Supply of 10 000 tonnes of torrefied biomass pellets for 12-month co-firing trials at an ESKOM coal-fired power station

Issue date: 31 August 2026

Closing date and time: 29 September 2026 at 10h00 SAST

Clarification query deadline: 16 September 2026 at 16h00

Final clarification responses published: 18 September 2026 (on National Treasury e-tender portal and Eskom tender bulletin)

No tender clarification meeting (site meeting) will be held.

Tender validity period: 24 weeks from closing date and time.

Eskom Representative: Thembekile Matshaya

Telephone: 011 800 3046

Email: [email protected]

All queries and clarifications must be directed in writing to this representative only. No other Eskom official may be contacted.

Submission address: Eskom e-tendering portal https://etendering.eskom.co.za

Submission method: electronic only via Eskom e-tendering portal https://etendering.eskom.co.za. No hard copies or ZIP files accepted.

Closing deadline: 29 September 2026 at 10h00 SAST. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Documents must be uploaded in PDF format; the pricing schedule must also be provided in Excel format.

Maximum file size per document: 500 MB. Total submission size limit: 4 GB.

Documents must be categorised into folders: Technical, Commercial, Financial, and Other (SHEQ).

If a tender is resubmitted, only the latest version is considered; previous submissions become void.

Submission status must show as complete before the deadline.

Mandatory returnable forms (disqualifiable if omitted or unsigned at closing):

• Annexure A: Authorisation Form
• Annexure B: Acknowledgement Form (e-tendering training acknowledgement)
• Annexure C: Tenderer's Particulars
• Annexure D: Integrity Pact Declaration Form
• Annexure G1–G4: SBD 6.2 Declaration Certificate for Local Production and Content and supporting schedules
• Annexure H: SBD 1 Invitation to Bid
• Annexure I: SBD 6.1 Preference Points Claim Form (PPPFA 2022)
• Annexure J: SBD 4 Bidder's Disclosure
• NEC3 contract documents (completed and signed)
• Completed pricing schedule (PDF and Excel)
• Proof of CSD registration (CSD number or CSD report)

Non-disqualifiable returnables (must be submitted at closing; if incomplete, 5 working days to remedy):

• E-tendering Help Manual acknowledgement form
• Letter of intent to form JV/consortium or valid JV agreement (if applicable)
• Written confirmation that JV will operate as a single incorporated entity (if applicable)
• Details of single designated JV bank account (if applicable)
• Proof of specific goals (failure results in zero points, not disqualification)
• Tax clearance certificate or SARS e-filing PIN (foreign tenderers with SA footprint; local tenderers without PIN)
• Tax Evaluation Questionnaire (if applicable)
• Proof of compliance with Employment Equity Act (SA tenderers only)
• Additional documents per scope: ECSA/SACPCMP registration, CVs, permits, licences (if applicable)

Returnables required prior to contract award:

• COIDA certificate of good standing or proof of application (SA tenderers only)
• Quality documentation: List of Tender Returnables/Quality Requirement Document (Category 4), FORM A (Tender & Contract Quality Requirements for QM 58 and ISO 9001), Supplier Quality Management Specification, Method Statement template
• OHS documentation: Annexure B, OHS Plan, Baseline OHS Risk Assessment, valid Letter of Good Standing (COIDA or equivalent), OHS policy signed by CEO, 37(2) Eskom Agreement, costing for Health and Safety, competency evidence
• Environmental documentation: signed Environmental Policy, Aspects and Impacts register, Environmental Method Statement
• Financial due diligence: latest approved annual financial statements (not draft, not management accounts) of the tendering entity (not parent/holding company), including background, signed director's report, signed auditor/reviewer/compiler/accounting officer report, statement of financial position, statement of comprehensive income, statement of changes in equity, statement of cash flows, notes to financial statements; signed public interest score (if not audited); ITA34C for current and previous years (if not audited); for unincorporated JV/SPV, each partner must submit its own financial statements

Disqualification risks: missing or unsigned mandatory returnables at closing; late submission; submission outside e-tendering portal; incomplete tender (commercial, financial, technical); failure to meet eligibility criteria; conflict of interest; restricted by National Treasury, Tender Defaulters list, or Eskom; subcontracting 100% of scope; tender signed by unauthorised person.

Tenderer must be registered on the Central Supplier Database (CSD); not be restricted by National Treasury, Eskom, or on the Tender Defaulters list; have no conflict of interest; not subcontract 100% of the scope; and submit all mandatory returnables by closing. Joint ventures must have a signed agreement with joint and several liability, a single designated bank account, and operate as a single entity. Foreign suppliers with a South African footprint must provide tax clearance; local suppliers must provide SARS e-filing PIN or CSD verification. Designated employers must prove Employment Equity Act compliance. No CIDB grading or Contract Skills Development Goals apply.

Evaluation uses the 90/10 preference point system (tender value above R50 million). Price scored out of 90 points; specific goals scored out of 10 points per PPPFA 2022. Functionality is a mandatory gate with a 70% minimum threshold; tenderers below 70% are disqualified. Functionality criteria: Technical capability (30%), Relevant experience and track record (40%), Delivery approach and long-term support capability (30%). Price evaluation: inclusive of VAT, corrected for arithmetic errors, excluding contingencies, adjusted for acceptable variations/deviations/alternatives, compared on Net Present Value basis using tendered programme, price adjustment factors, exchange rate fluctuations, and risk parameters. Unconditional discounts considered; conditional discounts not considered for evaluation but applied at payment. Specific goals: failure to submit evidence yields zero points, not disqualification. Contractual requirements (CSD, SHEQ, financial viability) assessed post-evaluation; proof required before award. Alternative tenders not allowed. Reverse e-auction not applicable. Objective criteria not applicable. Ranking by combined price and specific goals scores, highest to lowest.

Scope: Supply and delivery of a 10 000-tonne consignment of torrefied biomass pellets for full-scale co-firing trials at a coal-fired power station over a 12-month period.

Product specifications (torrefied biomass pellets from mixed wood):

• Feedstock: sustainably sourced wood
• Pellet size: diameter 6–10 mm, length 3.15–35 mm
• Bulk density: expected average 530 kg/m³
• Water content: <10% (expected range 5–10%)
• Gross calorific value (dry basis): ≥21.5 MJ/kg (expected average 22.0 MJ/kg)
• Fines: <5%
• No supplementary ultrafines permitted.

Contract form: NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) / Supply Short Contract (SSC3) as per attached NEC3 documents.

Pricing schedule/BOQ provided in NEC3 documents (PDF and Excel copy required).

Cataloguing may be required after award; successful tenderer must provide cataloguing information per item and ensure materials are labelled per Eskom specifications. If cataloguing is required, pricing schedule must include a line item for cataloguing (Eskom pays for cataloguing).

Security for performance: if required, tenderer must select at least two Eskom-approved financial institutions for performance bond or demand guarantee.

Joint venture requirements (if applicable): JV agreement must state joint and several liability, lead member, profit-sharing ratios, single designated JV bank account independent of partners, and written confirmation that JV operates as a single incorporated entity for contract duration.

Subcontracting: main contractors discouraged from subcontracting with subsidiaries; if done, must be declared. Subcontracting 100% of scope disqualifies the tenderer.

Quality requirements: Supplier Quality Management Specification, Quality Requirements for QM 58 and ISO 9001, Method Statement template, FORM A (Tender & Contract Quality Requirements).

OHS requirements: OHS Plan, Baseline OHS Risk Assessment, valid Letter of Good Standing (COIDA or equivalent), OHS policy signed by CEO, 37(2) Eskom Agreement, costing for Health and Safety, competency evidence.

Environmental requirements: signed Environmental Policy, Aspects and Impacts register per scope of work, Environmental Method Statement.

Additional documents per scope of work: ECSA/SACPCMP registration, CVs, permits, licences (if applicable).

Pricing format: completed pricing schedule (BOQ) as per NEC3 documents, submitted in PDF and Excel format. Prices must be inclusive of VAT.

Payment terms: for contracts below R50 million (incl. VAT), Eskom pays within 30 days of receipt of undisputed invoices; for contracts above R50 million (incl. VAT), payment within 60 days of receipt of undisputed invoices.

Eskom reserves the right to negotiate with preferred bidders if tendered prices are not market-related.

Performance security: if required, tenderer must select at least two Eskom-approved financial institutions for performance bond or demand guarantee.

Financial due diligence: latest approved annual financial statements (not draft or management accounts) of the tendering entity (not parent/holding company) required prior to contract award, including full set of statements, signed director's report, signed auditor/reviewer/compiler/accounting officer report, public interest score (if not audited), ITA34C for current and previous years (if not audited). For unincorporated JV/SPV, each partner must submit its own financial statements.

No CIDB grading, Contract Skills Development Goals, or Contract Participation Goals apply.

Mandatory eligibility and compliance requirements:

• CSD registration (CSD number or CSD report) — mandatory contractual requirement.
• Tax compliance: SARS e-filing PIN for verification by Eskom, or valid tax clearance certificate (foreign tenderers with SA footprint but not on CSD; local tenderers without PIN). Foreign suppliers with no SA footprint need only complete SBD 1; no tax compliance proof required.
• B-BBEE: proof of B-BBEE status level (certificate from authorised body, sworn affidavit per B-BBEE Codes, or other prescribed proof) to claim specific goals points. Failure to submit proof results in zero points for specific goals, not disqualification.
• SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid) — must be completed and submitted by all tenderers.
• SBD 4 (Bidder's Disclosure) — declares interest, state employment, conflicts.
• SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim Form) — for PPPFA 2022 specific goals.
• SBD 6.2 (Declaration Certificate for Local Production and Content) with Annexures G2, G3, G4 — required if designated materials are included.
• Integrity Pact Declaration Form (Annexure D) — must download and read Supplier Integrity Pact from Eskom Tender Bulletin.
• Authorisation Form (Annexure A) — with certified copy of board resolution/members' resolution/power of attorney/trustee resolution as applicable.
• Acknowledgement Form (Annexure B) — e-tendering training acknowledgement.
• Tenderer's Particulars (Annexure C).
• NEC3 contract documents completed and signed.
• Completed pricing schedule (PDF and Excel).
• Proof of compliance with Employment Equity Act (SA tenderers only), including proof of submission of Employment Equity report to Department of Labour.
• COIDA certificate of good standing or proof of application (SA tenderers only) — required prior to contract award.
• Quality management documentation per Category 4 requirements — required prior to contract award.
• OHS documentation (OHS Plan, BRA, COIDA letter, OHS policy, 37(2) Agreement, costing, competency) — required prior to contract award.
• Environmental documentation (Environmental Policy, Aspects and Impacts register, Environmental Method Statement) — required prior to contract award.
• Financial statements as detailed in financial requirements — required prior to contract award.
• No CIDB grading required. Contract Skills Development Goals and Contract Participation Goals not applicable.
• Tenderer must not be restricted by National Treasury, on Tender Defaulters list, restricted by Eskom, or have nationality of a sanctioned country.
• No conflict of interest (common controlling partner/shareholder, relationships enabling information access or influence).
• Tender must be signed by authorised person (per Authorisation Form).
• Single tender per entity (no multiple tenders individually or as JV partner).
• JV/consortium agreement must explicitly state joint and several liability.