Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to appoint a qualified and experienced service provider to deliver reliable, secure, and continuous website hosting services for the municipality. The goal is to ensure uninterrupted public access to official municipal information and digital services while maintaining high standards of performance, security, and regulatory compliance.

Scope

The scope encompasses the end-to-end hosting of the municipality’s official website. This includes provisioning server infrastructure, managing bandwidth allocation, implementing routine maintenance, ensuring system uptime, and providing ongoing technical support. While the invitation notice does not specify exact storage limits or contract duration, the core requirement focuses on stable, scalable, and compliant web hosting solutions tailored to municipal digital needs.

Technical Requirements

The invitation notice does not list exhaustive technical parameters; however, bidders are expected to propose solutions that align with industry-standard municipal hosting benchmarks. Typical requirements include:

• Guaranteed uptime and performance service level agreements (SLAs)
• Robust cybersecurity protocols, including DDoS mitigation, SSL/TLS encryption, and regular vulnerability assessments
• Automated backup scheduling and disaster recovery mechanisms
• Compliance with national data protection and privacy regulations
• Scalable architecture capable of handling variable traffic loads and future expansion

Providers must demonstrate the technical capability to deploy, monitor, and maintain these systems without disrupting existing municipal digital operations.

Skills Requirements

The tender seeks providers with proven expertise in enterprise web hosting and IT infrastructure management. Essential competencies include:

• Certified system administrators and network engineers with experience in cloud and dedicated server environments
• Proficiency in website deployment, content management system administration, and performance optimization
• Strong incident response capabilities and structured technical support frameworks
• Documented track record of successfully hosting government or large-scale municipal websites

Bidders must submit evidence of relevant qualifications, past performance references, and skilled personnel who will be assigned to manage the hosting environment.

Procurement Framework & Evaluation Criteria

This tender operates under South Africa’s Preferential Procurement Framework Act (Act 5 of 2000) utilizing an 80/20 scoring model. This means 80% of the evaluation points are allocated to price competitiveness, while 20% are reserved for specific socio-economic transformation goals. In this instance, 10 points are awarded for proving operational presence within the KwaZulu-Natal jurisdiction, and 10 points for demonstrating 100% black South African ownership. These criteria are designed to stimulate local economic participation and advance historical redress initiatives. Quotations must remain valid for 90 days, and the municipality reserves the right to accept or reject any bid without obligation to provide reasons.