The appointment of credible and experienced service provider for the provision of employee wellness programme and employee assistance programme for a period of a five (5) years to the DBSA

Closing: 08 September 2026 at 23:55 (Midnight).

Compulsory briefing: 27 August 2026, 14:00–15:00, online via Microsoft Teams (Meeting ID: 386 800 701 682 450, Passcode: nv7z6Xs3). Attendance is mandatory.

OneDrive link request deadline: 07 September 2026 at 16:30.

Bid validity: 120 calendar days from closing.

A compulsory briefing session will be held online via Microsoft Teams on 27 August 2026, 14:00-15:00. Bidders must register and join using the provided link (Meeting ID: 386 800 701 682 450, Passcode: nv7z6Xs3). The link is accessible 15 minutes before the meeting.

SCM queries and link requests: [email protected] (no phone).

Complaints: [email protected].

No physical address for submissions.

Submissions must be electronic only via a OneDrive link provided by DBSA. No physical bids accepted.

Bidders must request the OneDrive link by email to [email protected], quoting the RFP number, by 07 September 2026 at 16:30.

Bids must be submitted in two folders: Folder 1 (Pre-qualifiers and Functionality proposal) and Folder 2 (Price proposal).

All documents must be on official forms (not re-typed).

Returnable documents include: Part A (Invitation to Bid), Part B (Terms and Conditions), Part C (Checklist), Part D (Conditions of Tendering), Part E (Specifications), Annexure A (Price Proposal), Annexure B (SBD 4 Declaration of Interest), Annexure C (SBD 6.1 and B-BBEE certificate), Annexure D (CIPC registration for close corporations), Annexure E (share certificates for companies), Annexure F (consortium breakdown, if applicable), Annexure G (supporting documents for pre-qualifying and functional criteria), Annexure H (General Conditions of Contract), Annexure I (CSD Tax Compliance Report).

Bidders must nominate one dedicated contact person.

Returnable documents: Part A (Invitation to Bid), Part B (Terms and Conditions), Part C (Checklist), Part D (Conditions of Tendering), Part E (Specifications), Annexure A (Price Proposal), Annexure B (SBD 4), Annexure C (SBD 6.1 & B-BBEE), Annexure D (CIPC registration for close corporations), Annexure E (share certificates for companies), Annexure F (consortium breakdown, if applicable), Annexure G (supporting documents for pre-qualifying and functional criteria), Annexure H (General Conditions of Contract), Annexure I (CSD Tax Compliance Report). All documents must be completed and signed. Failure to include any may result in disqualification.

Stage 1 (Responsiveness): Pre-qualifiers include attendance at the compulsory briefing, submission in two folders, provision of professional registration documents for required roles (Social Worker, Psychologist, Lawyer, Nurse, Financial Coach), CSD registration, and valid SARS Tax PIN. Failing any pre-qualifier leads to disqualification.

Stage 2 (Functionality): 100 points total across four categories:

• Track Record (25 points): Up to 5 reference letters from medium/large entities (500+ employees) for similar services, not older than 5 years.
• Team Capacity and Experience (35 points): Call centre staffing (20 points for >20 staff with all required professionals) and experience of allocated personnel (15 points for >5 years' experience in relevant fields).
• Methodology and Approach (20 points): Alignment with scope of work sections 5.1–5.7, customisation to DBSA.
• Employee Wellness Service Support (20 points): Portfolio of evidence covering programme coordination, events, interventions, stakeholder engagement, awareness.

Minimum threshold: 75 points. Below 75 points, bidders are eliminated.

The proposed team must be the same team assigned to deliver services; any replacement requires prior DBSA approval with equivalent qualifications.

Stage 3 (Price and Specific Goals): 80/20 principle. 80 points for price, 20 points for B-BBEE level. The lowest price receives 80 points; others are prorated.

Risk analysis and objective criteria will also be reviewed: tax compliance, CSD registration, no misrepresentation, authenticity verification, checks against the Register of Tender Defaulters, and completion of Compulsory Enterprise Questionnaire.

The DBSA requires a comprehensive Employee Wellness Programme (EWP) and Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for approximately 800 employees plus an annual graduate cohort of about 40.

The contract period is five years.

The appointed service provider must design, implement, and maintain a robust wellness programme including strategy development, needs analysis, benchmarking, implementation planning, communication, monitoring and evaluation.

Services include: counselling services (EAP), wellness programmes (EWP), executive wellness, annual wellness calendar, wellness events, targeted interventions (mental health, financial wellness, burnout prevention, work-life balance, health promotion), stakeholder engagement, awareness campaigns, line manager training, digital platform, reporting, and continuous improvement.

The provider must also support the Wellness Committee.

The proposal must demonstrate customisation to DBSA needs.

Bidders must provide a comprehensive methodology addressing: Strategy development and implementation (Section 5.1), EWP methodology (5.2), EAP service delivery model (5.3), Stakeholder engagement and awareness (5.4-5.5), Digital platform and reporting (5.6-5.7), and Innovation and value-added services. The methodology must demonstrate customisation to DBSA needs. Scoring: Fully comprehensive (all elements) = 20 points; Strong with minor gaps = 15 points; Minimum compliance = 0 points.

Track Record (25 points): Up to 5 reference letters from medium/large entities (500+ employees) for similar employee wellness services, not older than 5 years. Letters must include description, duration, and contact details. Points: 5 letters = 25, 4 = 19, 3 = 15, 2 = 10, 1 = 5, 0 = 0. Team Capacity and Experience (35 points): Call centre staffing: >20 staff with required professionals = 20 points, 16-20 = 15, 11-15 = 10, 5-10 = 5, <5 = 0. Experience of allocated personnel: 15 points if all professionals have >5 years' experience in relevant fields, 11 points if exactly 5 years, 0 if non-compliant. Required professionals: Social Worker (SACSSP), Psychologist (HPCSA), Lawyer (LLB), Nurse (SANC), Financial Coach (degree in related field). CVs must follow Annexure 3 format.

The service provider must implement a digital platform for accessibility, utilisation management, data analytics, reporting, and continuous improvement. Quality assurance and continuous improvement are part of the methodology. The provider must demonstrate innovation and value-added services.

Pricing must be submitted in Folder 2 using the pricing schedule in Annexure A1. The recommended preferred bidder will be the one with the lowest overall price in Stage 3, subject to the DBSA's right to cancel. Bidders must notify the DBSA of any pricing errors after submission.

Pricing is submitted in Folder 2 (Price proposal) using the pricing schedule in Annexure A1.

Price accounts for 80 points in the final evaluation stage (Stage 3), using the 80/20 preference system.

The lowest price receives 80 points; others are prorated.

No specific bonds, guarantees, or payment terms are mentioned in the extracted text.

CSD registration: Bidders must be registered on the National Treasury Central Supplier Database. A CSD summary report is required.

Tax compliance: Valid SARS Tax PIN or Tax Compliance Status (TCS) must be submitted. For consortia, each party must provide separate proof.

B-BBEE: Submit a valid B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit. EMEs (revenue ≤ R10 million) must submit a certificate from an independent auditor or accredited agency. Others must submit original or certified copy of their B-BBEE status level certificate.

CIPC registration: Certified copies of company registration documents and share certificates (for companies) or registration documents for close corporations.

Professional registrations: The following professionals must be registered with their respective bodies: Social Worker (SACSSP), Psychologist (HPCSA), Nurse (SANC), Financial Coach (degree in Accounting/Financial Management), Lawyer (LLB or equivalent).

Standard forms: SBD 4 (Declaration of Interest), SBD 6.1 (B-BBEE claim), and other SBD forms as per returnable checklist.

The DBSA will assess the preferred bidder's risk including pending litigation, liquidation, business rescue, performance history, restriction/blacklisting, and reputational harm. Bidders must not have been convicted of a serious offence. The DBSA may also consider the bidder's directors' records.

The tender offer must remain valid for 120 calendar days from the closing time. Non-acceptance of validity extensions may result in exclusion.

Pre-qualifying criteria: Attendance at compulsory briefing. Submission in two folders (Folder 1: Pre-qualifiers & Functionality, Folder 2: Price). The bidder must have qualified professionals: Social Worker (SACSSP), Psychologist (HPCSA), Lawyer (LLB), Nurse (SANC), Financial Coach (degree in related field). CSD registration and valid SARS Tax PIN are also pre-qualifiers.

Three-stage evaluation: Stage 1 (Responsiveness) checks pre-qualifiers; Stage 2 (Functionality) scores 100 points across 4 categories with a minimum of 75; Stage 3 (Price & Specific Goals) uses 80/20 split. Risk analysis includes tax, CSD, authenticity, and defaulters check.