RFI: financial reporting solution similar to caseware (2-year term) – ports regulator of south africa

Closing date and time: 23 October 2026 at 16:00

Briefing session: None

Issue date: 13 October 2026

Enquiries and submission

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: Not stated
• Contact person: Not stated
• Role: Not stated

Submission address

• Email: [email protected]

Physical address: Not stated

Service delivery address: Not stated

Submission method: email

Submission address: [email protected]

Closing: 23 October 2026 at 16:00

Returnable documents required:

• Signed quotation on bidder letterhead
• Completed bidder details and pricing schedule
• Caseware authorisation/accreditation evidence
• Technical proposal and implementation plan
• Licence and bill-of-materials schedule
• CVs and supporting certificates
• Two or more reference letters or completed reference forms
• Support and escalation model
• Training and knowledge-transfer plan

Disqualification risks:

• Failure to submit evidence for any mandatory requirement identified by SCM
• Incomplete response by the closing date and time

Note: This is an RFI for information gathering only; no award will be made. Bidders bear all costs of preparing and submitting responses.

This RFI is for market research and information gathering; no award will be made on this RFI. No formal evaluation scoring or preference point system (80/20 or 90/10) is stated.

Mandatory minimum requirements for a responsive submission:

• Valid CSD/MAAA registration (National Treasury Central Supplier Database)
• Manufacturer/vendor authorisation or accreditation to supply and support the proposed financial reporting system or Caseware products in South Africa
• Minimum three years' relevant experience implementing or supporting financial reporting systems or Caseware solutions
• At least two contactable client references for comparable work completed within the last five years
• Lead consultant with relevant Caseware product knowledge and financial reporting implementation experience
• Signed acceptance of data confidentiality, information security and POPIA obligations
• Detailed implementation, support and knowledge-transfer methodology

Procurement: Provision, licensing, implementation, configuration, support and maintenance of a financial reporting solution similar to Caseware Working Papers for a period of two years

Current scale: approximately three licensed users; pricing must show unit cost and effect of adding or removing users

Core functional requirements:

• Import trial balances from Excel or agreed source systems with period-to-period mapping retention
• Map accounts to financial statement line items, notes, lead schedules and supporting working papers
• Prepare annual and interim financial statements using applicable reporting framework and maintained templates
• Automated roll-forward of prior-year files, opening balances, comparatives and recurring disclosures
• Linked statements, notes and supporting schedules with consistent flow-through of approved adjustments
• Journals and adjustments with preparer, reviewer, date, explanation and audit trail
• Validation, balancing, cross-referencing, rounding and consistency checks
• Review notes, sign-offs, document status, locking and controlled finalisation
• Publication-ready outputs in Microsoft Word and PDF, plus other required statutory formats
• Multi-user collaborative work on a controlled parent/master file
• Complete version history, user activity and audit trail
• Archiving facilities for final signed statements, working papers and audit evidence

Implementation scope:

• Licensing and subscriptions: Caseware Working Papers, SmartSync and/or Caseware Cloud, financial statement templates, with detailed licence schedule
• Solution assessment and design: inception session, current-state assessment, deployment recommendation, implementation design, bill of materials, responsibility matrix
• Installation, configuration and migration: latest approved version, parent/master file setup, migration of existing files, user roles and permissions, template validation, data integrity checks, rollback and recovery testing
• Hosting and security: support PRSA's approved hosting model, named user accounts, encryption in transit and at rest, backup documentation, approved time-bound remote access, compliance with PRSA ICT security policies, data ownership by PRSA, return and certified deletion at contract end
• Support and maintenance: single point of contact, helpdesk during business hours with enhanced year-end/audit availability, incident resolution, patches and updates, proactive health checks, monthly or quarterly service reports, known-error register
• Training and knowledge transfer: role-based training for administrators, preparers and reviewers, practical training using PRSA scenarios, user guides, administrator handover pack, knowledge transfer to Finance and ICT officials for routine administration and first-line support, attendance registers and completion reports

Deliverables and acceptance:

1. Inception report and project plan
2. Requirements and environment assessment
3. Solution design and bill of materials
4. Installed and configured solution
5. Migrated/rolled-forward Caseware file
6. Configured reporting template
7. User acceptance testing
8. Training and knowledge transfer
9. Support and maintenance service
10. Project closure report

Service levels:

• Priority 1 (Critical): solution unavailable or corruption preventing critical deadline — initial response within 1 business hour, restore within 4 hours or approved workaround, continuous escalation
• Priority 2 (High): material functionality impaired — initial response within 2 business hours, restore within 8 hours or agreed action plan
• Priority 3 (Medium): non-critical defect with workaround — initial response within 4 business hours, restore within 2 business days
• Priority 4 (Low/Request): minor issue or information request — initial response within 1 business day, restore within 5 business days or agreed schedule

Bidders may propose improved service levels; exclusions, limitations and chargeable categories must be disclosed.

Implementation methodology requirements:

• Detailed implementation, support and knowledge-transfer methodology required in technical proposal, cross-referenced to this RFI
• Inception and requirements-validation session with Finance, ICT, SCM and identified stakeholders
• Current-state assessment covering existing Caseware version, files, templates, licences, user roles, operating environment, integrations, backup arrangements and reporting calendar
• Deployment model confirmation with implementation design covering user access, parent/master file location, synchronisation, security, backup and recovery
• Identification of all dependencies, assumptions, constraints and risks before implementation
• Bill of materials and responsibility matrix distinguishing supplier, organisation, ICT and Finance responsibilities
• Installation of latest mutually approved and supported version on authorised end-user devices and approved environment
• Configuration of parent/master file and synchronised copies for concurrent authorised user work
• Migration or roll-forward of existing Caseware files, mappings, lead schedules, notes, account groupings and prior-year comparatives
• Configuration of user roles, permissions, review points, sign-offs, document protection and audit trail settings
• Validation of latest approved reporting template and amendments
• Data integrity checks before and after migration with documented exceptions and resolutions
• Rollback and recovery arrangements tested before production use
• User acceptance testing with signed results, all critical defects closed and agreed treatment of residual items
• Project closure report with configuration baseline, licence register, open items, warranties, support contacts and sign-off

Minimum bidder requirements:

• Valid CSD/MAAA registration on National Treasury Central Supplier Database
• Manufacturer/vendor authorisation or accreditation to supply and support proposed financial reporting system or Caseware products in South Africa
• Minimum three years' relevant experience implementing or supporting financial reporting systems or Caseware financial reporting solutions
• At least two contactable client references for comparable financial reporting system or Caseware financial reporting work completed within the last five years
• Proposed lead consultant with relevant Caseware product knowledge and financial reporting implementation experience

Required evidence:

• CSD summary report / MAAA number
• Current manufacturer/vendor letter or certificate identifying bidder and applicable products/services
• Company profile and project schedule
• Signed reference letters on client letterhead or completed reference forms
• CV, role, experience and relevant certificates for lead consultant
• Signed declaration/bid response accepting data confidentiality, information security and POPIA obligations
• Technical proposal cross-referenced to this RFI covering implementation, support and knowledge-transfer methodology

Service levels by severity:

• Priority 1 (Critical): solution unavailable, parent/master file inaccessible or corruption preventing critical financial reporting deadline — initial response within 1 business hour, restore within 4 hours or provide approved workaround, continuous escalation until restored
• Priority 2 (High): material functionality impaired with significant impact but limited work can continue — initial response within 2 business hours, restore within 8 hours or agreed action plan
• Priority 3 (Medium): non-critical defect or degraded function with workaround available — initial response within 4 business hours, restore within 2 business days
• Priority 4 (Low/Request): information request, minor issue, configuration or service request — initial response within 1 business day, restore within 5 business days or agreed schedule

Bidders may propose improved service levels. Exclusions, support-hour limitations, escalation conditions and chargeable support categories must be clearly disclosed.

Pricing format: itemised, all-inclusive quotation in South African Rand

VAT: shown separately

Cost distinction: once-off and recurring costs with no undisclosed dependencies

Required pricing lines:

• Caseware Working Papers user licences: quantity 3 (show unit cost and effect of adding/removing users)
• SmartSync licences: quantity 3
• Caseware Cloud or other approved hosting component (if required, separately identified and priced)
• Applicable financial statement reporting template/content licence: quantity 1
• Assessment, design and project management: quantity 1
• Installation, configuration and migration/roll-forward: quantity 1
• User acceptance testing and go-live support: quantity 1
• Administrator, preparer and reviewer training
• Support and maintenance
• Optional year-end onsite/remote support: daily/hourly rate
• Travel and disbursements (if applicable and pre-approved): quantity 1
• Any other fully described costs
• Grand total

Additional pricing information required:

• Licence commencement dates
• Renewal dates
• Validity period of quotation
• Price escalation assumptions
• Payment milestones
• Support inclusions
• Items excluded from price

Currency: South African Rand, all-inclusive

VAT: shown separately

Cost structure: distinguish once-off and recurring costs; no undisclosed dependencies

Pricing items required:

• Caseware Working Papers user licences: quantity 3 (unit cost and effect of adding/removing users to be shown)
• SmartSync licences: quantity 3
• Caseware Cloud or other approved hosting component (if required, separately identified and priced)
• Applicable financial statement reporting template/content licence: quantity 1
• Assessment, design and project management: quantity 1
• Installation, configuration and migration/roll-forward: quantity 1
• User acceptance testing and go-live support: quantity 1
• Administrator, preparer and reviewer training
• Support and maintenance
• Optional year-end onsite/remote support: daily/hourly rate
• Travel and disbursements (if applicable and pre-approved): quantity 1
• Any other fully described costs

Additional pricing information required:

• Licence commencement dates
• Renewal dates
• Validity period of quotation
• Price escalation assumptions
• Payment milestones
• Support inclusions
• Items excluded from the price

No bid security, bond, guarantee, retention or turnover threshold is stated.

Mandatory registrations and certifications:

• Valid registration on the National Treasury Central Supplier Database (CSD/MAAA number)
• Manufacturer/vendor authorisation or accreditation to supply and support the proposed financial reporting system or Caseware products in South Africa

Experience and personnel:

• Minimum three years' relevant experience implementing or supporting financial reporting systems or Caseware solutions
• At least two contactable client references for comparable work completed within the last five years
• Lead consultant with relevant Caseware product knowledge and financial reporting implementation experience (CV, role, experience and certificates required)

Legal and security:

• Signed acceptance of data confidentiality, information security and POPIA obligations
• Compliance with PRSA ICT security, change management, access management and incident management requirements
• Data encryption in transit and at rest where supported
• All PRSA data remains property of PRSA; no use, disclosure or transfer except for contracted services
• Return and certified deletion of data at contract termination, subject to legal retention requirements
• Bidder personnel may be required to sign confidentiality undertakings

No B-BBEE level threshold, CIDB grading, CIPC registration, professional-body registration, or local content percentage is stated.

Data and confidentiality:

• All financial information, working papers, user data, configurations and reports treated as confidential
• Compliance with POPIA and PRSA information-security and records-management requirements
• Client-specific configurations, mappings, reports, documentation and data remain available to PRSA in usable form
• Prompt reporting of suspected security or privacy incidents with cooperation in investigation, containment and remediation
• Bidder personnel may be required to sign confidentiality undertakings

Data ownership and termination:

• All PRSA data remains property of PRSA
• No use, disclosure or transfer except to deliver contracted services
• At contract termination: return PRSA data in usable format and certify deletion of retained copies, subject to legal retention requirements

Hosting and security obligations:

• Support PRSA's approved hosting model; cloud components separately identified and priced
• Named user accounts with role-based access; shared generic accounts only with formal documented approval
• Data encrypted in transit and at rest where supported by deployment model
• Documented backup frequency, retention, restoration procedures, recovery responsibilities and recovery testing
• Remote access by supplier personnel: approved, time-bound, logged and revoked after use
• Compliance with PRSA ICT security, change management, access management and incident management requirements

Support and maintenance terms:

• Single point of contact and escalation matrix for functional, technical and licensing matters
• Helpdesk during agreed business hours, enhanced availability during year-end and audit periods when requested
• Incident resolution covering installation, access, synchronisation, file corruption, template functionality, licensing and report generation
• Software patches, supported version updates and template/content updates included in licence and maintenance entitlement
• Proactive health checks before year-end, roll-forward and final audit submission
• Monthly or quarterly service reports: calls logged, severity, response time, resolution time, recurring issues, licence status and recommendations
• Known-error register with root-cause analysis for recurring or high-impact incidents

Training and knowledge transfer:

• Role-based training for administrators, preparers and reviewers
• Practical training using PRSA's approved reporting scenario and non-production file copy where appropriate
• Updated user guides, configuration documentation, troubleshooting guidance and administrator handover pack
• Knowledge transfer to designated Finance and ICT officials for routine user administration, file management, synchronisation monitoring, backup verification and first-line support
• Attendance registers and training completion reports

RFI-specific conditions:

• No award will be made on this RFI; information gathering purpose only
• Bidders bear all costs of preparing and submitting responses
• Disclosure of actual or potential conflicts of interest required

Mandatory bidder requirements:

• CSD/MAAA registration on National Treasury Central Supplier Database
• Manufacturer/vendor accreditation to supply and support proposed financial reporting system or Caseware products in South Africa
• Minimum three years' relevant experience implementing or supporting financial reporting or Caseware solutions
• At least two contactable client references for comparable work within last five years
• Lead consultant with appropriate CV and certificates
• Signed acceptance of data confidentiality, POPIA compliance and detailed implementation, support and knowledge-transfer methodology

Required submission documents:

• Signed quotation on bidder letterhead
• Completed bidder details and pricing schedule
• Caseware authorisation/accreditation evidence
• Technical proposal and implementation plan
• Licence and bill-of-materials schedule
• CVs and supporting certificates
• Two or more reference letters or reference forms
• Support and escalation model
• Training and knowledge-transfer plan

Special conditions:

• RFI for information gathering only; no award will be made
• Bidders bear all costs of preparing and submitting responses
• Disclosure of actual or potential conflicts of interest required
• All financial information, working papers, user data, configurations and reports treated as confidential per POPIA and PRSA information-security policies
• Client-specific configurations, mappings, reports and data remain available to PRSA in usable form
• Suspected security or privacy incidents must be promptly reported with cooperation in investigation, containment and remediation
• Bidder personnel may be required to sign confidentiality undertakings