RFQ for AI software licenses – national lotteries commission (2-Year contract)

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Returnable Documents: VAT REGISTRATION, SUPPLIER COMPLIANCE TAX CENTRAL SUPPLIER, FORA TAX COMPLIANCE STATUS SYSTEM PINCODE FROM THE SOUTH AFRICAN REVENUE, be appointed) are covered in terms of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, documentary proof of the Bidder’s registration and “good standing” with the Compensation Fund, or

Bidders must submit: SBD 1, SBD 6.1, SARS Tax Pin, CSD registration report, POPIA consent form, B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit, SBD 4, OEM partner certification, JV agreement if applicable, pricing schedule (Annexure B), and company experience form (Annexure A).

Must submit: SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid), SBD 4 (Declaration of Interest), SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim), SARS tax pin, CSD registration report, POPIA consent form, valid B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit. Must hold valid OEM partner/reseller certification for at least two of the four listed AI platforms (or similar) at time of submission. If in a joint venture, submit signed JV agreement/MoU, authorized representative, company registration documents, and consolidated B-BBEE affidavit. Must submit completed pricing schedule (Annexure B). Bidders must not be persons in service of the state, and must not be listed on Register for Tender Defaulters or List of Restricted Suppliers.

The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) was established in terms of the Lotteries Act No. ,

as amended (Lotteries Act) to regulate the National Lottery as well as other lotteries and societies. The

NLC aims to ensure that funds raised through the National Lottery are distributed equitably and

expeditiously across South Africa to advance social upliftment of communities in need with the aim of

addressing poverty and reducing inequalities in line with the National Development Plan. The

Commission is required to apply principles of openness and transparency in the exercise of its functions

assigned to it in terms of the Lotteries Act No .

As part of its Digital Transformation Programme, the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) intends to

implement enterprise-grade Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities to enhance operational efficiency,

improve data-driven decision-making, strengthen knowledge management, and support business

innovation across the organisation.

The NLC, a Schedule 3A Public Entity established in terms of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999

(Act No. ), hereby invites suitably qualified and experienced service providers to submit

proposals for the supply, configuration, licensing, implementation, and support of enterprise

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for a period of 2 years.

The proposed solution must provide secure, scalable, and enterprise-ready AI capabilities aligned to the

NLC's governance, security, compliance, and operational requirements.

The NLC has performed an internal assessment of the AI platform tools available in the market and

matched those against the business environment and requirements of the NLC. Based on the outcome

of the assessment, the top 5 most appropriate AI platforms for the NLC are listed in the table below. The

NLC already has licenses for Microsoft 365 Co-Pilot and therefore only requires licensing for 2 (two) of

the following two (2) AI platform tools:

Rank Platform

1 OpenAI ChatGPT Business / Enterprise

2 Azure AI Foundry / Azure OpenAI

3 Anthropic Claude Team / Enterprise

4 Google Vertex AI / Gemini API

5 Microsoft 365 Copilot

Bidders are therefore requested to provide proposals for licenses for any two (2) of the above four (4)

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AI platforms, or any other AI platform that has similar characteristics, features, interfaces and

performance as these four (4) AI platforms.

To appoint a suitably qualified and experienced service provider for the provision, licensing, support,

and management of enterprise Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for the National Lotteries Commission

(NLC) for a period of two (2) years.

4. Objective

The objective of this Request for Quotation (RFQ) is to appoint a certified and competent service provider

to:

• Deliver authorized software-as-a-service (SaaS) or on-premises user licenses for the requested AI

tools.

• Ensure advanced data security, privacy controls, and organizational administrative oversight.

• Provide training, technical onboarding, and ongoing maintenance/support for a period of 24 months

The successful bidder will be expected to execute the following core pillars of the project:

5.1. Provision of AI Software Licenses

• Supply eight (8) enterprise-grade user licenses for any two (2) of the above four (4) AI platforms, or

any other AI platform.

• Ensure the tool includes premium enterprise features, such as:

▪ Uncapped or high-priority access to advanced LLMs (Large Language Models).

▪ Expanded context windows and data analysis capabilities.

▪ Dedicated workspaces, custom GPT/agent creation, and data sharing controls.

5.2. Configuration and Security Deployment

• Provision of an administrative control console for internal IT user management.

• Implementation of enterprise-grade security protocols, including Single Sign-On (SSO) integration

and domain verification.

• Data Privacy Assurance: Guarantee that all organizational prompts, uploads, and data remain

strictly confidential and are not used to train public AI models.

5.3. Technical Support and Maintenance

• Provide a Service Level Agreement (SLA) covering a minimum of 8 hours per month for

troubleshooting and account maintenance.

• Provide a dedicated helpdesk channel for resolving license provisioning errors, API issues, or

downtime.

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5.4. Training and Knowledge Transfer

• Conduct end-user training for 10 staff members (users and support) to optimize AI adoption and

prompt engineering.

• Conduct administrator-specific training for internal IT personnel regarding dashboard

management, usage reporting, and security logs.

6. Deliverables

The following are key deliverables with timelines and work schedule:

Phase Milestone / Deliverable Target Timeline

Phase 1 Project Kick-off & SCM Formalities Within 1 week of appointment

Phase 2 License Provisioning & SSO Integration Within 2–3 weeks of appointment

Phase 3 Admin & End-User Training Sessions Within 4 weeks of appointment

Phase 4 Ongoing Support & Maintenance For a duration of 24 months

7. Reporting requirements

The appointed licence provider will report to ICT Division.

8. Duration of the contract

The expected duration of the contract is 2 years, which may be effective on the date of appointment,

the date of signing of an SLA, or as directed and at the discretion of the NLC.

9. Compulsory briefing session

No briefing session

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Section 2: notice to bidders

1. Terms and conditions of RFQ

1.1 This document may contain confidential information that is the property of the NLC.

1.2 No part of the contents may be used, copied, disclosed, or conveyed in whole or in part to

any party in any manner whatsoever other than for preparing a proposal in response to this

RFQ without prior written permission from the NLC.

1.3 All copyright and intellectual property herein vests with the NLC.

1.4 Late and incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

1.5 No services must be rendered, or goods delivered before an official NLC Purchase Order

form has been received.

1.6 This RFQ will be evaluated in terms of the 80/20 preference point system

1.7 Suppliers are required to register on the Central Supplier Database (CSD) at www.csd.gov.za.

1.8 Suppliers must provide their CSD registration number (and attach a CSD Registration report) and

ensure that tax matters are compliant.

1.9 All questions regarding this RFQ must be forwarded to [email protected] , all

enquiries to be responded within 3 days of receiving the enquiry.

2. General rules and instructions

2.1 News and press releases

2.1.1 Bidders or their agents shall not make any news releases concerning this RFQ or the awarding of the

same or any resulting agreement(s) without the consent of, and then only in co-ordination with, the

NLC.

2.2 Precedence of documents

2.2.1 This RFQ consists of a number of sections. Where there is a contradiction in terms between the

clauses, phrases, words, stipulations, or terms and herein referred to generally as stipulations in this

RFQ and the stipulations in any other document attached hereto, or the RFQ submitted hereto, the

relevant stipulations in this RFQ shall take precedence.

2.2.2 Where this RFQ is silent on any matter, the relevant stipulations addressing such matter, and which

appear in section 217 of the constitution of the republic shall take precedence. Bidders shall refrain

from incorporating any additional stipulations in its proposal submitted in terms hereof other than in

the form of a clearly marked recommendation that the NLC may in its sole discretion elect to import

or to ignore. Any such inclusion shall not be used for any purpose of interpretation unless it has been

so imported or acknowledged by the NLC.

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It remains the exclusive domain and election of the NLC as to which of these stipulations are

applicable and to what extent. Bidders are hereby acknowledging that the decision of the

commission in this regard is final and binding. The onus to enquire and obtain clarity in this regard

rests with the Bidder(s). The Bidder(s) shall take care to restrict its enquiries in this regard to the

most reasonable interpretations required to ensure the necessary consensus.

2.3 Preferential procurement reform

2.3.1 The commission supports B-BBEE as an essential ingredient of its business. In accordance with

government policy, the NLC insists that the private sector demonstrates its commitment and track

record to B-BBEE in the areas of ownership (shareholding), skills transfer, employment equity and

Procurement practices (SMME Développent) etc.

2.4 National Industrial Participation Programme

2.4.1 The Industrial Participation policy, which was endorsed by Cabinet on 30 April 1997, is applicable to

contracts that have an imported content. The NIP is obligatory and therefore must be complied with.

2.4.2 Bidders are required to sign and submit the Standard Bidding Document (SBD).

2.5 Language

2.5.1 Bids shall be submitted in English.

2.6 Gender

2.6.1 Any word implying any gender shall be interpreted to imply all other genders.

2.7 Headings

2.7.1 Headings are incorporated into this RFQ document and submitted in response thereto, for ease of

reference only and shall not form part thereof for any purpose of interpretation or for any other

purpose.

2.8 Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act

2.8.1 The Bidder warrants that all its employees (including the employees of any sub-contractor that may

be appointed) are covered in terms of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act

and that the cover shall remain in force for the duration of the adjudication of this RFP

and/ or subsequent agreement. the commission reserves the right to request the Bidder to submit

documentary proof of the Bidder’s registration and “good standing” with the Compensation Fund, or

similar proof acceptable to the commission.

2.9 Processing of the Bidder’s Personal Information

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2.9.1 All Personal Information of the Bidder, its employees, representatives, associates and sub-

contractors (“Bidder Personal Information”) required under this RFQ is collected and processed for

the purpose of assessing the content of its tender proposal and awarding the bid. The Bidder is

advised that Bidder Personal Information may be passed on to third parties to whom the commission

is compelled by law to provide such information. For example, where appropriate, the commission is

compelled to submit information to National Treasury’s Database of Restricted Suppliers.

2.9.2 All Personal Information collected will be processed in accordance with POPIA and with the

commission Data Privacy Policy.

2.9.3 The following persons will have access to the Personal Information collected:

2.9.4 The commission personnel participating in procurement/award procedures;

2.9.5 Members of the public: within seven working days from the time the bid is awarded, the following

information will have to be made available on National Treasury’s e-Tender portal:

2.9.5.1 contract description and bid number.

2.9.5.2 names of the successful bidder(s) and preference points claimed.

2.9.5.3 the contract price(s) (if possible).

2.9.5.4 contract period.

2.9.5.5 names of directors; and

2.9.5.6 date of completion/award

2.9.6 The commission will ensure that the rights of the Bidder and of its employees and representatives

(i.e., the right of access and the right to rectify) are effectively guaranteed in accordance with the

procedures as specified in the commission PAIA manual.

2.9.7 In signing this document, the Bidder consents to the use of its Personal Information for the purposes

as specified in section 2.9.1 above.

3. Validity Period

3.1 The Commission requires a validity period of 90 Days from date of closing against this RFQ.

3.2 Bidders are to note that they may be requested to extend the validity period of their bids, on the same

terms and conditions, if the internal evaluation process is not finalised within the validity period.

4. National Treasury’s Central Supplier Database

4.1 Bidders are required to self-register on National Treasury’s CSD which has been established to

centrally administer supplier information for all organs of state and facilitate the verification of certain

key supplier information.

4.2 The Commission may not award business to a bidder who has failed to register on the CSD.

4.3 Only foreign suppliers with no local registered entity need not register on the CSD.

4.4 The CSD can be accessed at https://secure.csd.gov.za/

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5. Confidentiality

5.1 Bids submitted for this Request for Proposals will not be revealed to any other bidders and will be

treated as contractually binding.

5.2 The Commission reserves all the rights afforded to it by the POPIA in the processing of any of its

information as contained in Bid Proposals.

5.3 The Bidder acknowledges that it will obtain and have access to personal information of The NLC and

5.4 agrees that it shall only process the information disclosed by the NLC in terms of this bid award and

only for the purposes as detailed in this RFP and in accordance with any applicable law.

5.5 The Bidder shall notify the NLC in writing of any unauthorised access to personal information and the

information of a third party, through cybercrimes or suspected cybercrimes, in its knowledge and

report such crimes or suspected crimes to the relevant authorities in accordance with applicable laws,

after becoming aware of such.

6. Communication

6.1 Specific queries relating to this RFQ should be submitted [email protected], before the closing

date.

6.2 In the interest of fairness and transparency the NLC’s response to such a query may be made

available to other bidders.

6.3 It is prohibited for bidders to attempt, either directly or indirectly, to canvass any officer or employee

of the NLC in respect of this RFQ between the closing date and the date of the award of the business.

6.4 Bidders found to be in collusion with one another will be automatically disqualified and restricted

from doing business with organs of state for a specified period.

7. Supplier performance

7.1 The National Lotteries Commission conducts regular performance reviews in accordance

with the requirements for the classification of the contract and or stakeholder by making use of

supplier evaluation forms. The evaluation is conducted against the deliverables or scope of the

contract with a minimum of an annual review done for contracts longer than a year and a review at

completion of contract for those contracts less than a year.

7.2 Ad-hoc performance reviews shall be conducted where non-performance is identified outside the

review period.

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7.3 Non-performance will be addressed with at least a formal letter advising specific non-performing

areas and stating remedial action/s required within specific time frames. Non-adherence to

remedial actions shall lead to escalating performance management actions.

7.4 Any party to this agreement may request to participate in a joint performance review where

appropriate and seek continuous improvement opportunities.

Section 3: evaluation criteria

The following evaluation criteria phases will be considered in evaluating the proposals,

being:

Stage 1: Administrative Compliance (Pre-Qualification)

All bid respondents must submit the relevant documents that comply with administrative

compliance, which will include the following:

Evaluation Criteria Supporting Document

Fully Completed Standard Bidding Document SBD 1

(SBD 1) - Invitation to tender

Fully Completed SBD 6.1: Preference points SBD 6.1

claim form in terms of the preferential

procurement regulations 2022

Bidder’s tax compliance confirmation Valid SARS Tax Pin

Registration on CSD. Only foreign suppliers CSD summary registration report

with no local registered entity need not register

on the CSD

Signed consent form in terms of the Protection of POPIA Consent Form

Personal Information Act No. (POPIA)

Valid B-BBEE Certificate in terms of Codes of A valid B-BBEE Certificate/Sworn Affidavit.

Good Practice or Exempted Micro Enterprises or Consolidated valid B-BBEE

Sworn Affidavit Certificate/Sworn Affidavit in the case of a

joint venture (JV)

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Stage 2: Mandatory Compliance

All bid respondents must submit mandatory documents that comply with the bid requirements. Bids

that do not fully comply with the mandatory requirements will be disqualified and will not be

considered for further evaluation. The Mandatory Compliance Evaluation will include the following:

Evaluation Criteria Supporting Documents

Fully Completed and Signed Standard

1. SBD 4: Bidders must submit a fully completed

Bidding Document

declaration of interest form. Failure to declare

honestly will lead to the bidder being

disqualified.

2. OEM Status: The bidder must hold a valid, Submit a valid certified certificate of

accredited partner or reseller status with the accredited partner or reseller with OEM

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) any two

(2) of the above four (4) AI platforms, or any other

similar AI platform at the time of submission.

Valid OEM Partner Certification

3. In the event of the bidder being in a joint venture JV Agreement must include the following:

(JV), a signed - A signed Joint Venture Agreement/

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

-The authorized representative to sign the

tender documents on behalf of all JV

members

-Company Registration & Statutory

Documents, and including

• Consolidated B-BBEE/ Sworn Affidavit

Bidder must submit price proposal according to the

Fully completed Pricing Schedule with

NLC Pricing Schedule

proposed fees.

See Annexure A

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Stage 3: Technical Evaluation

3.1 The following rating scale will be used to evaluate bid proposals:

Table 1: Rating Scale

Rating Definition Score

Excellent Exceeds the requirement. Exceptional demonstration by the bidder of the 5

relevant ability, understanding, experience, skills, resource, and quality

measures required to provide the goods / services. Response identifies

factors that will offer potential added value, with supporting evidence.

Good Satisfies the requirement with minor additional benefits. Above average 4

demonstration by the bidder of the relevant ability, understanding,

experience, skills, resource, and quality measures required to provide the

goods / services. Response identifies factors that will offer potential added

value, with supporting evidence.

Acceptable Satisfies the requirement. Demonstration by the bidder of the relevant 3

ability, understanding, experience, skills, resource, and quality measures

required to provide the goods / services, with supporting evidence.

Minor Does not satisfies the requirement with minor reservations. Some minor 2

Reservations reservations of the supplier’s relevant ability, understanding, experience,

skills, resource and quality measures required to provide the goods /

services, with little or no supporting evidence.

Serious Does not satisfies the requirement with major reservations. Considerable 1

Reservations reservations of the bidder’s relevant ability, understanding, experience,

skills, resource, and quality measures required to provide the goods /

services, with little or no supporting evidence.

Unacceptable Does not meet the requirement. Does not comply and/or insufficient 0

information provided to demonstrate that the bidder has the ability,

understanding, experience, skills, resource & quality measures required to

provide the goods / services, with little or no supporting evidence.

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3.2 The evaluation for the Technical and Functional threshold will include the following:

Rating scale of 0 – 5 to be applied.

Ensure that the proposal clearly designates who the proposed team will be for scoring purposes below.

EVALUATION CRITERIA Scoring Matrix % Weight

1. Written reference letters 25%

Bidders must provide reference letters for similar software license tools that

• 5 Points – 5 or more valid reference letters with

were carried out in the past 5 years from the closing date of the bid. supporting PO, all within the last 5 years

Letters must include the company name, contact name, email address,

• 4 Points – 4 valid reference letters with PO, within the

phone number, duration of the contract, value of the contract, and a brief last 5 years

description of the services provided. The reference letters must be on the

• 3 Points – 3 valid reference letters with PO, within the

client’s letterhead and must be dated and signed. last 5 years

• 2 Points – 2 valid reference letters with PO, within the

last 5 years

N.B. All reference letters must be accompanied by

• 1 Point – 1 valid reference letter with PO, within the

PURCHASE ORDER (PO) last 5 years

• 0 Points – No reference letters submitted, or letters do

not meet the requirements

Multiple reference letters from the same state entity will be

regarded as one reference for evaluation purposes.

Only references for similar work completed within the last 5 years

will be accepted.

20% 2. Artificial intelligence deployment experience

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EVALUATION CRITERIA Scoring Matrix % Weight

The bidder must submit a company profile of not more than 5 pages

• 5 Points – above 5 years experience

demonstrating capacity and clearly indicating the number of years in business

• 4 Points -Above 4 years and up to and inclusive of

providing the required software license deployments

5 years’ experience

• 3- Points- Above 3 years and up to and inclusive 4

years’ experience

• 2 Points- Above 2 years and up to and inclusive 3

years' experience

• 1 Point - Above 1 year and up to and inclusive 2

years' experience

• 0 Point -Less than 1 year' experience

3. Methodology approach and execution plan 30%

The Rating Scale of 1 – 5 on Table 1 above to be applied

5Points - Excellent defined project plan addressing the

4 Points – Good defined project plan addressing the

3 Points - Well defined project plan addressing the scope

of work

1 Points - Fair / Moderate defined project plan

addressing the scope of work

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EVALUATION CRITERIA Scoring Matrix % Weight

1 Point - Poorly defined project plan addressing the

0 - No project implementation plan

25% 4. Personnel experience

10% CV of Lead Technical Expert

The bidder must provide the Service Manager / Lead Technical Expert CV

updated CV, including relevant qualifications and at least three (3)

• 5 Points – more than 5 years and above and valid

traceable references, demonstrating experience in deploying/supporting certification from the software vendor

Generative AI tools. The Service Manager / Lead Technical Expert

• 4 Points – more than 4 years and up including 5 years

assigned to this project must hold a valid certification from the software

and valid certification from the software vendor

vendor.

• 3 Points – more than 3 years and up including 4 years

and valid certification from the software vendor

• 2 Points – more than 2 years and up including 3 years

and valid certification from the software vendor

• 1 Point – more than 1 year and up including 2 years

and valid certification from the software vendor

• 0 Point – Less than 1 year or no CV submitted with no

valid certification from the software vendor

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EVALUATION CRITERIA Scoring Matrix % Weight

15% Personnel Qualifications

Qualifications (0 – 5 points):

The bidder must submit certified copies of the qualification/s of the

• 5 Points – Postgraduate qualification (Honours,

Service Manager / Lead Technical Expert. All qualifications must be master’s or higher) in ICT or relevant field

verifiable through the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)

• 4 Points – Bachelor’s Degree in ICT or relevant field

or any other recognised and relevant educational or professional body.

• 3 Points – National Diploma in ICT or relevant field

• 2 Points –Diploma in ICT or relevant field

• 1 Point – Certificate in ICT or a relevant field

• 0 Point – No qualification submitted or qualification

not relevant

Total: 100%

Minimum threshold score 70 %

Only bidders that score above 70% for the functional evaluation criteria will be further considered in the process for further evaluation.

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Stage 5: Pricing and Specific Goals

Pricing Schedule: Please refer to Annexure A. The evaluation for Pricing and Special goal

will include the following:

Sub - Maximum

points for points for Relevant

Annexure b: pricing schedule template

tax compliance confirmation Valid SARS Tax Pin

Tax compliance status system pincode from the south african revenue

Tax compliance requirements

Tax compliance status (tcs) pin may be made via e-filing through the SARS website

Tcs pin is available but the bidder is registered on the central supplier database (csd), a csd

CSD registration number (and attach a CSD Registration report) and

CSD report

Csd number

Csd number must be provided

Central Supplier Database (CSD) at www

Central Supplier Database

Central supplier database (csd), a csd

Joint Venture Agreement/

be appointed) are covered in terms of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act

documentary proof of the Bidder’s registration and “good standing” with the Compensation Fund, or

1. SBD 4: Bidders must submit a fully completed

declaration of interest form. Failure to declare

(JV), a signed - A signed Joint Venture Agreement/

Company Registration & Statutory

Fully completed Pricing Schedule with

NLC Pricing Schedule

Points Allocation: 80 points

B-BBEE Details: specific specific Evidence

goals goals

1. Procurement from entities who are Black Owned Copies of

ID’s/ CIPCTenderer who has 100% black Ownership 8

Report CSD

Tenderer who has 51% to 99% black ownership 4 8 Recent

Tenderer who has less than 51% black ownership 0 Report

2. Procurement from entities who are Women Owned

Tenderer who has 100% women ownership 4 Certificate /

Tenderer who has 30% to 99% women ownership 2

4 Sworn

Affidavit

Tenderer who has less than 30% women ownership 0

3 Youth Ownership

Tenderer who has 100% youth ownership 4 Certificate /

Tenderer who has 30% to 99% youth ownership 2 4 Sworn

AffidavitTenderer who has less than 30% youth ownership 0

4.Procurement from Disabilities Letter from

the Doctor

Tenderer who has 20% or more owners with disability 4 4 confirming

RFQ AI tools

Sub - Maximum

points for points for Relevant

specific specific Evidence

goals goals

disability notTenderer who has less than 20% but more than 10%

2 older than 1owners with disability

year from the

closing date

Tenderer who has less than 10% owners with disability 0 of the bid and

CSD report

Total points for specific goals 20

Stage 6: Due Diligence, Contract and Award

NLC reserves the right to conduct supplier due diligence prior to final award or at any time during the

contract period. This may include site visits and requests for additional information. The stage is for

negotiation after receipt of formal tenders and before the conclusion of contracts with

suppliers/contractors submitting the lowest acceptable tender with a view to obtaining an improvement

in price, delivery or content, in circumstances which do not put other tenderers at a disadvantage or

affect adversely their confidence or trust in the competitive system. Bidders m

The NLC supports B-BBEE and requires bidders to demonstrate commitment in ownership, skills transfer, employment equity, and procurement practices. Specific goals for preference points include: Black ownership (up to 8 points), women ownership (up to 4 points), youth ownership (up to 4 points), and disability ownership (up to 4 points). Total specific goals points are 20.

5.1. Provision of AI Software Licenses

• Supply eight (8) enterprise-grade user licenses for any two (2) of the above four (4) AI platforms, or

any other AI platform.

• Ensure the tool includes premium enterprise features, such as:

▪ Uncapped or high-priority access to advanced LLMs (Large Language Models).

▪ Expanded context windows and data analysis capabilities.

▪ Dedicated workspaces, custom GPT/agent creation, and data sharing controls.

5.2. Configuration and Security Deployment

• Provision of an administrative control console for internal IT user management.

• Implementation of enterprise-grade security protocols, including Single Sign-On (SSO) integration

and domain verification.

• Data Privacy Assurance: Guarantee that all organizational prompts, uploads, and data remain

strictly confidential and are not used to train public AI models.

5.3. Technical Support and Maintenance

• Provide a Service Level Agreement (SLA) covering a minimum of 8 hours per month for

troubleshooting and account maintenance.

• Provide a dedicated helpdesk channel for resolving license provisioning errors, API issues, or

downtime.

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5.4. Training and Knowledge Transfer

• Conduct end-user training for 10 staff members (users and support) to optimize AI adoption and

prompt engineering.

• Conduct administrator-specific training for internal IT personnel regarding dashboard

management, usage reporting, and security logs.

1.3 All copyright and intellectual property herein vests with the NLC.

1.4 Late and incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

1.5 No services must be rendered, or goods delivered before an official NLC Purchase Order

form has been received.

1.6 This RFQ will be evaluated in terms of the 80/20 preference point system

1.7 Suppliers are required to register on the Central Supplier Database (CSD) at www.csd.gov.za.

1.8 Suppliers must provide their CSD registration number (and attach a CSD Registration report) and

ensure that tax matters are compliant.

1.9 All questions regarding this RFQ must be forwarded to [email protected] , all

enquiries to be responded within 3 days of receiving the enquiry.

applicable and to what extent. Bidders are hereby acknowledging that the decision of the

commission in this regard is final and binding. The onus to enquire and obtain clarity in this regard

rests with the Bidder(s). The Bidder(s) shall take care to restrict its enquiries in this regard to the

most reasonable interpretations required to ensure the necessary consensus.

2.3 Preferential procurement reform

2.3.1 The commission supports B-BBEE as an essential ingredient of its business. In accordance with

government policy, the NLC insists that the private sector demonstrates its commitment and track

record to B-BBEE in the areas of ownership (shareholding), skills transfer, employment equity and

Procurement practices (SMME Développent) etc.

2.4 National Industrial Participation Programme

2.4.1 The Industrial Participation policy, which was endorsed by Cabinet on 30 April 1997, is applicable to

contracts that have an imported content. The NIP is obligatory and therefore must be complied with.

2.4.2 Bidders are required to sign and submit the Standard Bidding Document (SBD).

2.5 Language

2.5.1 Bids shall be submitted in English.

2.6 Gender

2.6.1 Any word implying any gender shall be interpreted to imply all other genders.

2.7 Headings

2.7.1 Headings are incorporated into this RFQ document and submitted in response thereto, for ease of

reference only and shall not form part thereof for any purpose of interpretation or for any other

purpose.

2.8 Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act

2.8.1 The Bidder warrants that all its employees (including the employees of any sub-contractor that may

be appointed) are covered in terms of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act

and that the cover shall remain in force for the duration of the adjudication of this RFP

and/ or subsequent agreement. the commission reserves the right to request the Bidder to submit

documentary proof of the Bidder’s registration and “good standing” with the Compensation Fund, or

similar proof acceptable to the commission.

2.9 Processing of the Bidder’s Personal Information

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2.9.1 All Personal Information of the Bidder, its employees, representatives, associates and sub-

contractors (“Bidder Personal Information”) required under this RFQ is collected and processed for

the purpose of assessing the content of its tender proposal and awarding the bid. The Bidder is

advised that Bidder Personal Information may be passed on to third parties to whom the commission

is compelled by law to provide such information. For example, where appropriate, the commission is

compelled to submit information to National Treasury’s Database of Restricted Suppliers.

2.9.2 All Personal Information collected will be processed in accordance with POPIA and with the

commission Data Privacy Policy.

2.9.3 The following persons will have access to the Personal Information collected:

2.9.4 The commission personnel participating in procurement/award procedures;

2.9.5 Members of the public: within seven working days from the time the bid is awarded, the following

information will have to be made available on National Treasury’s e-Tender portal:

2.9.5.1 contract description and bid number.

2.9.5.2 names of the successful bidder(s) and preference points claimed.

2.9.5.3 the contract price(s) (if possible).

2.9.5.4 contract period.

2.9.5.5 names of directors; and

2.9.5.6 date of completion/award

2.9.6 The commission will ensure that the rights of the Bidder and of its employees and representatives

(i.e., the right of access and the right to rectify) are effectively guaranteed in accordance with the

procedures as specified in the commission PAIA manual.

2.9.7 In signing this document, the Bidder consents to the use of its Personal Information for the purposes

as specified in section 2.9.1 above.

5.1. Name of company/firm........................................................................

5.2. Company registration number: ..............................................................

5.3 Type of company/ firm

 Partnership/Joint Venture / Consortium

 One-person business/sole propriety

 Close corporation

 Public Company

 Personal Liability Company

 (Pty) Limited

 Non-Profit Company

 State Owned Company

[Tick applicable box]

5.4 I, the undersigned, who is duly authorized to do so on behalf of the company/firm,

certify that the points claimed, based on the specific goals as advised in the tender,

qualifies the company/ firm for the preference(s) shown and I acknowledge that:

i) The information furnished is true and correct.

ii) The preference points claimed are in accordance with the General Conditions as

indicated in paragraph 1 of this form.

iii) In the event of a contract being awarded as a result of points claimed as shown in

paragraphs 1.4 and 4.2, the contractor may be required to furnish documentary proof

to the satisfaction of the organ of state that the claims are correct;

The RFQ is subject to the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act and the General Conditions of Contract. Bidders must not make news releases without NLC consent. The RFQ takes precedence over other documents. Bidders must comply with the National Industrial Participation Programme if applicable. Bids must be submitted in English. Bidders must ensure employees are covered under the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act. Personal information will be processed in accordance with POPIA. Bidders must register on the Central Supplier Database. The validity period is 90 days. Supplier performance reviews will be conducted.

Stage 1 Administrative Compliance requires submission of SBD 1, SBD 6.1, valid SARS Tax Pin, CSD registration report, POPIA consent form, and valid B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit. Stage 2 Mandatory Compliance requires SBD 4 declaration of interest, valid OEM partner/reseller certification for any two of the listed AI platforms, JV agreement if applicable, and completed pricing schedule.

terms and conditions, if the internal evaluation process is not finalised within the validity period.

1.6 This RFQ will be evaluated in terms of the 80/20 preference point system

Ded for specific goals

Regulations, preference points must be awarded for specific goals stated in the tender.

For the purposes of this tender the tenderer will be allocated points based on the goals

states that, if it is unclear whether the 80/20 or 90/10 preference point system applies, an

(a) an invitation for tender for income-generating contracts, that the 80/20 preference

determine the applicable preference point system; or

(b) any other invitation for tender, that the 80/20 preference point system will apply

preference point system, then the organ of state must indicate the points allocated

for specific goals for the 80/20 preference point system.

Table 1: Specific goals for the tender and points claimed are indicated per the table

(Note to organs of state: Where either the 90/10 or 80/20 preference point system is

applicable, corresponding points must also be indicated as such. Note to tenderers

The tenderer must indicate how they claim points for each preference point system.)

1. Procurement from entities who are Sub - points for Maximum Number of

Black Owned specific goals points for points claimed

(80/20 system) specific

Total points for specific goals 20

Stage 3: Technical Evaluation

Rating Definition Score

relevant ability, understanding, experience, skills, resource, and quality

experience, skills, resource, and quality measures required to provide the

ability, understanding, experience, skills, resource, and quality measures

skills, resource and quality measures required to provide the goods /