Top ICT tenders: Comms dept pursues SABC funding model

Volumes on National Treasury’s eTenders Portal are lower this week, but the ICT industry benefits from a range of interesting requests, with particular focus on software requirements.

The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies grabs the headline this week with its announcement that it wishes to appoint a service provider to develop a funding model for the beleaguered South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

The department notes the funding of public media services has become a prominent discussion in various jurisdictions, especially with the increasing challenges of creating sustainable, viable and independent funding mechanisms.

“For the longest time, most public media services have been relying on the TV licence fees for their sustainability. However, with prevalent licence fee evasions, most Public Service Media are struggling to survive,” it says.

“In addition, with new players in direct competition with the traditional media services, advertising revenue is dwindling and the competition for advertising has heightened. Crucially, it is essential to recognise that hardly any public media organisations rely solely on a single funding source.”

While these international trends are certainly being felt in South Africa, the department also acknowledges the 2017 final report of the ad hoc committee on the SABC board inquiry. This noted there was evidence the broadcaster’s primary role had been undermined by poor governance and management, preventing the board from fulfilling its responsibilities.

The key issues identified in this report included: financial instability due to mismanagement, policy non-compliance and irregular procurement; interference with editorial independence, breaching journalistic ethics; and abuse of executive power, weakening the governance structure.

“The SABC continues to experience challenges with TV licence fees collection; the corporation spends more on enforcing services for collection than the revenue generation on licence fees,” the department acknowledges.

“A sustainable funding model will empower the SABC to deliver on its mandate without undue political or financial pressures. It will enable the broadcaster to provide comprehensive, impartial news coverage, support South Africa’s cultural industries, and reach audiences in every corner of our diverse nation.”

Other tenders that make this week’s top 10:

• Transnet is inviting bids for the provision of technical services for the development and deployment of a finance consolidation solution based on the already completed blueprint. The blueprint envisions a solution that will act as a consolidation engine that will ingest data from six disparate SAP instances and have capabilities of consolidating and reporting on the financial data that is consumed from the various ERP systems, it says.

• The state-owned company also seeks a service provider to implement a procurement master data enablement solution. Transnet explains the main project goal is to implement SAP Master Data Governance as the primary master data management solution for Transnet for the material, service and vendor master data domains.

• Eskom requires implementation of an automated data leakage prevention managed service. The utility says this forms part of its cyber risk strategy to enable the business to protect data at-rest and data in-transit across all IT platforms.

• The utility’s Camden Power Station requires supply and delivery of new MACH 4002 time server routers and computer migration servers, HP Z400, on a one-time purchase basis.

• The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is requesting proposals on behalf of the South African National Research Network for the provision of a 1Gbps fixed-line fibre managed circuit between the Department of Agriculture, Elsenburg and Teraco, Rondebosh sites. A cross-connect will be required from the SANReN/TENET cabinet to the bidder’s terminating point or meet-me room in the data centre where the link it is terminating at Teraco Rondebosch.

• The South African Revenue Service (SARS) requires a customer insights platform. The organisation explains it aims to enhance voluntary compliance and modernise service delivery through data-driven strategies. To achieve this, SARS has collected over two million taxpayer responses using its existing survey and research platform over the past several years. While the existing platform has significantly enhanced its ability to gather customer experience insights and conduct research, it presents several operational and strategic limitations, it says.

• The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa wishes to appoint a panel of up to five service providers to conduct quality of service (QoS) measurements for benchmarking of mobile network quality of service. The services will be used on an as-and-when required basis to benchmark mobile voice services by Cell C, MTN, Telkom and Vodacom; and mobile data (broadband) services offered by Cell C, MTN, Telkom, Vodacom and Rain in a multi-vendor, multi-technology environment.

• Limpopo’s Department of Community Safety and Transport Management is advertising for an intelligent transport system for the province. This will include the implementation of an automated fare collection system and an integrated public transport management system to enhance the efficiency and management of public transportation services and operators in the province, it says.

• The Eastern Cape Department of Public Works and Infrastructure wishes to procure a customer business management system which will be integrated with a job card/service request management system (facilities management system). Currently, the department uses Q-contact as a softphone and Concept Evolution as a facilities management system. However, the contracts for both systems are coming to an end, leaving the department with only the data processed on these systems, it says.

Transnet

Bids are invited for the provision of finance consolidation on a centralised digital platform solution for 12 months.

Non-compulsory briefing: 11 July – Microsoft Teams
Tender no: TCC/2025/04/0001/94272/RFP
Information: Mahlodi Kganyago, Tel: 011 012 2490, E-mail: mahlodi.kganyago@transnet.net
Closing date: 8 August 2025

­­Tags: Services, software, cloud computing, enterprise resource planning, ERP

A service provider is sought to implement the procurement master data enablement solution for two years.

Tender no: TCC/2025/06/0001/97995/RFP
Information: Vongani Hlungwani, Tel: 011 308 4106, E-mail: Vongani.Hlungwani@transnet.net
Closing date: 22 July 2025

­­Tags: Software, master data, procurement

Eskom

The utility requires implementation of an automated data leakage prevention managed service for five years.

Tender no: E1426CXMWP
Information: Hamilton Ngwenya, Tel: 013 699 7088, E-mail: Ngwenyha@eskom.co.za
Closing date: 23 July 2025

­­Tags: Software, services, automated data leakage prevention, DLP, managed services

Supply and delivery of new MACH 4002 time server routers and computer migration servers, HP Z400 are also sought for Camden Power Station.

Tender no: E1431GXMPCAM
Information: Mandla Maseko, Tel: 017 827 8339, E-mail: masekome@eskom.co.za
Closing date: 22 July 2025

­­Tags: Hardware, routers, servers

Note: Refer to the Eskom E-tendering public website, https://eTendering.eskom.co.za, to view information about published tenders and submit tender documents.

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

The CSIR is requesting proposals for the provision of a managed bandwidth link for the South African National Research Network (SANReN) connectivity for the Department of Agriculture Elsenburg to the CSIR.

Tender no: CSIR RFP 3686/25/07/2025
Information: SCM, Tel: 012 841 2911, E-mail: tender@csir.co.za
Closing date: 25 July 2025

­­Tags: Telecommunications, managed bandwidth link

Department of Communications and Digital Technologies

The national department wishes to appoint a service provider to develop a funding model for the SABC.

Compulsory briefing: 14 July
Tender no: DCDT/02/2025/26
Information: R Hlahla, Tel: 012 427 8029, E-mail: dcdttenders@dcdt.gov.za
Closing date: 25 July 2025

­­Tags: Services, professional services, consulting, broadcasting

South African Revenue Service