This tender has been awarded to LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS for R 6 890 405 41.
AwardedDBE213
Award Information
Award Value
R 6 890 405 41
Winning Supplier
LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS
Type: EME
Other Service Activities
Appointment of a service provider or consortium of service providers with professional and technical expertise to print, pack, distribute, and collect the 2026 systemic evaluation material in nine provinces and store at a central facility
Appointment of a service provider or consortium of service providers with professional and technical expertise to print, pack, distribute, and collect the 2026 systemic evaluation material in nine provinces and store at a central facility
What the tender required and what the award supports
Source material and existing AI analysis appear first. Supplier conclusions remain qualified by the evidence Tenders-SA holds.
Summary
The department of basic education (dbe) invites bids from service providers or consortia with professional and technical expertise to print, pack, distribute, collect, and store the 2026 systemic evaluation materials for grades 3, 6, and 9 across all nine provinces. The materials include tests, questionnaires, manuals, and other forms, with special requirements for braille and large print. The contract involves four phases: preparation, printing, packaging/labelling, and distribution/collection/storage, with strict deadlines and confidentiality requirements.
Document read. The full tender notice and its supporting documents are read end-to-end. Key sections, requirements, dates, and contact details are identified and pulled into a working summary you can act on.
Compliance review. The working summary is checked against South African procurement standards — PFMA, PPPFA, B-BBEE, CIDB, local content, and preferential procurement — so nothing critical is missed before you start your bid response.
DocumentTender documents for DBE213.pdfReview complete
Description
Source: Tender documents for DBE213.pdf (TENDER)
Award analysis coverage
0 of 1 source documents fully reviewed. Unstated details are identified only after complete source review.
technical scope
33 sourced criteria
financial capacity
4 sourced criteria
pricing
5 sourced criteria
compliance returnables
14 sourced criteria
evaluation
12 sourced criteria
experience
1 sourced criteria
personnel
4 sourced criteria
equipment capacity
Source analysis requires completion or review
delivery contract
8 sourced criteria
equity registrations
Source analysis requires completion or review
What the buyer was looking for
1Mandatory requirement
Bids must be submitted by 03 August 2026 at 11:00 to the bid box at Sol Plaatjie House, 222 Struben Street, Pretoria. Late bids will not be accepted.
Why it matters: The source identifies this as a mandatory or eligibility condition for a compliant bid.
No source document identifier is stored for this item.
Source: AI key requirements · requirements
Known supplier evidence
The linked award records LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS as appointed for this tender. Recorded contract value: 6890405.41 ZAR.
Qualified inference
Inference only
An award confirms appointment. It does not prove why a supplier was selected, that every qualification remains current, or that delivery was completed successfully.
Bid-ready summary. The submission guidelines, evaluation criteria, technical, financial, and compliance sections are refined into professional, easy-to-scan prose. This is the final version you can rely on when preparing your bid or briefing your team.
We refine every tender document through these stages so you can brief your team and prepare your bid with confidence. Anything marked as "in progress" will be upgraded automatically — no action required from you.
Document read
Compliance review
Bid-ready summary
The service provider will print, pack, distribute, collect and store the Department of Basic Education's material for Grades 3, 6 and 9 for Language and Mathematics, as well as other specified material.
Distribution and collection at various nodal points in each province; storage after collection at a single central venue.
Printing includes materials for both mainstream and special schools.
The Systemic Evaluation is a triennial study on a sample of Grade 3, 6 and 9 learners.
The study aims to monitor performance trends, evaluate policies, inform educational programmes, identify factors affecting learner performance, and obtain system information.
Important Dates
Source: Tender documents for DBE213.pdf (TENDER)
Closing date: 03 August 2026.
Closing time: 11:00.
Non-compulsory virtual briefing session: 16 July 2026 at 10:00 via Microsoft Teams.
Submission address: Main Entrance/Reception, Sol Plaatjie House, Department of Basic Education, 222 Struben Street, Pretoria.
Briefing session contact: Ms Nthabiseng Metula, Tel: (012) 357 3134.
Submission Guidelines
Source: Tender documents for DBE213.pdf (TENDER)
Bids must be delivered by the stipulated time to the correct address. Late bids will not be accepted.
Submit bids on the official forms provided (not to be re-typed) or as prescribed in the bid document.
Bids must be deposited in the bid box at: Main Entrance/Reception, Sol Plaatjie House, Department of Basic Education, 222 Struben Street, Pretoria.
The successful bidder will be required to fill in and sign a written contract form (SBD7).
Failure to provide or comply with any submission particulars may render the bid invalid.
Evaluation Criteria
Source: Tender documents for DBE213.pdf (TENDER)
Technical expertise in printing, packing, distributing, and collecting the 2026 Systemic Evaluation material is required.
Monitoring and quality assurance are key components of the evaluation.
South African tax compliance mandatory (TCS pin from SARS or CSD registration).
Foreign suppliers must complete questionnaire and may need tax registration if RSA-sourced income.
No bids from persons in service of the state, companies with directors in state service, or close corporations with members in state service.
Consortium/joint venture partners each require separate tax compliance.
Proof of signing authority (company resolution) required.
Must attend to all SBD forms (SBD1, SBD3.1 pricing schedule).
Technical Specifications
Source: Tender documents for DBE213.pdf (TENDER)
Scope: Print, pack, distribute, collect and store the 2026 Systemic Evaluation material for Grades 3, 6 and 9 across nine provinces.
Materials include: Language and Mathematics tests in various languages and forms, contextual questionnaires, manuals, observation forms, tracking forms, and stickers.
All materials must include a 5% top-up for emergency packs.
Printing specifications: 80 gsm paper, black and white, saddle stitched A4 booklets, back to back, with colour-coded spines per subject per form.
Special formats required: Braille translation using Duxbury software, large print with specified font sizes.
Packaging: Use double-walled boxes, temper-proof sealing. Each school receives a labelled big box with packages per grade.
Distribution and collection: Deliver to specified nodal points in each province; collect after administration and store centrally.
Confidentiality and security: All project material is highly confidential; service provider responsible for safe-keeping at all stages.
Methodology
Source: Tender documents for DBE213.pdf (TENDER)
The project is divided into four phases: preparations for printing, printing, packaging and labelling, and distribution/collection/storage.
Phase 1: Preparations include creating a database of sampled schools, recruiting and training packers and security personnel, and ensuring confidentiality.
Phase 2: Printing includes downloading material from digital platform, transforming to Braille, enlarging for large print, preparing artwork for DBE sign-off, verifying print-pack info, and printing.
Printing specifications: 80 gsm paper, black and white, saddle stitched A4 booklets, back to back, colour-coded spines.
Phase 3: Packaging and labelling per school and province, with specific requirements for Braille and large print.
Phase 4: Distribution to nodal points, collection after administration, and central storage for a month.
Key deliverables include detailed printing plans, flowcharts, signed-off proofs, packaging reports, delivery plans, and close-up reports.
Quality Management
Source: Tender documents for DBE213.pdf (TENDER)
Detailed business processes required for printing of test forms, questionnaires, stickers, manuals, and forms.
Monitoring and quality assurance must be included in all phases.
Packaging and labelling must follow strict guidelines: each school gets a labelled big box with packages per grade.
Specific packaging rules for subjects: Mathematics tests in sets of Form 1-7, Language tests in sets of Form 1-5.
Pricing Schedule
Source: Tender documents for DBE213.pdf (TENDER)
Offer must be valid for 120 days from closing date.
Only firm prices accepted; non-firm prices not considered.
All delivery costs must be included in bid price.
Pricing schedule must be submitted on the official form (SBD3.1).
Financial Requirements
Source: Tender documents for DBE213.pdf (TENDER)
Only firm prices will be accepted. Non-firm prices (including prices subject to rates of exchange variations) will not be considered.
All delivery costs must be included in the bid price for delivery at the prescribed destination.
The offer must be valid for 120 days from the closing date of bid.
Applicable taxes include value-added tax, pay as you earn, income tax, unemployment insurance fund contributions and skills development levies.
Compliance Requirements
Source: Tender documents for DBE213.pdf (TENDER)
Bidders must ensure compliance with their tax obligations.
Submit a Tax Compliance Status (TCS) PIN issued by SARS or a Central Supplier Database (CSD) number.
Application for TCS PIN may be made via e-filing through the SARS website www.sars.gov.za.
Bidders may also submit a printed TCS certificate together with the bid.
In bids involving consortia/joint ventures/sub-contractors, each party must submit a separate TCS certificate/PIN/CSD number.
No bids will be considered from persons in the service of the state, companies with directors who are persons in the service of the state, or close corporations with members persons in the service of the state.
Health & Safety
Source: Tender documents for DBE213.pdf (TENDER)
The service provider must handle large volumes of highly confidential material securely.
All materials include a 5% top-up for emergency packs.
Packaging must use durable, watertight cling wrap to sustain harsh handling.
Braille and large print materials require careful handling and specific packaging.
The service provider is responsible for safety of materials during printing, packaging, storage, and transit.
Environmental
Source: Tender documents for DBE213.pdf (TENDER)
A management plan for disposal of waste material must be provided upon commencement.
Monitoring plans for each phase are required.
Signed-off proofs of artwork for tests, questionnaires, manuals, and stickers must be submitted for quality assurance.
Contractual Terms
Source: Tender documents for DBE213.pdf (TENDER)
The successful bidder must comply with all specifications; deviations must be indicated.
Delivery must be firm; all delivery costs included in bid price.
Applicable taxes include VAT, PAYE, income tax, UIF contributions, and skills development levies.
The service provider must ensure safe-keeping, confidentiality, and security of all project material for the contract duration.
Requirements
Source: Tender documents for DBE213.pdf (TENDER)
Bidders must submit a Tax Compliance Status (TCS) PIN or CSD number.
Foreign suppliers must complete a questionnaire regarding residency, branch, permanent establishment, source of income, and tax liability in South Africa.
Bids must be submitted on official forms, not re-typed.
Bids are subject to the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act, General Conditions of Contract, and any special conditions.
Successful bidder must sign a written contract form (SBD7).
Bidders must ensure tax compliance and provide proof of authority to sign.
The successful bid likely addressed this expectation, but the submitted evidence and evaluation reason are unavailable.
The linked award confirms appointment only, not the submitted qualification or reason for selection.
2Mandatory requirement
Printing must be completed by 30 September 2026, and collection of materials from schools must be completed by 30 November 2026.
Why it matters: The source identifies this as a mandatory or eligibility condition for a compliant bid.
No source document identifier is stored for this item.
Source: AI key requirements · requirements
Known supplier evidence
Tenders-SA records other appointments with overlapping scope terms for LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS.
Qualified inference
Supported inference
The recorded history supports exposure to related scope, but does not establish the bid evidence submitted or current delivery capacity.
Related historical records suggest exposure; they do not prove bid contents, current capacity, or delivery.
3Mandatory requirement
All materials must include a 5% top-up for emergency packs, and packaging must follow detailed specifications including colour-coded spines and tamper-proof sealing.
Why it matters: The source identifies this as a mandatory or eligibility condition for a compliant bid.
No source document identifier is stored for this item.
Source: AI key requirements · requirements
Known supplier evidence
Tenders-SA records other appointments with overlapping scope terms for LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS.
Qualified inference
Supported inference
The recorded history supports exposure to related scope, but does not establish the bid evidence submitted or current delivery capacity.
Related historical records suggest exposure; they do not prove bid contents, current capacity, or delivery.
4Inferred operational need
The service provider will print, pack, distribute, collect and store the Department of Basic Education's material for Grades 3, 6 and 9 for Language and Mathematics, as well as other specified material.
Why it matters: This is a qualified operational interpretation of the stored scope, not a stated mandatory or scored criterion.
Inferred from stored analysis; verify against the source document.
Tenders-SA records other appointments with overlapping scope terms for LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS.
Qualified inference
Supported inference
The recorded history supports exposure to related scope, but does not establish the bid evidence submitted or current delivery capacity.
Related historical records suggest exposure; they do not prove bid contents, current capacity, or delivery.
6Inferred operational need
The study aims to monitor performance trends, evaluate policies, inform educational programmes, identify factors affecting learner performance, and obtain system information.
Why it matters: This is a qualified operational interpretation of the stored scope, not a stated mandatory or scored criterion.
Inferred from stored analysis; verify against the source document.
Tenders-SA records other appointments with overlapping scope terms for LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS.
Qualified inference
Supported inference
The recorded history supports exposure to related scope, but does not establish the bid evidence submitted or current delivery capacity.
Related historical records suggest exposure; they do not prove bid contents, current capacity, or delivery.
20Inferred operational need
Phase 2: Printing includes downloading material from digital platform, transforming to Braille, enlarging for large print, preparing artwork for DBE sign-off, verifying print-pack info, and printing.
Why it matters: This is a qualified operational interpretation of the stored scope, not a stated mandatory or scored criterion.
Inferred from stored analysis; verify against the source document.
Tenders-SA records other appointments with overlapping scope terms for LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS.
Qualified inference
Supported inference
The recorded history supports exposure to related scope, but does not establish the bid evidence submitted or current delivery capacity.
Related historical records suggest exposure; they do not prove bid contents, current capacity, or delivery.
23Mandatory requirement
Foreign suppliers must complete a questionnaire regarding residency, branch, permanent establishment, source of income, and tax liability in South Africa.
Why it matters: The source identifies this as a mandatory or eligibility condition for a compliant bid.
The linked award records LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS as appointed for this tender. Recorded contract value: 6890405.41 ZAR.
Qualified inference
Inference only
The successful bid likely addressed this expectation, but the submitted evidence and evaluation reason are unavailable.
The linked award confirms appointment only, not the submitted qualification or reason for selection.
28Inferred operational need
Materials include: Language and Mathematics tests in various languages and forms, contextual questionnaires, manuals, observation forms, tracking forms, and stickers.
Why it matters: This is a qualified operational interpretation of the stored scope, not a stated mandatory or scored criterion.
Inferred from stored analysis; verify against the source document. No source document identifier is stored for this item.
The linked award records LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS as appointed for this tender. Recorded contract value: 6890405.41 ZAR.
Qualified inference
Inference only
The successful bid likely addressed this expectation, but the submitted evidence and evaluation reason are unavailable.
The linked award confirms appointment only, not the submitted qualification or reason for selection.
43Mandatory requirement
Bidders must be tax compliant and provide a SARS TCS PIN or CSD number. Consortia/joint ventures must each provide separate tax compliance documentation.
Why it matters: The source identifies this as a mandatory or eligibility condition for a compliant bid.
No source document identifier is stored for this item.
Source: AI key requirements · requirements
Known supplier evidence
The linked award records LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS as appointed for this tender. Recorded contract value: 6890405.41 ZAR.
Qualified inference
Inference only
The successful bid likely addressed this expectation, but the submitted evidence and evaluation reason are unavailable.
The linked award confirms appointment only, not the submitted qualification or reason for selection.
44Inferred operational need
Bidders who wish to attend the briefing session are advised to access the session using the link provided in the tender document, specifically on the Notice (Page 3) and in the Terms of Reference (Page 31, Paragraph 6).
Why it matters: This is a qualified operational interpretation of the stored scope, not a stated mandatory or scored criterion.
Inferred from stored analysis; verify against the source document. No source document identifier is stored for this item.
Source: Eligibility criteria · eligibility
Known supplier evidence
The linked award records LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS as appointed for this tender. Recorded contract value: 6890405.41 ZAR.
Qualified inference
Inference only
The successful bid likely addressed this expectation, but the submitted evidence and evaluation reason are unavailable.
The linked award confirms appointment only, not the submitted qualification or reason for selection.
45Mandatory requirement
Bidders must submit a Tax Compliance Status (TCS) PIN or CSD number.
Why it matters: The source identifies this as a mandatory or eligibility condition for a compliant bid.
Tenders-SA records other appointments with overlapping scope terms for LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS.
Qualified inference
Supported inference
The recorded history supports exposure to related scope, but does not establish the bid evidence submitted or current delivery capacity.
Related historical records suggest exposure; they do not prove bid contents, current capacity, or delivery.
56Inferred operational need
No bids will be considered from persons in the service of the state, companies with directors who are persons in the service of the state, or close corporations with members persons in the service of the state.
Why it matters: This is a qualified operational interpretation of the stored scope, not a stated mandatory or scored criterion.
Inferred from stored analysis; verify against the source document. No source document identifier is stored for this item.
Tenders-SA records other appointments with overlapping scope terms for LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS.
Qualified inference
Supported inference
The recorded history supports exposure to related scope, but does not establish the bid evidence submitted or current delivery capacity.
Related historical records suggest exposure; they do not prove bid contents, current capacity, or delivery.
69Mandatory requirement
The service provider must have proven experience in printing large volumes of highly confidential material, including Braille and large print formats.
Why it matters: The source identifies this as a mandatory or eligibility condition for a compliant bid.
No source document identifier is stored for this item.
Source: AI key requirements · requirements
Known supplier evidence
Tenders-SA records other appointments with overlapping scope terms for LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS.
Qualified inference
Supported inference
The recorded history supports exposure to related scope, but does not establish the bid evidence submitted or current delivery capacity.
Related historical records suggest exposure; they do not prove bid contents, current capacity, or delivery.
70Mandatory requirement
A non-compulsory virtual briefing session will be held on 16 July 2026 at 10:00 via Microsoft Teams; attendance is recommended.
Why it matters: The source identifies this as a mandatory or eligibility condition for a compliant bid.
No source document identifier is stored for this item.
Source: AI key requirements · requirements
Known supplier evidence
The linked award records LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS as appointed for this tender. Recorded contract value: 6890405.41 ZAR.
Qualified inference
Inference only
The successful bid likely addressed this expectation, but the submitted evidence and evaluation reason are unavailable.
The linked award confirms appointment only, not the submitted qualification or reason for selection.
71Inferred operational need
Phase 1: Preparations include creating a database of sampled schools, recruiting and training packers and security personnel, and ensuring confidentiality.
Why it matters: This is a qualified operational interpretation of the stored scope, not a stated mandatory or scored criterion.
Inferred from stored analysis; verify against the source document.
Tenders-SA records other appointments with overlapping scope terms for LEBONE LITHO PRINTERS.
Qualified inference
Supported inference
The recorded history supports exposure to related scope, but does not establish the bid evidence submitted or current delivery capacity.
Related historical records suggest exposure; they do not prove bid contents, current capacity, or delivery.
APPOINTMENT OF THE SERVICE PROVIDER FOR PROVISION OF HYGIENE CARE SERVICES FOR 2 YEARS (24 MONTHS) AT THE NATIONAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION PREMISES IN PRETORIA, BRUMMERIANRF/ CORP EM 65 /2025-26