Objectives

The primary objective is to assess and develop the leadership capabilities of current and potential leaders across the City’s directorates. The intervention targets two management tiers: Supervisory Development Centres (SDCs) for Team Leaders and Supervisors (T10–T14), and Management Development Centres (MDCs) for Middle Managers (T14–T16). The programme aims to identify leadership strengths, pinpoint development areas, and establish actionable workplace strategies through integrated behavioural simulations, psychometric testing, structured observation, and targeted coaching.

Scope of Work

The successful service provider will deliver comprehensive two-day Development Centres on an ad-hoc basis throughout a 36-month contract period. Key deliverables include:

• Programme Delivery: Facilitate assessment and development activities within three weeks of receiving a request for a minimum of five participants.
• Reporting & Feedback: Submit individual participant assessment reports and Personal Development Plans (PDPs) to relevant managers and HR departments within two weeks of centre completion. Conduct structured participant and manager feedback sessions.
• Logistics & Materials: Provide necessary workstations, computers, and catering (if face-to-face delivery is required). Utilise City-approved competency frameworks, templates, and assessment instruments.
• Data & Compliance: Deliver assessment results in editable Microsoft Excel format. Ensure all documentation remains the City’s intellectual property and comply with data protection, occupational health and safety, and insurance requirements.

Technical Requirements

Bidders must adhere to strict methodological and operational standards:

• Methodology: Align all interventions with the City’s approved framework and comply with Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) Assessment Centre Guidelines and industry best practices.
• Assessment Structure: Implement a standardized two-day sequence comprising career discussions, in-basket exercises, competency-based role-plays, group discussions, a competency development workshop, coaching exercises, and integrated evaluation sessions.
• Quality Assurance: The Lead Psychologist must review and approve all participant reports and PDPs before submission. All behavioural observations must be recorded using prescribed structured forms.
• Penalties & Performance Monitoring: Financial penalties (ranging from 1% to 2% of applicable fees) will be deducted for delayed delivery, incomplete programme components, late report submissions, or unattended manager feedback sessions. Performance will be monitored monthly.
• Insurance & Legal Compliance: Maintain public liability and professional indemnity insurance (minimum R5 million per claim), valid compensation for occupational injuries and disease coverage, and full compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

Skills & Personnel Requirements

The tender mandates a highly specialised assessment team with verifiable experience in Assessment and Development Centres over the past five years. Scoring is strictly based on the number of completed centres per role:

• Lead Psychologist: Must hold current HPCSA registration as a Psychologist. Responsible for overall programme management, quality assurance, facilitation, and final sign-off of all reports. Must have facilitated 25 or more centres in the preceding five years to achieve maximum functionality points.
• Centre Assessors (Minimum Two Required): Must be HPCSA registered as Psychologists or Independent Practice Psychometrists. Duties include conducting career discussions, observing and rating participant behaviour during exercises, preparing integrated reports, and delivering feedback. Must have assessed 25 or more centres in the past five years.
• Role-Players/Observers (Minimum Two Required): Responsible for executing behavioural simulations and documenting factual participant behaviour using standardised observation tools. Must have participated in 25 or more centres in the past five years.
• Instrument Training: All assessors must be accredited to interpret the City’s specific personality assessment instrument. Untrained personnel must complete mandatory accreditation at the bidder’s expense prior to deployment.
• Resource Stability: Proposed personnel cannot be replaced without prior written City approval. Any replacement must possess equivalent or superior qualifications and experience. Bidders must also provide verifiable positive references for comparable projects.

Key Terms & Methodologies

Assessment and Development Centres: Standardised, multi-method evaluation processes that combine simulations, psychometric tests, and structured observations to measure leadership competencies and create tailored growth plans.

In-Basket Exercise: A realistic simulation where participants prioritise and respond to simulated workplace emails, memos, and tasks to evaluate decision-making, delegation, and time-management skills.

Personal Development Plan (PDP): A structured document outlining an employee’s identified strengths, growth areas, and actionable steps for professional improvement, delivered post-assessment.

HPCSA Registration: Mandatory statutory licensing by South Africa’s regulatory body for healthcare professionals, ensuring psychologists and psychometrists meet national ethical, academic, and competency standards.