Supply, Testing, Delivery and Off-Loading of Power Line Carrier (PLC) Equipment
Tender Details
- Tender Number: E3387NTCSAMWP
- Department/Company: Eskom / National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA)
- Tender Type: Request for Bid (Open Tender)
- Tender Category: Information and Communications Technology; Radio Communication and Telemetry Equipment; Telecommunications, Broadcasting and WiFi
- Tender Location: National
- Applicable Locations: Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape, including Harrismith, Luckhoff, Johannesburg, Sandton, Sunninghill, Alpha and Aurora
- Place of Delivery: Eskom Megawatt Park, 1 Maxwell Drive, Johannesburg
- Contract Period: Five years
- Closing Date: 30 September 2026
- Closing Time: 10:00
- Briefing Session: 10 September 2026 at 13:30
- Briefing Format: Microsoft Teams
- Briefing Compulsory: No
- Enquiries: Thandazile Timana
- Email: timanatz@ntcsa.co.za
- Telephone: 011-516-7607
Tender Description
Eskom, through the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA), is inviting suitably qualified suppliers to provide Power Line Carrier (PLC) equipment on an “as and when required” basis for a period of five years.
The contract covers the manufacture, testing, supply, delivery and off-loading of PLC equipment required for high-voltage telecommunications infrastructure supporting the national transmission network.
The successful supplier will be required to provide equipment suitable for transmission systems operating across various voltage levels, including 132kV to 400kV.
Objective
The main objective of the tender is to establish a reliable and compliant supply arrangement for critical PLC telecommunications equipment.
The appointed supplier will be responsible for:
- Manufacturing and supplying specified PLC equipment.
- Conducting factory testing before delivery.
- Packaging and preparing equipment for transportation.
- Managing domestic or international freight where applicable.
- Facilitating customs clearance for imported equipment.
- Transporting equipment to designated locations.
- Off-loading equipment at the required delivery points.
- Meeting Eskom/NTCSA technical and quality requirements.
- Supporting the transmission network’s telecommunications infrastructure over the contract period.
Scope of Work
The scope includes the complete supply chain for PLC equipment, from manufacture through to final delivery and off-loading.
Equipment Supply
The required equipment may include:
- Carrier cabinets.
- Phase-to-phase combiners.
- Teleprotection units.
- 2kHz, 4kHz and 8kHz PLC equipment.
- Modems.
- Power amplifiers.
- RF filters.
- Subracks.
- Interface modules.
- Wiring and cable looms.
- Associated PLC components identified by applicable SAP codes.
Testing
Suppliers will be required to conduct appropriate factory testing and ensure that equipment complies with the applicable technical specifications before dispatch.
Delivery and Logistics
The scope includes:
- Packaging.
- Domestic and international freight.
- Customs clearance.
- Marine or other applicable transport arrangements.
- Inland road or rail transportation.
- Final delivery.
- Off-loading at designated sites.
- Provision of applicable labour and equipment for off-loading.
Technical Requirements
Tenderers must comply with the technical requirements contained in the official tender documentation.
Key requirements include:
- Supply of equipment according to specified technical specifications and SAP codes.
- Compliance with applicable telecommunications and utility standards.
- Factory testing of supplied equipment.
- Appropriate packaging and transportation.
- Detailed logistics and pricing schedules.
- Compliance with Eskom/NTCSA quality requirements.
- Compliance with applicable local-content requirements.
- Compliance with specified insurance requirements.
Pricing and Logistics Requirements
Tenderers must provide detailed pricing information covering the various elements of the supply chain.
Pricing schedules may need to distinguish between:
- FOB costs.
- Sea freight.
- Air freight.
- Marine insurance.
- Wharfage.
- Landing charges.
- Customs duties.
- Import surcharges.
- Inland transportation.
- Off-loading labour.
- Overtime.
- Accommodation and associated logistics costs.
Contract Price Adjustment
Bidders are required to submit appropriate Contract Price Adjustment (CPA) formulas for each applicable equipment category.
The CPA requirements include:
- Transparent and auditable adjustment formulas.
- Weightings totalling 100%.
- A minimum fixed component of 15%.
- Use of recognised independent statistical indices.
- Clear identification of the factors contributing to price escalation.
Local Content Requirements
Tenderers must comply with applicable local-content requirements.
The tender requires submission of the relevant SABS SATS 1286:2011 local-content declarations.
Bidders must calculate and declare the percentage of locally produced content in accordance with the prescribed methodology.
Where imported components are included, the applicable imported content must be calculated and converted into South African Rand using the prescribed South African Reserve Bank exchange rates.
Supporting schedules and documentation must be retained and submitted as required for verification.
Insurance and Risk Requirements
Suppliers must comply with the insurance requirements specified in the tender documentation.
The applicable insurance arrangements may cover:
- Assets.
- Project works.
- Marine transportation.
- Public liability.
- Transportation-related risks.
Tenderers should carefully review the official tender documentation for the required insurance limits, deductibles and conditions.
Skills and Technical Capability
Although specific personnel qualifications are not exhaustively listed in the supplied tender summary, bidders should demonstrate the technical and operational capacity required to deliver specialised PLC equipment.
Relevant capabilities include:
- High-voltage telecommunications equipment.
- PLC equipment manufacturing and testing.
- Power utility telecommunications systems.
- International procurement and freight.
- Customs and import compliance.
- Industrial logistics.
- Local-content reporting.
- Contract price adjustment calculations.
- Eskom/utility procurement requirements.
- NEC3 supply contract administration.
Contract Conditions
The contract will operate under an NEC3 Supply Contract (SC3) framework.
The NEC3 SC3 framework provides contractual mechanisms for:
- Supply of engineered goods.
- Delivery programming.
- Payment arrangements.
- Risk management.
- Contract administration.
- Defined responsibilities and milestones.
Tenderers should ensure that they understand the contractual requirements before submitting their bids.
Electronic Submission
Tenders must be submitted electronically through the Eskom e-Tendering system by the stipulated closing date and time.
Physical tender submissions will not be accepted.
Any physical files submitted to the NTCSA Tender Offices will be regarded as non-responsive and will not be evaluated further.
Briefing Session
Date: 10 September 2026
Time: 13:30
Platform: Microsoft Teams
Compulsory: No