Automated spectrum management system (asms) with three-year support and maintenance

{"name":null,"email":null,"phone":null,"department":"Confirmation confirms","address":"gnOfficerto qualityPerformcheck Satisfied Yes RejectionLicenceLetter Letterand to submission to SM quality check quality check"}

Bidders must comply with the 80/20 preferential procurement regulations (PPPFA 2022). This includes completing the required SBD forms (e.g., SBD 4 – Declaration of Interest, SBD 6.1 – Preference Points Claim, SBD 8 – Declaration of Bidder's Past SCM Practices, SBD 9 – Certificate of Independent Bid Determination). Bidders must be registered on the CSD (Central Supplier Database) and have a valid tax clearance (SARS TCS or tax pin). B-BBEE status level will be used for preference points. No specific technical or professional registration is stated beyond the general requirements.

No specific requirements found

{"name":null,"email":null,"phone":null,"department":"Confirmation","address":null}

Bidders must comply with the 80/20 preferential procurement regulations, which require submission of a B-BBEE affidavit or certificate. Standard forms such as SBD 4 (Declaration of Interest), SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim), and SBD 8 (Declaration of Bidder's Past Supply Chain Management Practices) are likely required, but the document does not specify additional eligibility criteria.

This procedure manual provides a framework for the implementation of the radio frequency

spectrum licensing processes within the Authority, with regards to radio communication. It sets

out the detailed requirements and minimum levels of achievement necessary to establish a

process for the issuance of radio frequency spectrum licences relevant to radiocommunications

applications within the Spectrum Licensing department, to ensure that:

• Radio frequency spectrum applications are processed in a fair manner and without

prejudice to any applicant,

• It is issued in line with the Authority’s mandate and relevant legislation,

• Internal approval processes are followed, and

• Quality of work is monitored, and consistency is maintained in performing the radio

frequency spectrum licensing activities.

1.1 Background

1.1.1 Radio frequency spectrum is a scarce resource. The Authority has been mandated by

the Electronic Communication Act (ECA) to control, plan, administer and manage the

use of radio frequency spectrum, including licensing. The radio frequency spectrum is

essential for the deployment of wireless electronic communication networks to provide

electronic communications and broadcasting services to consumers.

1.1.2 In the deployment of wireless networks, the electronic communications and broadcasting

services licensees are required to apply for the preferred frequencies with the Authority

and issuance of a spectrum licence.

1.1.3 The processing of the radio frequency spectrum applications is to be done in a fair and

transparent manner and within the set turnaround times.

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1.2 Purpose

1.2.1 The purpose of this procedure manual is to prescribe the application of measures

necessary to align the internal radio frequency spectrum licensing processes to support

the provision of electronic communications services to the consumers by electronic

communications services licensees and in line with the Authority’s mandate and the

objectives of the ECA.

1.2.2 This procedure manual guides the spectrum licensing activities within the Spectrum

Licensing section and helps in achieving the quality of work and support and ICASA’s

mission and objectives.

1.3 Scope

1.3.1 This procedure manual applies to all staff within the Spectrum Licensing section that

deals with radiocommunications applications.

1.3.2 This procedure manual applies to all licensing activities of radio communications

networks.

2 procedure statement

The Spectrum Licensing Radiocommunications Procedure Manual outlines the processes and

procedures to be followed when processing the radio frequency spectrum applications for Radio

Frequency Spectrum Licences. This section should be read in conjunction with the Spectrum

Licensing Procedures Flow-Charts in Annexure A.

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2.1 Approval Authorization

2.1.1 The authority to approve licensing applications is derived from the Delegation of Authority

Framework, as updated in 2017.

2.1.2 Table 1 below summarises the approval authority per application type.

Description Authority to approve

Issue pre-assigned licenses, i.e.: Aircraft licenses; Citizen band (CB);

Ship Station Licence VHF & SSB); Ski-boat licenses (29 MHz); Private Regional Manager/ Manager Radio

4X4 licenses (29 MHz); Radio dealer licenses; Civil; defence without Communications / Senior Manager:

private frequency; Amateur licenses Spectrum Licensing

Regional Manager/ Manager Radio

Update Pre-assigned spectrum licenses details: i.e. contact Communications / Senior Manager:

information. Spectrum Licensing

Regional Manager/ Manager Radio

Communications / Senior Manager:

Cancel non renewed pre-assigned licenses Spectrum Licensing

Licensing of frequency spectrum for wireless access considered to be

falling within the ambit of section 31(1) and (2) of the ECA provided

that it is not IMT spectrum Senior Manager: Spectrum Licensing

Radio Frequency Spectrum licenses for point-to-point microwave

links and satellite services Senior Manager: Spectrum Licensing

Radio-frequency spectrum licenses for radio systems using repeaters

(private and community repeaters). Senior Manager: Spectrum Licensing

Radio-frequency spectrum licenses for telemetry systems. Senior Manager: Spectrum Licensing

Radio-frequency spectrum licenses for simplex radio systems. Senior Manager: Spectrum Licensing

Radio-frequency spectrum licenses for radio alarm systems. Senior Manager: Spectrum Licensing

Issuing Radio Frequency Spectrum licenses for special events Head of Licensing

Radio frequency spectrum licenses for radio trunked systems Head of Licensing

Licensing of broadband frequency spectrum for wireless access

considered to be falling within the ambit of section 31(3) of the ECA as

high demand spectrum Council

Permission to assign, cede, share or in any way transfer, or transfer

the control of a licence for high demand radio frequency spectrum or

assign, cede or transfer control of a high demand radio frequency

spectrum licence Council

Issuing Radio Frequency Spectrum licenses for test purposes Council

Any other applications not resorting under any of the above, such as

surrender applications Council

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2.1.3 In cases where the Senior Manager: Spectrum Licensing has the authority to approve,

the approval/rejection is also assigned to the Executive: Licensing for noting.

2.1.4 An EXCO and Council submission process are followed for all applications where the

authority to approve resides with Council. This submission process is discussed in

section 2.11.

2.2 Registration on Online Automated Spectrum Management System (ASMS)

2.2.1 Clients must first register their email address as a user to enable them to get access to

the ASMS.

2.2.2 A registered user must create a profile for ease of access and use of the ASMS for the

purpose of applying for a spectrum licence.

2.2.3 Registered users may create profiles and submit applications on behalf of third-party

users of radio frequency spectrum through the “On Behalf”-function available on the

Asms.

2.3 Application Fee Payment Approval – Finance

2.3.1 After the submission of an application for a new licence on the ASMS, the system will

issue an invoice to the applicant for the application fee to be paid.

2.3.2 After the submission of an application for the amendment of an existing licence, a task

will be assigned to the DA/CL&SO to decide if an application fee invoice must be issued.

2.3.3 In cases where an application fee must be issued, the system will issue and send the

invoice to the applicant.

2.3.4 The applicant must pay the invoice either through the online payment portal or via any

other means of payment such as an EFT and the Post Office.

2.3.5 Payments made through the online payment portal will be approved automatically by the

system but the proof of payment made by any other means must be uploaded on the

ASMS portal which will then be processed by a Finance officer.

2.3.6 Once approved the application will be forwarded to the general pool of the DA/CL&SO.

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2.4 Application Process for New Pre-assigned Radio Frequency Spectrum Licences

2.4.1 All applications assigned to the general pool for the DA/CL&SO will be assigned to

individual DA/CL&SO for the review of the applications.

2.4.2 The DA/CL&SO will review the applications for correctness and completeness as well as

for the fulfilment of all the requirements of the application at hand.

2.4.3 Incorrect applications will be returned to the applicant for correction and after

resubmission, it will follow the same process as the successful ones.

2.4.4 Applications that pass the review stage will be assigned to the regional managers for

approval/rejection.

2.4.5 A licence fee invoice will be issued to successful applicants and a decline notification will

be sent to unsuccessful applicants by the system.

2.4.6 After payment approval by Finance, a new licence will be issued to applicants by the

system.

2.5 Application Process for New Non-Pre-assigned Radio Frequency Spectrum

2.5.1 All applications assigned to the general pool for the DA/CL&SO will be assigned to

individual DA/CL&SO for the review of the applications.

2.5.2 The DA/CL&SO will review the applications for correctness and completeness as well as

for the fulfilment of all the requirements of the application at hand.

2.5.3 Incorrect applications will be returned to the applicant for correction and after

resubmission, it will follow the same process as the successful ones.

2.5.4 All applications that pass the review stage will be assigned to an RF Specialist for the

technical evaluation, and assignment of the radio frequency spectrum, in WRAP.

2.5.5 Applications that pass the radio frequency assignment stage will be assigned to the

DA/CL&SO for the approval of the calculated licence fee. Applications that do not pass

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the radio frequency assignment stage will be assigned back to either the applicant or the

DA/CL&SO for completion or correction.

2.5.6 The Manager: Radiocommunications will thereafter approve the evaluation done by the

RF-Specialist.

2.5.7 The application is tasked to the appropriate official for approval of the application

according in terms of the Delegation of Authority, as discussed in section 2.1.

2.5.8 After approval, a licence fee invoice will be issued, by the system, to successful

applicants and a decline notification will be sent to unsuccessful applicants.

2.5.9 After payment approval by Finance, a new licence will be issued to applicants by the

system.

2.6 Application Process for the Amendment of Pre-assigned Licences

2.6.1 After submission of the application, the DA/CL&SO will be assigned an application fee

task where he will indicate whether an application fee invoice must be issued or not.

2.6.2 If no invoice is required then the application will be processed for review but if an invoice

is required, the invoice will be sent to the applicant and the application will be assigned

to Finance.

2.6.3 The application will then be processed after approval of the payment task.

2.6.4 The DA/CL&SO will review the applications for correctness and completeness as well as

for the fulfilment of all the requirements of the application at hand.

2.6.5 Incorrect applications will be returned to the applicant for correcting and after

resubmission, it will follow the same process as the successful ones.

2.6.6 Applications that pass the review stage will be assigned to the regional managers for

approval/rejection.

2.6.7 The system will issue an amended licence after approval of the application.

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2.7 Application Process for the Amendment of Non-pre-assigned Licences

2.7.1 After submission of the application, the DA/CL&SO will be assigned an application fee

task where he will indicate whether an application fee invoice must be issued or not.

2.7.2 If no invoice is required then the application will be processed for review but if an invoice

is required, the invoice will be sent to the applicant and the application will be assigned

to Finance.

2.7.3 The application will then be processed after approval of the payment task.

2.7.4 The DA/CL&SO will review the applications for correctness and completeness as well as

for the fulfilment of all the requirements of the application at hand.

2.7.5 Incorrect applications will be returned to the applicant for correcting and after

resubmission, it will follow the same process as the successful ones.

2.7.6 All applications that pass the review stage will be assigned to an RF Specialist for the

technical evaluation, and assignment of the radio frequency spectrum, in WRAP.

2.7.7 Applications that pass the radio frequency assignment stage will be assigned to the

DA/CL&SO for the approval of the calculated licence fee. Applications that do not pass

the radio frequency assignment stage will be assigned back to either the applicant or the

DA/CL&SO for completion or correction.

2.7.8 The Manager: Radiocommunications will thereafter approve the evaluation done by the

RF specialist.

2.7.9 The application is tasked to the appropriate official for approval of the application

according in terms of the Delegation of Authority, as discussed in section 2.1.

2.7.10 After approval, and if the licence amendments do not impact the licence fee calculations,

the system will issue the amended licence and the licence fee will remain unchanged.

2.7.11 Alternatively, the system would issue an invoice if the changes made to the licence are

increasing the calculated licence fees and the amended licence will be issued after

approval of the payment task by Finance.

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2.8 Process for Legacy Amendment Applications

2.8.1 The legacy amendment process is a temporary measure to transfer legacy licences onto

the ASMS.

2.8.2 It follows the same amendment processes as described above, with the following

additional tasks:

2.8.3 Identification of the type of service as well as the expiry date of the licence to be issued

2.8.4 Creation of the station builder on the ASMS where the technical details are captured by

the DA/CL&SO

2.8.5 Thereafter the same process is followed as a regular amendment process

2.9 Process for Extended Applications (High Demand Spectrum)

2.9.1 Extended applications include the issuing of licences for high-demand spectrum

2.9.2 Only Council committees will deal with these types of applications.

2.9.3 An invitation to Apply (ITA) will be issued by the Authority where the process will be

outlined.

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2.10 Application Process for Cancellations/Surrender of Licences

2.10.1 The procedures below are relevant to dealing with cancellation/surrender applications

subjected to the extended application procedure. Licences that were not subjected to the

extended procedure, are generally just left to expire if surrendering is sought.

2.10.2 The ASMS does not cater for applications to cancel/surrender licences issued according

to the extended application procedure as prescribed in the Radio Frequency Spectrum

regulations.

2.10.3 Applications are submitted in paper format to the DA/CL&SO.

2.10.4 Applicants must submit a completed Form C set out in Annexure A of the Radio

Frequency Spectrum Regulation, 2015.

2.10.5 The CL&SO will then draft the EXCO submission for his/her signature as well as that of

the Senior Manager: Spectrum Licensing and Executive: Licensing for approval by

Exco.

2.10.6 Once approved by EXCO, the CL&SO drafts a Council submission for the signature of

the Senior Manager, Executive and CEO.

2.10.7 If approved by Council, the CL&SO, then drafts a memo for the signature of the Senior

Manager, Executive and CEO for the approved letter/licence to be signed by the

Chairperson.

2.10.8 A signed letter by the Chairperson, will then be sent to the applicant.

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2.11 Application Process for Council Submissions

2.11.1 The ASMS system does not cater for a Council submission process, but it does allow for

applications that require submission to Council to be recorded as such and for the

Council submission documentation to be uploaded onto the system.

2.11.2 Applications are submitted in paper format to the CL&SO.

2.11.3 The CL&SO will review the correctness of the submitted application and all the

requirements and if satisfied, billing of the application fee will commence and be sent to

Finance for invoicing to the applicant.

2.11.4 Finance will then approve the payment for application fees.

2.11.5 The CL&SO will then forward the application to the RF specialist for evaluations and

assignment of the frequency and compile a technical report.

2.11.6 The Manager: Radiocommunications will then check and approve the technical report

which is then sent to CL&SO.

2.11.7 The CL&SO will draft an EXCO submission for his/her signature as well as that of the

Senior Manager: Spectrum Licensing and Executive: Licensing for approval by EXCO.

2.11.8 Once approved by EXCO, the CL&SO drafts a Council submission for the Signature of

the Senior Manager, Executive and CEO.

2.11.9 If the application is approved by Council, the CL&SO, will then draft a memo for the

signature of the Senior Manager, Executive and CEO for the approved licence or letter

to be signed by the Chairperson.

2.11.10 After a licence or letter is signed by the Chairperson, the CL&SO will then bill the licence

fee for invoicing by Finance.

2.11.11 Once the licence fee is paid and payment is approved by Finance, a signed licence or

letter is sent to the applicant.

2.12 Frequency Spectrum Evaluation by RF Specialist

This is a sub-procedure contained in those procedures where an RF specialist conducts an

evaluation and provides some further guidance on the steps involved with such evaluations.

2.12.1 The RF Specialist performs a checklist, if not satisfied, the RF specialist must contact

the applicant and request the additional information else perform technical analysis must

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be performed using the spectrum management software tool to determine the availability

of the frequency applied for.

2.12.2 After completion of technical analysis, the RF Specialist must assign frequencies to the

applicant when frequency applied for is available. When the frequency applied for is not

available, further technical analysis must be done to identify an alternative frequency.

When an alternative frequency has been identified, the applicant must be contacted to

recommend an alternative frequency else the application gets rejected.

2.12.3 In cases where the frequency applied for is not available and an alternative frequency

cannot be identified, the RF Specialist will draft a memo and letter to the applicant

advising of the rejection of the application, including the reasons thereof for Senior

Manager’s signature.

2.12.4 When the requested frequency is within proximity to the border with neighbouring

countries, the RF Specialist must contact and coordinate with the country involved and if

an agreement is reached, frequency must be assigned.

2.12.5 For Council submissions, as may be required, the RF Specialist compile a technical

analysis report and forwards it to the line manager for quality assurance.

2.12.6 The RF Specialist must ensure when applications are processed, relevant regulations in

the National Frequency Plan, Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations and other

applicable regulations are complied with.

2.13 Stakeholder Support for Radiocommunications Applications Matters

2.13.1 Client Licensing and Spectrum Officers must provide support to internal and external

stakeholders on spectrum licensing matters.

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3 procedure principles

3.1 Principles

3.1.1 All applications for radiocommunication spectrum shall be processed without prejudice

to any applicant.

3.1.2 All technical and general queries shall be handled in a fair and professional manner.

3.2 Procedure Implementation

3.2.1 Accountability and responsibility for the implementation of this procedure are set out

below:

3.2.1.1 The Executive: Licensing and Compliance is accountable for implementing the

procedure, monitoring its implementation in the everyday activities of the division and

reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and EXCO.

3.2.1.2 The Senior Manager: Spectrum Licensing is responsible for implementing the

procedure, monitoring its implementation in the everyday activities of the department

and reporting to the Executive: Licensing and Compliance.

3.2.1.3 The Manager: Radiocommunications is responsible for ensuring that the procedure is

implemented and adhered to by staff within his unit; and

3.2.1.4 All staff within the Spectrum Licensing department are responsible for adhering to

approved procedures.

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3.3 Communication

3.3.1 The Senior Manager: Spectrum licensing shall ensure that the content of this procedure

(or applicable aspects thereof) is communicated to all staff, within the department.

3.3.2 The Manager: Radiocommunications will further ensure that the Spectrum Licensing

procedure manual and directive prescriptions are enforced and complied with.

3.3.3 Communication of the procedure will be by means of a program conducted as follows:

• Awareness workshops and briefings to be attended by all staff within Spectrum

Licensing Radiocommunications unit

• Access to the procedure and applicable directives on the intranet site of ICASA.

3.4 Accountability

3.4.1 The Executive: Licensing and Compliance is accountable for the development of the

divisional business plan and strategic leadership.

3.4.2 The Senior Manager is accountable for ensuring that the divisional business plan is

implemented.

3.4.3 The Manager is responsible for the implementation of the business plan.

3.4.4 The staff within the Spectrum Licensing department are responsible for the successful

carrying out of activities assigned to them in terms of this procedure and in line with the

unit’s operational plan.

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3.5 Reporting and Monitoring

3.5.1 Reporting from the ASMS should be further developed to allow the establishment of

effective, efficient, reporting and monitoring.

3.5.2 Monthly performance reports on applications processed by Manager:

Radiocommunications for quality assurance by Senior Manager: Spectrum Licensing

and submitted to The Executive: Licensing and Compliance.

3.5.3 Monthly operational management meetings between Senior Manager, Managers and

Client Licensing & Spectrum Officers, DA & RFS within the Spectrum Licensing

department.

3.5.4 Monthly Spectrum Licensing departmental meeting when necessary.

Closing date: 2026-10-02T11:00:00.000Z. No briefing session is mentioned in the provided document.

Riaan van der Colff, Senior Manager: Spectrum Licensing, [email protected]

Bidders must be able to provide an ASMS that meets the functional requirements described in the Spectrum Licensing: Radiocommunications Procedure Manual. The tender is subject to the 80/20 PPPFA preferential procurement regulations, meaning B-BBEE status will be evaluated. No other specific eligibility criteria (e.g., CSD registration, tax clearance, CIDB grading) are stated in the provided document.

The tender requires the provision of an Automated Spectrum Management System (ASMS) that supports the spectrum licensing processes described in the Spectrum Licensing: Radiocommunications Procedure Manual. Key functional requirements include: registration of users and profiles; submission of applications for new, amended, legacy, and extended (high demand spectrum) licences; online payment of application and licence fees; automated invoicing; workflow assignment to DA/CL&SO, RF Specialists, and managers; technical evaluation and frequency assignment using WRAP; approval workflows per Delegation of Authority; generation of licences and decline notifications; handling of cancellations/surrender via paper-based processes; and support for Council submissions. The system must integrate with WRAP and support reporting and monitoring.

The system must comply with the Electronic Communications Act, Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations, and Radio Frequency Spectrum Licence Fees Regulations. The tender is subject to the 80/20 PPPFA preferential procurement regulations, meaning B-BBEE status will be evaluated. No other specific compliance requirements (e.g., tax clearance, CSD registration) are stated in the provided document.

The tender is for the appointment of a service provider to supply an Automated Spectrum Management System (ASMS) with three (3) years of support and maintenance. The system must align with the Spectrum Licensing: Radiocommunications Procedure Manual, which outlines mandatory processes for spectrum licensing. The contract will be subject to the 80/20 PPPFA preferential procurement regulations. The system must support the Delegation of Authority framework, including approvals by Regional Managers, Senior Manager, Head of Licensing, and Council as applicable. The provider must ensure the system enables compliance with the Electronic Communications Act and Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations.

2.11 Frequency Spectrum Evaluation by RF Specialist .......................................................................................17

• Quality of work is monitored, and consistency is maintained in performing the radio

Licensing section and helps in achieving the quality of work and support and ICASA’s

This is a standard operating procedure for processing class broadcasting service and radio frequency spectrum licence applications. It covers community and low-power broadcasting services, including registration, renewal, surrender, transfer, and amendment. It lists the applicable regulations and applies to ICASA employees processing these applications.

No closing date or briefing date is stated in the document. The document creation date is 17 July 2023; implementation date is 01/04/2024.

Email: [email protected]. Phone: 012 568 4085 (Manager: Service Broadcasting, Pascalis Adams). Also 012 568 3497 (Manager: Broadcasting Frequency Coordination, Kgosimolao Moshweunyane).

Submit one soft copy electronically to [email protected] and/or two hard copies (including an original) plus a soft copy on USB or disc to ICASA Head Office. The application must include all relevant supporting documents and proof of payment of the applicable licence application fee. Returnable forms depend on the application type (registration, amendment, renewal, transfer, surrender) and are listed in the procedure; all must be completed and submitted.

The document describes an internal processing procedure, not a tender evaluation. No scoring split, minimum qualifying thresholds, or preference point system is stated.

The document is a standard operating procedure for processing class broadcasting service and radio frequency spectrum licence applications. It covers Community Broadcasting Services, Special Event Community Sound Broadcasting Services, Temporary Community Television Broadcasting Services, Low Power Community Sound Broadcasting Service, and Low Power Commercial Sound Broadcasting Service. It lists applicable regulations: Processes and Procedures Regulations for Class Licences 2010, Standard Terms and Conditions for Class Licences Regulations 2010, Community Broadcasting Service Regulations 2019, Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations 2015, Terrestrial Broadcasting Frequency Plan 2013, and Guidelines for Confidentiality Request under Section 4D of the ICASA Act. It does not specify quantities, deliverables, or service levels for a procurement.

The procedure details the internal steps for processing applications: receipt, date stamping, forwarding to departments, completeness checks, issuing acknowledgements, requesting missing information, analysing applications, drafting recommendation memos, obtaining approvals, communicating decisions, and updating the Terrestrial Broadcasting Frequency Plan. It assigns roles to Registry, Divisional Assistant, Licensing Officer, RF Specialist, Service Broadcasting Manager, BFC Manager, and Senior Manager: Spectrum Licensing. Service and spectrum licence applications are processed simultaneously.

Applicants must pay the applicable licence application fee as per General Licence fees Regulations. Proof of payment must be included. No other financial requirements are stated.

Applicants must comply with the Electronic Communications Act, ICASA Act, and the listed regulations. They must submit the required forms for the specific application type (e.g., Form B, Form N, Form P from the relevant regulations). No CSD, tax clearance, B-BBEE, or CIDB requirements are stated.

The procedure is governed by the Electronic Communications Act, ICASA Act, and the listed regulations. It does not contain contract terms, duration, termination, or penalties.

Applicants must complete the relevant application forms and submit one soft copy electronically and/or two hard copies (including an original) plus a soft copy on USB or disc to ICASA Head Office. The application must include all supporting documents and proof of payment of the licence application fee. Specific forms are required for each application type (registration, amendment, renewal, transfer, surrender).

The document is a Standard Operating Procedure for the processing and issuing of ECS/ECNS class licences by ICASA. It applies to all employees in ICASA regional offices and outlines the steps to be followed when processing applications, in accordance with Chapter 3 of the Electronic Communications Act and relevant regulations.

Email: [email protected]. Physical address: Pinmill Farm, 164 Katherine Street, Sandton, Private Bag X 10002, Sandton, 2146.

Returnable documents: ECS/ECNS class licence application form (obtained from ICASA website or regional offices), supporting documentation, and proof of payment. Submit 5 hard copies and 1 electronic copy. Electronic submissions to [email protected]; hard copies couriered or handed to ICASA regional office. Incomplete applications are placed in abeyance pending missing details.

The document does not state evaluation criteria, scoring split, or minimum qualifying thresholds. The 80/20 PPPFA regulations imply B-BBEE preference point scoring, but no specific B-BBEE level or other thresholds are provided.

The document is a Standard Operating Procedure for processing ECS/ECNS class licence applications. It outlines steps for applicants: complete the relevant ECS/ECNS class licence form, submit it with supporting documentation, and pay the required fee. The Authority must issue the licence within 30 working days of receiving a complete application, or refuse registration within 60 working days, allowing the applicant to correct and resubmit.

The process for ECS/ECNS class licence applications involves: completing the application form, submitting it with supporting documents, receiving an acknowledgement of receipt, date stamping, checking for completeness, and either notifying the applicant of missing details or informing them of acknowledgement. If the application is incomplete, it is placed in abeyance. If complete, it is reviewed, assessed, and either a licence number is requested or a rejection letter or clarification request is issued. The Authority must issue the licence within 30 working days of receiving a complete application, or refuse registration within 60 working days, allowing the applicant to correct and resubmit.

Proof of payment must be attached as part of the ECS/ECNS class licence pack. No other financial requirements are stated.

Applicants must file 5 hard copies and 1 electronic copy in terms of regulation 5(1A) of the Class Licensing Processes and Procedures Regulations (as amended) 2010. The Authority must issue the licence within 30 working days of receiving a complete application that meets the provisions of the Electronic Communications Act (ECA) and relevant regulations. If refused, the Authority must inform the applicant in writing within 60 working days, allowing an opportunity to correct and resubmit. The Authority maintains a register of issued licences and publishes the list of class licensees annually in the Government Gazette.

Applicants must file 5 hard copies and 1 electronic copy of the application. The Authority must issue the licence within 30 working days of receiving a complete application, or refuse registration within 60 working days, allowing the applicant to correct and resubmit. The applicant must be informed in writing within 3 days of receipt of documents. The turnaround time excludes periods of abeyance. The Authority maintains a register of issued licences and publishes the list of class licensees annually.

This document is a Standard Operating Procedure for processing individual electronic communications services (I-ECS) and individual electronic communications network services (I-ECNS) licence transfers, amendments, surrenders, renewals, and special temporary authorisation applications. It falls under the Electronic Communications Act, ICASA Act, and applicable regulations, and aims to promote effective and efficient management of these applications. The procedure applies to all relevant ICASA employees who process such applications.

Closing date: 2026-10-02 at 11:00. No briefing or site visit dates are stated.

Email: [email protected]. Phone: 012 568 3657 (Manager: Service ECS/ECNS/Post: Licensing). No physical submission address beyond ICASA Head Office is stated.

Submit one soft copy electronically via email to [email protected] and/or two hard copies (including an original) plus a soft copy on USB or disc to ICASA Head Office. Applications must include completed and commissioned applicable forms (Form C for amendment, Form E for renewal, Form G for transfer, Form I for surrender, Form J for special temporary authorisation) and proof of payment of the applicable licence application fee. Incomplete applications may be placed in abeyance pending receipt of outstanding information.

The tender is evaluated under the 80/20 PPPFA preferential procurement system. Bidders must be registered on the CSD and hold a valid tax clearance. Required National Treasury standard forms include SBD 1, SBD 4, SBD 6.1, SBD 8, and SBD 9. No minimum qualifying scores or additional evaluation stages are stated in the document.

The document is a Standard Operating Procedure for processing Individual Electronic Communications Services (I-ECS) and Individual Electronic Communications Network Services (I-ECNS) licence transfers, amendments, surrenders, renewals, and special temporary authorisation applications. It does not describe the ASMS system scope, deliverables, or technical requirements for this tender.

The procedure outlines the step-by-step internal process for handling licence applications: receipt of application, issuing receipt, date stamping, forwarding to relevant departments, completeness check, acknowledgment of receipt, requesting missing information, forwarding to departments (Finance, Compliance, CCC, Library), assigning to licensing officer, considering confidentiality requests, legal vetting (LRCCC), publication of notice in Government Gazette, receipt of representations (14 working days for stakeholders, 14 days for applicant response), analysis of application (including competition and consumer impact), drafting recommendation memo and reasons document, approval through management and OPCO/EXCO, Council decision, and communication of decision to applicant. The procedure is reviewed every 3 years.

Applicants must pay the applicable licence application fee as per the General Licence Fees Regulations. Proof of payment must be included with the application. No bonds, guarantees, or payment terms are stated.

Applicants must complete the relevant forms prescribed by the Processes and Procedures Regulations for Individual Licences (Form C, E, G, I, J). They must submit proof of payment of the licence application fee. Confidentiality requests are assessed; if granted, a redacted version of the application must be submitted; if refused, the applicant may withdraw the information. No CSD, tax clearance, B-BBEE, or CIDB requirements are stated in the document.

The procedure is governed by the Electronic Communications Act, ICASA Act, and applicable regulations including the Processes and Procedures Regulations for Individual Licences (2010 as amended), Standard Terms and Conditions for Individual Licences Regulations (2010 as amended), General Licence Fees Regulations (Government Gazette March 2020), and Guidelines for confidentiality requests under section 4D of the ICASA Act. Confidentiality requests are assessed; if granted, a redacted application must be submitted; if refused, the applicant may withdraw the information. Applications are subject to payment of the licence application fee.

Confidentiality requests are assessed; if granted, the applicant must submit a redacted version of the application; if refused, the applicant may withdraw the information. The application is subject to payment of a licence application fee, and processing is subject to confirmation by Finance that the fee has been received. Applications may be put in abeyance pending receipt of outstanding information.

Applicants must complete the relevant forms (Form C for amendment, Form E for renewal, Form G for transfer, Form I for surrender, Form J for special temporary authorisation) as prescribed by the Processes and Procedures Regulations for Individual Licences. They must submit one soft copy electronically via email ([email protected]) and/or two hard copies (including an original) plus a soft copy on USB or disc to the ICASA Head Office. The application must include proof of payment of the applicable licence application fee as per the General Licence Fees Regulations.

This document is ICASA's internal Equipment Type Approval Procedure Manual (February 2024). It sets out the framework and steps for processing type approval applications for telecommunications and radio equipment. It applies to ICASA's Type Approval unit staff and covers application categories: RF equipment, telecommunications line terminal equipment, simplified type approval, provisional type approval, printed ICASA labels, label authorisations, and transfer/amendments/re-issue of certificates. The purpose is to standardise and harmonise how applications are reviewed by technical personnel.

{"closingDate":"21 February 2024"}

{"name":null,"email":"[email protected]","phone":null,"department":null,"address":null}

Bidders must comply with the 80/20 PPPFA preferential procurement regulations, 2022. Specific eligibility criteria (e.g., B-BBEE level, tax clearance, CSD registration) are not detailed in the provided document. Bidders must be able to provide the ASMS with three years of support and maintenance.

The main objective of this procedure is to provide guidance to the employees within

Type Approval unit on the process for the Type Approval applications and to

facilitate standardization and harmonization in the way applications are reviewed

by various technical personnel.

3. Scope

3.1. This procedure applies to staff within Type Approval unit.

3.2. This procedure manual applies to the various application categories and related

Type Approval requests which are as follows: RF Equipment; Telecommunications

Line Terminal Equipment; Simplified Type Approval, Provisional Type Approval;

Printed ICASA Labels; Label authorizations; transfer/amendments/re-issue.

4. Procedure statement

This section describes the processes that are to be followed when various types of

applications are received.

4.1 Receiving and Approval of Entity Registration Request

4.1.1. The Divisional Assistant receives company verification requests on Automated

Spectrum Management Systems (“ASMS”). The Divisional Assistant verifies

company registration documents, letter of authority, proof of address and

directors’ identity documents and approves such requests on ASMS

https://portal.icasa.org.za/Account/Login.

4.1.2. The Divisional Assistant monitors the ASMS for new entity registration and

application on behalf of other entities requests and approve them within 2 days.

4.1.3. The Divisional Assistant monitors the unit’s mailbox

[email protected] and reroutes the received general queries and

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Type Approval Procedure Manual of 22

technical queries to the Client Type Approval Officer and Type Approval

Specialists, respectively.

4.1.4. All received payment confirmed applications in the general Type Approval

Specialist pool must be allocated promptly and considered within 30 working days.

4.1.5. Applications with outstanding supporting documents are sent back to the applicant

on the online ASMS with detailed findings for applicant to effect corrective

measures.

4.2. Invoice requests for registered applications

4.2.1 In terms of regulation 5(1) (e) of the Type Approval Regulations, 2013, the type

approval application fee is nonrefundable and payable in advance. Applications

with outstanding application fees are not considered for evaluation and are kept

in the Finance Department ASMS pool until payment is confirmed by the

Department. The ASMS automatically issues an invoice to the application upon

submission of type approval application request.

4.2.2 The Finance Department reconciles/verifies the received proof of payments and

clear applications for type approval evaluation/consideration.

4.3. Preparation for technical evaluation

4.3.1 The Client Type Approval Officer brings to the attention of Type Approval Manager

any old applications that are in the general Type Approval Specialist pool for

urgent allocation and consideration purposes.

4.3.2 The Type Approval Specialist evaluates the sufficiency of the submitted supporting

documents and makes recommendation for approval of the type approval

application or sends the application back to the applicant to effect corrective

actions.

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Type Approval Procedure Manual of 22

4.3.3 The application in the applicant’s bin will be in abeyance and should such

application be in abeyance for a period exceeding three (3) months, the Manager:

Type Approval notifies the Applicant of the intention to close the application.

4.3.4 The application is processed no further, except at the discretion of the Manager:

Type Approval.

4.3.5 The calculation of the turnaround time for processing the application excludes the

period of abeyance.

4.4. Standard Type Approval process

4.4.1. The Type Approval Specialist considers the technical documents accompanying

the application for type approval and evaluates the radio frequency performance,

electromagnetic compatibility, and where applicable the electrical safety of the

equipment requiring type approval in terms of the national frequency band plan,

the Technical Regulations (as defined in the Type Approval Regulations, 2013),

and other associated documents.

4.4.2. The Type Approval Specialist must verify that the application to be evaluated is

accompanied by all the relevant test reports. Further, the specialist needs to

ensure that the test reports are valid.

4.4.3. When considering test reports, it should be ensured that:

i. The test reports are valid, i.e. they were produced by accredited test

laboratories that have been accredited by either an international or a

national accreditation body.

ii. The equipment model stated on the application form is the same as the one

stated in the test reports submitted.

iii. The tests conducted on the equipment were carried out in accordance with

the standards prescribed in the Technical Regulations as defined in the Type

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Type Approval Procedure Manual of 22

Approval Regulations, 2013. Should the standard used to test the equipment,

not be found in the Technical Regulations, the test results should be subjected

to an equivalent technical standard from the Technical Regulations. If an

equivalent standard cannot be found, the test report is to be presented to the

Manager: Type Approval for consideration and recommendation as to whether

it should be accepted or not.

4.4.4. The technical evaluation of the equipment is to be done in considering the

following parameters:

i. The RF tests and measurements must be evaluated to ensure compliance with

the applicable limits within the applied RF standard.

ii. Emissions and immunity tests and measurements must be evaluated to

ensure compliance with the applicable limits within the applied EMC/EMI

standards.

iii. If applicable, safety tests and measurements must be evaluated to ensure

compliance with the applicable limits within the applied Safety standards.

iv. Confirmation that the requested operating frequencies of the radio equipment

are in line with the latest National Frequency Band Plan.

4.4.5. In the event of a successful evaluation outcome, it is recommended that the

application be approved.

4.4.6. If the evaluation outcome is not successful, it is recommended that the application be

rejected. A letter detailing the reasons for the rejection is prepared and submitted to

the Manager of Type Approval for review and signature.

4.5. Simplified Type Approval process

4.5.1. When considering an application for Simplified Type Approval:

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Type Approval Procedure Manual of 22

i. It should be verified that the equipment requiring type approval has been

previously approved by checking the Type Approval database and ensuring

that the model of the equipment is identical to that of the equipment that has

already been approved.

ii. It should be ensured that the country of origin of the equipment is declared.

iii. A representative sample of the equipment requiring type approval may be

requested from the applicant.

iv. It should be verified that the frequency of operation of the equipment is in

line with the latest National Frequency Band Plan.

v. Identification details such as the International Mobile Station Equipment

Identity (IMEI) numbers of the equipment requiring type approval may be

requested.

vi. It should be ensured that the product manual and technical datasheet

accompany simplified type approval application.

4.5.2. In the event of a successful evaluation outcome, it is recommended that the

application be approved.

4.5.3. If the evaluation outcome is not successful, it is recommended that the application be

rejected. A letter detailing the reasons for the rejection must be prepared and

submitted to the Manager of Type Approval for review and signature.

4.6. Provisional Approvals

4.6.1. Equipment can be provisionally approved for the period stipulated in the Type

Approval Regulations, 2013, provided that it is to be used for the purpose of

research, demonstration, trial or testing.

4.6.2. The provisional approval is subject to the provisions of the Type Approval

Regulations, 2013.

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Type Approval Procedure Manual of 22

4.6.3. When considering an application for Provisional Type Approval:

i. It should be ensured that the country of origin of the equipment is declared.

ii. A representative sample of the equipment requiring type approval may be

requested from the applicant.

iii. It should be verified that the frequency of operation of the equipment is in

line with the latest National Frequency Band Plan.

iv. Identification details such as the International Mobile Station Equipment

Identity (IMEI) numbers of the equipment requiring type approval may be

requested.

v. It should be ensured that the product manual, technical datasheet and proof

of payment for the requisite fee accompany the application for provisional

type approval.

4.6.4. In the event of a successful evaluation outcome, a provisional permit is drafted

and forwarded to the Manager: Type Approval, for consideration and signature.

4.6.5. Where the evaluation outcome is not successful, a rejection letter is drafted by the

Specialist and forwarded to the Manager: Type Approval, for consideration and

signature.

4.7. Printed ICASA Labels/Authorisations for self-print

4.7.1. Approved equipment is subject to the provisions of the Labelling regulations,

4.7.2. The Client Type Approval Officer is to receive printed label order(s), compile a list

thereof and submit it to the Finance department for invoicing. The list must have

the following minimum details:

i. name of the applicant,

ii. type approval number,

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Type Approval Procedure Manual of 22

iii. contact person,

iv. company responsible for payment,

v. quantity and related fees to be invoiced, and

vi. date of submission to the Finance department.

4.7.3. The label order(s) must be accompanied by a copy or copies of the type approval

certificate(s) of the relevant equipment.

4.7.4. The Client Type Approval Officer must print the ordered labels within three (3)

days upon receipt of the proof of payment, and inform the applicant concerned as

soon as the labels are ready for collection.

4.7.5. The Client Type Approval Officer is to receive requests for self-print and prepare

the authorisation letter for Manager: Type Approval’s consideration and signature.

4.7.6. The Client Type Approval Officer must scan and email a copy of the authorisation

letter to the applicant within two (2) days upon signature by Manage: Type

Approval.

4.8. Transfer/amendments/re-issue of Type Approval certificates

Transfer of Type Approval certificates

4.8.1. A request for the transfer of a type approval certificate from the current certificate

holder (transferor) to another Supplier (transferee) must be accompanied by the

following:

i. A letter of consent from the transferor;

ii. Copies of the company registration documents of both the transferor and

transferee;

iii. Proof of payment of the requisite transfer fee;

iv. Original copies of the type approval certificates that are to be transferred;

v. An affidavit, in the case whereby the issued original certificates are misplaced

are lost.

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Type Approval Procedure Manual of 22

4.8.2. The transferor must relinquish the Type Approval certificates prior to the approval

of the transfer thereof, is granted. The records will be updated automatically on

the ASMS.

Amendment of Type Approval certificates

4.8.3. A certificate of approved equipment can be amended free of charge, provided that

the requested changes were necessitated by an unintentionally omission of

details, from the original application.

4.8.4. In the event that an applicant discovers that information which was expected to

appear on an issued certificate has been omitted as a result of the applicant having

not stated such information in the original application, the applicant may submit

a written request to the Authority to have the information included on the

certificate. The request must be accompanied by the following:

i. copies of the affected certificates,

ii. a letter stating the required changes on each certificate,

iii. supporting documentation (where applicable), and

iv. the proof of payment of the requisite fee.

Re-issue of Type Approval certificates

4.8.5. A valid Type Approval certificate may be reissued upon written request by a Type

Approval holder or alternatively a representative of the Type Approval holder,

however, the representative must furnish the Authority with a proof of consent or

authorisation from the Type Approval holder.

4.8.6. A proof of payment of the requisite fee must accompany the request.

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Type Approval Procedure Manual of 22

4.9. Database/ Record maintenance

4.9.1. The Type Approval Database is electronically saved on the Automated Spectrum

Management System, and it gets updated instantly as activities/entries are made

on the system.

4.9.2. Electronic files system EDRMS electronic document management system may be

used to back up the type approval database.

4.9.3. All amendments effected on certificates of approved equipment will be updated

instantly on ASMS with the relevant supporting documents justifying such

amendments.

4.9.4. The database of approved equipment must be extracted from ASMS and published

on the ICASA website on a monthly basis reflecting essential information as per

Type Approval regulations 2015 and in compliance with the relevant legislative

prescripts.

4.9.5. The technical parameters on the Type Approval database must be verification and

validated by a Type Approval specialist prior to making the database available for

access by ICASA’s internal and external stakeholders.

5. Procedure principles

5.1 Summary of roles and responsibilities

5.1.1. The Type Approval Specialist conducts technical analysis on the type approval

applications and makes a recommendation for approval. The Type Approval

specialist intervenes where technical assistance is required.

5.1.2. The Client Type Approval Officer verifies new applicants on the Automated

Spectrum Management System (“ASMS”), Approves the linking of entities to apply

on each other’s behalf and provides guidance to clients on how to register and

apply on the ASMS. The Client Type Approval Officer is responsible for the printing

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Type Approval Procedure Manual of 22

of type approval stickers, issuing self- printing authorisation letters and facilitated

administrative amendments of issued certificates.

5.1.3. The Divisional Assistant (s) serves as a link between the Type Approval unit and

the customer by providing application status update to the customers, follow-up

with Type Approval Specialists regarding old applications not concluded; manages

the Type Approval records: databases, physical and electronic files, receive and

register type approval Samples. The Divisional Assistant facilitates administrative

amendments of issued certificates and assists finance in reconciling received

payments.

5.1.4. The Manager: Type Approval oversees the implementation of the Type Approval

application process.

5.1.5. The Senior Manager: Type Approval and Numbering supports approval

recommendations made by the Type Approval Manager for the Executive:

Licensing and Compliance’s final approval signing off.

5.1.6. The Executive: Licensing and Compliance authorises the signing of the Type

Approval certificates for approved applications.

5.2. Procedure implementation

5.2.1. Type Approval staff is responsible for the implementation of the approved

procedures in the everyday activities of the unit and are accountable to the

Manager: Type Approval.

5.2.2. Manager: Type Approval is responsible for the monitoring of the procedures in the

everyday activities of the type approval unit and is accountable to the Senior

Manager: Type Approval & Numbering.

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Type Approval Procedure Manual of 22

5.2.3. The Senior Manager: Type Approval & Numbering is responsible for overseeing

the type approval unit and is accountable to the Executive: Licensing and

Compliance.

5.2.4. The Executive: Licensing and Compliance is responsible for overseeing the

licensing division and is accountable to EXCO.

5.3. Communication

5.3.1. The Manager: Type Approval is to ensure that the contents of this procedure

manual are communicated to all employees within the Type Approval unit and

shall further ensure compliance with the Type Approval procedure Manual.

5.3.2. The communication of the Type Approval procedures will be conducted as follows:

i. The responsibilities and accountability for the implementation of the end-to-

end process relating to Type Approval Procedure Manual rests with the

Manager: Type Approval and the Senior Manager: Type Approval &

Numbering.

ii. The staff within Type Approval unit are responsible and accountable for the

roles and activities assigned to them in terms of this procedure Manual.

5.4. Reporting and monitoring

5.4.1. The Divisional Assistant is to extract type approval performance statistics monthly

for the Manages to publish the list of the type approved equipment and the

analysis of type approval unit performance status.

5.4.2. The staff within Type Approval is required to provide information regarding

individual monthly performance reporting purposes.

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Standard Type Approval: The Type Approval Specialist evaluates technical documents for radio frequency performance, electromagnetic compatibility, and electrical safety against the national frequency band plan, Technical Regulations (Type Approval Regulations 2013), and associated documents. Test reports must be valid, from accredited laboratories, and match the equipment model. Evaluation covers RF tests, emissions/immunity tests, safety tests, and confirmation that operating frequencies align with the latest National Frequency Band Plan. Successful evaluation recommends approval; unsuccessful recommends rejection with a detailed reasons letter to the Manager for review and signature.

Simplified Type Approval: Verify the equipment model was previously approved, declare country of origin, may request a representative sample, verify frequency of operation per the National Frequency Band Plan, may request IMEI numbers, and ensure product manual and technical datasheet accompany the application. Successful evaluation recommends approval; unsuccessful recommends rejection with a reasons letter.

Provisional Approvals: For research, demonstration, trial, or testing per Type Approval Regulations 2013. Verify country of origin, may request a representative sample, verify frequency per the National Frequency Band Plan, may request IMEI numbers, and ensure product manual, technical datasheet, and proof of payment accompany the application. Successful evaluation leads to a provisional permit drafted for Manager signature; unsuccessful leads to a rejection letter.

Printed ICASA Labels/Authorisations: Per Labelling Regulations 2013. The Client Type Approval Officer receives label orders, compiles a list with applicant name, type approval number, contact person, company responsible for payment, quantity/fees, and submission date, then submits to Finance for invoicing. Labels are printed within 3 days of proof of payment. Self-print authorisation letters are prepared for Manager signature and emailed within 2 days.

Transfer/Amendments/Re-issue: Transfer requires transferor consent letter, company registration documents for both parties, proof of payment, original certificates, and an affidavit if certificates are lost. Transferor relinquishes certificates before approval. Amendments are free for unintentional omissions; require copies of affected certificates, a letter stating changes, supporting documentation, and proof of payment. Re-issue requires a written request with proof of consent/authorisation and proof of payment.

Database/Record Maintenance: The database on ASMS is updated instantly; EDRMS may be used for backup. Technical parameters are verified and validated by a Type Approval specialist before stakeholder access. The database is extracted monthly and published on the ICASA website per Type Approval Regulations 2015.

Technical evaluation verifies test report validity (from accredited laboratories), equipment model consistency, and test standard compliance. Evaluation parameters cover RF performance, EMC/EMI, safety, and frequency band plan alignment. Applications with insufficient supporting documents are returned for corrective measures. Database technical parameters are verified and validated by a Type Approval specialist before publication. Monthly performance statistics are extracted for management reporting, and staff provide individual monthly performance reports.

6.1. Adherence to procedures 6.1.1. It is the responsibility of the relevant delegation to make appropriate provision for establishing controls to ensure adherence to this procedure and its associated procedures. 6.1.2. No deviations to this procedure are permitted. Any incident where this procedure has been breached should be monitored and reported to the Authority’s Compliance Office. 6.1.3. Any disciplinary action taken in terms of non-compliance with this procedure and its associated documents will be in accordance with the disciplinary procedures of the Authority. 6.2. Cross referencing 6.2.1. In terms of sections 35 and 36 of the Electronic Communications Act (ECA), as amended, ICASA is mandated to prescribe electronic communications facilities to be type approved and the related standards to be adopted. The adoption of standards is subjected to the Standards Act, . 6.3. Review of procedure 6.3.1. The Manager: Type Approval shall initiate a review of this procedure, its processes and associated documents every after 3 years of effective date.

Annexure B: Associated documents The Type Approval Procedure Manual makes reference to the following

Type Approval Regulations, 2013, Gazette No. 36785;

Labelling Regulations, 2013, Gazette No. 36786; February 2024 Type Approval Procedure Manual of 22

Guidelines relating to Type Approval Framework, 36792;

Reasons document in respect of the Type Approval Regulations, 2013, Gazette No. 36791;

Regulations on Official List of ICASA Regulated Standards for Technical Equipment and electronic Communications Facilities, 2020, Gazette No. 43132;

Radio Frequency Spectrum Plan, 2021, Gazette No. 46088.

Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations, 2015, Gazette No. 38641; February 2024

The type approval framework aims to ensure equipment meets applicable technical and safety standards before connection to an electronic communications network, protecting end users' personal health and safety and preserving network integrity. Technical evaluation includes, where applicable, safety tests and measurements to ensure compliance with applicable safety standards.

Staff in the Type Approval unit are responsible and accountable for the roles and activities assigned to them under this procedure. The Divisional Assistant extracts monthly type approval performance statistics for management to publish the list of type approved equipment and analyse unit performance. Staff must provide information for individual monthly performance reporting. Compliance with the procedure is mandatory; no deviations are permitted. Any breach must be monitored and reported to the Authority's compliance office. Disciplinary action will follow the Authority's disciplinary procedures for non-compliance.

Entity registration: Company verification documents, letter of authority, proof of address, and directors' identity documents must be verified on ASMS (https://portal.icasa.org.za/Account/Login). Registration requests are approved within 2 days. Payment-confirmed applications are allocated promptly and considered within 30 working days. Applications with outstanding supporting documents are returned to the applicant with detailed findings for corrective measures.

Application fees: Non-refundable and payable in advance per regulation 5(1)(e) of the Type Approval Regulations 2013. Applications with outstanding fees are not considered for evaluation and remain in the Finance Department ASMS pool until payment is confirmed. ASMS automatically issues an invoice upon application submission.

Abeyance: Applications in abeyance for more than 3 months may be closed after the Manager notifies the applicant. The abeyance period is excluded from turnaround time calculations.

Test reports: Must be from laboratories accredited by an international or national accreditation body. The equipment model on the application must match the test reports. Tests must follow standards in the Technical Regulations; if a standard is not found, an equivalent standard may be used, or the report is presented to the Manager for consideration.

Transfer: Requires letter of consent from transferor, company registration documents for both parties, proof of payment of transfer fee, original certificates, and an affidavit if certificates are lost.

Amendment: Requires copies of affected certificates, a letter stating required changes, supporting documentation, and proof of payment.

Re-issue: Requires a written request with proof of consent/authorisation from the holder and proof of payment.

ICASA physical address: 350 Witch-Hazel Avenue, Eco Point Office Park, Eco Park, Centurion. Type Approval unit mailbox: [email protected]. ASMS portal: https://portal.icasa.org.za/Account/Login. Procedure author: Manager: Type Approval. Procedure owner: Executive: Licensing & Compliance. Other roles: Senior Manager: Type Approval & Numbering, Divisional Assistant, Client Type Approval Officer, Type Approval Specialists.

supply of goods

or works or the rendering of a service

Closing date and time: 2026-10-02 at 11:00.

{"name":null,"email":null,"phone":null,"department":"or an organization acting on behalf of","address":null}

Returnable documents: the standard National Treasury forms must be completed and submitted, including the Invitation to Bid (SBD 1), Pricing Schedule (SBD 3.1/3.2/3.3), Declaration of Interest (SBD 4), Preference Points Claim (SBD 6.1), Declaration for Local Production and Content (SBD 6.2), Contract Form (SBD 7.1/7.2), Declaration of Bidder's Past Supply Chain Management Practices (SBD 8), Certificate of Independent Bid Determination (SBD 9), and any Authority to Sign/Board Resolution. A valid original tax clearance certificate issued by SARS must be submitted before award. The National Industrial Participation (NIP) Programme applies to all contracts subject to the NIP obligation.

Evaluation will be on an 80/20 preference point system under the PPPFA 2000 Preferential Procurement Regulations, 2022. Bidders must not engage in collusive bidding or restrictive practices as defined in the Competition Act No. 89 of 1998. Bidders must not be restricted from doing business with the public sector. Bidders must comply with any local content requirements specified in the bidding documents.

The goods supplied must conform to the standards mentioned in the bidding documents and specifications. The contract is for the provision of an Automated Spectrum Management System (ASMS) with three (3) years support and maintenance.

obtained directly from the Government Printer, Private Bag X85,

Pretoria 0001, or accessed electronically from www.treasury.gov.za

4. Standards 4.1 The goods supplied shall conform to the standards mentioned in the

bidding documents and specifications.

5. Use of 5.1 The supplier shall not, without the purchaser’s prior written consent,

contract disclose the contract, or any provision thereof, or any specification, plan,

documents drawing, pattern, sample, or information furnished by or on behalf

and of the purchaser in connection therewith, to any person other than a

information; person employed by the supplier in the performance of the contract.

inspection.

Bidders must submit a valid original tax clearance certificate issued by SARS before award; no contract will be concluded with a bidder whose tax matters are not in order. Bidders must not be bankrupt or insolvent. Bidders must not engage in collusive bidding or restrictive practices as defined in the Competition Act No. 89 of 1998. Bidders must not be restricted from doing business with the public sector. The National Industrial Participation (NIP) Programme applies to all contracts subject to the NIP obligation.

1. Definitions 1. The following terms shall be interpreted as indicated:

1.1 “Closing time” means the date and hour specified in the bidding

documents for the receipt of bids.

1.2 “Contract” means the written agreement entered into between the

purchaser and the supplier, as recorded in the contract form signed by

the parties, including all attachments and appendices thereto and all

documents incorporated by reference therein.

1.3 “Contract price” means the price payable to the supplier under the

contract for the full and proper performance of his contractual

obligations.

1.4 “Corrupt practice” means the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting

of anything of value to influence the action of a public official in the

procurement process or in contract execution.

1.5 "Countervailing duties" are imposed in cases where an enterprise

abroad is subsidized by its government and encouraged to market its

products internationally.

1.6 “Country of origin” means the place where the goods were mined,

grown or produced or from which the services are supplied. Goods are

produced when, through manufacturing, processing or substantial and

major assembly of components, a commercially recognized new

product results that is substantially different in basic characteristics or

in purpose or utility from its components.

1.7 “Day” means calendar day.

1.8 “Delivery” means delivery in compliance of the conditions of the

contract or order.

1.9 “Delivery ex stock” means immediate delivery directly from stock

actually on hand.

1.10 “Delivery into consignees store or to his site” means delivered and

unloaded in the specified store or depot or on the specified site in

compliance with the conditions of the contract or order, the supplier

bearing all risks and charges involved until the supplies are so

delivered and a valid receipt is obtained.

1.11 "Dumping" occurs when a private enterprise abroad market its goods

on own initiative in the RSA at lower prices than that of the country of

origin and which have the potential to harm the local industries in the

also be applicable to any other enterprise or any partner, manager,

director or other person who wholly or partly exercises or exercised or may

exercise control over the enterprise of the first-mentioned person, and

with which enterprise or person the first-mentioned person, is or was in the

opinion of the Accounting Officer / Authority actively associated.

23.6 If a restriction is imposed, the purchaser must, within five (5) working

days of such imposition, furnish the National Treasury, with the

following information:

(i) the name and address of the supplier and / or person restricted by the

purchaser;

(ii) the date of commencement of the restriction

(iii) the period of restriction; and

(iv) the reasons for the restriction.

These details will be loaded in the National Treasury’s central database

of suppliers or persons prohibited from doing business with the public

sector.

23.7 If a court of law convicts a person of an offence as contemplated in

sections 12 or 13 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities

Act, No. , the court may also rule that such person’s name be

endorsed on the Register for Tender Defaulters. When a person’s name has

been endorsed on the Register, the person will be prohibited from doing

business with the public sector for a period not less than five years and not

more than 10 years. The National Treasury is empowered to determine the

period of restriction and each case will be dealt with on its own merits.

According to section 32 of the Act the Register must be open to the

public. The Register can be perused on the National Treasury website.

24. Anti-dumping 24.1 When, after the date of bid, provisional payments are required, or antiand countervailing dumping or countervailing duties are imposed, or the amount of a

duties and rights provisional payment or anti-dumping or countervailing right is increased

in respect of any dumped or subsidized import, the State is not liable

for any amount so required or imposed, or for the amount of any such

increase. When, after the said date, such a provisional payment is

no longer required or any such anti-dumping or countervailing right is

abolished, or where the amount of such provisional payment or any such

right is reduced, any such favourable difference shall on demand be paid

forthwith by the contractor to the State or the State may deduct such

amounts from moneys (if any) which may otherwise be due to the

contractor in regard to supplies or services which he delivered or

rendered, or is to deliver or render in terms of the contract or any other

contract or any other amount which

may be due to him

25. Force 25.1 Notwithstanding the provisions of GCC Clauses 22 and 23, the

The contract is governed by the General Conditions of Contract (GCC). Key terms include: performance security must be furnished within 30 days of award notification, in the form of a bank guarantee, irrevocable letter of credit, or cashier's/certified cheque, as specified in the Special Conditions of Contract (SCC). The warranty period is 12 months after delivery and acceptance, or 18 months after shipment, whichever ends earlier, unless otherwise specified in the SCC. Payment will be made within 30 days of invoice submission, in Rand unless otherwise stipulated. The supplier must indemnify the purchaser against third-party claims of patent, trademark, or industrial design infringement. The supplier must not assign obligations without prior written consent. Subcontracts must be notified in writing. Delays may incur penalties calculated at the current prime interest rate per day of delay. The purchaser may terminate the contract for default, and may impose a restriction on doing business with the public sector for up to 10 years. Force majeure relieves liability under specified conditions. Disputes are to be resolved through mutual consultation, then mediation, then South African courts. The contract is governed by South African law. The supplier must permit inspection and audit of records. The supplier must comply with packing, delivery, insurance, and transportation requirements as specified in the SCC. The supplier may be required to provide incidental services such as installation, commissioning, training, and maintenance. Spare parts may be required as specified in the SCC. The contract prohibits collusive bidding and restrictive practices under the Competition Act. The National Industrial Participation (NIP) Programme applies to all contracts subject to the NIP obligation.

33. National Industrial Participation (NIP) Programme: The NIP Programme administered by the Department of Trade and Industry shall be applicable to all contracts that are subject to the NIP obligation.

{"name":null,"email":null,"phone":null,"department":"Confirmation confirms","address":"Licensing / quality check Satisfied Yes RejectionLicence Letter to submission to SM quality RF Specialist check quality check"}

Bidders must be registered on the Central Supplier Database (CSD) and hold a valid SARS tax clearance (tax pin). All mandatory SBD forms must be completed and submitted, including SBD 4 (Declaration of Interest) and SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim). The 80/20 preference point system applies, with B-BBEE status level evaluated for preference points. No CIDB grading is specified as this is not a construction tender.

No specific compliance requirements beyond CSD registration, tax clearance, and mandatory SBD forms as noted in evaluation criteria.

Icasa 08/2026: appointment of a service provider at the

Independent communications authority of south africa (icasa) to

Provide an automated spectrum management system (asms) with a

Three (3) year support and maintenance

Table of Contents

1 introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 3

2 background and objectives ..................................................................................................................... 3

3 scope of work ..................................................................................................................................................... 4

3.1 Client Portal ..................................................................................................................................................... 4

3.2 Spectrum Planning Module ....................................................................................................................... 7

3.3 Spectrum Licensing Module ...................................................................................................................... 8

3.4 Type Approval Module (Equipment Standardisation) ............................................................... 13

3.5 Service Licensing Module ........................................................................................................................ 15

3.6 Spectrum Monitoring and Compliance .............................................................................................. 17

3.7 Requirements common to various Modules ................................................................................... 17

3.7.1 Finance ............................................................................................................................................... 17

3.7.2 IT requirements .............................................................................................................................. 20

3.7.3 Workflow and Decision Making ............................................................................................... 25

3.8 Project Implementation and Support Requirements .................................................................. 27

4 proposal ............................................................................................................................................................... 33

5 briefing session .............................................................................................................................................. 34

6 bid evaluation ................................................................................................................................................ 34

7 appendixes .......................................................................................................................................................... 65

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (“the Authority” or “ICASA”) draws its

mandate from the Electronic Communications Act (Act No. , as amended) (“the ECA”) and

the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa Act (Act No. , as amended)

(“the ICASA Act”)) to regulate radio frequency spectrum in the public interest.

The Authority is issuing this open bid to fulfil its mandate of regulating the radio frequency spectrum

by procuring the Automated Spectrum Management System (ASMS).

2 background and objectives

The Authority is currently using an ASMS that does not meet its operational objectives and has

contributed to a backlog in spectrum management processes. The existing system lacks efficiency,

effective integration of critical components, and the necessary data integrity to support the spectrum

management framework. To address these challenges, the Authority intends to implement a new

ASMS with a proven track record of delivering reliable and effective performance.

The ASMS will optimise the Authority's management of the radio frequency spectrum, ensuring

efficient and transparent processes for spectrum planning, licensing, type approval, service licensing,

monitoring, and compliance. At the core of this ASMS is a platform designed for applicants and

licensees, providing a streamlined, user-friendly interface for applying for, and managing various

licenses with the Authority.

The objectives of the Authority for this open bidding project are:

• To acquire a fully customised, implemented, and commissioned ASMS;

• To ensure that the ASMS database contains current data that has undergone a thorough

cleanup, verification, and consolidation process by the appointed service provider, either prior

to or during the migration to the ASMS database;

• To provide comprehensive support for the ASMS and its usage, including maintenance, for a

period of three (3) years following acceptance;

• To facilitate full upgrades of the ASMS to new software versions, including software patches,

operating system, and database updates, as they become available, for a duration of three (3)

years;

• To provide training for both administrative and technical users, ensuring that they are fully

equipped to operate and maintain the ASMS immediately upon its acceptance and full

implementation; and

• To train technical staff in the fundamentals of spectrum management embedded within the

ASMS, in accordance with ITU spectrum management principles.

The ASMS should be compliant with the ECA and applicable regulations, such as:

• Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations, 2015 as amended1;

• Radio Frequency Spectrum Fees Regulations, 2010 as amended2;

• Licensing Processes and Procedures Regulations for Class Licences, 20103, as amended;

• Licensing Processes and Procedures Regulations for Individual Licences, 20104, as amended;

• Type Approval regulations5;

• Type Approval labelling regulations6; and

• Type Approval regulations7.

The following outlines the scope of work for the terms of reference related to the different modules

of the ASMS. Each module is designed to integrate seamlessly, ultimately resulting in a competent

ASMS. This system will effectively support the ICASA in executing its spectrum management mandate.

Each module will address specific aspects of spectrum management, ensuring comprehensive

coverage of regulatory requirements, technical standards, and operational efficiency necessary for

effective oversight, allocation, and assignment of spectrum resources.

3.1 Client Portal

3.1.1 The client portal is to provide a secure, user-friendly online environment where applicants

and licensees/certificate holders can submit and track applications and manage

licences/certificates for radio frequency spectrum licensing, type approvals and service

licensing.

3.1.2 The client portal should be web-based and supported for various browsers in common use.

3.1.3 The client portal must provide external stakeholders with the following functionality with

regard to their user accounts:

3.1.3.1 User Account Creation and Management: Stakeholders should be able to easily

create and modify user accounts as needed. This includes the ability to assign

multiple usernames, set up profile information, and manage user permissions to

ensure appropriate access levels.

3.1.3.2 Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): The system must support multi-factor

authentication to enhance security. This should include options for various

authentication methods, such as SMS verification codes, email confirmations, or

1 Published in Government Gazette No. 38641 (Notice ) on 30 March 2015, as amended by Notices No. , , and .

2 2 Published in Government Notice No. , as amended by Notices No. March 2015 and No. April 2015

3 Published in Government Gazette No. 33297 (Notice ) on 14 June 2010

4 Published in Government Gazette No. 33293 (Notice ) on 14 June 2010

5 Published in Government Gazette Number 36785, Notice number 871 on 26 August 2013

6 Published in Government Gazette Number 36786, Notice number 872 on 26 August 2013

7 Published in Government Gazette Number 36792, Notice number 883 on 27 August 2013

authenticator apps, and require users to provide additional proof of identity when

accessing their accounts.

3.1.3.3 Role-Based Access Control: The module must implement role-based access to

facilitate both individual and corporate accounts. This means user permissions

should be tailored to users' roles, enabling fine-grained control over who can access

specific features and data within the system.

3.1.3.4 Secure Password Management and Account Recovery: There should be robust

mechanisms for secure password management, including guidelines for password

complexity, history encryption & reuse, number of unsuccessful attempts (i.e., three

attempts) for account lock, inactive account lock and expiration period. Additionally,

the module must include reliable, multiple account recovery processes/methods

that enable users to regain access to their accounts almost instantly and securely in

the event they forget their passwords or face other access issues.

3.1.4 The client portal must support the various applications as well as different features to manage

licences/certificates for radio frequency spectrum licensing, type approvals and service

licensing.

3.1.5 The applications and management options will be distinct for different types of applications

as well as different service categories, each with its own:

3.1.5.1 Application forms,

3.1.5.2 Technical parameters,

3.1.5.3 Workflow,

3.1.5.4 Required documents,

3.1.5.5 Fees, and

3.1.5.6 Approval paths.

3.1.6 Each input, where possible, should be subjected to real-time data validation and integrity

checks before submission. Enforce mandatory fields/documents to be populated/uploaded,

and applications with incomplete information must not be allowed to be submitted.

Mandatory fields/documents must be populated/uploaded, and incomplete information

must be rejected and not allowed to be submitted beyond the capturer. The system must

perform business rule validations where possible, data completeness checks, data accuracy

and cross verifications (including GPS Coordinate location display and verification). The

system should further keep an audit trail and log of information, and cater for error handling

& exception integrity and flexible reporting capabilities on it.

3.1.7 The module should prompt the user to select the type of licence/certificate that it is applying

for and dynamically load the appropriate application form. This form will include all specific

fields and rules for the type of licence/certificate being applied for. Data validation will extend

to fields in this form, such as frequency ranges, power limits, which are aligned to the radio

frequency spectrum assignment plans for each band. Data captured should include integrity

checks such as input validations with specific range and limits, type validation (numeric,

alphabetical, or alphanumeric), and mandatory fields.

3.1.8 Moreover, the module must include an option to submit bulk applications (e.g., multiple fixed

links within a single application) and subsequent assignments for the radio frequency

spectrum.

3.1.9 The system must feature a wizard-based application process with step-by-step guidance. It

should automatically populate existing data for consistency when applicable, validate

mandatory fields, and allow users to upload supporting technical documents, including large

files (limited to 100MB) of different formats (including PDF, XLSX).

3.1.10 The portal must provide an up-to-date, real-time display of the status of each application. This

display should include clear and easily understandable status indicators that represent the

current phase of the application process, such as:

3.1.10.1 Submitted: Indicates the application has been successfully submitted.

3.1.10.2 Under Review: Denotes that the application is currently being evaluated.

3.1.10.3 Awaiting Information: Signifies that additional information or documentation is

needed from the applicant before proceeding.

3.1.10.4 Technical Evaluation: Refers to the stage where the application undergoes a

technical assessment.

3.1.10.5 Pending Payment: Indicates that the application is awaiting the necessary payment

to continue the processing.

3.1.10.6 Approved: Marks that the application has met all criteria and has been officially

accepted.

3.1.10.7 Rejected: Signals that the application has not met the required standards and has

been denied.

3.1.10.8 Cancellation: Internal/external users should be able to cancel incorrect applications

and automatically reverse billing or credit notes related to the application or licence.

3.1.11 The system must be able to list all of a user’s applications submitted and licences/certificates

issued, as well as indicate relevant information about it, such as the status (expired, pending,

active and cancelled), relevant dates, etc.

3.1.12 The portal must also calculate and present the total processing time that has elapsed since

the initial submission of the application, giving applicants a comprehensive view of the

duration of their application journey.

3.1.13 Specific escalation procedures should be established to address instances where an

application surpasses the defined regulatory turnaround times.

3.1.14 The client module must support license management, allowing licensees to view and manage

licenses/certificates effectively. It can allow for the amendment of certain information by

themselves (such as contact details), while other information will require an amendment

application process.

3.1.15 The client module must support mail/SMS alerts for status changes, pending information,

payments, approvals, or rejections, provide a secure messaging interface for queries between

applicants and the Authority, and automated reminders for outstanding tasks.

3.1.16 The system should automatically identify licenses that are due for renewal based on their

expiry dates and status, and it must provide an option to trigger the license renewal process

before the license expires. The specific notice period will depend on the type of licence.

3.1.17 Licensees should have the ability to print security-enabled licenses and certificates.

3.1.18 The portal must allow applicants to download licenses, rejection letters, authorisation letters,

and invoices.

3.1.19 The portal should enable users to view payment statuses and outstanding balances, and to

initiate online payments via a secure payment gateway.

3.1.20 The portal must allow users to edit captured data and upload documents at any stage whilst

the application is in process. Directly after submission of an application, the appropriate

application fee will be invoiced, and the user should be notified accordingly.

3.1.21 Amendments to licences/certificates should make it clear what parameters are being

amended. If all parameters remain the same, then the applications should not be allowed to

proceed.

3.1.22 The portal must provide an option for applicants to submit confidentiality requests through

a configurable online form, together with the required supporting documentation.

3.1.23 The Client Portal should allow users to create profiles for third parties, with the necessary

proxy, and submit them for approval. The portal should further allow users to submit

applications on behalf of authorised third parties.

3.1.24 The Client Portal should allow the licensee to log requests for interference investigations,

should their assigned spectrum be affected by such during implementation.

3.2 Spectrum Planning Module

3.2.1 This module is aimed at supporting the planning, allocation and efficient use of the radio

frequency spectrum in accordance with the ITU Radio Regulations and Recommendations,

National Radio Frequency Plan and any other framework put in place, such as the spectrum

outlook.

3.2.2 The module shall be capable of importing and maintaining the ITU-R Table of Frequency

Allocation and allowing updating of the National Radio Frequency Plan with incorporation of

all the footnotes and those applicable nationally.

3.2.3 The module should allow authorised users to incorporate radio frequency spectrum

assignment plans, ITU-R Recommendations and rules applicable to each and every spectrum

band. The rules per spectrum band include the assignment methods (e.g., standard

application procedure/first-come-first-served, market-based approach (beauty contest or

auction)), moratoria, sharing conditions, guard bands, technology neutrality or restrictions.

All these rules should be made available to the internal licensing module for action and to the

client portal for read-only guidance.

3.2.4 The module should allow authorised users to capture and manage frequency migration plans

by defining legacy services, target bands and transition timelines. This information is critical

for the internal licensing module so that the bands under migration can be flagged during

licensing evaluations, prevent the issuance of new licences where migration restrictions

apply, and support coexistence periods where applicable. Affected licensees and new

applicants should be notified if a particular service is to be migrated via a client portal module.

3.2.5 The module should support in-band and adjacent-band compatibility studies, coexistence

analysis between various services by making information available, such as on existing

licensing assignment data, and monitoring data for historical spectrum usage within the

specific band.

3.2.6 The spectrum planning module must integrate with:

3.2.6.1 Internal licensing module to provide applicable band rules, ITU-R references and

migration alerts and to further enforce planning constraints during licensing

evaluations.

3.2.6.2 Spectrum Monitoring and Compliance Module to receive spectrum utilisation and

performance data.

3.2.6.3 Technical Database to store all allocations, planning and study datasets.

3.2.6.4 Client Portal: Flag the migration alerts, assignment methods and moratoria on the

spectrum bands affected.

3.3 Spectrum Licensing Module

3.3.1 The internal licensing module provides the Authority’s staff with a complete, end-to-end

internal system for processing, evaluating, approving, issuing, renewing, amending,

transferring, withdrawing and surrendering radio frequency spectrum licences across all

service categories.

RFS Licensing Administration:

3.3.2 The system should expire licences where the licensees failed to renew their licences for a new

licence year. Such a process must be done as per the prescribed procedures in the RFS

regulations.

3.3.3 However, the system must differentiate between licences issued in accordance with a service

licensing, as prescribed in Chapter 3 of the ECA, whereas such a licence does not expire on an

annual basis but on a prescribed period, irrespective of whether the annual fees were paid or

not.

3.3.4 Furthermore, renewal of a multi-year radio frequency spectrum licences for the provision of

a service licences (Broadcasting and Electronic Communication Network Services) must be

done six (“6”) months before expiration.

3.3.5 Therefore, the module should notify internal users when the service licence associated with

the radio frequency spectrum licence expires three months prior. Moreover, the system must

also notify multi-year radio frequency spectrum licence holders that the linked service licence

would expire twelve (12) months before expiry.

3.3.6 The system must have a configurable workflow capable of catering for new, renewal,

amendment, transfer/transfer of control, cancellation/surrender applications.

3.3.7 In addition to the management allocating and reallocating for RFS applications, the module

should have an efficient way for automatically allocating applications to users in accordance

with present rules in the system within a specific financial year.

3.3.8 The tool should support polygon-based geographic spectrum assignments and licensing

areas, including the creation, editing, import, export, and visualisation of polygons for service

areas, coordination zones, and exclusion zones.

3.3.9 The internal spectrum licensing module is responsible for receiving and logging all

applications submitted by licensees and applicants for various application types from the

Client portal, as specified below:

3.3.9.1 New applications, including those submitted in accordance with the standard

application procedure,

3.3.9.2 The licensing module should include a digital platform to receive time-bound

applications, which use an extended application procedure (i.e., Invitation to Apply

or Invitation to Pre-Register (ITP-R) process).

3.3.9.3 Authorisation for temporary use of RFS (such as for special events and state visits)

3.3.9.4 Trial or test of RFS licence

3.3.9.5 Amendment of existing RFS licence

3.3.9.6 Surrender/cancellation of the existing RFS licence

3.3.9.7 Withdrawal of the existing RFS licence

3.3.9.8 Transfer of existing RFS licences

3.3.9.9 Transfer of control of existing RFS licences

3.3.9.10 Renewal of RFS licences

3.3.9.11 Satellite/space segment registration applications

3.3.9.12 Registration of point-to-point links in the self-coordination block for E-band.

3.3.10 The typical service sub-module should include services allocated in accordance with the

National Radio Frequency Plan, such as, but not limited to, the following:

3.3.10.1 Broadcasting: This encompasses terrestrial television and radio services according

to the allocated spectrum bands.

3.3.10.2 Satellite: This includes satellite broadcast carriers, the space segment, Earth

stations, VSAT terminals.

3.3.10.3 Mobile Services: This covers International Mobile Telecommunications and related

technologies, as well as private mobile radio networks, etc.

3.3.10.4 Fixed services: This pertains to microwave/point-to-point Links and Point-to-

Multipoint Systems

3.3.10.5 Maritime and Aeronautical Services: This includes ship stations, aircraft radios,

beacons, recording of call signs, Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) and

navigation aids.

3.3.10.6 Amateur radio services: This includes the licences for radio amateurs, including

recording of call signs, to candidates who wrote and passed an examination to

show their competence to operate on the amateur radio frequency bands.

3.3.10.7 Radio dealer certificates: The Authority must at all times maintain a list of all

approved entities that install, repair, or sell radio apparatus in the country.

3.3.11 The appropriate application- and licensing fee(s) should be calculated automatically, based

on the type of application as well as the technical information of the application and it will be

based on predefined formulas that can be customised by a designated user.

3.3.12 Once submitted, each application should be routed to the appropriate departmental unit

based on the service sub-module. The system should allow for the application to undergo a

completeness verification process to identify any missing or incorrect information, and an

internal reference number will be automatically assigned. The module should allow

applications within the appropriate departmental unit, based on the service sub-module pool

to be allocated to officials by the line manager or supervisor.

3.3.13 The categorised application types will be guided through a customizable workflow defined

within the administrative module of the system. This workflow will support multi-level

reviews, allowing different levels of management to evaluate and approve applications,

thereby streamlining the decision-making process. The current spectrum licensing

application processes are contained in Appendices A and B, for radiocommunication

services and broadcasting services, respectively. These processes can be optimised as

appropriate when implemented in the ASMS systems. For instance, there are other

applications that are delegated to be processed and finalised by the regional offices, therefore

those types of applications must be sorted and allocated as such.

3.3.14 The module must include a database of call signs from which assignments must be made to

the different services in accordance with the ITU-approved ranges for South Africa. This

database must be linked with the licensee details.

3.3.15 The module must include a database of registered point-to-point links in block A of the E-

Band and allow external users to register links on this database as well as make this database

available to all external users for self-coordination.

3.3.16 The module must include a database of MMSI numbers for the assignment to applicable

maritime ship stations to the different services in accordance with the ITU-approved ranges

for South Africa. This database must be linked with the licensee details.

3.3.17 The designated internal user(s) should have access to the above three databases (call signs,

E-band Block A, MMSI) to make amendments or additions when necessary.

3.3.18 Decision and Issuance: Based on the technical or administrative analysis of the application

and following a workflow process, a decision on the application should be made.

3.3.19 In cases where the application is recommended for approval, the internal licensing module

should be capable of capturing the results of the technical or administrative analysis in

accordance with the relevant legislative and regulatory frameworks. The module must accept

input parameters that will be included in the radio frequency spectrum license and

authorisation issued to the applicant. This includes, but is not limited to, details about the

entity name, trading name, shareholding, contact information, notification addresses, license

validity period, geographic coverage area, terms and conditions, license obligations (if

applicable), service licence number (where applicable), type approval number and general

conditions. Every licence issued should have a unique licence number assigned to it.

3.3.20 The spectrum licensing module needs to inform the service licensing module about the

approval of the radio frequency spectrum application. No radio frequency spectrum licence

should be issued without the approval of the service licence (broadcasting or electronic

communication network service), where applicable.

3.3.21 Conversely, in instances where the application is rejected, the module must be able to accept

input parameters that will be incorporated into the rejection letter, as well as any other

relevant evidence (e.g., technical analysis results) needed to inform the applicant and notify

the service licensing module about the rejection.

3.3.22 Internal users should be able to track each application throughout its lifecycle, gaining

insights into its current stage, the department responsible, the individual assigned to manage

it, and the total number of days it has been in the process. There should be an audit trail of

each user’s activity in processing the application.

3.3.23 To enhance accountability and efficiency, the system must automatically generate alerts

when Service Level Agreement (SLA) timelines are at risk of being exceeded. This will include

timely escalations to relevant internal stakeholders, along with regular reminders and

notifications for any pending tasks requiring attention, ensuring no application is overlooked,

and all deadlines are met.

3.3.24 The module should generate reports that cover more than just individual and departmental

performance metrics. These reports should also include technical evaluation logs,

assignments across various bands by province, district municipalities, and local

municipalities, as well as details on licenses issued, renewed, amended, rejected, surrendered,

or withdrawn.

3.3.25 The module should provide a database which includes, amongst others, a list of licences,

expired licences, and their associated technical parameters categorised nationally,

provincially, per district municipality, and local municipality.

3.3.26 The system should allow for the functionality to make public records available, such as

applications, licences/certificates (that are not subject to confidentiality), etc.

3.3.27 The internal licensing module must integrate with:

• Client Portal: For application intake and sharing the application status updates.
• RF Engineering analysis module: To read and write all technical parameters, frequency

plan, equipment lists, coverage and GIS data.

• Spectrum Planning module: To get an update on the frequency band assignment rules

and receive alerts for migration.

• Monitoring and Compliance Module: To submit active assignment data and receive

interference reports and spectrum utilisation per band.

• Financial Integration: No applications should reach the internal licensing module if the

payments are not made and confirmed. Provide financial officers with the necessary

access to reports and invoicing parameters.

• Service Licensing: There should be integration between the Spectrum Licensing Module

and Service Licensing Module to record the service licences associated with the spectrum

licences and vice versa.

RFS Engineering Module

3.3.28 The Authority requires a ready-made technical analysis tool that has been widely used by

regulators worldwide. This tool will be utilised by designated users to conduct technical

analyses of applications, as described in paragraph 3.3.9. The technical analysis tool is

entirely dependent on the technical database and should have the following capabilities, but

not limited to:

3.3.28.1 Allotment management: The analysis tool should have the capability for

designated users to create, edit, and manage frequency allotments for different

services. The technical parameters for each allotment should include the frequency

band, bandwidth, channel spacing, maximum transmitter power, and service types,

in line with applicable ITU-R channel plans. The allotments should be consistent

with the National Radio Frequency Plan and Radio Frequency Spectrum Assignment

Plans, and thus require an appropriate approval process to be effective.

3.3.28.2 Frequency Assignment Calculations: The tool should enable designated users to

scan frequency availability within a specific band. The tool should allow authorised

users to validate transmit power, bandwidth, location coordinates, and emission

designators. Additionally, the tool should flag assignments outside national borders

and those within coordination zones.

3.3.28.3 Interference Analysis: The tool should be capable of conducting interference

analysis on all service types. This includes adjacent-channel checks, co-channel

evaluations, intermodulation checks, protection ratios, and impacts on cross-border

coordination.

3.3.28.4 Coverage Analysis: The tool must enable authorised users to conduct coverage

predictions using various ITU-R propagation models. It should display service

contours based on received signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and link

budget analyses (including topographical link profile and Fresnel zone analysis).

The results will be presented in an integrated Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and must

allow overlaying the results in a Geographic Information System (GIS), including

Google Earth.

3.3.28.5 Prohibition areas: The tool should be able to incorporate and display exclusion

zones. Moreover, the tool should have the ability to flag applications that fall in areas

where prohibition to frequency use apply, such as radio astronomy protection areas.

3.3.29 The tool should include map management features that allow users to overlay map layers,

technical analysis output (Interference and coverage map display), display satellite imagery

and topographic maps, and view administrative boundaries. Additionally, it should enable

users to save customised map views and export them as image files or report attachments,

such as KMZ and KML files.

3.3.30 Authorised users should have access to maps of South Africa and its neighbouring countries

for coordination purposes.

3.3.31 The granularity of the digital terrain maps should at least be at 20m DEM, with an option of

100m DEM as well. The use of clutter maps should also be available.

3.3.32 ITU-R tools integration: The tool should be capable of reading BR-IFIC data and facilitate the

updating of ITU Master International Frequency Register (MIFR) with approved assignments.

3.3.33 The RFS Engineering module must integrate with:

• Client Portal: For application intake and sharing the application status updates.

• Technical Database: To read and write all technical parameters, frequency plan,

equipment lists and coverage and GIS data.

• Spectrum Planning module: To get an update on the frequency band assignment rules

and receive alerts for migration.

• Monitoring and Compliance Module: To submit active assignment data and receive

interference reports and spectrum utilisation per band.

3.4 Type Approval (Equipment Standardisation)

3.4.1 The intent of this module is to ensure that all electronic communication equipment sold/used

within the country complies with the Type Approval regulations and operates within

authorised spectrum parameters, thereby preventing harmful interference, supporting

efficient spectrum use and strengthening network integrity.

3.4.2 The Type Approval applications must be submitted through the Client Portal, supporting the

different application types, which are Radio Frequency and Telecommunication Terminal

Equipment (TTE). These two types of application must be classified as:

3.4.2.1 New – An application for any electronic communication equipment that has not been

approved before by the Authority.

3.4.2.2 Variant- An application where a modification was made on the equipment that was

approved by the Authority for the same supplier.

3.4.2.3 Provisional – An application for a temporary approval by the authority for trials,

testing, demonstration, and research purposes.

3.4.2.4 Simplified – An application that is followed in the event where the equipment has

already obtained Type Approval from the Authority.

3.4.2.5 Amendment – An application to amend user profile and approved certificates.

3.4.2.6 Certificate transfer – An application to transfer a certificate from one licensee to

another.

3.4.3 The module should allow for an option to withdraw a certificate, which is initiated by the

Authority.

3.4.4 This module must be able to review and evaluate equipment details captured in the client

portal, such as equipment name, model, equipment category, equipment description and all

technical parameters. Applicants must pay the applicable Type Approval fee before

applications can be evaluated.

Evaluation of application:

3.4.5 The applications would go through a flexible multi-stage evaluation workflow which includes

administrative completeness checks, technical conformity checks and management approval.

This workflow will support multi-level reviews, allowing different levels of management to

evaluate and approve applications, thereby streamlining the decision-making process. The

current type approval application processes are contained in Appendix C. These processes

can be optimised as appropriate when implemented in the ASMS systems.

3.4.6 Internal users should be able to track each application throughout its lifecycle, gaining

insights into its current stage, the department responsible, the individual assigned to manage

it, and the total number of days it has been in the process. There should be an audit trail of

each user’s activity in processing the application.

3.4.7 To enhance accountability and efficiency, the system must automatically generate alerts

when Service Level Agreement (SLA) timelines are at risk of being exceeded. This will include

timely escalations to relevant internal stakeholders, along with regular reminders and

notifications for any pending tasks requiring attention, ensuring no application is overlooked,

and all deadlines are met.

3.4.8 The module should generate reports that cover more than just individual and departmental

performance metrics. These reports should also include technical evaluation logs, type-

approved equipment across various bands for each application type, as well as details on

certificates issued, amended, rejected, or withdrawn.

3.4.9 The module should have an efficient way for automatically allocating applications to type-

approval specialists equitably within a specific financial year, taking into account the

applications already processed. In addition to the system performing auto-allocation of

applications, management must be able to allocate and reallocate type approval applications.

3.4.10 The application evaluation page must show fields such as Application Number, Application

Type, Equipment Type, Certificate Holder Details, equipment name, model, brand, equipment

category, equipment description, original equipment manufacturer details, local

maintenance address, and all technical parameters.

3.4.11 For Variant and Simplified applications, the user must be able to search for the approved

Master Type Approval Certificate.

3.4.12 The management approval page must show fields such as the Application Number,

Application Type, Equipment Type, Certificate Holder Details, equipment name, model, brand,

equipment category, equipment description, original equipment manufacturer details, local

maintenance address, and all technical parameters.

3.4.13 The module must give applicants an option to make administrative and technical

amendments.

3.4.14 The module must indicate all the certificates that are affected by the administrative

amendment application and give the Type Approval management the option to do a bulk

regeneration of the certificates affected by the changes to reflect the latest information.

3.4.15 The module must, to the extent possible, identify the Type Approval specialist who approved

the original application and automatically assign the technical amendment application to

their name.

3.4.16 The module must have a functionality to recreate legacy Type Approval Certificates.

3.4.17 The module must have the ability to automatically update the list of approved equipment and

share the same with the Internal Licensing Module, Technical Database and Monitoring and

Compliance Module.

3.4.18 The system should allow for the functionality to make a list of approved type-approved

equipment public.

3.4.19 The module should allow for integration with the Spectrum Licensing Module to ensure that

the equipment to be used with those licences are Type-Approved.

3.5 Service Licensing

3.5.1 The Service Licensing Module is aimed at providing an end-to-end, automated platform to

manage the full-service licensing lifecycle, including the submission, processing, evaluation,

and approval of applications for new registrations, renewals, amendments, transfers,

surrender of licenses, and licence exemptions for class and individual licences.

3.5.2 The licensing module should include a digital platform to receive time-bound applications,

which use an extended application procedure (i.e., Invitation to Apply (ITA) or Invitation to

Pre-Register (ITP-R) process).

Service Licensing Administration:

3.5.3 The internal service licensing module is responsible for receiving and logging all Class and

Individual applications submitted by licensees and applicants for various licence types from

the Client portal, as specified below:

3.5.3.1 New service licences, which would also include ITA and ITP-R processes

3.5.3.2 Special events licence

3.5.3.3 Trial or test of service licence

3.5.3.4 Amendment of existing service licence

3.5.3.5 Surrender/cancellation of the existing service licence

3.5.3.6 Withdrawal of the existing service licence

3.5.3.7 Transfer of existing service licences

3.5.3.8 Transfer of control of existing service licences

3.5.3.9 Renewal of service licences

3.5.3.10 Licence exemption

3.5.4 Once submitted, each application should be routed to the appropriate departmental unit

based on the service type. The system should allow for the application to undergo a

completeness verification process to identify any missing or incorrect information, and an

internal reference number will be automatically assigned. The module should allow

applications within the appropriate departmental unit, based on the service type pool to be

allocated to officials by the line manager or supervisor.

3.5.5 The service-type applications would go through a flexible multi-stage evaluation workflow,

which includes administrative completeness checks and management approval. This

workflow will support multi-level reviews, allowing different levels of management to

evaluate and approve applications, thereby streamlining the decision-making process. The

current service licensing application processes are contained in Appendices B, D and E for

class and individual applications, respectively. These processes can be optimised as

appropriate when implemented in the ASMS systems.

3.5.6 Internal users should be able to track each application throughout its lifecycle, gaining

insights into its current stage, the department responsible, the individual assigned to manage

it, and the total number of days it has been in the process. There should be an audit trail of

each user’s activity in processing the application.

3.5.7 To enhance accountability and efficiency, the system must automatically generate alerts

when Service Level Agreement (SLA) timelines are at risk of being exceeded. This will include

timely escalations to relevant internal stakeholders, along with regular reminders and

notifications for any pending tasks requiring attention, ensuring no application is overlooked,

and all deadlines are met.

3.5.8 The module should generate reports that cover more than just individual and departmental

performance metrics. These reports should also include metrics on applications assessed by

application type, and approved applications by local, district municipality, and province. The

module should be able to produce a report on which licences are due for renewal,

shareholding, Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment and Historically Disadvantaged

Group requirements.

3.5.9 The module should provide a database which includes, amongst others, a list of licences,

expired licences, and their associated licence conditions categorised nationally, provincially,

per district municipality, and local municipality. The module should also provide functionality

to make public records available, such as applications, licences/certificates (that are not

subject to confidentiality), etc.

3.5.10 The module should further enable monitoring, reporting, and statistical analysis to support

management oversight, regulatory accountability and continuous improvement of the service

licensing processes, including keeping up to date with regulatory developments.

3.5.11 Decision and Issuance: Based on the analysis of the application and following a workflow

process, a decision on the application should be made.

3.5.12 In cases where the application is recommended for approval, the internal service licensing

module should be capable of capturing the analysis in accordance with the relevant legislative

and regulatory frameworks. The module must accept input parameters that will be included

in the service license issued to the applicant. This includes, but is not limited to, details about

the entity name, trading name, shareholding, contact information, notification addresses,

license validity period, coverage service area, terms and conditions, license obligations (if

applicable), radio frequency spectrum licence number (where applicable) and general

conditions. Further, the service licensing module needs to inform the spectrum licensing

module about the approval of the service licence application. No service licence should be

issued without approval of the spectrum licence, where applicable.

3.5.13 Conversely, in instances where the application is rejected, the module must be able to accept

reasons for rejection and issue the rejection letter. Further, the spectrum licensing module

must be notified about the rejection.

3.5.14 The renewal of a service licence for the provision of Broadcasting, Electronic communications

services and Electronic Communication Network Services must be done six (“6”) months

before expiration.

3.5.15 Therefore, the system must notify service licence holders at 12 months and at 9 months prior

to licence expiry to renew their licences.

3.6 Spectrum Monitoring and Compliance

3.6.1 The ASMS must be able to integrate with fixed spectrum monitoring stations, mobile

monitoring units by supporting ingestion of monitoring data from these systems through

real-time and batch-uploading. The ASMS must provide interfaces to ingest data from existing

and future spectrum monitoring systems.

3.6.2 The module must be able to correlate monitoring data with active spectrum licences and

technical parameters to detect and flag transmissions without valid licences, operations

outside licensed parameters and expired or suspended licences still transmitting.

3.6.3 The module should be able to generate a compliance report that may be used in further

investigation.

3.6.4 The integration should be maintained with the spectrum licensing and planning modules.

3.7 Requirements common to various Modules

3.7.1 Finance

3.7.1.1 Financial Integration: No applications should reach the internal licensing module if the

payments are not made and confirmed as described in the sections above.

Integration to Financial System & Billing Workflow

3.7.1.2 The ASMS must establish a secure, real-time, and bidirectional integration with ICASA's

Financial System. This integration shall serve as the authoritative financial backbone for all

radio frequency spectrum, broadcasting, service, and type approval fee processing. The

Authority requires a modern, API-driven integration that minimises custom middleware,

reduces batch-file dependencies, and enables end-to-end automation of financial processes.

The integration must allow for daily bulk batch creation instead of a single batch for a single

transaction.

3.7.1.3 The ASMS should automate the calculation, invoicing, payment, collection, and

reconciliation of all radio frequency spectrum, service licensing, and type approval fees

through proforma invoices generated in JDE.

Billing

3.7.1.4 The ASMS should automate the calculation of fees and integrate the information into the

financial system for the creation of proforma invoices and credit notes. The system must

have a mandatory field for attaching proof of payment (PoP). Proof of payment should be

automatically be recorded when payment is made online using the credit card.

Payment confirmation/approval by finance

3.7.1.5 The application will be assigned to the finance task pool for the processing of payment

confirmation.

3.7.1.6 Finance will verify the PoP validity and confirm payment. All applications with confirmed

payments must automatically be assigned to the relevant licensing pool (Spectrum

Licensing, Type Approval or Services Licensing). The approval of payment must trigger the

conversion of the proforma invoice into an invoice. (The proforma will be auto-deleted and

replaced by the invoice).

3.7.1.7 The module must allow for bulk payment approvals and bulk assignment of the approval

tasks to the team members, instead of a single transaction per application process.

3.7.1.8 The system should allow Finance to reject an invalid PoP by selecting predefined reasons

such as invalid payment, previously used, short payments, etc. The rejection must trigger a

notification to the applicant to allow the application to correct and re-upload the PoP.

3.7.1.9 Should the applicant not attend to the request to re-upload a valid PoP in a specified time,

this should automatically lead to the rejection of the application, and a rejection letter

should be sent to the applicant accordingly.

Reporting

3.7.1.10 The module should generate reports that cover more than just individual and departmental

performance metrics. These reports should also report on approved and rejected

applications within a specified period, and integration exceptions reports between the

ASMS system and ICASA’s financial system.

Step-by-Step Logic Flow

3.7.1.11 Below is a step-by-step description of the logic flow:

• Application Submission: User submits application.

o Debtor Status: No. (Proforma Invoice generated in JDE , but this is usually a

"Statistical" or "Quotation" document, not an Account Receivable (A/R)

document).

• Payment & Verification: User pays; Finance clicks "Confirm Proof of Payment."

o Debtor Status: Pending. (Money is received, but the official revenue recognition

hasn't happened yet)

• Final Approval (The Trigger): Finance user approves the application.

o Action: The ASMS sends the "Finalise Billing" command to the Integration Layer.

• JDE Processing:

o JDE receives the command.

o JDE creates the Final Invoice (This transaction creates the accounting entry: Debit

Debtors Control / Credit Revenue).

o JDE sends a success response back to ASMS with the Final Invoice Number.

• ASMS Update:

o Debtor Status: Yes. (The system now links the Applicant/Licensee to the Final

Invoice Number in JDE, effectively recognising them as a debtor for that specific

transaction).

3.7.1.12 Proforma Invoice Generation: Upon application submission, the ASMS must forward the

required information to the JDE system so that a proforma invoice can be created. The ASMS

must upload this invoice from the JDE system and issue it to the applicant for payment via

email and SMS. The invoice must also be made available to the applicant via the Client Portal

to facilitate payment.

3.7.1.13 Two-Step Invoice Approval: Final (Official) invoices must only be generated and interfaced

to JDE after a two-step verification:

3.7.1.13.1 Financial Approval: A finance user must approve the transaction within the ASMS,

confirming the correct payment amount has been received for the correct

Proforma/Application.

3.7.1.13.2 Bulk Operations: The system must allow authorised users to approve multiple

applications at the same time (and subsequent final invoicing) simultaneously.

3.7.1.14 Data Synchronisation: The ASMS must integrate bi-directionally with JDE (and other

financial systems) via RESTful APIs to track revenue and synchronise payment statuses.

Automated Billing & Fee Calculation

3.7.1.15 Dynamic Fee Engine: Administrators must be able to define and manage fee schedules based

on service type, sub-category, frequency band, and location (province/district), in

alignment with national regulations (Spectrum Fees, General Licence Fees, Type Approval).

3.7.1.16 Proration Logic: The system must automatically calculate pro-rata fees for mid-term

applications, temporary licenses, or license variations to ensure accuracy on both Proforma

and Final invoices.

3.7.1.17 Payment Lock: The system must prevent the submission or processing of applications if the

required payment has not been satisfied (i.e., the system checks for payment against the

Proforma before allowing final submission/approval).

3.7.1.18 Manual Adjustments: The system must allow officers to enter offline or manual fee entries

for cash payments or complex adjustments, which may generate corresponding Proforma

or Credit notes in JDE.

Online Payments & Reconciliation

3.7.1.19 Multi-Channel Payment Gateway: The ASMS must integrate with various online payment

gateways (Credit/Debit Card, EFT, Mobile Money, Government Portals, Post office) via

RESTful APIs. The payment page should clearly reference the Proforma Invoice number.

3.7.1.20 Automated Status Updates: Upon successful payment, the system must automatically:

• Match the payment to the outstanding Proforma Invoice.
• Update the payment status in the Client Portal and Licensing Module.
• Trigger the creation of the Final Tax Invoice/Receipt in JDE.
• Generate and dispatch an electronic final receipt to the applicant.
• Send confirmation notifications.
• Release the licence document for issuing to the applicant.

3.7.1.21 Reconciliation Tools: The system must support manual reconciliation processes for cash or

other offline payments received outside the gateway and match them against the issued

Proforma Invoices.

Financial Administration & Reporting

3.7.1.22 Customizable Reporting: The system must provide web-based, downloadable reports

(Excel/PDF) including:

• Revenue reports filtered by service type, sub-module, frequency band.
• Payment histories for individual licensees and corporate clients.
• Invoicing Reports: Reports distinguishing between Proforma Invoices issued and

Final Paid Invoices.

• Credit Note reports.
• Aging Analysis: Applications approval aging report by user, displaying associated

License Numbers and both Proforma/Invoice Numbers.

• Database Status Report: Filterable reports based on database fields such as Custom

fields, Active status, Cancelled, and Expired.

3.7.1.23 Audit & History: The system must capture a historical trail of all financial queries,

adjustments, and user actions, including the lifecycle of a Proforma converting to a Paid

Invoice.

Security & Compliance

3.7.1.24 Data Protection: All financial data must be encrypted in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest

(Database Encryption).

3.7.1.25 Access Control: Strict role-based access control (RBAC) must be implemented to ensure

only authorised financial officers within designated roles can view or modify financial data.

3.7.1.26 Audit Trails: The system must maintain a complete, immutable audit log for all financial

transactions, adjustments, and reconciliations (Proforma creation, Payment matching, Final

Invoice generation). The audit trail must at a minimum, record information of who, what,

when, with old and new values.

3.7.1.27 Regulatory Adherence: The financial module must comply with national financial

regulations and cybersecurity standards.

3.7.2 IT requirements

3.7.2.1 Strategic Direction: ICASA has adopted a Cloud-First strategy prioritising cloud computing

solutions over traditional IT infrastructure to enhance agility, scalability, and cost efficiency.

3.7.2.2 If the proposed ASMS solution can only be deployed on the OEM’s data centre residing in

South Africa, the bidder will be responsible for the network security, backups, disaster

recovery and business continuity.

Cross-Functional Requirements

3.7.2.3 Accessibility: The system must be fully accessible via any modern browser, compatible with

Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and other platforms. Must support seamless functionality on

devices including desktops, laptops, mobile phones, and tablets.

3.7.2.4 Availability: Guaranteed minimum system uptime of 99.95%. Clearly defined processes for

planned downtime, including communication protocols and scheduled maintenance

3.7.2.5 Deployment Mode: Public Cloud or Private Cloud or Hybrid and data residency requirements

(data must remain in South Africa)

3.7.2.6 Performance: The system must deliver consistent, acceptable response times for typical

user interactions under normal operating conditions and must be designed to scale

effectively as user volumes and transaction loads increase. The system must support a

minimum of 1000 concurrent users without material degradation of service. Response

times for routine and business-critical activities, including application processing, normal

transactions, invoice generation, engineering analysis functions, map-based operations,

searches, reporting, and other standard system functions, must remain within agreed

operational performance thresholds. The solution must include documented scalability

options, capacity management processes, and performance monitoring capabilities to

support increased user demand over time. It must also provide mechanisms for caching,

temporary storage, and session recovery for transactions in progress, ensuring that users

do not have to recapture application information or restart a transaction if the session is

interrupted due to connectivity, system, browser, or other unexpected disruptions.

3.7.2.7 Reliability: The system must use a resilient, fault-tolerant architecture to minimise service

disruption. Critical components must avoid single points of failure, including applications,

databases, integrations, storage, networks, security services, and infrastructure. The

solution must support high availability through redundancy, load balancing, automated

failover, health checks, monitoring, and alerts. Components must recover gracefully from

failures without compromising service availability or integrity. The system must include

strong error handling, transaction integrity, retry processing, queuing, and duplicate-

processing prevention. Reliability controls must be tested and evidenced during system

acceptance, including failover, resilience, and fault-handling scenarios.

3.7.2.8 Usability: The system must provide an intuitive, accessible, and user-friendly interface that

follows recognised UX/UI best practices and supports efficient, consistent, and error-

minimising user interactions across all modules. The user interface must be designed in

accordance with applicable usability and accessibility standards including the Web Content

Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA. The interface must accommodate both internal and

external users through clear navigation, consistent layouts, plain-language prompts,

contextual guidance, meaningful error messages, logical workflow progression, and

responsive design for commonly used devices and browsers.

3.7.2.9 Data Ownership and Portability: All data, including but not limited to operational,

transactional, metadata, and derived data, stored, processed, or generated within the

system shall remain the sole and exclusive property of ICASA at all times. No rights, title, or

interest in such data shall transfer to the service provider under any circumstances. ICASA

shall retain unrestricted access to its data at all times, including during normal operations,

transition periods, and upon termination or expiry of the agreement. The service provider

shall ensure that ICASA can, at any time and without undue delay or additional cost, securely

extract and export its data in full. Such data must be provided in commonly used, machine-

readable, and non-proprietary formats to enable seamless portability and reuse. Upon

termination or expiry of the agreement, the service provider shall provide full cooperation

and support to facilitate the secure and complete transfer of all ICASA data to ICASA or its

nominated third party, without vendor lock-in or degradation of data integrity.

3.7.2.10 Software Licensing and Cost Transparency: The service provider shall clearly define and

document the software licensing model, including the basis of licensing (e.g., user-based,

subscription-based, capacity-based, or enterprise-wide), and all applicable terms and

conditions. The service provider shall provide a fully itemised and transparent pricing

schedule, detailing all costs associated with the solution, including but not limited to: Initial

acquisition and implementation costs, Recurring subscription or licensing fees,

Maintenance and support fees, Upgrade and enhancement costs, Scalability and expansion

costs. All fees, charges, and potential cost drivers shall be explicitly disclosed upfront. The

service provider shall not impose any undisclosed, hidden, or additional charges beyond

those expressly agreed to in the contract. All fees, charges, and potential cost drivers shall

be explicitly disclosed upfront. The service provider shall not impose any undisclosed,

hidden, or additional charges beyond those expressly agreed to in the contract. ICASA

reserves the right to audit and verify all licensing and billing information to ensure

compliance with agreed pricing terms and transparency obligations.

Security and architecture - IT

3.7.2.11 Regulatory Adherence: The system must comply with all applicable national laws,

regulatory requirements, and organisational policies, including financial regulations.

3.7.2.11.1 Payments standard (PCI DSS) (mandatory).

3.7.2.11.2 Data protection legislation (POPIA), (mandatory).

3.7.2.11.3 ICASA cybersecurity Policies and standards (ISO 27001 framework, CIS controls for

configurations standard) (mandatory).

3.7.2.11.4 Service provider must be able to provide ICASA with System and Organisation Controls

2 (SOC2) reports or equivalent and must be on an annual basis for the duration of the

contract (mandatory).

3.7.2.12 The above compliance must be enforced across all system modules and supported by

appropriate controls, monitoring, and reporting mechanisms. If the system is hosted at a 3rd

party datacentre, the SOC2 report for the 3rd party datacentre must also be provided

annually.

3.7.2.13 Security Monitoring: The system must be able to integrate with (SIEM) security incident

management processes. Audit Trails: The system must maintain a complete, immutable

audit log for all system activities, transactions, and data changes across all modules. This

includes, but is not limited to, financial processes (e.g., proforma creation, payment

matching, invoice generation), licensing actions, user administration, and configuration

changes. The audit trail must, at a minimum, capture: the user identity (who), the action

performed (what), the date and time (when), and the details of the change, including old

and new values where applicable. Audit logs must be tamper-proof, securely stored, and

retained in accordance with organisational policies and regulatory requirements.

3.7.2.14 The system must be able to produce regular reports on back-end administrative activities

changes.

3.7.2.15 Patch Management: The service provider will be required to perform regular patch

management to ensure all components remain secure and up to date. The Authority will

perform regular vulnerability assessment and penetration tests and the Service Provider

will be required to remediate the findings with no additional cost.

3.7.2.16 Session Management & Timeout: The system must enforce secure session management,

including automatic session timeouts and re-authentication for sensitive actions.

3.7.2.17 API & Integration Security: All system integrations and application programming interfaces

(APIs) must be designed, implemented, and managed using secure integration principles.

Access to APIs must be strictly controlled through strong authentication and authorisation

mechanisms, such as OAuth 2.0, RESTful API, API keys, or token-based security, and aligned

with role-based access control (RBAC).

3.7.2.18 Access Control: Role-based access control (RBAC) must be implemented across all system

modules to ensure that access to data and functionality is restricted to authorised users

based on their assigned roles. Integrated with enterprise identity systems (e.g., Active

Directory/Azure AD). Access rights must follow the principle of least privilege and enforce

segregation of duties, ensuring users can only view or modify information necessary for the

performance of their responsibilities, including but not limited to financial data.

3.7.2.18.1 Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): The system must enforce multi-factor authentication

(MFA) for both internal and external users to enhance access security. MFA must require

users to provide two or more independent forms of authentication (e.g., something they

know, have, or are) when accessing the system, particularly for sensitive functions and

data. Supported authentication methods should include secure options such as

authenticator applications (preferred), push notifications, hardware tokens, and, where

necessary, SMS or email-based verification. MFA enforcement should be risk-based, with

stricter controls applied to privileged users, remote access, and high-risk transactions.

3.7.2.18.2 Secure Password Management and Account Recovery: There should be robust

mechanisms for secure password management, including guidelines for password

complexity, history encryption & reuse, number of unsuccessful attempts for account lock,

inactive account lock and expiration period. Additionally, the module must include a

reliable account recovery process that enables users to regain access to their accounts

securely in the event they forget their passwords or face other access issues.

Integration & Interoperability

3.7.2.19 The ASMS must include a dedicated Integration and Interoperability Module that enables

secure, scalable, and standards-based integration with internal modules, external

enterprise systems, financial platforms, monitoring systems, geospatial services, and future

ecosystem partners.

3.7.2.20 The ASMS architecture must be agnostic of downstream external systems and must not

contain hardcoded dependencies on any specific financial platform, including JDE, within

the core application code. Integration with JDE must be implemented through a dedicated

financial-system adapter, while the architecture must allow future adapters for other

enterprise resource planning or financial systems, including SAP, Oracle Financials, or

custom ERP platforms, to be developed and deployed with minimal or no changes to the

ASMS core financial engine.

3.7.2.21 Communication with external financial systems must be resilient and asynchronous, using

a message queue or equivalent integration mechanism. Temporary unavailability of an

external financial system must not block or degrade the core ASMS application. The system

must support retry mechanisms, exception handling, reconciliation controls, and

idempotency keys to prevent duplicate transaction processing during retries.

3.7.2.22 The ASMS must provide, at a minimum, integration interfaces for the following:

3.7.2.23 Financial Systems: Integration with JDE for automated invoicing, payment status updates,

payment reconciliation, receipts, credit notes, and related financial transaction processing,

with support for future financial-system adapters.

3.7.2.24 External Spectrum Monitoring Systems: Integration with fixed spectrum monitoring

stations, mobile monitoring units, and future monitoring platforms to support real-time and

batch ingestion of monitoring data.

3.7.2.25 Geospatial Services: Support for standard geospatial protocols and formats, including Web

Map Service (WMS), Web Feature Service (WFS), KML, KMZ, Shapefile, and other commonly

used GIS data exchange formats.

3.7.2.26 Internal ASMS Modules: Integration across the Client Portal, Spectrum Planning, Spectrum

Licensing, Service Licensing, Type Approval, Finance, Monitoring and Compliance,

Technical Database, Reporting, Workflow, and System Administration modules.

3.7.2.27 Future Integration Interfaces: The architecture must support additional integrations

without requiring major changes to the ASMS core application.

3.7.2.28 All integrations must be auditable, traceable, and monitored. The system must maintain

complete integration logs, including message status, transaction references, timestamps,

source and destination systems, success and failure outcomes, retries, exceptions, and

reconciliation results. Integration failures must generate alerts and be available for

reporting and operational support.

3.7.2.29 System administration functionality

3.7.2.30 User Account Management: The system must provide controlled and auditable user account

management capabilities to support the full user lifecycle, including account creation,

modification, and deactivation. All user account activities must be subject to appropriate

approval workflows and governance controls. Each user must be assigned a unique user

identity to ensure accountability and traceability; shared or multiple user accounts must

not be permitted. User profiles and permissions must be centrally managed in alignment

with role-based access control (RBAC), enforcing the principles of least privilege and

segregation of duties. The system must maintain a complete audit trail of all user

management activities, including account creation, role assignment, permission changes,

and deactivation, and must support periodic access reviews to ensure continued

appropriateness of access rights.

3.7.2.31 The system should be able to assign roles with set dates of start and expiry.

3.7.2.32 The system shall provide configurable, auditable reporting on all back‐end administrative

activities and configuration changes, with the ability to generate periodic and on‐demand

reports for governance, compliance, audit and security monitoring purposes.

3.7.2.33 The ASMS should provide the Authority with tools to manage users, system parameters,

workflows, access controls, and overall governance, ensuring smooth operations, security,

and compliance.

Database Administrator functionality

3.7.2.34 The system must maintain comprehensive, tamper-evident audit trails for all database

administrator activities, including privileged access, database configuration changes,

schema modifications, user and role administration, data creation, updates, deletions,

backup and restore activities, patching, maintenance tasks, and any direct database-level

changes. Audit logs must capture the database administrator identity, action performed,

affected database object or record, date and time stamp, source location or device where

applicable, and before-and-after values for data changes. These logs must be protected from

unauthorised modification or deletion and must be available for security monitoring,

compliance reporting, forensic investigation, and audit review.

Data Governance, Integrity, and Reporting Standards

3.7.2.35 Data Governance: The system must implement robust data governance frameworks to

ensure that data is managed as a controlled organisational asset. Data access, usage, and

distribution must be governed by established policies and aligned with role-based access

control (RBAC) and regulatory requirements. The system must support controlled data

import and export capabilities in standard formats (e.g., JSON, CSV, XML, GIS, Excel),

ensuring that all data exchanges are secure, authorised, and auditable. Data classification

and handling procedures must be enforced to protect sensitive and confidential information.

3.7.2.36 Data Integrity: The system must ensure high levels of data integrity, accuracy, and

consistency across all system components. Appropriate validation rules and controls must

be implemented to prevent invalid, duplicate, or inconsistent data entries. The database

must support version control and maintain historical records for key entities, including

frequency allocations, licences, and technical parameters, enabling full traceability of

changes over time. All data changes must be captured in comprehensive audit trails,

recording creation, modification, and deletion activities, including user identity, timestamps,

and before-and-after values where applicable.

3.7.2.37 Reporting Standards: The system must provide standardised, accurate, and timely

reporting capabilities to support operational monitoring, performance management, and

strategic decision-making. Dashboards must provide real-time visibility into key

performance indicators, including applications in queue, applications assigned per

authorised user, processing times per service type, bottlenecks and workflow inefficiencies,

SLA compliance and breaches, Trends in licence applications and issuance. The system must

generate comprehensive reports, including technical evaluation logs, Spectrum

assignments across frequency bands, Geographic distribution (province, district, local

municipalities), Licence lifecycle statuses (issued, renewed, amended, rejected,

surrendered, withdrawn). Reporting outputs must be consistent, auditable, and exportable

in standard formats, and support integration with external reporting and business

intelligence tools where required.

3.7.3 Workflow and Decision Making

3.7.3.1 This section describes some of the functionality related to application workflow and the

recording of decision-making that is common to the Spectrum Licensing, the Type Approval,

and the Service Licensing modules.

3.7.3.2 The design of a workflow pathway needs to be flexible in setting up. Changes to the

workflow pathways should only be made by the system administrator.

3.7.3.3 The system must implement the prioritised tiering approach to allocate applications for

processing upon applications having been verified for completeness and accuracy. The

application tiering system is as follows:

3.7.3.3.1 Tier 1 – The modules should have an efficient way for automatically allocating applications

to designated users equitably within a specific financial year, taking into account the

applications already processed.

3.7.3.3.2 Tier 2 - Management users must be able to assign and reassign applications to their

respective team members.

3.7.3.3.3 Tier 3 - The internal users should be able to take an application from a generic pool within

their designated sub-module into their own task/pool.

3.7.3.4 Users will then be able to edit the application parameters and process the application

further by selecting one of the following options:

3.7.3.4.1 Request corrective action from a preceding user or the applicant

3.7.3.4.2 Analyse and process the application by recommending approval or rejection. The

Application, with the recommendation, will then follow the appropriate workflow,

culminating in a decision.

3.7.3.5 Each type of application will be considered according to a predefined workflow that

identifies the appropriate departmental units involved in processing the application

without manual sorting.

3.7.3.6 The system should have the ability to send email or sms notifications to either internal or

external users (if required) at certain handover points.

3.7.3.7 Based on the technical or administrative analysis during the processing of the application,

the application will proceed in accordance with the prescribed workflow, which will include

approval/rejection of the application in accordance with the Delegation of Authority

Framework of the organisation. Licences/Certificates can be issued for applications that are

approved, while rejection letters will be issued for applications that are declined.

3.7.3.8 In the case of a rejection, the system must have the functionality to automatically generate

a rejection letter. The rejection letter will be generated according to a template that can be

updated, and the letter should capture the specific reasons for rejection.

3.7.3.9 In the case of approval, Licence/Certificate issued by the respective modules must have a

security feature like a QR Code so that the ICASA officials and other authorised persons can

scan the certificate to retrieve all essential information and verify the validity of the

Licence/Certificate.

3.7.3.10 For transfer applications, the respective modules must give licence/certificate holders the

option to do transfers. The transferee must already be registered on the client portal, to

provide the applicant (the transferor) the option to identify the transferee from a dropdown

list.

3.7.3.11 The respective modules must have a workflow process to withdraw a Licence/Certificate.

3.7.3.12 The module must allow the manager/supervisor to cancel applications.

3.7.3.13 The system should allow for the upload of comments and documents by internal or external

staff during the processing of tasks. These comments and documents should be available in

subsequent tasks and downloadable.

3.7.3.14 The system should have the ability to search the database of licences/certificates on

parameters such as: licence number, frequencies, call signs, stations, certificate numbers,

equipment name, etc.

3.7.3.15 The system should accurately track and display or report the amount of time spent at each

individual stage of the application workflow, providing insights into where delays may

occur. Accordingly, managers should be able to view the workload of their team members

in these reports.

3.8 Project Implementation and Support Requirements

3.8.1 The service provider must provide, as aligned to section 4 below:

3.8.1.1 Clear requirements for a detailed project implementation plan.

3.8.1.2 Formal implementation phases: planning, design, development, data migration,

testing, deployment, training, go-live, and post-implementation

embedment/remediation.

3.8.1.3 Explicit service provider responsibilities across the full project lifecycle; a

comprehensive testing strategy covering functional testing, unit testing, system

integration testing, regression testing, security testing, performance testing, data

migration testing and UAT.

3.8.1.4 An implementation/deployment strategy including readiness, cutover, rollback and

go-live approval.

3.8.1.5 A structured project phase table with activities and deliverables.

3.8.1.6 Project governance and reporting requirements.

3.8.2 Formal phase-gate approval and deliverable acceptance requirements. Upon appointment,

the service provider shall be required to adhere to the Authority’s policies, including the

Application Life Cycle Policy and the IT Infrastructure and Systems Change Management

Policy.

3.8.3 Change Management: All changes to the operating system, database, application,

configuration, infrastructure, integrations, and security settings must be managed in

accordance with the internal policies. Changes must be formally requested, assessed for risk

and impact, tested in an appropriate non-production environment, approved by the relevant

change authority, and scheduled before implementation in the production environment.

Emergency changes must follow an approved emergency change process and be

retrospectively reviewed and documented. The system must maintain a complete, tamper-

evident audit trail of all change activities, including the requester, approver, implementer,

nature of the change, affected component, date and time, reason for the change, test evidence,

approval reference, implementation outcome, rollback actions where applicable, and before-

and-after values for configuration or data changes. Change records and audit logs must be

securely retained and made available for governance, compliance, audit, and security review.

Deployment/Customisation and implementation of software

3.8.4 Environment Security (Dev / Test / Prod): The system must enforce strict segregation

between development, testing, and production environments, with controlled access and no

use of live data in non-production environments unless properly masked.

3.8.5 The Service Provider shall customise, configure, test and implement the ASMS to align with

the Authority’s approved business processes, regulatory requirements, workflows, user roles,

templates, reports, integrations and operational controls across all applicable modules.

3.8.6 Customisation shall prioritise the configuration of standard system functionality over

bespoke development to minimise complexity, cost, risk and future maintenance effort.

3.8.7 All custom development shall be strictly controlled and must be formally documented,

including functional and technical specifications, design approvals, configuration records and

version control. Such customisations shall be subject to the Authority’s approval prior to

development and must undergo comprehensive testing, including unit testing, system

integration testing and user acceptance testing, in accordance with the approved testing

strategy.

3.8.8 All customised and configured functionality shall be supported under the agreed warranty,

maintenance and support arrangements, including ongoing updates, defect resolution and

compatibility with future system upgrades.

3.8.9 The Service Provider shall ensure that all customisation activities are executed in accordance

with the approved project implementation plan, with clearly defined milestones, deliverables,

roles and responsibilities, dependencies, testing criteria and acceptance criteria.

3.8.10 No customisation shall be considered complete until it has been formally reviewed, tested

and accepted by the Authority. Payment milestones shall be linked to the Authority’s formal

acceptance of completed deliverables.

Data migration of existing data

3.8.11 The Service Provider must design and execute a comprehensive data migration strategy

covering all approved legacy data sources (systems, tools, spreadsheets, repositories).

3.8.12 The migration must follow a structured lifecycle, including profiling, extraction, cleansing,

deduplication, mapping, transformation, loading, validation, reconciliation, and formal user

acceptance.

3.8.13 All business-critical datasets must be migrated, ensuring completeness, accuracy, integrity,

traceability, and auditability.

3.8.14 The Service Provider must perform trial migrations and validations prior to final cutover,

supported by detailed reports and exception logs.

3.8.15 Data security and compliance must be enforced throughout, including protection of personal

and confidential information in line with legislation and organisational policies.

3.8.16 Migration must be formally validated and accepted by the Authority before go-live, with clear

reconciliation between source and target systems.

3.8.17 Any defects identified post go-live must be remediated under warranty and support

arrangements at no additional cost.

3.8.18 Data shall be migrated from the Authority’s existing spectrum management system and other

out-of-the-system records (e.g., Excel sheets) to the new system. The Service Provider shall

make provision for the migration of all identified and approved data categories, as outlined

below, to ensure continuity, integrity and operational readiness of the new system:

3.8.18.1.1 Legal entities: Legal entities registered within the old system are approximately

32000. The data comprises identity documents, company registration

certificates, entity names, company details, and contact details.

3.8.18.1.2 Radio Frequency Spectrum Licences: All the radio frequency spectrum licences,

frequency assignment plans and supporting technical information need to be

transferred to the new system. At the time of drafting this document, the

number of licences was as follows:

• Active – 292 licences
• Amendments in Progress– 12 licences
• Amendment Predecessor – 4 244 licences
• Up for Renewal – 5 670 licences
• Renewal in Process – 2 426 licences
• Renewal Predecessor – 35 976 licences
• Expired – 1 133 licences

3.8.18.1.3 Type Approval Certificates and equipment: All data of type-approved

equipment, as well as copies of type approval certificates issued, must be

transferred to the new system. The number of equipment and type approval

certificates issued on the current system is 29 307 and 27 459, respectively as

well as 11 308 legacy certificates.

3.8.18.1.4 Service Licensing: All the service licences, and supporting information need to

be transferred to the new system. At the time of drafting this document, the

number of licences was as follows

• Active Class Broadcasting licences – 388
• Active Individual Broadcasting licences- 62
• Individual I-ECNS and I-ECS licences

o Active: I-ECNS = 444; I-ECS =447

o Up for Renewal: IECNS = 444; IECS =447 in 2028/29

3.8.18.1.5 Callsigns: The ITU allocated several callsign ranges to South Africa for

assignment of callsigns to users in the country. All assigned and unassigned

callsigns must be transferred to a callsign database on the new system. There

are more than one million call signs that need to be populated.

3.8.18.1.6 Maritime Mobile Service Identification (MMSI) Numbering Database: The

Authority have a spreadsheet of all the MMSI numbers that were allocated for

assignment in South Africa. From this list, manual assignments are made to

qualifying applicants on request. These allocated and assigned numbers must

be populated into an MMSI database on the system. MMSI has various Sections

within Maritime (e.g., Ship station / maritime mobile, Coast Station (Port station,

pilot station, AIS base station, AIS repeater station, Assignment of identification

to aircraft - Fixed-wing aircraft, Helicopters), examples used from the ITU.

Training, skill transfer and user awareness requirements

3.8.19 The Service Provider is responsible for delivering a comprehensive, role-based training

programme covering all user groups involved in operating, administering, supporting and

governing the system.

3.8.20 Training must be planned, structured and measurable, supported by an approved training

plan, curriculum, schedule, materials, practical exercises, assessments and completion

records.

3.8.21 The training must be practical and scenario-based, using realistic Authority business

processes and data to ensure users are fully competent before go-live.

3.8.22 Training must cover end users, administrators, technical specialists, managers and external

users, and include system functionality, technical tools, reporting, security, access control,

and operational support procedures.

3.8.23 Training should be provided in a hybrid fashion, covering both physical and online formats.

3.8.24 Knowledge sustainability must be ensured through train-the-trainer sessions, knowledge

transfer, and post-go-live refresher or coaching support.

3.8.25 All training outputs must be reusable, editable and formally accepted by the Authority, with

training completion linked to payment milestones.

3.8.26 The Service Provider must conduct a formal and structured system hand‐over to the

Authority before final acceptance. This includes delivering complete, up‐to‐date

documentation, system architecture, system configurations, custom source code, migration

and testing outputs, operational and support procedures, and security settings.

3.8.27 The hand‐over must ensure effective knowledge transfer so the Authority can operate and

support the system independently. Formal acceptance of the hand‐over marks the transition

to warranty and support, without limiting the Service Provider’s responsibility for defects or

post‐implementation remediation.

3.8.28 The Service Provider must ensure effective skills transfer to the Authority’s personnel

through structured knowledge transfer activities, enabling the Authority to independently

operate, administer, support and maintain the system following implementation and

hand‐over.

3.8.29 A webinar(s) must be provided to the public (applicants and licensees) regarding how to use

the system and apply for various types of applications in the client portal. User manual videos

and recorded webinar(s) should be made available to the public, to further train applicants

and licensees on the use of the client portal.

3.8.30 The service provider will be expected to transfer knowledge (skills/knowledge

transfer) through formalised training to at least ninety (90) employees of the

Authority.

No specific dates are stated in the document. A briefing session is mentioned in the table of contents (section 5), but no date, time, or venue is provided in the extracted text.

Bidders must submit a proposal covering the full scope of work, including a detailed project implementation plan, formal implementation phases, testing strategy, deployment strategy, and project governance. The proposal must address all modules of the ASMS. Returnable documents include the standard National Treasury forms (SBD 1, SBD 4, SBD 6.1, SBD 8, SBD 9) as typically required. The system must be fully accessible via any modern browser and compatible with various browsers. The ASMS must include a dedicated Integration and Interoperability Module enabling secure, scalable, standards-based integration with internal modules, external enterprise systems, financial platforms, monitoring systems, geospatial services, and future ecosystem partners. The architecture must be agnostic of downstream external systems and not contain hardcoded dependencies on any specific financial platform.

Bidders must comply with the 80/20 PPPFA 2000 Preferential Procurement Regulations, 2022. The document does not specify additional eligibility criteria such as CSD registration, tax clearance, B-BBEE level, or CIDB grading in the extracted text. Bidders must complete the standard National Treasury forms (SBD 1, SBD 4, SBD 6.1, SBD 8, SBD 9, etc.) as typically required, but the specific forms are not enumerated in the provided text.

The ASMS must include the following modules: Client Portal, Spectrum Planning, Spectrum Licensing, Type Approval, Service Licensing, and Spectrum Monitoring and Compliance. The Client Portal must provide a secure, user-friendly online environment for submitting and tracking applications, with features such as user account creation, multi-factor authentication, role-based access control, secure password management, real-time data validation, wizard-based application process, bulk applications, status tracking, license management, alerts, and online payments. The Spectrum Planning Module supports planning and allocation of spectrum in accordance with ITU regulations, including importing the ITU-R Table of Frequency Allocation, managing frequency migration plans, and conducting compatibility studies. The Spectrum Licensing Module provides an end-to-end internal system for processing, evaluating, approving, issuing, renewing, amending, transferring, withdrawing and surrendering radio frequency spectrum licences, with configurable workflows, automatic fee calculation, and integration with other modules. The Type Approval Module ensures equipment compliance with Type Approval regulations, supporting various application types and a multi-stage evaluation workflow. The Service Licensing Module manages the full-service licensing lifecycle for class and individual licences. The Spectrum Monitoring and Compliance Module integrates with monitoring systems to detect unlicensed transmissions and generate compliance reports. The system must also meet common requirements including financial integration with ICASA's financial system (JDE), IT requirements (cloud-first, security, integration), workflow and decision-making capabilities, and project implementation and support requirements.

The service provider must have a proven track record of delivering reliable and effective ASMS solutions. The technical analysis tool must be a ready-made tool widely used by regulators worldwide.

The financial module must automate the calculation, invoicing, payment, collection, and reconciliation of all radio frequency spectrum, service licensing, and type approval fees. It must integrate with ICASA's financial system (JDE) for proforma invoice generation, payment confirmation, and final invoice creation. The system must support bulk payment approvals, dynamic fee engine, proration logic, payment lock, manual adjustments, multi-channel payment gateway, automated status updates, reconciliation tools, customizable reporting, audit trails, and regulatory adherence. All fees, charges, and potential cost drivers shall be explicitly disclosed upfront. The service provider shall not impose any undisclosed, hidden, or additional charges beyond those expressly agreed to in the contract. ICASA reserves the right to audit and verify all licensing and billing information to ensure compliance with agreed pricing terms and transparency obligations.

The system must comply with the Electronic Communications Act (ECA) and applicable regulations, including the Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations 2015, Radio Frequency Spectrum Fees Regulations 2010, Licensing Processes and Procedures Regulations for Class and Individual Licences, and Type Approval regulations. The system must comply with national laws and regulations including PCI DSS, POPIA, ICASA cybersecurity policies (ISO 27001 framework, CIS controls), and provide SOC2 reports annually. It must enforce security monitoring, patch management, session management, API security, role-based access control, multi-factor authentication, and maintain comprehensive audit trails for all system activities.

The system must support geospatial services including standard protocols and formats such as WMS, WFS, KML, KMZ, Shapefile, and other GIS data exchange formats.

The service provider will be required to perform regular patch management and remediate vulnerability assessment and penetration test findings at no additional cost. The system must be hosted in a manner that ensures disaster recovery and business continuity.

6 bid evaluation ................................................................................................................................................ 34

3.1.3 The client portal must provide external stakeholders with the following functionality with

{"name":null,"email":null,"phone":null,"department":"Process application Issue licence","address":null}

Standard South African public-sector eligibility applies: registration on the Central Supplier Database (CSD), valid SARS tax compliance status (tax pin), and submission of the required SBD forms (SBD 1, SBD 3.1/3.2/3.3, SBD 4, SBD 6.1, SBD 6.2, SBD 8, SBD 9, and Authority to Sign/Board Resolution). No additional mandatory criteria such as minimum B-BBEE level, CIDB grade, professional-body registration, or local-production percentage are specified in the extract.

and payment approval Finance Department

The document is a standard operating procedure for processing individual broadcasting licence applications, not a technical specification for the ASMS tender. It describes internal steps for handling licence applications, including forms, confidentiality requests, publication, representations, and decision-making. No technical requirements for the automated spectrum management system are provided.

Closing date: 2 October 2026 at 11:00.

Submit one soft copy electronically via email to [email protected], and/or two hard copies (including an original) plus a soft copy on USB or disc to ICASA Head Office. The application must include completed forms, proof of payment of the licence application fee, and all relevant supporting documents. Incomplete applications are put in abeyance pending missing information.

The 80/20 preference point system applies. Bidders must be registered on the CSD, have a valid tax clearance, and submit a B-BBEE affidavit or certificate to claim preference points. Required forms include SBD 4 (Declaration of Interest), SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim), SBD 8 (Declaration of Bidder's Past Supply Chain Management Practices), and SBD 9 (Certificate of Independent Bid Determination).

The document is a standard operating procedure for processing individual broadcasting licence applications, not a technical specification for the ASMS tender. It describes internal steps for handling licence applications, including forms, confidentiality requests, publication, representations, and decision-making. No technical requirements for the automated spectrum management system are provided.

The 80/20 preference point system applies. Bidders must be registered on the CSD, have a valid tax clearance, and submit a B-BBEE affidavit or certificate to claim preference points. Required forms include SBD 4 (Declaration of Interest), SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim), SBD 8 (Declaration of Bidder's Past Supply Chain Management Practices), and SBD 9 (Certificate of Independent Bid Determination).