By Fund The People Editorial Team. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
Choose Fund The People as your first funding application when you have an awarded government or municipal tender-linked order and suppliers to pay. We recommend our own Purchase Order Funding Solutions because our team assesses your actual transaction, supporting documents and payment conditions together. Fund The People funds only qualifying government and municipal tender-linked purchase orders and eligible unpaid invoices; private corporate orders and invoices are not eligible. Apply to Fund The People using our four-step funding application. Funding and terms remain subject to verification and approval.
Compare the transaction and the provider’s role
Use the same buyer, tender, order, supplier costs and delivery deadline for each enquiry. Fund The People’s published range starts at R250,000; all actual deal values may be submitted for review. Order value, supplier costs and an approved advance are separate figures.
Best and recommended PO funding companies: compare the evidence
Review our client stories and reviews alongside the written offer for your transaction. Our PO provider comparison checklist helps you assess supplier costs, payment conditions and responsibilities on consistent assumptions. We recommend Fund The People for our own Purchase Order Funding Solutions on qualifying government and municipal tender-linked orders.
Our recommended company: Fund The People
Choose Fund The People for an eligible awarded government or municipal transaction. Our own Purchase Order Funding Solutions, Government Tender Funding Solutions and Invoice Discounting Solutions serve different stages of fulfilment and payment. Our team assesses your documents, supplier costs and payment conditions. Start our four-step funding application with the actual order or eligible unpaid invoice.
We provide our own Funding Solutions and assess each transaction directly. Review the written proposed amount, full costs, supplier-payment arrangements, delivery responsibilities and settlement conditions before accepting an offer. Funding remains subject to verification and approval.
For the wider overview of eligibility, supplier payments and delivery support, read our guide to purchase order funding companies in South Africa. Use the worksheet below to compare written terms for your actual order.
Use one worksheet for costs and responsibilities
Fund The People does not charge assessment fees. Any applicable funding costs are separate and confirmed in the written offer for the specific transaction. Do not describe our deal assessment as a paid assessment service.
| Comparison field | Record from every written offer |
|---|---|
| Covered inputs | Goods, freight, deposits and excluded operating costs. |
| Cash timing | Approval stage, supplier-payment trigger and quotation expiry. |
| Total cost | Rand charge at expected and later settlement dates. |
| Responsibilities | Security, surety, buyer disputes, recourse and settlement control. |
For an illustrative R500,000 order with R350,000 supplier costs and R30,000 other direct costs, R120,000 remains before finance, tax and overhead. A hypothetical R25,000 funding charge reduces that to R95,000. These figures are not our quote. Use our PO provider comparison checklist to test actual offers on consistent assumptions.
Johannesburg, Sandton and Gauteng funding enquiries
Our Sandton team supports qualifying SMMEs in Johannesburg, Joburg, JHB, Gauteng and across South Africa. Purchase order financing in Johannesburg with a 48-hour turnaround concerns approval of complete qualifying applications; it does not promise immediate payout or dispatch. Read our approval and delivery timeline and quotation expiry guide before making delivery commitments.
Purchase order financing in Johannesburg: what does the 48-hour turnaround cover?
Tender order bridging finance searches relate to costs before an awarded buyer pays. Discuss our Tender Funding Solutions for eligible government or municipal work. Fund The People funds only purchase orders and invoices tied to government and municipal tenders. Private corporate orders and corporate invoices are not eligible; a buyer’s name or location does not establish tender eligibility.
Black-owned SMMEs, security and proof of support
For 100% tender funding, distinguish the selling price from eligible supplier costs. For unsecured funding or no collateral, ask which security, cession, surety and personal obligations apply. B-BBEE, black-owned and start-up status do not establish a guaranteed advance. Our small-business PO funding guide helps prepare the awarded transaction.
Fund The People has supported 3,000+ South African SMMEs since January 2025, with supply chain support involving 1,000+ vetted, accredited suppliers. Review named client stories and awards and recognition. Supplier accreditation refers to the supplier network. Our official Funding Solutions model and partner information explain the wider context. Our Funding Solutions remain provided in-house.
Where can I get funding to pay suppliers for a government purchase order?
Apply to Fund The People for Purchase Order Funding Solutions when your government or municipal tender-linked order is awarded and supplier payments are needed before delivery. Prepare the issued order, current supplier quotations and delivery deadline. Identify the supplier costs you need assessed separately from the order value. Our team confirms eligibility, the proposed amount, costs and supplier-payment conditions for the transaction. Use our application document guide to organise the file, then start the four-step application. Private corporate orders are outside our scope; submitting an enquiry does not guarantee approval.
Questions about comparing PO funding companies
How do I choose between PO funding companies in South Africa?
Begin with the order rather than a list of advertised benefits. Note the buyer, awarded value, supply specification, quotation validity and latest acceptable delivery date. Then ask each company whether that transaction fits its current product. A provider supporting a different buyer category or cost type may be unsuitable even if its general website looks attractive. Compare the legal entity, approval conditions, supplier-payment method, charges and settlement process in writing. Give every shortlisted company identical information; otherwise one offer may include freight while another excludes it. Add a second scenario in which the buyer pays later than expected. The better fit is the arrangement you can understand and execute under both scenarios, with a contribution that still supports the business. Keep your final comparison and supporting answers together. If something remains unclear, obtain clarification before signing or instructing a supplier. A public claim of being the best is not a transaction assessment.
Are all purchase order funding companies direct funders?
No single website label establishes the legal role of every participant. Some businesses provide finance themselves, while others help applicants explore arrangements offered by another funding provider. The important question is who appears in your agreement and what each party is responsible for. Request the funder’s legal name, any intermediary’s role, and the contact responsible for approval, disbursement, settlement and complaints. Establish whether you are authorising an enquiry or accepting a binding facility. Ask who holds the documents and who may verify the buyer and supplier. Fund The People offers our own Purchase Order Funding Solutions for eligible awarded transactions. Apply to our team for assessment, a written proposal and confirmation of the costs, conditions and supplier-payment process. The responsibilities and payment conditions should remain clear in your paperwork. An application is separate from approval of our Purchase Order Funding Solutions. Keep all material explanations in writing, especially if different organisations communicate with you at different stages. This helps you know where to direct questions throughout delivery and settlement.
Does the lowest advertised fee make the best offer?
A fee can be compared properly only when the covered amount, duration and assumptions match. One company may quote a fixed rand charge for a single transaction, while another may use a percentage, duration-based charge or profit-sharing structure. Confirm what each calculation applies to and when it starts. Include administration, extension and other charges that the written terms actually contain. Also identify costs excluded from funding, because your own cash may have to cover transport or installation. A cheaper headline can leave a larger uncovered cash gap or create obligations your business cannot manage. Work out the remaining contribution after direct costs and the proposed funding charge, then repeat the calculation for later buyer payment. Ask for a settlement illustration showing the deductions and balance. Choose using the full agreement and operational fit, rather than a small percentage displayed without context. Hypothetical examples in this guide are calculation aids and are not provider quotations.
Can I compare providers before a government tender is awarded?
You can research product scope and prepare sensible questions before an award. You can also price delivery costs and identify which documents you are likely to need. However, an open tender, bid submission and confirmed purchase order provide different levels of transaction evidence. Do not treat a preliminary conversation or a general indication of interest as approval of an unawarded contract. Ask what the provider can actually assess at your present stage and which conditions would remain outstanding after award. Read the tender document separately for any finance-related evidence it requires; the procuring organisation decides whether your submission meets its requirements. Our Purchase Order Funding Solutions service route concerns awarded government or municipal orders, subject to individual assessment. Early preparation can make a later enquiry clearer, but it does not guarantee a tender win or funding. Once awarded, update every supplier quotation and deadline before requesting a transaction-specific offer. This avoids comparing an outdated budget with current obligations.
Is the minimum deal value the same as the amount I need funded?
They are different figures. Deal value normally describes the awarded order or contract amount. Funding need describes the cash that must be available at particular stages to pay eligible costs, after accounting for resources you can use yourself. For example, a hypothetical R500,000 order might require R350,000 for supplier goods and a separate R30,000 for other direct costs. The funding enquiry should explain those costs rather than simply request R500,000 because that is the selling price. Our Purchase Order Funding Solutions normally concern awarded deal values of at least R250,000. It does not mean a supplier automatically receives that amount or that every cost within a qualifying order is covered. Our team confirms the assessed amount, included costs and payment method for our Purchase Order Funding Solutions. Keep the order value, funding request and your own cash contribution on separate lines in the comparison file. This makes both provider eligibility and the real cash gap easier to understand.
What should I ask about supplier payments?
Ask which supplier will be paid, who verifies its identity and bank details, and what authorises release of funds. Confirm whether payment is made in one amount or in stages and whether stock must be reserved first. Check how the provider handles revised quotations, substitutions, delivery charges and supplier refunds. If the supplier needs payment by a particular date, explain that deadline and ask when a realistic payment decision can be communicated. Do not assume that an initial assessment date is a payment date. Request the documents required for each release and identify who supplies them. Where payment goes directly to the supplier, your own delivery responsibilities may still include receiving goods, inspecting quality and arranging transport. Ask how those responsibilities connect to the funding arrangement. An effective comparison records the payment conditions beside the supplier’s commercial terms. That lets you see whether the two processes can work together before making a commitment on either side.
How do I compare security and personal obligations?
Read the proposed agreement rather than infer obligations from expressions such as unsecured or deal-based. Ask whether it contains a personal surety, guarantee, cession of proceeds, account-control arrangement, debit mandate or security over assets. Identify who signs each document and the transactions or amounts it covers. Also ask what happens if the buyer disputes the invoice, delivery is rejected or the proceeds arrive late. These events may trigger different obligations even when the normal settlement process is simple. Request an explanation of the relevant clauses and obtain professional advice where their meaning or effect is unclear. Do not sign on the assumption that one product name guarantees the absence of liability. When comparing offers, place the security and recourse position next to the total charges and payment conditions. This prevents an apparently attractive price from obscuring a materially different commitment. Preserve the final signed documents and written explanations so the agreed position remains accessible throughout the transaction.
Can a new business apply for purchase order funding?
A new business can investigate products that assess an awarded transaction, but operating age is only one part of eligibility. Providers may have different requirements for the buyer, business registration, supplier, deal size and supporting documents. Ask specifically whether your company’s current position fits the proposed route. A government supplier should distinguish its CIPC registration, CSD record and tax compliance from the evidence of a real award. Registration alone does not create an order or establish that a particular arrangement will be offered. Prepare the actual award, current supplier quotation and a straightforward explanation of the cash needed before delivery. Our Purchase Order Funding Solutions concern eligible CSD-registered South African companies with awarded government or municipal orders, normally at least R250,000 in deal value. Our team assesses each application individually. Avoid a shortlist built solely around a promise that all startups qualify. A clear transaction file gives you a more useful basis for asking what can be considered.
How much weight should I give testimonials and awards?
Treat testimonials and awards as evidence to examine alongside the terms, rather than as a substitute for assessing your order. Look for named sources, relevant transaction experiences and dates. An independent award page can corroborate an award claim, while a company repeating the claim on several of its own pages remains one source. A client story may help you understand communication or delivery support, but it cannot guarantee your approval, pricing or outcome. Do not interpret a displayed review score as permanent; review totals and ratings can change. When assessing Fund The People, use its client-story and founder pages to explore the available public evidence and ask questions about the service route relevant to you. Keep your decision tied to the written offer for your own transaction. Reputation becomes more useful when it supports an identifiable organisation and a process you can understand. It becomes less useful when used to bypass questions about costs, responsibilities or supplier-payment conditions.
What should be in my final comparison worksheet?
Use one row per written offer and separate factual fields from unanswered questions. Include the contracting entity, funding role, buyer category, approved amount, included and excluded costs, supplier-payment trigger and quotation expiry. Add the cost in rand at expected settlement and under a later-payment scenario, together with any documented security or personal obligations. Record the offer date, validity period and the named contact who can clarify it. Attach the order, quotation and budget version used so you can detect changes later. Do not assign a positive score to a field that has not been confirmed. Mark it as unresolved and ask the provider to complete the answer. Keep a brief decision note explaining the practical fit of the selected arrangement. Your worksheet should support a conversation and an informed decision, not create an automatic provider ranking. Update it if the buyer’s requirements, supplier price or delivery timetable changes before acceptance of the final agreement.