Guides and intel

Win more tenders. Read less fluff.

Step-by-step guides written for South African SMMEs: registration, compliance, funding and the unwritten rules of public procurement.

GuideFeatured

How to Get Government Tenders in South Africa: The 2026 Guide

Step-by-step: CSD registration, where tenders are published, B-BBEE points, returnable documents and how SMMEs actually win government contracts in South Africa.

9 min read · Bidcheck team
How-to

CSD Registration: A Step-by-Step Guide for South African Suppliers

How to register on the Central Supplier Database (CSD): documents needed, how long verification takes, common rejection reasons, and keeping your MAAA number active.

6 min read
Funding guideFeatured

Tender Bridging Finance: How to Fund Delivery After You Win

Won a government tender but need working capital? Bridging finance options in South Africa: SEFA, GEP, private funders, costs, requirements and how fast they pay out.

7 min read
GuideFeatured

B-BBEE Levels and Tenders: What Your Level Wins (and Costs) You

How B-BBEE levels work in tender scoring: 80/20 and 90/10 preference points, EME and QSE rules, sworn affidavits, and the cheapest route to a better level.

8 min read
Comparison

eTenders.gov.za vs Bidcheck: What the Government Portal Does Not Do

eTenders publishes every tender but offers no matching, alerts, eligibility checking or award intelligence. What an aggregator adds on top of the official portal.

5 min read
Guide

CIDB Grading Explained: Which Grade You Need to Bid

How CIDB grading works for construction tenders in South Africa: the grades, the contract value each allows, classes of works, how to register and how to upgrade.

7 min read
How-to

SBD Forms Explained: The Tender Paperwork That Disqualifies You

A plain-English guide to the SBD (Standard Bidding Document) forms in every South African tender — SBD 1, 3.3, 4, 6.1, 8 and 9 — and how to complete them without getting disqualified.

7 min read
GuideFeatured

Why Tenders Get Disqualified (and How to Prevent It)

The most common reasons South African tenders are disqualified — returnables, expired documents, late submission, unsigned forms — and a pre-submission checklist to prevent it.

6 min read
GuideFeatured

Will They Pay? How to Check a Government Buyer Before You Bid

Winning a tender is half the job — getting paid on time is the other half. How South African government payment works, who pays late, and how to protect your cash flow.

7 min read
How-to

How to Write a Winning Tender Proposal in South Africa

A practical structure for a competitive government bid: clear the responsiveness gate, score on functionality, evidence your experience, and price to win on points.

8 min read
How-to

How to Price a Government Tender (Without Losing Money)

How tender pricing is actually scored in South Africa, how to build a cost base that survives late payment, and why the lowest price does not always win.

7 min read
ComparisonFeatured

Best Tender Platforms for South African SMEs (2026)

An honest guide to choosing a South African tender platform — the free government portal, paid alert aggregators, and decision tools — and what actually helps you win, not just find.

7 min read
Comparison

Bidcheck vs Paid Tender Aggregators: Find vs Win

Most paid tender services help you find tenders and send alerts. An honest comparison of what aggregators do well, where they stop, and what Bidcheck adds to help you actually win.

6 min read
Guide

PPPFA Preference Points Explained: How Tenders Are Really Scored

How the 80/20 and 90/10 preference-point systems work under the PPPFA: how price points are calculated, how preference (B-BBEE / specific goals) points are awarded, and how to claim them on SBD 6.1.

8 min read
Guide

EME vs QSE: Which One Are You, and What It Means for Tenders

EME and QSE explained for South African tenders: the turnover bands, when a sworn affidavit is enough versus a full B-BBEE verification, and the levels each can reach.

6 min read
How-to

COIDA Letter of Good Standing: Why You Need One to Bid

What a COIDA Letter of Good Standing is, why so many tenders demand it, how to register with the Compensation Fund and get the letter, and how long it stays valid.

6 min read
Guide

Compulsory Briefing Sessions: Miss One and You're Out

What compulsory tender briefings and site meetings are, why non-attendance is an automatic disqualification, and how to find and prepare for them.

5 min read
Guide

Joint Ventures and Subcontracting on South African Tenders

When to bid as a joint venture, how JVs combine capacity and B-BBEE, and how mandatory subcontracting to designated groups works on larger government tenders.

7 min read
How-to

How to Use the eTenders Portal (eTenders.gov.za)

A practical walkthrough of National Treasury's eTenders portal: creating an account, searching and filtering tenders, downloading documents, and submitting electronically or by hand.

6 min read
Sector guide

Government Tenders for Construction Companies in South Africa

How construction SMMEs win public tenders: the CIDB grade and class that gate every bid, the compliance pack, how built-environment bids are scored, and the mistakes that disqualify contractors.

7 min read
Sector guide

Government Tenders for Cleaning, Facilities and Security Companies

Cleaning, facilities and security tenders are some of the most accessible for SMMEs — recurring, people-heavy service contracts. The registrations you need (including PSIRA), how to price them, and why payment risk matters.

7 min read
Sector guide

Government Tenders for ICT and Professional Services Firms

ICT and professional-services tenders reward capability and experience more than capital. How they are scored on functionality, the certifications and SITA route to know about, and why references win.

7 min read
How-to

How to Get a Tax Compliance PIN from SARS for Tenders

Step-by-step: get your SARS Tax Compliance Status (TCS) PIN on eFiling, share it with government, fix a non-compliant status, and keep it valid for every bid.

5 min read
How-to

PSIRA Registration for Security Tenders: How to Register

How to register your security business and officers with PSIRA, the documents and fees required, renewals, and why every security tender asks for your PSIRA certificate.

5 min read
How-to

CIPC Company Registration in South Africa: Step-by-Step

How to register a company (Pty Ltd) with CIPC, get your registration certificate and disclosure documents, and exactly what government tenders ask for.

5 min read
DataFeatured

Who Wins South African Government Tenders? R72bn of Awards, Analysed

We analysed 429 government tender awards worth R72.7 billion. Which departments spread work widely, which are locked by incumbents, and proof that small firms win.

6 min read
GuideFeatured

eTenders South Africa (etenders.gov.za): The 2026 Guide

What the National Treasury eTenders portal is, how to register and log in, where to find the tender bulletin, why it is slow, and a faster way to search every tender.

6 min read
ServiceFeatured

Tender Bid Writing Service in South Africa (Done For You)

Get a compliant government tender bid written and assembled for you: SBD forms, returnables, technical response and pricing, prepared by tender specialists. From R3 500.

4 min read
Service

CSD Registration Service: We Register You (Done For You)

Get your Central Supplier Database (CSD) registration and MAAA number done for you, no portal frustration. Required to be awarded any South African government contract. R950.

3 min read