Multidisciplinary Professional Firm to Undertake the Review and Update of the MAPSEZ Master Plan 2026
Tender Details
- Tender Title: Appointment of a Multidisciplinary Professional Firm to Undertake the Review and Update of the MAPSEZ Master Plan
- Tender Number: MAPSEZ 003/2026 T
- Department/Entity: Maluti-A-Phofung Special Economic Zone (MAPSEZ)
- Tender Type: Request for Bid (Open Tender)
- Province: Free State
- Location: Harrismith, Free State
- Closing Date: 13 October 2026 at 11:00
- Briefing Session: 28 September 2026 at 11:00
- Briefing: Compulsory and virtual
- Contract Duration: 24 weeks
- Tender Categories: Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Consulting, Professional Services, Project & Construction Management, Town/Regional/Spatial Planning
Tender Objective
MAPSEZ seeks to appoint a multidisciplinary professional firm to review and update its existing Master Plan. The appointed firm will assess the current operational and spatial position of the Special Economic Zone, evaluate infrastructure capacity and investor demand, identify development constraints and produce a costed, phased and technically implementable Revised Master Plan.
The updated plan must align with current market conditions, applicable legislation and regulations, and MAPSEZ’s long-term economic development objectives.
Scope of Work
The appointed professional firm will undertake a comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment covering:
- Review of existing MAPSEZ planning and governance structures
- Spatial and land-use planning
- Assessment of bulk and internal infrastructure
- Civil and electrical infrastructure planning
- Transport, traffic, rail and logistics planning
- Economic and investment analysis
- Assessment of priority development projects
- Investor demand and market analysis
- Identification of development constraints
- Development of realistic development scenarios
- Concept-level designs
- Preliminary cost estimates and bills of quantities
- Funding and implementation models
- Stakeholder engagement
- Development of a five-year implementation programme
- Preparation of a physical 3D scale model
- Development of an interactive, georeferenced digital 3D planning model
Note: Detailed engineering designs, construction documentation and site supervision are excluded unless separately authorised.
Key Technical Requirements
- The assignment must be completed within 24 weeks.
- Work will be delivered through five contractual milestones leading to formal handover.
- Deliverables must be supplied in both final and editable/source formats.
- GIS and CAD data must be provided in usable/editable formats.
- Spreadsheets must contain visible formulae.
- Reports must be supplied as searchable PDFs.
- The proposed methodology must demonstrate how the bidder will verify the existing baseline, develop implementation sequencing and integrate all findings into the revised Master Plan.
- The digital 3D model must be interactive and georeferenced.
- The digital model is intended for spatial planning visualisation, rather than functioning as a live digital twin or BIM system.
- Cost estimates and preliminary BOQs will be used for budgeting and prioritisation and are not final construction cost estimates.
- The tender uses a single-envelope quality-and-price evaluation process.
Mandatory Professional Team
The bidder must nominate six key professionals who will remain assigned to the project throughout the contract:
- Project Director / Master Plan Team Leader
- Registered Town and Regional Planner
- Responsible for overall project leadership and coordination.
- Civil Infrastructure Engineering Lead
- Responsible for civil infrastructure planning and assessment.
- Electrical Infrastructure Engineering Lead
- Responsible for electrical infrastructure requirements and planning.
- Transport / Traffic / Rail / Logistics Lead
- Responsible for transportation systems, traffic, rail and logistics planning.
- SEZ / Economic and Investment Specialist
- Responsible for economic viability, investment opportunities and sector analysis.
- Spatial / Town and Regional Planning Specialist
- Responsible for spatial planning, land use and development frameworks.
Professional Registration
Key professionals must have the required qualifications, relevant experience and current professional registration with the applicable professional bodies, such as:
- SACPLAN – South African Council for Planners
- ECSA – Engineering Council of South Africa
- SACQSP – South African Council for the Quantity Surveying Profession
Company Requirements
Bidders must demonstrate:
- Proven experience in similar multidisciplinary Master Plan or development planning assignments.
- Appropriate multidisciplinary professional capacity.
- Experience of the nominated key professionals on comparable projects.
- Verifiable client references/referees for relevant previous assignments.
- Audited financial statements.
- Minimum annual company turnover of R30 million per year, as specified in the tender requirements.
Additional specialists may be brought into the project, subject to MAPSEZ approval, including:
- Environmental specialists
- ICT specialists
- Financial specialists
- Legal specialists
- GIS specialists
- Geotechnical specialists
Tender Enquiries
Technical Enquiries: Vusimuzi Nyathi
Tel: 058 635 1120 / 060 637 6909
Email: vusimuzi@mapsez.co.za
Tender Enquiries: Thapelo Moloi
Tel: 058 635 1120
Email: thapelom@mapsez.co.za