Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to procure and deliver a specific grade of surgical suture material to support clinical procedures at a provincial public hospital. The procurement aims to ensure uninterrupted access to compliant, high-quality medical supplies while adhering to national preferential procurement policies and maintaining strict value-for-money principles.

Scope

The tender covers the supply and delivery of ten boxes (twelve units per box) of Ethibond No 5 surgical sutures. Quoted prices must remain firm for a validity period of ninety days. All delivery costs to the designated hospital facility must be included in the submitted quotation. The procuring authority reserves the right to negotiate with shortlisted bidders before or after award to ensure market-related pricing. Late submissions will be rejected, and expired or second-hand products are strictly prohibited.

Technical Requirements

• Product Specification: Ethibond No 5 suture, comprising a polyester multifilament, non-absorbable, braided coated polyester green material.
• Dimensions & Configuration: Gauge 5.40mm, ½ circle taper cut needle, 4 x 75 cm length.
• Condition & Packaging: Sterile, new, unused, and supplied in boxes of twelve. Products must retain a minimum shelf life of six months upon delivery.
• Quality & Standards: Goods must conform to applicable South African National Standards (SANS/SABS) and general medical device quality benchmarks.
• Sample Verification: Responsive bidders will be formally invited to submit physical samples for scrutiny. Failure to provide samples or rejection during testing results in immediate elimination.
• Regulatory Compliance: Suppliers must hold a valid licence issued by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) permitting the manufacture, wholesale, or distribution of medical devices.

Skills Requirements

• Administrative & Legal Compliance: Bidders must be registered on the Central Supplier Database (CSD), maintain valid tax clearance status, and submit all mandatory returnable documents (including conflict-of-interest declarations and preference point claims).
• Enterprise Documentation: Submission of current CIPC registration documents and a B-BBEE status verification certificate or sworn affidavit (applicable to EMEs and QSEs).
• Financial & Operational Capacity: Demonstrated ability to fulfil the order via either a valid previous order and delivery note to a public/private health facility, or a bank statement confirming a balance equal to at least forty percent of the quoted value (dated within thirty days).
• Preferential Procurement Compliance: Evaluation follows an 80/20 preference point system. Eighty points are allocated for price, while twenty points are reserved for specific socio-economic goals, exclusively favouring South African-owned enterprises. Claiming these points requires verifiable proof of ownership.
• Evaluation Rigour: Quotations pass through five mandatory stages: administrative compliance, capacity verification, specification alignment, price/preference scoring, and sample assessment. Non-compliance at any stage renders the bid non-responsive.

Notes on Unusual or Complicated Terms

• Ethibond No 5 Sutures: A specialised, braided, coated, non-absorbable polyester surgical suture used for wound closure and tissue approximation. The exact gauge (5.40mm), needle geometry (½ circle taper cut), and length (4 x 75cm) are clinically critical and cannot be substituted without explicit written approval.
• SAHPRA Licensing: A mandatory regulatory requirement in South Africa for any entity supplying medical devices. It ensures products meet rigorous safety, efficacy, and quality control standards set by the national health regulator.
• 80/20 Preference Point System: A standard South African public procurement scoring model where eighty percent of the evaluation weight is assigned to price competitiveness, and twenty percent is allocated for designated socio-economic goals. In this tender, the entire twenty-point allocation is reserved for South African-owned enterprises to promote economic transformation.