Panel of attorneys for legal services – five-year contract

Closing date: 24 November 2026 at 11:00 SAST.

No other dates (briefing or site visit) are stated.

Supply Chain Management (SCM) enquiries:

• Contact person: SCM
• Telephone: 012 947 2800
• Email: [email protected]

Technical enquiries:

• Contact person: SCM
• Telephone: 012 947 2875
• Email: [email protected]

Submission addresses:

Bid box: National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA), CSIR Campus, Building 5, Brummeria, 0182

Email: [email protected]

Submission method: hand delivery to the bid box at National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA), CSIR Campus, Building 5, Brummeria, 0182, or email to [email protected], or courier. Faxed bids are not accepted. Bids must arrive on or before the closing date and time; late bids are disqualified.

Returnable forms (all must be completed, signed and submitted; completeness is mandatory or the bid is invalid):

• SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid): bidder and contact details, with confirmation of receipt of the document.
• SBD 4 (Declaration of Interest): discloses whether the bidder, directors, trustees, shareholders, members or partners are employed by an organ of state, have relationships with the procuring institution, or have interests in related enterprises; false declarations disqualify.
• SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim): claims specific-goal points; failures to claim means no points awarded.
• SBD 7 (Contract Form): the successful bidder must complete and sign the written contract.
• Proof of authority for the signatory (e.g., company resolution) must be submitted.
• Bid validity: 90 days from closing date.

Preference point system: 80/20 (price 80 points, specific goals 20 points), under the Preferential Procurement Regulations 2022.

Price points formula: Ps = 80 × (1 - (Pt - Pmin) / Pmin), where Pt is the tender price under consideration and Pmin is the price of the lowest acceptable tender.

Specific goals and points (total 20):

• Black women owned entities (at least 30% ownership): 5 points, proof: CIPC document, valid B-BBEE certificate or affidavit.
• Black owned entities (at least 51% ownership): 8 points, proof: valid B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit.
• Youth owned entities (at least 51% owned by youth): 5 points, proof: CIPC company document.
• Entities owned by persons with disabilities (at least 51%): 2 points, proof: letter from medical doctor confirming disability, not older than six months.

Bidders must indicate how they claim each goal; proof must be submitted with the bid.

Trade-off between price and specific goals for highest total score (100 maximum).

The National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA), a Schedule 3A public entity, seeks to establish a panel of attorneys to provide specialised legal advice and services for a five-year period.

Services include instituting and defending legal action on behalf of NMISA, providing legal advice, conducting legal research, litigation, and chairing disciplinary hearings.

The panel is divided into six categories; bidders must indicate which category they are bidding for, and may bid for multiple categories, each requiring its own supporting documentation:

• Category One: Labour & Employment Law
• Category Two: Debt Collections & General Litigation
• Category Three: Constitutional, Administrative & Procurement Law
• Category Four: Business and Commercial and Insurance Law
• Category Five: Health, Safety & Environmental Law
• Category Six: Intellectual Property Law

For each category, the scope includes:

• Labour & Employment: handling grievances, disciplinary enquiries, forensic investigations, general labour advice, representation at arbitrations/mediations/Labour Courts, collective bargaining and advice on retirement funding and pension/medical aid law.
• Debt Collections & Litigation: legal opinions on collections, instituting/defending matters in courts, opinions on litigious matters, contract advice, and litigation services in contract law.
• Constitutional, Administrative & Procurement: advising on the PFMA and related legislation, public procurement, drafting and negotiating agreements between organs of state.

(Additional scope details for Categories 4, 5, 6 are incomplete in the source; only financial information is listed.)

Bidders must indicate their enterprise size (Generic, Qualifying Small Enterprise, or Emerging Enterprise) for categorisation, supporting the claim with a B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit.

No specific quality management or QA/QC requirements are stated beyond adherence to the standards and specifications in the bid document (GCC clause 4).

No specific financial requirements (pricing amounts, bid security, bonds, guarantees, retention, payment terms or turnover thresholds) are stated in the document.

Tax compliance:

• Bidders must be tax compliant and provide a SARS Tax Compliance Status (TCS) PIN or a CSD number. A printed TCS certificate may also be submitted.
• For consortia, joint ventures or subcontractors, each party must submit a separate TCS certificate/PIN/CSD number.
• No contract will be awarded to a bidder whose tax matters are not in order; a tax clearance certificate (original) must be submitted prior to award.

CSD registration:

• If no TCS PIN is available, the bidder must provide a CSD number.

B-bbee:

• A valid B-BBEE status level verification certificate, or a sworn affidavit for EMEs and QSEs, must be submitted to qualify for preference points.

Disqualification:

• Bidders listed on the Register for Tender Defaulters or the List of Restricted Suppliers are automatically disqualified.
• Bids from persons in the service of the state, or companies/close corporations with directors/members in the service of the state, will not be considered.

No tender-specific occupational health and safety requirements are stated. The document largely repeats the GCC and bid invitation boilerplate; no OHS plan or compliance duty is specified.

The General Conditions of Contract (GCC) apply to all bids, contracts and orders, and form part of the bid document; they may not be amended.

Conditions covering performance security, payment, penalties, termination and dispute resolution are governed by the GCC. Specific details (e.g., performance security amount, payment method) are not stated in the document.

Special conditions of contract, if any, override the GCC where they conflict.

The successful bidder must sign a written contract form (SBD 7).

Evaluation is based on the 80/20 preference points system: price is evaluated by the formula Ps = 80 × (1 - (Pt - Pmin) / Pmin), and specific goals claim up to 20 points as listed. The bidder with the highest combined score is likely to be awarded, subject to compliance and tax requirements.