Dear Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA),

Since March 2021, the eTender portal has been offline. While there is a temporary portal in place, it is insufficient for a number of reasons including that suppliers cannot upload the required documents such as their latest tax compliance certificates.

In June 2021, the situation persists with no commitment to a timeline by when the eTender portal will be restored.

CorruptionWatch therefore enquires:
- What were the reasons for the server failure that led to the eTender portal becoming unavailable?
- Has any official been held accountable for failing to adequately manage IT systems and equipment?
- What additional effects has the IT failure had and what mitigating actions have been taken?
- How are departments using the Central Supplier Database ensuring that bidders have valid tax compliant certificates while the system is down?
- By which date will Treasury restore the functionality of the eTender portal?

Many thanks,
CorruptionWatch

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Additional information:
Temporary eTender portal: http://102.37.123.153/Lists/eTenders/AllItems.aspx
https://www.groundup.org.za/article/whats-gone-wrong-with-governments-tender-website/