Lula Bid

Guide

How to register on the CSD and get your MAAA number

Before an organ of state can buy from you, your business has to be on the Central Supplier Database (CSD), National Treasury's single register of government suppliers. Registration is online and free of charge. When it is done you get a supplier number that starts with MAAA, which goes on SBD 1 and MBD 1. From 1 November 2026 the revised SBD 4 also asks for the MAAA numbers of related companies.

Applies to
Any business or individual that wants to supply national, provincial or local government.
Last reviewed

The issued tender pack always takes precedence. Buyers customise the standard forms and add their own conditions, so complete the forms and follow the rules in the pack you received. This guide explains the official forms; it is general information, not legal advice.

What the CSD is

The CSD at secure.csd.gov.za holds suppliers' business details in one place, so you do not register separately with every department and municipality. The CSD verifies your details with other institutions such as SARS, the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) and the Department of Home Affairs, and checks bank details with the banks. Treasury's SCM Instruction 4A of 2016/17 lists what buyers must verify on the CSD: business registration with directors or members, bank account holder, whether anyone is in the service of the state, tax compliance status, identity numbers, B-BBEE status level, and tender defaulter and restriction status.

The same instruction tells departments and public entities to say in their bid invitations that suppliers must be registered on the CSD before they bid, and not to issue an award letter, order or contract to a supplier that is not registered (petty cash and foreign suppliers without a local entity are exceptions). MBD 1, the municipal invitation to bid, also has a space for the CSD number. SBD 1 accepts your CSD number where you have no tax PIN to give.

What to have ready

  • A cellphone number (for one-time PINs) and an email address you control. They are used to log in and to confirm changes.
  • Your identification: company or close corporation registration number, trust number, or ID number if you trade as a sole proprietor.
  • ID numbers and contact details of every director or member.
  • Your SARS tax details, and VAT number if registered.
  • Bank account details in the business's name.
  • Physical and postal addresses, your industry classification, the goods and services (commodities) you supply and where you can deliver, and any accreditations and B-BBEE details.

Registering, step by step

  1. Go to secure.csd.gov.za, register as a user, activate the account with the link emailed to you and confirm with the one-time PIN sent by SMS.
  2. Log in, open Supplier Details and choose Add Supplier.
  3. Complete the identification details for your supplier type (for example a registered company).
  4. Complete the other sections, such as industry classification, contacts, addresses, bank account, tax, directors or members, commodities and B-BBEE.
  5. Check the overview for outstanding information, then submit. You receive a supplier number, which starts with MAAA followed by digits, and a unique registration reference number.
  6. Use the supplier number and registration reference to view your registration report. Check every verification result and fix anything flagged before you bid. Bank verification can take a few days.

The CSD's own How to register page has the current steps. If the screens differ from these, follow the CSD.

Use the official site only

Registration on the CSD is free of charge. If you need help, Instruction 4A requires organs of state to support suppliers who cannot register on their own, and the CSD site lists provincial contacts. Be careful of anyone who charges to "activate" a CSD number or asks for your login details.

Keeping your record valid

  • Update the CSD when directors, bank details, addresses or ownership change. Buyers verify your record on the CSD before they award, so an out-of-date record can hold up or stop an award.
  • Keep your tax affairs in order: buyers check your tax compliance status on the CSD.
  • The revised SBD 4, which departments and public entities use from 1 November 2026, asks for the MAAA number and status (active, inactive or deleted) of every CSD-registered company related to the bidder or its directors, shareholders, members or partners. Look these up now.

How Lula Bid helps

  • Keeps your CSD summary report in the document vault (Prepare package and up), reads the MAAA supplier number from it, and writes the number onto SBD 1, MBD 1 and the other forms that ask for it.
  • Lists CSD proof on the tender's checklist when the pack asks for it, so it goes into the bid.

You still check every answer and sign the forms yourself. See what each package includes

Official sources

  1. Central Supplier Database (CSD) · National Treasury
  2. CSD: How to register (registration process) · National Treasury
  3. National Treasury SCM Instruction 4A of 2016/17: Central Supplier Database · National Treasury, Office of the Chief Procurement Officer
  4. Media statement (28 June 2016): Central Supplier Database surpasses milestone of 150 000 registered suppliers · National Treasury
  5. SBD 1 Invitation to bid (Version 1 of 2023, Word) · National Treasury, Office of the Chief Procurement Officer
  6. Revised SBD 4 Bidder's disclosure (Annexure A to PFMA SCM Instruction 12 of 2026/27, Word) · National Treasury, Office of the Chief Procurement Officer

Last reviewed 10 October 2026 against these documents. Forms and instructions change; check the buyer's pack and National Treasury's site for later versions.