This Central Supplier Database (CSD) was launched by Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene on Tuesday.
Speaking at the launch of the CSD at the Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) in East London, in the Eastern Cape, Minister Nene said the database serves as the source of all supplier information for all spheres of government.
Centralising government’s supplier database will reduce duplication of effort and cost for both the supplier and government, while enabling the electronic procurement process.
Tuesday marked the first day whereby suppliers can register themselves on the CSD website www.csd.gov.za.
Chief Director: Supply Chain Management ICT in the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer at National Treasury, Schalk Human, said the CSD is an intervention to reduce the administration burden on business.
Among the benefits of being registered on the database is that suppliers will only be required to register once when they do business with government and they will not be required to submit physical tax clearance and business registration certificates to organs of state.
Human said that as of today, suppliers can register online and it will be compulsory for government departments and state-owned enterprises to use the CSD as from 1 April 2016 and for municipalities 1 July 2016.
Suppliers in rural areas who don’t have access to computers will be assisted Human said.
“We foresee support to rural suppliers happening in three ways: in district offices, Thusong Service Centres, Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) offices and the Post Office. They will have the functionality to assist suppliers to register,” said Human.
