Tender Summary: Technical Expert at Endumeni Local Municipality

Objectives

The primary objective is to appoint a highly qualified Local Government Expert to provide strategic advisory, oversight, and intervention support to Endumeni Local Municipality. The appointment aims to resolve critical challenges in governance, institutional performance, financial management, service delivery, infrastructure implementation, and compliance, while facilitating sustainable turnaround initiatives and strengthening overall municipal administration.

Scope of Work

• Conduct diagnostic assessments of the municipality’s financial position, management environment, and governance functionality to identify root causes of financial distress, inefficiencies, fiscal leakages, and non-compliance.
• Develop practical financial recovery and turnaround interventions with defined timeframes, responsibilities, and measurable outputs.
• Build internal capacity and transfer skills to Budget and Finance unit officials.
• Ensure statutory compliance of governance structures regarding sittings, decision-making, and reporting obligations.
• Oversee funded budget development, implementation planning, and monthly expenditure tracking without deviation.
• Compile and submit monthly progress reports on governance structures, Eskom debt management, and prepaid meter rollouts to Council and provincial authorities.
• Prepare and submit Annual Financial Statements for external audit submission.
• Implement resolutions arising from provincial portfolio committee hearings within agreed timelines.
• Provide administrative support through a designated Administration Officer for documentation, minute-taking, filing, and coordination.

Technical Requirements

Candidates must hold an NQF Level 9 qualification or a Master’s degree in Public Management, Business Administration, or Local Government. A minimum of ten years’ experience in the local government sector is mandatory, with demonstrated exposure to municipalities, provincial departments, national treasury entities, and municipal associations. The contract duration is four months. Bidders must comply with standard public procurement regulations, including valid tax clearance verification, Central Supplier Database registration, and verified Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment status. Evaluation follows an 80/20 preference point system, allocating 80 points to price and 20 points to specific transformation goals, particularly enterprises with 51% or more black ownership. All submissions require firm pricing, a 120-day validity period, and strict declarations regarding state employment and conflict of interest.

Skills Requirements

• Advanced analytical and diagnostic capabilities for identifying municipal financial and governance failures.
• Expertise in designing and executing financial turnaround strategies and consequence management protocols.
• Strong capacity-building and training skills for knowledge transfer to municipal finance personnel.
• Proficiency in monitoring statutory compliance, drafting executive/council reports, and managing intergovernmental reporting.
• High-level stakeholder mediation, dispute resolution, and cross-functional coordination abilities.
• Administrative support staff must exhibit strong organisational skills, proficiency in office software, accurate minute-taking, and reliable public-sector coordination.

Key Regulatory & Procurement Terms Explained

• Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) & Municipal Systems Act (MSA): Core South African legislation governing municipal financial management, budgeting, auditing, and operational systems.
• Section 79 & Section 80 Committees: Statutory municipal committees responsible for overseeing executive decisions and ensuring lawful, transparent governance processes.
• Section 132 Hearing: A constitutional provision allowing provincial legislatures to investigate and issue binding directives when a municipality fails to perform its executive functions.
• AGSA & COGTA: The Auditor-General of South Africa (external auditor for government) and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (provincial oversight body).
• 80/20 Preference Point System: A procurement scoring model where 80% of evaluation points are awarded based on competitive pricing, and 20% are allocated for socio-economic transformation goals such as black ownership.