Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to acquire SITA enterprise Domain Controllers (DC) and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server infrastructure to refresh existing servers in operation across multiple sites in South Africa, including Western Cape, Pietermaritzburg, Polokwane, Centurion, and Erasmuskloof. The goal is to standardize, enhance interoperability, ensure high availability, and maintain continuous electronic mail and network services through a reliable, supported infrastructure.

Scope

The scope of the bid includes:

• Outright purchase of five (5) servers, with two servers deployed per site for redundancy, configured in active-active mode with shared storage.
• Implementation of high availability infrastructure, including hypervisor platforms and storage solutions.
• Provision of storage with access network and virtualization components, supporting features like snapshots and asynchronous replication.
• Provision of a five-year warranty and SLA, including eight-hour mission-critical support with escalation procedures and monthly reporting.
• Delivery and installation at specified sites, including unboxing, rack mounting, cabling, network configuration, and final setup.
• Support and maintenance services for five years, including onsite support and configuration services.

Technical Requirements

The technical specifications for the servers and storage infrastructure are as follows:

Servers:

• Processor: 1 x 2.2 GHz, 12 cores / 24 threads, with 24 GT/s and 48MB cache
• Memory: 32GB RAM
• OS Drive: 1 x M.2 480GB (RAID 1) boot device
• NIC Ethernet: 2 x Dual Port 10GbE BASE-T adapters
• Management: Out-of-band management card with KVM functionality
• Power Supply: Redundant power supplies
• Rackmount kit included
• Support: 8-hour warranty and support service

Storage:

• Form Factor: 24 x 2.5” drive bays
• RAID Controller: Supporting RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10
• Usable Drive Space: 2TB SSD
• Drive Configuration: RAID 1
• Connectivity: 8 x GbE BASE-T ports (Direct connect)
• Power Supply: Redundant power supplies
• Management: Out-of-band management card
• Controller Architecture: Dual-active controllers
• Features: Snapshot capability, asynchronous replication via FC or iSCSI
• Support: 8-hour warranty and support services

All hardware must be configured and installed in accordance with the specified standards, with configuration services included.

Skills and Skills Requirements

• Accreditation: Vendors must be accredited to supply and support solutions across all specified provinces (Western Cape, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng) and must be certified by OEM/OSM for enterprise-level supply, installation, and maintenance.
• Experience: Bidders must demonstrate experience with at least three (3) similar server infrastructure projects within the last five (5) years, providing references and supporting documentation.
• Technical Expertise: The bidder must have qualified personnel with expertise in server hardware, virtualization, high availability solutions, storage configuration, network setup, and disaster recovery planning.
• Support Capabilities: Ability to provide onsite maintenance, configuration, and support services, including rapid response (within 8 hours) for mission-critical issues.
• Certifications: Bidders should hold relevant industry certifications and accreditation to ensure compliance with ISO/IEC standards, ISO 27001, and POPIA.
• Security Clearance: Personnel involved in deployment and support must have valid South African security clearance at Confidential level or be able to obtain it within 30 days.
• Compliance: Ability to adhere to confidentiality, non-disclosure, and contractual conditions, including confidentiality agreements and adherence to government procurement policies.