Tender value limits
The Construction Industry Development Board keeps the national Register of Contractors. Public buyers use it to check that a contractor can handle a contract of a given size: you may tender for work up to your grade's tender value limit. The current limits were set in July 2019 (Government Gazette 42561), the first change since 2008.
| Grade | Tender value limit | Best annual turnover | Largest contract | Available capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R500,000 | none | none | none |
| 2 | R1,000,000 | none | 20% of the limit | none |
| 3 | R3,000,000 | 50% | 22.5% | 5% |
| 4 | R6,000,000 | 50% | 22.5% | 5% |
| 5 | R10,000,000 | 50% | 22.5% | 10% |
| 6 | R20,000,000 | 50% | 22.5% | 10% |
| 7 | R60,000,000 | 50% | 22.5% | 10% |
| 8 | R200,000,000 | 50% | 22.5% | 10% |
| 9 | No limit | 50% | 22.5% | 10% |
The last three columns are the cidb's qualifying criteria, each a share of the grade's tender value limit: best annual turnover over the last two years, the largest single contract completed in the last five years, and available capital. Grade 9 uses proportional values because it has no limit.
Classes of works
The letters after the grade are the class of construction works. The ones tenders ask for most are CE (civil engineering), GB (general building), EB (electrical engineering works for buildings), EP (electrical engineering works for infrastructure) and ME (mechanical engineering). Specialist works use codes from SA to SQ. A tender for road works asking for 7CE needs a civil engineering grading of 7 or higher.
How grades are earned
You apply to the cidb with proof of turnover, completed contracts and capital, and the lowest result decides your grade. Grades 1 and 2 have no turnover or capital test, which makes them the entry point for new contractors. Registrations run for three years, and changes to the limits do not affect a registration that is still valid.
Open CIDB tenders
On 18 October 2026, 133 open tenders on eTenders named a CIDB grading. The designations asked for most:
- 7CE: 20 tenders
- 6CE: 9 tenders
- 8CE: 9 tenders
- 3GB: 6 tenders
- 2GB: 6 tenders
- GB 1 Or Higher: 6 tenders
See every one on the CIDB tenders page, with closing dates, briefings and documents.
Questions
What do CIDB grades mean?
A CIDB grading designation is a grade from 1 to 9 plus a class of works, such as 6CE (civil engineering) or 4GB (general building). The grade sets the largest contract value you are considered able to take on: from R500,000 at grade 1 to no limit at grade 9.
What is the tender value limit for each grade?
Grade 1: R500,000. Grade 2: R1 million. Grade 3: R3 million. Grade 4: R6 million. Grade 5: R10 million. Grade 6: R20 million. Grade 7: R60 million. Grade 8: R200 million. Grade 9: no limit. These are the limits set in July 2019 (Government Gazette 42561).
What does PE mean after a CIDB grade?
PE stands for potentially emerging. Some tenders also invite contractors registered one grade below the required grade as potentially emerging enterprises, as a development measure; the tender says when it does, for example 6CE or 5CE PE.
How many open tenders ask for a CIDB grading?
133 open tenders on eTenders named a CIDB grading on 18 October 2026. The most requested designations were 7CE (20), 6CE (9), 8CE (9).
Sources
- cidb: Adjustments to tender value ranges in terms of the Construction Industry Development Regulations, 2004 (memorandum, 16 August 2019, on Government Gazette 42561 of 5 July 2019)
- Construction Industry Development Board Act 38 of 2000 and Construction Industry Development Regulations, 2004 (as amended)
- Construction Industry Development Board: cidb.org.za (check for any later adjustment)
- eTenders open tenders naming a CIDB grading, read by Awardee on 18 October 2026
Awardee is an independent service, not a government website. This guide explains the rules in plain language; the gazetted text and the tender documents are what bind you.