[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-610639-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":84,"doc-detail-610639-en":134},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":77,"head_meta":79,"extra_data":81,"updated_unix":83},105,"en","answers-to-unresponded-questions-in-compulsory-briefing-tender-responses","Answers to Unresponded Questions in Compulsory Briefing - Tender Responses","","A compilation of responses addressing questions that were not answered during a mandatory briefing for a large tender. The material clarifies how SMMEs are defined, explains evaluation and scoring structures, and distinguishes legal/operational concepts such as joint ventures versus consortia. It also responds to procurement approach concerns, bidder suggestions for formal meetings, and concerns about feasibility of requirements. Additional answers cover changes in scoring thresholds and adjustments to an auditor’s letter requirement.",{"@graph":14,"@context":76},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/answers-to-unresponded-questions-in-compulsory-briefing-tender-responses/610639/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/answers-to-unresponded-questions-in-compulsory-briefing-tender-responses/610639.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Cart","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-10-19",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":22},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68,72],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"How is SMMEs defined in this tender context?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"SMME means Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"What is the evaluation scoring basis for reference letters and criteria totals?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"The evaluation criteria total score is 20 points.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"What mandatory requirement change is made regarding the auditor’s letter?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"Paragraph 6.18 removes “for the duration of the project,” and it becomes: “Auditor’s letter guaranteeing that the entity(s) are a going concern at the time of submitting the bid.”",{"name":73,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":74},"Why did the threshold increase from 80 points to 90 points?",{"text":75,"@type":63},"The Department requires quality workbooks delivered on time and considers a 90% threshold necessary to ensure the bidder can execute the project, given the project size and capacity needs.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":78,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":80,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":82,"site_id":7},610639,1792379158,{"code":4,"msg":85,"data":86},"success",[87,91,95,99,104,109,114,118,123,126,130],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":88,"show_sort_weight":89,"slug":90},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":92,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":96,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":100,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":105,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},8,30,"research-report",{"id":119,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":122},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":121,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":125},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":127,"slug":129},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":131,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":132,"show_sort_weight":100,"slug":133},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":85,"data":135},{"doc_id":82,"user_id":136,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":137,"doc_module":4,"category_id":115,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":138,"file_id":139,"file_url":140,"file_type":141,"file_size":142,"view_count":22,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":26,"language":143,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":144,"faqs":145,"seo_title":146,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":83,"read_time":100},18829141979164,"https://eur-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","Answers to questions that were not responded to during the compulsory briefing  \n1. In this context, how is the SMMEs defined?  \nResponse: In this context, SMME means, Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise.  \n2. The scoring on reference letters totals up to 20 but the way they are structured they count to 24 points; how did you arrive to that?  \nResponse: The total score for evaluation criteria is 20 points.  \n3. Under mandatory requirements, there seemed to be a difference between the consortium and joint venture.  \nResponse: There is a difference between a joint venture and a consortium.  \n4. Why can’t the Department consider awarding the contract to multiple service providers instead of one service provider (consortium of service provider) to ensure that wealth is equally distributed?  \nResponse: The terms of reference makes provision for collaboration between companies in the form of subcontracting, joint ventures as well as consortia to ensure same. The LED strategy is also intended to do the same.  \n5. Considering the suggestions made by the Bidders, would the DBE be willing to have another meeting with the Printers to make these suggestions in a more formal environment and still seek to maintain the DBE’s aim of delivering the workbooks? Response: No, It is procedurally incurred to discuss details of a tender processes with potential bidders.  \n6. This is a massive tender, with size and magnitude; one is inclined to think that this is the largest tender for the sector and it excludes many medium to small enterprises who have attended the briefing session. It might be a good idea to break it to smaller lots, provincially or otherwise to also get smaller enterprises involved in this project. Response: The terms of reference makes provision for collaboration between companies in the form of subcontracting, joint ventures as well as consortia to ensure same. The LED strategy is also intended to do the same.  \n7. It is important to the players (small and big) in the industry that this tender is successful and that it works but there is one mandatory requirement in paragraph 6.18 that is incapable of being met by anyone. That means no Bidder will go through the mandatory requirements and that the entire tender is going to fail since this is a mandatory requirement. That is a forward looking statement about the future. The guarantee is something that one takes to the bank. Who will be able to guarantee that a Bidder will be around in three years’ time. It is an impossible guarantee to obtain. The Department needs to seriously re-look at that requirement.  \nResponse: In paragraph 6.18 the “for the duration of the project” is removed and it reads as follows: “Auditor’s letter guaranteeing that the entity(s) are a going concern at the time of submitting the bid.”  \n8. The understanding is that this tender will change many people’s lives in different industries. This document is kind of flawed in a certain way. Paragraph 6. 16, the cover required might be around six hundred million of which no one will be able to provide. It was suggested that the Department goes back and re-assess this tender so that everyone in the industry can take part in this tender. If the President is serious about job creation indifferent industries government must help but tenders like these are not helping anyone. Response: The bidder must demonstrate that they can carry the cost of the project in the first year as the DBE will not do upfront payments.  \n9. With the previous tender document, the threshold was 80 points but on this one the threshold has gone up to 90 points, why?  \nResponse: The Department has a responsibility to provide quality workbooks in the correct quantities and correct languages to Public schools on time. The size of the project requires a service provider or a consortium of a service providers that has the capacity to manage the project. The DBE is of the view that a 90% threshold is required to ensure that the bidder will be able to","cbCaijQL8rNdpw3g","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaijQL8rNdpw3g","pdf",382629,"English","# Compulsory Briefing - Unresponded Questions\n## SMME Definition and Scoring\n## Joint Venture vs Consortium\n## Procurement Approach and Meetings\n## Tender Scale and Bidder Participation\n## Mandatory Requirement Feasibility\n## Auditor's Letter and Going Concern\n## Cost Demonstration and Threshold Change","[{\"question\":\"How is SMMEs defined in this tender context?\",\"answer\":\"SMME means Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the evaluation scoring basis for reference letters and criteria totals?\",\"answer\":\"The evaluation criteria total score is 20 points.\"},{\"question\":\"What mandatory requirement change is made regarding the auditor’s letter?\",\"answer\":\"Paragraph 6.18 removes “for the duration of the project,” and it becomes: “Auditor’s letter guaranteeing that the entity(s) are a going concern at the time of submitting the bid.”\"},{\"question\":\"Why did the threshold increase from 80 points to 90 points?\",\"answer\":\"The Department requires quality workbooks delivered on time and considers a 90% threshold necessary to ensure the bidder can execute the project, given the project size and capacity needs.\"}]","Answers to Unresponded Questions in Compulsory Briefing - Tender Responses | PDF"]