The Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) has floated a tender for supply, installation and commissioning of quality of service (QoS) monitoring systems for both fixed and mobile networks, and provision of QoS audit services.

According to BOCRA, the contractor will be expected to supply, deliver, install, test and commission a QoS monitoring system for both fixed and mobile networks, with a two-year support and maintenance contract.

“After commissioning of the system, the contractor shall use the same system to conduct QoS Audit for both mobile and fixed networks,” said BOCRA spokesperson Aaron Nyelesi.

The tender is open to both local and international companies and it is understood that youth-owned companies could benefit from an early advantage.

“Youth-owned companies in Botswana shall purchase the Invitation to Tender (ITT) at 50 percent of the purchase price as per Presidential Directive CAB 14 (B)/2015,” said BOCRA in a public tender notice.

Earlier this year, the Minister of Transport and Communications, Thulagano Segokgo announced that government has lined up a number of initiatives to prop up the country's ICT industry, and topping the agenda is cushioning citizen-owned ICT companies hard-hit by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

For the QoS monitoring system for both fixed and mobile networks, and provision of QoS audit services tender, BOCRA says preference will be given to wholly citizen-owned, majority citizen-owned, and minority citizen-owned service providers.

However, for foreign companies, preference shall be given to companies who undertake to enter into joint ventures, consortium, associations or any type of partnerships or sub-contract portions of the work to 100 percent citizen-owned companies.

“Foreign-owned companies shall be required to sub-contract up to thirty percent of the contract to citizen-owned companies,” said Nyelesi.