Independent Network Infrastructure Implementation

The Competition Commission of South Africa (CCSA) has issued a Request for Information (RFI 14 - 2026/2027) to gather market intelligence on solutions, supplier capabilities, implementation approaches, lead times, dependencies and indicative costs for establishing a fully independent network infrastructure. The project will separate the Commission from network services currently managed by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC). The target environment must be secure, highly available, scalable and independently managed, supporting approximately 250 users with capacity for growth over the next five to ten years. This RFI is not an invitation to tender and will not result in an award. Responses will inform requirements refinement, procurement planning and budget estimation, and any future procurement will follow a separate process. Registration on the Central Supplier Database (CSD) is mandatory, and responses must be submitted by email to tenders@compcom.co.za by 16:00 on 6 November 2026.

The scope covers core, distribution and access layer network design, supply, installation and commissioning across the Shared Services Centre and Blocks C and G. The specified architecture uses Aruba CX core, distribution and access switching, Aruba ClearPass for network access control, Aruba Central for management and Aruba UXI for user-experience monitoring, alongside an independent MSP monitoring platform. The existing FortiGate 200F high-availability firewall pair is to be retained and integrated. Security requirements include network segmentation across ten VLANs, 802.1X and EAP-TLS certificate-based authentication, guest onboarding, MFA for privileged access, encrypted management protocols and tested firewall failover. The provider must also deliver Commission-owned DNS, DHCP, Active Directory and Entra ID integration, NTP, central logging and configuration backup. Fibre certification, cabling verification, a five-wave migration with rollback plans, and removal of all DTIC dependencies are included. Recovery time objectives range from 30 minutes for internet connectivity to 24 hours for the forensic environment, subject to validation during detailed design.

The RFI sets out extensive deliverables, including a project plan, high- and low-level designs, bills of materials, test evidence, as-built diagrams, runbooks, administrator training and a post-implementation stabilisation period. Service providers must demonstrate enterprise campus design experience, current Aruba AOS-CX, VSX, Central and ClearPass capability, Fortinet integration and firewall migration skills, and experience with Microsoft identity and certificate services. They must also name a project manager, lead network architect and cybersecurity specialist, and submit comparable reference projects. Pricing must be itemised in ZAR, separating once-off costs, first-year recurring costs, optional items and VAT, and must state key assumptions and exchange-rate risks. The result is a fully independent, resilient and auditable network that improves ICT governance and removes reliance on a shared government network, giving the Commission direct control over its infrastructure, security posture and operational accountability.