SITA core sdn network infrastructure maintenance & support (60 months) – huawei csp gold partnership required

Contact: Mr Magatho Mello

Role: Managing Director

Scope: Comprehensive hardware and software maintenance and support services for SITA core SDN network infrastructure for a period of 60 months.

Pricing schedule must be submitted separately from the technical response; failure to do so may result in disqualification.

Bidders must complete yellow cells only.

Unit and line prices must be VAT exclusive and quoted in South African Rand (ZAR).

Prices must include all costs to deliver goods or render services, including taxes, duty fees, logistics and delivery, storage, labour, overtime, subsistence and travel.

Prices must include Huawei Co-Care Standard support for the underlying Huawei infrastructure, alongside equivalent multi-vendor maintenance and support services for the custom Cignera CATS OSS/BSS and Multi-Vendor SDN controller platform.

Prices dependent on the rate of exchange must use the stated rates (US Dollar 1 = ZAR 16.64, Euro 1 = ZAR 18.52, Pound (UK) 1 = ZAR 22.13) and the ROE-dependent percentage must be entered in the Forex % column.

The bidder must sign the price confirmation statement accepting that quoted prices cover all goods and works and that any pricing or calculation mistakes are at the bidder's own risk.

Returnable document: Pricing Schedule (submitted separately from the technical response).

Comprehensive hardware and software maintenance and support services for the SITA Core SDN Network Infrastructure.

Contract period: 60 months.

Scope covers Huawei Co-Care Standard support for Huawei infrastructure and equivalent multi-vendor maintenance and support for the custom Cignera CATS OSS/BSS and Multi-Vendor SDN controller platform.

Huawei items include USG6650E firewalls, S6730 and CE6881 switches, S12700E chassis, NetEngine 8000 routers, interface cards, optical transceivers, hard drives and FusionSphere licences.

OSS-BSS items include Cisco UCS servers, Cignera CATS Service Desk, PRISM OSS BSS modules (iProvision, iCustomer, iCollect), HA licence, Dell EMC PowerEdge servers and VMware vSphere Standard 8.

Multi-Vendor SDN items include HPE ProLiant servers, Cignera CATS Core Device Licence, Controller, Orchestrator and Management, Dell PowerEdge R640 and VMware vSphere Standard 8.

Quantities are specified for each item across Years 1 to 5.

Appendix A lists serial numbers of existing in-scope equipment.

Pricing schedule submitted separately from the technical response.

Unit and line prices VAT exclusive, in South African Rand (ZAR).

Prices include all costs: taxes, duty fees, logistics and delivery, storage, labour, overtime, subsistence and travel.

Prices include Huawei Co-Care Standard support and equivalent multi-vendor maintenance for Cignera CATS OSS/BSS and Multi-Vendor SDN controller.

Rate of exchange: US Dollar 1 = ZAR 16.64, Euro 1 = ZAR 18.52, Pound (UK) 1 = ZAR 22.13; ROE-dependent portion must be entered in the Forex % column.

VAT at 15% is added to the total bid price.

Bidder signs a price confirmation statement accepting risk for pricing or calculation errors.

No bid security, bond, guarantee, retention or payment terms are stated in the provided document.

No CSD registration, tax clearance, B-BBEE level, CIDB grading, CIPC registration or local-content requirement is stated in the provided document.

Pricing Schedule is the only returnable document identified; it must be submitted separately from the technical response.

Submission

• Method and address: as stated in the Invitation to Bid Document.
• Pricing format: the costing proposal and bid pricing schedule must be completed in the provided Excel spreadsheet format and included with the submission; a pricing schedule in any other format will not be considered.
• Price basis: total price for the entire scope, VAT inclusive, quoted in South African Rand (ZAR); delivery, labour, S&T and overtime must be included.

Returnable documents - complete, sign and submit with the bid

• All SBD documents listed in the Invitation to Bid Document.
• Declaration of compliance and acceptance of the Special Conditions of Contract (section 4.3.2): sign to accept all SCC; failure to sign results in disqualification.
• Costing and Pricing acceptance declaration (section 4.4.2): mark "ACCEPT ALL" or "DO NOT ACCEPT ALL" with an "X"; failure to mark results in disqualification and the declaration is treated as "DO NOT ACCEPT ALL".
• Third-Party Risk Management Assessment (Annex B): answer all questions and sign the Declaration of Acceptance; failure results in disqualification.
• Preference evidence (Annex A): B-BBEE certificate from a SANAS-accredited agency, or a CIPC-format sworn affidavit for EMEs and QSEs only, plus ID copies and a medical certificate where disability ownership is claimed.
• Huawei accreditation: valid certificate or official letter from Huawei showing the bidder is an accredited Huawei Certified Service Partner (CSP) at Gold level or equivalent, held directly by the bidding entity.
• Experience evidence: completed Table 10 and at least one reference letter on the referee's company letterhead for work in the last five years.

Disqualification risks

• Omitted or unsigned mandatory returnable document.
• Pricing schedule not in the provided Excel format.
• Costing and Pricing acceptance declaration not marked.
• SCC declaration (section 4.3.2) not signed.
• Third-Party Risk Management Assessment incomplete or Declaration of Acceptance not signed.
• Late bids.

Evaluation stages (a bidder must pass each stage to proceed)

• Stage 1 - Mandatory Administrative responsiveness: CSD registration on National Treasury's Central Supplier Database (Instruction Note 4A of 2016/17); attendance of the briefing session and signing of the attendance register with bidder details matching the bid response; submission instructions and SBD documents.
• Stage 2 - Technical mandatory requirements: all technical mandatory requirements must be met with substantiating evidence; evidence that cannot be located in the bid response is treated as "NOT COMPLY"; no URL references or links accepted as evidence. Each requirement must carry a unique reference (binder/folio, chapter, section, page) to locate evidence.
• Stage 3 - Special Conditions of Contract verification: accept all SCC by signing the declaration in section 4.3.2; failure results in disqualification. SITA may negotiate conditions, disqualify a bidder for not accepting them, award to multiple bidders, not award, or make a partial award.
• Stage 4 - Price and Preference Points Evaluation: 80/20 system (80 price, 20 specific goals) if the lowest acceptable bid price is up to and including R50 000 000; 90/10 system (90 price, 10 specific goals) if above R50 000 000. The system applied to all acceptable bids follows the lowest acceptable bid price. Total points: 100.

Preference evidence and ongoing obligations

• B-BBEE certificate from a SANAS-accredited agency, or a CIPC-format sworn affidavit (EMEs and QSEs only), with ID copies and a medical certificate where disability ownership is claimed.
• The bidder must sustain or improve its B-BBEE level for the contract duration.
• Preference performance is determined annually; a preference status report must be submitted within 30 days after each quarter from the commencement date.
• A penalty of 1% of the overall annual amount spent by SITA in the prior year applies if the bidder fails to meet its preference commitments.
• SITA may verify any preference claim and may require substantiation before adjudication or at any time.

Other disqualification factors

• Counter conditions or amendments to bid conditions may invalidate the bid.
• Fronting may lead to bid or contract invalidation and restriction from public-sector business for up to ten years.
• SITA may conduct supplier due diligence, including announced or unannounced site visits, before award or during the contract.

Scope and period

• Comprehensive hardware and software maintenance and support services for the SITA core network and SDN environment for a fixed period of sixty (60) months (five years).
• Huawei Co-Care Standard support for Huawei NE8000 Series Routers, Huawei CloudEngine Switches, Huawei 2288X V5 Servers, Huawei iMaster NCE-Campus Platform, and associated Huawei software licences and subscriptions.
• Maintenance and support for the Cignera CATS OSS/BSS Platform and Multi-Vendor SDN Controller: fault management and troubleshooting, software maintenance and patch management, technical support, API support and integration support, and escalation to the relevant software developer or support authority.
• OEM/OSM technical support and onsite hardware replacement.
• Delivery to equipment located at the SITA Switching Centre across all nine (9) provinces (equipment list in Appendix A; addresses in Appendix B of the pricing schedule).

Service levels

• Mean time to Respond (MTTr): 15 minutes.
• Mean time to Resolve (MTTR): 4 hours, measured from incident logged at the Service Desk until resolved; applies to router failures regardless of site location.
• Business hours: Mondays to Fridays, 07:30 to 16:00; after-hours weekdays 16:00 to 07:30.
• Service levels are averaged over each month during business hours only.

Penalties and service credits

• Failure to meet service levels attracts a penalty calculated on a sliding scale, up to a maximum of 10% of the Maintenance and Support invoice amount for the affected hardware for the month.
• MTTR penalty table: target missed up to 5% = 1.5%; more than 5% to 10% = 3.0%; more than 10% to 15% = 5.0%; more than 15% to 20% = 7.0%; more than 20% = 10.0%.
• The Service Provider calculates refunds and issues a report within 3 business days of month end; a meeting is held within 5 business days of month end to discuss performance and refunds.

Logistics and fault management

• The Service Provider must have local support teams, regional depots, or strategically positioned replacement-router stock to meet the 4-hour MTTR for remote sites; travel delays must not affect compliance.
• Contingency plans (for example pre-staged spare routers or air transport) for remote sites.
• Fault logging: contact information for escalation levels, response times for each level, and the process for escalating unresolved issues.

Hours, access and tools

• Office hours Mondays to Fridays 07:30 to 16:00; after-hours 16:00 to 07:30 on weekdays.
• The bidder uses its own resources (cell phones, laptops, tools and equipment) to communicate and render services.
• Physical access to client sites requires adherence to the client's policies and procedures.

Compliance and standards

• ISO/IEC general quality standards, ISO 27001, POPIA, ISO 9001, SANS 10222-2, MIOS, and applicable SABS and municipality standards for new installations.
• Occupational Health and Safety Act and regulations (Lead, Environmental, Driven Machinery, Electrical Machinery, Electrical Installation, SANS 10142, Pressure Equipment).
• National Key Points Act 1980 and Environmental Conservation Act 1989.
• Installation Electrician registered with the Department of Labour for electrical installation changes and Certificates of Compliance.
• SAQCC Gas registered refrigerant gas practitioner for refrigeration installation, repair, modification or maintenance.
• Company and individual security screening or clearance by the State Security Agency or Defence Intelligence where required; non-disclosure agreement before commencement.

Warranty

• Warranty valid for twelve (12) months after delivery and acceptance, or eighteen (18) months after shipment from the port of loading, whichever concludes earlier.
• Defective items repaired or replaced within 3 days of written notice from SITA, at no expense to SITA during the warranty period.

Business continuity

• Written business continuity and disaster recovery plans defining roles, responsibilities and procedures to maintain services through a disruption.

Pricing

• Total price VAT inclusive, quoted in South African Rand (ZAR), for the entire scope of services and deliverables.
• Delivery, labour, S&T, overtime and all additional costs must be included and clearly specified.
• Costing proposal and bid pricing schedule in the provided Excel spreadsheet format; other formats not considered.
• Exchange rates for comparison: 1 US Dollar = R16.64; 1 Euro = R18.52; 1 Pound = R22.13.
• State the Total Bid Price, split into Local Price (not dependent on the foreign rate of exchange) and Foreign Price (dependent on the foreign rate of exchange); rate-of-exchange fluctuation applies only to the foreign component, with details negotiated at contracting.
• SITA may negotiate pricing with the successful bidder and envisaged quantities before award; SITA approves only market-related quotes and may require a review.

Insurance and liability

• Required insurance cover in place within two weeks from contract commencement, of sufficient value to cover losses; SITA deducts moneys directly and does not deal with the bidder's underwriter.
• The bidder is responsible for losses caused by the bidder or subcontractor; losses are recovered from outstanding moneys owed, or the bidder is invoiced where outstanding moneys are insufficient (balance of probability more than 50%).

Subcontracting

• For contracts above R50 million, subcontracting advances designated groups (EME/QSE); the percentage is negotiated at contracting stage and SITA may accept, reject or renegotiate it.
• Subcontractors must have valid Tax Clearance Certificates, available to SITA on request for due diligence.

Financial capacity

• SITA may conduct a financial audit or probity check before contract to confirm financial wherewithal and technical capability; the bidder must certify it is financially capable of fulfilling the contract.

Mandatory

• Registered as a Supplier on National Treasury's Central Supplier Database (CSD) in terms of Instruction Note 4A of 2016/17; only CSD-registered responses are considered for award.
• All SBD documents listed in the Invitation to Bid Document completed and submitted.

B-BBEE and preference

• B-BBEE certificate from a SANAS-accredited agency, or a CIPC-format sworn affidavit (EMEs and QSEs only), to claim preference points.
• ID copies and a medical certificate indicating disability where disability ownership is claimed.
• CIPC registration documents used as evidence for preferential procurement compliance.
• The bidder must sustain or improve its B-BBEE level for the contract duration.

Certifications and registrations

• Accredited Huawei Certified Service Partner (CSP) at Gold level or equivalent, evidenced by a valid Huawei certificate or official letter, held directly by the bidding entity (parent, subsidiary or distributor certification may not be leveraged unless a formal joint venture or consortium agreement is submitted); OEM/OSM using a partner, reseller or distributor model are not eligible.
• Installation Electrician registered with the Department of Labour for electrical installation changes and Certificates of Compliance.
• SAQCC Gas registered refrigerant gas practitioner for refrigeration installation, repair, modification or maintenance.

Security

• Company security screening by the State Security Agency (company registration documentation, identity documents of directors, members or trustees, valid tax clearance certificate).
• Individual security suitability checks (identity document, qualifications, fingerprints, signed consent form).
• Security clearance (Confidential, Secret or Top Secret) by the SSA or Defence Intelligence where an employee accesses classified information (Z204 or DD1057 application form, fingerprints and personal documentation required).

Non-compulsory virtual briefing: 16 November 2026 at 10:00

Closing date: 27 November 2026

Closing time: 11:00

Enquiries

• Contact: Ntombenhle Mkhize
• Telephone: 033 260 3187
• Email: [email protected]

Issuing office

SITA SOC Ltd

459 Tsitsa Street

Erasmuskloof

Pretoria

Postal address

PO Box 26100

Monument Park

0105

Submission portal

www.suppliers.sita.co.za

Submission method: SITA Supplier Oracle ERP portal at www.suppliers.sita.co.za

Closing time: 11:00 on the closing date

Format: one original document pack, submitted in the correct format

Pricing schedule: complete the bid pricing schedule in the Excel spreadsheet provided

CSD: bidders must be registered on the CSD with all company details updated

Queries: submit in writing to [email protected]

Returnable documents: not listed in the available text

Scope: comprehensive hardware and software maintenance and support services for the SITA core SDN network infrastructure.

Contract period: sixty (60) months.

Detailed service levels, equipment quantities and locations: not stated in the available text.

Pricing is submitted on the bid pricing schedule in the Excel spreadsheet provided.

Bids are lodged through the SITA Supplier Oracle ERP portal at www.suppliers.sita.co.za; a navigation guide is available at https://www.sita.co.za/content/erp-isupplier-ecatalogue-guidelines.

The response pack must be submitted as one original document in the correct format.

Pricing: complete the bid pricing schedule in the Excel spreadsheet format provided.

Bid security, guarantees, retention and payment terms: not stated in the available text.

CSD: the bidder must be registered on the Central Supplier Database and keep all company details updated.

Administrative pre-qualification: submit the bid response documentation pack in the correct format as one original document.

B-BBEE, tax status, CIDB and professional registrations: not stated in the available text.