South Africa operates a single mandatory national supplier registry, the Central Supplier Database (CSD), maintained by National Treasury's Office of the Chief Procurement Officer. Since 1 April 2016 the CSD has served as the single source of key supplier information for all organs of state, so any entity (South African or foreign) wishing to do business with government must self-register and obtain a CSD supplier number. Tender opportunities are published centrally on the eTender Publication Portal (etenders.gov.za); a valid, active CSD registration is required to transact with, and be awarded contracts by, organs of state. The CSD explicitly supports foreign supplier registration, though foreign firms are competitively disadvantaged by preferential-procurement (B-BBEE) scoring and localization rules.
Central Supplier Database (CSD)
National Treasury - Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO)
Foreign companies eligibleNo local entity required to bid
A South African local entity is NOT a strict eligibility requirement to register on the CSD - the CSD allows foreign suppliers to register using a foreign ID/passport and a foreign company registration number (these are not system-verified the way South African CIPC/SARS records are). However, two practical realities strongly favour local presence: (1) Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) affects TENDER SCORING/competitiveness, not eligibility - trade.gov notes foreign firms have 'a very limited chance of competing' without meeting BEE criteria; (2) trade.gov states an overseas firm is not precluded from bidding if it has a South African agent to act on its behalf, and typically the local agent receives payment. Full parity with domestic suppliers effectively requires CIPC company registration plus a SARS tax number, at which point National Treasury treats the firm the same as any South African supplier. Foreign firms also generally require South African banking details for CSD bank-account verification.
Go to the CSD portal and register a user account with basic personal/company details. You must supply a valid email address and a cellphone number. The system emails an account activation link and sends a One-Time Pin (OTP) by SMS which must be entered to activate the account. Suppliers select whether they are a South African supplier or a Foreign supplier.
Log in, go to Supplier Details, choose Add Supplier and complete the Identification tab. South African entities capture their CIPC company/registration number and directors' South African ID numbers (verified automatically against CIPC and Home Affairs). Foreign suppliers register using a foreign ID/passport and, where applicable, a Foreign Company Registration number or ISIN; note that foreign company numbers and foreign ID numbers are NOT system-verified.
Capture tax details on the Tax tab. The CSD interfaces directly with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) to verify tax compliance status electronically, so a SARS tax reference number with a compliant/active Tax Compliance Status (TCS) is expected. Suppliers are NOT required to submit physical tax clearance certificates to organs of state because the CSD-SARS interface performs the verification.
Capture the supplier's primary bank account on the Banking section; details must match a bank confirmation letter. The CSD verifies bank account details against the bank; per official guidance verification against the banks may take up to four (4) days. (Consult the OCPO banking FAQ before capturing bank information.)
Complete the remaining tabs: industry classification, contacts, address, directors/members, associations, commodities, notifications, and B-BBEE (Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment) information. B-BBEE status is captured here; it does not affect eligibility to register but does affect competitiveness/preference scoring when bidding.
Review the Overview tab for completeness and submit the registration. Submitted details are assessed and verified against institutions including SARS, CIPC and the Department of Home Affairs (for SA suppliers). Once approved you receive a unique CSD supplier number, which is required to transact with and bid to organs of state. Status notifications (including approval or rejection) are sent to the registered email.
With an active CSD number, monitor the National Treasury eTender Publication Portal (etenders.gov.za) where all public-sector tenders across national, provincial and municipal spheres are published. Browsing is open without registration; bidding requires an active CSD registration. Bid due dates are usually at least 21 days from publication of the notice. Foreign firms not precluded from bidding may act through a South African agent.
Create a free GlobalGov account to unlock the required-documents checklist for every step, common pitfalls, insider tips, renewal reminders, and live South Africa opportunities matched to your business.
Create free accountNo government fee to self-register on the CSD (registration is free). Costs may arise indirectly (e.g. obtaining a bank confirmation letter, SARS compliance, optional third-party registration agents), but no official CSD registration fee is charged.
3–21 days
Historically the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) 1999 and Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) 2003 govern procurement, with preference scoring under the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) 2000. The Public Procurement Act 28 of 2024 (published in the Government Gazette on 23 July 2024) will replace the PPPFA and unify the framework, but per National Treasury it is not yet fully in force and is being brought into operation in phases by presidential proclamation; the existing PFMA/MFMA/PPPFA framework remains in place until the relevant Act provisions and regulations take effect. CSD mandate itself derives from National Treasury instruction effective 1 April 2016.
GlobalGov tracks open tenders and historical awards for South Africa. Explore the market and search live opportunities:
This guide is grounded in official sources, last verified 2026-07-20.