The Central Supplier Database (CSD) is National Treasury's single register of everyone who wants to do business with the South African government. It's free, it's mandatory, and without an active CSD record you cannot be awarded a tender or paid for one. Most bid documents ask for your CSD supplier number (it starts with "MAAA") on the returnable forms.
What you'll need
- Your CIPC company registration number and details.
- The ID numbers of all directors / members / owners.
- Your SARS tax reference number.
- Your business bank account details.
How to register, step by step
- Go to secure.csd.gov.za and create a user account.
- Capture your business (supplier) details — legal entity, contact, address and industry.
- Add directors, tax, banking and BBBEE information.
- Submit. The CSD automatically verifies your details against CIPC, SARS and your bank.
- Once verified you receive a unique MAAA supplier number — that's your CSD registration.
Tax compliance is built in
The CSD links directly to SARS, so your tax compliance status is checked automatically. The old paper tax clearance certificate has been replaced by a Tax Compliance Status (TCS) PIN, which buyers can verify online. Keep your tax affairs in order — a non-compliant status will knock you out of a tender even if everything else is perfect.
After you're registered
With an active CSD record and tax compliance in place, you're ready to bid. The next step is finding tenders you actually qualify for — see how to find and win government tenders, or create a free TargetTenders profile to get matched tenders emailed to you. Keep your CSD details current — expired banking or tax information is a common, avoidable reason bids get rejected.