SBD 4: The Bidder’s Disclosure form, explained

What is SBD 4?

SBD 4 (Standard Bidding Document 4) is the Bidder’s Disclosure form required by National Treasury with every government tender submission in South Africa. It records who you are, who controls your business, whether you have relationships with state employees, and whether your bid was prepared independently of competitors. Without a complete and signed SBD 4, your bid cannot be evaluated.

On 31 March 2022, National Treasury replaced the old SBD 4 (“Declaration of Interest”) with a new combined SBD 4 (“Bidder’s Disclosure”). The new form absorbs the obligations of the old SBD 8 (Declaration of Past Supply Chain Management Practices) and SBD 9 (Certificate of Independent Bid Determination). Many bidders still use the pre-2022 version, which is the single most common reason bids get disqualified on SBD 4 alone.

The form applies to all bidders regardless of bid value. There is no exemption for low-value RFQs, emergency procurements, or quotations under the Preferential Procurement Regulations threshold.

Who must complete SBD 4

Every bidder. The form must be completed by every legal entity submitting a bid, whether the bidder is a natural person, a registered company, a closed corporation, a partnership, a cooperative, a trust, a joint venture, or a consortium. For joint ventures and consortiums, each member entity must submit its own signed SBD 4 alongside one combined declaration from the lead bidder.

Any bidder appearing on the National Treasury Register for Tender Defaulters or the List of Restricted Suppliers is automatically disqualified, regardless of how the rest of the form is completed. These two lists are public and should be checked before tender submission. The Register for Tender Defaulters is maintained under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, and the List of Restricted Suppliers is maintained on the National Treasury website.

SBD 4 section by section

Section 1 — Purpose and definitions

Section 1 sets out the legal definitions used in the rest of the form: “state employee”, “family member”, “juristic person”, “director”, “shareholder”, “independent bid determination”. Read these before completing the rest of the form. The disclosures in later sections turn on these definitions, and a strict reading is applied if a dispute arises.

Section 2 — Bidder details

Enter the bidder’s registered name, registration number (CIPC), VAT registration number (if applicable), ID number (for natural persons), tax compliance status (TCS) PIN, BEE level, physical address, postal address, contact person, telephone, and email. Every field must match the corresponding entry on your Central Supplier Database (CSD) profile character for character. A spelling difference between your CSD profile and SBD 4 is a technical disqualification.

Section 3 — Directors and shareholders

List every active director of the bidder, and every shareholder holding 5 percent or more of the bidder’s shares. For each person give full name, ID number, and shareholding percentage. Omitting a director who later turns out to be related to a state employee is the most common cause of post-award contract cancellation under SBD 4. If you have any uncertainty, declare the person.

Section 4 — Relationships with state employees

The heart of the form. Declare any director, shareholder, member, partner, or close family member who is currently employed by an organ of state, or has been employed by an organ of state in the past 12 months. “Organ of state” includes national and provincial departments, municipalities, public entities, and state-owned enterprises. “Family member” means spouse, life partner, parent, child, sibling, or stepchild.

If none apply, tick “no” explicitly. Leaving the section blank is treated as a non-disclosure, not as “none”. A declared relationship does not automatically disqualify the bid. The procuring entity reviews the declaration and decides whether a conflict exists. A non-declared relationship that later comes to light always disqualifies.

Section 5 — Past supply chain management practices

This section absorbed the old SBD 8. Declare any prior conviction under the PFMA or MFMA, any debarment by an organ of state, any cancellation of a previous contract for non-performance, and any prior appearance on the Register for Tender Defaulters or List of Restricted Suppliers. If any apply, attach a written explanation and any supporting court documents.

Section 6 — Independent bid determination

This section absorbed the old SBD 9. Confirm that the bid was prepared independently and without consultation with any competitor on price, terms, scope, or the decision to bid. This is the anti-collusion declaration required under the Competition Act and the PFMA. A signed Section 6 is a binding statement of fact.

Section 7 — Signature, date, witness

The form must be signed by a person authorised to bind the bidder, dated, and witnessed. The witness must sign, print their name, and state their capacity. Every page of the form must be initialled by the signatory. An unwitnessed or partially initialled SBD 4 is treated as not submitted, and the bid will be rejected.

Top 5 mistakes that disqualify SBD 4

1. Using the pre-2022 “Declaration of Interest” form. The old form does not contain the SBD 8 and SBD 9 sections that the 2022 SBD 4 absorbed. If your form does not include sections on past SCM practices and independent bid determination, you are using the wrong version. Download the current SBD 4 from the specific tender’s bid pack.
2. Leaving Section 4 blank instead of ticking “no”. Blank fields are treated as non-disclosure, not as “none”. If no director, shareholder, or family member is a state employee, you must tick “no” explicitly.
3. Omitting a director or 5 percent shareholder. Section 3 requires every active director and every 5 percent shareholder. CIPC records are checked. An omitted person that later turns out to be related to a state employee cancels the contract post-award.
4. Not having the form witnessed. Section 7 requires a witness signature, full name, and capacity. An unwitnessed SBD 4 is treated as not submitted. Many bidders sign the form themselves and forget to have a witness sign too.
5. Mismatched company details across SBD 1, SBD 4, and CSD. Your company name, registration number, VAT number, and address must match exactly across SBD 1 (Invitation to Bid), SBD 4 (Bidder’s Disclosure), and your CSD profile. Even a punctuation difference can be treated as a material discrepancy.

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Frequently asked questions