Top ICT tenders: Govt to refresh job evaluation, grading system

Load-shedding, inflation and rising interest rates are hitting South Africa’s economy hard and the public sector is not immune to the impact.

This week, the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) comes to the market with a call for a bespoke or off-the-shelf automated job evaluation and job grading system that will look at all categories of jobs across all levels of the public sector.

Government’s relationship with its employees is far from harmonious at the moment, with last year’s unilateral implementation of a 3% pay rise still rankling unions and their members.

The department’s request for a new job evaluation and grading system is likely to leave public servants divided, particularly as it points out: “With the growing budget deficit, economic realities and the growing wage bill, the State will in future review the occupation-specific dispensation jobs. Therefore, the proposed job evaluation and job grading system should evaluate all jobs using the same criteria in order to ensure fairness.”

The public sector was directed to use the current Equate system in the 1999/2000 financial year, and refinements and upgrades were rolled out in April 2014. Government’s contract with the developers, however, came to an end in July 2020.

This system was applied on a decentralised basis, says the DPSA, and is currently used in 146 national and provincial departments, excluding government entities and components. Each department evaluates and grades its own jobs, except in cases where jobs are evaluated and graded by the minister.

“This approach results in inconsistent grading decisions that leads to substantial grade drift over time. Mechanisms should be identified and developed within the proposed job evaluation and job grading system to address and manage such situations,” it says.

The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) gets this week’s mention for top advertiser, with three requests. The commission has been under a cloud over the past year as reports of corrupt and fraudulent activity continue to attract headlines. It’s unsurprising then that the NLC is predominantly interested in security solutions, even if it’s outward-facing.

In its first request, the NLC is adverting for a service provider to implement a security incident and event management system as a service at its head office. “Presently, a national private MPLS network interconnects each of the [nine] provincial offices to the head office. A central server room at the Hatfield office houses all the core applications, servers and associated network infrastructure. This MPLS network caters for both SIP telephony services as well as data network services,” it says.

This is followed by an invitation for the implementation of a Radius server solution for the “purposes of protecting the NLC LAN network environment against unauthorised access”.

Finally, the commission wishes to appoint a service provider for the provision of managed Xerox document scanner services. The 36-month contract will see document scanners delivered to the nine NLC provincial offices across the country.

• Sentech is looking for a service provider to supply, deliver and commission a service information generator system for digital terrestrial television (DTT) with multiple operators and regions and direct-to-home (DTH) linking networks for three years.
• Eskom is looking to tackle security awareness and training as this is “one of the crucial controls in the management of cyber security attacks in organisations and Eskom”. The utility is looking for an agnostic awareness and training solution to be implemented across 50 000 users.
• The South African Bureau of Standards is advertising for the replacement of its data centre core network and firewall replacement.
• The South African Astronomical Observatory, through the National Research Foundation, is calling for bids for the supply, delivery and installation of new digital storage units inclusive of software licences, support services, training, data migration and warranty. This five-year contract will see replacement of ageing infrastructure, expanded capacity and improvements to the speed of delivery.
• The Competition Commission is looking for an integrated financial and human resources system as part of its strategic initiative to develop a fully-integrated, efficient and adequate ICT environment to ensure effective functioning of the commission in order to improve operational efficiency and to achieve strategic goals.
• Finally, the Human Sciences Research Council wishes to appoint a service provider to supply SonicWALL firewalls and a security suite, as well as training, to enable and support its business requirements.

Department of PublicService and Administration

The national department is advertising for the development of an automated job evaluation and job grading system for the public service.
Note: SBD forms must be fully completed and signed.
Tender no: DPSA010/2022
Information: Lorraine Masenya, Tel: 012 336 1126, E-mail: lorraine@dpsa.gov.za.
Closing date: 28 Feb 2023
Tags: Software, software development, HR, automated evaluation

Sentech Limited

A service provider is sought to supply, deliver and commission a service information generator system for DTT with multiple operators and regions and DTH linking networks for a period of three years.
Compulsory briefing: 2 Feb
Note: Briefing session is compulsory. Proposals from bidders who failed to attend the briefing will not be considered. Bid proposals to be physically delivered. Bidders to ensure bid submission register is completed and signed during the submission. Late bids will not be accepted.
Tender no: SENT/046/2022-23
Information: Norman or Amukelani, Tel: 011 471 4443, E-mail: tendera@sentech.co.za.
Closing date: 21 Feb2023
Tags: Telecommunications, Broadcasting, Software

Eskom

The utility invites proposals for the provision of a hybrid information security (cyber security) awareness service.
Non-compulsory briefing: 3 Feb – Microsoft Teams.
Tender no: MWP1806CX
Information: Tlou Mashalane, Tel: 011 800 4954, E-mail: mashalst@eskom.co.za.
Closing date: 23 Feb 2023
Tags: Software, services, security, cyber security, training and e-learning

South African Bureau of Standards

The SABS requires data centre core network and firewall replacement.
Compulsory briefing: 8 Feb – Microsoft Teams.
Note: Bidders interested in attending the briefing session must send a confirmation to attend via e-mail to luvuyo.tshabalala@sabs.co.za no later than 7 February 2023 at 3pm.
Tender no: RFP 20705
Information: Luvuyo Tshabalala, Tel: 012 428 6225, E-mail: Luvuyo.Tshabalala@sabs.co.za.
Closing date: 15 Feb 2023
Tags: Hardware, Software, Networking, Datacentre, Security, Firewall

National Lotteries Commission

The commission is looking for a service provider to implement security incident and event management (SIEM).
Note: Submissions only via USB.
Tender no: RFP/2023-004
Information: SCM practitioner, Tel: 012 432 1302, E-mail: bids@nlcsa.org.za.
Closing date: 13 Feb 2023
Tags: Software, security, security incident and event management, SIEM

Bids are invited for the implementation of a Radius server solution.
Note: Submissions only via USB.
Tender no: RFP/2023-002
Information: SCM practitioner, Tel: 012 432 1302, E-mail: bids@nlcsa.org.za.
Closing date: 9 Feb 2023
Tags: Hardware, Software, Security, RADIUS, Authentication, Networking, Cybersecurity

Finally, the NLC also wishes to appoint a service provider for the provision of Xerox document scanners or equivalent services.
Note: Submissions only via USB.
Tender no: RFP/2023-001
Information: SCM practitioner, Tel: 012 432 1302, E-mail: bids@nlcsa.org.za.
Closing date: 10 Feb 2023
Tags: Hardware, software, imaging, scanning

National Research Foundation

The South African Astronomical Observatory requires supply, delivery and installation of new digital storage units inclusive of software licences, support services, training, data migration and warranty for a period of five years.
Compulsory briefing: 13 Feb
Tender no: NRF/SAAO/ITIS/03/2022/23
Information: Todani Mutobvu, Sibabalo Mbengashe or Jamie L Hau, Tel: 021 447 0025, E-mail: scm@saao.ac.za.
Closing date: 28 Feb 2023
Tags: Hardware, software, storage, software licensing, training and e-learning, data migration, services, support and maintenance

Competition Commission

A service provider is sought for the supply, implementation, support and maintenance of an integrated financial and human resource system.
Compulsory briefing: 9 Feb – Microsoft Teams.
Tender no: 15/2022-2023
Information: Sylvia Nkosi, Tel: 012 394 3200, E-mail: sylviam@compcom.co.za.
Closing date: 28 Feb 2023
Tags: Software, ERP, HR, services, support and maintenance

Human Sciences Research Council

The HSRC wishes to appoint a service provider to supply Sonicwall firewalls, security suite and training.
Tender no: HSRC/15/2022/23
Information: Hilton Tsibande, Tel: 012 302 2362, E-mail: htsibande@hsrc.ac.za.
Closing date: 17 Feb 2023
Tags: Hardware, software, security, firewalls, services, training and e-learning