CIDB grading for construction tenders

The Construction Industry Development Board (cidb) keeps the Register of Contractors, which applies to every contractor who wants public-sector construction work. The regulations bind public-sector clients to award construction contracts only to cidb-registered contractors, and the cidb says a client must use a registered contractor for a project of R30 000 or more.

A contractor is graded from 1 to 9, and each grade has a largest contract value it may be awarded. The cidb published these limits on its Requirements for Grading page (read on 11 October 2026):

A public-sector client may not award a contract above the limit of the contractor's grade; a contractor registered as potentially emerging (PE) may be awarded projects one grade above its own where the client has a development project in place. The cidb reviews the limits periodically to keep pace with inflation, so check its page before relying on a figure.

A grade is held for a class of construction works: GB (general building), CE (civil engineering), EB (electrical engineering works – building), EP (electrical engineering works – infrastructure), ME (mechanical engineering), or one of the specialist classes. The designation combines both — 5GB is a grade 5 general building contractor — and a tender states the grade and class it requires.

The cidb grades on two things: your track record (the largest contract you completed in the past five years, required for grades 2 to 9) and your available capital, judged on your best annual turnover of the last two years.

Contractors apply online through the cidb's eRoC portal. Registration is valid for three years, and the cidb advises applying for renewal three months before it expires. It no longer prints certificates: registered contractors are listed on its website, where clients check them. Your Central Supplier Database registration must be in good standing, and the cidb says a complete, compliant application takes 21 working days.

Govermate lists open tenders by province, including construction work. Check the grade and class each tender asks for against your own registration before you price it.