Network Switch Replacement and Installation

The Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), a statutory regulator established under the Medical Schemes Act 131 of 1998 and listed as a Schedule 3A public entity, has invited quotations from experienced and reputable service providers to replace its current network switching infrastructure. The scope covers the safe removal and disposal of existing switches, supply and delivery of new equipment, installation, configuration, commissioning, and migration of the current switch configurations into the new environment. The bill of quantities includes two enterprise Layer 3 core/aggregation switches in a modular chassis configured as a single logical switch with cross-chassis LAG, VRRP/BFD first-hop redundancy, and VXLAN/BGP-EVPN readiness; ten 48-port PoE+ enterprise access switches (370 W minimum PoE budget, four 10GE SFP+ uplinks and two 12 Gbps stacking ports); optics, direct-attach cables, and patch leads; a centralised network management platform; and OEM technical support and software entitlement for all switches.

The solution must meet detailed technical specifications covering security (IEEE 802.1X, RADIUS/TACACS+ AAA, DHCP snooping, dynamic ARP inspection, CoPP, SSHv2 and SNMPv3), QoS, VLAN capacity of 4,094 IEEE 802.1Q VLANs, IPv4/IPv6 dual stack routing, and multiple management interfaces including CLI, web GUI, NETCONF/YANG and RESTful APIs. The successful bidder must also deliver 24 months of support and maintenance, 24x7x365 access to the OEM technical assistance centre, and a 4-hour on-site response. Payment is made within 30 days of receipt of a valid invoice, linked to milestones defined in an agreed implementation plan, and all work must be supported by an official purchase order.

Mandatory requirements include two testimonial letters specifically confirming network switch implementation or installation work, a valid OEM reseller certificate or letter of good standing confirming authority to supply the proposed equipment for the contract duration, and a comprehensive project implementation plan covering timelines, installation and migration methodology, testing, changeover, risk management, training, and post-implementation support. Attendance at a compulsory briefing session and site inspection on 6 November 2026 at Block A, Eco Glades 2 Office Park, Centurion is mandatory, and only bidders recorded on the attendance register will be evaluated. Evaluation is based on an 80/20 preference point system, with 80 points for price and 20 points for specific goals, and bidders must be tax compliant with a valid SARS PIN and a Central Supplier Database registration. The bid validity period is 90 days, and submissions must be emailed by 23:59 on 13 November 2026.