Open Tender — Five NEC3 Contracts
Installation, Splicing and Testing of 24-Core OPGW on Five 132 kV Lines, Eskom, South Africa
Eskom network, South Africa
Location
Five NEC3 ECC contracts
Contracts
24-core OPGW, 10 kA short-circuit rating
Cable
2026-11-13 10:00 (SAST)
Submission Deadline
01Project Overview
Project Name
Installation of 24-core OPGW on five 132 kV overhead lines, including splicing, termination and end-to-end testing of each fibre
Tender Number
E3701DXLIMOU (Eskom e-tendering platform)
Country
Republic of South Africa
Employer
Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd, registration number 2002/015527/30
Contract Form
NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC), Option B, with five separate contracts, one for each pair of substations
Procurement Method
Open tender under a Request for Bid, submitted electronically through the Eskom e-tendering platform
Tender Documents
Issued free of charge, comprising five sets of NEC3 contracts, bill of quantities for each line, the OPGW fibre design documents, and technical standards NRS 061-2, NRS 078-2 and the SANS 61386 series
Line Scope
The Rampheri to Unin line section is 19.4 km long, with approximately 23.3 km of cable to be strung
Source
National Treasury eTenders portal of South Africa, tender number E3701DXLIMOU, OCDS record ocds-9t57fa-174766, published 20 Oct 2026, verified 21 Oct 2026; the invitation to tender is available at the link: Invitation to Tender E3701DXLIMOU
Background Sources
National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA), whose website records that the regulator was established under the National Energy Regulator Act, 2004 and regulates the electricity industry under the Electricity Regulation Act, 2006: https://www.nersa.org.za/; eTenders portal of the National Treasury: https://www.etenders.gov.za/
02Project Background
Eskom is the state-owned electricity utility of South Africa, responsible for generation, transmission and distribution. The National Energy Regulator of South Africa was established under the National Energy Regulator Act, 2004 and regulates the electricity industry under the Electricity Regulation Act, 2006, including tariff determinations and licensing. This tender forms part of Eskom's fibre-optic communication works within its 132 kV network; the tender documents were prepared by the project unit within Eskom and the contracts adopt the NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract, April 2013 edition.
The works information records the Employer's objectives: improving protection system communication, supporting SCADA communication so that the 132 kV equipment at Rampheri Substation can be monitored and operated remotely from the relevant control centre, and improving network reliability through fast and dependable communication. The five lines run between the substation pairs Rampheri and Unin, Hlanganani and Mashau, Paradise and Mandala, Silimela and Wolwekral, and Uchoba and der Brochen, with one separate contract for each pair.
A single invitation to tender covers the five contract packages, and five contracts are to be concluded with the highest ranked successful tenderers in accordance with the Public Procurement Regulations of 2022. A tenderer wishing to participate in all five projects must demonstrate the capability and ability to execute them simultaneously and must provide a full list of the equipment and resources to be deployed independently at each site.
03Scope of Work & Technical Specifications
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Contract Breakdown | Five contracts covering the lines Rampheri–Unin, Hlanganani–Mashau, Paradise–Mandala, Silimela MTS–Wolwekral and Uchoba–der Brochen, each with its own bill of quantities and contract data |
| Voltage Level | 132 kV overhead lines |
| Cable Specification | 24-core OPGW with a 10 kA short-circuit rating, G.652D fibre, dual-window 1300/1550 nm, single-mode and non-dispersion-shifted |
| Stringing Requirements | The cable is to be strung under tension; vibration dampers are to be fitted adjacent to the tension and suspension clamps before any gantry installation work, and staggered bird flappers are to be installed on the shield wire and the OPGW |
| Splicing and Termination | The OPGW is spliced to 24-core G.652D non-metallic duct fibre cable at both gantries and terminated inside the fibre cabinets at both substations; patch panels are configured in 24-way and 12-way arrangements with duplex single-mode patch leads; the 6-core duct cable is terminated on a 6-way Sarel box inside the protection panel and patched to the protection relay for teleprotection |
| Ducting and Protection | HDPE pipe is to pass through galvanised steel pipe and be sealed with UV-resistant silicone sealer; splice enclosures are mounted approximately 1 m to 1.5 m above ground level in the high-voltage yard |
| Testing and Acceptance | After installation each individual fibre is tested end to end using an optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) and a power meter and light source, witnessed by Eskom, in accordance with fibre optic cable system acceptance testing standard 240-70732888 |
| Contract Duration | A construction period of three months for each contract |
| Bill of Quantities | Provided separately for each line, dated 19 Oct 2026 and issued with the tender documents |
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04Key Commercial Terms
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Conditions of Contract | NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract, April 2013 edition, Option B, priced against a bill of quantities |
| Price Adjustment | Option X1 does not apply; the rates are fixed and firm for the duration of the contract |
| Retention | Retention is set at 2.5 per cent, and the Contractor may provide a Retention Money Guarantee in place of cash retention |
| Performance Bond | A performance bond is provided under Option X13; its applicability and amount depend on the outcome of Eskom's financial analysis |
| Parent Company Guarantee | A parent company guarantee applies under Option X4 where Eskom's financial analysis recommends one |
| Local Content | Local production and content thresholds of 90 per cent for optical fibre cable, 100 per cent for HDPE pipes and 10 per cent for ducting and structural pipework must be achieved in full; the SBD 6.2 declaration and the Annex C local content summary schedule are mandatory returnables |
| Tender Validity | 180 days from the closing date and time |
| Document Fee | Issued free of charge |
| Submission | Submitted electronically on the Eskom e-tendering platform; documents must be in PDF, no more than 500 MB per document and 4 GB in total; compressed files and hard copies are not accepted and late tenders are rejected |
| Clarification Meeting | A non-compulsory clarification meeting is held online on Microsoft Teams on 5 Nov 2026 at 10:00 |
| Socio-economic Obligations | Contract Skills Development Goals (CIDB CSDG) and the skills development and local procurement objectives do not form part of scoring but become contractual obligations |
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05Bidder Eligibility Requirements
01
Previous Experience
Submit the Annex A schedule of previous fibre optic cable installation experience, stating project, client, contract value and period of execution
02
Installation Methodology
Submit the fibre installation methodology prepared in accordance with Annex B, covering the OPGW, ADSS and duct methods separately
03
Material Compliance
Submit the Annex C technical documentation compliance covering HDPE pipe, Sprague tubing, patch panels and patch leads
04
Installer Check Sheet
Complete the Annex D installer check sheet, covering the company organogram, supervisory and SHEQ personnel, splicing and commissioning technicians, linesmen, tools and equipment
05
Contract Documents
Fully complete and sign the NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract documents; failure to do so by the closing time results in disqualification
06
Electronic Submission
Upload through the Eskom e-tendering platform into the technical, commercial, financial and other folders; failure to upload renders the tender non-responsive
07
Preference Claim
Submit the SBD 6.1 preference points claim form together with a B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit, proof of ownership and shareholding, and certified identity documents of shareholders
08
Local Content Declaration
Submit the SBD 6.2 declaration and the Annex C local content summary schedule as mandatory returnables
09
Tax Compliance
Submit the tax evaluation questionnaire and a valid tax compliance status
10
Evaluation Threshold
A score of at least eighty per cent of the available functionality points is required to proceed to the factory assessment; the factory assessment is scored out of 36 points with a threshold of 28.8 points
06Key Milestones
20 Oct 2026
Tender Issued
5 Nov 2026 at 10:00 (SAST)
Clarification Meeting (online, non-compulsory)
6 Nov 2026, five working days before the closing date
Deadline for Clarification Queries
13 Nov 2026 at 10:00 (SAST), submitted through the Eskom e-tendering platform
Submission Deadline
12 May 2027, 180 days after closing
Tender Validity Expiry
Three months per contract from the starting date
Contract Duration
07Evaluation Methodology
Functionality Evaluation100%
- Scored on four weighted items: previous fibre installation experience and the installer check sheet each carry forty per cent, while the installation methodology and material technical compliance each carry ten per cent; the four items total 85 points and a score of at least eighty per cent of the total is required to proceed to the factory assessment, with lower scores failing the technical evaluation
Price Evaluation80%
- Scored under the 80/20 preferential points system with a maximum of 80 points for price; unconditional discounts are taken into account while conditional discounts are not
Specific Goals20%
- Points are awarded by B-BBEE contributor level, from 20 points for level one and 18 for level two through 14 for level three down to 2 points for level eight, with zero for non-compliant contributors; failure to submit evidence does not disqualify a tenderer but scores zero for this item
Factory Assessment (36-point scale)
Conducted at the tenderer's premises by Eskom assessment representatives and scored on the installer check sheet, covering personnel capability, tools and equipment, quality and safety management, and splicing and testing capability; the threshold is 28.8 points and a lower score fails the evaluation
