The Central Supplier Database is the single national register of suppliers to government. Registration is free, done online at the National Treasury CSD portal, and compulsory before any organ of state can transact with you. You need your CIPC registration number, tax reference number, bank account details and B-BBEE information before you start.
The registration itself takes under an hour. What holds people up is verification — the CSD checks your details against CIPC, SARS and your bank automatically, and any mismatch leaves the registration incomplete without an obvious error message.
TL;DR
Free, and done at secure.csd.gov.za.
Compulsory for anyone supplying an organ of state.
Have ready: CIPC number, tax number, bank details, B-BBEE affidavit or certificate, director IDs.
Verification is automatic against CIPC, SARS and your bank.
Details must match exactly across all three, or it stays incomplete.
Update it whenever anything changes, and keep tax compliance current.
What the CSD is
The Central Supplier Database was introduced by National Treasury to replace the hundreds of separate supplier databases that each department, municipality and state entity used to run.
Register once, and every organ of state can see and verify you. No more registering separately with each department.
It is not a tender portal. The CSD does not advertise tenders or accept bids. It is the register that establishes you are a legitimate, verified, tax-compliant supplier. Tenders are advertised elsewhere — the eTender portal, departmental websites and the Government Tender Bulletin.
What you need before you start
Gather everything first. Starting without it means an abandoned half-complete registration.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| CIPC registration number | Company or close corporation registration number |
| Tax reference number | The entity's income tax number, and VAT number if registered |
| Bank account details | In the exact registered name of the entity |
| Director or member details | ID numbers for every director or member |
| B-BBEE affidavit or certificate | Valid and current |
| Contact details | Email and phone for the primary contact |
| Physical and postal address | |
| Commodity codes | What you actually supply — chosen from the CSD's classification list |
Sole proprietors register too, using their ID number instead of a company registration number.
The registration steps
1. Create a user account at secure.csd.gov.za. This is a personal account for the person doing the registration, separate from the supplier record itself.
2. Start a supplier registration and select the supplier type — company, close corporation, sole proprietor, trust, partnership, or non-profit.
3. Capture the identification details. Registration number, entity name, tax number. These must match CIPC and SARS exactly, character for character. A trading name instead of the registered name will fail verification.
4. Add director or member details with ID numbers.
5. Add banking details. The account must be in the entity's registered name. A company account in the director's personal name will not verify.
6. Add address and contact details.
7. Select commodity codes describing what you supply. Be thorough — organs of state search the database by commodity, so a narrow selection means you are invisible for work you could do.
8. Add B-BBEE information, including the level and expiry date.
9. Submit. You receive a supplier number.
What happens after you submit
The CSD verifies automatically against third parties. This is where registrations stall.
| Check | Against | What fails it |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Home Affairs | ID number mismatches |
| Company registration | CIPC | Wrong registered name, deregistered company, non-compliant status |
| Tax status | SARS | Non-compliant tax status, no registered representative |
| Banking | Your bank | Account not in the entity's registered name |
Tax compliance is the most common failure. The CSD pulls your status from SARS directly, and non-compliance shows immediately. If you have outstanding returns — including nil returns — fix those first. See how to get a tax clearance certificate.
Check your status after a few days. A registration that looks submitted but shows outstanding verification is not usable, and nobody will tell you.
Keeping it current
The CSD is not set-and-forget.
Update immediately when:
Banking details change
Directors change
Your address changes
Your B-BBEE affidavit is renewed
You register for or deregister from VAT
You add capabilities worth new commodity codes
Your tax compliance is re-checked continuously. A supplier who was compliant at registration but has since let a VAT201 lapse will show as non-compliant on the CSD — potentially at the moment an evaluation committee looks you up.
Diarise the B-BBEE affidavit expiry. An expired affidavit on the CSD is a visible gap.
What else you need to bid
CSD registration is necessary but nowhere near sufficient. A typical tender pack also needs:
Tax Compliance Status PIN — the replacement for the old tax clearance certificate
B-BBEE affidavit or certificate
CIPC documents — registration certificate and current disclosure
COID letter of good standing — required for most work involving employees, and essential for construction
CIDB registration and grading for construction work
Bank confirmation letter
Company profile and references
Audited or reviewed financial statements for larger contracts
Assemble this pack once, keep it current, and re-use it. Most tender failures at the compliance stage are not about price or capability — they are about a missing or expired document.
Frequently asked questions
How do I register on the CSD in South Africa? Create an account at secure.csd.gov.za, start a supplier registration, and capture your entity details, director details, banking details, address, commodity codes and B-BBEE information. Registration is free and the details are verified automatically against CIPC, SARS, Home Affairs and your bank.
Is CSD registration compulsory? Yes, for anyone supplying goods or services to an organ of state. National Treasury introduced the CSD as the single national supplier register, replacing separate departmental databases.
How much does CSD registration cost? Nothing. Registration is free on the National Treasury CSD portal.
Why is my CSD registration not verified? Most commonly because your tax status is non-compliant with SARS, your banking details are not in the entity's exact registered name, or the entity name captured does not match CIPC exactly. The verification is automatic and does not always give a clear error.
Can a sole proprietor register on the CSD? Yes. Sole proprietors register using their ID number rather than a company registration number.
Does the CSD advertise tenders? No. The CSD is a supplier register, not a tender portal. Tenders are advertised on the eTender portal, departmental websites and the Government Tender Bulletin.
How often must I update my CSD registration? Whenever anything changes — banking details, directors, address, B-BBEE affidavit renewal, or VAT registration status. Your tax compliance is also re-checked continuously, so a lapsed return will show as non-compliant even if you were compliant at registration.
What else do I need to bid for a government tender? Typically a Tax Compliance Status PIN, a B-BBEE affidavit or certificate, CIPC registration documents, a COID letter of good standing, CIDB registration for construction work, a bank confirmation letter, a company profile and financial statements for larger contracts.
Tender-ready, and staying that way
Getting onto the CSD is straightforward. Staying verified is where businesses lose work — a lapsed VAT return makes your tax status non-compliant, and the CSD reflects that to every evaluation committee that looks you up.
Smartbook keeps the compliance behind your CSD registration current — every return filed, tax status clean, B-BBEE affidavit renewed — and handles the CSD registration itself.
Last reviewed: 26 July 2026. Written by the Smartbook team — SAIPA and SAICA accredited, SARS registered tax practitioners. CSD processes are administered by National Treasury and may change — confirm current requirements on the CSD portal. General guidance, not advice on your circumstances.
Primary sources: National Treasury — Central Supplier Database · National Treasury · SARS — Tax Compliance Status · CIPC