This guide is the checklist behind a South African public bid: each document and step, grouped by the point in a procurement when it is asked for, with who can lawfully do it. For how South African procurement works overall (the framework, thresholds, preference points, evaluation, payment and challenges), see How to bid for government tenders in South Africa.
Before you bid
Your supplier record and logins
1. Central Supplier Database (CSD) registration. National Treasury’s single supplier database, where organs of state check your business registration, directors, tax status, bank account, state-employee status and any restriction. Most bids ask for the CSD (MAAA) number or report, and National Treasury Instruction 4A of 2016/17 makes it part of national, provincial and municipal quotations and bids alike.
- Time: registration is complete once you receive a supplier number and a 36-digit unique registration reference; bank verification can take up to 4 days.
- Valid: key information is treated as valid for a 24-hour “validity timeframe” each time it is verified, so keep the record current.
- Who does it: your director, or another person genuinely authorised by the company, creates their own CSD user with their own email and a cellphone OTP, accepts the terms (declaring their authority) and becomes the primary user. They add the supplier and then a bid writer as an authorised user, marking that contact as “also a CSD user”. The bid writer then fills in industry classification, addresses, commodities, B-BBEE and associations under their own login, and you can disassociate them at any time. Keep the preferred contact on a company cellphone: bank-account changes send an OTP there.
- From abroad: choose the supplier type “Foreign company” and give your home registration number or ISIN. South African tax numbers aren’t required, a foreign bank account can be captured and is verified manually, and contacts with foreign IDs need a work permit number.
2. The eTender portal login. National Treasury publishes all public-sector tenders on the eTender portal. Suppliers sign in with their CSD credentials to bookmark tenders and subscribe to notices, and to upload bids where a tender is marked for eSubmission; other tenders go in as hard copies. No fee is stated on the portal. A bid writer added to your CSD record signs in with their own credentials and passes the CAPTCHA personally. State companies such as Eskom and Transnet run their own e-tendering portals and supplier registration, keyed to your CSD number.
3. The restriction check. Bidders, and companies whose directors are listed on National Treasury’s Register for Tender Defaulters or List of Restricted Suppliers, are disqualified automatically. The CSD publishes an “Am I Restricted?” check and a current report; run it for the company and every director before you prepare a bid. Bids are also barred from persons in the service of the state, and from companies whose directors are.
Tax and company standing
4. SARS Tax Compliance Status (TCS) PIN. A PIN that lets the buyer see your live tax compliance status. SBD 1 asks for it, or for your CSD number, which carries the SARS status, and every party to a joint venture, consortium or subcontract needs its own.
- Valid: whoever requests the PIN chooses how many months it runs; the status a buyer sees is the live one at the moment of checking.
- Who does it: a registered tax practitioner requests a Good Standing TCS on eFiling from their own practitioner profile, answering “Yes” to “completed by an authorised representative” and entering their practitioner registration number. “Tender” is no longer a separate request type. You approve the practitioner’s access request once, with an OTP, and make sure all returns are filed and debts settled so the status shows compliant (green).
- From abroad: not needed if you answer “No” to all five foreign-supplier questions on SBD 1 (see step 9).
5. CIPC status “In Business”. The CSD checks your registration and directors against CIPC. Companies and close corporations file annual returns, beneficial-ownership declarations and securities or beneficial-interest registers within 30 business days after each anniversary of incorporation, or risk deregistration. A new entity files its beneficial-ownership declaration within 10 business days of incorporation, and changes within 10 business days. Your accountant or company secretary files through CIPC e-Services under their own CIPC customer login, on your mandate. You confirm who the beneficial owners are: false or misleading information is an offence under the amended Companies Act.
Sector registrations
6. CIDB grading (construction). Public construction contracts may only go to contractors on the Construction Industry Development Board’s Register of Contractors, from R30,000 upwards, and your grade caps the value you can bid for.
- Cost: an admin fee of R450 (Grades 1–2) or R750 (Grades 3–9), plus an annual fee: R0 (Grade 1), R250 (2), R350 (3), R900 (4), R1 750 (5), R3 500 (6), R9 000 (7), R29 000 (8), R55 000 (9).
- Time: Grade 1 online in 48 working hours; Grades 2–9 through a provincial office in up to 21 working days.
- Valid: 3 years, with annual updates and fees; a grade is suspended after 2 years without an update, renewed after 3 years, and needs new supporting documents after 6.
- Who does it: a bid writer assembles the application and can lodge it at the provincial office: copies originally certified by a Commissioner of Oaths, with certification not older than 3 months, tax evidence, two years of IFRS or IFRS for SMEs statements, your track record and proof of the fee. Your director signs the declaration and you supply the track record.
- From abroad: an external company keeps an office and a registered physical address in South Africa and is registered with CIPC; foreign documents must be translated and originally notarised, and passport copies notarised.
7. PSIRA registration (security services). Anyone providing security services must be registered with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority, and security tenders ask for the business registration and a letter of good standing.
- Cost (2026/27, from 01 April 2026): registration R 9 100; certificate renewal R 440; letter of good standing R 50; the Manual of Information R 300, compulsory with a new registration.
- What goes in: CIPC registration; directors, partners, trustees and managers each registered as Grade B security officers; tax clearance, VAT and PAYE numbers; UIF and COID registration if you have them; a one-year business plan; a capability declaration; and proof of immovable office premises. The application can be assembled for you, but you apply and sign, and your directors hold their own Grade B registrations. Individual registration requires permanent residence in South Africa.
8. NHBRC registration (home building). Anyone in the business of building homes must be registered with the National Home Builders Registration Council, and housing tenders require it. The initial application fee is R745.61 (once-off, non-refundable), the annual membership fee R526.32, and the manuals R87.82 or R3168.15; registration is renewed every year. The online application, with tax clearance, CoR 14.1 and a certified share certificate, can be prepared for you. Your builder representative attends the compulsory Builders’ Induction workshop and passes the technical assessment within 30 days of paying the application fee, with 2 attempts.
Employer registrations. Construction, cleaning and security tenders commonly ask for a valid letter of good standing from the Compensation Fund (COIDA), and PSIRA and many service tenders ask for Unemployment Insurance Fund proof. You register as an employer and download these yourself, under your own login on the Department of Employment and Labour’s online services (CompEasy for the Compensation Fund, uFiling and the e-Compliance Certificate for the UIF). Both apply once you employ workers in South Africa.
Proof of B-BBEE status
Specific-goal points are claimed on SBD 6.1 and need proof, and the right proof depends on your size.
| Proof | For whom | Cost and validity | Who does it | What only you do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sworn affidavit (dtic and Commission template) | EMEs with turnover of R10 million or less; QSEs (R10–50 million) at least 51% black-owned | Template free; the commissioner may not charge for the oath. Valid 12 months from the date the commissioner signs | Pre-filled from your accountant’s turnover figures and the share register | Your director swears it in person, before an independent Commissioner of Oaths, on the same day the commissioner signs |
| CIPC B-BBEE certificate | EMEs (actual or projected turnover of R10 million or less) | — | Eligibility checked and data prepared for you | Your director submits through CIPC e-Services, BizPortal or a self-service terminal under their own login |
| Verification certificate | Turnover above R50 million; QSEs less than 51% black-owned; EMEs or QSEs that choose a scorecard | — | A verification agency verifies and issues it; your accountant assembles the evidence | Contract the agency, supply evidence and sign its representations |
The CIPC certificate isn’t available where any director or member is foreign; those companies use the affidavit. Misrepresenting B-BBEE status is a criminal offence (see Pitfalls).
With your bid
9. The forms you sign. Submit only on the buyer’s official forms, never retyped; municipalities accept bids only on their own documentation.
| Document | When it’s asked | Who prepares it | What only you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBD 1 Invitation to Bid (National Treasury, version 1 of 2023), with proof of the signatory’s authority | Every bid under the PFMA; municipalities use MBD equivalents | Completed for you | Your authorised signatory signs and states their capacity |
| Board or members’ resolution authorising the signatory | Every bid | Drafted by an attorney or for you | Your directors sign it |
| SBD 1 foreign-supplier questionnaire | Every bid by a foreign-based supplier | Answers prepared from your facts | Answer the five questions truthfully and sign |
| SBD 4 Bidder’s Disclosure | Every PFMA bid (municipal MBD equivalent) | Director and shareholder details gathered and checked for you | Sign and disclose every relationship |
| SBD 6.1 preference-points claim | Every bid under the PPPFA | Each goal mapped to its proof for you | Sign, and claim only goals the company truly meets |
| Municipal declarations: tax authorisation and numbers, state service in the last 12 months (directors, managers, principal shareholders and their spouses, children or parents), conflicts of interest; for larger bids, organ-of-state contracts of the past 5 years and goods or services sourced from outside South Africa | Municipal and municipal-entity tenders | Completed on the municipality’s forms | Sign and give accurate family and state-employment details |
| Municipal rates certificate: no undisputed service commitments overdue more than 30 days | Municipal bids above the reg 21(d) value | Dates and arrears checked for you | You and each director get your own municipal account statements and sign |
| Annual financial statements, audited where you must be audited (last three years for larger municipal bids) | Larger municipal bids, CIDB grading, financial-capacity scoring | Your accountant or auditor | Directors approve and sign them |
| Track record and key-personnel CVs | Functionality-scored bids | Reference schedule compiled from your records | Each key person signs their own CV |
| Local-production declaration | Only tenders that set local production as a goal or condition | Flagged for you | Give true origin data and sign |
| The price (SBD 3.x schedules) | Every bid | — | Set it yourself |
A municipality may reject a bid if the bidder or any director owes rates, taxes or service charges more than three months in arrears. Treasury tenders reject CVs signed on behalf of the person named.
10. Compulsory briefings. Where the tender sets a compulsory briefing or clarification meeting, someone signs the attendance register. A bid writer can attend as your representative only where the tender data accepts one; otherwise one of your employees goes.
11. Certified copies and sworn affidavits. Tenders and CIDB ask for certified copies of IDs, share certificates and certificates, and for sworn affidavits. You, or the director whose ID it is, take the originals to an independent Commissioner of Oaths, such as a police station, an attorney or a bank official, and sign any affidavit in the commissioner’s presence. No fee may be charged for administering an oath or attesting a declaration, and a knowingly false statement is perjury. Certified copies are often accepted for 3 months (CIDB) or for whatever period the tender sets. From abroad, an affidavit can be made before a person the Minister has designated under s8 of the Act, for example at South African missions; otherwise notarise and apostille.
12. Joint-venture or consortium agreement. A JV bid needs a signed JV or teaming agreement that names the lead partner held liable, and an employer may ask for it notarised. An attorney drafts it, a notary notarises it where required, and each member’s authorised signatory signs. Each member submits its own TCS PIN or CSD number (or a consolidated CSD report) and keeps its own CSD and SARS compliance; the CSD has “Joint Venture” and “Consortium” supplier types. In construction, every member must be CIDB-registered and the combined grade must fit the tender. A JV counts as one entity for specific goals only if it submits a consolidated B-BBEE certificate where the tender requires one.
13. Submit before the closing time. Bids go in as the tender sets: uploaded on the eTender portal where it is marked for eSubmission, or as sealed hard copies delivered to the buyer’s tender box. The portal takes one document per upload, so files are combined and compressed; a bid writer uploads under their own CSD login. Hard copies go as a sealed original and copies marked “ORIGINAL” and “COPY”, delivered in person or by courier. Municipal bids must be sealed, and municipal electronic bids also need sealed hard copies (MFMA SCM reg 22(4)). Some construction tenders charge a non-refundable document deposit, stated in the tender, and bid validity is often 90 days. Late bids are rejected. Approve the final pack and sign the originals before anything goes in.
If you’re in line for award
| Step or proof | Issued by | Time | Valid for | What only you do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SARS tax-status confirmation (foreign bidders) | SARS, by letter, after the buyer sends your SBD 1 or MBD 1 | Before award | — | Nothing more, if your SBD 1 answers were true; if South African tax applies, a TCC must be obtained before award |
| Performance security (General Conditions of Contract), where the contract asks | Your bank: a guarantee or irrevocable letter of credit from a reputable bank in South Africa or abroad acceptable to the buyer, or a cashier’s or certified cheque | Within 30 days of the award notice | Returned within 30 days after you complete your obligations | Apply to your bank and sign |
| Construction guarantee (GCC 2015, JBCC, NEC, FIDIC) | A bank or registered insurer, or a cash deposit | Before the contract | Until completion or the defects period, as the contract sets | Apply and sign the indemnity or credit agreement |
| ISO 9001, 14001, 45001 or similar, where the tender requires or scores it | A certification body accredited by SANAS | — | — | Undergo the audit |
| SBD 7 contract form, then the contract or SLA | The buyer | — | — | Your authorised signatory signs |
Construction guarantees are capped at 10% of the contract price (fixed) or 12.5% (variable). Retention may not exceed 10% of any amount due, and 5% of the contract price in total where a guarantee is given. A foreign contractor’s guarantee comes from a bank or insurer registered in South Africa, as listed in the Standard for Uniformity. ISO certificates are added to your CSD accreditations; foreign certificates under IAF-recognised accreditation may be accepted where the tender allows.
Before the contract
CIPC external-company registration. A foreign company that conducts business in South Africa must register with CIPC as an external company. It comes before CIDB registration, and is usually needed to perform a won contract.
- Cost: R400, paid by card after approval.
- How: since 29 September 2025, only electronically through CIPC e-Services, and filing is complete only after back-office approval and payment. A lawyer, authorised by your mandate, uploads the mandate, a directors’ resolution approving the registration, a certified copy of the certificate of incorporation, certified constitutional documents, a certified translation certificate where documents aren’t in English, and a securities register for profit companies. A natural person with South African physical and postal addresses and a South African ID is named to accept service.
- What only you do: sign the mandate and the resolution, provide certified or apostilled home-country documents and nominate the person to accept service. Don’t resubmit while an application is pending: that may register a second external company.
Notarisation, apostille and translation. Foreign company documents used in South Africa (CIPC, CIDB, tenders) are certified copies with certified English translations, and CIDB wants them originally notarised. A notary and sworn translator in your home country prepare them, and the competent authority affixes the apostille; you sign originals and powers of attorney before the notary. South Africa is party to the Hague Apostille Convention. For South African documents going abroad, a notary notarises them and the High Court apostilles them. DIRCO’s legalisation services are free: at a booking, 5 or fewer documents are done the same day; through registered agencies it takes 1–2 weeks, and by courier 3–4 weeks. Tender offers must include an English translation of any documentation in another language (CIDB Standard Conditions of Tender C.2.13.3).
Who does what
| Step | Who can do it | What only you do |
|---|---|---|
| CSD registration and updates | A bid writer, as an authorised user under their own login | Your director creates the primary user, accepts the terms and keeps the company cellphone as preferred contact |
| eTender portal, downloads and eSubmission | A bid writer, with their own CSD credentials | Approve the final pack |
| Restriction and state-service checks | Run for you on the CSD | Disclose every director and relationship truthfully |
| TCS PIN | A registered tax practitioner | Approve their eFiling access once; keep returns and payments up to date |
| CIPC annual returns and beneficial ownership | Your accountant or company secretary | Confirm the beneficial owners |
| CIDB grading | A bid writer assembles and lodges | Your director signs the declaration |
| PSIRA and NHBRC registration | Applications prepared for you | Directors hold Grade B registrations; your builder representative attends the induction and assessment |
| Compensation Fund and UIF | Nobody else | Register and download proof under your own login |
| B-BBEE affidavit | Pre-filled for you | Your director swears it before a Commissioner of Oaths |
| B-BBEE verification certificate | A verification agency | Contract the agency and sign its representations |
| SBD and MBD forms | Completed for you | The authorised signatory signs every form and declaration |
| Signatory resolution, JV agreement | An attorney; a notary where notarisation is asked | Directors resolve; each member signs |
| Certified copies | A Commissioner of Oaths | Appear in person with the originals |
| Compulsory briefing | A bid writer, where the tender accepts a representative | Otherwise send an employee |
| Submission | A bid writer, online or by delivering sealed envelopes | Sign originals beforehand |
| Performance security and guarantees | Your bank or insurer | Apply and sign |
| External-company registration | A lawyer | Sign the mandate and resolution; nominate the person for service |
| Notarisation, apostille and translation | A notary; a sworn translator | Sign before the notary |
| SBD 7 and the contract | — | Your authorised signatory signs |
The professionals involved
| Professional | Licensed or regulated by | What they do for a bidder |
|---|---|---|
| Registered tax practitioner | SARS and a recognised controlling body (SAICA, SAIPA, SAIT, ACCA, CIMA, CGISA, FPI, IAC, CIBA or the Legal Practice Council) | Act on your tax types after your one-time eFiling approval, request the Good Standing TCS PIN under their own registration number, and fix outstanding returns or debts that turn your CSD tax status red |
| Chartered accountant, CA(SA), or Professional Accountant (SA) | SAICA or SAIPA | Prepare or review the annual financial statements tenders and CIDB ask for, prepare the turnover and ownership figures behind the B-BBEE affidavit, and keep CIPC annual returns and beneficial-ownership filings current |
| Attorney | Legal Practice Council | Draft JV and consortium agreements and signatory resolutions, prepare the CIPC external-company mandate and resolution, and advise on objections, PAJA reasons requests and High Court review |
| Notary public | Legal Practice Council; the Registrar of the High Court verifies the notary’s signature | Notarise JV agreements where a tender asks, notarise powers of attorney and other documents for use abroad before the High Court apostille, and notarise copies or translations for CIDB |
| Commissioner of Oaths | Minister of Justice, under the Justices of the Peace and Commissioners of Oaths Act 16 of 1963 (Regulations GN R1258 of 1972) | Administer the oath on B-BBEE and other affidavits, and certify true copies of IDs, share certificates and other documents |
| B-BBEE verification agency | The B-BBEE Verification Professional Regulator appointed by the Minister | Verify and issue scorecard B-BBEE certificates |
| Certification body | SANAS | Certify quality, environmental or safety management systems where a tender requires or scores them |
| Registered engineering professional (Pr Eng, Pr Tech Eng, Pr Techni Eng, Pr Cert Eng) | Engineering Council of South Africa (Engineering Profession Act 46 of 2000) | Serve as named key personnel where a tender asks for ECSA-registered staff, and sign off engineering methodology and designs |
| Sworn translator | — | Translate company documents for CIPC, CIDB and tender returnables, which are in English |
| Bid writer or tender consultant | Unregulated | Work on your CSD record and the eTender portal under their own login, prepare the SBD and MBD returnables, functionality responses, pricing schedules and compliance checklist, and attend briefings that accept a representative |
Banks registered under the Banks Act 94 of 1990 and registered insurers, both overseen by the Prudential Authority, issue construction guarantees, bank guarantees and letters of credit.
If your company is from abroad
You don’t need a South African company to bid for goods and services, but public construction of R30,000 or more needs CIDB registration, which for a foreign firm means a South African office and CIPC registration as an external company; who may bid, and how preference points affect you, is explained in How to bid for government tenders in South Africa. For the paperwork:
Register on the CSD as a “Foreign company” with your home registration number or ISIN; your foreign bank account is verified manually. Answer the SBD 1 foreign-supplier questions instead of getting a TCS PIN, and the buyer checks your tax position with SARS before award. A directors’ resolution under your home law serves as proof of authority, translated if needed. Home-country audited accounts, foreign references and track record count where the tender allows, with English translations. Foreign-owned companies normally score little on specific goals and use the sworn affidavit, not the CIPC certificate; a JV with a qualifying South African firm is the main way to earn points, and multinationals can gain ownership recognition through an Equity Equivalent Investment Programme approved by the Minister. Imported goods may score lower where the buyer sets local production as a goal. Compensation Fund and UIF registration apply once you employ workers in South Africa. Allow courier time for hard-copy bids.
Pitfalls
- Never share a password or OTP. CSD, eFiling, CIPC, eTender, Compensation Fund and UIF logins are personal; advisers act as a CSD authorised user or a SARS-authorised tax practitioner under their own.
- Keep your own cellphone as the CSD preferred contact, so bank-detail OTPs reach you.
- Never misstate B-BBEE status. Misrepresentation, false information to a verification professional or an organ of state, and fronting are criminal offences under s13O of the B-BBEE Act: up to 10 years’ imprisonment, or up to 10% of annual turnover for a company.
- Claim only specific goals you can prove. False claims allow the buyer to disqualify you, terminate and claim damages (PPR 2022 reg 9), and points are lost if the proof isn’t with the bid.
- Swear affidavits before an independent commissioner, never one with an interest in the bid, such as a paid bid adviser.
- Screen your directors and owners first. No bids from persons in the service of the state or from companies whose directors are, and no bids from restricted suppliers or tender defaulters.
- Don’t bid on a tender whose specification you helped draft. SBD 4 makes you certify that you didn’t.
- Don’t share a bid adviser with a competitor on the same tender. SBD 4 also makes you certify that your bid terms were not disclosed to any competitor, so one consultant cannot serve competing bidders on the same tender.
- Only a registered tax practitioner may handle your tax affairs for reward. Under section 240 of the Tax Administration Act they must be registered with both SARS and a recognised controlling body.
- Audited statements need a registered auditor where your company is subject to audit.
- Use the official forms, never retyped, and have every CV signed by the person named.
- Build a buffer before closing. Late bids are rejected.
- Check every JV member’s compliance. Each needs its own CSD registration and TCS PIN, and CIDB registration for works; one non-compliant member can sink the bid.
- Ignore the Public Procurement Act 2024. It was declared invalid and never took effect; the PFMA, MFMA, PPPFA and 2022 Regulations still apply.
Doing it with askTender
In South Africa, your askTender Partner is added as a named user on your company’s account on the Central Supplier Database and the eTender portal and works under their own login. You keep your own login, and sign what only you can sign: the CSD terms as primary user, the B-BBEE affidavit, the resolution, every SBD and MBD form and the contract. The askTender Desk prepares the forms, the specific-goal proof and the bid pack and coordinates the certificates; askTender Partners, such as a registered tax practitioner, an attorney, a notary or a sworn translator, do the steps their licence covers.
Questions
Who can work on my company’s Central Supplier Database record?
Your director, or another person the company has authorised, creates their own CSD user with their own email and cellphone OTP and becomes the primary user. They then add the supplier and can add a bid writer as an authorised user, who completes commodities, addresses, B-BBEE and associations under their own login. You can remove that person at any time.
How long is a B-BBEE sworn affidavit valid?
12 months from the date the Commissioner of Oaths signs it. The template is free, the commissioner may not charge for administering the oath, and your director must sign in person, on the same day, before a commissioner with no interest in the matter.
How much does CIDB registration cost?
An admin fee of R450 for Grades 1–2 or R750 for Grades 3–9, plus an annual fee from R0 at Grade 1 to R55 000 at Grade 9. Grade 1 online takes 48 working hours; Grades 2–9 through a provincial office take up to 21 working days. A grade lasts 3 years with annual updates.
Does a foreign company need a SARS tax PIN to bid?
Not if it answers ‘No’ to all five foreign-supplier questions on SBD 1. Before award, the buyer sends the recommended foreign bidder’s form to SARS, which confirms by letter whether the company must register for tax.
When is performance security due?
Where the contract asks for it, within 30 days of the award notice, as a bank guarantee or irrevocable letter of credit from a reputable bank in South Africa or abroad acceptable to the buyer, or a cashier’s or certified cheque. It is returned within 30 days after you complete your obligations.
What does CIPC charge to register a foreign company as an external company?
R400, paid by card after approval. Since 29 September 2025 the filing is made only through CIPC e-Services, with the mandate, a directors’ resolution, certified incorporation and constitutional documents, any certified translation and, for profit companies, a securities register.
Sources
- Central Supplier Database: terms
- CSD International Supplier User Guide
- eTender Publication Portal: supplier login
- SARS: guide to the Tax Compliance Status function on eFiling
- SARS: controlling bodies for tax practitioners
- National Treasury: bid document NT010-2025 (SBD forms)
- Preferential Procurement Regulations, 2022
- MFMA SCM Regulations: bid documentation
- CIPC: external-company registration
- CIPC: B-BBEE certificates for EMEs
- B-BBEE Commission: QSE sworn affidavit template
- CIDB: register of contractors
- CIDB Standard for Uniformity
- General Conditions of Contract
- PSIRA: registration division
- NHBRC: registration process
- Commissioners of Oaths Regulations (GN R1258)
- DIRCO: legalisation services
- Department of Employment and Labour: online tools
This guide explains the rules in plain English; it isn’t legal advice. Procurement rules change, and each tender document sets its own conditions — it always prevails.