Tender Summary: Botshabelo Magistrate Office Garden Service Contract

Objectives

The primary objective is to secure a qualified service provider to deliver consistent, high-quality garden maintenance and routine landscaping services at the Botshabelo Magistrate Office over a fixed 36-month period. The contract aims to preserve an aesthetically pleasing, safe, and well-manicured environment while ensuring strict compliance with national labour, health and safety, environmental, and public procurement regulations.

Scope of Work

The contractor will manage all groundskeeping activities across approximately 6,000 square metres of paved terrain and garden beds. Core responsibilities include:

• Lawn Care: Weekly summer/monthly winter mowing to a constant 30mm height, mechanical edging to 50mm, daily grass clipping collection, and seasonal spring treatment.
• Plant Bed Maintenance: Regular weeding, cultivation, pruning, and mulching of shrubs, roses, perennials, and tuberous plants according to prescribed horticultural schedules.
• Irrigation Management: Monitoring electronic control boards, reporting malfunctions, and manually watering planted areas using supplied hoses/sprinklers to meet minimum seasonal water quotas without wastage.
• Fertilization & Pest Control: Applying specific NPK fertilizer formulations at mandated rates and frequencies, alongside monitored pest and weed control using approved chemicals only upon Clerk of Works authorization.
• Cleaning & Waste Disposal: Sweeping roads, footpaths, and paved areas; removing leaf litter and rubble; emptying rubbish bins; and transporting all garden refuse to licensed disposal facilities at the contractor's cost.
• Fire Belt Clearance: Clearing a 3-metre-wide strip of organic material from existing fire belts annually in May.

Technical Requirements

Bidders must supply all labour, machinery, hand tools, and consumables necessary for uninterrupted service delivery. Mandatory equipment includes a 3000W+ electric lawnmower, 1200W+ electric edge trimmer, steel garden implements, irrigation fittings, wheelbarrows, hard brooms, and monthly refuse bags. All work must adhere to nationally recognized horticultural standards and the Department's specifications. Contractors must submit monthly inspection registers, maintain a comprehensive Site Safety Plan compliant with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and provide proof of COIDA registration, public liability insurance, SASRIA cover, and valid security clearance. Pricing must be fixed for the full 36-month term, inclusive of VAT, annual statutory wage adjustments, and all operational, transport, and overhead costs. The Department reserves the right to conduct a risk assessment on submitted bids, which may disqualify non-compliant offers.

Skills Requirements

The successful bidder must deploy at least one full-time gardener physically stationed on-site for a minimum of 40 hours per week. Personnel must demonstrate practical horticultural competency, including proficiency in approved mowing, pruning, irrigation operation, and safe tool handling. The contract mandates labour-intensive execution under the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), requiring contractors to prioritize hiring locally based, semi-skilled or unskilled workers, with explicit demographic targeting for black women, youth, and individuals with disabilities. Contractors must provide mandatory site induction training, conduct regular toolbox talks, supply SABS-approved personal protective equipment (PPE), and maintain accurate payroll, UIF, and attendance records. Supervisory competence is essential to enforce health and safety protocols, monitor minimum wage compliance, and coordinate with the Department's appointed Clerk of Works.

Unusual or Complicated Terms

• EPWP (Expanded Public Works Programme): A government mandate requiring service contracts to prioritize job creation through labour-intensive methods. It imposes strict demographic hiring targets, mandatory record-keeping for participant wages and attendance, and specific labour-intensity expenditure thresholds.
• Clerk of Works: A Department-appointed official who acts as the on-site contract administrator. They approve chemical applications, direct waste disposal locations, certify monthly service quality, and authorize corrective actions before payments are processed.
• 80/20 Preference Point System: A procurement evaluation model where 80 points are awarded for competitive pricing and 20 points for socio-economic goals (e.g., black ownership, local municipality presence, disability/youth/women ownership). Points are only allocated if supporting documentation is submitted.
• COIDA Registration: Mandatory coverage under the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act. Contractors must submit a valid Letter of Good Standing or Proof of Registration before site handover, ensuring all employees are covered for work-related injuries or illnesses.