Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to appoint a qualified and experienced service provider to supply, install, configure, and maintain a fully integrated telephone system for the Joe Gqabi District Municipality (JGDM) over a period of three years. The system aims to support efficient voice communication across all municipal offices, satellite locations, stakeholders, service providers, and the public. It must seamlessly integrate with existing Huawei devices and network infrastructure to enhance collaboration, reduce costs, and improve service delivery.

Scope

The scope of work includes:

• Supply: Provision of all hardware and software required, including SIP trunks for inbound and outbound calls.
• Installation & Configuration: Physical setup, system programming, security, encryption, and integration with existing Huawei devices.
• Migration: Seamless transfer from current hosted VOIP system, including number porting.
• Testing & Commissioning: End-to-end testing of all features.
• Training: Administrator and end-user training sessions.
• Documentation: Full system documentation, including network diagrams and configurations.
• Telecommunication Services: Provision of high-availability SIP trunks, call billing, and detailed reporting.
• Support & Maintenance: SLA-based ongoing technical support, upgrades, and maintenance over three years.

Technical Requirements

The system must:

• Be a software-based IP-PBX/UCM (Unified Communications Manager) running on dedicated hardware or virtual appliance.
• Be configured in an active-active or active-passive high-availability cluster with automatic failover within 60 seconds.
• Use standard SIP protocol (RFC 3261) for core call control, ensuring interoperability with Huawei SIP phones.
• Support survivability for remote endpoints in case of WAN link failure.
• Include appropriate hardware such as main servers (minimum 32GB RAM, NVMe SSD in RAID 1), SIP-to-analog gateways, and power resilience (UPS).
• Support features like time-based routing, class of service (COS), call queuing, conference bridging, web-based management, and detailed CDR reporting.
• Provision high-availability SIP trunks with 99.99% uptime, including number porting and detailed billing reports.

Skills Requirements

The successful bidder must demonstrate:

• Experience in deploying and maintaining integrated IP-PBX systems, preferably with Huawei platforms.
• Proven ability to configure high-availability clusters, security protocols, and survivability features.
• Capability to migrate existing telephone numbers seamlessly.
• Expertise in network security, encryption (TLS 1.2+ and SRTP), and VoIP protocols.
• Strong project management skills to deliver the project in phases with clear milestones.
• Ability to provide comprehensive training for administrators and end-users.
• Capability to produce detailed documentation, including system architecture, configurations, and user manuals.
• Support and maintenance skills to ensure 24/7 availability, rapid incident response, and adherence to SLA requirements.