Tender guides for South African businesses
Plain-language guides to the standard bidding forms and the checks that decide whether a bid is evaluated. Each one is written from National Treasury's own forms, instructions and regulations, cites them, and was last reviewed on 10 October 2026. The tender pack the buyer issues always takes precedence.
Standard bidding documents (SBD)
The forms national and provincial departments and public entities issue with their tenders.
- SBD 1: the invitation to bid, explainedWhat SBD 1 (Version 1 of 2023) asks for, part by part: bid details, supplier information, CSD and tax PIN, foreign supplier questions, and common mistakes.
- SBD 4 bidder's disclosure: the 2022 form and the 2026 revisionWhich SBD 4 applies to your bid: the 2022 form until 31 October 2026, the revised form from 1 November 2026, and what changed in the revision.
- SBD 6.1 and preference points under the PPR 2022How SBD 6.1 works under the Preferential Procurement Regulations 2022: 80/20 and 90/10, price formulas, specific goals, and how to claim and prove points.
- SBD 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3: the pricing schedulesA short guide to the SBD 3 pricing schedules: firm prices (3.1), non-firm prices with escalation (3.2) and professional services (3.3).
- SBD 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3: the contract formsThe three SBD 7 contract forms: goods and works (7.1), services (7.2) and income-generating contracts (7.3). What Part 1 and Part 2 mean and what to check.
- SBD 8 and SBD 9: repealed for government departments, still used by municipalitiesSBD 8 and SBD 9 were repealed for PFMA institutions from 1 April 2022, and SBD 4 now covers their core. Municipalities still use MBD 8 and MBD 9.
Municipal bids
Municipalities and municipal entities use the MBD forms under the MFMA.
Registration and compliance
What needs to be in place before you can bid at all.
- How to register on the CSD and get your MAAA numberRegister your business on National Treasury's Central Supplier Database, get your MAAA supplier number, and keep the record valid for tenders.
- Your SARS tax compliance status PIN for tendersWhat the SARS Tax Compliance Status (TCS) PIN is, how to request one on eFiling for a tender, and how buyers use it with the CSD to check your tax status.
Bidding well
Briefing sessions and the rules that knock bids out before they are scored.
- Compulsory briefing sessions and site meetingsWhat a compulsory briefing session or site meeting is, why missing one usually ends your bid, and how to attend, sign the register and keep proof.
- Why bids get disqualified, and how to avoid itThe disqualification grounds written into the official SBD and MBD forms: late bids, re-typed forms, tax status, state employees and false disclosures.