CSD registration: a guide to the Central Supplier Database
CSD registration puts a business on the Central Supplier Database, National Treasury's free online register of suppliers to government. Organs of state use it to invite quotations and verify bidders, so an unregistered supplier is usually out of the running. This guide, from Arke Technologies in Johannesburg, covers registration, login, requirements and reports.
CSD registration: a guide to the Central Supplier Database
Last reviewed: September 2026, 15 min read
CSD registration puts a business on the Central Supplier Database, National Treasury's free online register of suppliers to government. Organs of state use it to invite quotations and verify bidders, so an unregistered supplier is usually out of the running. This guide, from Arke Technologies in Johannesburg, covers registration, login, requirements and reports.
Last reviewed: September 2026, 15 min read
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What is the Central Supplier Database?
Last reviewed: September 2026.
The Central Supplier Database (CSD) is National Treasury's single register of suppliers to government, used by national and provincial departments, municipalities, public entities and state-owned entities. The central supplier database for government replaced the separate supplier lists that departments and municipalities once kept. Suppliers could self-register from 1 September 2015, and organs of state began using it from 1 April 2016 (National Treasury, CSD fact sheet). In September 2026 it listed about 1.45 million verified suppliers (csd.gov.za, September 2026).
What is CSD registration, then? It is the process of building one verified supplier profile that every organ of state can use. The central supplier database of National Treasury checks your details automatically: your tax compliance status with SARS, your company registration and directors with the CIPC, identity numbers with the Department of Home Affairs and bank account ownership with the banks. It also screens suppliers against the Register for Tender Defaulters and the database of restricted suppliers, and checks whether directors are government employees. This guide, part of our insights and guides, walks through CSD registration in South Africa from start to finish.
Why CSD registration matters when you sell to government
Quotations. Departments, constitutional institutions and Schedule 3A and 3C public entities must obtain at least three written price quotations from suppliers registered on the CSD for purchases above R2,000 up to R1 million (PFMA SCM Instruction No. 2 of 2021/22).- Tax verification. Municipalities verify bidders' tax compliance status through the CSD (MFMA Circular 90, January 2018).
- Bids. Bid documents ask for your CSD supplier number or registration report, and evaluators check your record before they award.
- Payment. Your bank account is verified on the CSD. The CSD advises adding banking details early, because verification can take up to four days and an unverified account delays payment.
- Provincial registers. Some provinces and entities keep their own evidence registers on top of the CSD. The Western Cape Supplier Evidence Bank, for example, draws its supplier information from the CSD and uses the same MAAA number (Western Cape Government).
The CSD is not a tender portal: most government tenders are advertised on the eTender Publication Portal and on buyers' own websites. Our guide to PFMA, MFMA and ICT procurement explains the thresholds and rules behind these checks.
CSD registration requirements
Before you register on the central supplier database, gather the following. Most items are numbers rather than uploads, because the CSD fetches company and tax details directly from the CIPC and SARS:
- a valid email address and a cellphone number that can receive one-time PINs by SMS;
- identity numbers for the person registering and for each director, member or owner;
- the business's registration number: a CIPC number for a company or close corporation, a trust number, or a Department of Social Development number for a non-profit organisation;
- at least one SARS tax reference (income tax, PAYE or VAT), with your tax affairs in order;
- a bank account in the business's name, with its branch code;
- physical and postal addresses, including the municipality and, where relevant, the ward;
- your industry classification and the commodities you supply, with the areas you deliver to;
- your B-BBEE certificate details or sworn affidavit, which is valid for 12 months from the date it is commissioned;
- any accreditations, such as CIDB, SETA or SANAS registrations.
CSD registration requirements differ slightly by supplier type:
| Supplier type | Identification the CSD asks for | Tax reference |
|---|---|---|
| Individual or sole proprietor | South African ID number, or a foreign ID or passport number | Income tax reference; sole proprietors may add PAYE or VAT |
| Company or close corporation | CIPC registration number; directors are returned from the CIPC | Income tax reference; VAT optional |
| Trust | South African or foreign trust registration number | The trust's income tax reference |
| Non-profit organisation | Department of Social Development NPO number | Income tax reference |
| Partnership, joint venture or consortium | ID number of the main partner, or an international securities identification number | PAYE, VAT or income tax reference |
| Foreign company | Foreign company registration number | Optional |
Source: National Treasury, CSD registration user guide.
How to do a CSD registration check
A CSD registration check takes a minute once you know where to look:
- The Overview screen. It shows the completion status of each section (Completed, In progress or Outstanding), the verification status (Successful, Retry or Failed) and key information: business status, tax compliance status and bank account status.
- Restricted suppliers. The "Am I restricted?" check on the CSD home page shows whether a supplier appears on the restricted list.
- For buyers. Verify the supplier number and reference number on the CSD, and confirm tax compliance status on the day you award, not only when quotations arrive.
What the CSD does not do
- It is not a tender portal. Bids are advertised on the eTender Publication Portal and on buyers' own websites.
- It does not replace bid forms. You still complete the SBD or MBD forms each bid requires, including declarations of interest and preference points claims.
- It is not B-BBEE verification. The CSD records your certificate or affidavit details, but the evidence still comes from a SANAS-accredited verification agency or a sworn affidavit.
- It is not the only register. Some state-owned entities and provinces run their own supplier portals as well, and ICT bids may carry further conditions; see SITA and government IT.
Buying IT from a CSD-registered supplier
If you buy technology for a department, municipality, public entity or school, this is what Arke Technologies provides:
- Arke Technologies (Pty) Ltd, CIPC registration number 2017/386810/07, VAT number 4750287957.
- A Level 1 B-BBEE contributor, giving 135% procurement recognition (sworn affidavit available on request).
- Our CSD supplier number and SARS tax compliance status, available on request with company documents and a bank confirmation letter.
- SBD forms, or MBD forms for municipalities, completed when a bid requires them.
- The same company that has traded since 2017 as Fibre Boyz, so documents issued before 28 September 2026 may carry that name; the registration number is unchanged.
- After award: a service-level agreement with incidents prioritised on a P1 to P4 scale, written change control, and a monthly service review and report for your contract manager.
- A clean exit: you own your data, credentials and documentation throughout the contract.
See our company facts, supplier compliance for the public sector and how to choose an IT company in South Africa. We deliver managed IT, cybersecurity, software, systems integration, cloud and data under one contract, for government and the public sector, schools and large organisations.