Objectives

The primary objective is to appoint a qualified service provider to deliver comprehensive calibration, maintenance, and upgrade services for the City’s electrical measurement systems. This ensures accurate meter testing, regulatory compliance, laboratory quality accreditation, and the safe, environmentally responsible management of calibration equipment over a thirty-six-month period.

Scope

• Calibration: Precision calibration of handheld indicating instruments, primary reference standards, and test equipment (e.g., KoCos Metes 325, electronic power sources, prepayment meter verifiers, Applied Precision/Ritz reference models, and OMICRON analyzers).
• Maintenance & Replacement: Ongoing upkeep and replacement of test leads, with environmentally compliant disposal of obsolete materials.
• Upgrades & Integration: Hardware and software upgrades for calibration trolleys and workstations, including technical integration with municipal data and procurement platforms.
• Quality System Support: Annual full maintenance and guarantee coverage for specified single-phase and three-phase test benches and trolleys, alongside laboratory quality system maintenance and accreditation support.
• Administrative & Training Services: Provision of specialised training facilitators, monthly project labour reporting, and handling fees for minor procurement items up to a defined threshold.

Technical Requirements

• Strict adherence to national metrology standards and safety regulations, with execution of final calibration processes under controlled, safe working conditions.
• Environmentally responsible disposal of all obsolete leads and electronic waste through certified handlers, documented prior to order placement.
• Comprehensive hardware and software maintenance for designated test benches and trolleys, covering normal wear and tear throughout the contract term.
• Technical integration of end-of-life calibration stations with the City’s Meter Data Usage System (MDUS) and SAP workflow platforms for automated tracking and billing.
• Submission of a valid Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) authorisation letter from Applied Precision PLC s.r.o. to legally calibrate and maintain proprietary test benches.
• Compliance with occupational health and safety legislation, including provision of a detailed Health and Safety Plan upon request.
• Maintenance of mandatory insurance coverages: public liability (minimum R20 million), motor vehicle liability, compensation for occupational injuries, and professional indemnity (minimum R5 million).
• Twelve-month warranty validity on all delivered goods and completed services.
• Submission of monthly project labour reports with every invoice, detailing temporary labour employment, attendance, and payment proof.

Skills Requirements

• Proven professional and technical competence in electrical measurement calibration, laboratory quality systems, and metrology accreditation.
• Demonstrated financial stability, adequate technical equipment, and robust managerial capabilities to execute a long-term framework agreement.
• Qualified personnel capable of performing precision calibration, system upgrades, and enterprise system (SAP/MDUS) workflow integrations.
• Strong understanding of South African occupational health and safety legislation and environmental waste disposal protocols.
• Capacity to compile and submit B-BBEE verification documentation to claim preference points under specific goals allocation.
• Experience in managing subcontractors, overseeing PSiRA-registered security personnel, and delivering technical training sessions.

Explanation of Unusual or Complicated Terms

• MDUS and SAP Integration: Requires linking physical calibration equipment directly to the City’s Meter Data Usage System and SAP enterprise resource planning platform. This enables automated data capture, workflow approvals, and seamless procurement/billing processes for calibration activities.
• OEM Authorisation: Suppliers must obtain formal written permission from Applied Precision PLC s.r.o., the original manufacturer, to legally calibrate and maintain the City’s proprietary test benches. Failure to provide this renders a bid non-responsive.
• 80/20 Preference Point System: A procurement evaluation model where eighty percent of adjudication points are awarded based on competitive pricing, and twenty percent are allocated for Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) specific goals, such as supporting micro and small enterprises, socio-economic development, skills development, and employee share ownership.
• Standby Bidder: A secondary supplier identified during the award phase. If the primary contractor terminates the agreement for any reason, the City may immediately award the contract to the standby bidder without reopening the procurement process.