Tender Summary: University-based Staff Development Programmes – Economist Development Programme

Objectives

The primary objective is to identify suitably qualified universities and service providers capable of delivering accredited short courses that can be integrated into an Economist Development Programme (EDP) for Competition Commission staff. The programme aims to deepen economists’ analytical, technical, and professional capabilities to support competition enforcement and broader statutory mandates. It seeks to facilitate continuous professional development while minimizing time away from the workplace, ensuring formal learning recognition and compliance with national skills development reporting, including Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) requirements.

Scope

Universities are invited to submit information on existing short courses that align with specified competency areas. Institutions may propose courses under alternative titles provided the content, learning outcomes, and competencies substantially match the intended objectives. The packaged EDP will operate over a 12 to 18-month period. Service providers must submit detailed costings per learner (excluding VAT) for each module, alongside total project costs including VAT. Submissions must also account for macroeconomic variables, such as exchange rate fluctuations, that could impact pricing. All information shared during and after the process is subject to strict confidentiality obligations. This RFI does not constitute a binding contract but serves purely to gather market intelligence for future procurement.

Technical Requirements

• Courses must be formally accredited and either NQF-aligned or credit-bearing.
• Deliverables must include a comprehensive cost breakdown per module per learner (excluding VAT), plus final totals including VAT.
• Pricing models must factor in potential economic risks, particularly currency exchange implications.
• Strict confidentiality protocols apply; respondents must safeguard all information, restrict access to authorized personnel, and obtain written approval before any disclosure.
• No contractual rights are granted through this RFI; it functions solely as a market consultation exercise.

Skills Requirements

The EDP comprises 28 modules distributed across three core competency categories:

• Economic Skills: Applied economics analysis and forecasting, spatial econometrics, industrial policy, panel and survey data analysis, advanced competition economics, core principles in economic regulation and competition economics, financial analysis for regulation, and legal principles for competition and economic regulation.
• Technical Skills: Advanced Excel, AI tools, report writing, geo-mapping, econometric software, cross-examination techniques, executive report writing, expert witness training, expert report writing, and expert negotiation training.
• Soft Skills: Presentation skills, personal mastery, public speaking, managing managers for results, human behaviour performance, leadership acceleration, media skills, leading high-performance teams, and media/parliament/stakeholder engagement.

Key Terminology

• NQF-aligned: Curriculum mapped to South Africa’s National Qualifications Framework, ensuring standardized educational quality and progressive skill levels.
• Credit-bearing: Courses that award formal academic credits recognized by higher education institutions toward qualifications.
• B-BBEE: Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment, South African legislation mandating skills development reporting and transformation targets for compliant organizations.
• EDP: Economist Development Programme, a structured, modular learning pathway designed specifically to upskill competition regulators in technical, analytical, and professional domains.