Do I need CIDB registration for private work?

No. The register applies to contracts awarded by organs of state. Private clients and developers are free to appoint unregistered contractors, though some ask for a grade as a signal of capability.

How do I move up a CIDB grade?

By evidencing a completed contract of the value the next grade requires and the financial standing to match, on the thresholds the Board publishes. The evidence is documentary, so complete project records are what move a contractor up.

Is NHBRC the same as CIDB?

No. The NHBRC registers home builders and enrols new homes for the structural warranty scheme; the CIDB grades contractors for public procurement. A builder doing both public works and private homes may need both, each renewed separately.

CIDB (Construction Industry Development Board)

The CIDB is the Construction Industry Development Board, which keeps the register of contractors that South African public sector clients must use when awarding construction contracts. Each contractor is graded from 1 to 9 in a class of work by financial and works capability, and the grade sets the largest public contract the contractor may tender for.

Grades and classes

Grades run from 1, which has no financial requirement, to 9. Classes of work include general building, civil engineering, electrical and mechanical. A contractor holds a grade per class and moves up on evidence of completed contract values and financial standing, on thresholds the Board sets and revises.

Public and private work

Registration is required for public sector contracts; private clients may appoint whom they choose, though some ask for a grade. Home builders register separately with the NHBRC under the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act and enrol each new home.

The records a grading needs

Completed contracts with values, dates and references, key people with qualifications, plant, and the safety record. Omni Field runs each contract as a multi-phase project with its value and milestones, keeps qualifications and safety appointments in the certification register, and exports the completed-project list for the application.

Common questions

See it in the product

Omni Field is job and field service management software for trade businesses across Africa. 30 days free, no credit card.

Start free