Sage CRM and LMS Support and Maintenance Services

The National Housing Finance Corporation SOC Ltd (NHFC), a Schedule 3A public entity under the Public Finance Management Act, is seeking a qualified service provider to deliver consolidated support, maintenance and enhancement services for its Sage CRM-based business-critical systems. The environment includes the Loan Management System (LMS), the Grant Facilitation System, and the First Home Finance customer-facing web portal, which allows applicants to submit grant applications, upload documents, initiate payment requisitions and track disbursements. The systems run on Microsoft SQL Server and span Sage CRM versions from 7.3 SP3 to CRM 2024 R2, so the successful provider must be able to manage a mixed, legacy-plus-current technology estate and advise on upgrade dependencies between CRM and SQL Server versions.

The appointed provider will be responsible for Level 1 and Level 2 application support, with defined escalation to Level 3 support. Core responsibilities include incident, problem and service request management; corrective, preventive, adaptive and perfective maintenance; root-cause analysis; system administration and security support; integration support for interfaces between Sage CRM, the LMS, the online portal and third-party systems; specialist SQL Server database support; and controlled release, testing and deployment through NHFC's change management processes. Enhancements will be delivered on an approved change-request basis, with effort, cost and timeline estimates provided upfront. Deliverables include a transition-in plan and baseline assessment, a system inventory, monthly service management reports, quarterly health-check and knowledge transfer reports, change and release packs, continuously updated documentation, and an exit pack at contract end. The contract runs for twelve months from SLA signature, with a maximum of 70 support hours per month (840 hours in total), and performance is reviewed quarterly.

Knowledge transfer is a central requirement. The provider must deliver an As-Is documentation exercise and hands-on labs so that at least four NHFC ICT officials can independently configure, monitor, troubleshoot and support the systems in a test or sandbox environment. Bidders must demonstrate experienced key personnel, including a Service Delivery Manager, a Sage CRM Technical Consultant/Developer, an LMS Functional/Technical Consultant, a Database Specialist, an Integration Specialist and a Business Analyst. Sage OEM Technical Specialist certification is required for several roles, and CVs must be supported by certified qualifications and verifiable project references. Bidders must also submit five reference letters for comparable work completed since 30 April 2019. Evaluation is three-phased: administrative compliance, functionality (with a minimum threshold of 70 out of 100 points), and price and preference, which uses the 80/20 system given the estimated value is below R50 million. Mandatory documents include a valid tax compliance PIN, CSD registration, a B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit, company registration documents, director ID copies, SBD forms and the SBD 3.3 pricing schedule. Bids must be emailed to Quotations02@nhfc.co.za by 11:00 on 13 November 2026 and remain valid for 60 business days.

For the successful provider, this contract offers a sustained public-sector engagement in a specialised niche: Sage CRM and loan management systems within development finance. It rewards providers that combine strong technical depth with transparent knowledge transfer and clear service-level management. For NHFC, the benefits are continuity and stability for mission-critical lending and grant systems, reduced key-person dependency, measurable service levels, and an orderly transition at both the start and end of the contract.