QuickTenders Resource
Understanding your Readiness Score
The Readiness Score is a proportion of what applies to your business, not of 100. What it counts, what it excludes and why, and what 50% unlocks.
~2 min read · Updated 16 September 2026
Your Readiness Score is QuickTenders' measure of how prepared your business is to bid. It is the share of the readiness checks that apply to your business that you have satisfied — always shown as earned over applicable, because the denominator differs from business to business.
What it counts
| Layer | Checks |
|---|---|
| Compliance documents | CSD registration, Tax Clearance PIN, B-BBEE certificate, CIDB certificate, CIPC company registration, COIDA letter of good standing, banking confirmation letter |
| Financial standing | Audited financial statements, bank statements, turnover declaration |
| Company profile | Company description; province, category and CIDB grade; website, staff count or years in business |
| Personnel | At least three complete personnel profiles — a CV uploaded, or a role, qualifications and a project recorded |
| References | At least three project references — a reference letter uploaded, or the client, value and description recorded |
A compliance document counts only when the file is on record. A document type you have merely ticked as "held" does not score; a document whose expiry date has passed stops scoring.
What it excludes, and why
A check that cannot apply to your business leaves both the numerator and the denominator, and the reason is shown on the Readiness page. A non-construction business is not marked down for having no CIDB grade; a business with no employees is not marked down for COIDA; a company that has not completed a financial year is not marked down for audited financials.
This is why a bare percentage is not comparable between businesses, and why the page always shows the fraction.
What the score unlocks
Reaching 50% earns your first free application credit — one time, when you first cross it. Nothing is locked below 50%: browsing, matches and profile-building are always available, and an application without a credit simply uses pay-as-you-go.
How it moves
The score recalculates as soon as an uploaded document has been read — a renewed certificate shows immediately, not on the next scheduled sweep. Uploading a newer version of a document you already hold replaces the old one, so the score reflects the file that is actually there.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- Why is my score out of 84 and someone else's out of 98?
- The score is a proportion of the checks that apply to your business. A CIDB certificate for a business that does no construction, or COIDA for a business with no employees, is excluded from both sides of the fraction — and the page tells you which checks were excluded and why.
- What happens when a document expires?
- The check it satisfied stops counting, the score drops, and the document is flagged. If the drop takes you below 50%, QuickTenders opens a 14-day window and shows the deadline while you renew.