Devops support services for gpaa pension administration systems

Closing date: 04 September 2026 at 11h00.

Non-compulsory online briefing session: 24 August 2026, 12h00-13h00 via Microsoft Teams. Join link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/311836916340215?p=wyMacHhxcUGFYZ64vP, Meeting ID: 311 836 916 340 215, Passcode: hA75M3rg.

Closing date for written clarification enquiries: 28 August 2026.

Questions and Answers will be uploaded to the GPAA website and e-Tender portal on 01 September 2026.

All RFP enquiries: [email protected].

Enquiries relating to eTender submissions: National Treasury at +27 (0)12 406 9222 or [email protected].

Technical information contact: Bid Administration, email [email protected].

Bids must be submitted electronically via the National Treasury eTender Portal (www.etenders.gov.za). No physical, hand-delivered, or emailed submissions will be accepted. The Pricing Schedule (SBD 3.3) must be uploaded as a separate file clearly labelled 'Pricing Schedule (SBD 3.3)'. All company details (full company name, physical address, contact number, email, contact person, and bid closing date) must be entered correctly on the portal. Late submissions are automatically prevented by the portal; the GPAA is not liable for unsuccessful uploads.

Returnable forms and documents (all must be completed, signed, and submitted):

• SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid): bidder and contact details, signed as the offer cover page.
• SBD 4 (Declaration of Interest): discloses whether any director or shareholder is employed by the state or connected to anyone at the GPAA; false disclosure disqualifies.
• SBD 3.3 (Pricing Schedule): must be completed electronically, printed, signed, and uploaded separately; incomplete or unsigned schedule leads to automatic disqualification.
• SBD 6.1 (Specific Goals Declaration): completed to claim preference points; failure to submit correctly with the original bid means no points for specific goals.
• Proof of CSD registration (or CSD number) and tax compliance status (TCS PIN or CSD number).
• B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit (for EMEs/QSEs) to qualify for preference points.

Disqualification risks:

• Any returnable form left unsigned or omitted.
• Bids received after the closing date and time.
• Failure to meet mandatory technical criteria (SITA RFB 1183 accreditation in Gauteng).
• Incomplete, unsigned, or partially signed pricing schedule.

Bidders must submit their complete bid electronically via the National Treasury eTender Portal (www.etenders.gov.za). No physical, hand-delivered, or emailed submissions accepted. The Pricing Schedule (SBD 3.3) must be uploaded separately. Company details must be entered correctly on the portal. Late submissions will be automatically prevented.

The bid follows a four-phase evaluation:

Phase 1 – Mandatory Technical Criteria (pass/fail):

• Bidder must be accredited on SITA RFB 1183 (Business Solution Delivery Services) and accredited in Gauteng.
• Bid must be submitted on the eTender portal on or before 04 September 2026 at 11h00.
• Failure to meet any mandatory criterion results in disqualification.

Phase 2 – Rated Criteria (100 points total, minimum qualifying score 70):

• Company Experience in provision of DevOps services in pension administration environment: up to 20 points. Points based on years of experience: less than 5 years = 0; more than 5 up to 7 = 5; more than 7 up to 9 = 10; more than 9 up to 12 = 15; more than 12 = 20. Must complete the Company Experience Template listing clients over the last 10 years (name, duration in months, value in Rands, service rendered, contactable references). Failure to provide forfeits points.
• Work Plan / Implementation Plan / Methodology: up to 25 points. Points awarded based on inclusion of methodology for recurring and project services, governance model, escalation matrix, reporting requirements, and risk management plan.
• Experience of the service delivery team: up to 60 points (30 points per senior role). CVs of the team lead and other members evaluated; points based on years of experience with applicable knowledge and skills (less than 5 = 0; 5-7 = 10; 7-9 = 15; 9-12 = 25; more than 12 = 30). If proposed CVs are unavailable at award, same calibre must be proposed or bidder may be disqualified.
• References: up to 5 points. Contactable reference letters for similar services; points based on number of letters (0 = 0; 1 = 1; 2 = 2; 3 = 3; 4 or more = 5).

Phase 3 – Administrative Compliance:

• SBD 1 and SBD 4 must be completed in full.
• Bidder must be registered on the CSD, and no director restricted from doing business with the state.
• Bidders who do not submit requested documents are given a maximum of 2 working days to submit; failure renders the bid unacceptable.

Phase 4 – Price and Preference Evaluation:

• 80/20 preference system per PPR2022: 80 points for price, 20 points for specific goals.
• SBD 6.1 must be completed to claim specific goal points; incomplete or unsigned SBD 6.1 results in no points for specific goals.
• Only financial proposals of acceptable bidders are evaluated.

Scope of work: Provision of Development Operations (DevOps) Support Services for the GPAA's pension administration systems, including two senior Oracle and PostgreSQL DBA DevOps Lead roles.

Systems to be supported (not limited to):

• CIVPEN (IBM mainframe, Natural/Adabas) – core benefit administration system.
• PEKWA (VB6 scanning and indexing application).
• Oracle Enterprise Content Management (ECM).
• Tax directive system (Java/Oracle).
• Oracle BI Data Warehouse / Management Information and Reporting System.
• Central Data Repository (CDR).
• Client contact centre and self-service mobile/web app.
• Oracle Identity and Access Management (IAM).
• All portal applications (Cashbooks, Funeral Benefits, Bankserve, etc.), PCM, Self Service.

Key responsibilities (per role):

• Full lifecycle ownership of Oracle and PostgreSQL environments (Prod, DR, UAT, Dev); support MySQL and SQL Server.
• Backup, recovery, data integrity, hardening, compliance; incident restoration and root-cause analysis.
• Performance tuning using AWR, ASH, execution plans, wait events; optimise SQL, PL/SQL, indexing, memory, storage.
• Lead upgrades, patching, schema evolution, and migrations; coordinate with Oracle for Critical Patch updates.
• Design and operate Patroni-based PostgreSQL clusters; ensure replication health and failover readiness.
• Administer Solaris, Unix, Linux servers; OS patching, hardening, troubleshooting.
• Support Oracle Fusion stack (WebLogic, BI, ODI, OSB, IAM, SSO); troubleshoot Java/IIS dependencies.
• Integrate Keycloak, Active Directory, LDAP, IAM, SSO; manage RBAC and identity governance.
• Automate operations with Ansible and shell scripting; use Git, CVS, Maven, Nexus, Jira, Slack; implement CI/CD-aligned processes.
• Monitoring via CheckMk, OEM, Grafana, Prometheus, Logstash; build dashboards and reduce false alerts.
• Coordinate hardware diagnosis and replacement; support Samba, file exchange, and network troubleshooting.
• Lead technical workstreams, translate requirements into designs, maintain runbooks and post-incident reviews, mentor teams, assist with possible cloud migration.

Service components:

• Business-as-usual (BAU) activities for system stability and availability.
• Maintenance and support (corrective, adaptive, preventive).
• Development and Operations (DevOps) integrated support.
• Architecture and integration support aligned with GPAA standards.
• Source code management using GPAA-approved tools; all source code remains GPAA property.
• Documentation per GPAA SDLC and Project Management Framework (PRINCE2/PMBOK), including requirements analysis, planning, development, testing, deployment, and post-implementation support.
• Weekly, monthly, and quarterly reporting with detailed timesheets.
• Data warehouse and reporting integration support.
• New project implementation as required.

Location: Services delivered onsite at GPAA Head Office in Arcadia, Pretoria; alternative arrangements require written GPAA approval.

Project management: Waterfall methodology with phased implementation, change management, user training, and a project implementation team comprising GPAA representatives and ICT.

The GPAA has an approved Project Management Framework that the service provider must adhere to. The waterfall project management methodology will be adopted, with a phased system implementation approach, clearly articulated milestones, deliverables, activities, and timelines. A robust change management plan, communication, and user training are required. The project implementation team will comprise GPAA representatives and ICT. Bidders must submit a detailed methodology covering recurring services, project-related services, governance model, escalation matrix, reporting requirements, and a detailed risk management plan to score full points.

Required expertise for the combined resources:

• Advanced Oracle administration and strong PostgreSQL (Patroni) experience.
• Strong SQL/PLSQL engineering skills.
• Experience with MySQL and SQL Server.
• Deep Solaris/Unix/Linux knowledge.
• Oracle Fusion stack support (WebLogic, ODI, OSB, IAM, BI).
• Identity integration: Keycloak, AD, LDAP.
• DevOps tooling: Ansible, Git, CVS, Maven, Nexus, Jira, Slack.
• Observability platforms: Checkmk, OEM, Grafana, Prometheus, Logstash.
• Docker/Kubernetes familiarity.
• Support and maintain integration and application platform services including RabbitMQ, Apache HTTP Server, Tomcat, HAProxy, Nginx, and Redis.
• Oracle OCT certified or relevant ICT degree, or more than 12 years experience in DevOps support.

Behavioural strengths: high ownership and accountability, strong analytical and problem-solving skills, clear communicator under pressure, governance-focused with consistent documentation, continuous improvement and automation mindset, collaborative leadership and mentoring capability.

Experience on a formal SDLC and deep understanding of Oracle products, licenses, services, renewals, and contract management for benefit administration are key. The service is deliverables-based, including reporting and troubleshooting on special projects, knowledge transfer to the team implementing new solutions, and new project implementation as required.

All activities must comply with the GPAA System Development Lifecycle (SDLC) and Project Management Framework, aligned to PRINCE2 and PMBOK. SDLC deliverables include requirements analysis, planning and design, development and configuration, testing (unit, integration, system, user), deployment, and post-implementation support. Project performance is measured against approved project charters, signed project plans, weekly/monthly/quarterly progress reports, project risk matrix, disbursement packs, milestone sign-off documents, implemented solutions within scope/time/budget, and reports on user training and system testing. Key deliverables include approval and sign-off of technical design and implementation plans, and successful implementation in QA, PRE, and PRD environments according to the project plan.

Bidders must complete the prescribed SBD 3.3 Pricing Schedule electronically, print, sign, and upload it as a separate file labelled 'Pricing Schedule (SBD 3.3)' on the eTender portal. An incomplete, unsigned, or partially signed pricing schedule will result in automatic disqualification. Only the financial proposals of acceptable bidders will be evaluated.

Pricing must be submitted on the prescribed SBD 3.3 Pricing Schedule, completed electronically, printed, signed, and uploaded as a separate file labelled 'Pricing Schedule (SBD 3.3)' on the eTender portal. An incomplete, unsigned, or partially signed pricing schedule (including missing initials or blank fields) will be deemed non-compliant and result in automatic disqualification. Only the financial proposals of acceptable bidders will be evaluated. No other pricing format or bond/guarantee requirements are stated in the document.

Mandatory compliance:

• SITA RFB 1183 accreditation (Business Solution Delivery Services) and accreditation in Gauteng – mandatory technical criterion.
• CSD registration – bidder must be registered on the Central Supplier Database; no director restricted from doing business with the state.
• Tax compliance: submit SARS TCS PIN or CSD number; each party in a consortium/JV/subcontractor must submit separate proof.
• B-BBEE: submit a B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit (for EMEs/QSEs) to qualify for preference points.
• SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid) and SBD 4 (Declaration of Interest) must be completed in full.
• SBD 6.1 (Specific Goals Declaration) must be completed to claim preference points.
• SBD 3.3 (Pricing Schedule) must be completed and signed.
• Proof of authority to sign (e.g., resolution of directors) must be attached.
• Foreign suppliers must complete the questionnaire in SBD 1 Part B.

Contract duration: 3 years with an option to extend for 2 additional periods (3 + 1 + 1), subject to performance and review after the initial 3 years. The duration aligns with the GPAA roadmap for replacing the current pension administration solution, allowing parallel operations during integration and deployment. Services are delivered onsite at GPAA Head Office in Arcadia, Pretoria; alternative arrangements require written GPAA approval. The successful bidder will be required to sign a written contract form (SBD 7).

The GPAA may conduct a due diligence exercise to verify bidder capability and claims. Vetting will focus on company history, financial information, directors, business interests, and any judgements against the company or directors. As per section 2(1)(f) of the PPPFA, the GPAA may award to a bidder that did not score the highest total points if objective criteria justify it.

The bid follows a four-phase evaluation: Phase 1 – Mandatory Technical Criteria (pass/fail, including SITA RFB 1183 accreditation in Gauteng and timely eTender submission); Phase 2 – Rated Criteria (100 points: Company Experience in Dev Ops in pension administration up to 20 points, Work Plan/Methodology up to 25 points, Experience of service delivery team up to 60 points, References up to 5 points; minimum qualifying score 70); Phase 3 – Administrative Compliance (SBD 1, SBD 4, CSD registration); Phase 4 – Price/Preference Evaluation using the 80/20 system per PPR2022.