Economic and social cost-benefit analysis of climate change impacts and adaptation measures in key sectors of south africa — three-year professional services appointment

Compulsory briefing session

• Date: 13 November 2026
• Time: 10:00 – 11:00
• Platform: Microsoft Teams — https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3120225428288908?p=LwxPyHR3x85NzNQalk
• Attendance is compulsory and is verified against the attendance register; bidders who do not attend are automatically disqualified.

Closing

• Date: 02 December 2026
• Time: 11:00

Clarification questions

• Submit in writing to [email protected] at least seven calendar days before the closing date and time.
• The department accepts no liability for failing to respond to questions raised.

Bid validity

• 120 calendar days from the closing date.

Bidding procedure enquiries

• Contact: SCM Officials
• Email: [email protected]
• Facsimile: not applicable

Technical enquiries

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

Submission address

Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment

The Environment House

473 Steve Biko Road

Cnr Soutpansberg and Steve Biko Road

Arcadia

Pretoria / Tshwane

Submission method

• Sealed bid deposited in the bid box at the DFFE offices; no alternative channel is stated.
• Closing: 02 December 2026 at 11:00. Bids received after the closing time are not accepted.
• The master bid document must be submitted bound, together with an electronic copy on USB that matches the master exactly.
• Bids must be completed on the official forms supplied; retyped forms are not accepted.

Submission address

Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment

The Environment House

473 Steve Biko Road

Cnr Soutpansberg and Steve Biko Road

Arcadia

Pretoria / Tshwane

Returnable documents

• SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid): bidder details and signed offer.
• SBD 3.3 (Pricing Schedule — Professional Services): completed and aligned to Annexure A.
• SBD 4 (Bidder's Disclosure): discloses any interest held by directors, members or shareholders in the state or in the procuring department.
• SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim): claims points for the stated specific goals.
• B-BBEE status level verification certificate, CIPC-issued B-BBEE certificate, or sworn affidavit, submitted with the CSD report.
• CSD registration report with supplier number and/or SARS tax compliance PIN.
• Signed joint venture or consortium agreement, where applicable.
• Signed subcontracting agreement plus notification to DFFE of all subcontracts, where applicable.
• Letter of authority, such as a company resolution, for the person signing the bid.

Disqualification risks

• Bid received after the closing time.
• Any returnable document omitted or left unsigned.
• Failure to attend the compulsory briefing session.
• Non-compliant tax status or no CSD registration.
• Bids from persons in the service of the state, or from companies or close corporations whose directors or members are in the service of the state, will not be considered.

Evaluation stages

• Phase 1: pre-compliance screening of returnable SCM documents, tax matters and CSD registration.
• Phase 2 (listed as Phase 3): functionality evaluation.
• Phase 3 (listed as Phase 4): price and preference points.

Preference point system

• The 80/20 system applies.
• Price: 80 points.
• Specific goals: 20 points.
• Price points are calculated as 80 × (1 − (Pt − Pmin) / Pmin), where Pt is the bid price and Pmin the lowest acceptable bid.

Specific goals

• More than 50% ownership by Black people.
• More than 50% ownership by women.
• More than 50% ownership by people with disabilities.
• The claim form shows 20 points against each goal; bidders must indicate which goals they claim and support the claim with proof.
• Where no proof is submitted, the preference points are treated as not claimed.
• The department may require a bidder to substantiate any preference claim before or after adjudication.

Scope

• Conduct an Economic and Social Cost-Benefit Analysis (ESCBA) of climate change impacts and adaptation measures across five sectors: water, health, human settlements, agriculture and energy.
• Work must align with the Climate Change Act, 2024 (Act No. 22 of 2024) and the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.
• Translate biophysical climate impact modelling outputs supplied by DFFE into economic and socio-economic outcomes.
• Compare investment costs against avoided damages, test long-term viability under different climate trajectories, and identify high-return interventions using benefit-cost ratios.

Method

• Review and integrate DFFE's biophysical modelling outputs, identify quantifiable economic and socio-economic indicators, convert physical losses into monetary values and use shadow pricing for non-market impacts.
• Build an economic modelling framework that may use computable general equilibrium models, partial equilibrium models, input–output models, Social Accounting Matrix models, household microsimulation and integrated assessment models.
• Analyse distributional and equity impacts across gender, income, vulnerable communities, geographic regions, economic output, employment, household income, productivity and resource availability, applying equity-weighted cost-benefit analysis where feasible.
• Identify priority adaptation interventions such as climate-resilient infrastructure, improved water management, climate-smart agriculture, early warning systems and ecosystem-based adaptation, and compile an Adaptation Options Catalogue.
• Appraise interventions using cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis and multi-criteria analysis, covering direct and indirect effects, social and environmental co-benefits and long-term resilience benefits.
• Run baseline, moderate and high-impact climate scenarios plus sensitivity testing on discount rates, economic assumptions and climate variability; DFFE supplies the scenarios.

Deliverables

• Inception report: methodology, modelling framework, implementation plan, stakeholder engagement strategy, workplan and timeline.
• Socio-economic assessment with distributional and equity analysis across the five sectors.
• Adaptation Options Catalogue with descriptions, implementation considerations, estimated costs and benefits, and resilience outcomes.
• Economic appraisal report: cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness results, scenario modelling, distributional and equity impacts, policy implications.
• Stakeholder consultation report documenting workshops, validation of modelling assumptions and incorporation of inputs.
• Final consolidated report with executive summary, methodology, modelling results, appraisal outcomes, socio-economic analysis and policy recommendations.
• Executive presentation of findings to the department and stakeholders.
• All datasets, models, code and analytical tools with unrestricted licence rights, source files, metadata, documentation, model assumptions and user manuals; failure to transfer them is a material breach.

Stakeholder workshops

• Physical workshops are required in each phase: two in Phase 2, two in Phase 3, two in Phase 4 and three in Phase 5, including a national workshop to endorse the final analysis and a close-out meeting.

Ad hoc activities and travel

• Meetings, briefings, workshops, conferences and site visits may require travel and overnight accommodation.
• Only the Project Team Leader and two Experts may travel to support workshops.
• Travel between the service provider's home and office is not claimable; claims run from the provider's office address to the destination.
• Claims are reimbursed at the Department of Transport tariffs for motor transport, Category A, for one vehicle only.
• A point-to-point printout confirming return kilometres, for example from Google Maps, must support each claim.
• DFFE travel policy applies to all bookings and claims, and prior approval from the project manager is required for costs to be eligible.

Project phases and timelines

• Phase 1 — Project inception: initiation meetings, review of documentation and biophysical modelling outputs, development of the implementation plan and methodology; inception report due one month after SLA signature; one physical inception meeting.
• Phase 2 — Modelling framework and data analysis: develop the modelling framework, identify and collect socio-economic data, integrate biophysical outputs into economic models; four months after SLA signature; two physical workshops, one to solicit inputs and one to endorse the framework.
• Phase 3 — Economic and social impact analysis: economic modelling of sectoral and economy-wide impacts, social disaggregation and distributional analysis, and development of the Adaptation Options Catalogue; 12 months to finalise; two physical workshops.
• Phase 4 — Cost-benefit and scenario analysis: cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis of priority adaptation interventions, plus scenario and sensitivity analysis; 12 months to finalise; two physical workshops.
• Phase 5 — Final ESCBA and project closure: finalise the report, incorporate stakeholder input, present findings to the department and produce a close-out report; seven months to finalise; three physical workshops including a national endorsement workshop and a close-out meeting.

Payment milestones

• Phase 1: 10% on approval of the inception report.
• Phase 2: 15% on approval of the modelling framework report.
• Phase 3: 30% on approval of the interim report and Adaptation Options Catalogue.
• Phase 4: 25% on approval of the draft report.
• Phase 5: 20% on approval of the final report.

Duration

• The project runs for three years from signature of the Memorandum of Agreement and a written commencement instruction.

Pricing form

• SBD 3.3 (Pricing Schedule — Professional Services) and Annexure A must be completed; SBD 3.3 prevails if the two differ.
• A ceiling price covering all phases, expenses and applicable taxes must be stated.
• The offer is valid for 120 calendar days from the closing date.

Annexure A structure

• Rates are quoted per hour with estimated hours and total cost excluding VAT for each deliverable.
• Year 1 covers Phase 1 (one month after SLA signature) and Phase 2 (four months after SLA signature).
• Year 2 covers Phase 3 (12 months to finalise).
• Year 3 covers Phase 4 (12 months to finalise) and Phase 5 (seven months to finalise).
• Project overheads — subsistence and travel, incidental costs, accommodation, flights, shuttle, car hire, kilometre claims and miscellaneous costs — are a lump sum capped at R250 000.
• The schedule totals the sub-total excluding VAT, VAT at 15%, and the total including VAT.

Pricing

• Bidders must state a ceiling price covering all phases, all expenses and all applicable taxes.
• Pricing must follow Annexure A and SBD 3.3; where the two differ, SBD 3.3 prevails.
• Prices are firm for the contract period.
• VAT is charged at 15% and shown separately from the sub-total.
• The offer must remain valid for 120 calendar days from the closing date; the department may request an extension in writing, and a bidder who does not respond in writing will not be considered after the initial validity period expires.
• Price negotiations may only be held with the preferred bidder.

Project overheads

• Subsistence and travel, incidental costs, accommodation, flights, shuttle, car hire, kilometre claims and miscellaneous costs are covered by a lump sum capped at R250 000.

Payment milestones

• Phase 1 (Inception Report): 10% on approval of the inception report.
• Phase 2 (Modelling Framework and Data Analysis Report): 15% on approval.
• Phase 3 (Interim Technical Report and Adaptation Options Catalogue): 30% on approval.
• Phase 4 (Cost-Benefit Analysis Report): 25% on approval of the draft report.
• Phase 5 (Final ESCBA Report and close-out report): 20% on approval of the final report.

Costs not carried by the department

• Travel and time between the service provider's home and office, and between the provider's office and DFFE offices, are for the bidder's account.

Registration and tax

• Valid CSD registration with supplier number, submitted with the CSD report.
• SARS tax compliance status PIN or a printed TCS certificate; where no TCS is available, the CSD number must be provided.
• Consortia, joint ventures and subcontractors must each submit a separate TCS certificate, PIN or CSD number.

B-bbee

• A valid B-BBEE status level verification certificate from a SANAS-accredited agency, a CIPC-issued B-BBEE certificate, or a sworn affidavit commissioned by a Commissioner of Oaths, submitted with the CSD report.
• EMEs and QSEs may submit a sworn affidavit; the certificate or affidavit is required to claim preference points.

Ownership and conflict of interest

• No bid will be considered from a person in the service of the state, a company with a director in the service of the state, or a close corporation with a member in the service of the state.
• Bidders listed on the Register for Tender Defaulters or the List of Restricted Suppliers are automatically disqualified.

Company documents

• Proof of authority for the signatory, such as a company resolution.
• Signed joint venture or consortium agreement where applicable.
• Signed subcontracting agreement and notification of all subcontracts where applicable.

Returnable forms

• SBD 1, SBD 3.3, SBD 4 and SBD 6.1 must be completed and signed; the successful bidder must also complete and sign the SBD 7 contract form.

Environmental analysis content

• The modelling framework must link environmental and economic systems, including integrated assessment models.
• The economic appraisal must capture social and environmental co-benefits alongside direct and indirect economic effects and long-term climate resilience benefits.
• Scenario and sensitivity analysis must test the robustness of adaptation interventions under baseline, moderate and high-impact climate conditions.

Duration and commencement

• The contract runs for three years and starts only on signature of the Memorandum of Agreement and issue of a written commencement instruction.

Scope

• The service provider must work strictly within the approved scope, deliverables and timelines; no scope change is valid without written approval from DFFE.

Deliverables and intellectual property

• All datasets, models, code and analytical tools must be handed to DFFE with unrestricted licence rights, source files, metadata, documentation, model assumptions and user manuals; failing to transfer them is a material breach.

Pricing and validity

• Prices are firm, and SBD 3.3 prevails over any discrepancy with the quotation.
• The bid is valid for 120 calendar days from closing; the department may request a written extension, and a bidder who does not respond in writing will not be considered after the initial validity period.
• Price negotiations are held only with the preferred bidder.

Contract form

• The successful bidder must complete and sign the SBD 7 contract form.

Preference points

• The 80/20 preference point system applies: 80 points for price and 20 points for specific goals.
• Price points: 80 × (1 − (Pt − Pmin) / Pmin), where Pt is the bid price and Pmin the lowest acceptable bid.
• Specific goals listed: more than 50% ownership by Black people, more than 50% ownership by women, and more than 50% ownership by people with disabilities; the form shows 20 points against each goal and bidders must indicate which they claim.
• Claims must be supported by proof submitted with the bid; without proof the points are treated as not claimed.
• The department may call for substantiation of any preference claim before or after adjudication.

Evaluation stages

• Phase 1: pre-compliance screening of returnable SCM documents, tax matters and CSD registration.
• Phase 2 (listed as Phase 3): functionality evaluation.
• Phase 3 (listed as Phase 4): price and preference points.

Pre-compliance checklist

• Bound master bid document and matching electronic copy on USB.
• B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit submitted with the CSD report.
• CSD registration report and/or SARS tax PIN.
• SBD 1, SBD 3.3 aligned to Annexure A, SBD 4 and SBD 6.1 completed and signed.
• Signed joint venture or consortium agreement where applicable.
• Signed subcontracting agreement and notification of subcontracts where applicable.
• Signed letter of authority to sign on behalf of the company.