Appointment of a service provider to supply, implement and support a learner management system (lms) for SALGA for 36 months

Closing date: 27 August 2026 at 11:00. No site briefing or compulsory meeting is scheduled. Clarification deadline: questions will only be accepted up to a date to be confirmed in the bid advertisement. No further addenda will be issued after 12:00 noon, four business days prior to the closing date, unless the closing date is extended.

Supply Chain Management enquiries: [email protected], telephone 012 369 8000. Technical enquiries: Mr. Pieter Van Der Berg (same contact details). Submission address: SALGA SCM Supplyflow Portal at https://scmportal.salga.org.za/.

Submit only via the SALGA SCM Supplyflow Portal at https://scmportal.salga.org.za/. No other submission method will be accepted. Bids must be received before the closing date and time; late submissions are disqualified. Bidders must initial each page of the tender document on the top right-hand corner. Returnable forms (all must be completed, signed, and submitted):

• SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid): captures bidder and contact details, serves as the offer cover page.
• SBD 3.3 (Pricing Schedule – Professional Services): provides ceiling price, hourly/daily rates, phase costs, and expense estimates.
• SBD 4 (Declaration of Interest): discloses whether any director, shareholder, or controlling person is employed by the state or connected to the procuring institution.
• Proof of authority to sign (e.g., board resolution).
• CSD registration number or tax compliance PIN.
• B-BBEE status level certificate or sworn affidavit.

Disqualification risks: any omitted or unsigned returnable form, late submission, or failure to comply with the submission channel.

Three-stage evaluation:

• Stage 1 – Mandatory/Gating Compliance: pass/fail screening against five non-negotiable requirements (data residency/POPIA, SaaS delivery, SCORM/xAPI compliance, WSP/ATR export capability, transparent pricing). Bids failing this stage are disqualified.
• Stage 2 – Functionality (technical evaluation): scored out of 100 points. Minimum threshold of 75 points to proceed. Criteria and weights:

• Company Experience (10 points): reference letters for similar LMS implementations (0–9+ letters).

• Qualifications of Team (10 points): CVs and qualifications of proposed team (0–5+ members with relevant experience).

• Functional/Technical Compliance (30 points): assessed via Functional Requirements Compliance Matrix against Must Have and Should Have requirements.

• Solution Demonstration / Proof of Concept (40 points): live demo covering functionality (40%), ease of use (20%), administrator/learner experience (20%), and implementation plan (20%).

• Innovation & Value-Add (10 points): additional features beyond minimum specification.

• Stage 3 – Price and B-BBEE status level contribution: preference points system applies. The document contains conflicting references: one section states 90/10 system, another states 80/20 system. Bidders should clarify with SALGA. Specific goals for B-BBEE: SMME (4 points), 100% Black Women owned (3 points), 100% Youth (3 points) – total 20 points.

Scope: supply, configure, implement, host (or arrange hosting), and support an enterprise Learner Management System (LMS) for SALGA for 36 months. The LMS must serve the national office in Pretoria and nine provincial offices, covering approximately 480 permanent staff plus municipal councillors and officials across all 257 municipalities. Key deliverables:

• Cloud-hosted (SaaS), POPIA-compliant platform.
• Supports self-paced, facilitator-led, and hybrid/blended learning.
• SCORM / xAPI / AICC content compliance for portability and migration of existing Moodle-based content.
• Online assessment, moderation, and automated certification aligned to LGSETA requirements.
• WSP/ATR data export for LGSETA submission.
• Role-based user management (learner, facilitator, content admin, HR admin, system admin) and cohort management (national, provincial, external).
• Integration with SALGA's HRIS and Microsoft 365 (SSO).
• Real-time reporting and analytics dashboards by programme, cohort, department, province; ability to create custom reports.
• Data migration, system configuration, end-user and administrator training, and post-implementation support for the full term.
• Mobile-responsive, low-bandwidth capable, with offline download capability.
• Online booking, calendar scheduling, progress tracking, and reminder notifications.
• Post-training evaluation and line manager review functionality.
• Portal guide and orientation for end-users.
• Support during SALGA office hours (Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00); updates after hours.

Implementation must be completed within 3 months of contract signature. Detailed functional requirements are prioritised as Must Have (mandatory) and Should Have (advantageous).

Bidders must present a detailed implementation plan as part of the solution demonstration. The plan must cover system configuration, data and content migration, systems integration, user training, change management, support arrangements, project governance, timelines, resources, and risk management. Implementation must be completed within 3 months of contract signature. The demonstration must showcase end-to-end functionality using a standard SALGA use case, including creation of a sample learning programme, learner enrolment, assessments, certification, reporting, user management, integration, mobile and low-bandwidth operation, and administrative functions.

Company experience (10 points): submit reference letters on customer letterhead, signed, with contact details, project relevance, period, and value. Letters must not be older than 10 years. Points awarded based on number of relevant reference letters (0 = 0 points, 1 = 2, 2–3 = 4, 4–5 = 6, 6–8 = 8, 9+ = 10). Experience must include successful implementation, configuration, integration, support, and maintenance of enterprise LMS or equivalent cloud-based digital learning solutions, preferably in South African public sector, local government, SETAs, or higher education. Team qualifications (10 points): submit CVs and copies of qualifications for the proposed team. Points based on number of team members with relevant experience and qualifications in IT, computer science, learning technologies, project management, education, or related disciplines. Team must include a South African-based implementation and support team for the contract duration.

SBD 3.3 (Pricing Schedule – Professional Services): bidders must provide a ceiling price based on total estimated time and expenses inclusive of VAT. List persons involved with hourly/daily rates, phases with cost and man-days, travel expenses (rate/km, air travel), and other expenses (accommodation, telephone, reproduction). Indicate period required for commencement and estimated man-days for completion. State whether rates are firm for the full contract period; if not, provide adjustment basis (e.g., CPI). Additionally, complete Annexure A with detailed breakdown of once-off implementation costs (configuration, migration, integration, training, project management) and annual recurring costs (licensing, hosting, support, content authoring tools, storage). All pricing must be inclusive of VAT and fixed for the contract duration.

Pricing must be fully itemised per the schedule at Annexure A, distinguishing once-off implementation/configuration costs from annual recurring licensing, hosting, and support costs. All prices must be inclusive of VAT and fixed for the 36-month contract duration, except for agreed scope or licence-tier changes. SALGA reserves the right to increase or decrease the number of licensed users. Estimated volumes: 550 base licences annually, plus 10,000 seats for 3 months for the Councillor Induction Programme. Monthly seat-based licence tiers required for special projects: 100, 250, 500, 750, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000, and 50,000 seats. Bid validity period: 90 days from closing date (as per instructions; the pricing schedule states 120 days – bidders should confirm). No escalation clauses or qualifications unless expressly permitted.

Mandatory compliance items:

• Central Supplier Database (CSD) registration: provide CSD number or tax compliance PIN.
• Tax compliance: submit SARS tax compliance status PIN or printed TCS certificate.
• B-BBEE: submit a B-BBEE status level certificate or sworn affidavit. Preference points are awarded for status level and specific goals (SMME, Black Women owned, Youth).
• SBD 4 (Declaration of Interest): disclose any state employment or connections to the procuring institution.
• SBD 9 (Certificate of Independent Bid Determination): certifies no collusion or price disclosure (implied by standard forms; not explicitly listed but typically required).
• Proof of authority: board resolution authorising the signatory.
• POPIA compliance: successful bidder must conclude an Operator Agreement with SALGA.
• Bidders must not be persons in the service of the state, nor have directors/members who are.
• Foreign suppliers must complete the questionnaire in SBD 1 Part A.

Contract duration: 36 months, regulated by a Service Level Agreement (SLA) to be concluded with the successful bidder, subject to SALGA's standard contract terms and National Treasury SCM regulations. Termination: SALGA may terminate on 30 days' written notice if the bidder fails to perform, fails to provide deliverables without explanation, or substantially violates the RFP or SLA. Intellectual property: all materials and learner content developed under the contract vest in SALGA. Confidentiality: no information about the tender or award may be disclosed without SALGA's prior written consent. Data protection: the successful bidder must comply with POPIA and conclude an Operator Agreement for processing personal information (including learner and councillor data). On completion or termination, all materials, products, and learner data must be handed over to SALGA in a usable, exportable format.

Additional detail on Stage 2 functionality criteria: Company Experience (10 points) – reference letters for similar LMS projects; Qualifications of Team (10 points) – CVs and qualifications; Functional/Technical Compliance (30 points) – assessed via Functional Requirements Compliance Matrix against Must Have and Should Have requirements, with points based on percentage compliance; Solution Demonstration / Proof of Concept (40 points) – live demo evaluated on functionality shown (40%), ease of use (20%), administrator/learner experience (20%), and implementation plan (20%); Innovation & Value-Add (10 points) – additional features beyond minimum specification. Minimum threshold: 75 points to proceed to Stage 3.