Procuring from Arke: supplier compliance for IT tenders in government
Arke Technologies (Pty) Ltd is a Johannesburg IT company and Level 1 B-BBEE contributor that serves public-sector buyers and bids for IT tenders in government. This page sets out our compliance documents, how national, provincial and municipal buyers can procure from us, and how government tenders in South Africa work.
Tenders in government: how public bodies buy IT in South Africa
Public procurement rests on section 217 of the Constitution: every purchase must be fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective. National and provincial departments and public entities buy under the PFMA; municipalities and municipal entities under the MFMA; and the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act and its 2022 regulations govern preference points.
In practice, tenders in government follow a common pattern. Lower-value needs go out as a request for quotation (RFQ) and higher-value ones as a competitive bid, with thresholds set in Treasury regulations and instructions and in each institution's supply chain management policy. Bids are usually evaluated in stages: administrative compliance, functionality (experience, method and key staff, often with a minimum score), then price and preference, using the 80/20 system for bids from R30,000 up to R50 million and 90/10 above R50 million.
After award, the buyer issues a purchase order or signs a contract, and the Treasury Regulations and the MFMA generally require payment within 30 days of a valid invoice. Our guide to PFMA, MFMA and ICT procurement has the detail; IT services for government and the public sector covers what we deliver.
ICT tenders in South Africa: what evaluators check
ICT tenders ask for more than a price. In IT tenders in South Africa, evaluators typically test:
relevant experience and references for work of similar scope;- the qualifications and certifications of the key people named in the bid;
- the delivery method, project plan and risk management;
- the service-level agreement, reporting cadence and escalation path;
- security and POPIA controls for any system that holds personal information;
- warranty and lifecycle for hardware, which we supply through Server Hub with local warranty on every unit;
- whether mandatory requirements, such as an OEM authorisation letter, SITA accreditation or a transversal-contract listing, are met.
On that last point we are direct: each bid we submit states in writing which mandatory requirements Arke meets and which it does not, so an evaluator never has to infer eligibility. SITA and government IT explains how SITA tenders and transversal contracts work.
We respond across our disciplines: managed IT, cybersecurity, software development, systems integration, cloud and data, hardware through Server Hub and connectivity through Fibre Boyz, all under one contract with Arke. For sector detail, see IT for municipalities and IT for state-owned entities.
Governance, compliance and continuity after award
- POPIA and PAIA. Where we process personal information for you, the contract sets out our duties as an operator.
- PFMA and MFMA disciplines. Work stays inside the contracted scope; any change goes through written change control and your approval, so our work does not create unapproved spend that would have to be reported as irregular expenditure.
- King IV Principle 12. Reporting that lets your governing body see technology risk and performance.
- Audit-ready records. Tickets, changes, access reviews and restore tests kept as evidence.
- One accountable team. You contract only with Arke Technologies. Everyone with access to your systems is bound by confidentiality and our security controls, and every remote session is approved and logged.
- Exit. You own your data, credentials and documentation, and handover is planned from the start.