How to Tender for Government in South Africa
Government tenders in South Africa are advertised through the National Treasury eTenders portal at www.etenders.gov.za. To bid on any government tender, your business must first be registered on the Central Supplier Database (CSD) at www.csd.gov.za and have all compliance documents in order. Here is a complete guide for 2026.
Step 1 — Register on the Central Supplier Database (CSD)
The CSD is the single national database of all government suppliers. Registration is free and mandatory. You cannot be awarded a government contract if you are not on the CSD.
Visit www.csd.gov.za to register. You will need your CIPC certificate, tax clearance certificate (SARS TCS PIN), a bank confirmation letter, and your B-BBEE certificate or affidavit.
The eTenders portal is free to use. Beware of third-party tender subscription services that charge fees to access publicly available tender information.
Step 2 — Find Tenders on eTenders
All national and provincial government tender advertisements are published on the National Treasury eTenders portal at www.etenders.gov.za. Tenders are also published in the Government Gazette on Fridays.
You can search for tenders by commodity code, sector, province, or closing date. Register for email alerts to be notified of new tenders in your area of business.
Step 3 — Obtain the Bid Documents
Once you identify a relevant tender, download or collect the bid documents. Bid documents specify technical requirements, evaluation criteria, mandatory conditions, and submission instructions.
Read the bid documents carefully. Some tenders require a compulsory briefing session which you must attend to remain eligible. Missing a compulsory briefing disqualifies your bid.
Step 4 — Prepare Your Bid
- Complete all forms in the bid document: SBD1 (invite to bid), SBD4 (declaration of interest), SBD6.1 (preference points claim), SBD8 (declaration of bidder past supply chain practices)
- Attach your CSD registration confirmation
- Attach valid tax clearance certificate or TCS PIN
- Attach B-BBEE certificate or EME affidavit
- Attach CIPC registration certificate
- Attach audited financial statements if required
- Prepare your technical proposal and pricing schedule as specified
Late, faxed, or emailed bids are automatically disqualified in South Africa. Always submit on time and in the format specified in the bid documents.
Step 5 — Submit Your Bid
Bids must be submitted in sealed envelopes or electronically as specified in the bid document. Late submissions are not accepted under any circumstances.
Most government departments require physical submission in a tender box before the closing date and time. Some large tenders use electronic submission via the eTenders portal.
Step 6 — Evaluation and Award
Government bids are evaluated on a 90/10 or 80/20 preference point system. Ninety or eighty points are awarded for price and functionality, and ten or twenty points for B-BBEE status.
The 90/10 system applies to contracts above R10 million and the 80/20 system to contracts up to R10 million. This gives businesses with higher B-BBEE levels a competitive advantage.