Maintenance and upgrade of website for 5 years – eastern cape ICT tender

{"name":"MR MALWANDE","email":"[email protected]","phone":null,"department":"ies of the Eastern Cape.","address":"@ECSECC.ORG"}

Bidders must not be persons in the service of the state, nor companies with directors who are. Must be tax compliant (submit SARS TCS PIN or CSD number). Must complete and submit SBD 4 (Bidder's Disclosure), SBD 3.3 (Pricing Schedule), SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim), and SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid). Foreign suppliers must answer the questionnaire in SBD 1 Part A.

Supply chain

Management, should this declaration prove to be false.

Signature date

Position name of bidder

Revision: 26 jun 2024 3

provisions in the SCC

shall prevail.

Revision: 26 jun 2024 1

Table of clauses

1. Definitions
2. Application
3. General
4. Standards
5. Use of contract documents and information, inspection
6. Patent rights
7. Performance security
8. Inspections, tests and analysis
9. Packing
10. Delivery and documents
11. Insurance
12. Transportation
13. Incidental services

Maintenance and upgrade of website for a period of five (5) years

Bid price in RSA currency

NO **(all applicable taxes included)

1. The accompanying information must be used for the formulation of

proposals.

2. Bidders are required to indicate a ceiling price based on the total

estimated time for completion of all phases and including all

expenses inclusive of all applicable taxes for the project. R.......................................................................

3. Persons who will be involved in the project and

Rates applicable (certified invoices must be

Rendered in terms hereof)

4. Person and position hourly rate daily rate

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income-generating contracts” means a written offer in the form determined by

Of service total price completion total points claimed

(All applicable date preference for each specific

Taxes included) points goal

Claimed

Maintenance and Upgrade of Website

for a Period of Five (5)

4. I confirm that I am duly authorized to sign this contract.

1.1 ECSECC is a Schedule 3C public entity reporting to the OTP which was

established as a multi-stakeholder Council to advise the provincial government

on improving service delivery and to create a common platform for debate

between the various development communities of the Eastern Cape.

1.2 It is a multi-stakeholder centre of excellence in strategic foresight, social

collaboration and innovative solution design.

1.3 The ECSECC Act was promulgated effective from 1 April 2025.

1.4 As a knowledge-based organization, ECSECC seeks to generate, effectively

manage, and disseminate information and knowledge. Its core vision is a

prosperous, productive and sustainable Eastern Cape where all people realize

their potential.

1.5 ECSECC is located at Vincent in East London in the Eastern Cape Province only

and currently has an approved staff complement of 100 personnel.

2.1 ECSECC launched its digital knowledge hub (www.ecsecc.org) in December

2020 to provide access to research, publications, and knowledge resources that

support socio-economic development in the Eastern Cape. The platform is built

on Microsoft ASP.NET 4.8, SQL Server, Bootstrap, and jQuery technologies and

is hosted on legacy server infrastructure.

2.2 While the platform has served its purpose effectively, it is now operating on

outdated infrastructure, including IIS 6, which has reached end-of-life and no

longer receives security updates or technical support. This exposes the website

to security vulnerabilities, operational risks, and potential performance limitations.

The legacy environment also restricts scalability, integration with modern

technologies, and the implementation of enhanced digital services.

2.3 To address these challenges, ECSECC requires a modernisation of its digital

knowledge hub to improve security, reliability, performance, and user experience,

while ensuring the platform remains sustainable and capable of supporting the

organisation’s future knowledge-sharing and stakeholder engagement needs.

2.4 Existing Architecture Description

2.4.1 The current ECSECC website solution consists of two integrated components:

• Front-End Website - The public-facing platform that provides content display,

information dissemination, and user interaction. It serves as the primary

access point for stakeholders to access news, publications, events, tenders,

vacancies, and other organisational information.

• Back-End CMS - The administrative platform used for content creation,

management, and communication. The CMS includes several functional

modules, namely:

Maintenance and upgrade of website

• Document Library Module - for managing and publishing reports,

publications, and knowledge resources.

• Events Module - for creating and maintaining event information and

registrations.

• Bulk Mailer Module - for managing mailing lists, email templates, and

stakeholder communications.

• Tenders Module - for publishing and administering procurement

opportunities.

• Recruitment Module - for managing vacancies, applications, and candidate

information throughout the recruitment process.

2.4.2 Together, these components provide ECSECC with a centralised digital

platform for stakeholder engagement, information management, and

organisational communication.

2.5 The overall objective is to transform the ECSECC website from a primarily

information-sharing platform into a secure, modern, mobile-friendly, and

transaction-oriented digital ecosystem that improves stakeholder engagement,

service delivery, and organisational visibility.

2.6 It is against this background that ECSECC is looking for a service provider to

provide maintenance and upgrade of website for a period of five (5) years with

an option to renew for an additional five (5) years in ECSECC’s sole discretion.

Maintenance and upgrade of website

3 definitions

API Application Programming Interface

ASP.NET Active Server Pages .NET

B.Sc. Bachelor of Science

CEO Chief Executive Officer

CMS Content Management System

CSD Central Supplier Database

CV Curriculum Vitae

DNS Domain Name System

ECSECC Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council

EME Exempted Micro Enterprise

GA4 Google Analytics 4

GCC General Conditions of Contract

HDI Historically Disadvantaged Individuals

HR Human Resources

HTML HyperText Markup Language

ICT Information and Communication Technology

IIS Internet Information Services

IP Intellectual Property

LTS Long Term Support

MCTS Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist

ND National Diploma

OTP Office of the Premier

PAIA Promotion of Access to Information Act

PDF Portable Document Format

PMP Project Management Professional

POPIA Protection of Personal Information Act

PPPFA Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act

PRINCE2 Projects in Controlled Environments

QSE Qualifying Small Enterprise

RFQ Request for Quotations

RSA Republic of South Africa

SARS South African Revenue Service

SBD Standard Bidding Documents

SCM Supply Chain Management

SEO Search Engine Optimization

SLA Service Level Agreement

SQL Structured Query Language

TCC Tax Clearance Certificate

ToRs Terms of References

UI/UX User Interface / User Experience

VAT Value Added Tax

WAF Web Application Firewall

Web Development Upgrade, Modernisation and Development

WCAG Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

Maintenance and upgrade of website

4 legislative framework of the bid

4.1 Tax Legislation

Bidders must be compliant when submitting a proposal to ECSECC and remain

compliant for the entire contract term with all applicable tax legislation, including but

not limited to the Income Tax Act, 1962 (Act No. ) and Value Added Tax

Act, 1991 (Act No. ).

4.2 Procurement Legislation

This will be processed in accordance with the PPPFA requirements. ECSECC’s

Supply Chain Management Policy and Contract Management Policy outline the

procurement process and a supplier performance evaluation process, respectively.

4.3 Technical Legislation and/or Standards

Bidders should be cognizant of the legislation and/or standards specifically

applicable to the services.

5 compulsory briefing session

5.1 There is no briefing session planned for this RFP.

6 timeline of the bid process

6.1 The period of validity of this bid and the withdrawal of offers, after closing date

and time is 120 days. The project timeframes of this bid are set out below:

Activity Due Date

Advertisement of bid on Government e-Tender Portal/ 04 September 2026

Eastern Cape Tender Bulletin/ECSECC Website

Bid documents will be accessed from the ECSECC website; 04 September 2026

www.ecsecc.org

Questions relating to the bid from bidders 04 September 2026

To

17 September 2026

Bid closing date and time 28 September 2026

at 15H00

Notice to bidders: 18 September 2026

ECSECC will endeavour to inform bidders questions and

answers that came out during the publication of the bid

through ECSECC website www.ecsecc.org/tenders

6.2 All dates and times in this bid are South African standard time.

6.3 Any time or date in this bid is subject to change at the ECSECC’s discretion.

6.4 The establishment of a time or date in this bid does not create an obligation on

the part of ECSECC to take any action or create any rights in any way for any

bidder to demand that any action be taken on the date established.

Maintenance and upgrade of website

6.5 The bidder accepts that, if ECSECC extends the deadline for bid submission (the

Closing Date) for any reason, the requirements of this bid otherwise apply equally

to the extended deadline.

7 contact and communication

7.1 A nominated official of the bidder(s) can make enquiries in writing quoting the Bid

Number, to Malwande Ntongana for enquiries, via email [email protected]

and/or [email protected] by phone at 043 701 3400/081 486 1009.

Bidders must reduce all telephonic enquiries by writing and sending them to the

above email address.

7.2 The delegated official at ECSECC may communicate with the bidder(s) where

clarity is sought in the bid proposal.

7.3 Any communication to an official or a person acting in an advisory capacity for

ECSECC in respect of the bid between the closing date and the award of the bid

by the bidder(s) is discouraged.

7.4 All communication between the bidder(s) and ECSECC must be done in writing.

7.5 Whilst all due care has been taken in connection with the preparation of this bid,

ECSECC makes no representations or warranties that the content of the bid or

any information communicated to or provided to the bidder(s) during the bidding

process is, or will be, accurate, current, or complete. ECSECC and its employees

and advisors will not be liable with respect to any information communicated

which may not be accurate, current, or complete.

7.6 If bidder(s) find(s) or reasonably believe(s) it has found any discrepancy,

ambiguity, error or inconsistency in this bid or any other information provided by

ECSECC (other than minor clerical matters), the bidder(s) must promptly notify

ECSECC in writing of such discrepancy, ambiguity, error, or inconsistency in

order to afford ECSECC an opportunity to consider what corrective action is

necessary (if any).

7.7 Any actual discrepancy, ambiguity, error or inconsistency in the bid or any other

information provided by ECSECC will, if possible, be corrected and provided to

all bidder(s) via ECSECC website, without attribution to the bidder(s) who

provided the written notice.

7.8 All persons (including bidder(s) obtaining or receiving the bid and any other

information in connection with the bid of the tendering process) must keep the

contents on the bid and other such information confidential and not disclose or

use the information except as required for the purpose of developing a proposal

in response to this bid.

8 late bids

Bids received after the closing date and time, at the address indicated in the bid

documents, will not be accepted for consideration and where practicable, be returned

unopened to the bidder(s).

Maintenance and upgrade of website

9 counter conditions

Bidders’ attention is drawn to the fact that amendments to any of the bid conditions

or setting of counter conditions by bidders or qualifying any bid conditions may result

in the invalidation of such proposals.

10 supplier due diligence

ECSECC reserves the right to conduct supplier due diligence prior to final award or

at any time during the contract period. This may include site visits.

11 submission of proposals

11.1 Bid documents will only be considered if received by ECSECC before the closing

date and time, regardless of the method used to send or deliver such documents

to ECSECC.

11.2 Bids may be submitted either by:

11.2.1 Depositing two (2) sets of original bid documents sealed by way of

spiral-binded separately for ease of reference during the evaluation

process and an electronic copy of the original document in .pdf on

flash drive, into the tender box placed in the reception at ECSECC, 69

Frere Road, Vincent, KuGompo City, the tender box is accessible during

weekdays from 08:00 to 16:30.

Or

11.2.2 Electronically by way of compressing the documents into a zip format OR

an email to send through a link pointing to your cloud account for the file

access by email to [email protected] and

[email protected] quoting the reference of the Bid Number

ECS02/26/27.

11.3 The bidders must have the following documents in response to this bid:

11.3.1 Costed proposal on the following:

11.3.1.1 Ability to perform the services.

11.3.1.2 Total estimate price offer for the assignment.

11.3.2 Bidders must submit proof of competency for the proposed team that will be

dedicated to this assignment, which includes:

11.3.2.1 Certified copy of qualification/s.

11.3.2.2 CV showing experience.

11.3.3 Completed and signed SBD Forms supplied with this bid.

11.3.4 Certified copy of B-BBEE Certificate from accredited agency or Sworn Affidavit

11.4 Bids must be submitted before or on 28 September 2026 at 15H00

Maintenance and upgrade of website

12 presentation/demonstration

ECSECC reserves the right to request presentations/demonstrations from the short-

listed bidders as part of the bid process.

13 duration of contract

The successful bidder shall be appointed for a period of five (5) years with an option

to renew for an additional five (5) years in ECSECC’s sole discretion.

14.1 The successful bidder shall provide comprehensive website management,

upgrade, hosting, maintenance, modernisation, cybersecurity, and digital

transformation services for the ECSECC Digital Knowledge Hub

(www.ecsecc.org).

14.2 The service provider must render the following services:

14.2.1 Website Maintenance and Support

• The bidder must perform ongoing maintenance, technical support,

performance monitoring, bug fixes, software updates, upgrades, and content

publishing support.

14.2.2 Infrastructure and Database Management

• Administration of Windows Servers, IIS environments, ASP.NET

applications, Web APIs, and Microsoft SQL Server databases, including

backups, monitoring, and performance optimisation.

14.2.3 Domain and Hosting Migration

• The Service Provider shall act as ECSECC's domain registrar and provide

comprehensive domain management services, including domain

registration, DNS administration, renewals, and

• The service provider must conduct migration and perform management of

the following domains from the current hosting environment: ecsecc.org,

www.ecsecc.org, app.ecsecc.org, autodiscover.ecac.org.za, ecac.org.za,

mail.ecsecc.org, autodiscover.ecsecc.org, gis.ecsecc.org,

webmail.ecsecc.org, and mail-2016.ecsecc.org.

• The service provider must ensure all website hosting is local to South Africa

to comply with national data privacy and protection requirements.

14.2.4 Legacy System Modernisation

• The service provider must develop a Legacy Decommissioning and Migration

Roadmap within the first three months of the contract.

• The service provider must perform migration from IIS 6 to IIS 10+ on

Windows Server 2022 or 2025 and progression from .NET Framework 4.8 to

.NET 8 lts.

14.2.5 Website and Content Modernisation

• The service provider must enhance the users’ experience through mobile-

first design, improved website performance, conversion of PDF content into

searchable HTML, and implementation of modern web technologies.

Maintenance and upgrade of website

14.2.6 Tender and Recruitment System Enhancement

• The service provider must modernise the Tender Management Module to

reflect all procurement stages.

• The service provider must enhance the online recruitment platform to

improve vacancy management and candidate engagement.

14.2.7 Analytics and Conversion Optimisation

• The service provider must install GA44 for conversion tracking, funnel

analysis, performance reporting, and optimisation of user engagement

pathways.

14.2.8 Cybersecurity and Disaster Recovery

• The service provider must implement cybersecurity controls including

vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, WAF, secure development

practices, and disaster recovery capabilities with defined recovery

objectives.

15 special conditions of contract

Intellectual All intellectual property related to the website, code, and content

Property belongs exclusively to ECSECC.

Handover A full technical handover and documentation package must be

Protocol completed three (3) months prior to the contract termination date to

ensure continuity.

Reporting and The service provider must provide operational reports, technical

Knowledge documentation, user support, and attend review meetings.

Transfer The service provider must provide knowledge transfer to ECSECC

employees on IIS 10 management and GA4 reporting.

Compliance and The service provider must comply with POPIA, PAIA, and WCAG

Accessibility 2.2 Level AA accessibility standards, including annual audits and

reporting.

Responding to The service provider, when responding to service request, must

Service Request follow this process:

Submit diagnostic or assessment report, proposed solution and

quotation for the problem submitted.

Present the solution to the users as part of the knowledge transfer.

Communication: The service provider must maintain clear and consistent

communication with ECSECC throughout the project.

ECSECC will maintain open communication channels with the

service provider to ensure everyone is informed of progress and

any questions arising are addressed promptly.

The meetings will be held virtually when required.

Access to ECSECC Project Leader will be the key contact for information

information: regarding this project.

ECSECC Project Leader will be responsible for facilitating the

meetings to engage in the report.

The service provider must maintain strict confidentiality throughout

the engagement.

Decision-Making: ECSECC will provide timely decisions on any critical aspects of the

project that require our input.

Payment of The payment of invoices shall be made within thirty (30) days of

invoices: the date on which the invoice and all supporting documentation is

received.

Maintenance and upgrade of website

Prices: The prices charged on the invoices shall not exceed the

prices quoted and committed in the purchase order, unless prior

approval by ECSECC.

Tax Compliancy: No contract shall be concluded with any bidder whose tax matters

are not in order.

The bidder must ensure that their tax matters are in order

throughout the contract period.

Disputes Should there be disagreement between the service provider and

Resolution: the project officials pertaining to this contract, the service provider

may escalate the matter to the ECSECC CEO before engaging in

the legal process. ECSECC will always attempt to address any

disagreements with the service provider amicably.

16 competency requirements

16.1 The prospective service provider must provide evidence of the proposed

team with the following attributes:

Role Minimum Qualifications Required Experience

Lead

• B.Sc. Computer Science or Minimum of 5 years in:

Developer ND Information Technology

• Web/app development,
• SQL Certification (MCTS or
• script languages, and

equivalent)

• SQL database administration.

Project Professional Project Minimum of 5 years’ experience in

Manager Management Certification technical project management,

(PMP, PRINCE2, or specifically leading in any of IT

equivalent) systems, software development,

website modernisation projects.

Copywriter B. Degree/ND in Minimum of 5 years in:

Communication, Marketing, or

• Professional digital copywriting

Journalism

• Content strategy.

Senior B. Degree/ND in Graphic Minimum of 5 years in:

Graphic Design

• Professional graphic design

Designer

• UI/UX layouts.

16.2 Prospective service providers should have a proven track record of implementing

similar projects as evidenced by at least five (5) similar websites developed within

the last five (5) years.

No specific requirements found

Tax compliance status

Tax compliance requirements

Tax compliance status (tcs) pin may be made via e-filing through the SARS website

Tcs pin is available but the bidder is registered on the central supplier database (csd), a csd

Csd number

Csd number must be provided

Central supplier database (csd), a csd

2. Tax compliance requirements

2.3 Application for tax compliance status (tcs) pin may be made via e-filing through the SARS website

Tcs certificate / pin / csd number.

2.6 Where NO tcs pin is available but the bidder is registered on the central supplier database (csd), a csd

O register for a tax compliance status

tax compliance status,

Tax compliance

CSD report to verify

Central Supplier Database

Central Supplier Database (CSD), and

Central Supplier Database (CSD) proves non-compliant

TCC Tax Clearance Certificate

11.3.2.1 Certified copy of qualification/s.

11.3.2.2 CV showing experience.

Points Allocation: 80 points

B-BBEE Details: [email protected] quoting the reference of the Bid Number

ECS02/26/27.

11.3 The bidders must have the following documents in response to this bid:

11.3.1 Costed proposal on the following:

11.3.1.1 Ability to perform the services.

11.3.1.2 Total estimate price offer for the assignment.

11.3.2 Bidders must submit proof of competency for the proposed team that will be

dedicated to this assignment, which includes:

11.3.2.1 Certified copy of qualification/s.

11.3.2.2 CV showing experience.

11.3.3 Completed and signed SBD Forms supplied with this bid.

11.3.4 Certified copy of B-BBEE Certificate from accredited agency or Sworn Affidavit

11.4 Bids must be submitted before or on 28 September 2026 at 15H00

Maintenance and upgrade of website

12 presentation/demonstration

ECSECC reserves the right to request presentations/demonstrations from the short-

listed bidders as part of the bid process.

13 duration of contract

The successful bidder shall be appointed for a period of five (5) years with an option

to renew for an additional five (5) years in ECSECC’s sole discretion.

14 scope of work

14.1 The successful bidder shall provide comprehensive website management,

upgrade, hosting, maintenance, modernisation, cybersecurity, and digital

transformation services for the ECSECC Digital Knowledge Hub

(www.ecsecc.org).

14.2 The service provider must render the following services:

14.2.1 Website Maintenance and Support

• The bidder must perform ongoing maintenance, technical support,

performance monitoring, bug fixes, software updates, upgrades, and content

publishing support.

14.2.2 Infrastructure and Database Management

• Administration of Windows Servers, IIS environments, ASP.NET

applications, Web APIs, and Microsoft SQL Server databas

HDI Requirement: 51%

Evaluation 80/20 preference point system

18 evaluation and selection criteria

Pre-qualification Price and Specific Goals

Functionality Criteria

documents as outlined achieve a minimum of 70 out of 100 points, as per

in (Table 1) below. points to proceed to Gate (Table 2), below and Gate

Gate 1. 70 points.

5. SBD 6.1 -Preference NO Complete and sign the supplied pro forma

Points Claim Form in document.

terms of Preferential Non-submission will lead to a zero (0) score on

Procurement Specific Goals.

This will be followed up at award stage.

PPPFA Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act

This will be processed in accordance with the PPPFA requirements. ECSECC’s

procurement process and a supplier performance evaluation process, respectively.

21.2.2 Negotiate with one or more preferred bidder(s) identified in the evaluation

21.2.4 Carry out site inspections, product evaluations or explanatory meetings in

order to verify the nature and quality of the service offered by the

21.2.5 Correct any mistakes at any stage of the bid that may have been in the

bid documents or occurred at any stage of the tender process.

21.2.6 Cancel and/or terminate the bid process at any stage, including after the

after completion of the pricing and specific goals evaluation stage.