Tenders by category

The lines of business South African suppliers actually bid for. Each page shows what is open right now, what is closing this week, and how often that work has come around since 2009.

Cleaning

80

Office cleaning, hygiene services, deep cleans and sanitation contracts — one of the highest-volume categories for small suppliers, and one of the easiest to enter without heavy capital.

Security

96

Physical guarding, access control, CCTV and alarm monitoring.

Construction

238

Building works, civil engineering and refurbishment.

Electrical

80

Electrical installation, reticulation, substations and maintenance.

Plumbing

15

Plumbing installation and repair, drainage and sanitaryware.

Catering

35

Catering, feeding schemes and event refreshments.

Transport & logistics

41

Transport, freight, fleet hire and distribution.

IT equipment

57

Computers, networking, software licensing and IT hardware supply.

Stationery & office supplies

34

Stationery, printing, toner and office consumables.

Furniture

21

Office, school and institutional furniture.

PPE & workwear

25

Personal protective equipment, uniforms and workwear.

Medical supplies

19

Medical consumables, surgical supplies and clinical equipment.

Boreholes & water

132

Borehole drilling, equipping, water reticulation and pipelines.

Roads & civils

134

Road construction, resurfacing, paving and stormwater.

Fencing

23

Perimeter fencing, palisade and security fencing.

Landscaping & grounds

34

Grounds maintenance, grass cutting and vegetation control.

Waste management

56

Refuse removal, waste disposal and recycling.

Training & skills

65

Accredited training, learnerships and skills development.

Consulting & professional services

54

Management, technical and advisory services.

Engineering services

122

Professional engineering, design and feasibility work.

HVAC & refrigeration

15

Air conditioning, ventilation and refrigeration supply and maintenance.

Generators & backup power

14

Generators, UPS and backup power supply, installation and maintenance — persistently high demand given load-shedding.

Solar & renewable energy

14

Solar PV supply and installation, and renewable energy projects.

CCTV & alarm systems

42

CCTV, alarms and electronic monitoring systems.

Vehicles & plant

32

Vehicle supply, plant hire and yellow machinery.

Laboratory & scientific

45

Laboratory equipment, reagents and testing services.

Agriculture

26

Agricultural inputs, irrigation and farming support.

Events & marketing

53

Event management, marketing, branding and exhibitions.

Insurance & financial

69

Insurance broking, actuarial, audit and financial advisory.

Legal services

18

Legal panels, litigation and conveyancing.

Facilities maintenance

326

General building and facilities maintenance.

Signage

9

Road signage, building signage and branded boards.

How much time do you actually get?

We analysed 161 285 tenders back to 2009: the median gives 20 days to respond, 21.6% give a week or less, and 13% are cancelled outright. Read the full analysis →