Milling Plant Seal Air Fan Runner Refurbishment

Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd has issued an open tender for the collection, assessment, repair, refurbishment, assembly, testing and delivery of milling plant seal air fan runners at Duvha Power Station. The work covers Loesche LM26 mills on Units 5 and 6 and is structured as an as-and-when-required service contract for a period of six months. The purpose is to return the seal air fans to their design-base condition, improve their availability and reliability, and achieve the best performance at minimum cost. The contract is governed by the NEC3 Term Service Contract (TSC3) with Option A (priced contract with price list), secondary options X2, X17, X18 and X19, and Eskom's additional Z clauses. The scope of work covers the supply of new spares where required, along with collection of damaged components from site (in the presence of an Eskom representative), stripping, inspection, refurbishment or replacement based on inspection findings, assembly, and delivery. Components in scope include impellers, shafts/axles, bearings (including FAG/SKF 2312K/C3 and 2313K/C3), plummer blocks, couplings, compensators, grease and consumables. Required workshop activities include shaft concentricity and alignment checks, magnetic particle inspection (MPI) and dye penetrant inspection (DPI) of welds and shafts, shot blasting, weld repair, impeller runout checks, pre-balance inspection, dynamic balancing, and test running in the presence of Eskom. A 12-month warranty applies after successful commissioning, excluding free-issue components.

Bidders are evaluated on a technical threshold of 70% before price is considered. The qualitative criteria are weighted as follows: relevant experience in centrifugal fan or rotating equipment refurbishment (20%); a detailed Quality Control Plan aligned to QM58 and the Eskom scope of work, covering inspection, repair, balancing and final inspection, plus a projected delivery timeline for worst-case repairs (40%); workshop, tooling, inspection and balancing capability (20%); and company organogram and personnel competence, including a supervisor, trade-tested fitter, welder/boilermaker, QC inspector and assistant (20%). Mandatory returnables include a valid CSD registration, an ISO 9001 certificate (Category 2 quality requirements), a signed Form A, a completed NEC document and pricing schedule, a COIDA letter of good standing, an OHS plan and baseline risk assessment, an environmental policy and spill-kit training records, and SDL&I commitments. Price is scored using the 80/20 preference point system for values up to R50 million and the 90/10 system above that threshold. Payment terms are 30 days for contracts below R50 million and 60 days for contracts above it. The estimated contract value is not stated in the documents reviewed, and the price list rates are blank for bidders to complete.

The benefits of this contract for Eskom include restored equipment reliability at a critical power station, reduced dependence on unrefurbished spares, and structured quality and traceability through inspection reports, data packs and quality records. For suppliers, the tender offers a six-month call-off opportunity in specialised industrial refurbishment, with the chance to build a track record with a major utility. Clarification is available through a non-compulsory virtual briefing on 11 November 2026 at 10:00, and the closing deadline is 20 November 2026 at 10:00. Tenders must be submitted electronically via the Eskom e-tendering portal, and late submissions are not accepted. Suppliers should verify all requirements against the full tender documents before bidding, as some returnables are disqualifying if omitted.