What is a tender? A plain-language guide
A tender is the process government departments, municipalities, and state-owned enterprises (like Transnet or Eskom) use to buy goods and services. Instead of picking a supplier privately, they publish what they need and invite businesses to bid. The bid that best meets the requirements — on price, quality, and compliance — wins the contract.
Why tenders matter
Tenders are one of the biggest, most reliable sources of business in South Africa. Government spends hundreds of billions of rand every year through procurement, and a large share of that goes to small and medium businesses.
The basic steps
- A buyer publishes a tender describing what they need and the closing date.
- You find a tender that matches what your business does.
- You prepare a bid — pricing, your company documents, and proof you're compliant.
- You submit before the deadline.
- The buyer evaluates all bids and awards the contract.
Before you can bid
Most public tenders require you to be registered on the Central Supplier Database (CSD), have a valid tax clearance, and — for construction — a CIDB grading. We cover each of those in the other guides.
Ready to look? Browse open tenders by sector or province — it's free and you don't need an account.