CSD registration: how to register on the Central Supplier Database
The Central Supplier Database, or CSD, is the one register of every supplier that wants to do business with government in South Africa. If you intend to bid on public tenders, you have to be on it. There's no way around that.
What to have ready before you start
You'll move faster with these in front of you:
- your ID number, or company registration and CIPC details
- a bank account in the business's name
- your tax reference number
- contact and address details
Registering, step by step
- Go to the official portal at csd.gov.za.
- Create a profile with your email address.
- Capture your identification, address, contact, bank and tax details.
- Submit. The CSD checks your tax status with SARS and verifies your bank details on its own, which usually takes a day or two.
- Once you're verified you get a unique MAAA supplier number. That's what buyers look you up by, so keep it handy.
After you're registered
Keep the profile current. An out-of-date CSD record, an expired tax status or a changed bank account can quietly get a bid disqualified months later. With CSD done, the usual next steps are tax compliance, a B-BBEE affidavit, and a CIDB grading if you do construction.
Once you're registered, browse open tenders and start bidding.