Johannesburg: Eskom has announced plans to advance its forensic investigations backlog project by issuing an Invitation to Tender/Request for Proposal aimed at enhancing its forensic and anti-corruption services. This initiative is expected to help the power utility address the increasing volume of legacy forensic matters that have constrained its ability to conclude investigations and disciplinary processes.

According to South African Government News Agency, the selected panel of service providers will start their work from September this year and will serve for a period of 18 months. The move is part of a strategy to accelerate case resolution by appointing external service providers with the necessary expertise and capacity. The panel will be tasked with conducting digital forensics, applying data analytics and artificial intelligence, and providing polygraph, handwriting, and document analysis services.

Eskom has clarified that while it maintains internal forensic capabilities, the complexity and specialised nature of some legacy cases require additional external expertise. It plans to award multiple contracts to a minimum of eight and a maximum of ten service providers, ensuring an equal distribution of work to optimize resource utilization. All appointments will adhere to Eskom's procurement processes, ensuring fairness, transparency, and compliance with regulatory requirements.

The panel's appointment is a part of Eskom's broader efforts to strengthen governance and accelerate consequence management across the organization. The forensic investigation function is integral to Eskom's governance, assurance, and consequence management framework, safeguarding organizational integrity and maintaining public, stakeholder, and shareholder confidence. Eskom operates on a co-sourced model where all reported allegations are investigated either internally or by appointed external service providers.

Further details about the tender can be found in the tender bulletin at https://tenderbulletin.eskom.co.za/tender/95186, with the closing date set for June 23, 2026, at 10 am South African time.