The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) is challenging a tender issued by the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) for a turnkey IT solution for the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act (AARTO).
In a statement, the non-profit civil action organisation argues there are several flaws in the tender process, which include that it was “rushed” as it was issued over the quiet December period.
OUTA claims the tender may duplicate current government capabilities and outsource key administrative tasks, resulting in higher long-term costs. The value of the tender is not yet known.
The organisation also warns that private “profit incentives threaten trust in traffic enforcement”. It argues that “linking commercial gain to infringement administration could erode fairness and public confidence in AARTO”.
ITWeb has confirmed that the tender under scrutiny, RFP08/2025/2026, is for the appointment of a turnkey contractor for the rollout and operation of the AARTO core services for 60 months.
Having opened for bidding on 8 December 2025, the tender was set to close on 3 February, which was later extended until this Friday.
Central control
The intention is that a single private sector contractor is appointed for the establishment and operations of the call centre, back-office, service of documents and service outlets services, the tender document states, as reported by ITWeb.
RTIA has listed the tender category as ICT hardware, software and network support services, ICT, outsourcing and concessions, project and construction management, project planning, monitoring and evaluation.
“Respondents must demonstrate technical capability, financial stability and proven experience in delivering large-scale digital enforcement systems, as well as database creation to process and maintain records with regard to actions performed in terms of the AARTO Act,” the document notes.
‘Perverse incentives’
OUTA questions whether this late extension meaningfully “mitigates the risks created by the original compressed timetable”. It warns that if the process remains rushed for a procurement of this scale, there will be serious implications for fairness, competition and transparency.
The organisation adds that it is “particularly concerned that the tender appears to outsource core administrative and enforcement-support functions that already exist within government”.
“Traffic enforcement is not meant to operate as a profit-driven exercise,” says Wayne Duvenage, CEO of OUTA. “When private entities stand to benefit from administrative processes linked to fines, it creates perverse incentives and erodes public trust. That is exactly what AARTO does not need.”
RTIA, through the Electronic National Traffic Information System (commonly called eNaTIS) platform, already manages national traffic administration systems that interface directly with AARTO processes, says OUTA.
“Duplicating this capacity through a private contractor risks higher costs, operational complexity and weakened institutional capability,” it adds.
The organisation also questions the appropriateness of introducing private commercial incentives into systems that support traffic infringement enforcement.
OUTA says it has raised these concerns with transport minister Barbara Creecy and RTIA chairperson Bonolo Ramokhele.
The RTIA was unable to respond to a query within ITWeb’s publication deadline.
The tender comes amid ongoing uncertainty about AARTO's rollout timeline. The controversial Act was meant to be fully implemented by the end of last year, which would have seen the rollout of the law, without the actual points deduction, implemented in 69 municipalities from December.
RTIA aimed to finalise the extension of the Act beyond Johannesburg and Tshwane by the end of 2025, bringing 144 municipalities onboard. However, the transport department postponed the rollout to July, announcing the delay on 10 November 2025.
The delay came “amid an assessment by the department of the state of readiness in some of the municipalities that were to form part of the first implementation phase” as well as the need to finalise training of enforcement and back-office officials.
Under the demerit system, motorists who accumulate a total of 15 points will have their licences suspended for three months for each point exceeding this threshold. Two suspensions will result in a complete cancellation of a licence.
OUTA has already warned that motorists could lose their driver's licences when AARTO rolls out nationally, not because they are dangerous drivers, but because critical technological flaws will leave the system vulnerable to errors, corruption and outdated data.
At the time, RTIA responded that it has all the relevant systems and processes in place to ensure technological flaws and human error don’t plague the system.
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