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Top ICT tenders: An SOE affair

Kimberly Guest
By Kimberly Guest, ITWeb contributor
Johannesburg, 22 Nov 2022

State-owned entities dominate this week’s top tenders, leaving no room for other levels of government.


The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) kicks off the issue with five tenders aimed at rehabilitating its optic fibre network across Gauteng. The agency’s tender documentation says the project aims to restore the telecommunication infrastructure to enable the running of the train service using electric locomotives. 

The strategy is to appoint contractors for the supply, installation, rehabilitation of aerial optic fibre network and underground optic fibre network for telecommunication infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Prasa chief information officer David Mphelo is currently on suspension, while an investigation takes place into his conduct during his tenure as acting CEO from November 2021 to August this year.

Struggling power utility Eskom also has its eye on telecommunications, with a request for a panel or a list of technically pre-qualified contractors for delivery of its transmission project. 

The tender’s scope of work explains the installation team will be called on to install and commission various telecommunications systems into the existing network. The service contract will run for a period of five years on an ‘as and when required’ basis.

Transnet, another beleaguered state-owned enterprise, follows with a request for a competent and qualified service provider for the implementation of the Transnet Integrated Management System (TIMS). 

The entity explains that the TIMS initiative is a transversal programme that seeks to establish a common platform and standardised approach for managing Transnet’s safety, security, health, environment, risk, compliance, quality and other impacting business processes.

The tender document reveals Transnet’s transversal risk and compliance management approach has been disintegrated and operating division specific resulting in business inefficiencies and ineffectiveness. 

The new solution is expected to address this by consolidating all the risk and compliance associated business components into one complete framework, enabling Transnet to work as a single unit with unified risk and compliance management objectives of standardising processes, increasing efficiencies, reducing operating costs and functioning as a singular real-time model of communication across all operating divisions.

The State IT Agency (SITA) closes off the top tenders with three advertisements. In the first invitation the agency calls for the provisioning, customisation, testing, installation, interfacing and commissioning of a computerised aided dispatch system for the Limpopo Department of Health’s emergency medical services. This will address the department’s current complex network of call centres which uses redundant systems.

This is followed by a request on behalf of the South African Police Services for a service provider to provide a Gauteng Motorola Tetra radio network system upgrade, maintenance and support over a period of 18 months. The specification applies to the entire Tetra transmission network, including all electronic sub-systems; however, it excludes the non-transmission facilities and infrastructure at the radio high sites.

In its final advertisement, SITA invites proposals for the provision of an electronic signature service incorporating advanced electronic signatures for the Western Cape government (WCG).

The agency explains that as a direct result of challenges introduced during the COVID-19 lockdown, the WCG adopted an Adobe Digital signature into its business processes to ensure continuity of service to the public. 

While this solution promotes digital process enablement, there is limited security in using this electronic signature and its use is limited to processes contained within WCG only, which poses a restriction on external citizen engagements and the private business sector. 

The new solution is required to integrate with the WCG Active Directory, Azure and Open Text Content Suite and Process Suite platforms currently hosted with SITA.

New tenders

Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa
Prasa wishes to appoint a contractor for the supply, installation and rehabilitation of aerial optic fibre network and underground optic fibre network from the Germiston to Daveyton line at all the signal equipment rooms, apparatus rooms, depots, electrical substations, ticket offices and Prasa buildings.
Compulsory briefing: 1 Dec
Tender no: 04/09/2022/GAU-(TEL)
Information: Maggie Tshenye, Tel: (011) 013 0139, E-mail: maggie.tshenye@prasa.com.
Closing date: 15 Dec 2022
Tags: Telecommunications, Hardware, Networking, Optic Fibre, Services

A contractor is also sought for supply, installation and rehabilitation of aerial optic fibre network and underground optic fibre network from the Johannesburg to Leralla line at all the signal equipment rooms, apparatus rooms, depots, electrical substations, ticket offices and Prasa buildings.
Compulsory briefing: 1 Dec
Tender no: 05/09/2022/GAU-(TEL)
Information: Maggie Tshenye, Tel: (011) 013 0139, E-mail: maggie.tshenye@prasa.com.
Closing date: 15 Dec 2022
Tags: Telecommunications, Hardware, Networking, Optic Fibre, Services

The supply, installation and rehabilitation of aerial optic fibre network and underground optic fibre network is also required from the Naledi to Johannesburg line at all the signal equipment rooms, apparatus rooms, depots, electrical substations, ticket offices and Prasa buildings.
Compulsory briefing: 1 Dec
Tender no: 06/09/2022/GAU-(TEL)
Information: Maggie Tshenye, Tel: (011) 013 0139, E-mail: maggie.tshenye@prasa.com.
Closing date: 15 Dec 2022
Tags: Telecommunications, Hardware, Networking, Optic Fibre, Services

Proposals are also requested for the appointment of a contractor for the supply, installation and rehabilitation of aerial optic fibre network and underground optic fibre network from Pretoria to Kaalfontein line at all the signal equipment rooms, apparatus rooms, depots, electrical substations, ticket offices and Prasa buildings.
Compulsory briefing: 1 Dec
Tender no: 07/09/2022/GAU-(TEL)
Information: Maggie Tshenye, Tel: (011) 013 0139, E-mail: maggie.tshenye@prasa.com.
Closing date: 15 Dec 2022
Tags: Telecommunications, Hardware, Networking, Optic Fibre, Services

In its final notice, Prasa is looking for a contractor for the supply, installation and rehabilitation of aerial optic fibre network and underground optic fibre network from the Pretoria to Pienaarspoort line at all the signal equipment rooms, apparatus rooms, depots, electrical substations, ticket offices and Prasa buildings.
Compulsory briefing: 1 Dec
Tender no: 08/09/2022/GAU-(TEL)
Information: Maggie Tshenye, Tel: (011) 013 0139, E-mail: maggie.tshenye@prasa.com.
Closing date: 15 Dec 2022
Tags: Telecommunications, Hardware, Networking, Optic Fibre, Services

Eskom
A panel or a list of technically pre-qualified contractors is sought to install telecommunications equipment for Eskom’s transmission project delivery.
Compulsory briefing: 8 Dec – Microsoft Teams, Link.
Tender no: MWP1702TX
Information: John McGann, Tel: (011) 800 5490, E-mail: mcgannj@eskom.co.za.
Closing date: 23 Jan 2023
Tags: Telecommunications, Hardware, Services

Transnet SOC Ltd
Bids are invited for the implementation of the Transnet integrated management system for a period of five years.
Compulsory briefing: 25 Nov
Tender no: TCC/2022/08/0240/11108/RFP
Information: Vongani Hlungwani, Tel: (011) 308 4106, E-mail: Vongani.Hlungwani@transnet.net.
Closing date: 5 Dec 2022
Tags: Software, Software development

State Information Technology Agency
SITA is advertising for the provisioning, customisation, testing, installation, interfacing and commissioning of a computerised aided dispatch system for emergency medical services in the Limpopo Department of Health for a period of 36 months.
Compulsory briefing: 25 Nov – Microsoft Teams.
Tender no: RFB 2694/2022
Information: Joseph Louw, Tel: (012) 482 3109, E-mail: Joseph.Louw@sita.co.za.
Closing date: 12 Dec 2022
Tags: Software, Software development, CAD, Computer-aided dispatch, Hardware, Biometrics, Video surveillance, Vehicle tracking, Telecommunications, Networking, SMS, MDT, Radio

The agency is also looking for a service provider for a Gauteng Motorola Tetra radio network system upgrade, maintenance and support for the South African Police Services for a period of 18 months.
Tender no: RFB 2677-2022
Information: Tebogo Moloisane, Tel: (012) 482 2543, E-mail: tebogo.moloisane@sita.co.za.
Closing date: 9 Dec 2022
Tags: Hardware, Telecommunications, Networking, Radio, Services, Support and maintenance

Proposals are invited for the provision of an electronic signature service incorporating advanced electronic signatures for the Western Cape government, including maintenance and support for a period of three years.
Tender no: RFB 2687-2022
Information: Bolekwa Moea, Tel: (051) 409 5102, E-mail: bolekwa.moea@sita.co.za.
Closing date: 7 Dec 2022
Tags: Hardware, Telecommunications, Networking, Radio, Services, Support and maintenance

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