How to register on eTenders
Which registration you actually need, and the order to do them in.
4 min read
There are two registrations people mean when they say they want to register for tenders, and only one of them decides whether you can be awarded work.
This sets out both and the order to do them in.
Do CSD first
Central Supplier Database registration is the one that matters. It is free, done online, and produces the supplier number you quote on every bid. Buyers verify it at evaluation, and without it an award cannot be made to you.
It verifies against CIPC, SARS, your bank and Home Affairs, so it completes cleanly only when those records agree with each other.
Then the sector gate
Add whichever registration your work requires: CIDB grading for construction, PSIRA for security, a municipal certificate of acceptability for food services, operating licences for transport. These take longer than CSD, so start them before the tender you want is advertised.
Portal accounts last
Portal registration is administrative. It can make downloading documents easier, but it is not what makes you eligible, and treating it as the main step is how people end up compliant on paper and ineligible in practice.
Common questions
- Is eTenders registration free?
- Central Supplier Database registration is free, as is a SARS tax compliance status PIN. Be cautious of anyone charging to register you for tenders, since the essential registrations cost nothing.
- Which registration do I need first?
- CSD. It is the one buyers verify at evaluation, and everything else builds on it. Sector registrations such as CIDB take longer, so begin those in parallel.