Integrated data analytics platform for TRANSNET internal audit (5-Year contract)

Closing date: 19 November 2026 at 16:00

Briefing session (non-compulsory): 29 October 2026 at 10:00, held via MS Teams, approximately 2 hours. Bidders must confirm attendance by email to [email protected].

Clarification deadline: RFP Clarification Request Form must be submitted before 09 November 2026.

Bid validity period: 180 business days from closing date.

Technical / bidding enquiries:

• Contact: Lindani Langa
• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: not stated

Complaints:

• Email: [email protected]

Clarifications: submit RFP Clarification Request Form (Section 8) to [email protected] before 09 November 2026.

Submission platform: https://transnetetenders.azurewebsites.net

Submission method: Transnet e-Tender Submission Portal — https://transnetetenders.azurewebsites.net

Steps: register company profile, log intent to bid, upload bid documents against the tender. Max 30 MB per upload; multiple uploads allowed. Each bidder must submit via its own registered profile; bids submitted through another company's profile are disqualified. Joint ventures may submit via any JV partner's profile. Submit at least one day before closing to avoid technical issues; late submissions are not accepted.

All returnable documents listed in Section 5 must be completed, signed, stamped and dated on each page, and returned with the proposal. The signatory must be legally authorised; provide proof of authority (e.g. company resolution).

Returnable forms include:

• SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid): bidder details, tax and B-BBEE status, signed as cover page.
• Section 6 / 7 (RFP Declaration Certificate of Acquaintance & Breach of Law Form / RFP Declaration and Breach of Law Form): certify acquaintance with the RFP and disclose any breach of law.
• Section 9 (Specific Goals Points Claim Form): claim preference points for specific goals.
• Section 10 (Protection of Personal Information form): data protection compliance.
• Signed JV or consortium agreement (or written intent) if bidding as a JV, stating percentage split and responsibilities.
• B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit for EMEs/QSEs.
• Tax compliance: SARS TCS PIN or CSD number.

Disqualification risks:

• Late submission, regardless of reason.
• Missing, unsigned or incomplete returnable documents.
• Bid submitted through another company's profile.
• Submission after closing time.
• Pricing not in the required format (see pricing schedule).
• Material deviation from RFP terms or scope.

Three-stage evaluation:

Stage 1 — Responsiveness (administrative and substantive):

• Bid lodged on time.
• All returnable documents and schedules completed and returned by closing.
• Bid signed by authorised respondent.
• Priced offer included as per Section 4.
• Material compliance with scope and specification.
• Must pass to proceed.

Stage 2 — Technical/Functionality (minimum thresholds):

Phase 1 — Desktop evaluation (minimum 75 points out of 100):

• Bidder experience: three signed reference letters from clients within the past five years covering customisation, implementation, commissioning and maintenance of the proposed solution; each letter must show a customer satisfaction percentage. Scoring: no submission (0); <75% average (5); >75–80% (10); >80–85% (15); >85–90% (20); >90–100% (25); =100% (30). Reference letters must specifically cover those four activities or the requirement is not scored.
• Key resources (CVs required): Solution Architect, Technical Consultant, Training Consultant, Testing Consultant (15 points each), Key Account Manager (10 points). Scoring by years of experience in internal audit analytics tool: <3 years (5); 3–5 years (10); >5 years (15); KAM: 3–5 years (5), >5 years (10); no submission (0).
• Minimum 75 points to progress to Phase 2.

Phase 2 — Presentation-based evaluation (minimum threshold 100 points):

• In-person demonstration at Transnet Offices Johannesburg (venue to be confirmed).
• The demonstration must cover functional capabilities including data acquisition, data preparation, audit analytics (e.g. duplicate payment analysis, journal entry testing, segregation of duties, payroll analytics), reporting, exception reporting, trend analysis, population testing, continuous controls monitoring, and user access management.

Stage 3 — Final weighted scoring (80/20):

• Price: 80 points.
• Specific goals (B-BBEE / preference points claim): 20 points.
• Total: 100 points. Highest weighted score is awarded business.

Stage 4 — Price negotiations (if applicable): Transnet may negotiate with the highest-ranked bidder to achieve a market-related price; if negotiations fail, may negotiate with the 2nd and 3rd ranked sequentially, or cancel. Bidders may be asked to submit best and final offers.

Stage 5 — Award and contract conclusion: Award via Letter of Award; contract concluded thereafter. Technical scores rounded to 2 decimal places.

Scope: Provision of an integrated data analytics platform for Transnet Internal Audit (TIA), covering data ingestion, transformation, analytics, visualisation and secure reporting in a single unified environment, across all Transnet Operating Divisions:

• Transnet Corporate Centre
• Transnet Property
• Transnet Freight Rail
• Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager
• Transnet Pipelines
• Transnet National Ports Authority
• Transnet Port Terminals
• Transnet Engineering

Contract period: 5 years.

Goals:

• Full-population testing and advanced risk analytics.
• Continuous auditing and monitoring of key control processes.
• Data-driven decision-making via dashboards and automation.
• Alignment with Transnet ICT governance, POPIA and PFMA.

Software implementation:

• Provide perpetual or subscription licences as proposed.
• Supply all software components needed for full operation, including supporting software for implementation.
• Identify third-party software dependencies.

Solution configuration:

• Configure user roles, permissions, audit workflows, dashboards, reports, scheduled analytics and exception reporting.

System integration:

• Integrate with approved Transnet systems, secure interfaces, scheduled and real-time data synchronisation; validate integration before production.

Technical architecture requirements:

• Secure, scalable, resilient; describe architecture and components.
• Identify infrastructure prerequisites and dependencies.
• Specify on-premise, cloud or hybrid deployment.
• Support scaling, high availability, fault tolerance, backup/recovery, disaster recovery with documented RTO and RPO.
• Support version control and controlled upgrades, system administration, monitoring, and detailed audit logs.

Support and maintenance:

• Ongoing maintenance, software updates, bug fixes, security patches, compatibility, planned maintenance notice, release notes.
• Service Desk with escalation procedures (SLA Annexure E). Minimum support: incident logging/tracking, root cause analysis, problem management, escalation, remote and on-site support.

Information security (cybersecurity and POPIA):

• Role-based access control, integration with Microsoft Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID, multi-factor authentication, encryption of data in transit and at rest, audit logs, configurable password policies, secure session management, secure API authentication, detection of unauthorised access, regular updates and patching.
• Demonstrate alignment with ISO/IEC 27001 and NIST Cybersecurity Framework.
• Comply with POPIA and Transnet information governance policies.

AI requirements (if applicable):

• Must comply with Transnet's approved policy on AI services; AI must be transparent, explainable and subject to auditor oversight.

Integration with existing Transnet systems (minimum): SAP ECC, SAP S/4HANA, SAP HCM, SAP BW, Oracle Database, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Power BI, REST APIs, OData Services, CSV and Excel files.

Data ownership:

• Transnet retains full ownership, control and access to its data.
• On termination, all data returned to Transnet in complete usable format and permanently removed from bidder's environment.
• Data may not be used, shared, commercialised or mined except to deliver contracted services.
• Data may not be used to train AI models without prior written consent.

Functional capabilities required:

• Data integration/ingestion: seamless integration with SAP, Oracle, MS Dynamics and other ERP systems; process structured and unstructured data; batch and near real-time processing; secure API access and automated data validation.
• Data preparation/transformation: intuitive ETL (graphical, drag-and-drop preferred); automated cleansing, validation, enrichment; SQL or Python scripting.
• Audit analytics/testing: full-population testing, repeatable automated tests, advanced sampling, quantify financial impact, root-cause insights, trend analysis.
• Visualisation/reporting: interactive dashboards with drill-down, customisable visualisations, embed into workflows, track KPIs and exceptions, export to PDF/Excel/Power BI.
• Risk and control analytics: rule-based anomaly detection, continuous control monitoring; optional predictive analytics/ML, SoD or fraud modules.
• Governance and compliance: role-based access, data masking, audit-ready logs, compliance with POPIA, PFMA, Transnet ICT policies.

The bidder must demonstrate, via three signed reference letters from clients within the past five years, experience in customisation, implementation, commissioning and maintenance of the proposed solution. Each reference must include a customer satisfaction percentage; scoring is based on the average percentage. Key resources must have experience in internal audit analytics tools: Solution Architect, Technical Consultant, Training Consultant, Testing Consultant, and Key Account Manager. CVs for these roles must be submitted. Experience thresholds: <3 years (5 points), 3–5 years (10 points), >5 years (15 points) for the consultants; Key Account Manager: 3–5 years (5 points), >5 years (10 points). No submission scores 0. The bidder must have the capability to customise the software and implement a customised internal audit analytics solution.

The proposed solution must align with Transnet ICT governance, POPIA and PFMA requirements. It must support comprehensive system administration, monitoring, and detailed audit logs. Technical scoring is based on the bidder's demonstrated experience and the capabilities demonstrated during the presentation phase. The solution must include a Service Desk with defined escalation procedures, and the bidder must guarantee a 95% service level on quality/quantity/specification compliance and on-time delivery.

Pricing must be submitted in the prescribed pricing schedule (Section 4). Prices must be quoted on a full-service basis covering all costs. Discounts are only considered if unconditional. Prices must remain firm and fixed for the contract duration. The price component is weighted 80 points in the final evaluation. Transnet may engage in post-tender negotiations to achieve a market-related price; bidders may be asked to provide best and final offers. A priced offer is mandatory for responsiveness.

Pricing format:

• Submit pricing strictly in accordance with the pricing schedule in Section 4; deviations may render the bid non-responsive.
• Complete all required fields; incomplete schedule is non-responsive.
• Prices quoted on a full-service basis covering all costs.
• Discounts will only be considered if unconditional.
• Prices must be kept firm and fixed for the contract duration (distinct from bid validity).

Evaluation:

• Price is weighted 80 points; specific goals (B-BBEE) 20 points.
• If the offered price is not market-related, Transnet may negotiate (price negotiation) or cancel.

Payment / commercial terms:

• Not materially specified in the extracted text; the document references an SLA and general conditions, but no explicit payment terms or guarantees are stated for this RFP. Do not assume any.

Tax compliance:

• Must have a valid SARS TCS PIN or CSD number. Where a CSD number is provided, must be registered on National Treasury's Central Supplier Database. Foreign suppliers with no local registered entity are exempt from CSD registration.
• Each party in a JV/consortium/subcontracting arrangement must submit its own tax compliance status (PIN/CSD).

B-bbee:

• Submit a B-BBEE status level verification certificate, or a sworn affidavit for EMEs and QSEs. Preference points (20) are claimed via the Specific Goals Points Claim Form (Section 9).

Employment Equity:

• Comply with the Employment Equity Act, including Section 53.

Security clearance:

• The successful bidder, its personnel and subcontractors may be required to obtain security clearance to CONFIDENTIAL/SECRET/TOP SECRET level; obtaining clearance is the bidder's responsibility.

Legal and integrity:

• The proposal will be reviewed by Transnet Legal; material deviation from standard terms may cause disqualification.
• Must sign the Supplier Integrity Pact (Annexure C) and Non-Disclosure Agreement (Annexure D).
• Disclose any commercial relationship with a Domestic Prominent Influential Person (DPIP) or Foreign Prominent Public Official (FPPO) as per Transnet's policy.
• Comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and, where applicable, the National Railway Safety Regulator Act.

The successful bidder must comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and, where applicable, the National Railway Safety Regulator Act. Transnet may require access to review safety-related activities. The bidder must grant Transnet access to review safety-related activities during the contract. Security clearance may be required for personnel to CONFIDENTIAL/SECRET/TOP SECRET level.

Contract duration is five years. The successful bidder must comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including the Employment Equity Act (Section 53). Transnet may cancel the contract and request placement on the National Treasury Database of Restricted Suppliers for up to 10 years if a contract was awarded based on incorrect information. Transnet may award to the next ranked bidder if the preferred bidder fails to sign or commence the contract. The bidder must maintain confidentiality and comply with the Non-Disclosure Agreement. The bidder must achieve a 95% service level on quality/quantity/specification compliance and on-time delivery; failure may constitute a material breach. Transnet reserves the right to replace supplier team members who are not adding value. The bidder must provide proof of renewals (e.g. insurance) as required; failure allows Transnet to terminate immediately. The bidder must comply with the National Railway Safety Regulator Act where applicable. Transnet may request ESG information for record purposes, not for evaluation.

Additional evaluation details: The technical/functionality evaluation is split into two phases. The desktop phase has a minimum threshold of 75 points, based on bidder experience (three signed reference letters with customer satisfaction percentages) and key resource experience (Solution Architect, Technical Consultant, Training Consultant, Testing Consultant, Key Account Manager). The presentation phase has a minimum threshold of 100 points and requires an in-person demonstration of the proposed solution at Transnet Offices in Johannesburg (venue to be confirmed). Final weighted scoring is 80/20 (price/specific goals). Transnet may conduct price negotiations with the highest-ranked bidder to achieve a market-related price, and may cancel or negotiate with lower-ranked bidders if needed.