Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to procure an online newspaper and magazine reader subscription service for a period of thirty-six (36) months, providing a single user with access to a wide range of digital publications. The service aims to support media monitoring, research, communication, stakeholder engagement, and informed decision-making by offering comprehensive digital content access.

Scope

The scope of the tender includes:

• Provision of a web-based and mobile-enabled platform for accessing newspapers and magazines from South African and international markets.
• Access to current and archived editions of publications.
• Search functionality across publications, topics, articles, keywords, dates, and categories.
• Features such as article saving, bookmarking, downloading, printing, and sharing (where licensing permits).
• Support for multiple devices including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
• Accessibility features like text-to-speech, adjustable text views, and translation where available.
• Provision of technical support and usage reporting during the subscription period.

Technical Requirements

The platform must meet the following technical specifications:

• Accessible via web-based platform and mobile applications.
• Content includes newspapers and magazines from South Africa and international sources.
• Search functionality by keywords, publication, topic, article, date, and category.
• Access to previous editions/back issues (archives).
• Device compatibility with desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
• Offline reading capabilities through saving or downloading content.
• Article management features such as bookmarking, saving, printing, downloading, and sharing.
• Accessibility features including text-to-speech, adjustable text size, and translation options.
• Provision of technical support via email, telephone, or online during the subscription period.
• Usage statistics and reporting functionalities.

Skills Requirements

The service provider must demonstrate:

• Experience in delivering online newspaper and magazine reader platforms.
• Capability to integrate media monitoring platforms or similar services.
• Technical expertise in developing and maintaining web-based and mobile applications that support content search, archiving, and offline reading.
• Provision of ongoing technical support with defined response times:
• Critical access issues: within 24 hours
• General technical queries: within 2 working days
• Subscription or billing queries: within 3 working days
• Ability to generate usage reports and analytics for institutional monitoring.
• Compliance with relevant technical and content accessibility standards.