Appointment of a service provider or a consortium of service providers to provide 1100 forcepoint licenses for a period of 3 years

Closing date: 04 September 2026 at 11:00. No briefing session will be held.

No briefing session will be held for this project.

Bid enquiries: Ms N Metula, Department of Basic Education SCM, tel 012 357 3134, email [email protected]. Technical enquiries: Mr D Moukangwe, tel 012 357 3133, email [email protected]. Enquiries must be made at least seven (12) days before closing. All communication after closing must be in writing to the SCM Office at [email protected].

Bids must be delivered to the bid box at the main entrance/reception, Sol Plaatje House, Department of Basic Education, 222 Struben Street, Pretoria, by the closing time. Late bids will not be accepted. Bids must be submitted on the official forms provided and not re-typed. Returnable forms: SBD1 (Invitation to Bid, signed as cover page), SBD3.1 (Pricing Schedule – firm prices), SBD4 (Declaration of Interest), SBD6.1 (Preference Points Claim). Alteration of any SBD form leads to disqualification. Consortia/joint ventures must submit separate SBD forms for each party, a signed consortium agreement, and name the leading company. Subcontracting must be declared with the subcontractor's name and percentage. Proof of authority to sign (e.g. company resolution) must be submitted. Bids not complying with mandatory requirements will be disqualified.

The bidder must submit the following documents: fully completed and signed SBD forms (SBD1, SBD3.1, SBD4, and SBD6.1). In case of a Consortium or Joint Venture, each party must submit the SBD forms separately. If bidding with the intention of subcontracting, state the name of the subcontract Company and the percentage to be subcontracted. The bidder must submit proof of registration with the Central Supplier Database (CSD).

Evaluation uses the 80/20 preference point system: 80 points for price, 20 points for DBE specific goals. Price points calculated as Ps = 80(1 - (Pt - Pmin)/Pmin), where Pt is the bid price and Pmin is the lowest acceptable bid. Specific goals points: Black People 5, Women 8, Disability 1 (proof: NCPPDSA registration or medical certificate), Youth 6. Points are prorated by ownership percentage; for joint ventures/consortia points are averaged. DBE verifies ownership via the CSD report, which takes precedence over bidder claims. Bidders must indicate how they claim each goal; failure to submit SBD6.1 results in no specific goal points.

Purpose: strengthen web and email security against phishing for all DBE workstations and servers. Scope: supply 1100 Forcepoint licenses for 3 years, plus on-site support of 60 hours per annum (180 hours total). Deliverables: deployment of licenses and on-site support within the DBE environment over 3 years. Mandatory: bidder must be an accredited Forcepoint reseller; total price must be inclusive of VAT and fixed for the full duration; license fees must be separated from maintenance and support; company profile(s) required (each consortium member separately).

Mandatory: bidder must be an accredited Forcepoint reseller. Company profile(s) required; for consortia/joint ventures, a profile for each company. Consortiums with functional knowledge and experience will be considered, but must clearly indicate the lead agency responsible for managerial and technical accountability.

Pricing must be firm for 3 years, inclusive of VAT, with license fees separated from maintenance and support. Offer valid for 120 days. Price schedule items: license fees for 3 years, maintenance and support for 3 years, VAT, total price. Delivery costs included. Payment within 30 days of valid invoices, broken into total license cost and fixed hourly support fee billed monthly.

Pricing must be firm for the full 3-year period; non-firm prices (including exchange rate variations) will not be considered. Offer valid for 120 days from closing. Price schedule must show license fees for 3 years, maintenance and support for 3 years, VAT, and total price. All delivery costs must be included. Payment within 30 days of valid original invoices, broken down as: total license cost for 3 years, and fixed hourly support fee billed monthly for work completed.

Tax compliance: submit SARS Tax Compliance Status PIN or printed TCS certificate; if no PIN, provide CSD number. Each consortium/joint venture/subcontractor party must submit separate TCS/CSD. Bids from persons in state service, or companies with directors/members in state service, will not be considered. Proof of CSD registration required. SBD4 (Declaration of Interest) discloses any state employment or connections to the procuring institution; false declarations disqualify. SBD6.1 (Preference Points Claim) claims specific goal points; non-submission means no specific goal points. SBD9 (Certificate of Independent Bid Determination) is implied by the standard declaration against collusion.

Contract duration: 3 years for licenses and on-site support. Intellectual property: material compiled for DBE vests in the state; service provider may not use it without written approval from the designated officer. DBE will deal only with the primary service provider in a consortium. Service provider must be an accredited Forcepoint reseller and avoid any activity detrimental to DBE's interests. DBE may change the Terms of Reference before closing, may not award the tender, and may terminate the contract at any point if performance is unsatisfactory. Termination for default follows clause 23 of the General Conditions of Contract. Consortium proposals must name the lead agency taking full managerial and technical accountability.

Mandatory: accredited Forcepoint reseller; total price inclusive of VAT and fixed for the full duration; license fees separated from maintenance and support; no alteration of SBD forms; company profile(s) submitted. Administrative: return fully completed and signed SBD1, SBD3.1, SBD4, SBD6.1; consortia/joint ventures submit separate forms per party, signed consortium agreement, and lead company name; declare subcontractor name and percentage; submit proof of CSD registration.

80/20 preference point system: 80 points price, 20 points specific goals. Price formula: Ps = 80(1 - (Pt - Pmin)/Pmin). Specific goals: Black People 5, Women 8, Disability 1 (proof: NCPPDSA registration or medical certificate), Youth 6. Points prorated by ownership percentage; joint venture/consortium points averaged. CSD report used to verify ownership and takes precedence. Bidders must indicate how they claim each goal.