Optometric services and consumables – 3-Year contract at red cross war memorial children's hospital

Closing date: 30 November 2026 at 11:00

• No briefing session or site visit is stated in the document.
• Technical enquiries must be submitted no later than 7 working days before the bid closing date.

Bidding and technical enquiries

• Contact: Ms S. October (bidding enquiries)
• Email: [email protected]
• Technical contact: Dr N. Freeman
• Email for technical enquiries: [email protected]
• Facsimile: N/A

Submission address

Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital

The Foyer, Administrative Building

Corner Milner Road and Klipfontein Road

Rondebosch, 7700

Sample delivery address

Attention: Ms Phakama Godfrey

Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital

Admin Building – Supply Chain Management

Corner Klipfontein Road and Milner Road

Rondebosch, Cape Town

Submission method: physical deposit in the official bid box.

• Bid box location: The Foyer, Administrative Building, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Corner Milner Road and Klipfontein Road, Rondebosch, 7700.
• Bid box accessible Monday to Friday, 07h30 to 15h30, excluding public holidays.
• Bids must be deposited in a sealed envelope marked with the bid number (RCCH09/2026), bid description, closing date (30 November 2026), closing time (11:00), and the bidder's name and address.
• Only original, signed official forms are accepted; re-typed forms are not permitted.
• Envelope must not contain documents for any other bid.
• Late bids will not be accepted for consideration, regardless of cause.
• No faxed, emailed, or electronic submissions will be accepted.
• Bids must remain valid for 120 calendar days from the closing date.
• Each page of the bid must be consecutively numbered in the top right-hand corner.
• A cover page and full table of contents must be included.
• A written declaration must accompany the submission confirming it is a true and complete copy of the original.
• Bidders must sign each page of the bid to evidence that the terms of reference are noted and agreed to.
• Returnable forms (all must be completed and signed where applicable):
• WCBD 1 (The Bid): complete and sign Part A and Part B; failure results in disqualification.
• WCBD 3.1 (Pricing Schedule – Specification/Schedule of Offers): firm prices only; must be completed and signed.
• WCBD 4 (Declaration of Interest): disclose any director/shareholder employed by the state or connected to the department.
• WCBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim Form): claim B-BBEE points; must be completed and signed.
• OHS Act Section 37(2) Agreement: must be completed and signed; non-submission renders the bid non-responsive.
• B-BBEE certificate (valid original or certified copy) or sworn affidavit for qualifying small enterprises.
• Proof of CSD registration (MAAA number and CSD report).
• Proof of authority to sign (e.g., company resolution).
• All pages of the Bid Terms of Reference (ToR).
• Samples: one sample of each item offered must be provided for clinical evaluation, attached with a completed evaluation report form.
• Disqualification risks:
• Any returnable form omitted, incomplete, or unsigned.
• Failure to provide compliant samples or late sample delivery.
• Non-compliance with submission format, labeling, packaging, or delivery requirements.
• Incomplete, ambiguous, or incorrect compliance responses.

Evaluation stages (in order):

• Stage 1: Compliance with bid specifications and bid requirements (CSD registration, on-time submission, all required documents completed in full).
• Stage 2: Clinical evaluation of samples (clinical acceptability for paediatric use, ease of use, storage). Samples must be identical to items intended for supply; non-compliant samples lead to disqualification.
• Stage 3: Preferential procurement evaluation (80/20 system).
• 80 points for price, 20 points for specific goals (B-BBEE) as per WCBD 6.1.
• Award based on compliance with mandatory requirements, clinical acceptability, then price and preference points.
• The department reserves the right to award the services in part or in whole.
• The department may negotiate price revisions and service delivery before or after contract conclusion.

Scope: Provision of optometric services and optometric consumables at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital for three years.

• Services: Optometrist (including dispensing) sessions, two sessions per week, each a four-hour session or until all booked patients are seen (whichever comes first), on hospital premises.
• Premises provided free of charge by the hospital.
• Annual leave: maximum 12 sessions (6 weeks) per year; leave longer than 3 weeks must be covered by an experienced locum at no cost to the department.
• Supplier must be able to manufacture or procure all items listed in the bid.
• Supplier must maintain a full range of good quality spectacles, contact lenses, and ocular prostheses.
• High level of clinical competence in complex paediatric refractions required.
• Consumables must be delivered within 4 weeks of ordering.
• Service and consumables must comply with or exceed minimum performance specifications, supported by product specifications/brochures/samples.

Products required (children up to and including 12 years of age):

• Frames (0–6 years): metal or plastic, hypoallergenic, comfortable, durable, with adjustable headband and durable spectacle case.
• Flexible one-piece frames: no metal parts, hinge-free temples, hypoallergenic, adjustable headband.
• Spectacle lenses (0–6 years): impact/shatter resistant, at least 70% UV resistant, single vision standard (under ±4D sphere, ±2D cylinder), single vision surfaced (over ±4D sphere, ±2D cylinder), single vision (over ±8D sphere).
• Optional extras (separate price breakdown required): 100% UV resistant, hard coating, photochromic tint, bifocals, high index, high specification frames for extremely small infants, with removable nose bridges, with adjustable silicone earpieces, custom-made ocular prostheses.
• Contact lenses: soft monthly disposables, soft extended wear, hard lenses, scleral lenses, prosthetic lenses.
• Cleaning solution: multipurpose for soft and hard lenses, ±250ml container with screw-top lid (lens holder inclusive), hypoallergenic, marked in legible indelible ink, with expiry date.
• Optometric prostheses: ready-made ocular prostheses (left and right), scleral shells, suction cups, paediatric orbital socket expanders.

Other requirements:

• Each pair of spectacles must include a case and cleaning cloth at no extra charge.
• Each pair of contact lenses must include a holder and first cleaning solution at no extra charge.
• Material safety data sheet and usage instructions must be supplied with each container.

Bidder must be a registered optometrist with current HPCSA membership.

• Must be able to demonstrate high-level clinical competence in complex paediatric refractions.
• Must be able to provide an experienced locum to cover leave periods longer than 3 weeks.
• The department may evaluate the bidder's competency in refraction of children aged 0-12 years, including demonstration on patients.

Products and services must comply with or exceed all minimum performance specifications, supported by factory-supplied product specifications/brochures/samples.

• The department reserves the right to test all consumables and to evaluate the bidder's paediatric refraction skills on patients.
• Clinical samples are required for evaluation; samples must be identical to items intended for supply.
• Random samples may be tested for compliance throughout the contract period.
• The department may request clinical evidence of any product or medical device.

Pricing must be on WCBD 3.1 Pricing Schedule (firm prices only). Non-firm prices (including those subject to exchange rate variations) will not be considered.

• Prices must be per unit, considering the unit of measure.
• Prices must include VAT and be firm in Rand.
• Offer must be valid for 120 days from the closing date.
• A clear pricing schedule listing all requirements and associated pricing is required.
• Options and optional extras must be clearly defined and priced on a separate schedule.
• Exclusions must be listed and priced on a separate schedule.
• All delivery costs must be included in the bid price.

Pricing:

• Firm prices only (WCBD 3.1 Pricing Schedule – Firm Prices). Non-firm prices, including those subject to exchange rate variations, will not be considered.
• Prices must include VAT.
• All delivery costs must be included in the bid price.
• Pricing must be per unit as indicated, considering unit of measure.
• Bidder must state the period for which the firm price is valid (offer valid for 120 days from closing date).
• No rate of exchange will be negotiated.

Payment:

• Payment via electronic funds transfer (EFT), within 30 days from receipt of a valid and correct invoice.
• Successful bidder must provide banking details for LOGIS, BAS, and CSD registration if not already registered.

Penalties (incurred under the following conditions):

• Delivery of spectacles takes more than 6 weeks from ordering date without reasonable reasons.
• Bidder repeatedly fails to render required services consistently and reliably (e.g., not attending weekly sessions).
• Non-adherence to the required four-hour sessions or until all booked patients are attended to.
• Failure to provide a locum when 3 or more weeks of leave is taken.

Mandatory registrations and certifications:

• CSD registration: mandatory at bid closing and at award; provide MAAA number and CSD report.
• Tax compliance: must be tax compliant; SARS PIN or printed TCS certificate may be submitted; status verified electronically via CSD; 7 working days to resolve non-compliance.
• HPCSA membership as an optometrist under the Professional Board of Optometry and Dispensing Opticians, Regulation No. R. November 2008.
• SAHPRA certificate as manufacturer, distributor, or wholesaler of medical devices (valid certified copy); a valid Medicines Control Council (MCC) certificate may also be considered.
• B-BBEE: must submit a valid B-BBEE certificate (original or certified copy) or sworn affidavit for qualifying small enterprises (EMEs/QSEs), together with completed WCBD 6.1, to claim preference points.
• Only the B-BBEE status on WCBD 6.1 applies to evaluation, not the CSD status.
• OHS Act Section 37(2) Agreement: mandatory, signed.
• No bids from persons in the service of the state, companies with directors who are such persons, or close corporations with such members.
• For joint ventures, consortia, or sub-contractors: each party must be CSD registered and individually tax compliant.
• Foreign bidders not on CSD may need to submit a SARS Tax Clearance Certificate or equivalent from home revenue authority.

Mandatory OHS Act Section 37(2) Agreement: must be completed and signed; non-submission renders the bid non-responsive.

• Contractor must comply with OHS Act and regulations, provide a written Health and Safety Policy, appoint a competent person to oversee compliance, conduct risk assessments, provide method statements and safety plans where applicable, and ensure employees are trained on health and safety.
• Registration with the Compensation Commissioner or approved licensed compensation insurer required.
• Subcontractors must enter into separate OHS agreements.
• Product safety: consumables must comply with safety standards for children; cleaning solutions must be hypoallergenic with expiry dates and safety data sheets.

Contract term: three years.

• Successful bidder must sign a written contract form (WCBD 7.1).
• A Service Level Agreement (SLA) will be required; a bi-monthly control checklist will monitor performance to effect monthly payments.
• The department reserves the right to amend the bid process, cancel the bid, reject any bid, or terminate participation without liability.
• Quantities in the specification are estimated and not guaranteed; usage determined by ordering institution.
• The department may request clinical evidence of any product or medical device.
• Compliance testing of random samples will be conducted throughout the contract period.
• Payment within 30 days of receipt of valid invoice.
• Packaging requirements: each item individually packaged with manufacturer/supplier name, item name, item code, date of manufacture, expiry date, batch/lot number, sterilization date, expiry and method. Supplier/distributor (not manufacturer) must add a "Contractor's Details" label with company name, address, and contact details on outer packaging.