FAQ
Common questions
How ProTenders works, what's free, what to do before you bid, and how to manage your account. Plain answers.
Getting started
What is ProTenders?
A South African platform for the full SMME tender journey, Discovery, Nurturing, Delivery. We aggregate live government tenders into one searchable feed, with alerts, filters, saved searches, and a workspace.
How do I find tenders?
Create a free account, search by keyword, narrow by province or value, save what fits. Set a daily alert with your keywords and we'll email new matches.
Is ProTenders free?
Yes for Discovery, search, browse, save, one daily alert. Pro adds 3x daily alerts and market intelligence. Business adds team workspace and supplier intelligence.
Tenders and search
Where do tenders come from?
National departments, provincial governments, municipalities, and state-owned enterprises. We sync from eTenders.gov.za and dozens of buyer notice boards daily.
How often is the data refreshed?
Every morning at 05:00 SAST. New tenders usually appear within hours of going live on the official source.
RFQ vs RFP vs RFI, what's the difference?
RFQ is price-led for clearly specified goods or services. RFP is for complex work where method and approach matter alongside price. RFI gathers information before any tender is issued.
Alerts
How do alerts work?
Save a search with keywords, province, and value. We email new matches, once a day on Free, three times a day on Pro (7am, 12pm, 4pm SAST), four times a day on Business.
How many alerts can I have?
Free: one alert. Pro: unlimited. Business: unlimited plus team-wide alert sharing.
Can I pause or change an alert?
Yes. Edit, pause, or delete any alert from /dashboard/alerts at any time.
Compliance and registrations
What do I need to bid?
CSD registration (csd.treasury.gov.za), valid SARS tax PIN, CIPC company docs, B-BBEE certificate or EME affidavit, banking confirmation. Construction adds CIDB. Security adds PSIRA.
Why are most bids disqualified?
Compliance, not price. Expired tax PINs, lapsed B-BBEE certificates, missing SBD forms, late submissions. Read each tender's returnable-documents checklist before you submit.
Where do I submit?
On the official channel named in each tender notice, eTenders.gov.za, the buyer's website, or a sealed-tender drop point. ProTenders is for discovery and pipeline tracking, not submission.
Account and billing
How do I create an account?
Click Register, enter your email and a password. No credit card required for Discovery. Verify your email and you're in.
Can I cancel?
Yes, any time. South African Consumer Protection Act gives you a 5-business-day cooling-off window from payment with a pro-rata refund. After that you keep premium until the end of your billing cycle.
What payment methods are accepted?
PayFast handles checkout. Credit and debit card, EFT, instant EFT, Capitec Pay, and most South African options.
Privacy and data
Where is my data stored?
On secure South African infrastructure. We do not sell user data. POPIA-compliant. Read our /privacy-policy for the full details.
Do you share my information with buyers?
No. Your saved tenders, alerts, and notes are private to your account. Team workspace shares within your business only.