Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to appoint a panel of qualified and experienced law firms to provide professional legal services across various areas of law to the Ithala Development Finance Corporation Limited (IDFC) for a period of thirty-six (36) months. The aim is to ensure that IDFC receives high-quality legal advisory services to support its mandate of promoting socio-economic development, empowerment, and sustainable growth within KwaZulu-Natal.

Scope

The scope of the tender encompasses the provision of legal services in multiple categories, including:

• Conveyancing / Property Law
• Corporate Law
• Construction and Engineering Law
• Labour Law (employment contracts, CCMA, Labour Court)
• Maritime Law
• Litigation (civil, criminal, bond foreclosures)
• Administrative and Procurement Law

The panel will be limited to a maximum of six (6) law firms per category of law, with work allocated on a rotation basis as required by IDFC. The services include legal advice, drafting, representation, and other related legal activities necessary for IDFC’s operations.

Technical Requirements

The technical requirements include:

• Provision of legal services across the specified categories of law, demonstrating expertise and experience.
• Submission of relevant reference letters confirming experience in each category within the last five years.
• Attainment of the minimum experience and qualification criteria for attorneys, including high court admission, post-graduate qualifications, and specific years of post-admission experience.
• Completion of detailed CVs for lead attorneys, highlighting education, memberships, skills, and relevant experience.
• Provision of certified copies of qualifications and evidence of registration with the KZN Legal Practice Council.
• Adherence to the evaluation criteria, including minimum scores for functionality (minimum 80% per category) and compliance with bid requirements.
• Submission of a comprehensive pricing schedule, including hourly rates, disbursements, and total costs, inclusive of VAT.

Skills Requirements

The skills and qualifications required from law firms and attorneys include:

• High court admission as an Attorney of RSA and registration with the KZN Legal Practice Council.
• Minimum of 8 years post-admission experience in the relevant area of law.
• Specialist knowledge and proven experience in the specific legal categories (e.g., conveyancing, corporate law, construction law, etc.).
• Post-graduate qualifications in law, with specialization relevant to the category of law applied for.
• Ability to provide references from previous clients demonstrating successful delivery of legal services in similar matters.
• Capacity to assign qualified attorneys to handle the legal matters, with detailed CVs and experience records.
• Competence in legal drafting, advisory, litigation, and representation activities as required by IDFC.