Objectives

The primary objective is to procure a reliable, compliant supplier capable of delivering a comprehensive range of office stationery and ancillary supplies to the Amathole District Municipality. The tender aims to secure competitive pricing, ensure timely delivery, and promote socio-economic transformation through structured preferential procurement while adhering to municipal supply chain management regulations.

Scope

The procurement encompasses the supply and delivery of sixty-two distinct line items to the municipality's corporate services division. The scope includes:

• Consumables: Staples, pens, markers, highlighters, glue sticks, correction fluid, sticky notes, paper clips, elastic bands, and tape.
• Office Equipment: Staplers, hole punches, calculators, digital voice recorders, wireless headphones, self-inking stamps, stamp ink, document trays, and pen stands.
• Filing & Organization: Plastic binding combs, PVC covers, monthly file dividers, manila folders, lever arch files, suspension files, top folders, and binder clips.
• Writing Materials: Hardcover notebooks, professional diaries, HB pencils, whiteboard markers, and plastic rulers.
• Accessories: Staple removers, erasers, pencil sharpeners, and whiteboard starter packs.

Bidders must submit firm quotations for all listed items. Partial quotations or failure to quote on every line item will result in automatic disqualification.

Technical Requirements

• Pricing & Validity: All prices must be firm, valid for a minimum of thirty days from closing, and clearly state whether VAT is included. Delivery costs must be fully embedded in the quoted unit and total prices.
• Product Specifications: Goods must meet or exceed the minimum standards outlined in the schedule. Where specific brands are referenced, functionally equivalent alternatives are acceptable.
• Packaging & Protection: All items must be packaged to withstand rough handling, extreme temperatures, moisture, and open storage during transit to the final destination.
• Warranty: A twelve-month warranty applies from delivery and acceptance, or eighteen months from shipment, whichever concludes first. Defective goods must be repaired or replaced at the supplier's expense.
• Delivery Timeline: Complete delivery must occur within fifteen days of contract acceptance. Failure to comply grants the municipality the right to terminate the contract immediately.
• Performance Security: The successful bidder must furnish performance security within thirty days of receiving the award notification.
• Compliance Documentation: Mandatory submission of a valid Tax Clearance Status PIN or Central Supplier Database registration, signed MBD declaration forms, and certified proof of company demographics for preference claims.

Skills Requirements

This tender does not require specialized technical or engineering expertise. Instead, it demands proven commercial capability in bulk stationery distribution and logistics. Bidders must demonstrate:

• Financial stability and operational capacity to fulfill large-volume orders within tight deadlines.
• Administrative proficiency in completing municipal returnable documents, pricing schedules, and preference point claim forms accurately.
• Verifiable past experience supplying similar goods to public sector or institutional clients, supported by contactable references.
• Ability to navigate South African public procurement frameworks, including SARS tax compliance, CSD registration, and preferential procurement regulations.

Notable Terms & Conditions

Preferential Procurement (80/20 System): Scoring is weighted at eighty points for price competitiveness and twenty points for specific socio-economic goals. Points are allocated for Black Youth (7), Black Women (7), Persons with Disabilities (3), and Military Veterans (3). Claiming these points requires certified documentary proof of qualifying status; unverified claims yield zero points.

Joint Ventures & Consortia: Permitted only if accompanied by a legally certified agreement detailing the managing member, authorized signatory, profit-sharing ratio, banking coordinates, and physical correspondence addresses. Every participating entity must independently hold a valid tax clearance certificate.

Strict Submission Protocols: Bids must be original, completed in non-erasable ink, sealed, correctly endorsed, and deposited in the designated bid box before the closing time. Electronic, facsimile, or late submissions are automatically rejected. The municipality reserves the right to accept part or all of any quotation.

Anti-Collusion & Integrity Clauses: Bidders must declare independence in bid determination and confirm no participation in collusive practices. Fraudulent preference claims or breach of contract conditions may result in disqualification, financial recovery, contract cancellation, and potential restriction from future state procurement for up to ten years.