Appointment of a service provider to provide and manage the whistleblowing hotline for five years

The National Lotteries Commission seeks to appoint a service provider to provide and manage a whistleblowing hotline for five years, operating 24/7/365. The hotline provides staff, beneficiaries, and stakeholders with an alternative reporting mechanism for allegations of fraud and corruption, assisting the NLC in combating anti-bribery and fraud-related incidents relating to the national lottery, other lotteries, and sports pools.

Closing date and time: 25 September 2026 at 11:00 SAST.

RFQ issue date: 16 September 2026.

No briefing session or site visit is stated.

Enquiries (SCM):

• Contact: Supply Chain Management
• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: 012 432 1300

Technical enquiries:

• Contact: Penelope Soyingwa
• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: 012 432 1414

Additional enquiry contact:

• Contact: Kamogelo Motlhamme
• Email: [email protected]

Submission address:

Supply Chain Management, NLC

P.O Box 1556

Brooklyn Square 0083, Pretoria

Submission method: e-Tender portal only.

Submission method: e-Tender portal only (no physical submissions accepted).

Address submissions to Supply Chain Management, NLC.

Closing date and time: 25 September 2026 at 11:00 SAST.

Bids must be submitted in English.

Late or incomplete submissions will be rejected.

Returnable documents (all must be completed, signed, and submitted):

• SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid): bidder details and signed as the offer cover page.
• SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim Form): claims preference points under the 80/20 system.
• SBD 4 (Declaration of Interest): discloses any director/shareholder employed by the state or connected to the NLC; false declaration disqualifies.
• CSD registration proof (CSD number and CSD Summary report).
• Valid SARS Tax PIN (tax compliance confirmation).
• Original signed POPIA consent form.
• Valid B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit (or consolidated certificates for a JV).
• Signed JV agreement (if applicable).
• Price proposal (Pricing Schedule per Annexure 1).

Disqualification risks:

• Any returnable form omitted or unsigned.
• Bids received after the closing time.
• Attempting to alter the terms or scope of work.
• Collusion with other bidders (leads to disqualification and restriction from state business).

Evaluation stages:

1. Administrative compliance: SBD 1, SBD 6.1, CSD registration, SARS Tax PIN, POPIA consent, B-BBEE certificate/affidavit.
2. Mandatory compliance: SBD 4, price proposal, JV agreement (if applicable). Failure renders bid non-responsive.
3. Technical/functional evaluation: minimum qualifying score of 75%.

• Company Experience (10%): detailed company profile with years of relevant experience. Ratings: 0 points (no experience), 1 (3-4 years), 2 (>4-6 years), 3 (>6-8 years), 4 (>8-10 years), 5 (>10 years).
• Written Letters (25%): three contactable client references on official letterhead, signed and dated, not older than three years, detailing project name, duration, and recommendation. Appointment letters not accepted. Ratings: 1-5 letters = 1-5 points.
• Capacity and ability to provide/manage whistleblowing hotline (35%): electronic system and experience. Ratings: 1 (<3 years), 2 (3-5 years), 3 (>5-8 years), 4 (>8-10 years), 5 (>10 years).
• Project Plan and Methodology (30%): detailed plan covering work management, processes/workflows, and crisis management. Ratings: 2 (one element), 3 (two elements), 4 (all elements good), 5 (all elements excellent).

4. Special goals (80/20 preference point system):

• Price: 80 points using formula Ps = 80(1 - (Pt - Pmin)/Pmin).
• Specific goals (max 20 points):
• Black Ownership: 6 points (100%), 4 (51-99%), 0 (<51%).
• Black Women Ownership: 4 points (100%), 2 (30-99%), 0 (<30%).
• Black Youth Ownership: 4 points (100%), 2 (30-99%), 0 (<30%).
• Disabilities: 4 points (≥20% owners with disability), 2 (>10% but <20%), 0 (<10%).
• Evidence: CSD report, B-BBEE certificate/sworn affidavit, doctor's letter confirming disability.

5. Due diligence: NLC may conduct site visits, review court judgments/regulatory actions, and request additional information before or after award.
6. Contract and award: negotiation with lowest acceptable tenderer for improvements; bidders may be asked for best and final offers.

The National Lotteries Commission requires a service provider to provide and manage a whistleblowing hotline for five years, operating 24/7/365.

Scope of work:

• Provide technological infrastructure for the hotline.
• Take over the current hotline telephone, SMS, and fax numbers (switching and related costs borne by the service provider).
• Operate the call centre 24/7/365.
• Multilingual capabilities, preferably in all 11 official languages.
• Ensure protection and confidentiality of information and whistleblowers.
• Provide a FreeCall number for stakeholders in South Africa.
• Retain/secure the existing NLC Fraud Hotline number 0800 21 21 29.
• Provide a unique email address.
• Make generic Free Post and Free Fax facilities available.
• Provide access to a Case Management Application for receiving tip-offs.
• Upload reports electronically onto the Case Management Application within 24 hours on weekdays, or within 36 hours after weekends/public holidays, or email within the same timeframes.
• Translate calls in any South African official language into English.
• Make available a Call Summary Report on the Case Management Application.

Deliverables:

• Whistleblowing hotline infrastructure and reports on fraud/corruption allegations at a frequency determined by the NLC.

Reporting: Report to the Office of the Chief Audit Executive.

Methodology: Must outline the methodology for conducting forensic investigations (no textbook explanation), with a step-by-step approach.

The bidder must clearly outline and explain the methodology for conducting forensic investigations at the NLC (no textbook explanation), stipulate the approach, and provide a step-by-step explanation of the proposed process.

The project plan and methodology (30% of technical score) must cover how work will be managed, processes and workflows within the firm, and crisis management.

Company Experience (10% of technical score):

• Submit a detailed company profile demonstrating capacity and experience, including years of experience, organisational structure, staff organogram, and profiles of core staff.
• Provide proof of previous experience, including clients and duration.
• Bidders who do not demonstrate capacity will score zero even if experience is listed.

Scoring: 0 points (no relevant experience), 1 (3-4 years), 2 (>4-6 years), 3 (>6-8 years), 4 (>8-10 years), 5 (>10 years).

Written Letters (25% of technical score):

• Provide three contactable client references on official letterhead, signed and dated, not older than three years, detailing project name, duration, and recommendation.
• Appointment letters are not accepted.

Scoring: 1-5 relevant reference letters = 1-5 points.

Capacity and ability to provide/manage whistleblowing hotline (35% of technical score):

• Demonstrate electronic system and experience in managing a whistleblowing line.

Scoring: 1 (<3 years), 2 (3-5 years), 3 (>5-8 years), 4 (>8-10 years), 5 (>10 years).

No specific quality management or QA/QC requirements are stated beyond the general requirement to protect confidentiality and provide accurate reports within the specified timeframes.

Pricing Schedule: Refer to Annexure 1.

Price is scored out of 80 points using the formula Ps = 80(1 - (Pt - Pmin)/Pmin).

No bid security, guarantees, retention, or payment terms are stated.

CSD registration: Compulsory; provide CSD registration number and attach CSD Summary report; remain registered for the contract duration.

Tax compliance: Must be tax compliant at submission and for the contract duration; provide SARS Tax PIN or TCS certificate.

B-BBEE: Valid B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit (for EMEs/QSEs) required to claim preference points.

POPIA: Original signed consent form required.

SBD 4 (Declaration of Interest): Must be fully completed; failure to declare honestly leads to disqualification.

SBD 6.1 (Preference Points Claim Form): Must be fully completed and signed.

SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid): Must be fully completed and signed.

No CIDB grading or professional registrations are stated.

Contract duration: Five years, effective from date of appointment, SLA signing, or as directed by the NLC.

Validity period: Bids must remain valid for 120 days from closing date; bidders may be asked to extend validity in writing, and failure to respond means the bid lapses.

Binding offer: A bid is a binding and irrevocable offer for 60 days from closing date; no agreement until a contract is concluded and an official NLC Purchase Order is issued.

NLC rights: May amend, withdraw, or terminate the RFQ at any time without notice or liability; may waive requirements; may reject all bids.

Precedence: The RFQ takes precedence over any attached documents.

Confidentiality: Bids become NLC property; personal information processed per POPIA and may be shared with third parties as required by law.

Restrictions: No canvassing NLC officers between closing and award; no news releases without consent; no entity may submit more than one bid.

Supplier performance: Annual performance reviews for contracts over a year; non-performance addressed with formal letter and remedial actions, escalating if not corrected.

Enquiries:

• SCM: [email protected], 012 432 1300
• Technical: Penelope Soyingwa, [email protected], 012 432 1414
• Additional: [email protected]

Responses to queries may be shared with other bidders.