What documents does a South African tender ask for? The proofs of good standing

To bid for government work in South Africa you need a clean tax compliance status with SARS and a registration on National Treasury’s Central Supplier Database (CSD). The bid then carries proof of the rest: an Employment Equity certificate with any offer to an organ of state, a CIDB grading for public-sector construction, and whatever proof the tender names for its preference points. Any business that uses you as a contractor, government or not, should also ask for your COIDA letter of good standing.

Each proof runs on its own clock, and buyers check most of them at the source rather than trusting the copy you send. The short version:

What is a tax compliance status PIN, and how does a buyer check it?

SARS replaced the paper tax clearance certificate with the Tax Compliance Status (TCS) system. You request a status on eFiling and get a PIN, which lets a buyer see your status for itself. A business can only request the “Good Standing” type; SARS no longer has a separate tender type.

Two things about the PIN catch people out. First, it isn’t proof of anything on its own: SARS’s own FAQ says the PIN “does not mean you are compliant, it is just the mechanism by which a 3rd party may verify what your status is.” A buyer who checks it sees your status at that moment, not on the day the PIN was issued, so a return that falls overdue after you sent the PIN turns the check red. Second, you decide how long the PIN works when you request it: 12 months by default, or any number of months from 1 to 12.

The buyer checks the PIN on its own eFiling profile with your tax number and sees your status in green or red, or uses SARS’s Online Query System, which emails it the result. SARS sends you an SMS each time someone checks. For national and provincial departments and public entities, Treasury’s rule is plain: no award to a bidder who isn’t tax compliant. The TCS PIN and the CSD are the two approved ways to check, and a recommended bidder found non-compliant gets 7 working days to show compliance or an arrangement with SARS.

Your status turns non-compliant if a return is outstanding after its due date or you owe tax without an arrangement to pay it; the tax compliance status guide covers how to find the reason and fix it. The SARS guide covers the returns and their due dates, and the EMP501 guide the payroll reconciliation that falls due on 31 October.

Do I have to register on the Central Supplier Database?

Yes, for government work. Treasury made the CSD the single source of supplier information for organs of state in 2016. Since 1 July 2016 its instruction has barred departments and public entities from awarding a quotation or bid to a supplier that isn’t registered, and told them to ask bidders to register before they bid; municipalities have used the CSD supplier number, which starts with MAAA, since the same date. Where you have no TCS PIN, the standard bid form (SBD 1) asks for your CSD number instead.

You register yourself on the CSD. Registration is complete when you get a supplier number and a 36-digit unique registration reference, and the CSD checks what you enter against SARS, CIPC and Home Affairs. Treasury sets no expiry date for a registration, but the CSD’s terms require you to keep your record complete and current, documents on it such as a B-BBEE certificate do expire, and Treasury asks suppliers to confirm their details at least once a year. Buyers read the CSD for themselves.

Does a government tender need an Employment Equity certificate?

Yes. Section 53 of the Employment Equity Act says every employer that makes an offer to an organ of state must comply with the Act and attach either a compliance certificate or its own declaration, verified by the Department. The 2022 amendments to the Act came into force on 1 January 2025, and under the 2025 regulations the certificate is requested online.

• With 50 or more employees (a designated employer), you can request the certificate only after you’ve filed your annual EE report, and the regulations look for a compliant report in the preceding year. The 2026 report is due online by 15 January 2027.
• With fewer than 50, you declare on form EEA15 that you comply with Chapter II of the Act and the national minimum wage, and confirm your status on the EE system first.

The regulations make the certificate valid for twelve months from the day it’s issued; the Act itself allows the longer of twelve months or the date your next EE report is due. An offer without the certificate can be turned down, and a contract cancelled. The Employment Equity certificate guide covers the reporting cycle and the sector targets.

When do I need a CIDB grading?

For public-sector construction. The CIDB Act bars a contractor from doing construction work for a public-sector client under a tender or quotation unless it’s registered with the cidb; doing it anyway is an offence, with a fine of up to 10% of the contract’s value. Your grade, from 1 to 9, caps the size of contract a public client may award you, and each contractor has one CRS number.

A grade lasts three years, to the anniversary of registration. In between, from Grade 2 up, you update it every year and pay the annual fee; miss two years and the registration is suspended. Anyone can look a contractor up on the cidb’s public register without a login.

Do I need a B-BBEE certificate to tender?

It depends on the tender. Since 16 January 2023, a government tender awards its preference points (up to 20 of 100 on the 80/20 system, 10 on 90/10) on specific goals the organ of state names in the tender, with the proof it wants for each. National Treasury’s FAQ on the 2022 regulations says points are claimed “on specific goals decided by the organ of state rather than the B-BBEE score card”. If the tender asks for a B-BBEE certificate or affidavit as proof of a goal, it goes in with the preference form (SBD 6.1); leave the proof out and you claim no points for that goal.

Treasury adds that B-BBEE compliance itself isn’t limited to public procurement, so keep your certificate or affidavit current. An exempted micro-enterprise (annual revenue of R10 million or less under the generic codes; some sector codes set a lower limit) and a qualifying small enterprise that is at least 51% black-owned prove their level with a sworn affidavit, valid for 12 months from the day the commissioner of oaths signs it. Other businesses get a verification certificate from a SANAS-accredited agency, which also lasts 12 months. The EME, QSE or Generic guide explains which applies to you, and the free B-BBEE estimator gives an indicative level.

Parliament passed a new Public Procurement Act in 2024, but it never came into force: on 17 September 2026 the Constitutional Court declared the whole Act invalid, because Parliament had not given the public a proper say before passing it. The existing framework, including the 2022 preference regulations, still applies.

What is a COIDA letter of good standing, and who asks for it?

It shows you’re registered with the Compensation Fund and up to date with your Return of Earnings and assessments. The Department’s guidance is that any business using a contractor should get the contractor’s letter, so a main contractor or a buyer will ask for yours whether the work is public or private.

You generate the letter yourself online once your returns and payments are up to date. It’s issued once a year and expires on a fixed date tied to the assessment year, or monthly if you pay in instalments under an arrangement with the Fund, and a buyer checks it online with its certificate number. A business with no employees gets a tender letter instead, under the Fund’s 2013 notice. The COIDA guide covers registration and the Return of Earnings, and the free compliance calendar lists the Return of Earnings deadline.

How do I keep them all current?

The proofs don’t fall due together. A TCS PIN lasts as long as you chose; the EE certificate and a B-BBEE affidavit run 12 months from their own dates; a CIDB grade needs its annual update; a COIDA letter follows your Return of Earnings. Keep a list of each expiry date with a reminder a month ahead. File your SARS returns on time, because the TCS check is live, and request the EE certificate as soon as your EE report is in.

How Komply keeps the proofs in one register

Every Komply workspace has a Tender Readiness page, on every plan. It isn’t a module of its own: it sits beside SARS, website scans, B-BBEE and FSCA and asks one question, whether you can bid today. It works like this:

1. Answer two questions. Do you bid for government work, and do you tender for public-sector construction? The TCS PIN, the B-BBEE certificate or affidavit and the COIDA letter always count. A yes to government work adds the EE certificate and the CSD registration; a yes to construction adds the CIDB grading. Until you answer, the page says so rather than guessing.
2. Record each proof. The TCS PIN and its expiry from your eFiling letter; the B-BBEE certificate or affidavit you upload in the B-BBEE module; the COIDA letter’s dates; the EE certificate’s issue date, which Komply runs for 12 months unless you enter its own expiry; your CSD supplier number and the date of your latest CSD report, shown as its age because Treasury sets no expiry date; your CIDB number, grade and expiry.
3. Read the verdict. The page counts the proofs that are current and reads tender-ready, renew soon or not ready. A proof nearing expiry goes on your list of things to do: 30 days ahead for the PIN, the COIDA letter and the EE certificate, and three months ahead for a CIDB grade, which the CIDB Act says to renew three months before it expires.
4. Send the buyer a link. One read-only link, no login needed, with a PDF to download. It lasts 30 days, every open and download is logged, and you can revoke or replace it at any time. The buyer sees each proof with its status and date, never your Komply B-BBEE scorecard, your people’s names or your uploaded files.

Komply records what you enter and looks none of it up: the buyer still checks your PIN on eFiling, your CSD registration on the CSD and your grade on the cidb register. It doesn’t apply for or renew anything, fill in the bid forms, or tell you whether a tender’s specific goals favour you. A Komply B-BBEE scorecard is a planning estimate and never counts as a proof.

Frequently asked questions

Is a tax clearance certificate the same as a TCS PIN?

The PIN replaced it. SARS moved from paper tax clearance certificates to the Tax Compliance Status system; the buyer now checks your live status with the PIN.

Does a CSD registration expire?

Treasury sets no expiry date, but you must keep your record complete and current, documents on it expire, and Treasury asks suppliers to confirm their details at least once a year. Buyers read the CSD itself.

Do I need an Employment Equity certificate with fewer than 50 employees?

Yes, to make an offer to an organ of state. Section 53 covers every employer; a small one declares compliance on form EEA15 to get the certificate.

Is my B-BBEE level still used to score government tenders?

Not directly. Under the 2022 regulations, points go to the specific goals each organ of state names in the tender, with the proof it asks for, which may include a B-BBEE certificate or affidavit.