Objectives

The primary objective is to appoint a legally registered and functionally capable service provider to deliver secure, efficient, and compliant off-site record management services for Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo over a fixed-term contract.

Scope

The provided tender notice is an invitation to bid and does not detail the operational scope. Based on standard municipal practice, this contract typically encompasses the end-to-end management of physical and/or digital records stored at a dedicated off-site facility. Expected activities include secure collection and transportation, systematic indexing and cataloguing, controlled retrieval requests, long-term archival storage, retention scheduling, and eventual secure disposal or digitisation. Full operational parameters, volume thresholds, and service level agreements are contained within the complete tender package.

Technical Requirements

• Bid Validity: Submissions must remain binding for 120 days from the closing date, subject to possible extension.
• Mandatory Attendance: Participation in the compulsory site clarification briefing is strictly enforced. Failure to attend results in immediate disqualification.
• Submission Protocol: Tenders must be deposited physically into designated tender boxes during specified submission windows. Electronic, telegraphic, telephonic, telex, facsimile, or late submissions will be rejected outright.
• Regulatory Compliance: Bidders must adhere to municipal procurement regulations and anti-fraud directives. The municipality maintains a zero-tolerance policy for fronting and reserves the right to cancel contracts, blacklist providers, and report violations to authorities.

Skills Requirements

The notice does not list granular competency requirements. However, bidders must demonstrate sufficient functional capacity to achieve the required functionality score. This implies proven expertise in records lifecycle management, secure logistics coordination, data privacy and protection protocols, inventory tracking systems, and audit-ready documentation practices. Experience serving public sector clients and maintaining robust business continuity plans will be critical to meeting the evaluation criteria.

Contractual & Evaluation Framework

• Contract Duration: 36 months.
• Evaluation Model: Awards are determined using a weighted scoring system combining functionality assessment and price competitiveness, aligned with the municipal preference framework.

Explanation of Key Terms

• 80/20 Preference Points System: A South African public procurement mechanism where 80% of evaluation points are allocated to price competitiveness and 20% to specific socio-economic transformation goals (e.g., black economic empowerment, local supplier development, and disability inclusion).
• Fronting: A deceptive procurement practice where individuals or companies falsely represent their ownership, management, or socio-economic status to unlawfully access preferential bidding advantages. Engaging in fronting triggers contract cancellation, blacklisting, and legal reporting.