Tourism Interpretive Boards Supply & Installation

Buffalo City Metropolitan Development Agency (BCMDA) is seeking a qualified service provider to supply, deliver and install 55 tourism interpretive boards along tourism routes in Buffalo City, East London. The scope comprises five standard outdoor boards at the Esplanade, built from high-grade vandal-resistant, weather-resistant materials and mounted on galvanised steel poles set in concrete foundations, and fifty A1 indoor boards printed on 5mm Correx for installation at Duncan Village, Mdantsane, Qonce and Dimbaza. The service provider is responsible for the full project lifecycle: an inception meeting within five working days of appointment, a comprehensive site assessment and route audit (covering GPS locations, land ownership, road classification, traffic, drainage, services, wind and coastal salt exposure), and a regulatory assessment identifying all statutory approvals required before installation, particularly for boards within road reserves governed by municipal, provincial or SANRAL authorities.

Design and content responsibilities are substantial. Boards must meet accessibility standards, including large fonts, high contrast, strong visuals and readability for low-vision users, and must comply with road safety requirements, BCMM outdoor advertising and signage policies, and heritage and environmental considerations. BCMDA supplies base content, but the provider must deliver original graphic layouts, maps, icons, illustrations, print-ready artwork and professional editing, and must secure the legal rights to all photographs and fonts used. Prototypes must be approved before bulk production, and no substitutions of approved materials are permitted. Installation includes excavation, foundations, traffic management, site reinstatement and waste removal, with all costs for approvals and traffic accommodation included in the tender price. A minimum 18-month warranty, maintenance schedule, health and safety plan, and handover documentation (editable and high-resolution artwork, GIS files, photographic records) are also required. The project must be completed within six weeks of appointment.

Mandatory requirements include proof of at least two completed branding or signage supply-and-installation projects with an aggregate value of at least R350,000, supported by reference letters or completion certificates (purchase orders, invoices and appointment letters are not accepted). Bidders must provide CSD registration, MBD 4, 6.1, 7.1, 8 and 9 forms, tax and municipal account compliance, and a detailed pricing schedule. Preference is awarded on an 80/20 price-to-specific-goals basis, with points available for BCMM-based enterprises, black women-owned, black youth-owned and disabled-person-owned businesses. Quotations must be submitted in hard copy in a sealed envelope by 12:00 on 9 November 2026 at 69 Frere Road, Vincent, East London; emailed quotations are not accepted.