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Ekurhuleni Releases R200,000 Xbox Tender to Enhance “4IR” Libraries
The City of Ekurhuleni has released a tender to acquire six Xbox Series X consoles for its libraries in order to ensure they are “4IR compliant” in light of the inclusion of robotics in the South African school curriculum.
Ekurhuleni encompasses the East Rand region of Gauteng, which includes towns and cities such as Thembisa, Katlehong, Boksburg, Germiston, Kempton Park, Benoni, Springs, and Alberton as reported by My Broad Band.
The term “4IR” stands for the fourth industrial revolution, a buzzword widely popularised by Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, in 2015. It refers to the advancement of technologies associated with this revolution, including fast mobile broadband like 4G and 5G, extensive machine-to-machine networks (Internet of Things), cryptocurrencies, blockchain technologies, “Web3,” the metaverse, and artificial intelligence.
The deadline for submitting quotations is Thursday, 25th May 2023, with a maximum transaction value of R200,000.
The tender grants preferential status to bidders who are at least 50% owned by women, youth, and individuals with disabilities. Exempt micro-enterprises, qualifying small enterprises, and local businesses within Ekurhuleni are also eligible for preferential procurement points.
Bidders are required to provide an audio-visual technician with a minimum of three years of experience to handle the installation of the consoles and provide training.
Apart from the six Xbox Series X consoles, the City of Ekurhuleni has requested bidders submit quotations for 12 wireless controllers with “equivalent technical specifications” and six games.
The specified games that bidders must include are FIFA 2023, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Forza Horizon 5, Mortal Kombat 11, Minecraft Dungeons, and an unspecified Lego Star Wars game.
It is unclear how the inclusion of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Mortal Kombat 11 would contribute to Ekurhuleni’s efforts to align with the new school curriculum, especially considering that both games have been restricted to individuals aged 18 and above by the Film and Publications Board.
Furthermore, it remains uncertain how any of the games, except perhaps Minecraft Dungeons to a certain extent, contribute to the libraries’ compliance with the 4IR framework.
In response to queries about the tender, Ekurhuleni provided the following statement:
“The City of Ekurhuleni Libraries are designed to be libraries of the future, and we are actively working towards ensuring their 4IR compliance. By procuring various technologies, we aim to attract the youth to the libraries and utilise them as educational platforms to enhance their reading skills.”
It is also unfortunate that Ekurhuleni insists on firm prices for specific games, as it could potentially save a significant amount of money by purchasing an Xbox Game Pass for each console instead of acquiring six copies of each desired game.
An Xbox Game Pass subscription would provide access to a wider selection of titles and enable access to new editions of FIFA as they are released annually.
Ekurhuleni posts R200,000 Xbox tender for “4IR” libraries https://t.co/N79ak8RYs7
— MyBroadband (@mybroadband) May 23, 2023
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Photo: Facebook / @Xbox
