Collections Management System Development and Support

Ditsong Museums of South Africa (DMSA), a Schedule 3A public entity accountable to the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and Parliament, is seeking a service provider to supply an existing collections management system or develop a new one. The system will consolidate heritage asset records currently held across four separate systems, including a DataEase database at the National Museum of Cultural History. DMSA is custodian of 83 collections totalling nearly five million objects, spanning zoology, palaeontology, cultural history, anthropology, archaeology, military history, aircraft, art, numismatics, philately, photographs, archives, and library holdings. Phase one covers a review of current records, migration of data into the new system, development of standards and user interfaces, and quality control throughout.

The required system must comply with ISO 27001 and DMSA ICT policies, and should be cloud-based with high security levels. Key functional requirements include a multi-level permission structure, with administrators, curators, auditors and the Auditor General of South Africa each granted appropriate access. The system must also provide audit logs with roll-back capability, backup schedules and logs on request, and a maximum one-hour downtime target. Other features include an adaptable thesaurus aligned to Chenhall classification terms, integration with DMSA's digital library and email systems, barcode generation and stocktaking via barcode scanner, Excel export with audit-ready reporting, and selected public publication through the DMSA website. The system must also support GRAP 103 heritage asset requirements, OAIS long-term digital archiving standards, and a SAPS-style firearms reporting format. Preference is given to open-source solutions over proprietary ones. Bidders must provide training for up to 55 users and a maintenance contract of at least 36 months with 24-hour, 365-day emergency assistance.

The contract runs for three years from appointment and is subject to performance review. Bids are evaluated on an 80/20 price and preference basis, with a minimum of 70 out of 100 functionality points required before price is considered. Functionality covers company experience (at least five public-sector collection management projects), reference letters (at least four, on letterhead, from public-sector clients), team experience (team leaders with at least three collection management services), a project plan, a risk management plan, and a presentation demonstrating the system. Bidders must be registered on the National Treasury Central Supplier Database, be tax compliant, and submit a technical and a financial proposal in separate envelopes, along with a flash drive containing soft copies. A compulsory briefing session is scheduled for 12 November 2026 at 11:00, and bids close on 27 November 2026 at 11:00. For bidders with the relevant expertise, this offers a substantial, long-term opportunity to deliver a secure, standards-compliant digital platform for one of South Africa's major heritage institutions.