Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to appoint a qualified and experienced service provider to develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive Business Continuity Management Plan (BCMP) for Thulamela Municipality over a period of three years. The goal is to ensure continuous and sustainable delivery of municipal services during disruptions, crises, or disasters by adopting a modern, technology-enabled BCM platform that supports end-to-end management, testing, and improvement of business continuity plans, aligned with national standards and legislative requirements.

Scope

The scope encompasses:

• Platform Provision & Configuration: Supply, configure, and implement an integrated BCM platform supporting full lifecycle management, Business Impact Analysis (BIA), and development of departmental and municipal-wide Business Continuity Plans (BCPs).
• Business Impact Analysis & Plan Development: Conduct municipality-wide BIAs, identify critical functions, and develop or update all related plans including crisis communication, ICT disaster recovery, emergency response, and departmental continuity plans.
• Training & Capacity Building: Provide training for administrators, users, and management; conduct awareness workshops and simulation exercises to test readiness and response capabilities.
• Support & Maintenance: Offer ongoing technical support, system updates, security patches, and system support throughout the contract period.
• Finalisation & Handover: Deliver fully approved, finalised plans, manuals, training materials, and conduct project closure activities including handover and documentation.

Technical Requirements

The solution must include:

• Platform Features: Support full BCP lifecycle, structured BIA tools, dashboards, real-time analytics, offline access, and automated reporting.
• Integrations: Seamless integration with risk management systems, strategy management, compliance frameworks (ISO 22301, Disaster Management Act, MFMA, POPIA), incident management, and crisis communication tools.
• Capabilities: Incident monitoring, emergency alerts (SMS, email, in-platform), task management, version control, audit trails, testing and simulation functionalities, supply chain mapping, and offline plan access.
• Support & Maintenance: Regular updates, security patches, helpdesk support, and system monitoring for the duration of the contract.
• Implementation Timeline: Complete all phases within three years, including inception, platform setup, BIA, plan development, training, testing, and final handover.

Skills Requirements

The bidder must demonstrate:

• Relevant Project Experience: Proven track record of delivering ISO 22301-aligned BCM solutions within the last 10 years, with supporting documentation and references.
• Technical Expertise: Skilled professionals with certifications such as ISO 22301 Lead Implementer/Auditor, project management (PRINCE2, PMBOK), ICT and cybersecurity (TOGAF, CISA, CEH, CISM).
• Platform Capability: Ability to configure and support a BCM platform with full lifecycle management, integration capabilities, testing, and reporting functionalities.
• Team Competence: Experienced BCM specialists, project managers, ICT security experts, and disaster recovery professionals with relevant qualifications and proven experience in municipal or government projects.
• References & Past Work: At least two contactable references for similar projects, with documented successful implementations.