CIDB Grade 2 to 9 registration
Grade 1 is a form and a fee. From Grade 2 upwards the CIDB assesses your numbers and decides what grade you get. We assemble the financial and track record evidence properly, work out the grade your numbers actually support, and lodge it once.
Independent paperwork service. ProperSA is an independent private company, not the Construction Industry Development Board. You can apply yourself on the CIDB online register. Our fee pays for the evidence to be assembled correctly and the right grade to be applied for.
You do not choose your grade
This is the part that costs contractors money. From Grade 2 upwards the CIDB does not give you the grade you apply for, it gives you the grade your evidence supports. Your works capability is read off the largest contract your company completed in that class in the last five years. Your financial capability is read off your available capital and turnover. The lower of the two decides where you land.
So applying for Grade 5 on Grade 3 numbers does not get you Grade 5. It gets you Grade 3, minus the administration fee you paid to find that out. We work the realistic grade out with you before anything is submitted, and if your numbers do not support the grade you want we tell you what would have to change.
What each grade actually requires
These are the CIDB’s own published thresholds. Your grade is set by the lowest of the tests you meet, so a strong turnover does not rescue a thin track record, and a big completed contract does not rescue weak capital.
| Grade | Tender value limit | Best annual turnover | Largest contract completed | Available capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | R1 000 000 | No requirement | R130 000 | No requirement |
| 3 | R3 000 000 | R1 000 000 | R450 000 | R100 000 |
| 4 | R6 000 000 | R2 000 000 | R900 000 | R200 000 |
| 5 | R10 000 000 | R3 250 000 | R1 500 000 | R650 000 |
| 6 | R20 000 000 | R6 500 000 | R3 000 000 | R1 300 000 |
| 7 | R60 000 000 | R20 000 000 | R9 000 000 | R4 000 000 |
| 8 | R200 000 000 | R65 000 000 | R30 000 000 | R13 000 000 |
| 9 | No limit | R200 000 000 | R90 000 000 | R40 000 000 |
Available capital is not cash in the bank. The CIDB reads it as assets and equity off your financial statements, which is why the statements have to be prepared properly rather than pulled together the week you apply. The track record test looks only at projects completed in the last five years, in the class of works you are applying for.
The track record evidence, and the trap inside it
The CIDB does not take your word for a completed contract. For each project you claim it wants four documents, all signed and dated:
- Letter of awardFrom the client or employer who appointed you.
- Certificate of project completionAnd here is the trap. The project must already have been uploaded onto the CIDB Register of Projects. If it was never registered there, the completion certificate will not carry your claim, and you cannot go back and fix it after the fact.
- Final payment certificateProving the contract value you are relying on.
- Stamped bank statementShowing the money actually moved.
We go through what you have before anything is lodged and tell you which of your projects will stand up and which will not, because a grading built on a project that was never on the Register of Projects is a grading you do not get.
What actually goes wrong
- Applying too highThe most expensive mistake. The administration fee is per class of works and is not refundable, so a hopeful application is money gone.
- Track record evidence that does not stand upThe CIDB wants signed, verifiable proof of the contract you are claiming. Weak evidence gets you graded on what is left.
- Bank statements older than three monthsA small thing that stalls applications constantly, because the file sits while you go and fetch fresh ones.
- A tax compliance status that will not verifyRegistration is conditional on it, and it is checked again every year. Non compliant means no grade, whatever your numbers say.
- Electrical work without the certificateClass EB needs an electrical contractor’s certificate in the name of the company applying. Without it the class is refused regardless of grade.
- Incomplete applications left to lapseThe CIDB gives you 60 days to produce what is missing. Miss it and the application is cancelled and the fee is lost.
What you get for R2 990
- The realistic grade worked out firstWe read your largest completed contract and your financials the way the CIDB reads them, and tell you in writing what grade to apply for before a cent of CIDB money is spent.
- The classes of works chosen with youEach class carries its own administration fee, so we pick the ones that match the tenders you actually bid for rather than registering everything.
- The evidence assembledCompany documents, director identity copies, shareholder certificates, track record evidence and bank statements, checked and packaged the way the CIDB wants them.
- Tax compliance verified before submissionYour PIN checked so the application is not refused on something fixable.
- Submitted and followed to a decisionLodged on the CIDB online register and followed up through the assessment, with anything the CIDB comes back for answered inside their 60 day window.
- Your grading confirmed in writingYour CRS number, grade and classes, with a note on exactly what it lets you tender for.
- The annual trap diarisedReminders before the annual update, the annual fee and the three year renewal, because a grade that goes two years without an update is suspended and one that misses renewal is removed on its expiry date.
How it works
- 1Order and send us the numbersYour largest completed contract in the last five years, your latest financials and the classes of work you bid for.
- 2We tell you the grade before you spendIn writing, with the CIDB fee total for the classes you want. Nothing is submitted until you have said yes to it.
- 3Assembled, lodged and followedWe package the evidence, lodge it, and stay with the assessment until the CIDB rules, then send you the grading designation.
Not sure which grade your numbers support? Ask us first and you get a written answer within one business day.
What we will need from you
- Your largest completed contract in the last five years, in the class you are applying for, with the value and signed proof of completion.
- Your latest financial statements, so available capital and turnover can be read the way the CIDB reads them.
- Bank statements no older than three months.
- Your CIPC registration number and company documents, plus identity copies and shareholder certificates for every director.
- Your tax compliance status PIN from SARS eFiling.
- Your CSD supplier number, the one starting MAAA. If you do not have one, say so and we start there.
- For electrical building work, the electrical contractor’s certificate in the company name.
The grades in one table
Tender value limits set in Government Gazette 42561 of 5 July 2019, in force from 7 October 2019, and the CIDB’s own fees for each grade. Grade 1 is the only grade with no qualifying criteria.
| Grade | Largest public contract | Qualifying criteria | CIDB admin fee | CIDB annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R500 000 | None | R450 per class | None |
| 2 | R1 000 000 | Largest contract at least 20% of the limit | R450 per class | R250 |
| 3 | R3 000 000 | Turnover, largest contract and capital tests | R750 per class | R350 |
| 4 | R6 000 000 | Turnover, largest contract and capital tests | R750 per class | R900 |
| 5 | R10 000 000 | Turnover, largest contract and capital tests | R750 per class | R1 750 |
| 6 | R20 000 000 | Turnover, largest contract and capital tests | R750 per class | R3 500 |
| 7 | R60 000 000 | Turnover, largest contract and capital tests | R750 per class | R9 000 |
| 8 | R200 000 000 | Turnover, largest contract and capital tests | R750 per class | R29 000 |
| 9 | No limit | Turnover, largest contract and capital tests | R750 per class | R55 000 |
Grades 2 to 9 also update their particulars every year and are assessed within 21 days. Every grade is renewed every three years.
Frequently asked questions
Can I just apply for the grade I want?
No, and this is the thing that costs people money. From Grade 2 upwards the CIDB assesses you and decides. Your works capability comes off the largest contract your company has completed in that class in the last five years, and your financial capability off your available capital and turnover. Apply for Grade 5 on Grade 2 numbers and the CIDB grades you at what your evidence supports, and the administration fee you paid is not refundable. We work out the realistic grade with you first and apply for that.
What does the CIDB charge on top of your fee?
An administration fee for each class of works you apply for, R450 per class at Grade 2 and R750 per class from Grade 3 up, and an annual fee based on your highest grade: R250 at Grade 2, R350 at Grade 3, R900 at Grade 4, R1 750 at Grade 5, R3 500 at Grade 6, R9 000 at Grade 7, R29 000 at Grade 8 and R55 000 at Grade 9. If you apply for more than one grade you pay the annual fee only for the highest. These are the CIDB's fees, paid to the CIDB, and we confirm the exact total in writing before anything is submitted.
How long does a Grade 2 to 9 application take?
Up to 21 days once the CIDB has a complete application, against 48 working hours for a Grade 1. The assessment is a real one, on financial and track record evidence, which is why incomplete applications sit. Contractors who submit incomplete applications are given 60 days to produce what is missing, and the application is cancelled if they do not, with the administration fee lost.
What documents does the CIDB actually want?
Company registration documents, identity copies for every director, shareholder certificates, a SARS tax compliance status PIN, evidence of your track record, and bank statements no older than three months. Electrical work in class EB also needs an electrical contractor's certificate in the name of the company applying. Grade 1 needs none of this, which is why people are caught out moving up.
Do I have to keep paying after I am registered?
Yes, and this is where grades quietly die. From Grade 2 up you pay an annual fee and update your particulars every year. A grade that goes two consecutive years without an update is suspended on the register. Every grade is also renewed every three years, and if the renewal is not filed the CIDB removes the registration on the expiry date. We diarise both.
Can you upgrade an existing grade?
Yes, and the CIDB treats an upgrade as a brand new application rather than an amendment, so it runs on the full evidence and the full fee. The question worth asking first is whether your numbers have actually moved enough to support the next grade, because an upgrade application that fails still costs the administration fee. Send us your largest completed contract in the last five years and your latest financials and we will tell you before you spend.
What is the CIDB Register of Projects and why does it matter?
It is a separate CIDB register that construction projects are recorded on, and it quietly decides whether your track record counts. The CIDB wants a certificate of project completion for the contract you are relying on, and that project must already have been uploaded onto the Register of Projects. If it was never registered there, the completion certificate will not support your claim and you cannot backdate it. This is why contractors with real, finished work still get graded lower than they expected. We check which of your projects are on the register before we build the application around them.
Not graded at all yet?
Grade 1 has no qualifying criteria, no documents and activates in 48 working hours. It lets you tender up to R500 000 per contract and there is no annual fee. R1 490.
See Grade 1See what work is actually out there
Our free tender search lists every open government tender and updates daily. Search by keyword and province, find the jobs you want, then get graded for the classes those jobs need. No sign up, no charge.
Search tenders, freeThe Register of Contractors is run by the Construction Industry Development Board under the Construction Industry Development Board Act 38 of 2000 and its regulations. Grading outcomes are the CIDB’s own decision and are outside our control. Fees quoted are the CIDB’s own and are reviewed from time to time; we confirm the exact amount in writing before anything is submitted.