Objectives

The primary objective is to procure, provision, renew, and implement Lawtrust SSL certificate subscriptions, alongside comprehensive support services, for the Department of Forestry, Fisheries & Environment over a fixed two-year period.

Scope

The contract encompasses the supply, deployment, and ongoing management of SSL certificates for 24 months, including renewal and professional support. The required quantities are:

• Standard Organisation Validation (OV) SSL: 19 units
• Advantage OV SSL: 14 units
• Multi-Domain OV SSL: 10 units
• Wildcard OV SSL: 2 units
• Professional Implementation and Support Services: 1 unit

All deliverables must be supplied at the department's designated facility. Pricing must be firm, inclusive of 15% VAT, delivery costs, and all statutory levies. The quotation remains valid for 90 days from the closing date.

Technical Requirements

• Bidders must hold valid certification as partners or resellers of Lawtrust, with mandatory proof of accreditation submitted alongside the quotation.
• Certificates must be issued and delivered electronically via a dedicated portal following successful domain or organisational validation and receipt of an official purchase order.
• Bidders must demonstrate compliant tax status, active registration on the Central Supplier Database (CSD), and submission of all prescribed Standard Bidding Documents (SBDs).
• Evaluation utilises an 80/20 preference point system: 80 points for price competitiveness and 20 points for specific transformation goals, contingent upon verified ownership demographics.
• Failure to meet tax compliance, CSD registration, or accreditation requirements results in automatic disqualification.

Skills Requirements

Although not explicitly itemised, the tender necessitates demonstrated capability in:

• Digital certificate lifecycle management, including issuance, validation, deployment, monitoring, and renewal.
• Execution of domain and organisational verification procedures in accordance with industry standards.
• IT security support, troubleshooting, and maintenance related to SSL/TLS implementations.
• Administration and navigation of certificate provisioning portals.
• Adherence to public sector supply chain management protocols and preferential procurement legislation.

Unusual or Complicated Terms

Lawtrust SSL Certificates: Digital certificates issued by Lawtrust, a South African Certificate Authority, used to authenticate website identity and establish encrypted communications.

Organisation Validation (OV) SSL: A certificate tier that verifies the legal existence and operational legitimacy of the requesting organisation before issuance, providing enhanced trust indicators compared to basic domain validation.

Multi-Domain OV SSL: A single certificate capable of securing multiple distinct domain names simultaneously, simplifying management across separate web properties.

Wildcard OV SSL: A certificate that secures a primary domain and all its first-level subdomains using a wildcard identifier, reducing administrative overhead for organisations with numerous subdomains.

80/20 Preference Point System: A South African government procurement scoring framework where 80 points are allocated to price evaluation and 20 points to socio-economic transformation goals. Points for specific goals are awarded only if the bidder demonstrates more than 50% ownership by Black people, women, or persons with disabilities, supported by verifiable documentation.