PRIVACY POLICY

Last Updated: 19 August 2026

Central Tender Database (“CTD”, “we”, “us” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains how Central Tender Database collects, uses, stores, protects and processes personal information when you use our website, create an account, subscribe to our services, receive tender alerts, contact us or otherwise interact with the CTD platform.

CTD operates in South Africa and aims to process personal information in accordance with applicable South African privacy and data-protection laws, including the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”), where applicable.

POPIA establishes minimum requirements for the lawful processing of personal information by public and private bodies.

By using CTD, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

1. WHO WE ARE

Central Tender Database (CTD) is a tender intelligence and procurement information platform providing businesses and individuals with access to tender opportunities and related tools.

Our services may include:

  • Tender searches
  • Tender information
  • Tender documents and links
  • Tender alerts
  • Latest tender updates
  • Saved tenders
  • User dashboards
  • Subscription services
  • Tender activity statistics
  • Tender intelligence
  • Competition indicators
  • AI-generated insights
  • Customer support
  • Procurement-related information

For privacy-related enquiries, please contact us through our official Contact Us page.

2. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

Depending on how you use CTD, we may collect different types of information.

2.1 Information You Provide

When you create an account, subscribe, contact us or use certain features, we may collect:

  • Name
  • Surname
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Company name
  • Company information
  • Username
  • Account information
  • Billing information
  • Subscription information
  • Tender preferences
  • Province preferences
  • Tender category preferences
  • Organ-of-state preferences
  • Information submitted through contact forms
  • Support enquiries
  • Feedback
  • Other information you voluntarily provide

We only request information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant service or purpose.

3. PAYMENT INFORMATION

If you purchase a CTD subscription, payment may be processed through third-party payment providers.

CTD may receive information relating to:

  • Payment status
  • Transaction reference
  • Subscription status
  • Payment date
  • Amount paid
  • Payment method
  • Billing information

Depending on the payment provider, CTD may not directly receive or store your complete bank-card details.

Payment information may be processed by the relevant payment provider according to its own privacy policy and security practices.

4. INFORMATION COLLECTED AUTOMATICALLY

When you use the CTD website, certain technical information may be collected automatically.

This may include:

  • IP address
  • Browser type
  • Device type
  • Operating system
  • Pages visited
  • Date and time of visits
  • Referring website
  • General usage information
  • Search activity
  • Tender interactions
  • Download activity
  • Login activity
  • Error and diagnostic information

This information may be used to operate, secure, maintain and improve CTD.

5. TENDER ACTIVITY INFORMATION

CTD may collect information about how users interact with tender opportunities.

For example, we may record:

  • Tender views
  • Tender document downloads
  • Saved tenders
  • Searches
  • Tender categories viewed
  • Tender provinces viewed
  • Tender alerts selected
  • General interaction with the Platform

Some of this information may be aggregated and displayed as Tender Intelligence.

For example, CTD may display:

17 Views
2 Downloads
Low Competition

These statistics are intended to provide general market and opportunity intelligence.

Where possible, CTD may display aggregated statistics rather than identifying individual users.

6. TENDER DATA FROM PUBLIC AND THIRD-PARTY SOURCES

CTD collects and processes tender information from government procurement systems, public sources, APIs, official tender platforms and other third-party sources.

This information may include:

  • Tender reference numbers
  • Tender descriptions
  • Tender IDs
  • Issuing organisations
  • Provinces
  • Closing dates
  • Contact information
  • Briefing information
  • Tender categories
  • Tender documents
  • Tender notices
  • Other procurement information

Some of this information may already be publicly available.

CTD may collect and organise publicly available information to provide its tender intelligence services.

Where personal information appears within publicly available tender notices, CTD may process such information as necessary to provide and operate its tender database, subject to applicable law.

7. WHY WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

We may process personal information for purposes including:

Account Management

  • Creating user accounts
  • Authenticating users
  • Managing user profiles
  • Providing account functionality
  • Maintaining account security

Subscription Management

  • Processing subscriptions
  • Confirming payments
  • Managing access to subscription features
  • Sending billing-related communications
  • Managing subscription cancellations

Tender Services

  • Providing tender alerts
  • Providing personalised tender recommendations
  • Saving tenders
  • Managing tender preferences
  • Delivering tender notifications
  • Providing access to tender information

Customer Support

  • Responding to enquiries
  • Resolving technical problems
  • Responding to complaints
  • Providing account assistance

Security

  • Detecting suspicious activity
  • Preventing fraud
  • Protecting accounts
  • Preventing abuse of the Platform
  • Investigating security incidents

Platform Improvement

  • Understanding how users interact with CTD
  • Improving website functionality
  • Improving search functionality
  • Improving tender recommendations
  • Improving tender intelligence
  • Identifying technical problems

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

We may process information where reasonably necessary to comply with applicable laws, legal obligations, court orders, regulatory requirements or legitimate legal processes.

8. TENDER ALERTS

CTD allows users to configure tender alerts according to their interests.

Depending on the service selected, alerts may be based on:

  • Province
  • Tender category
  • Organ of state
  • Keywords
  • Other tender preferences

Users may receive alerts by email or other communication channels supported by CTD.

Users can manage their alert preferences through the available CTD account or communication settings.

9. GENERAL LATEST-TENDER UPDATES TO NON-SUBSCRIBERS

Important CTD Feature

CTD may send general latest-tender updates or general tender opportunity information to registered users, leads or other recipients even if they do not have a paid CTD subscription.

This feature is intended to provide access to general tender opportunities and allow users to discover relevant opportunities without requiring a paid subscription.

A person does not need to be a paid subscriber to receive general latest-tender communications where CTD is permitted to send such communications under applicable law and the person’s communication preferences.

However, CTD respects users’ communication preferences.

Where an email or other electronic communication constitutes direct marketing under applicable law, CTD will apply the applicable consent, existing-customer or other lawful basis requirements and provide an appropriate mechanism for users to object or unsubscribe. POPIA section 69 regulates direct marketing through unsolicited electronic communications, including email.

You can opt out.

If you no longer wish to receive general tender emails, you may use the Unsubscribe or communication-preference option included in the relevant communication or contact CTD through our Contact Us page.

Unsubscribing from general communications does not necessarily cancel your CTD account or paid subscription.

Certain essential service communications, such as account, security, transaction or subscription-related communications, may still be sent where permitted or required.

10. PERSONALised TENDER ALERTS

Where CTD provides personalised tender alerts based on a user’s selected:

  • Province
  • Category
  • Keywords
  • Organ of state
  • Other preferences

the relevant preferences may be stored against the user’s account.

This allows CTD to identify and send opportunities matching the user’s selected criteria.

11. COOKIES

CTD may use cookies and similar technologies.

Cookies may be used to:

  • Keep users logged in
  • Remember preferences
  • Maintain website functionality
  • Improve website performance
  • Understand website usage
  • Improve the user experience
  • Maintain security
  • Support analytics
  • Measure marketing performance where applicable

Some cookies may be provided by third-party services used by CTD.

You may be able to control cookies through your browser settings.

Disabling certain cookies may affect some Platform functionality.

12. WEBSITE FORMS

CTD may use forms, including contact forms, to allow users to submit enquiries.

Information submitted through these forms may include:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Company
  • Subject
  • Message
  • Other information voluntarily provided

This information is used to respond to the enquiry and provide customer support.

Please do not submit sensitive personal information through a general contact form unless it is specifically requested and necessary.

13. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

We may use personal information to:

  • Provide CTD services
  • Manage accounts
  • Provide tender alerts
  • Provide customer support
  • Process subscriptions
  • Process payments through applicable providers
  • Communicate with users
  • Send service notifications
  • Send permitted tender updates
  • Improve our Platform
  • Analyse usage
  • Detect fraud
  • Maintain security
  • Prevent abuse
  • Develop new features
  • Improve tender intelligence
  • Meet legal obligations

We will seek to process personal information for specific, defined and legitimate purposes and to avoid using information for incompatible secondary purposes. These principles are consistent with POPIA’s requirements for lawful processing.

14. INFORMATION SHARING

CTD does not sell your personal information as a business model.

We may share or disclose information where reasonably necessary to operate our services, including with:

  • Payment processors
  • Hosting providers
  • Email delivery providers
  • Website service providers
  • Analytics providers
  • Software providers
  • Security providers
  • Customer support providers
  • Artificial intelligence service providers
  • Other technology providers required to operate CTD

Third-party service providers may process information on our behalf.

Where appropriate, CTD will seek to use service providers that implement reasonable security measures and process information for legitimate purposes.

15. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

CTD may use artificial intelligence technologies to process tender information and generate:

  • Tender summaries
  • Tender classifications
  • Opportunity scores
  • Competition indicators
  • Estimated values
  • Recommendations
  • Other tender intelligence

Where AI systems are used, information may be processed by third-party technology providers depending on the functionality being used.

CTD does not intend to use personal information as AI training data merely because you use the CTD Platform, unless this is separately disclosed and permitted under applicable law.

AI-generated tender intelligence is intended primarily to analyse tender and procurement information, rather than to make decisions about individual users.

16. DATA SECURITY

CTD takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against:

  • Unauthorised access
  • Unauthorised disclosure
  • Loss
  • Destruction
  • Misuse
  • Alteration
  • Unauthorised processing

However, no online system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

You acknowledge that internet-based services involve inherent security risks.

Users should:

  • Use strong passwords
  • Keep passwords confidential
  • Avoid sharing account credentials
  • Log out from shared devices
  • Report suspicious account activity

17. DATA RETENTION

CTD will retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including:

  • Providing services
  • Maintaining accounts
  • Managing subscriptions
  • Meeting legal obligations
  • Resolving disputes
  • Preventing fraud
  • Maintaining business records
  • Protecting legitimate business interests

The exact retention period may vary depending on the type of information and the purpose for which it is processed.

Where information is no longer reasonably required, CTD may delete, destroy, anonymise or securely dispose of it, subject to applicable legal and operational requirements.

18. YOUR RIGHTS

Subject to applicable law, you may have rights relating to your personal information, including the right to:

  • Request access to personal information we hold about you
  • Request correction of inaccurate information
  • Request updating of information
  • Request deletion where legally applicable
  • Object to certain processing
  • Object to direct marketing
  • Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
  • Request information about how your personal information is processed

POPIA provides data subjects with rights relating to their personal information, including rights concerning access, correction, deletion and objection in applicable circumstances.

19. WITHDRAWING CONSENT

Where we rely on your consent to process personal information, you may withdraw that consent, subject to applicable legal and contractual limitations.

Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing that occurred before the withdrawal.

In some cases, withdrawing consent may mean that CTD is unable to provide certain features or services.

20. MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

CTD may communicate with users about:

  • New tender opportunities
  • General tender updates
  • Platform features
  • Subscription information
  • Promotions
  • Educational content
  • Procurement-related information

Where applicable law requires consent for electronic direct marketing, CTD will seek and record the required consent or rely on another lawful basis permitted by law.

Every applicable marketing communication will provide a reasonable mechanism for the recipient to stop receiving such communications.

POPIA section 69 requires particular attention to consent and objection rights for unsolicited electronic direct marketing.

21. ACCOUNT AND SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS

Even if you unsubscribe from marketing communications, CTD may still send communications necessary to provide services.

These may include:

  • Account verification
  • Password resets
  • Security notifications
  • Subscription confirmations
  • Payment confirmations
  • Subscription expiry notifications
  • Important changes to the Platform
  • Important changes to Terms or policies
  • Customer service responses

These communications are related to the operation of your account or services and may not be treated as optional marketing communications.

22. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES

CTD may contain links to external websites, including official government procurement websites and tender platforms.

Once you leave CTD, the third party’s privacy policy and terms may apply.

CTD is not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of third-party websites.

Users should review the privacy policies of third-party websites before providing personal information.

23. GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC INFORMATION

Tender notices and procurement information may contain information that has been published publicly by government departments, municipalities, public entities or other organisations.

CTD may collect, organise, index and display such information to provide its tender intelligence service.

Where publicly available information contains personal information, CTD will process it subject to applicable law and for legitimate purposes connected to the operation of its Platform.

24. CHILDREN’S INFORMATION

CTD is primarily intended for businesses, professionals and individuals involved in procurement and tendering.

CTD does not knowingly seek to collect personal information from children for purposes unrelated to the services offered.

If you believe that a child has provided personal information to CTD improperly, please contact us so that we can investigate and take appropriate action.

25. INTERNATIONAL SERVICE PROVIDERS

Some of CTD’s technology and service providers may operate outside South Africa.

Where personal information is transferred to or processed by a third party outside South Africa, CTD will seek to do so in accordance with applicable legal requirements governing cross-border transfers of personal information.

26. DATA BREACHES

If CTD experiences a security compromise involving personal information, we will take reasonable steps to investigate and respond to the incident.

Where applicable law requires notification to affected data subjects or the Information Regulator, CTD will make such notifications in accordance with the applicable legal requirements.

27. ACCURACY OF YOUR INFORMATION

Users are responsible for ensuring that information provided to CTD is accurate and up to date.

You should notify us if information associated with your account changes.

We may take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information in our possession is accurate, complete and up to date where necessary. This aligns with POPIA’s requirement concerning the quality and accuracy of personal information.

28. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

CTD may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.

Changes may be made to reflect:

  • New services
  • New technologies
  • Changes to legislation
  • Changes to our business
  • Changes to data-processing practices
  • Security improvements

The updated Privacy Policy will be published on the CTD website with a revised “Last Updated” date.

29. CONTACT US ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or want to exercise an applicable privacy right, please contact CTD through our Contact Us page.

When making a privacy request, we may need to verify your identity before providing access to or changing personal information.

This is intended to prevent unauthorised individuals from accessing another person’s information.

30. COMPLAINTS

If you believe that CTD has processed your personal information unlawfully, we encourage you to contact us first so that we can investigate and attempt to resolve the matter.

You may also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa where applicable. The Information Regulator is responsible for monitoring and enforcing compliance with POPIA and PAIA.

31. IMPORTANT TENDER INFORMATION NOTICE

CTD’s collection and processing of personal information should not be confused with the accuracy of tender information.

CTD may obtain tender information from third-party and public sources.

Users should independently verify tender information with the relevant issuing authority before:

  • Submitting a tender
  • Spending money
  • Purchasing stock
  • Hiring personnel
  • Entering contracts
  • Making financial decisions
  • Relying on tender estimates
  • Relying on CTD’s AI intelligence

CTD does not guarantee tender success.

32. COMMUNICATION AND TENDER ALERT NOTICE

CTD may provide general latest-tender information to registered users and other eligible recipients, including users who do not have a paid subscription.

This means that receiving general tender updates does not necessarily mean that you are a paid CTD subscriber.

Users may unsubscribe from applicable email communications using the unsubscribe mechanism provided in the communication or by contacting CTD.

Subscription-related and essential account communications may continue where reasonably necessary to provide the service or where otherwise permitted by law.

33. ACCEPTANCE

By using Central Tender Database, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

You agree that CTD may process your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable law.

Privacy Policy summary

In simple terms:

  • We collect information needed to operate CTD.
  • We use your information to provide accounts, subscriptions, alerts and support.
  • We may track tender views, downloads and other platform activity.
  • We may use aggregated activity to provide Tender Intelligence.
  • We may use third-party technology providers to operate CTD.
  • We do not sell your personal information as our business model.
  • We may send general latest-tender updates to non-subscribers where permitted by applicable law.
  • You can manage applicable communication preferences and unsubscribe from marketing communications.
  • You can request access to or correction of your personal information, subject to applicable law.
  • We take reasonable measures to protect your information.
  • You should always verify tender information with the official issuing authority.