Five-year backup solution for national treasury

Procurement: Appointment of a service provider for supply, delivery, installation, configuration, commissioning, and 5-year support of an enterprise backup and recovery solution for National Treasury.

Solution scope: Comprehensive Cyber Resilience and Data Protection Solution covering on-premises infrastructure (physical/virtual servers, applications, databases), Microsoft 365 workloads (Exchange Online), and identity systems (Entra ID).

Objective: Secure backup, recovery, replication, cyber resilience; compliance with government information security and business continuity requirements; protection against ransomware and cyber threats via immutable backups, air-gapped recovery, Zero Trust alignment.

Environment: Dual-site (Production, High Availability, Disaster Recovery) with cloud-based immutable archive repository.

Contract period: 5 years with Service Level Agreement.

Briefing: Non-compulsory virtual session on 13 November 2026 at 10:00 via Microsoft Teams.

Closing: 30 November 2026 at 11:00.

Bid validity: 90 days.

Non-compulsory virtual briefing session: 13 November 2026 at 10:00 (Microsoft Teams; link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3861824924209451?p=h1ue0fRvL5aEdb2qxi).

Closing date and time: 30 November 2026 at 11:00.

Bid validity period: 90 days from closing date.

Contract duration: 5 years from signature.

Submission method: online (refer to Annexure D: Guide for online bid submission).

Closing date and time: 30 November 2026 at 11:00.

Bid validity period: 90 days.

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

• SBD 3.3 Pricing Schedule (Annexure C): completes the pricing schedule; non-submission invalidates the bid.
• Mandatory Functional Requirements (Annexure E): pass/fail compliance with all mandatory functional items.
• SBD 1 Invitation to Bid: formal offer and bidder details.
• SBD 4 Declaration of Interest: discloses state employment or connections.
• SBD 6.1 Preference Points Claim Form: claims B-BBEE/specific goals points under 80/20 system.
• Full CSD report: proof of Central Supplier Database registration.
• CIPC documents: company registration certificates.
• CV template: for key personnel (Project Manager, Backup Solution Engineer).
• Copies of qualifications: matric and higher education certificates for key personnel.
• Signed teaming agreement: if bidding as a joint venture/consortium.
• Valid Tax Clearance Certificate and/or SARS-issued PIN: tax compliance evidence.
• Consolidated CSD full report: required only for joint ventures.

Disqualification risks:

• Failure to submit the pricing schedule (Annexure C).
• Any mandatory functional requirement answered "No", left unanswered, or unsubstantiated.
• Failure to submit legislative documents (SBD 1, SBD 4, SBD 6.1, CSD, CIPC, tax) within 7 calendar days of notification.
• Not achieving the 70% minimum threshold in Phase 3 (Functionality) or Phase 4 (Online Presentation).

Evaluation follows a five-phase process:

Phase 1 – Mandatory Requirements (Pass/Fail):

• Pricing Schedule (SBD 3.3) completed and submitted.
• Mandatory Functional Requirements (Annexure E) fully complied with.

Phase 2 – Legislative and Standard Bidding Documents (Pass/Fail):

• SBD 1, SBD 4, SBD 6.1 submitted.
• Full CSD report, CIPC documents, valid tax clearance/SARS PIN submitted.
• CV templates, qualification copies, teaming agreement (if applicable) submitted.

Phase 3 – Functionality Evaluation (scored):

• Minimum qualifying score: 70% of total functionality points.
• Only bidders meeting the threshold proceed to Phase 4.
• Criteria and weights (from Table 4):

• Company Experience – Proven Track Record (15 points): 3–5 contactable reference letters from public sector/large enterprise for enterprise backup/recovery implementation within past 10 years.

• Key Resource Qualifications & Experience (45 points):

• Project Manager (10 points qualifications + 15 points experience): Matric + Honours/Postgrad (NQF 8) with PMP/PRINCE2; minimum 5 years managing enterprise backup/DR/cyber resilience projects.
• Backup Solution Engineer (10 points qualifications + 10 points experience): Matric + Honours/Postgrad (NQF 8) with advanced OEM certification; minimum 5 years implementing/configuring enterprise backup solutions.

• Methodology and Approach (40 points): clear, feasible project implementation methodology, migration strategy, support structure, OEM accreditation, risk management, service level commitments.

• Training, Skills Transfer and Knowledge (10 points): formal OEM administrator training, skills transfer workshops, as-built documentation, runbooks, disaster/cyber recovery exercises.

Phase 4 – Online Presentation (scored):

• Minimum qualifying score: 70%.
• Only bidders meeting threshold proceed to Phase 5.

Phase 5 – Price and Specific Goals (80/20 Preference Point System):

• Price: 80 points.
• Specific Goals: 20 points (per PPPFA 2022 Regulations).
• Proof of specific goals requirements must be submitted.

Overall: Bidders must pass all mandatory phases before scored evaluation; a single "No" or missing evidence in mandatory phases renders the bid non-responsive.

Scope: Supply, delivery, installation, configuration, commissioning, and 5-year support of an enterprise backup and recovery solution including all hardware, software licences, maintenance, and technical support services. Solution must cover Primary Data Centre, High Availability Site, and Cloud Archive Repository.

Workload volumes (indicative, subject to discovery validation):

• Backup capacity – Production: 480 TB.
• Backup capacity – Disaster Recovery replica: 480 TB.
• Microsoft 365 Exchange Online mailboxes: 1,686.
• Identity Protection – Microsoft Entra ID objects (users, groups, config): 2,490.
• Professional services: 30 hours per year (150 hours total).

Architecture: Disk-to-Disk-to-Cloud (D2D2C) with minimum three recoverable copies:

• Copy 1: Production backup repository (disk), daily 18:00–06:00.
• Copy 2: Replicated backup repository at DR site (disk), daily after backup completion 06:01–17:59.
• Copy 3: Immutable cloud repository for long-term retention (cloud), monthly.

Retention policy (minimum baseline):

• Daily incremental: 14 days (disk, Production & DR).
• Weekly full: 4 weeks (disk, Production & DR).
• Monthly full: 12 months (cloud, immutable).
• Annual full: 5 years (cloud, immutable, aligned to financial year-end).
• Archive logs: 14 days (disk, per application requirements).

Compliance standards: ISO/IEC 27001, 27701, 27031; POPIA; PFMA; Data Sovereignty (data stored/processed within South Africa unless approved); NIST CSF 2.0 (including Govern function).

Key technical requirements:

• Hyperconverged scale-out architecture, non-disruptive scaling, no single point of failure.
• Direct-to-target ingestion for unstructured data; native compression, encryption, federated search.
• Database protection: automatic discovery, granular recovery (tablespace/PDB/collection), parallel data/log capture, encrypted DB support, mountable copies, native tool integration (e.g., RMAN).
• Global file-level indexing, automatic per-workload optimisation.
• Security: end-to-end encryption (TLS 1.2+ in transit, AES-256 at rest, inter-node), pull-based replication, identity resilience for hybrid AD/Entra ID (2,490 objects), retention lock with quorum authorisation, legal hold tracking.
• Ransomware Response Team: 24x7x365 hotline, 1-hour initial response for Severity 1, specialists, recovery point triage, clean-room recovery support, annual joint tabletop exercise.
• Ransomware Recovery Warranty: recoverability guarantee, defined remedy, explicit exclusions, time-bound claims process.
• Data integrity: cryptographic fingerprinting, lifecycle-wide verification, chain-of-custody evidence.
• Access control: MFA (TOTP), object-level RBAC, enterprise IdP integration, no third-party plugins.
• Threat hunting: offline hash-based and YARA-based scanning on backup data, rapid pre-computed IoC matching, cross-workload investigation, quarantine, surgical recovery, validated clean recovery point, self-updating threat intelligence.
• Management: native monitoring, ITSM/ITOM integration (SSO self-service recovery), IaC (Ansible/Terraform), coverage reporting, API-first (Graph/modern APIs), single management plane (SIEM webhooks, audit reports), single operations plane (data protection, DR, cyber resilience, identity).
• Automation: predictive analytics (AI-driven), automated alerts/remediation, RDBMS/application layer integration.
• Scalability: modular, non-disruptive expansion, auto-balancing.
• Microsoft 365: Exchange Online granular item and full mailbox recovery independent of Microsoft retention.
• Entra ID: surgical object recovery, full AD forest recovery, risky change/privilege escalation detection, native Entra ID integration, hybrid identity sync recovery automation level disclosed.
• Sensitive data discovery: native across unstructured, M365, SQL; no extra hardware; classification for business-impact assessment; integrated with anomaly detection and ransomware triage.
• Periodic restore testing: quarterly, 100% of tested backups must pass; automated validation recommended (instant recovery/live mount, blueprint DR orchestration, compliance reporting, proactive threat hunting during testing).
• Professional services: assessment, design, implementation, migration, testing, training, ongoing support (30 hrs/year).
• Due diligence: vendor performs environment discovery and validation before final sizing; validated inventory becomes baseline for contract.

Required methodology and approach (weight 40 points in functionality):

• Project implementation methodology with detailed project plan (activities, dependencies, milestones).
• Discovery and assessment of existing environment.
• Solution design and configuration.
• Backup data migration/transition approach.
• Testing and acceptance process.
• Cutover and rollback plan.
• Risk and issue management.
• OEM accreditation and authorisation.
• Local support structure.
• Escalation process flows with contact roles.
• Service Level Commitments (response and resolution times).

Evidence required: Project plan, methodology documentation, OEM accreditation, support model, escalation matrix.

Rating scale: 5=Excellent (8+ relevant evidence, minimal risk), 4=Good (8-10 evidence, low risk), 3=Satisfactory (6-7 evidence, moderate risk), 2=Fair (4-5 evidence, high risk), 1=Poor (0-3 evidence, very high risk).

Training, skills transfer and knowledge (weight 10 points):

• Formal OEM administrator training.
• Operational handover.
• Skills transfer during implementation.
• Knowledge transfer workshops.
• As-built documentation.
• Standard operating procedures.
• Backup and recovery runbooks.
• Disaster and cyber recovery exercises.

Evidence: Training plan, course outlines, knowledge transfer plan, training manuals, certification arrangements.

Rating scale similar 5-point scale.

Ransomware Response Team methodology: Joint runbook development, annual tabletop/live recovery test, 24x7x365 hotline, 1-hour Severity 1 response, recovery point triage using automated anomaly detection and IoC scanning, clean-room recovery support, stakeholder coordination cadence, post-incident root cause reporting.

Threat hunting methodology: Offline hash-based hunting on backup data; deeper YARA-based pattern scanning within vendor infrastructure; cross-workload investigation; quarantine of infected snapshots; surgical recovery of infected areas; validated clean recovery point before restoration; self-updating threat intelligence feeds.

Company experience (15 points):

• Proven track record: 3–5 contactable reference letters from public sector or large enterprise for successful implementation and support of enterprise backup and recovery solution within past 10 years.
• Letters must be on client letterhead, describe backup services rendered, indicate contract start/end dates, be dated and signed.
• Rating: 1=Poor (1 letter), 2=Fair (2), 3=Satisfactory (3), 4=Good (4), 5=Excellent (5).

Key personnel (45 points total):

1. Project Manager (x1):

• Qualifications (10 points): Matric + Honours/Postgraduate Diploma (NQF 8) or higher with PMP/PRINCE2 or equivalent; or Matric + Bachelor's/Advanced Diploma (NQF 7); or Matric + National Diploma (NQF 6); or Matric + Higher Certificate (NQF 5); or Matric (NQF 4) or less.
• Experience (15 points): Minimum 5 years managing enterprise backup, disaster recovery, infrastructure or cyber resilience implementation projects. Rating: 5=8+ years, 4=6-7 years, 3=5 years, 2=3-4 years, 1=2 years or less.

2. Backup Solution Engineer (x1):

• Qualifications (10 points): Matric + Honours/Postgraduate Diploma (NQF 8) or higher with relevant advanced OEM certification; or Matric + Bachelor's/Advanced Diploma (NQF 7) with relevant OEM professional certification; or Matric + National Diploma (NQF 6) with relevant OEM certification; or Matric + Higher Certificate (NQF 5) with OEM foundation certification; or Matric or less with no relevant OEM certification.
• Experience (10 points): Minimum 5 years implementation, configuration, migration, support of enterprise backup and recovery solutions. Rating: 5=8+ years, 4=6-7 years, 3=5 years, 2=3-4 years, 1=2 years or less.

All qualifications must be supported by Matric certificate and relevant qualification certificates attached.

Quality standards alignment: ISO/IEC 27001 (ISMS), ISO/IEC 27701 (Privacy), ISO/IEC 27031 (ICT readiness for business continuity).

Regulatory compliance: POPIA, PFMA, Data Sovereignty (SA borders), NIST CSF 2.0 (including Govern function).

Backup policy enforcement: Automated policy-based management with workload discovery, classification, policy inheritance, scheduling.

Periodic restore testing: Quarterly (every 3–4 months); 100% of tested backups must pass restore validation.

Automated backup validation (strongly recommended):

• Integrity verification without manual intervention.
• Simulated restore scenarios validating recovery time and data completeness.
• Audit-ready compliance and operational reports.
• Instant recovery/live mount for non-disruptive VM/application boot.
• Blueprint-based DR orchestration with boot-order sequencing, network handling (IP/MAC preservation/reassignment), post-recovery scripts.
• Continuous compliance reporting (SLA, recovery).
• Proactive threat hunting during testing: automated IoC/malware scanning of recovery points; vendor must specify scan depth (hash-based vs full content/pattern-based).

Data integrity: Cryptographic fingerprinting at capture; lifecycle-wide verification across local, replicated, and cloud repositories; chain-of-custody evidence for compliance/audit.

Monitoring and reporting: Native tools for real-time job status, performance, health; ITSM/ITOM integration for centralised oversight and SSO self-service recovery; coverage analysis for unprotected assets; API-first architecture for SIEM/ITOM integration; single management plane (events, webhooks, audit reports); single operations plane (data protection, DR, cyber resilience, identity).

Automation: Predictive analytics (AI-driven storage, frequency, bottleneck prediction); automated alerts and remediation workflows; RDBMS/application layer integration for backup health and consistency.

Scalability: Modular architecture; cost-effective capacity planning; non-disruptive expansion; automated data intelligence and auto-balancing.

Pricing schedule: Annexure C (SBD 3.3) must be completed in full without altering structure; non-submission invalidates the bid.

Prices must be inclusive of all costs and VAT.

Evaluation weighting: Price accounts for 80 points in the 80/20 preference point system (Phase 5).

Specific goals account for 20 points; proof of specific goals requirements must be submitted.

No further details on payment schedules, bill of quantities, or rate cards provided in extracted text. The contract includes a mechanism for future growth (volume uplift bands, scalable licensing models, agreed rate cards for additional workloads/storage) to be defined at contract signature.

Pricing format: Fixed pricing schedule (Annexure C, SBD 3.3) must be completed without structural changes; prices inclusive of all costs and VAT.

No bid security, performance bond, guarantee, retention, or turnover threshold specified in the extracted document. Payment terms not detailed in extracted text.

Mandatory compliance documents:

• Central Supplier Database (CSD) registration: full CSD report required.
• Tax compliance: valid Tax Clearance Certificate or SARS-issued PIN.
• Company registration: CIPC documents.
• B-BBEE: SBD 6.1 Preference Points Claim Form; evaluation uses 80/20 preference point system (PPPFA 2022); proof of specific goals required in Phase 5.
• Standard bidding forms: SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid), SBD 3.3 (Pricing Schedule), SBD 4 (Declaration of Interest), SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim).
• Key personnel qualifications: Project Manager – Matric + Honours/Postgrad (NQF 8) with PMP/PRINCE2; Backup Solution Engineer – Matric + Honours/Postgrad (NQF 8) with advanced OEM certification.
• Key personnel experience: Project Manager – minimum 5 years managing enterprise backup/DR/cyber resilience projects; Backup Solution Engineer – minimum 5 years implementing enterprise backup solutions.
• Company experience: 3–5 contactable reference letters (public sector/large enterprise) for enterprise backup/recovery implementation within past 10 years.
• Mandatory Functional Requirements (Annexure E): pass/fail compliance with all items.
• No CIDB grading required (non-construction).
• No local content requirement specified.
• Joint ventures: consolidated CSD full report and signed teaming agreement required.

No occupational health and safety requirements specified in the extracted document. The tender is for IT backup solution procurement; health and safety provisions are not addressed.

Contract duration: 5 years.

Legal framework: General Conditions of Contract (GCC) per Treasury Regulation 16A and PFMA; Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) with 2022 Regulations. Special Conditions of Contract (SCC) prevail over GCC in case of conflict.

Service Level Agreement: Successful bidder must enter a 5-year SLA for maintenance, support, software updates, operational assistance.

Data retention beyond contract: Where retained backups (including 5-year annual backups) remain within retention period after contract expiry/termination, vendor must provide continued read/export access or complete export in open portable format for agreed transition period at no additional cost beyond reasonable transition support.

Third-party/sub-contractor agreements: Addressed in Section 8 (not detailed in extracted text).

Communication and confidentiality: Section 10 (not detailed).

Recommendation and appointment: Section 12 (not detailed).

Special Conditions of Contract (SCC) supplement the General Conditions of Contract (GCC); SCC prevails in conflict.

Legislative framework: GCC per Treasury Regulation 16A and PFMA; PPPFA with 2022 Regulations.

Contract duration: 5 years.

Non-compulsory briefing: 13 November 2026, 10:00, Microsoft Teams.

Bid validity: 90 days.

Submission: Online per Annexure D guide.

Mandatory returnable documents per Table 1 (Phases 1–5).

Evaluation: Five phases as per evaluation criteria.

Third-party/sub-contractor agreements: Addressed in Section 8.

Communication/confidentiality: Section 10.

Contact details: Section 11 (not detailed in extracted text).

Recommendation/appointment: Section 12.

Annexures: A (GCC), B (SBDs), C (Pricing Schedule), D (Online Submission Guide), E (Mandatory Functional Requirements Tables).

Five-phase evaluation:

Phase 1 – Mandatory Requirements (Pass/Fail): Pricing Schedule (SBD 3.3) and Mandatory Functional Requirements (Annexure E).

Phase 2 – Legislative & Standard Bidding Documents (Pass/Fail): SBD 1, SBD 4, SBD 6.1, CSD report, CIPC documents, tax clearance, CVs, qualifications, teaming agreement (if JV).

Phase 3 – Functionality (scored, min 70%): Company Experience (15), Key Personnel Qualifications & Experience (45), Methodology & Approach (40), Training & Knowledge Transfer (10).

Phase 4 – Online Presentation (scored, min 70%).

Phase 5 – Price & Specific Goals (80/20 preference points): Price 80, Specific Goals 20 (PPPFA 2022).

Only bidders passing all mandatory phases proceed to scored phases; single missing mandatory item renders bid non-responsive.

Closing: 30 November 2026 at 11:00

Offer validity: 90 days from the closing date

Technical enquiries

• Email: [email protected]

Bidding procedure enquiries

• Department: National Treasury

Returnable forms

• SBD 3.3 (Pricing Schedule - Professional Services): the bidder's price offer for the National Treasury backup solution, inclusive of VAT, with a total cost breakdown, commencement period, and a statement on whether rates are firm for the full period.

Pricing and validity

• Offer must remain valid for 90 days from the closing date.
• Prices must be quoted in accordance with the attached terms of reference.
• The financial proposal must cover all assignment activities and outputs.
• A total cost breakdown is required.
• Bidders must state whether rates are firm for the full period; if not, the adjustment basis must be provided, for example CPI.

Scope

• Procurement of a backup solution for National Treasury.
• Contract period: five (5) years.
• Services must be quoted in accordance with the attached terms of reference.

Pricing schedule (SBD 3.3 - Professional Services)

• Bid number: NT013-2026.
• Closing time: 11:00 on 30 November 2026.
• Offer validity: 90 days from the closing date.
• Price must be in RSA currency, inclusive of VAT.
• Services must be quoted in accordance with the attached terms of reference.
• A total cost of the assignment (inclusive of VAT) must be stated.
• A total cost breakdown is required.
• The financial proposal must cover all assignment activities and outputs.
• The period required to commence the project after acceptance of the bid must be stated.
• Bidders must state whether rates are firm for the full period.
• If rates are not firm, the adjustment basis must be provided, for example CPI.

Pricing

• Price must be in RSA currency, inclusive of VAT.
• A total cost breakdown is required.
• The financial proposal must cover all assignment activities and outputs.

Validity and rates

• Offer valid for 90 days from the closing date.
• Bidders must state whether rates are firm for the full period.
• If rates are not firm, the adjustment basis must be provided, for example CPI.

Commencement

• The period required to commence the project after acceptance of the bid must be stated.

Closing date and time: 30 November 2026 at 09:00

Returnable forms:

• SBD 4 (Bidder's Disclosure): must be completed, signed and submitted with the bid. Declares whether any director/shareholder is employed by an organ of state, has a relationship with anyone at the procuring institution, or holds an interest in a related enterprise. A false declaration disqualifies the bid.

Disqualification risks:

• Bidder listed on the Register for Tender Defaulters or List of Restricted Suppliers.
• Any returnable form left unsigned or omitted.

Mandatory declarations (via SBD 4):

• No director, trustee, shareholder, member or partner employed by an organ of state (as defined in Constitution section 239).
• No relationship with any person employed by the procuring institution.
• No interest in any other related enterprise/company/trust bidding for this requirement.
• Bidder not listed on the Register for Tender Defaulters or List of Restricted Suppliers.
• Bid prepared independently, without consultation, communication or agreement with any competitor.
• Bid terms not disclosed to any competitor before official opening or award.

Standard compliance (typical for National Treasury tenders but not detailed in this document):

• CSD registration.
• Valid tax compliance status (SARS PIN).
• B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit for preference points.

Performance security

• The successful bidder must furnish performance security within 30 days of receiving the contract award notification.
• The amount is specified in the Special Conditions of Contract (SCC).
• Acceptable forms are a bank guarantee or an irrevocable letter of credit issued by a reputable bank, or a cashier's or certified cheque.
• The security is discharged and returned within 30 days after the supplier completes its performance obligations, including warranty, unless the SCC states otherwise.

Payment

• The purchaser must pay within 30 days after receiving an invoice accompanied by a delivery note, provided the supplier has fulfilled other contractual obligations.
• Payment is made in Rand unless the SCC stipulates otherwise.

Pricing

• Prices must not vary from the prices quoted in the bid, except for price adjustments authorized in the SCC or in a request to extend bid validity.

Tax clearance

• No contract may be concluded with a bidder whose tax matters are not in order.
• Before award, the department must hold an original tax clearance certificate issued by the South African Revenue Service (SARS), submitted by the bidder.

Restrictive practices

• Collusive bidding or bid rigging is prohibited under the Competition Act.
• If a bidder has engaged in restrictive practices, the purchaser may invalidate the bid, terminate the contract in whole or part, restrict the bidder from public-sector business for up to 10 years, and/or claim damages.
• The purchaser may refer the matter to the Competition Commission for investigation and possible administrative penalties.

National Industrial Participation Programme (NIPP)

• The NIPP applies to contracts that are subject to the NIP obligation.

Contract amendments

• No variation or modification of the contract is valid unless made by written amendment signed by both parties.

Performance security

• The successful bidder must provide performance security within 30 days of the contract award notification, in the amount stated in the SCC.
• Acceptable forms are a bank guarantee or irrevocable letter of credit from a reputable bank, or a cashier's or certified cheque.
• The security is returned within 30 days after completion of performance obligations, including warranty, unless the SCC states otherwise.

Payment and prices

• Payment is due within 30 days after submission of an invoice and delivery note, unless the SCC states otherwise.
• Payment is made in Rand unless the SCC stipulates another currency.
• Prices remain fixed as quoted in the bid, except for adjustments authorized in the SCC or a bid validity extension.

Penalties

• For late delivery or non-performance, the purchaser deducts a penalty calculated on the delayed goods or unperformed services using the current prime interest rate for each day of delay, subject to the force majeure clause.

Termination for default

• The purchaser may terminate the contract in whole or in part by written notice if the supplier fails to deliver within the contract period, fails to perform any obligation, or engages in corrupt or fraudulent practices.
• On termination, the purchaser may procure similar goods or services elsewhere and recover excess costs from the supplier.
• The purchaser may impose a restriction preventing the supplier from doing business with the public sector for up to 10 years.
• Before imposing a restriction, the supplier has up to 14 days to provide reasons why the restriction should not be imposed.
• If a restriction is imposed, the purchaser must notify the National Treasury within 5 working days, stating the supplier's name and address, the commencement date, the period, and the reasons.
• A conviction under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act may result in listing on the Register for Tender Defaulters, prohibiting public-sector business for 5 to 10 years.

Force majeure

• The supplier is not liable for penalties, damages, or termination for delay caused by force majeure.
• The supplier must promptly notify the purchaser in writing of the force majeure condition and its cause, and must continue performing as far as reasonably practical.

Disputes

• Disputes must first be resolved by mutual consultation.
• If unresolved after 30 days, either party may give notice to commence mediation.
• If mediation fails, the dispute may be settled in a South African court.
• The parties must continue performing their obligations during the dispute, and the purchaser must pay amounts due.

Limitation of liability

• Except for criminal negligence, willful misconduct, or patent infringement, the supplier is not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of production, or loss of profits.
• The supplier's aggregate liability is capped at the total contract price, except for the cost of repairing or replacing defective equipment.

Governing law and language

• The contract and all correspondence are in English.
• The contract is interpreted in accordance with South African law.

Notices

• Acceptance of a bid and other notices are sent by registered or certified mail to the address in the bid; posting is deemed proper service.

Taxes

• A local supplier is responsible for all taxes, duties, licence fees and similar levies incurred until delivery of the goods to the purchaser.

Applicable questionnaire

• Questionnaire B (Tax on service providers – contractors/suppliers other than individuals): applies to all service providers excluding individuals, i.e. companies, close corporations and trusts; establishes labour broker / personal services company status for tax purposes.

Required supporting documents

• Certified copy of entity registration (company, close corporation or trust).
• Certified copy of VAT 103 Certificate, where the bidder is VAT registered.
• Certified copy of IRP30 valid for the contract period, where the bidder is a labour broker.
• Signed particulars of the person acting as representative of the enterprise.

Evaluation system

• Preference point system: 80/20, applicable to requirements with a Rand value up to R50 000 000 (all applicable taxes included)
• Price weighting: 80 points
• Specific goals weighting: 20 points
• Total points: 100

Specific goals

• Youth ownership: 5 points (100% = 5 points; 75-99% = 3 points; 60-74% = 2 points; 51-59% = 1 point; 0-50% = 0 points)
• Black ownership: 5 points (100% = 5 points; 75-99% = 3 points; 60-74% = 2 points; 51-59% = 1 point; 0-50% = 0 points)
• Women ownership: 5 points (100% = 5 points; 75-99% = 3 points; 60-74% = 2 points; 51-59% = 1 point; 0-50% = 0 points)
• Disabled ownership: 5 points (100% = 5 points; 75-99% = 3 points; 60-74% = 2 points; 51-59% = 1 point; 0-50% = 0 points)

Claim requirements

• Proof or documentation for each claimed specific goal must be submitted with the tender.
• Failure to submit proof means no specific goal points are awarded.
• The organ of state may require substantiation of any preference claim before or after adjudication.

Consequences of fraudulent claims

• Disqualification from the tendering process.
• Recovery of costs, losses or damages.
• Contract cancellation and damages.
• Restriction from state business for up to 10 years.
• Criminal prosecution.

Evaluation criteria

• Preference point system: 80/20
• Price: 80 points
• Specific goals: 20 points
• Total: 100 points
• Specific goals: youth ownership, Black ownership, women ownership, and disabled ownership, each worth up to 5 points based on percentage ownership brackets
• Proof of ownership must accompany the tender to claim points
• Failure to submit proof means no points are awarded for that goal
• The organ of state may require substantiation of any preference claim before or after adjudication

Returnable form: Contractors'/Suppliers' Questionnaire – Individuals (Questionnaire A) – mandatory for natural persons supplying services; requires certified copy of tax clearance certificate (IRP30) if held, and declaration of personal details, tax reference, employment status, working hours, benefits, and relationship with National Treasury.

The procurement is for a backup solution for National Treasury for a five-year contract period.

Closing date: 30 November 2026

Closing time: 11:00 AM

No compulsory briefing or site visit indicated

Enquiries (bidding procedure and technical): Supply Chain Management

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: Not provided

Submission channel: e-Tender Portal (https://www.etenders.gov.za/)

Service delivery address: Not specified in this document

Submission method: Online via e-Tender Portal (https://www.etenders.gov.za/)

Closing date and time: 30 November 2026 at 11:00 AM

Late bids will not be accepted

Bids must be submitted on the official forms provided (not re-typed) or in the manner prescribed in the bid document

Returnable documents required with the bid:

• SBD1 (Invitation to Bid) completed and signed
• Proof of authority to sign (e.g., board resolution)
• Tax Compliance Status (TCS) PIN issued by SARS, or Central Supplier Database (CSD) number
• For consortia, joint ventures, or subcontractors: each party must submit a separate TCS PIN or CSD number

Successful bidder will be required to sign SBD7 (Contract Form) after award

Bid subject to the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) 2000 and the Preferential Procurement Regulations (80/20 or 90/10 preference point system)

Evaluation criteria, weighting, minimum qualifying scores, and evaluation stages not specified in this document; refer to the full tender document

Scope: Appointment of a service provider for the procurement of a backup solution for National Treasury for a period of five (5) years

Detailed technical specifications, deliverables, quantities, locations, standards, and service levels not provided in this document; refer to the full tender document

Not specified in this document; pricing format, bid security, guarantees, retention, payment terms, and financial capacity thresholds to be detailed in the full tender document

Tax compliance: Valid SARS Tax Compliance Status (TCS) PIN or Central Supplier Database (CSD) number mandatory

Each consortium, joint venture, or subcontractor must submit a separate TCS PIN or CSD number

No bids accepted from persons in the service of the state, companies with directors in the service of the state, or close corporations with members in the service of the state

Foreign suppliers: If the entity is not resident in RSA, has no branch, permanent establishment, source of income, or tax liability in RSA, exemption from TCS PIN applies but registration per the prescribed process is required

Central Supplier Database (CSD) registration implied (CSD number required if no TCS PIN)

B-BBEE requirements not stated in this document

CIDB grading not applicable (services)

Professional body registrations not stated