Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to procure a one-year renewal of the SolarWinds software license alongside comprehensive support services for the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS). This ensures continuous, uninterrupted access to critical IT monitoring infrastructure and maintains operational visibility across government networks.

Scope

The procurement encompasses a single one-year term for the renewal of the SolarWinds license and its associated support package. The successful supplier must fully comply with standard SolarWinds terms and conditions. GCIS reserves the contractual right to reduce or remove specific items from the scope prior to award. The contract requires a fixed, all-inclusive price quotation in South African Rand, valid for the entire duration of the agreement. Payment is structured upon confirmed satisfactory delivery, with settlement occurring within thirty days of invoice receipt.

Technical Requirements

• Mandatory submission of a valid SolarWinds Partner or Reseller Certificate/Letter demonstrating official authorization to distribute licenses and provide manufacturer-backed support.
• Complete compliance with prescribed Standard Bidding Documents (SBD 1, SBD 3.3, SBD 4, SBD 6.1) and the General Conditions of Contract, with every page initialed.
• Active registration on the Central Suppliers Database (CSD) with a verified CSD number provided in the submission.
• Submission of a fixed ceiling price covering all licensing, support, and ancillary costs for the one-year period, inclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT).
• Adherence to a two-stage evaluation framework: initial administrative compliance verification followed by price and preference scoring.
• Provision of accurate, complete, and correctly referenced supporting documentation; incomplete submissions result in disqualification.

Skills Requirements

The tender does not mandate specific technical certifications, engineering qualifications, or named personnel. Instead, capability is strictly evaluated through formal commercial authorization. Bidders must be officially recognized SolarWinds partners or resellers, ensuring they possess the requisite licensing authority, direct manufacturer supply channels, and approved support frameworks to legally and technically fulfill the contract obligations.

Explanation of Unusual or Complicated Terms

• SolarWinds: An enterprise-grade IT log monitoring and network management platform. It delivers real-time performance dashboards, automated alerting, and centralized oversight for servers, databases, applications, and network infrastructure, enabling administrators to optimize system health and troubleshoot issues proactively.
• 80/20 Preference Points System: A standardized public procurement evaluation model where eighty percent of the total score is allocated to competitive pricing, and twenty percent is distributed across designated socio-economic development goals. These goals specifically reward enterprises classified as Qualifying Small Enterprises (QSE) or Exempted Micro Enterprises (EME) operating in urban areas, and businesses with at least twenty percent youth ownership.
• Gate 0 and Gate 1 Evaluation: A phased compliance and scoring approach. Gate 0 functions as a strict administrative filter; bidders failing to submit all mandatory documents are immediately disqualified. Only compliant bids advance to Gate 1, where they are scored against the 80/20 price and preference matrix.