Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to appoint a qualified, experienced, and capable service provider to deliver comprehensive banking services to the National Heritage Council (NHC) for a period of five (5) years. The appointment aims to ensure compliance with legislative requirements, promote transparency, fairness, and accountability in financial management, enhance operational efficiency, mitigate financial and compliance risks, and improve governance within the NHC's finance functions.

Scope

The scope of work includes, but is not limited to:

• Handling of cash deposits (cash protector or similar facilities).
• Provision of electronic banking services such as:
  • Online balance enquiry
  • Online statement enquiry
  • Stop payment facilities
  • Audit trail of electronic fund transfers
  • Funds transfer between NHC bank accounts
  • Electronic direct debit for payments
  • Enquiry facilities for debit order rejections
  • Batch payment imports
  • EFT payments with controls
  • Verification of transfers
  • ERP system integration
• Reporting, audit trails, and query management, including:
  • Real-time transaction browsing
  • Bank statement email delivery
  • Support for dispute resolution and returned/disputed debit orders
  • Support for ERP system integration
• System compatibility with NHC’s ERP system.
• Provision of draft Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and transition plans for onboarding (April 2026) and offboarding (March 2030).
• Support for additional accounts, authorisation controls, and integration via web services/API.
• Training, documentation, and support services.
• Reporting enhancements, ESG initiatives, governance, and risk management.

Technical Requirements

• Systems must seamlessly integrate with the NHC’s ERP system.
• Provision of a sandbox environment for testing.
• Compliance with cybersecurity standards, including annual penetration testing and vulnerability assessments.
• Business continuity plans, including disaster recovery sites, off-site backups, and system failover capabilities.
• 24/7 support for system failures, cybersecurity incidents, and after-hours transactions.
• Secure digital platforms with dual control and audit trail features for account management.
• Real-time web services/API integration for transaction processing.
• Training sessions and user manuals for online banking and EFT platforms.
• Custom report generation and monthly reconciliation support.

Skills and Capability Requirements

• Proven experience in providing banking services to public sector entities, with at least three reference letters from municipalities or departmental entities within the last ten years.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver electronic banking solutions with robust security and integration features.
• Capability to support system onboarding and offboarding, including data migration, user registration, and staff training.
• Strong support team with expertise in query resolution, technical support, and system maintenance.
• Compliance with all relevant legislative and regulatory standards, including FICA, POPIA, and FAIS.
• Ability to implement cybersecurity controls, disaster recovery, and data backup strategies.
• Experience in generating custom reports, reconciling transactions, and supporting ERP integration.
• Demonstrated commitment to ESG principles and good governance practices.