South African tender statistics
What happens to government tenders after they close: how many are cancelled, how often the winner is published, and how many companies bid. Counted from National Treasury's eTenders portal on 12 October 2026, and from the lists of bids that municipalities publish.
Where tenders end, province by province
Finished tenders on eTenders by the province they are listed under, with the share cancelled and the share where the winner is published.
| Province | Finished | Cancelled | Winner shown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gauteng | 45,146 | 15.0% | 17.7% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 24,031 | 12.3% | 20.9% |
| Western Cape * | 23,704 | 12.1% | 29.2% |
| National | 20,009 | 16.4% | 25.6% |
| Eastern Cape | 16,709 | 12.0% | 24.3% |
| Mpumalanga | 11,322 | 8.2% | 11.8% |
| Limpopo | 9,543 | 14.5% | 18.7% |
| Free State | 6,243 | 13.0% | 14.3% |
| North West | 5,824 | 12.0% | 14.5% |
| Northern Cape | 4,748 | 14.7% | 22.6% |
* Western Cape's awarded count is inferred: the portal total minus the other provinces, because eTenders' own filter fails for that one query.
Who cancels, who tells you who won
The same counts grouped by the kind of buyer. Departments cancel the most; municipalities publish the fewest winners on eTenders, though many publish them on their own websites.
| Buyer type | Finished | Cancelled | Winner shown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public entities | 73,755 | 15.7% | 21.4% |
| Local municipalities | 31,935 | 6.0% | 18.3% |
| State-owned companies | 25,632 | 15.1% | 15.9% |
| National and provincial departments | 19,860 | 19.4% | 35.1% |
| Metros | 6,085 | 4.9% | 15.8% |
| District municipalities | 5,195 | 7.0% | 17.2% |
| Colleges and universities | 2,461 | 9.9% | 8.2% |
The ten busiest buyers on eTenders
By finished tenders, all years on the portal. Open a buyer for its open tenders and where else it advertises.
| Buyer | Finished | Cancelled | Winner shown |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESKOM | 13,111 | 10.4% | 12.9% |
| Agricultural Research Council | 7,273 | 3.4% | 2.4% |
| Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa | 4,890 | 21.1% | 26.4% |
| Transnet SOC Ltd | 4,427 | 18.3% | 23.4% |
| Public Works | 3,386 | 27.1% | 26.6% |
| Johannesburg Water | 2,467 | 14.6% | 4.8% |
| Justice & Constitutional Development | 2,113 | 4.4% | 73.7% |
| Rand Water | 1,845 | 18.6% | 4.1% |
| Ethekwini Metropolitan Municipality | 1,814 | 0.7% | 16.3% |
| City of Cape Town | 1,756 | 9.7% | 31.2% |
2,211 open tenders on eTenders, 18 October 2026
- Gauteng447
- Western Cape389
- KwaZulu-Natal321
- Eastern Cape226
- National198
- Mpumalanga189
- Limpopo177
- North West101
- Free State98
- Northern Cape65
By type
- Open tender1,401
- Request for quotation451
- Request for proposal299
- Request for information21
- Expression of interest15
- Participation14
- Transversal contract4
- Limited tender4
- SITA contract2
How they are run
- Close within 7 days700
- Compulsory briefing session816 · 37%
- Accept electronic submission146 · 7%
How it was counted
On 12 October 2026 Awardee asked National Treasury's eTenders portal for the number of tenders in each status (open, awarded, closed, cancelled), for the whole portal, for each province and for each of its 895 listed buyers. 890 buyers answered; 164,923 finished tenders are covered by the buyer counts and 167,303 by the portal totals. "Finished" means awarded, closed or cancelled.
"Winner shown" is the share of finished tenders whose status on eTenders is awarded. A tender that shows only as closed may still have been awarded: many buyers publish awards on their own websites or in their bid registers instead.
Bidder counts and prices come from 3,011 bid opening registers that municipalities published on their own websites (Cape Town, eThekwini, Tshwane, Mangaung and Rustenburg, January to October 2026). The highest-versus-lowest figure uses only lists where every company gave one total price, typed or checked by eye.
Cite this page
Awardee (2026). South African tender statistics, eTenders census of 12 October 2026. https://awardee.co.za/statistics/
Sources
- National Treasury, eTenders portal: www.etenders.gov.za (tender status counts, 12 October 2026)
- Bid opening registers published by the City of Cape Town, eThekwini, the City of Tshwane, Mangaung and Rustenburg
Tender statistics, answered
How many government tenders are cancelled in South Africa?
13.4% of finished tenders on National Treasury's eTenders portal were cancelled: 22,430 of 167,303, counted by Awardee on 12 October 2026. National and provincial departments cancel the most (19.4%).
How often is the winner of a tender published?
eTenders shows the awarded bidder for 21.0% of finished tenders, about 1 in 5. 65.6% show only as closed, with no outcome published there; many municipalities publish awards on their own websites instead.
How many companies bid on a government tender?
About 8 on a typical tender, across 3,011 municipal tenders (55,172 bids) whose bid lists Awardee has checked. The highest bid is usually about 3.2 times the lowest.
How many tenders are open on eTenders?
2,211 on 18 October 2026, from national and provincial departments, state-owned companies, public entities and municipalities. 700 closed within the following 7 days.