Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to appoint a qualified and experienced service provider to design, supply, install, configure, and maintain a district-wide Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) and off-site Disaster Recovery (DR) server hosting solution for Joe Gqabi District Municipality over a period of three years. The solution aims to establish a secure, high-speed communication network connecting municipal offices, water treatment works, libraries, and other facilities to the Barkly East Data Centre, supporting the municipality’s digital transformation and e-Government initiatives.

Scope

The scope encompasses end-to-end implementation and ongoing management of:

• Design, supply, installation, and configuration of WWAN infrastructure using modern carrier-class wireless technology (LTE/5G, Microwave PTP/PtMP, Wi-Fi 6/6E or superior).
• Implementation of a secure, encrypted SD-WAN or VPN overlay network connecting all sites to the Barkly East Data Centre.
• Provision of primary and secondary connectivity links, including active failover mechanisms.
• Provision, maintenance, and security of repeater sites where necessary, including obtaining all permissions.
• Incorporation of resilience and failover capabilities to ensure maximum uptime with seamless failover.
• Establishment of site connectivity matrix with specified bandwidth requirements for each site.
• Provision of VPN links with guaranteed minimum bandwidth, dedicated internet breakout at Barkly East, and public IPv4 addresses.
• Provision of off-site disaster recovery server hosting, including hardware, bandwidth, firewall, and management services.
• Ongoing support, monitoring, reporting, and management of the network infrastructure for the contract duration.

Technical Requirements

The technical specifications include:

• Utilization of modern, scalable, and future-proof wireless technologies (LTE/5G, Microwave, Wi-Fi 6/6E).
• Implementation of a secure, encrypted SD-WAN or VPN overlay network with all traffic encrypted and protocols optimized for municipal operations.
• Active primary (line-of-sight wireless links) and secondary (LTE/5G backup) connectivity links, with redundancy and automatic failover.
• Provision of repeater sites with necessary wayleave permissions, encrypted traffic, and security measures.
• VPN links with guaranteed minimum bandwidth, dedicated and unshaped, from each site to Barkly East Main Office.
• Dedicated symmetric internet breakout at Barkly East with public IPv4 addresses.
• Bandwidth specifications for each site as per the connectivity matrix, ranging from 10 Mbps to 300 Mbps.
• Ability to add or remove sites during the contract period with pro-rata pricing adjustments.
• Prioritization of VoIP traffic through QoS policies, seamless routing to off-site PABX, and integration with existing VoIP services.
• Secure, role-based, auditable access for network monitoring and management.
• Compliance with relevant standards and regulations for off-site hosting facilities, including physical security, power, cooling, fire safety, and network redundancy.
• Service level agreements ensuring minimum network uptime of 99.5%, internet availability of 99%, and disaster recovery environment availability of 99.5%.

Skills and Skills Requirements

The successful service provider must demonstrate:

• Technical expertise in: Modern wireless communication technologies (LTE/5G, Microwave, Wi-Fi 6/6E), SD-WAN, VPN security, network redundancy, and QoS implementation.
• Project management skills: Proven experience in designing and implementing large-scale district-wide network solutions, including site surveys, network design, and project management.
• Security proficiency: Ability to implement robust security protocols, intrusion detection/prevention, and secure off-site hosting environments.
• Support and maintenance capabilities: 24/7 monitoring, fault detection, incident reporting, and support services, including quarterly preventative maintenance.
• Compliance knowledge: Familiarity with municipal, national, and industry standards for ICT infrastructure, data security, and off-site hosting facilities.
• Vendor and stakeholder management: Ability to liaise with municipal staff, VoIP providers, hosting facilities, and obtain necessary permissions and wayleave agreements.
• Reporting and documentation skills: Ability to produce monthly performance reports, SLA compliance documentation, and detailed implementation plans.