Appointment of an Independent Service Provider to Conduct an ICT Environment, AI Readiness and Adoption Assessment for Ewseta

EWSETA seeks an independent ICT advisory service provider to conduct a focused assessment of its ICT environment, including AI readiness and adoption, within thirty (30) calendar days. The assessment aims to provide an evidence-based understanding of the current ICT environment, systems, services, capabilities, expenditure, contractual commitments, functionality, utilisation, organisational adoption, benefits realised, material gaps and risks, and its alignment with EWSETA's 2025-2030 strategy, digitisation and systems-enablement priorities. The AI component will specifically determine EWSETA's practical readiness to adopt AI responsibly and securely, assessing business readiness, data and technology foundations, governance, risk, ethics, workforce capability, change readiness, and feasible use cases.
To be eligible, bidders must present a lead assessor possessing a minimum of ten years' relevant experience in ICT governance, operating models, systems, risk, value assessment, and executive-level advisory, coupled with a recognised NQF Level 7+ degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., ICT, Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, Auditing, Risk, Business, Management). The lead assessor must also hold a current relevant certification (e.g., CISA, CISM, CGEIT, CRISC, COBIT, ISO IEC 27001 Lead Auditor/Implementer, TOGAF, ITIL Managing Professional/Strategic Leader) and be affiliated with an appropriate professional body (e.g., ISACA, IITPSA, IIA South Africa, ECSA), demonstrating consultant experience in AI readiness/maturity assessment. Furthermore, the bid requires a small multidisciplinary team capable of covering ICT governance, systems, cybersecurity, data, AI governance, financial/contract analysis, and organisational adoption, ensuring independence from current EWSETA ICT vendors.