Supply, delivery and support of GPU compute servers, a high-speed 400GbE network switch and warranty renewals for SARAO's MeerKAT Band 5B radio astronomy project. Requires OEM or authorised reseller status, with 5-year server warranties and 2-year switch warranties delivered to Cape Town.
The National Research Foundation (NRF), through its business unit the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), invites bids for the supply, delivery, assembly and support of computing and networking equipment for prototyping and development work on the MeerKAT Band 5B Project. The equipment will be used to develop an upgraded correlator-beamformer data processing backend capable of handling the increased bandwidth of Band 5B, and a next-generation imaging server for science data processing that supports the MeerKAT Extension and Band 5B projects. The procurement is divided into three groups: (a) two GPU-based MeerKAT Band 5B CBF prototyping compute nodes, each with specified AMD EPYC, DDR5 memory, Nvidia RTX Pro Blackwell GPUs and ConnectX-7 400G NICs, together with IPMI licences and 5-year on-site warranties; (b) one Nvidia Spectrum-3 400GbE 1U switch with 2-year warranty, plus 1-year warranty renewals for 23 existing Nvidia switches; and (c) one next-generation imaging server featuring a single-socket AMD EPYC Zen 5 CPU with at least 84 cores, 768 GB DDR5 memory, four 2 TB NVMe drives and a 5-year warranty. Specifications are prescriptive, and alternative components will not be considered without prior discussion before bid submission. Bidders must be the OEM or an authorised reseller for Supermicro, AMD, Nvidia/Mellanox and RAM components, and must demonstrate experience assembling servers through references. Equipment must be fully assembled, tested before delivery, packaged to OEM standards, and delivered to SARAO's Liesbeek House offices in Mowbray, Cape Town, with lead times of 8 to 12 weeks. Partial deliveries are permitted and invoiced separately. Warranties must be on-site, next business day, and must not be voided by user upgrades. Bids are evaluated in three stages: returnable documents and CSD registration, mandatory functionality criteria (any failure leads to disqualification), and then price and preference on an 80/20 basis. Pricing must be in ZAR, with any USD-linked import component subject to a 3% variance threshold and a stated tender base date of 10 November 2026. Bids close on 17 November 2026 at 12:00 and must be submitted through the National Treasury eTender portal using a valid CSD registration. Bidders must also be tax compliant and remain valid for 60 days after closing.
Original Equipment Manufacturers or authorised resellers of Supermicro, AMD, Nvidia/Mellanox, and memory products with proven experience in server assembly and enterprise warranty support. Suited to established IT hardware suppliers and systems integrators with HPC or research-grade experience, able to meet the strict specifications, 8 to 12 week lead times, and mandatory functionality criteria. Smaller resellers may qualify as authorised resellers or in partnership with an OEM, but must provide the required documentary evidence. Businesses lacking CSD registration, tax compliance, or the ability to supply prescribed components should not apply.
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