Every government tender in South Africa requires a set of standard bidding forms — but which set depends on who is issuing the tender. National and provincial departments and most public entities use SBD forms, governed by the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). Municipalities use their own equivalent MBD forms, governed by the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA). Submitting the wrong set, or omitting a mandatory one, is a common and entirely avoidable disqualification reason.
SBD 1 is the Invitation to Bid itself. SBD 4 is the Declaration of Interest, disclosing any relationship between your business and the department's employees. SBD 6.1 is the Preference Points Claim Form, used to calculate your B-BBEE and specific-goals points under the PPPFA. SBD 8 and SBD 9 relate to declarations of past supply chain management practices and the Certificate of Independent Bid Determination (confirming your price wasn't set collusively). Most tenders require SBD 1, 4, and 6.1 as an absolute minimum.
Municipalities and municipal entities use a directly analogous set — MBD 1, MBD 4, MBD 6.1, MBD 8, MBD 9, plus MBD 15 (a municipal-specific declaration not used at national level). The content and purpose mirror the SBD forms almost exactly; the numbering and cover-page branding are what differ.
A single tender is governed by either the PFMA or the MFMA, never both — so a bid document asking for MBD forms will never also require SBD forms, and vice versa. If you are unsure which framework applies, check the issuing authority: national departments, provincial departments, and public entities (SOEs, agencies) are PFMA; any municipality or municipal entity is MFMA.
Check your own tender qualification