Maintenance and support: sage 300 people system and mci directhire (RFQ 00154)

Closing date: 22 September 2026 at 16:00

Contract start: 1 December 2026

License renewal period: 1 May to 30 April (annual)

Bidding procedure enquiries:

• Contact: Lufuno Balibali
• Telephone: 012 748 4048
• Email: [email protected]

Technical enquiries:

• Contact: Magadi Tshitannye
• Telephone: 012 748 4048
• Email: [email protected]

Submission email: [email protected]

Physical address:

4th Floor, Riverwalk Office Park

Block A, 41 Matroosberg Road

Ashlea Gardens

Pretoria, 0081

Postal address:

P.O. Box 580, Menlyn, 0063

Submission method: electronic only. Quotations and all supporting documents must be emailed to [email protected]. Bids must be submitted on the official forms provided and not re-typed. Late bids will not be accepted. Bids must remain valid for 14 days from the closing date.

Returnable forms and documents:

• SBD 4 (Bidder's Disclosure): declares whether any director, shareholder, or controlling person is employed by the state or connected to the procuring institution; false declarations disqualify the bid.
• SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim): claims preference points for specific goals; supporting evidence must be submitted with the bid.
• SBD 7 (Contract Form): the successful bidder must complete and sign this form.
• Part A (Invitation to Bid): supplier information and declarations, including VAT registration, tax compliance status, and B-BBEE status.
• Part B (Terms and Conditions for Bidding): includes tax compliance requirements and bid submission rules.
• Proof of authority to sign (e.g., company resolution).
• B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit (for EMEs/QSEs) to claim preference points.
• SARS TCS PIN or CSD number.

Disqualification risks:

• Failure to submit any mandatory document or form.
• Submission after the closing time.
• Bids from persons in the service of the state, or companies with directors who are, will not be considered.

Evaluation uses the 80/20 preference point system: 80 points for price (lowest acceptable price scores maximum) and 20 points for specific goals.

Specific goals (points awarded only if supporting evidence is submitted with the bid):

• 51% or more ownership by black people: 5 points (evidence: CSD report, B-BBEE certificate, or sworn affidavit)
• 51% or more ownership by black women: 5 points (same evidence)
• 30% or more ownership by people living with disabilities: 3 points (same evidence)
• 30% or more ownership by youth: 3 points (same evidence)
• EME/QSE: 4 points (same evidence)

No points are allocated if no supporting evidence is provided. The OPFA will extract CSD reports during evaluation; bidders must ensure their CSD information is accurate and up to date.

Scope: Maintenance and support of the on-premises Sage 300 People system (HR & Payroll) and the integrated MCI DirectHire online recruitment platform, for a 12-month period starting 1 December 2026.

Modules in use: HR Management (organisation structure, jobs, positions, personnel records, job costing, budgeting, learning and skills development, employment equity, performance management, recruitment, terminations), Payroll Management (salaries, benefits, general ledger integration, leave), Reporting and management information, and Employee Self-Service Portal.

Key requirements:

• Renewal of 100 on-premises licenses in the name of the OPFA, including server and user licenses (license period: 1 May to 30 April).
• Train 5 super users on HR and Payroll functionality as needed.
• Maintain and update training materials, user guides, and system documentation.
• Consider four IT environments: production, development, testing, and disaster recovery.

Out of scope: OPFA provides all on-premises ICT infrastructure, including Microsoft base operating system licenses and SQL requirements.

Service level agreement (SLA) targets and penalties:

• Incidents (normal): respond 1 hour, repair 8 hours, target 95%, penalty 3% of monthly invoice.
• Incidents (critical, complete system failure): respond 1 hour, repair 4 hours, target 95%, penalty 3%.
• Service requests: respond 1 hour, repair 8 hours, target 95%, penalty 3%.
• Service requests (new enhancements/business requirements): respond 1 hour, repair 4 hours, target 95%, penalty 3%.
• Problem management: repair 40 hours, target 90%, penalty 3%.
• Problem management (root cause analysis report): repair 40 hours, target 100%, penalty 3%.
• Reports: as per agreed reporting dates, target 100%, penalty 5% of monthly invoice.

Maintenance and support duties include: incident and problem resolution, service requests, corrective/adaptive/perfective/preventative maintenance (at least monthly during maintenance weekend), system availability and performance monitoring, system upgrades (including at least one major upgrade if released by OEM), disaster recovery tests and manual, backup using Veeam (tested at least three times a year), document upkeep, user access management, security management, audit management, reporting, and transition-out services (within three months at contract end).

Continuous improvement services: provision of 100 hours for ad-hoc new business requirements, initiated by OPFA; work only after approved statement of work; billing only for actual work signed off.

Approach: Provide maintenance and support in line with ITIL. Perform corrective, adaptive, perfective, and preventative maintenance at least monthly during maintenance weekends. Participate in system upgrades, including at least one major upgrade if released by the OEM. Conduct disaster recovery tests and create a step-by-step DR manual. Ensure data synchronisation between sites at a minimum of 15-minute intervals. Provide continuous improvement services for ad-hoc business requirements, with work only after approved statement of work.

Bidder must have at least 3 years' experience maintaining and supporting Sage 300 People including MCI DirectHire integration, in organisations with comparable requirements. Provide at least one reference letter. Proposed project team members must have a minimum of 2 years' experience in the same; submit 3 CVs.

Quality requirements are embedded in the SLA: system availability and performance monitoring, periodic health checks, and adherence to ITIL processes. Documentation must be kept up to date, including training materials and recordings. Backups must be tested at least three times a year in line with the OPFA backup policy.

Pricing must be comprehensive, covering all cost factors and VAT where applicable. Only firm prices accepted. Pricing schedule items: Maintenance and Support (1-year), Licensing (12 months), User Training, Continuous Improvements (provision of hours), Other. License renewal details: 1 May to 30 April 2026, site code U35275.

Pricing schedule items (prices excluding VAT):

• Maintenance and Support (1-year period)
• Licensing (12 months)
• User Training
• Continuous Improvements (provision of hours for ad-hoc)
• Other (specify)
• Total excluding VAT, VAT, Total including VAT

License renewal details: from 1 May to 30 April 2026. Site code: U35275.

Only firm prices will be accepted. Bids must be valid for 14 days from the closing date.

Payment terms: maintenance and support invoices payable monthly after service delivery, within 30 days of receipt of invoice. Monthly payment is fixed for the contract duration. Invoices must be preceded by a monthly report and performance against SLA.

Mandatory requirements (must be met and evidenced):

• Sage Accreditation/Reseller/Partner Status: must be a recognised Sage partner, with proof from Sage bearing the bidder's name.
• Bidder Experience: must have successfully maintained and supported Sage 300 People including MCI DirectHire integration in the past 3 years, in organisations with comparable requirements; provide at least one reference letter with organisation name, contact person, telephone, contract duration, and nature of services.
• Availability of appropriate skill: project team must have a minimum of 2 years' experience in maintenance and support of Sage 300 People and DirectHire; submit 3 CVs for proposed team members.
• Support and SLA Capability: must have local presence in South Africa and confirm ability to meet the SLA; submit details of support model, escalation procedures, support hours, and response times.

Tax compliance:

• Submit SARS TCS PIN or CSD number; a printed TCS certificate may also be submitted.
• For consortia/joint ventures/sub-contractors, each party must submit a separate TCS certificate/PIN/CSD number.
• Bids from persons in the service of the state, or companies with directors who are, will not be considered.

B-BBEE: A valid B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit (for EMEs/QSEs) must be submitted to claim preference points.

Mandatory requirements: Sage accreditation (proof from Sage), bidder experience (reference letter), project team experience (3 CVs), and local presence in South Africa with ability to meet SLA. Tax compliance: SARS TCS PIN or CSD number. B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit for preference points.

80/20 preference point system: 80 points for price, 20 points for specific goals. Specific goals: black ownership (5), black women ownership (5), disability ownership (3), youth ownership (3), EME/QSE (4). Evidence required: CSD report, B-BBEE certificate, or sworn affidavit. No points without evidence.