The payroll module of National Treasury's Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) is back on the market, following “governance issues” with bids received last month.
The payroll application was one of four modules making up tender RFB 882/2011, as advertised in August by the State IT Agency (SITA), the development partner on the IFMS project.
Industry concerns surrounding the requirements of this tender saw the state-owned entity extend the submission deadline three times, as well as hold a rare “clarification session” several weeks after its customary compulsory briefing.
An earlier investigation exposed these concerns, questioning the requirements of the tender and the feasibility of its expectations. Tender documentation revealed the scope of each module called for full bespoke development of the relevant system and configuration of the lead site; project management services, the copyright and intellectual property to reside with SITA; test support services; software maintenance and support for a period of five years; and an onerous skills transfer programme.
The successful bidder for the payroll module would have nine months, from the award date, to complete the development of the application before facing penalties.
The payroll portion of the RFB 882/2011 tender has now been cancelled, replaced by new tender RFB 925/2011. Close inspection of both tender documents reveal slight differences to the wording; however, the material elements remain unchanged.
SITA corporate communications executive Anthea Summers says the organisation had to withdraw the original tender as it did not meet the organisation's minimum requirements. “It's simply a governance issue that required we re-advertise,” she explains.
SITA did not disclose the minimum requirements that were not fulfilled.
Industry players are frustrated at the additional outlay a new tender requires. One player, who asked not to be named, explained his organisation would have to approach the documentation as if it was entirely different, or risk being excluded during the evaluation on a technicality.
“Sure, it won't require as much time, resource and financial investment as the first tender; but it will still result in additional unnecessary expenditure, because SITA appears to have got its own process wrong. And it's not the first time either; SITA appears to lack an appreciation of the costs involved in responding to tenders,” he says.
Meanwhile, sources close to the bid evaluation process say the remaining three modules of RFB 882/2011 - inventory, financial management and the data exchange - are being fast-tracked through the procurement department's assessments. The winning bidder of at least one of the modules, if not all three, should be announced before the year closes.
A compulsory briefing will be held later this week for companies interested in responding to the new payroll tender. The submission deadline is 5 December.
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