Top ICT tenders: Home Affairs looks to digital transformation

The Department of Home Affairs wants to establish an ICT portfolio management office. (Image source: 123RF)

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It’s another quiet week on National Treasury’s eTenders Portal, as the public sector’s biggest players maintain a low profile.

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA), however, bucks the trend with its request for a service provider from SITA’s RFB1183 transversal tender to establish an ICT portfolio management office (PMO). This is required to deliver on its digital transformation strategy.

The department positions itself as a mission-critical institution at the centre of South Africa’s national identity, security and service-delivery ecosystem.

“As the custodian of civic services, immigration management, population data and national identity systems, the DHA depends heavily on reliable, modern, secure and integrated ICT capabilities to fulfil its mandate. Over the past decade, the rapid increase in digital service expectations, cyber security risks and data-driven governance requirements intensified the need for a coordinated and strategic ICT transformation approach,” it says.

However, the department admits that historically its digital initiatives have been implemented through disparate projects spread across different branches and functions.

“While many of these initiatives have delivered value, the absence of a centrally-governed PMO has resulted in several systemic challenges,” it says.

These challenges include:

• Fragmented ICT planning and prioritisation, leading to overlapping initiatives and duplication of effort.
• Inconsistent project delivery practices, with varying levels of documentation, governance, risk management and reporting.
• Limited visibility of the full ICT investment landscape, making it difficult to manage budgets, resources and interdependencies effectively.
• Difficulty scaling digital services, due to siloed systems, legacy technologies and lack of a unified architectural roadmap.
• Heightened cyber security and data privacy risks, exacerbated by uncoordinated technology adoption.
• Increasing citizen demand for digital, seamless and accessible services, which requires coordinated transformation rather than isolated ICT upgrades.

“As the DHA advances major strategic programmes – including the modernisation programme, the national identity system, electronic travel authorisation, secure border management technologies, automated immigration systems and interfaces with other departments – there is a critical need for a central structure that ensures alignment, oversight and cohesive execution,” it states.

“In a rapidly-evolving digital landscape – where identity systems, immigration security and public service platforms must be robust, secure and integrated – the establishment of an ICT digital transformation PMO is no longer optional. It is a strategic enabler that ensures the DHA can deliver world-class digital services, strengthen national security, and meet the expectations of citizens, businesses and government partners.”

The successful service provider will be required to configure and customise Microsoft technologies to standardise governance, automate workflows, improve visibility of benefits and risks, and enable data-driven decision-making for effective portfolio management aligned to the department’s digital transformation strategy.

The DHA will hold a non-compulsory briefing on 15 May over Microsoft Teams before submissions close on 29 May 2026.

Other tenders that make this week’s top 10:

• The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) is looking for a strategy advisory partner to deliver a digital transformation and artificial intelligence strategy. The multi-year programme aims to modernise the organisation and strengthen its ability to deliver on its developmental mandate. This is intended to enhance how the IDC operates across its end‑to‑end value chain, including how it engages with its business partners, manages internal processes, enables employees and strengthens finance, risk, compliance, governance, data and decision‑making capabilities. DX and AI are positioned as enterprise‑wide enablers of effectiveness, transparency and sustainable impact, rather than as isolated technology or experience initiatives, it says.

• The Electoral Commission is advertising for the supply of 16 000 enterprise tablets. The IEC says it has invested in computing technologies which will enable the use of online and real-time systems, to enable business processes and facilitate electoral operations. This procurement of tablets is intended to increase and improve the capacity to go online, in real-time, any time and from anywhere.

• The State Security Agency (SSA) wishes to appoint a service provider to supply and implement a library management system. This system must provide easy online access to all library collections available in the three SSA libraries. SSA members will be able to retrieve information to fulfil the goals and objectives of the agency, it says.

• Armscor is inviting expressions of interest as it looks to identify strategic cyber security technology and training partner for the Armscor Cyber Defence Academy Initiative. The company says the initiative is a strategic national priority to establish a sovereign pipeline for military-grade cyber defence capability development.

• Eskom’s National Transmission Company (NTCSA) is looking for professional IT services to develop a comprehensive digital transformation strategy and I&T unbundling strategy. NTCSA explains its corporate plan discusses the need for digitisation and digitalisation, and how the utility sector is being disrupted by emergent 4IR technologies. The strategy will guide the organisation in leveraging technology, data and digital capabilities to improve operational efficiency, enhance customer and employee experiences, enable data-driven decision-making and achieve strategic business objectives.

• The Limpopo Tourism Agency (LTA) wishes to appoint a service provider for website design, hosting, maintenance and digital enhancement. The agency says the official website serves as the primary digital gateway for leisure, trade, MICE and lifestyle audiences locally and internationally. The website must remain secure, responsive, visually engaging and aligned with LTA’s corporate identity and tourism, trade and investment mandate.

• Stellenbosch Municipality wishes to procure Fortinet firewall subscription licences (Fortianalyzer and Fortigate) and migration services. The municipality explains it is reviewing the FortiNet infrastructure in place with the aim of staying abreast of latest technology changes in the FortiNet space and its growing needs.

• Greater Taung Local Municipality is inviting bids for the supply and delivery of computer software and digital application software. Tender documents will be made available at its offices from 11 May at a cost of R500.

• Capricorn District Municipality requires a managed service provider to supply comprehensive IT services to support and maintain IT hardware, software and systems on an as and when required basis. The services include IT system management, security, network infrastructure and end-user support.