Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to procure a reliable, fully managed Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) tool for the University of Johannesburg (UJ). The solution aims to extend and enhance the existing DMARC implementation managed via Sendmarc, ensuring continuous email security, monitoring, and reporting across all university-owned domains. The successful supplier will manage, implement, monitor, and optimize the DMARC enforcement service to protect against spoofing and impersonation threats, supporting UJ’s strategic goals for secure and trustworthy email communications over a three-year period.

Scope

The scope of the tender includes:

• Management and maintenance of the current Sendmarc DMARC enforcement service across all university domains.
• Technical evaluation and ongoing support of the existing DMARC solution.
• Configuration and management of DNS records for DMARC, SPF, and DKIM to ensure proper authentication alignment.
• Provision of continuous support from domain onboarding through policy enforcement and ongoing optimization.
• Delivery of comprehensive reporting, including long-term visibility, threat trend analysis, and compliance monitoring.
• Support for security operations and governance teams with customizable alerts and reports, including integration with IAM solutions like Azure and SIEM/SOC.
• Support for indirect senders, subdomains, and scalability to accommodate future digital estate growth.
• Provision of support and resolution processes with measurable KPIs and response times.
• Training and support for UJ technical teams to ensure seamless integration and operation.

Technical Requirements

The technical specifications for the proposed DMARC tool include:

• Maintenance of DMARC records across all current and future university-owned domains.
• Implementation of a full ‘p=reject’ policy to prevent spoofing and impersonation.
• Alignment and authentication across SPF and DKIM protocols.
• Management of DNS records to ensure correct configuration and optimization.
• Continuous authentication health monitoring and threat trend analysis.
• Unlimited record history, forensic visibility at no additional cost, and no uplift charges for additional domains.
• Provision of a platform supporting long-term visibility, auditing, and compliance reporting.
• Support for proactive incident remediation and visualization of DMARC compliance and email traffic.
• Support for integration with security tools such as SAML SSO, Azure, SIEM, and SOC.
• Experience in supporting projects using Sendmarc, demonstrated through reference letters and project support history.
• Support and resolution processes with defined KPIs, severity levels, and response times, ensuring 98.9% uptime.
• Clear timelines for implementation, with communication protocols for any delays.
• Pricing structure for three years, with annual payments and no re-negotiations post-award.
• Qualified technical team with relevant expertise and training to support UJ’s operational environment.