Objectives

The primary objective is to facilitate the urgent transition of the hospital’s telecommunications infrastructure from legacy copper lines to modern fibre optic services. The project aims to deliver reliable, high-speed connectivity while maintaining seamless integration with the facility’s existing telephone switchboard, ensuring minimal operational disruption to critical healthcare services.

Scope of Work

The contract encompasses the complete supply, installation, and commissioning of a fibre-based telecommunications network at the hospital premises. Key deliverables include:

• Installation of a 50Mbps fibre optic line with Primary Rate Offer (PRO) handover for stable connectivity.
• Porting of 100 Direct Dialling Inbound (DDI) numbers to the new fibre network.
• Provision and configuration of 30 Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) channels.
• Supply and installation of a call monitoring system fully compatible with the hospital’s existing NEC switchboard.
• Removal of all construction debris and restoration of the site to a clean condition.
• Execution of works within an occupied healthcare environment, requiring scheduling outside standard business hours or weekends to prevent service interruption.

The contract is classified as a once-off, urgent engagement with a mandatory twelve-month guarantee period covering all structural work and supplied materials.

Technical Requirements

Bidders must demonstrate strict adherence to national standards and regulatory frameworks. Technical specifications include:

• Compliance with the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS 0142), ICASA telecommunications regulations, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and the National Building Regulations.
• All extracted materials and equipment from the decommissioned copper system shall become the contractor’s property, requiring careful handling to avoid damage to existing building structures.
• Detailed pricing schedules must account for all labour, transport, overheads, taxes, and duties, including Value Added Tax.
• Bidders must submit an operational cost breakdown covering local, national, and cellular call rates, monthly line rentals, annual software licenses for the call monitoring system, update fees, and emergency callout charges across working hours, after-hours weekdays, and public holidays.
• Proof of compliance with specification standards must be formally declared, alongside evidence of prior successful installations.

Skills and Qualification Requirements

Only suitably accredited and experienced entities will be considered. Mandatory prerequisites include:

• CIDB grading specifically in Telecommunications (TEL COMS) with verified relevant experience.
• Valid certification proving registration as an authorised NEC dealer, as the new infrastructure must interface with the hospital’s proprietary NEC switching platform.
• Submission of at least three verifiable references demonstrating previous execution of comparable telecommunications projects.
• Current Central Supplier Database (CSD) registration with validated tax compliance status.
• A valid Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) level verification certificate or sworn affidavit (for eligible enterprises).
• Mandatory attendance at the compulsory site briefing session; failure to attend results in automatic disqualification.

Clarification of Specialised Terms

Primary Rate Offer (PRO): A regulated South African telecommunications service tier that guarantees dedicated digital bandwidth, superior signal integrity, and faster fault resolution compared to standard broadband connections.

Direct Dialling Inbound (DDI): A numbering scheme that assigns unique direct-dial numbers to individual extensions, eliminating the need for operator-assisted transfers.

NEC Switchboard Compatibility: Refers to the technical requirement that all new hardware and software must seamlessly integrate with the hospital’s legacy NEC private branch exchange (PBX) system without requiring full replacement.

80/20 Preference Point System: A procurement evaluation model where eighty percent of scoring is based on competitive pricing, and twenty percent is allocated to socio-economic transformation goals, specifically favouring companies with at least fifty-one percent black ownership.