Conservation and Wildlife Management Plan Development

Nkomazi Local Municipality in Mpumalanga is seeking a suitably qualified service provider to develop integrated Conservation and Wildlife Management Plans for two areas: Marloth Park and Lionspruit. The plans are intended to guide responsible governance, ecological stewardship, sustainable land use, and effective wildlife management. The municipality requires plans that are practical, adaptive, and capable of supporting coordinated implementation by the municipality and relevant stakeholders. The appointed provider will be responsible for assessments, research, stakeholder consultations, and technical analyses needed to produce site-specific plans that promote biodiversity conservation, habitat protection, sustainable wildlife management, and compliance with applicable environmental and wildlife legislation.

The scope comprises 16 deliverables, including a project inception report and methodology; baseline ecological and conservation assessments and field surveys for each site; stakeholder consultations to identify conservation priorities and human-wildlife conflict issues; development of separate Conservation Management Plans and Wildlife Management Plans for both areas; implementation plans with indicative budgets, responsible parties, timelines, and performance indicators; a wildlife monitoring, evaluation, and reporting framework; presentation of draft plans; final plans with editable electronic copies; and knowledge transfer to designated municipal officials. Spatial data must be delivered in interoperable GIS formats such as shapefiles or GeoPackage, with metadata, and the municipality will hold copyright over all project outputs.

Evaluation is conducted in three stages: administrative compliance, technical evaluation (minimum 70 out of 100 points to proceed), and price and preference scoring on an 80/20 basis. Technical criteria weigh relevant experience in conservation, wildlife, or biodiversity plans most heavily, followed by the qualifications and SACNASP registration (Pr.Sci.Nat.) of the Lead Specialist, methodology, and project implementation. Mandatory requirements include proof of the Lead Specialist's SACNASP registration in a relevant discipline and a nominated professional to sign off the plans. Bidders must also submit a CSD report, tax compliance documentation, a Bank Rating letter, a B-BBEE certificate, and a schedule of rates. Bidders should note that the specification states an 18-month contract period, while the letter of tender refers to 36 months, and that the pricing table proposes milestone payments while the Special Conditions of Contract provide for a single final payment. Clarification should be sought from the municipality before bidding. The closing date is 3 December 2026 at 12:00.