead to disqualification

Pricing Schedule (SBD 3.3) is mandatory and must be submitted as part of the bid response

Bidders who fail to submit SBD 3.3 will be disqualified

If a bidder does not complete the provided SBD 3.3 pricing schedule, they must submit a separate pricing schedule that aligns with NHFC’s requirements and must sign SBD 3.3 as acknowledgement of pricing requirements

All prices must be quoted in South African Rand on a fixed price basis, including VAT if applicable

Payment schedule defined in the Service Level Agreement (SLA)

NHFC undertakes to pay within 30 days from issuance of substantiated invoices

No payment for outstanding information not submitted by service provider

Service provider must maintain updated tax compliance status for duration of contract

Cost of compiling proposal remains bidder’s own cost, not reimbursable

Pricing basis: fixed price in South African Rand, inclusive of VAT where applicable

Pricing schedule: SBD 3.3 mandatory; must be submitted and signed; alternative aligned schedule permitted only if SBD 3.3 signed as acknowledgement

Payment terms: NHFC undertakes to pay within 30 days from receipt of substantiated invoices per SLA payment schedule

No payment for outstanding information not submitted by service provider

Service provider must maintain updated tax compliance status for duration of contract

Cost of proposal preparation: borne entirely by bidder, not reimbursable

No bid security, performance bond, guarantee or retention mentioned

No minimum turnover or financial capacity threshold stated

Mandatory eligibility and compliance:

• Central Supplier Database (CSD) registration (mandatory for all SA entities; foreign suppliers with no local entity exempt)
• Tax compliance: Valid Tax Clearance Certificate and SARS PIN (must be valid on closing date) or CSD number
• B-BBEE: Valid B-BBEE Certificate from SANAS-accredited verification agency (original or certified copy) OR Sworn Affidavit (for EMEs/QSEs) signed by Commissioner of Oaths
• Company Registration Documents (CIPC)
• Directors’ Identity Documents
• No director/shareholder/member may be a person in the service of the state
• SBD 1 Invitation to Bid (signed)
• SBD 4 Bidder’s Disclosure (signed)
• SBD 6.1 Preference Point Claim Form (signed)
• General Conditions of Contract (GCC) signed or initialled on every page
• Pricing Schedule (SBD 3.3) submitted and signed

Key personnel certifications (required for full points in evaluation):

• Sage CRM Technical Consultant/Developer: Sage OEM Technical Specialist Certificate
• LMS Functional/Technical Consultant: Sage OEM Technical Specialist Certificate
• Database Specialist: OEM Technical Specialist Certificate (MS SQL)
• Integration Specialist: OEM Technical Specialist Certificate
• Foreign qualifications must be accompanied by valid SAQA verification letter/certificate

Background checks: NHFC reserves right to conduct background checks on bidding entity and directors/partners/trustees/shareholders/members/employees; adverse findings (state capture, fraud, corruption, audit misrepresentation, National Treasury restricted database, criminal investigations, reputational harm) may lead to disqualification

Due diligence and PEP checks on successful bidder

Zero tolerance for bid rigging/collusive behaviour; no proposals from multiple companies with common director/shareholder

Not directly applicable (IT support and maintenance services). However, the following risk and compliance provisions apply:

• NHFC zero tolerance for reputational harm; consent required for background checks on bidding entity and all directors/partners/trustees/shareholders/members/employees
• Background check findings considered in evaluation: state capture involvement, fraud/corruption, audit misrepresentation, National Treasury restricted database listing, criminal investigations, any reputational risk
• Due diligence, screening, vetting, PEP checks on successful bidder
• Bid rigging/collusive behaviour results in disqualification
• No proposals from multiple registered companies with common director/shareholder
• Service provider must maintain updated tax compliance status for contract duration
• Compliance with all applicable national and local laws and regulations required
• Protection of personal data: NHFC and bidders must process personal information only for evaluation/award purposes, not disclose to third parties without consent, in accordance with applicable law (POPIA implied)

No specific environmental or sustainability requirements stated in the document.

Contract form: Service Level Agreement (SLA) to be signed by successful bidder

Contract period: 12 months from date of SLA finalisation and signature

Basis: as-and-when-required

Performance management: quarterly assessment and review; contract duration based on performance

Transition-in: detailed transition plan within period specified by NHFC; knowledge harvesting with NHFC and incumbent (where permissible); validation of access, environments, integrations, contacts, escalation routes; transition acceptance report for NHFC approval

Transition-out/exit: exit plan maintained from contract start; secure transfer of documentation, configuration records, source code, scripts, credentials, ticket history, outstanding work registers via NHFC-approved channels; cooperation with NHFC and successor provider; revocation of supplier access; return or secure disposal of NHFC information; written confirmation of completed exit obligations

Monthly support hours capped at 70 for SLA purposes

Payment within 30 days of substantiated invoices per SLA

Service provider must maintain tax compliance throughout contract

NHFC reserves right to reject proposals not compliant with scope of work/terms of reference

Due diligence, screening, vetting, PEP checks on successful bidder

Background checks on entity and directors/partners/trustees/shareholders/members/employees; adverse findings may disqualify

Zero tolerance for bid rigging/collusive behaviour; no multiple proposals from entities with common director/shareholder

Covered in main evaluationCriteria section. No additional criteria beyond the three-phase process described there.