Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to appoint a bank to provide comprehensive banking and financial services to the Msunduzi Municipality for a period of 5 years. The services aim to support the municipality’s operational activities, investments, and cash management needs, ensuring secure, efficient, and compliant financial operations aligned with municipal policies and legislation.

Scope

The scope encompasses the provision of a wide range of banking services including:

• Transactional banking facilities for income collection, payments, and cash management.
• Investment management services, including placement of short-term investments to optimize returns.
• Electronic banking services such as online banking, electronic transfers, and data storage.
• Cash collection and deposit services at various municipal offices and satellite centers.
• Trade services, guarantees, and foreign exchange transactions.
• Provision of banking infrastructure such as Point of Sale terminals and automated cash deposit machines.
• Provision of internet-based services for investment and cash management.
• Support for traffic fine payments and related transaction processing.

The contract includes the delivery of services to specified municipal offices and adherence to specified transaction volumes and service levels over the 5-year period.

Technical Requirements

The technical specifications include:

• Provision of secure online banking platforms with subscription, transaction, enquiry, and data storage fees.
• Implementation of automated cash deposit machines and Point of Sale terminals with specified rental and transaction charges.
• Integration with the municipal SAP ECC6-EHP8 system for electronic transaction transfer, including providing ABAP programming code if necessary.
• Provision of a cash management system with multi-factor authentication, audit trails, encryption protocols, and ISO/IEC 27001 compliance.
• Capability to handle high-volume cash deposits, electronic transfers, and automated sweeping of accounts.
• Provision of secure communication channels for ad hoc manual transactions and real-time transaction processing within specified hours.
• Insurance coverage for goods and services, including professional indemnity and fidelity insurance.
• Compliance with relevant legislation including the Municipal Finance Management Act, Banking Act, VAT Act, and Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Skills Requirements

The successful bidder must demonstrate:

• Experience in providing banking services to municipalities or similar public sector entities, supported by reference letters and award letters.
• Qualified personnel, including a portfolio/relationship manager with a minimum of 5 years’ relevant experience and appropriate qualifications in finance, banking, or related fields.
• Technical expertise in integrating banking systems with SAP environments, including the ability to develop or provide ABAP code for transaction interfaces.
• Knowledge of ICT security standards, including ISO/IEC 27001, and the ability to implement secure, compliant banking solutions.
• Capacity to manage high transaction volumes and provide reliable, scalable banking infrastructure.
• Understanding of legislative and regulatory requirements applicable to municipal banking services, including compliance with the Public Finance Management Act and other relevant laws.