Objectives

The primary objective is to appoint a qualified service provider to enhance the stability, performance, and user experience of the Biodiversity Advisor platform. The engagement focuses on resolving existing system defects, implementing critical functionality upgrades, and strengthening security protocols to ensure reliable, secure, and efficient operation for end-users.

Scope of Work

The selected provider will execute a comprehensive set of development, integration, and security tasks within a four-month timeframe, capped at 450 billable hours. Key deliverables include:

• Developing a multi-level navigation menu to support over 100 National Biodiversity Assessment (NBA) HTML pages.
• Enhancing site-wide search capabilities to properly index NBA content.
• Integrating externally generated NBA HTML pages into the existing platform architecture.
• Connecting SANBI library data through an external API integration.
• Configuring automated email notification workflows for user feedback, error reporting, and data accuracy alerts.
• Implementing security hardening measures, including brute-force prevention, rate limiting, password policy enforcement, and secure session management.
• Resolving logged bugs, optimizing database queries, conducting system and regression testing, and delivering comprehensive documentation, user guides, and staff training.

Technical Requirements

Bidders must demonstrate proficiency with the following technology stack and operational standards:

• Core Development: Microsoft ASP.NET (C#) and relational databases (MSSQL, MySQL, or PostgreSQL).
• Search & Indexing: Implementation and optimization of search functionality using ElasticSearch or equivalent technologies.
• Cloud & Integration Services: Configuration of Microsoft Azure Email Communication Service (SMTP) for transactional messaging, and seamless integration with external library APIs.
• Security Protocols: Deployment of CAPTCHA mechanisms, password reset rate limiting, robust authentication hardening, automatic session timeouts (15–30 minutes), and secure refresh token handling with full logout revocation.
• Quality Assurance: Execution of thorough system, regression, and validation testing, alongside query optimization and stored procedure tuning.

Skills Requirements

Service providers must submit evidence of the following competencies and qualifications:

• Education & Certification: Relevant tertiary qualifications or industry-recognized certifications in software development, computer science, information systems, or cybersecurity.
• Development Expertise: Proven hands-on experience building, maintaining, and securing enterprise-level web applications using ASP.NET (C#) and modern database management systems.
• API & Search Integration: Demonstrated capability in integrating third-party APIs and implementing advanced search indexing solutions.
• Security Remediation: Practical experience deploying authentication safeguards, brute-force mitigation, password complexity enforcement, and secure session/token lifecycle management.
• Project Delivery Capacity: Ability to manage a structured project plan, resolve complex bugs, optimize database performance, and deliver all outputs within the stipulated 450-hour limit over four months, including knowledge transfer and post-implementation support.

Specialized Terminology & Services

To clarify specific technical components referenced in this tender:

• OCLC API: The Online Computer Library Center Application Programming Interface, used to access and integrate global library catalog data and metadata into the platform.
• Azure Email Communication Service: A Microsoft cloud-based solution designed for reliably sending high-volume transactional emails, configured here for automated user support notifications.
• ElasticSearch: A distributed, RESTful search and analytics engine used to enable fast, scalable, and full-text search indexing across large datasets.
• 80/20 Preference Points System: A South African public procurement evaluation model where 80% of scoring is based on price competitiveness and 20% is allocated to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) specific goals such as ownership demographics.