The question for many businesses is often: why is it so difficult to get work with government?  

You might have been looking to conduct business with government and have seen varying levels of success so far: this could be due to the fact you are not registered on the CSD. Yes, we acknowledge it is fair to have some level of scepticism when it comes to government and the tender process however, registration on the CSD is the starting point to hopefully securing fruitful partnerships with state organs.

What is the CSD?

The Central Supplier Database (CSD) is simply a database of organisations, institutions, and individuals who wish to provide goods and services to government. 

This initiative of the National Treasury was started back in 2016 to enable organs of state to have a consolidated database of accurate, up-to-date, complete, and verified supplier information. This supplier information is then verified with institutions such as the South African Revenue Service and the Department of Home Affairs etc. 

Now that is the history of CSD, but the more pertinent questions are: is this relevant to my business? What does the registration process entail?

Is this relevant to my business?

The easy and short answer to this question is that it depends on the nature of your business. Are you interested in seeking work opportunities with government?

Prospective suppliers interested in pursuing opportunities within the South African government (national, provincial, or local) need to register on the CSD before they will be considered. This registration acts as an indicator of interest from the supplier to do business with the South African government.

What does the registration process entail?

The actual registration process is a quick and painless online exercise. All prospective suppliers will be required to complete the required information on the CSD website and must ensure it is complete, accurate, and comprehensive.

For registration, a supplier will require the following:

• A valid cell phone number and email account
• Supplier identification and industry classification information
• Supplier contact information e.g. preferred contact name, telephone number etc
• Supplier address information
• Bank account information
• Supplier tax information if relevant
• Directors/Members information
• Commodities the supplier can provide
• Accreditations the supplier is associated with e.g. SETA, SANAS etc. if relevant

The process from here is as follows:

Step 1: Create yourself as a CSD user

• Register your basic information on CSD Register

Step 2: Complete supplier details

• Log in on CSD Login and complete the identification tab

The registration is complete and successful once you are assigned a Supplier number and a 36-digit Unique Registration Reference Number.

To cap this all off, the CSD is not more “red tape” that prevents you from doing work with government, it is a system that ensures that you are fairly considered for opportunities – you just never know what business will flow your way because of the registration.