17 November 2025 – This note serves to clarify that the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and the National Department of Health (NDoH) have an implementation agency relationship relating to the provision of Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Oxygen Plants for the NDoH.
The implementing agency partnership between these two organs of state (NDoH and DBSA), dates back to 2013 where on occasion the NDoH mandates the DBSA to deliver key strategic health projects. In the case of the PSA Oxygen Plants, the NDoH engaged the DBSA to implement the project. A Service Level Agreement (SLA) between the DBSA and the national department was signed on the 12th of August 2025 specifically for this project.
The PSA Oxygen Plant project scope
The scope of the entire project is for the supply and installation of PSA Oxygen Plants to 55 hospital sites. A consulting engineering firm, Risimati Consulting Engineers, was appointed as an independent Professional Service Provider to design and oversee the project. The NDoH assessed and reviewed the state of all the appointed service providers prior to ceding contracts to the DBSA, subject to DBSA due diligence processes.
The DBSA received contract information from the NDoH on the 29 th of May 2025 for technical review. Upon review of the information the DBSA engaged the department and both parties agreed on the DBSA running the tender process for 45 of the sites. Therefore, that meant the sites to be procured is 45. Furthermore, the DBSA together with the NDoH agreed to the cession of Risimati Consulting Engineers’ contract as well.
Procurement process for the 45 sites
The DBSA undertook a new procurement process for the PSA Oxygen Plants. An Expression of Interest (EoI) (RFR/PSA/OEM/EOI) was initiated in June 2025 and concluded via an open tender process to establish a shortlist of technically compliant Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
The tender was published on the National Treasury e-Tender and DBSA website as RFR/PSA/OEM/EOI: EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FROM ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS, OR AUTHORISED/ ACCREDITED DISTRIBUTOR, FOR THE DESIGN, MANUFACTURE, INSTALLATION & COMMISSIONING OF CONTAINERISED PSA OXYGEN PLANTS.
As an outcome of the EoI evaluation process, the DBSA approved a list of 10 companies who emerged as technically compliant. A Request for Proposal (RFP’s 099-104/2025) was thereafter sent to these companies in September 2025 to collate all relevant procurement information and this request to bidders closed in October 2025. At present no company has been appointed as the bid evaluation process is still in progress.
The DBSA would like to confirm that in terms of this project it has agreements with the NDoH and Risimati Consulting Engineers. These agreements focus on the scope of work for the 45 sites and the DBSA approached the market for solicitation of contractors for the supply and installation of PSA Oxygen Plants in these sites.
The DBSA remains committed and continues to facilitate the development of healthcare infrastructure. The health sector is one of the Bank’s sectors of focus – the others being Energy, Transport, Water and Sanitation, Information & Communications Technologies, Education and Human Settlement. As we know, it is a crucial sector for individual well-being, economic stability, and social progress.
Statement attributed to Chuene Ramphele, Group Executive: Infrastructure Delivery Division at the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA).
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About DBSA
The Development Bank of Southern Africa is one of the leading development financial institutions on the continent. Our primary purpose is delivering impactful development finance solutions that ignite transformative change in South Africa and on the rest of the African continent. Improving the quality of life of people in Africa is the fundamental focus of our development impact. We aim to bend the arc of history towards shared prosperity through multifaceted investments in sustainable infrastructure and human capacity.
Our product solutions span all phases of the infrastructure development value chain from infrastructure planning and project preparation, across a range of financing and non-financing investments to infrastructure implementation and delivery. Our primary areas of focus include Energy, ICT, Transport, Water and Sanitation. Our secondary area of focus includes Education, Housing and Health.
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