CSIR issues RFQ for Pretoria hospitality precinct via PPP
The proposed development will create an integrated accommodation and hospitality offering alongside the CSIR International Convention Centre (CSIR ICC), strengthening the facilities available to conference delegates, visiting researchers and academics, business travellers, institutional visitors, and other guests to the CSIR ICC, the CSIR campus, and the surrounding Innovation Corridor precinct.
The project is planned as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), with an experienced private-sector partner expected to bring the financial capacity and expertise required to design, finance, construct, operate and maintain the proposed hospitality facility, subject to the final procurement documentation and PPP agreement.
A key motivation for the development is the opportunity to provide quality accommodation within walking distance of the CSIR ICC. While the convention centre currently works with nearby hotels, the proposed development would bring accommodation and related hospitality amenities into the CSIR precinct, creating a more integrated experience for conference delegates and other visitors.
Strengthening the CSIR ICC offering
Opened in 1977, the CSIR ICC has served the meetings and convention sector for more than four decades. It operates in the international business-events market, with a particular focus on supporting local, national and regional research, development, innovation and knowledge-sector events, as well as international association conferences across a range of industries and sectors.
Located at the CSIR campus in Pretoria East, the CSIR ICC forms part of Tshwane's wider concentration of government, diplomatic, academic, scientific and research institutions. The centre provides convention, meeting, function and exhibition facilities, as well as digital and hybrid event capabilities and live web streaming.
The proposed hospitality precinct is intended to complement these capabilities by enhancing the overall delegate and visitor experience and strengthening the CSIR ICC's proposition when competing for conferences and events where convenient access to accommodation is an important consideration. The development is expected to increase the CSIR ICC's competitiveness in the national, regional and international markets and increase the number and size of these conferences hosted at the facility, which would generally bode well for all hotels in the area.
Bronwen Cadle de Ponte, CSIR group manager for conferencing and accommodation, said the release of the RFQ marks an important milestone as the project moves from planning and feasibility into formal market procurement.
“For more than four decades, the CSIR International Convention Centre has provided a platform for people from South Africa and around the world to meet, share knowledge and build partnerships. This proposed development gives us an opportunity to build on that foundation by creating an integrated hospitality offering that complements the convention centre and the wider CSIR campus. Through this RFQ, we are inviting the private sector to bring forward the financial capacity, development capability, hospitality expertise and long-term operational experience required to help realise this opportunity.”
Opportunity for private-sector participation
The opportunity is expected to be of interest to hotel and hospitality operators, hospitality brands and management companies, property developers, investors, infrastructure and property funds, financial institutions, construction and development companies, facilities-management providers and multidisciplinary consortiums or joint ventures.
Prospective participants do not necessarily need to possess all the required capabilities within a single organisation. Appropriately structured consortiums may bring together the development, financing, construction, hospitality, management and operational expertise needed to participate in the project.
The RFQ is the first stage of the formal competitive procurement process. It sets out the applicable qualification criteria, submission requirements and evaluation methodology through which the CSIR intends to identify suitably capable participants. Respondents that satisfy the RFQ requirements will be eligible to proceed to the subsequent Request for Proposal stage in accordance with the formal procurement process.
RFQ information
RFQ title: Request for Qualification for the design, finance, development, operation and maintenance of a multi-use Hospitality lifestyle precinct for the CSIR via a Public Private Partnership (PPP) project.
RFQ reference number: CSIR REQ-QUAL No.0001/18/01/2027
• Publication date: 29 October 2026
• Non-compulsory briefing: 12 November 2026 at 9am
• Closing date: 18 January 2027 at 4pm
• Procurement platform: CSIR tenders
• RFQ documentation: Request for Qualification: CSIR hospitality precinct
Interested parties should consult the formal RFQ documentation for the definitive eligibility requirements, consortium arrangements, qualification criteria, compulsory documentation, submission procedures and closing requirements.