Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to appoint a qualified service provider to maintain, support, and optimize the systems integration of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC) SaaS environment for a period of 36 months. The goal is to ensure ongoing system stability, performance, compliance, and alignment with NDA’s strategic initiatives, while enabling continuous system enhancements through automation and advanced integrations.

Scope

The scope of work includes:

• Maintenance and Support: Providing 36 months of BC maintenance and support, including proactive system monitoring, troubleshooting, monthly performance reviews, and license renewal facilitation.
• Systems Integration Optimization: Validating and enhancing existing integrations and configurations, or recommending suitable add-ons/apps. Key integrations include:
• Purchase Requisition Module: managing purchase requests, approvals, and order integration using Visual Studio Code and AL language, leveraging SQL Server backend.
• Grant Funding Integration: exporting contract/project data via Excel files, with potential enhancements using Power Automate, Dataverse, or API-based connectors.
• Payroll Integration: automating Sage 300 People payroll data exchange via SFTP, with automation via SharePoint Online and Power Automate.
• Contract Management Module: digitizing procurement and CSO contracts, including recurring invoices, amendments, notifications, and reporting.
• Fixed Asset Management & Mobile Scanning: enabling asset verification, reassignment, disposal tracking through Power Apps, with real-time BC updates.
• Lease Smoothing: automating lease liabilities and payments calculation, with reporting features.
• Travel Requisition Management System: automating travel requests, budget validation, and purchase order creation via Power Platform and BC integration.
• Data Migration: structured migration process for replacing/enhancing modules, ensuring data integrity and continuity.
• Report and Dashboard Support: Extending reports and dashboards to Power BI, ensuring security and compliance.
• Testing: Conducting comprehensive testing, including user acceptance testing (UAT).
• Training: Providing end-user and ICT staff training on new features, customizations, and integrations.
• Compliance: Ensuring adherence to security and data protection regulations, including POPIA and cybersecurity standards.

Technical Requirements

The technical requirements encompass:

• Support Framework: Incident management, escalation procedures, response and resolution times.
• Systems Monitoring: Regular health reports, issue trend analysis, and monthly QoS reporting.
• Integration Optimization: Technical diagrams and approach for:
• BC and TMS purchase validation and order creation.
• Ndzalama data exchange with BC.
• Sage 300 People payroll file integration with BC.
• Experience & Certification: Demonstrated support and maintenance of Microsoft BC, Power Platform, and Microsoft 365 solutions, with minimum two CVs per resource, including relevant certifications (e.g., Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Microsoft Partner accreditation).
• References: Evidence of successful BC implementations within the last 7 years, with client reference letters.
• Project Management: Detailed project plan, methodology (e.g., Agile), milestones, risk management, and stakeholder communication strategies.
• Compliance: Alignment with POPIA, cybersecurity controls (MFA, RBAC, audit logging), and business continuity planning (backup, restore, DR testing).
• Data Migration: Structured migration process documentation, ensuring data integrity during module replacements or enhancements.

All technical solutions must leverage NDA’s existing investments in Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Business Central, SQL Server, and Dataverse, following principles such as simplicity, reusability, and scalability.