COIDA tender letter
Many tenders ask for a Compensation Fund letter of good standing. A business with no employees cannot get one and should not register, because registering creates a yearly assessment it does not owe. The Fund has a separate document for this: a tender letter, issued for one specific tender and addressed to the company that issued it. We prepare the request, submit it with your tender documents and follow it up.
Independent paperwork service. ProperSA is an independent private company, not the Compensation Fund. You can ask the Fund for a tender letter yourself at no charge. Our fee pays for the request to be prepared correctly with your tender documents, submitted, and followed up until the Fund decides. If you give us everything we ask for and we still fail to deliver what this page promises, we refund our fee; a refusal by the authority is not refundable.
What the Fund says
- Who gets one: a business that has no employees. The Fund issues tender letters to aspiring employers who are not registered with it.
- Who does not: a business that has been operating without registering with the Fund is not eligible.
- What the Fund needs: the tender documents, so it can see the tender the letter is for.
- What the letter is: addressed to the company that issued the tender, and issued for one specific tender. A new tender needs a new letter.
- After you win: the Fund says the duty to register the successful bidder passes to the company that issued the tender. When you start employing people, you register with the Fund.
- A warning: the Fund says it takes criminal proceedings against businesses that misrepresent their employment status, so the request must be true.
What is included
- Your position checked first: no employees, never operated with staff, and the right tender
- Your tender documents read, and the Fund's request prepared around the tender and the company that issued it
- The request submitted to the Fund under your written authority
- The Fund followed up until it decides, and the letter delivered to your client portal when it issues
- A short written note to attach to your tender, so the procurement officer understands what the letter is
- If the Fund says you are not eligible, the reason in writing and the next step
How ordering works
- Order online with the button below and pay securely by card or instant EFT (PayFast), or wait for the EFT invoice.
- Complete the short questionnaire in your client portal and upload the documents it asks for.
- We prepare everything, send it for signature where a signature is needed, and lodge or deliver it.
- The result lands in your client portal with free WhatsApp updates along the way.
Not sure this is the right one? Ask us first and you get a written answer within one business day.
Frequently asked questions
I have no employees but a tender asks for a letter of good standing. What do I do?
Do not register with the Compensation Fund. Ask the Fund for a tender letter instead. It is issued for one specific tender, addressed to the company that issued the tender, to a business with no employees.
Is a tender letter the same as a letter of good standing?
No. A letter of good standing is for a registered employer whose returns and assessments are up to date. A tender letter is for a business with no employees and covers one tender.
Can I use one tender letter for several tenders?
No. The Fund issues it for one specific tender, so each tender needs its own letter.
I have operated before without registering. Can I still get one?
The Fund says a business that has been operating without registering is not eligible for a tender letter. If you have had employees, you would need to register instead. Tell us the facts before you order and we will give you a written answer.
What happens when I start employing people?
You register with the Compensation Fund at that point. If you win the tender, the Fund says the company that issued it is responsible for registering the successful bidder.
How long does the Fund take?
The Fund sets its own time and we cannot speed it up. We submit within one business day of having your tender documents and we tell you the Fund's published turnaround where it publishes one.
Usually ordered with it
- Letter of good standing, R690. For a business that is registered and has employees.
- COIDA registration, R1 290. When you do employ people.
- UIF compliance certificate, R290. The UIF tender letter, often asked for with it.
- Tender ready pack, R890. CSD, tax compliance and the rest of the tender file.
Checked on 19 October 2026 against the Compensation Fund notice to emerging employers on tender letters, in effect from 1 January 2013. The notice is the most recent we found, and the Fund decides each request on its own facts. The authority decides; its decisions and timing are outside ProperSA’s control.