You can download the latest open tenders (in any category) or find useful information to help you complete your proposal. If you need help, contact the provincial contacts for procurement or contact your nearest tender advice centre for free assistance.

• WHAT IS A TENDER OR BID?
• FINDING OUT ABOUT TENDERS OR BIDS
• WESTERN CAPE CENTRALISED SUPPLIER DATABASE

A tender is an offer to do work or supply goods at a fixed price. Getting goods or services is also known as 'procurement'. Since January 2004, government began referring to tenders as 'bids'. When government 'puts out a tender' or 'invites bids' this means government asks the public for price offers to do work or supply goods. Government then assesses who to choose based on the prices offered and the nature of the person or company making the tender.

The tender or bid process is designed to ensure that the work to be done for government is given out in a fair way. There are a number of policies (known as 'procurement policies') which guide government on how to make decisions on which tender to accept. Although price is very important in the decision on which tender or bid to accept, it is not the only factor taken into account.

Once government accepts a tender, it is binding on both parties. This means that the person or company that won the tender has to provide the goods or services in the manner agreed to and at the price offered, and government must pay the agreed price at the agreed time. In other words, once accepted, a tender is a binding contract.

• National and Provincial Tenders
• Western Cape Provincial Tenders over R50 000
• Western Cape Provincial Tenders under R50 000
• Western Cape Provincial Tenders under R5000
• Local Government Tenders
• Western Cape Centralised Supplier Database

Tenders at all levels of government (national, provincial, local) must be advertised.

National and Provincial Tenders or Bids

You can find the listing of all national and provincial government tenders currently available in the Government Tender Bulletin, which comes out every Friday. The Bulletin is available online on the dti's site, or the SA Government Online site.

You can also subscribe by post to the Government Tender Bulletin for R34.20 per year, by contacting the Government Printer:

Government Printer
Private Bag X85, Bosman Street, Pretoria, 0001

Or you can call 012 334 4735 /012 334 4736 / 012 334 4737

Western Cape Provincial Tenders over R50 000

Tenders for the Provincial Government of the Western Cape are published in the Government Tender Bulletin and also published on this site.

Western Cape Provincial Tenders under R50 000

For Western Cape tenders under R50 000 (called 'enquiries' or 'quotations'), an independent third party called TradeWorld operates a subscription service called Sourcelink. Provincial government departments load enquiries onto Sourcelink and these are emailed or faxed daily to subscribers. The results of each enquiry awarded are posted on Sourcelink. Please note that you have to pay to get enquiries from Sourcelink - R534 per month (HDI companies pay R250 per month). Construction-related enquiries under R50 000 are also advertised on provincial notice boards.

You should be able to access Sourcelink enquiries for free at the Tender Advice Centres and Red Door centres

For more information contact:
TradeWorld
1 Birkdale River Park, Liesbeek Parkway, Mowbray, 7700
PO Box 1207, Cape Town, 8000
Tel: 021 680 4600
Fax: 021 685 7485

Western Cape Provincial Tenders under R5000

These can be sourced by means of telephonic enquiries from possible suppliers.

Local Government Tenders

The City of Cape Town advertises its tenders in Cape Town newspapers in their classifieds section on Fridays, in the legal section. The five District Councils and 24 Local Councils in the Western Cape are required to advertise their tenders in local newspapers and in public places, such as libraries and council notice boards. You can also contact a Local Council directly to find out about local tenders or search their listings on the City of Cape Town website.

The Western Cape Provincial Government also has a contract with TradeWorld to populate and maintain a supplier database. This database is shared with the City of Cape Town. This ONE centralised supplier database replaces and consolidates all existing supplier databases.

You can be listed on the Western Cape Supplier Database without charge. At the moment, being on the database does NOT mean you will have tenders sent to you, although this is the eventual aim of the database. Until then, it is a means of helping to verify who you are, and speeds up the whole tender process.

This shared database serves as the registration base for all suppliers wishing to conduct business with both the City of Cape Town and Provincial Government of the Western Cape. That is, suppliers register ONCE on this database to do business with both parties, even if previously registered on one of their existing databases. If you are already registered with the City of Cape Town, you do not need to re-register. In order to be registered and approved on the Western Cape Supplier Database free of charge, please collect a registration form from:

• 5th Floor, Tower Block, Civic Centre, Hertzog Boulevard, Cape Town
• Tender Board Secretariat, 3rd Floor, 4 Dorp St, Cape Town.

Prospective tenderers can also download an online registration form at the TradeWorld website, http://www.tradeworld.net.

The QuadremTradeworld Helpline telephone number is 021 680 4600.