Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to appoint a service provider to deliver shared Fraud and Ethics Hotline services for Vhembe District Municipality over a period of 36 months. The services aim to facilitate confidential reporting of suspicious or alleged fraudulent conduct by municipal staff, council members, or private individuals, thereby promoting integrity, transparency, and accountability within the municipality and its associated local municipalities.

Scope

The scope of work includes:

• Provision of 24/7 confidential, shared hotline services accessible to municipal officials and community members.
• Management of the existing shared hotline, which remains the property of the municipality.
• Implementation of multiple communication channels, including toll-free number, secure email, postal address, web-based platform, and optional mobile app.
• Operation of a multilingual call center ensuring anonymous reporting.
• Handling and transcription of calls, allocation of reference numbers, and promotion of awareness through display materials.
• Monthly reporting on hotline activities, incidents reported, and geographical statistics, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation such as the Protected Disclosures Act.
• Development of a project implementation and maintenance plan, including key tasks and work plan with timeframes.

Technical Requirements

The technical requirements include:

• 24-hour active and managed confidential hotline services shared across Vhembe District and associated municipalities.
• Management of existing hotline infrastructure, which remains municipal property.
• Provision of multiple communication mediums: toll-free number, secure email, postal address, web portal, and optional mobile app.
• Multilingual call center operations with guaranteed caller anonymity.
• Call handling by trained operators, transcription, and assignment of reference numbers for follow-up.
• Monthly consolidated reports detailing procedures, incident summaries, reporting channels, and geographical data.
• Compliance with South African legislation, including the Protected Disclosures Act, 2000.
• Promotion and awareness campaigns to inform staff and the public about hotline services and disclosure types.

Skills Requirements

The bidder must demonstrate:

• Experience in providing ethics, anti-fraud, and corruption management hotlines, supported by appointment letters, purchase orders, and reference letters for similar projects.
• Expertise through proof of project management, including membership certificates of relevant professional bodies such as the Institute of Ethics of South Africa, Institute of Risk Management South Africa, or The Institute of Internal Auditors of South Africa.
• Capability to facilitate anti-fraud and ethics management activities, hotline management, and related services, supported by presentations and verification contacts.
• A detailed methodology outlining project planning, implementation approach, and work plan with clear timeframes.
• Provision of qualified call center operators and technical staff capable of handling multilingual calls and ensuring confidentiality and anonymity.