The Gauteng Department of Finance (GDF) says it is unlikely to have finalised the tender processes in procuring new suppliers for the Gauteng Online project by the proposed deadline, but says it will not let learners suffer and will take interim measures to keep computers running.
Questions arose last week regarding the department's ability to procure new service providers for the Gauteng Online project in time to meet a deadline that coincides with the expiry of the current supplier's contract. This became especially worrying after it was revealed that a recently issued tender was only for the supply of end-user devices and did not include connectivity.
GDF spokesperson Sithembiso Ndlovu has confirmed that a separate open tender will soon be issued for the supply of connectivity to the project.
He noted the closed tender was issued to a number of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for the supply of 80 000 end-user devices, such as tablets, ultrabooks and notebooks. "This particular [closed] tender does not include connectivity. It is only for devices that are connectivity-enabled," says Ndlovu.
He was unable to pinpoint an exact date for the issuing of the connectivity open tender.
The Gauteng Online project was initiated in 2002 through the provincial Department of Education and implemented by various service providers. In April 2007, the programme was transferred to the GDF, and the contract awarded to SMMT (now Cloudseed).
After Cloudseed's original contract expired on 31 March, it was extended for a further three months, at a cost of R126 million. During this time, Gauteng finance MEC Mandla Nkomfe said the department is looking to redesign the project, so that all learners would have their own devices, such as tablets, smartphones and netbooks.
Revamp
Head of the Gauteng Online project, Steven Gounden, says the expiration of Cloudseed's contract, at the end of June, will also be the end of the Gauteng Online project as it has been known until now. From July, the project will be called the E-learning Solution and will be divided into three aspects, namely end-user devices, connectivity and content.
Gounden expressed concern that the general focus seems to be on the connectivity of Gauteng Online, while that is merely one aspect of the project. This leads to the perception that the project will be a failure should there be a break in connectivity, while the project aims to offer much more than simply Internet access.
He explains the end-user devices for the E-learning Solution will be supplied by the winning bidder of the tender that closed last Thursday, while an open tender will soon be issued for the supply of connectivity. The e-learning content is likely to be sourced from content that is already available.
Ndlovu was unable to elaborate on the details of the interim measures that will be taken, but says this will be communicated at a later stage.
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