How to apply for government tenders: from finding a bid to submitting a response

Government procurement is a large, permanent market with published rules, free access and a documented evaluation method. It is also surrounded by fraud. The first thing to know is the only thing that matters: the bid document governs, and bidding is free.

Finding tenders

Source	What it carries
National Treasury eTenders	The central national portal
Provincial treasury portals	Provincial tenders
Organ of state websites	Their own adverts, sometimes before the national portal
Newspaper notices	Required for certain invitations, particularly by municipalities

Search by category and province, and set a routine - a weekly check catches a bid with a two-week window that a monthly check misses entirely.

Before you can bid

Three registrations make you bid-ready:

1. Central Supplier Database (CSD) - the state’s vendor register, free to join, and the reason it exists is to stop bidders being asked for the same compliance documents by every organ of state.
2. Tax compliance status - verifiable through SARS eFiling, and valid at the time of bidding.
3. B-BBEE status - a sworn affidavit for an EME or qualifying QSE, or a verified certificate.

A company that also needs to register for VAT or to fix its CIPC annual returns should do that before bidding, because both surface in verification.

Reading a bid document

A bid document is a contract of process. Read it in this order:

1. The closing date, time and submission place. Late is late; the time of day counts.
2. The returnable documents checklist. Every item marked mandatory must be present. A missing mandatory document is the most common disqualification.
3. The specification or terms of reference. What exactly is being bought.
4. The pricing schedule. Where you fill in your prices.
5. The evaluation criteria. Price weighting and preference points.

Preparing the response

• Check every arithmetic step. An addition error in a pricing schedule is a frequent and entirely avoidable disqualification.
• Sign where the document says sign, and initial every page it asks you to initial.
• Complete the declarations honestly - particularly for state employees, conflicts of interest and previous contract performance.
• Present the pricing clearly. Ambiguity in pricing invites a query you may not survive.
• Keep a full copy of the submitted bid, stamped or receipted if submitted in person.

Two structural notes about small suppliers: subcontracting and joint ventures are legitimate ways to meet capacity and experience requirements, and the bid document will say whether they are permitted for that bid. Local content and designated sector requirements apply to some tenders - the specification states them.

Evaluation, briefly

Evaluation happens in two stages: an administrative and compliance check, then scoring. Scoring weighs price and preference points per the Preferential Procurement Regulations and the bid’s own stated percentages. The bid document prints the goals the preference points are awarded for.

There is no hidden criterion. A bid that is disqualified is disqualified against a printed rule, and a supplier is entitled to ask which rule.

Why you should not pay

• Award decisions are made by an evaluation committee against published criteria. No fee changes them.
• Any request for money to register as a supplier, to access a tender, or to “guarantee” an award is fraud.
• Any request for payment after an award, before payment for the work, is also fraud - and state payments go through a procurement process, not a private account.

Report procurement fraud to the National Treasury or the relevant department’s anti-corruption function.

Where to go next

Our tenders section lists what is currently open and closing this week, and our summaries link to the official advert rather than reproducing the document. The tender closing countdown tracks a closing date you enter - no account, nothing stored.

Last reviewed 13 October 2026. Procurement rules are set by the Public Finance Management Act, the Preferential Procurement Regulations and each organ of state’s supply chain management policy; confirm requirements in the bid document.