Top ICT tenders: National government returns to tech

After several weeks of ICT opportunities on National Treasury’s eTenders Portal being dominated by state-owned entities and municipal-level requirements, five national departments return to advertise their technology needs.

The Department of Defence opens the issue with its wish to secure an outsourced service provider for the supply and delivery of a digital audio recording processing machine at its legal division.

In its tender documentation, the department notes the solution should have a minimum of four audio recording channels, be fully automated, have an intuitive and easy to use user interface, verified archive system, automated backup and data integrity checks and be integration-ready with court case management system and other judicial IT infrastructure.

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy follows with an invitation for bids on the development, maintenance and support of automation of submission processes within the organisation. The department says this e-Submission system will serve as a crucial tool in enhancing efficiency, transparency and accountability across all departments and should cover submission, memo, leave and correspondence.

The State Information Technology Agency (SITA) steps in to advertise for the Department of Tourism, which requires VMware licence renewal. The agency notes the department is currently using VMwareas a virtualisation platform in two data centres (SITA and Tourism House) and each data centre has its own vCenter.

The Department of Human Settlements is also using SITA to call for the appointment of a service provider for the installation and configuration of switch and wireless network infrastructure in three phases, including maintenance and support. The agency notes the department’s current network infrastructure is due for an upgrade and poses a risk due to the hardware that is end-of-life and end-of-maintenance support.

The Department of Land Reform and Rural Development is the last national department to be featured in the issue with its appeal for a service provider to develop a South African geospatial information management strategy.

Speaking to the Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) Act of 2003, the department says the legislations sought to advance unimpeded access to and use of geospatial information held by the State for effective and efficient governance, planning and decision-making.

“The focus therefore has always been geared towards access to geospatial information under the custodianship of the State and less on other geospatial information,” it says.

However, the department notes SDIs have evolved, where location is now central to decision-making; technological advancements have made it possible for near real-time access and application of geospatial information; and, usage of geospatial information is no longer limited to geospatial experts andthe requirements for geospatial information has changed.

In order to achieve the desired objectives, the department, together with the Committee for Spatial Information, resolved that the new strategy aligns with the United Nations Integrated Geospatial Information Framework.

“This framework provides a basis for the development, integration, strengthening and maximising geospatial information management and related resources in all countries. It will assist countries in bridging the geospatial digital divide, secure socio-economic prosperity, and to leave no one behind,” the department notes.

Other tenders that make this week’s top 10:

• Broadband Infraco is calling for interested entities to form a strategic partnership with it for the commercialisation of its network infrastructure and services. The aim of this invitation is to ensure its optic fibre network infrastructure, points of presence and provision of high-capacity managed services are fully utilised, commercially available, generate revenue and sustainable, says Broadband Infraco.

• The South African Social Security Agency invites proposals from potential service providers to supply, install, deliver, configure, support and maintain hi-tech self-service kiosks as and when required to nine provinces for three years. Bidders are requested to submit detailed specifications, design layouts and catalogues of the proposed kiosk. The successful service provider will design, develop and test one hi-tech self-service kiosk prototype. Upon piloting and approval, the service provider will manufacture and deliver the kiosks to 90 locations across the country.

• The South African Broadcasting Corporation wishes to form a panel of service providers for the procurement of services to collect and on-pass feeds from international gateways, international satellites and host broadcasters on an as and when required basis. It notes its sports content offering has grown exponentially with the launch of the sport channel, and the need has arisen to identify service providers that can provide SABC Sport with the relevant access and turn-around services for local and international satellite or fibre feeds. The service provider must be technically able to collect broadcast feeds from international gateways, such as BT Tower, Arqiva, Hilversum, etc; access or downlink feeds off European, Asian, American and African satellites; and deliver to SABC MCR via the relevant turn-around solution.

• The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) is inviting service providers to submit proposals for the implementation, maintenance and support of a data masking solution. The objective is to safeguard personally identifiable information across all external-facing digital platforms, internal operational systems and legacy environments. The initiative will be executed through a structured, phased approach aimed at enhancing CIPC’s data privacy posture, while ensuring alignment with legislative mandates and operational imperatives. The focus is on minimising the exposure of personally identifiable information and reinforcing compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act and related statutes, it says.

• The Western Cape Department of Social Development is looking for a service provider to provide a dedicated mobile APN service – an e-mobility service. The department’s main objective is to reduce expenditure on mobile data communication services and improve the utilisation of SIM card technology innovations to achieve greater efficiencies within the department. To realise the envisaged savings, the department says it is key to establish a partnership with the mobile data supplier that reflects a continuous drive to achieve the set objectives, and to implement developments and improvements throughout the relationship.