Recent reports over confusion and concerns of bidders, especially international bidders, regarding this issue are unfounded, because, says Jarvis: 'This will give us greater choice to find the right mix of partners to deliver our needs.'

'We do not want three different bidders, all with the same solution, because the same few large companies partner with various players, presenting exactly the same thing, only under another consortium name,' he says.

He believes that this will not only enable SARS to have a greater choice of solutions, but will also assist in the redistribution of wealth to different organizations, not just to the usual companies once again.

Jarvis says: 'Companies should decide beforehand who they want to partner with, and find the right mix of expertise they trust and believe in before the tender.'

Jarvis notes that the normal BEE criteria, as per its BEE questionnaire contained in the tender document, apply, and this has nothing to do with the decision that bidders can only belong to a single consortium.