Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to appoint a qualified and experienced service provider to deliver website hosting, maintenance, security, backup, and content management support for the Umdoni Municipality’s official website (https://umdoni.gov.za) for a period of 12 months, with the possibility of renewal. The aim is to ensure uninterrupted, secure, and optimal website performance, supporting municipal communication and service delivery.

Scope

The scope of work includes:

• Website Hosting: Secure cloud or dedicated hosting with 99.9% uptime, SSL management, domain/DNS management, sufficient storage and bandwidth, and proactive monitoring.
• Website Maintenance: Application and server updates, bug fixing, performance optimization, link integrity, and database health checks, without structural or design changes without approval.
• Security Management: Malware scanning, firewall/WAF protection, timely security patches, continuous threat monitoring, login security measures, incident response, and security logging.
• Backup & Recovery: Daily automated off-site backups of database and files, tiered retention, periodic restore testing, and a disaster recovery plan with a maximum RTO of 4 hours.
• Content Management Support: Assistance with publishing council notices, tenders, vacancies, notices, documents, news, and other content, with specified turnaround times.
• Reporting & Monitoring: Monthly reports on uptime, maintenance, security incidents, backups, performance, and support activities.
• Handover & Transition: Transfer of source code, databases, files, and credentials from previous provider, and final handover at contract end without fees.

Technical Requirements

The technical specifications include:

• Hosting on a secure cloud or dedicated server with PHP 8.x compatibility and MySQL/MariaDB database.
• Support for content modules such as news, notices, tenders, vacancies, and document libraries.
• Daily database backups at 2:00 AM with tiered retention (7 daily, 4 weekly, 3 monthly).
• Secure file storage for uploaded documents, with off-site backups.
• Management of domain and DNS records, including DNS handover.
• Implementation of security measures: malware scanning, WAF, login rate limiting, account lockout, and incident response.
• Support for content updates within specified timeframes and ongoing performance optimization.

Skills Requirements

The bidder must demonstrate:

• Proven experience in hosting and maintaining PHP/MySQL-based websites, preferably for government or municipal entities.
• Technical expertise in web security, including OWASP Top 10 risks, malware detection, and firewall management.
• Capability to provide qualified support personnel with clear escalation procedures.
• Ability to respond promptly to service requests and emergencies during support hours and after-hours.
• Experience in managing off-site backups and disaster recovery planning.
• Knowledge of domain/DNS management and SSL certificate provisioning.
• Ability to deliver regular reports on website performance, security, and maintenance activities.