Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to procure and deliver ten (10) new enteral feeding pumps to Victoria Mxenge Hospital. The procurement aims to secure reliable, high-quality medical equipment to support patient nutrition therapy while complying with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health's supply chain management policies, including preferential scoring mechanisms that promote historically disadvantaged and locally owned enterprises.

Scope

The scope covers the complete supply, transportation, and delivery of ten enteral feeding pumps to the designated hospital facility. This is classified as a single-off contract with a validity period of ninety days. Successful bidders are responsible for sourcing brand-new, unused equipment, ensuring all delivery costs are included in the quoted price, and fulfilling all administrative, compliance, and contractual obligations. The contract excludes installation, training, or long-term maintenance unless separately negotiated, and focuses solely on the delivery of compliant hardware.

Technical Requirements

• Physical Specifications: Single-unit design weighing approximately 1 kg, featuring a large backlit LCD display and an integrated carrying handle for portability.
• Mounting & Placement: Must support both tabletop operation and IV pole mounting.
• Loading Mechanism: Simple loading procedure with a transparent protective door to safeguard tubing sets.
• Power Configuration: Supplied with a power cord and a 3-point adaptor specifically compatible with the hospital's red emergency plug points.
• Functional Capabilities: Must feature auto-priming functionality and integrate three distinct feeding modes in one device: continuous feeding, intermittent/bolus feeding, and feed & flush feeding.
• Safety Features: Equipped with audible alarms to alert users of operational errors or faults.
• Documentation & Proof: Bidders must submit a clear product photograph alongside their quotation and explicitly confirm specification compliance on official forms.
• Product Condition: Only new, unused equipment is accepted. Expired stock will be rejected, and all delivered units must retain a minimum shelf life of six months upon delivery.

Skills Requirements

No specialized clinical or technical engineering skills are mandated for the bidder. Success depends on demonstrated commercial and logistical capacity to source, finance, and deliver medical-grade equipment within strict public sector timelines. Bidders must exhibit strong supply chain management capabilities, including inventory control, freight coordination, and risk mitigation. Administrative proficiency is equally critical, requiring familiarity with Central Supplier Database (CSD) verification, SARS tax compliance validation, accurate completion of statutory declaration forms (SBD 4 and SBD 6.1), and precise application of the preferential procurement scoring framework.

Key Terms & Explanations

Enteral Feeding Pump: A precision medical device that delivers liquid nutrition, hydration, or medications directly into a patient's gastrointestinal tract via nasogastric, nasojejunal, or gastrostomy tubes. It ensures controlled, accurate flow rates and is essential for patients unable to consume food orally.

80/20 Preference Point System: A South African public procurement evaluation model where 80 points are awarded based on competitive pricing and 20 points are allocated for designated socio-economic goals. Here, the full 20 points are reserved for enterprises that are wholly South African-owned, verifiable through CIPC director/member documentation.

Cover-Quoting: An illegal procurement practice where a single entity submits multiple quotations through different registered companies to manipulate pricing or increase winning probability. This is strictly prohibited and results in immediate disqualification and potential blacklisting.

General & Special Conditions of Contract (GCC/SCC): Standardized legal frameworks governing delivery schedules, warranty periods (typically 12–18 months), performance security, delay penalties (calculated using the current prime interest rate), termination rights, and dispute resolution procedures. These conditions cannot be amended by the bidder.