Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to procure, deliver, and license an on-premises backup and replication software solution that ensures comprehensive data protection, rapid recovery capabilities, and scalable disaster recovery for SAFCOL’s virtualized infrastructure. The solution must safeguard critical workloads while aligning with the organization’s long-term scalability and compliance needs.

Scope of Work

The successful bidder will be responsible for end-to-end implementation and ongoing licensing support, including:

• Provision of subscription-based licenses for 30 virtual machines over a 12 or 36-month term.
• Installation, deployment, and performance optimization of the backup server and proxy infrastructure.
• Configuration of backup repositories, retention policies, and automated scheduling jobs.
• Seamless integration with an existing 8-node Microsoft Hyper-V failover cluster and associated storage targets.
• Comprehensive operational handover and structured knowledge transfer sessions for the client’s internal ICT team.

Technical Requirements

The proposed solution must satisfy the following technical specifications:

• Hypervisor Integration: Native compatibility with Microsoft Hyper-V failover clustering across eight host/storage nodes utilizing Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV).
• Core Backup Functions: Automated image-based backups, application-aware processing, real-time inline deduplication and compression, and AES 256-bit encryption.
• Recovery Capabilities: Instant Virtual Machine recovery, granular item-level restoration (files, Active Directory objects, database entries), and automated backup validation/testing.
• Replication & Disaster Recovery: Built-in VM replication enabling reliable failover and failback operations between primary hosts or designated secondary recovery sites.
• Scalability: Architecture must support seamless expansion in increments of ten additional virtual machines without requiring architectural redesign.
• Support & Maintenance: 24/7 OEM production technical support with direct portal access, plus full entitlement to all software updates, minor patches, and major version upgrades throughout the contract duration.

Skills and Qualification Requirements

Bidders must demonstrate the following competencies and compliance credentials:

• Valid authorization as an official Veeam reseller or certified partner.
• Proven expertise in deploying, configuring, and optimizing enterprise backup solutions within Hyper-V environments.
• Capability to manage cluster integrations, storage mapping, retention policy design, and disaster recovery replication workflows.
• Ability to deliver structured training, documentation, and operational handover to internal teams.
• Mandatory compliance with South African public procurement standards, including registration on the Central Supplier Database (CSD), SARS tax compliance verification, and submission of SANAS-accredited B-BBEE certificates or sworn affidavits.
• Alignment with preferential procurement criteria, with priority scoring allocated to entities holding at least 51% black ownership.

Key Terms and Concepts

Several specialized terms are utilized in this tender and require clarification:

• Veeam: A widely adopted enterprise software platform engineered specifically for backup, replication, and disaster recovery of virtualized, physical, and cloud workloads.
• Hyper-V Failover Cluster & CSV: Microsoft technologies that aggregate multiple servers into a single highly available system. Cluster Shared Volumes enable concurrent read/write access to shared storage by all cluster nodes, eliminating single points of failure.
• Inline Deduplication & Compression: Real-time data reduction techniques that identify and eliminate redundant data blocks and compress files during the backup process, significantly reducing storage consumption and network bandwidth usage.
• Instant VM Recovery: A feature that allows a virtual machine to boot directly from its backup file stored on local or network storage, drastically reducing recovery time objectives (RTO).
• 80/20 Preference Point System: A South African procurement scoring model allocating 80 points based on competitive pricing and 20 points based on socio-economic transformation goals, primarily black economic empowerment status.
• CSD & B-BBEE: Statutory South African procurement requirements. The CSD is the national registry for all suppliers bidding with state entities. B-BBEE is a legislative framework designed to redress historical economic disparities through verified ownership, management control, skills development, and enterprise development metrics.