Objectives

The primary objective is to appoint a qualified service provider to supply and deliver two enterprise-grade core switches to support the Eastern Cape Department of Social Development’s network infrastructure. The appointment must align with the 80/20 preferential procurement system and require the supplier to be registered on the SITA RFB 2003 transversal contract.

Scope

The successful bidder will supply and deliver two complete core switch bundles to the Provincial Office in King William’s Town within one month of receiving an official order. The scope encompasses the specified hardware, optical transceivers, direct attach copper cables, and a three-year warranty and service package. All quotations must be inclusive of VAT and cover delivery costs. Payment will be processed within 30 days of invoice submission following successful delivery.

Technical Requirements

• Hardware Configuration: Two Layer 3 core switches featuring 40×10GBase-T ports, 8×10G SFP+ ports, and 4×40/100G QSFP28 ports, supplied with dual AC power supplies and power cords.
• Transceivers & Cabling: Bundles must include 10G SFP+ short-range (400m OM4 MMF) and long-range (10km SMF) transceivers, plus 100G QSFP28 direct attach copper cables as detailed in the pricing schedule.
• Routing & Security: Support for dynamic routing protocols (OSPF, BGP), access control lists (ACLs), quality of service (QoS) policies, and integrated role-based access control.
• High Availability: Must feature VSX dual control plane stacking, redundant power supplies and fans, and multi-chassis stacking capabilities to ensure continuous network uptime.
• Management & Automation: Embedded network analytics engine for real-time monitoring, seamless integration with NetEdit for automated provisioning, and compatibility with ClearPass for policy enforcement and IoT segmentation.
• Warranty: Three-year full coverage with next-business-day exchange service.

Skills & Professional Requirements

• Demonstrated capability in supplying, configuring, and supporting enterprise networking infrastructure, specifically Layer 3 core switches.
• Technical proficiency in routing protocols, VLAN segmentation, QoS implementation, and network security architectures.
• Experience with network automation, orchestration platforms, and analytics tools.
• Compliance with public sector procurement standards, including Central Supplier Database (CSD) registration, valid tax clearance, and accurate completion of preference point claim forms (SBD 6.1) and declaration of interest forms (SBD 4).
• Ability to provide verifiable proof of SITA RFB 2003 accreditation or equivalent vendor list status.

Notes on Specialized Terms

• SITA RFB 2003 Transversal Contract: A pre-approved national framework managed by the State Information Technology Agency that allows government departments to procure ICT goods through accredited suppliers without conducting separate competitive processes.
• VSX Dual Control Plane Stacking: A high-availability architecture that links two physical switches into a single logical unit, enabling zero-downtime failover and simplified configuration management.
• Next Business Day (NBD) Warranty: A service-level guarantee requiring the supplier to replace or repair faulty equipment by the next business day after fault notification.
• 80/20 Preference Point System: A South African procurement evaluation model awarding 80 points for competitive pricing and 20 points for socio-economic transformation goals, including women ownership, black ownership, disability representation, youth employment, and Eastern Cape locality.