Provision of microsoft azure cloud backup services for foskor (60-Month contract)

Closing date: 03 November 2026 at 12:00

Briefing session: Not compulsory. Venue: ION SCHEDULE 45 (date and time not stated).

Enquiries:

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: 035 902 3021

Submission address: Not fully stated in the document. The RFP indicates bids may be deposited in a tender box, but the physical address is not provided in the extracted text.

Submission method: Bids must be deposited in the tender box at the address provided in the RFP.

Returnable documents: All mandatory returnable schedules and documents listed in the RFP must be submitted with the bid. Failure to submit mandatory returnable documents will result in disqualification. Failure to submit other schedules may also result in disqualification.

Required forms (each must be completed and signed):

• SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid): cover page with bidder details and signature.
• SBD 4 (Declaration of Interest): discloses any connection between bidder and state employees.
• SBD 5 (Declaration for Procurement above R30 million): declares subcontracting and local content.
• SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim): claims B-BBEE points.
• SBD 9 (Certificate of Independent Bid Determination): certifies no collusion.
• Certificate of Acquaintance with RFP, Master Agreement & Applicable Documents.
• RFP Declaration and Breach of Law Form.
• RFP Clarification Request Form (if applicable).
• Certificate of Attendance of Compulsory/Non-Compulsory RFP Briefing.
• Job-Creation Schedule.
• Protection of Personal Information forms (normal and operator contract).
• Power of Attorney (if bidder is a foreign entity or represented by an agent).
• CVs of proposed resources with relevant certifications.
• Signed client testimonials (references).
• Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) ID confirmation letter.

Pricing: All amounts must be in ZAR. Prices subject to confirmation will not be considered. Firm prices for the contract duration are preferred. Alterations to bid prices must be initialled by the signatory.

Disqualification risks:

• Late submission (after closing time).
• Missing mandatory returnable documents.
• Unacceptable deviations from standard terms and conditions.
• Failure to register on CSD (unless foreign supplier with no local entity).
• Non-compliance with tax obligations.

Evaluation stages: Stage 1 – Mandatory requirements (pass/fail); Stage 2 – Technical/functionality (60 points); Stage 3 – Price (90 points); Stage 4 – Final weighted scoring.

Mandatory requirement: Bidder must be an active and authorised Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) with ability to supply, manage, support and bill Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 backup services. Provide MPN ID confirmation letter.

Technical evaluation (100% total, minimum qualifying score 60%):

• References (40%): 0% for fewer than 3 valid signed testimonials; 20% for 3; 30% for 4; 40% for 5 or more. Testimonials must be signed by customers and include description of services, customer name and contact details.
• Certified resources (30%): 0% for none; 10% for 1-2; 20% for 3; 30% for 4 or more. Certifications: AZ-104, AZ-900, AZ-305, AZ-800+AZ-801. Submit CVs.
• Years of experience in Azure cloud backup support (30%): 0% for less than 1 year; 10% for 1-2; 20% for 3; 30% for 4 or more. Submit CVs.

Price evaluation: Weighted 90 points. Foskor will use a price formula (not detailed in the document).

Minimum qualifying score for technical: 60%.

Scope: Provision of Microsoft Azure Cloud Backup services for Foskor's Microsoft 365 online applications and designated on-premises servers, for a contract period of 60 months.

Workloads covered:

• Exchange Online: all user, shared, resource and archive mailboxes; emails, calendar items, tasks, contacts.
• SharePoint Online: all active and designated site collections, document libraries, lists, custom metadata.
• OneDrive for Business: all active user accounts, files, folders, sharing permissions.
• Microsoft Teams: channel messages, posts, attached files (chat history via underlying structures).
• On-premises servers: Azure Backup deployment and configuration for initial 21 server instances (Annexure 1), with provision for future growth and scaling down.

Data protection: Proposal must describe how data will be protected in compliance with POPIA, ECTA and confidentiality obligations. Must address data residency, data access, encryption, auditability, incident notification, subcontractor access, retention handling, and secure deletion at contract expiry/termination.

Security: Service provider must follow principle of least privilege, use role-based access control, multi-factor authentication, privileged access management, audit logging, and documented approval workflows. Privileged access must be time-bound, reviewed periodically, and removed when no longer required.

Deliverables:

• Monthly billing report with consumption breakdown, cost-per-GB, active license counts.
• Deployment and configuration of Azure Cloud backup for 21 server instances.
• Measurable service levels for backup monitoring, restore execution, incident response, escalation, reporting, billing support. Must state committed response times, resolution targets, support hours, escalation process, service credits/remedies.
• Implementation plan covering discovery, design, configuration, testing, acceptance, handover, operationalization. Include milestones, dependencies, timelines, risks, rollback approach, resources.
• Scheduled restore testing with evidence of completeness, recoverability, alignment to recovery objectives. Test results must include workload, restore method, duration, outcome, exceptions, corrective actions, sign-off by Foskor ICT.

Assumptions and exclusions:

• Excluded: end-user device backups, custom migration of historical backup archives from previous vendors (unless separately scoped).
• Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams already implemented on Foskor tenant for backup.
• Locally Redundant Storage (LRS) required for Azure Cloud backup of on-premises servers.
• At contract expiry/termination, service provider must support orderly transition, including handover of documentation, configuration details, reports, access records, billing history, outstanding issues, and confirmation that all provider access has been removed.

Pricing format: Consumption-based billing price for the five-year contract, stated in ZAR excluding VAT.

Pricing breakdown required:

• Microsoft 365 Cloud Applications: rate per GB/TB per month and annual cost for each of 5 years.
• Azure Server Backup (LRS): once-off implementation cost, plus annual cost per server for each of 5 years.
• Ad-hoc support costing: hourly rates for technical support (e.g., 4 hours per year).

Bidder must state all assumptions: protected data volumes, estimated growth, storage tier, licensing basis, implementation effort, support hours, currency, exchange rate assumptions, annual escalation, exclusions.

Consumption-based elements must be separately identifiable from once-off implementation costs and recurring managed service fees.

Consulting/support services outside managed scope require separate quotation and purchase order approval. Provide hourly rates and state if rates differ by resource level, support category, after-hours, weekends, public holidays, urgency.

Payment terms: Payment due within 30 days of receipt of statement.

Security: Successful bidder may be required to provide security (Deed of Suretyship) for due fulfilment of contract, amount to be stipulated in bid documents.

Prices must be firm for contract duration; prices subject to confirmation not considered.

CSD registration: Mandatory for all bidders (except foreign suppliers with no local entity). Business may not be awarded to unregistered bidder.

Tax compliance: Must be tax compliant at submission and for entire contract term. Tax compliance status verified via CSD. Applies to foreign bidders too.

Employment Equity Act: Bidder must comply with Section 53 of the Employment Equity Act.

B-BBEE: Preference points claim form (SBD 6.1) required. Specific B-BBEE levels not stated in the document.

Security clearance: Successful bidder, its personnel and subcontractors may be required to obtain security clearance to CONFIDENTIAL/SECRET/TOP SECRET level. Responsibility of successful bidder.

Legal review: Proposal will be reviewed by Foskor's Legal Counsel. Material deviations from standard terms may result in disqualification.

Supplier Integrity Pact (Annexure E) and Non-Disclosure Agreement (Annexure F) are part of the bid documents.

Power of Attorney: Required for foreign bidders or agents, must comply with Rule 63 (authentication of documents).

Evaluation methodology: Stage 1 – Mandatory requirements (pass/fail); Stage 2 – Technical/functionality (60 points); Stage 3 – Price (90 points); Stage 4 – Final weighted scoring. Minimum qualifying score for technical is 60%. Price and TCO criteria weighted 90 points. Foskor may conduct stages in parallel. Technical scores rounded to 2 decimal places. Bidders must meet or exceed the minimum technical threshold to progress to price evaluation.