Provision of accredited laboratory services for water quality monitoring in phumelela local municipality for 36 months

Closing date and time: 09 November 2026 at 12:00.

Bid opening: immediately after the closing time at 52 Kuhn & Prinsloo Street, Vrede 9835.

Briefing session: none — no briefing or site visit will be held.

Clarification deadline: at least five working days before the closing time.

Bid validity period: 90 days from the closing date.

No briefing session or site visit will be held for this bid.

Technical enquiries

• Contact: Ms I Mathaba
• Role: Senior Process Controller
• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: 058 913 8300

Supply chain management enquiries

• Contact: Mrs D Makhubu
• Role: Manager, Supply Chain Management
• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: 058 913 8300

Municipal switchboard

• Telephone: 058 913 8300
• Fax: 058 913 2317

Submission address

Bid box, Supply Chain Office

Phumelela Local Municipality

52 Kuhn Street

Vrede

9835

Bid opening venue

52 Kuhn & Prinsloo Street

Vrede

9835

Document collection address

Phumelela Local Municipality

52 Kuhn Street

Vrede

9835

Submission method: sealed bid deposited in the bid box at the Supply Chain Office, 52 Kuhn Street, Vrede 9835.

Closing time: 12:00 on 09 November 2026.

Format: single-volume submission; the original procurement document must be completed, bound and returned as issued. No additional copies required. No two-envelope procedure. No alternative offers accepted.

Bid validity: 90 days after the closing date.

Bid opening: immediately after closing at 52 Kuhn & Prinsloo Street, Vrede 9835.

Late, telegraphic, telefax and emailed bids will not be accepted; proof of posting is not proof of delivery.

Returnable documents (failure to submit any of these results in immediate disqualification):

• CIPC company registration documents.
• SARS Tax Compliance Status certificate with PIN, or CSD number.
• VAT registration certificate, where applicable.
• Identity documents of all directors.
• CSD registration report.
• Municipal rates and services account not older than 3 months, or a valid lease agreement.
• Signed joint venture agreement, where bidding as a joint venture.
• Completed and signed MBD forms.
• SANAS accreditation proof for ISO/IEC 17025:2005 covering both chemical and microbiological analysis.
• Proof of accreditation for the specific methods used for the water analysis parameters.
• Fully priced pricing schedule and signed Form of Offer and Acceptance.

Standard forms to complete: MBD 1 (invitation to bid and bidder details), MBD 4 (declaration of interest), MBD 6.1 (preference points claim), MBD 8 (past supply chain management practices), MBD 9 (certificate of independent bid determination); the successful bidder must sign MBD 7 contract form.

Bid documents are available from the Vrede municipal offices during working hours for a non-returnable fee of R350,00.

Clarification requests must reach the municipality at least five working days before the closing time.

Bidders must write in black ink, initial all alterations, and may not use erasures or masking fluid.

Failure to submit any of the following results in immediate disqualification:

• CIPC company registration documents.
• SARS Tax Compliance Status certificate with PIN, or CSD number.
• VAT registration certificate, where applicable.
• Identity documents of all directors.
• CSD registration report.
• Municipal rates and services account not older than 3 months, or a valid lease agreement.
• Signed joint venture agreement, where applicable.
• Completed and signed MBD forms.
• SANAS accreditation proof for ISO/IEC 17025:2005 covering chemical and microbiological analysis.
• Proof of accreditation for the specific water analysis methods.
• Fully priced pricing schedule and signed Form of Offer and Acceptance.

Evaluation stages:

1. Responsiveness and eligibility check — completeness, signing, and compliance with the conditions of bid.
2. Functionality evaluation — minimum qualifying score: 70 points. Bidders scoring below 70 are not evaluated further.
3. Price and preference evaluation under the 80/20 preference point system.

Scoring split:

• Price: 80 points.
• Specific goals: 20 points.
• Total: 100 points.

Preference points for specific goals (location of the bidder):

• Within the boundaries of Phumelela Local Municipality: 20 points.
• Within the boundaries of Thabo Mofutsanyana District, outside Phumelela: 12 points.
• Within the Free State but outside Thabo Mofutsanyana District: 8 points.
• Outside the Free State: 1 point.

Evidence for location claims: municipal account in the bidder's name, or a lease agreement in the bidder's name, or a letter confirming address signed by the ward councillor for rural areas.

Failure to submit proof for a claimed goal means those preference points are not awarded.

The municipality may require bidders to substantiate preference claims at any time.

The municipality is not bound to accept the lowest bid or any part of a bid.

Scope: provision of accredited laboratory services for monitoring water quality across Phumelela Local Municipality for a 36-month period, commencing on the date of award.

Sampling and analysis

• Collect, preserve, analyse, report on and archive samples to build a complete water quality history and database over the contract period.
• Sampling points cover potable water at water treatment works and in reticulation networks, wastewater at wastewater treatment works, and treated effluent discharged to rivers and streams.
• Ad hoc testing and resampling must be provided when requested by the municipality.
• Sampling intervals and parameters may change according to the municipality's needs.
• Exact sampling points will be confirmed with the successful bidder on appointment.

Reporting

• All data specified by the municipality must be loaded onto the Department of Water and Sanitation BLUE DROP and GREEN DROP IRIS systems in the required profile or spreadsheet format.

Standards

• Potable water analysis must comply with SANS 241:2015 Edition 2.
• Analytical methods for each parameter must follow the relevant SANS specifications.

Accreditation and personnel

• The laboratory must hold SANAS accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for both chemical and microbiological analysis.
• The laboratory manager must be a registered professional natural scientist in the appropriate discipline under the Natural Scientists Act of 1982, with at least 5 years' experience in testing and analysis of water samples.

Services are provided on a monthly basis.

Samples must be collected, preserved and analysed according to the relevant specifications set out in the standard specifications.

Sampling intervals and parameters may change according to the municipality's needs.

All data must be loaded onto the DWS BLUE DROP and GREEN DROP IRIS systems in the required format.

The laboratory manager must be a registered professional natural scientist in the appropriate discipline under the Natural Scientists Act of 1982, with at least 5 years' relevant experience in testing and analysis of water samples.

The bidder must be qualified and professionally registered for the service, and must demonstrate managerial capacity, reliability and experience relevant to the project.

The laboratory must hold SANAS accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for both chemical and microbiological analysis, with proof of accreditation for the specific water analysis methods.

Potable water analysis must comply with SANS 241:2015 Edition 2.

Analytical methods for each parameter must follow the relevant SANS specifications.

The laboratory must hold SANAS accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for both chemical and microbiological analysis.

Bidders must complete and submit the fully priced pricing schedule; a bill of quantities forms part of the bid document.

Rates and prices must be in Rand and include all duties, taxes (excluding VAT) and levies applicable 14 days before the closing time.

Arithmetical corrections: words govern over figures; line item totals govern over unit rates; the total of prices governs and bidders may be asked to revise item prices to match the bid total.

Bidders may not be more than 3 months in arrears on municipal rates, taxes or service charges.

No bid security, performance bond or retention is stated in the document.

Pricing

• Bidders must complete and submit a fully priced pricing schedule; a bill of quantities forms part of the bid document.
• Rates and prices must be stated in Rand and must include all duties, taxes (excluding VAT) and levies applicable 14 days before the closing time.
• No alternative offers will be accepted.

Arithmetical corrections

• Where figures and words differ, the amount in words governs.
• Line item totals govern over unit rates; a misplaced decimal point is corrected against the quoted line item total.
• The total of prices governs, and bidders may be asked to revise item prices to match the bid total.

Bid validity: 90 days after the closing date.

No bid security, performance guarantee, retention or turnover threshold is stated in the document.

Bid document fee: R350,00 non-returnable, payable at the Vrede municipal offices.

Mandatory eligibility

• The laboratory must hold SANAS accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for both chemical and microbiological analysis, with proof of accreditation for the specific water analysis methods.
• The laboratory manager must be a registered professional natural scientist with at least 5 years' relevant water sample testing experience.
• Bidders must be qualified and professionally registered for the service, with the managerial capacity, reliability and experience for the project.
• No bid will be accepted from a person in the service of the state.

Tax and registration

• Valid SARS Tax Compliance Status certificate or PIN, or a CSD number where no TCS is available.
• CSD registration report.
• CIPC company registration documents.
• VAT registration certificate where applicable.
• Joint ventures, consortia and sub-contractors: each party must submit its own tax compliance certificate, PIN or CSD number.

Municipal accounts

• Proof of payment of municipal services not older than 3 months, or a valid lease agreement.
• Bidders may not be more than 3 months in arrears on municipal rates, taxes or service charges.

Disqualification risks

• Any returnable document omitted or unsigned.
• Late, telegraphic, telefax or emailed bids.
• Listing on the National Treasury Register for Tender Defaulters or Database of Restricted Suppliers.
• A director convicted of fraud or corruption in the past 5 years.
• Abuse of the municipality's supply chain management system, or failure to perform on a previous contract after written notice.
• Any conflict of interest that could compromise performance of the services.
• B-BBEE status level certificate or sworn affidavit (for EMEs and QSEs) must be submitted to claim preference points.

Foreign suppliers must complete the pre-award questionnaire; if resident, branch, establishment, income and tax liability answers are all negative, no SARS tax compliance PIN is required.

Preference points are awarded under the 80/20 system for specific goals based on the bidder's location:

• Within Phumelela Local Municipality: 20 points.
• Within Thabo Mofutsanyana District, outside Phumelela: 12 points.
• Within the Free State, outside Thabo Mofutsanyana District: 8 points.
• Outside the Free State: 1 point.

Evidence: municipal account or lease agreement in the bidder's name, or a ward councillor's address confirmation letter for rural areas.

A B-BBEE status level certificate or sworn affidavit (for EMEs and QSEs) must be submitted to claim B-BBEE preference points.

Monitoring supports compliance with SANS 241 and Department of Water and Sanitation standards across the municipality's water and wastewater treatment works.

Sampling covers treated effluent discharged to rivers and streams, and results must be loaded onto the DWS BLUE DROP and GREEN DROP IRIS systems.

Contract duration: 36 months from the date of award.

Bid validity: 90 days after the closing date; the municipality may request an extension.

The successful bidder must sign the MBD 7 written contract form.

The municipality may accept or reject any bid, variation or deviation, and may cancel the bid process before a contract is formed, without liability to bidders.

Bidders bear all costs of preparing and submitting a bid; the municipality does not compensate bid preparation or testing costs.

All communication must be in English, in a recordable form, and directed to the municipality's nominated agent.

Bidders must acknowledge any addenda issued and may request a closing time extension to accommodate them.

Bidders must check the bid documents on receipt and report any discrepancy or omission.

The municipality may request additional material, including notarised joint venture agreements and samples, for a full risk assessment; failure to provide it may render the bid non-responsive.

Bidders must provide access during working hours for inspections, tests and analysis.

The municipality will not disclose evaluation information until after award.

Corrupt or fraudulent practices, including attempts to influence the process, lead to immediate disqualification.

A non-responsive bid may not be made responsive later by correcting or withdrawing a deviation.

The laboratory must hold SANAS accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for both chemical and microbiological analysis.

The laboratory manager must be a registered professional natural scientist with at least 5 years' experience in water sample testing and analysis.

Bidders must submit proof of payment of municipal services not older than 3 months, or a valid lease agreement.

A valid Tax Compliance Status certificate or PIN must be attached.

A CSD registration report must be attached.

Bidders must score at least 70 points in functionality to proceed to price and preference evaluation.

The 80/20 preference point system applies: price 80 points, specific goals 20 points.