beginner10 minutes
Tender Glossary
Plain-language definitions for common South African tender terms
Overview
This glossary explains common tendering terms used across Tenders-SA and South African procurement documents.
Core Tender Terms
- Tender: A formal request from an organization asking suppliers to submit offers for goods, services, or works
- RFQ: Request for Quotation, usually used for simpler or lower-value purchases
- RFP: Request for Proposal, usually used when the buyer evaluates methodology, capability, and price
- Bid: Your submitted response to a tender, RFQ, or RFP
- Returnables: Documents and forms that must be returned with your submission
- Closing Date: The deadline by which the issuer must receive your submission
- Briefing Session: A meeting where the issuer explains requirements and answers questions
- RFQ: Request for Quotation, usually used for simpler or lower-value purchases
- RFP: Request for Proposal, usually used when the buyer evaluates methodology, capability, and price
- Bid: Your submitted response to a tender, RFQ, or RFP
- Returnables: Documents and forms that must be returned with your submission
- Closing Date: The deadline by which the issuer must receive your submission
- Briefing Session: A meeting where the issuer explains requirements and answers questions
Compliance Terms
- CSD: Central Supplier Database, the national supplier registration database for South African government procurement
- CIPC: Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, the body responsible for company registration
- B-BBEE: Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment, a South African transformation scoring framework
- EME: Exempted Micro Enterprise, a smaller business category used in B-BBEE rules
- QSE: Qualifying Small Enterprise, a B-BBEE category for qualifying medium-sized businesses
- Tax Compliance Status: SARS confirmation that a taxpayer is compliant or has managed obligations
- CIDB: Construction Industry Development Board, which grades contractors for construction work
- CIPC: Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, the body responsible for company registration
- B-BBEE: Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment, a South African transformation scoring framework
- EME: Exempted Micro Enterprise, a smaller business category used in B-BBEE rules
- QSE: Qualifying Small Enterprise, a B-BBEE category for qualifying medium-sized businesses
- Tax Compliance Status: SARS confirmation that a taxpayer is compliant or has managed obligations
- CIDB: Construction Industry Development Board, which grades contractors for construction work
Platform Terms
- Application Assistance: Tenders-SA workspace for preparing tender response materials and planning submission tasks
- Document Vault: Your stored compliance and supporting documents
- Readiness Assessment: Tool that checks tender-readiness gaps before you apply
- Match Score: A signal showing how closely a tender appears to fit your company profile and readiness
- Services Hub: Professional assistance area for compliance and business setup workflows
- Source Evidence: Data or links that help trace a tender back to its original source
- Document Vault: Your stored compliance and supporting documents
- Readiness Assessment: Tool that checks tender-readiness gaps before you apply
- Match Score: A signal showing how closely a tender appears to fit your company profile and readiness
- Services Hub: Professional assistance area for compliance and business setup workflows
- Source Evidence: Data or links that help trace a tender back to its original source
Evaluation Terms
- Functionality: Technical or quality scoring before price and preference scoring
- Preference Points: Points awarded under the applicable procurement preference framework
- Non-responsive Bid: A bid rejected because it does not meet mandatory requirements
- Award: The issuer's decision to appoint a supplier
- Contract Value: The estimated or awarded value of the work
- Preference Points: Points awarded under the applicable procurement preference framework
- Non-responsive Bid: A bid rejected because it does not meet mandatory requirements
- Award: The issuer's decision to appoint a supplier
- Contract Value: The estimated or awarded value of the work