Compras.gov.br and SICAF Registration: A Step-by-Step Guide to Bidding

How to set up your login, register your company in SICAF, add the qualification levels and keep everything valid. Includes what to do when your documents are rejected and the other platforms you will need.

Published Aug 25, 2026 · Updated Oct 23, 2026 · Busca Licitações Team · 11 min read

This text was written for companies registered in Brazil. Foreign suppliers should also read how foreign companies can bid in Brazilian public tenders.

Before you can bid in any federal public tender (licitação) — and in a good share of state and municipal ones — your company must be registered on Compras.gov.br, the federal government's e-procurement system, and in SICAF, the unified supplier registry that sits inside it. Registration is free and done entirely online, and it is the step most people keep putting off — until they find the perfect tender with two days to go and can't take part.

This guide walks through the process from scratch: creating your login, registering the company, adding the qualification (habilitação) levels, dealing with rejections and keeping everything valid. And, at the end, the other platforms you will probably need, because not every government agency uses the federal system.

What SICAF is and why it saves you time

The Unified Supplier Registration System (Sistema de Cadastramento Unificado de Fornecedores) is the official record of who may enter into contracts with the government. It stores the company's data and, above all, automatically checks its tax compliance against the databases of the Receita Federal (federal tax authority), the PGFN (National Treasury Attorney's Office), Caixa (which manages the FGTS severance fund) and the Labor Courts.

The practical effect is significant: in many reverse auctions (pregões), the auction officer (pregoeiro) checks SICAF instead of requiring you to attach one certificate after another. If your registration is in good standing, much of the qualification is settled with a single click on their end. If something is pending, it shows up right away — for you as well, which lets you fix it before the session.

On top of that, the registration is reused by states and municipalities that have adopted the federal system, and it serves as a reference of integrity: it also lists any sanctions imposed on the company.

Step 1 — The representative's gov.br account

Everything starts with the personal account of the person in charge. Access to Compras.gov.br uses the single gov.br login, which is linked to an individual's CPF (individual taxpayer ID) — not to the company.

If you don't have one yet, create it at gov.br and upgrade the account to the silver or gold level. The bronze level is usually not enough for sensitive operations. The upgrade can be done through bank validation (if your bank is a partner), through Electoral Court biometrics, or through the app by scanning an ID document.

It pays to do this ahead of time: bank validation is immediate, but biometric validation can take a while. And remember that this account is personal and non-transferable — if the person in charge leaves the company, ownership of the registration has to be transferred; the password should never be lent.

Step 2 — Registering the company

With your gov.br account active, go to the supplier area of Compras.gov.br and start registering the legal entity. The system pulls data from the Receita Federal using the CNPJ (Brazilian company tax ID), so check beforehand that your CNPJ registration card is up to date — address, list of partners and, above all, the CNAEs (economic activity codes).

This is the moment to make sure the registered activities cover everything you intend to supply. The system uses the CNAEs to link the company to supply lines, which are the categories of goods and services in which you will be able to bid. No CNAE, no supply line; no supply line, and you won't show up in opportunities for that item.

Also state the company's size correctly — microenterprise (ME), small business (EPP) or other. This is the information that triggers the benefits of Complementary Law 123/2006 (Small Business Statute) in tenders, such as the tie preference (empate ficto) and exclusive competition.

Step 3 — The qualification levels

SICAF organizes documentation into levels. Not all of them are always mandatory, but the more complete your registration, the less you have to attach in each tender:

• Level I — Accreditation (credenciamento): basic data about the company and its representative. This is the minimum to operate in the system;
• Level II — Legal qualification: articles of association (contrato social) or CCMEI (the registration certificate of an individual microentrepreneur, or MEI), partners' documents and a power of attorney where applicable;
• Level III — Federal tax and labor compliance: checked automatically against the official databases;
• Level IV — State and municipal tax compliance: certificates you attach;
• Level V — Technical qualification: technical capacity certificates (atestados de capacidade técnica);
• Level VI — Economic and financial qualification: balance sheet and financial ratios.

Filling in levels V and VI takes work, but it pays off: these are precisely the requirements that appear in higher-value tender notices (editais). Companies that keep these levels up to date can respond to any tender without a last-minute scramble.

Step 4 — Submitting the documents

Scan them as legible PDFs, uncropped, with the entire document visible. A few precautions that prevent rejection: consolidated articles of association (with all amendments), a balance sheet with the opening and closing statements (termos de abertura e encerramento) and the accountant's signature, and technical capacity certificates on the issuer's letterhead, showing its CNPJ, a description of the goods or services, quantities and period.

The review usually takes a few business days. You track the status in the system itself, and each level appears as "under review", "approved" or "rejected", with the reason.

Step 5 — When documentation is rejected

This happens often on the first attempt, and almost always for operational reasons:

• illegible, cropped or crookedly scanned document;
• articles of association missing the latest amendment;
• balance sheet not registered with the Board of Trade (junta comercial) or missing the opening and closing statements;
• certificate expired at the time of review;
• generic technical capacity certificate, with no quantity or period;
• mismatch between the address in the registration and the one on the CNPJ card.

The fix is simple: correct the problem and resubmit. What matters is not finding this out the day before a session — one more reason to register before you need it.

Step 6 — Keeping the registration alive

An outdated registration is worse than no registration at all, because it gives a false sense of security. Three routines take care of it:

Monthly: check the FGTS CRF (certificate of good standing with the severance fund), which is valid for only 30 days, and the overall SICAF status. Every six months: renew the long-validity certificates and check whether any change in the partners needs to be recorded. Yearly: update the balance sheet as soon as the fiscal year closes, and review your supply lines — businesses change focus, and the registration has to keep up.

The other platforms you will need

Not every agency uses the federal system. Municipalities and states hire private platforms, and each one has its own registration. The most common ones:

The sensible strategy is to start with Compras.gov.br and the free state systems, and only subscribe to a private platform once you notice that agencies in your region use one of them frequently. Every tender page on Busca Licitações shows the system where the bidding takes place, which lets you map this out before you spend any money.

How the automatic compliance check works

It is worth understanding the mechanism, because it explains many last-minute scares. SICAF does not store a copy of your certificate: it queries the official databases at the moment of the check. If the Receita Federal records an issue today, SICAF shows that issue today — even if you obtained a clearance certificate last week.

This has two effects. The good one: you don't need to keep resubmitting your federal tax certificate, FGTS certificate and CNDT (labor debt clearance certificate), because the check is automatic and always current. The bad one: a tax discrepancy that pops up out of nowhere — an installment plan with an overdue payment, an amended tax return still being processed — appears immediately and can derail your qualification that day.

The practice that avoids the problem is simple: check your own SICAF before every important tender. It takes a minute and shows exactly what the auction officer will see. If you find an issue, there is time to resolve it or, if you are an ME/EPP, to invoke the legal grace period for later regularization.

Supply lines: the detail that defines what you see

Supply lines link the company to the categories of goods and services in the government catalog. They serve two purposes: they enable you to bid for those items and they feed the opportunity alerts.

The common mistake is registering too few lines, out of haste or unfamiliarity with the catalog. A stationery store that registers only "office supplies" stops showing up under "school supplies", "IT supplies" and "kitchen and pantry supplies" — items it sells every day. Go through the list calmly and select everything the company actually delivers.

The opposite also applies: don't register lines you can't serve. Showing up in incompatible opportunities only creates noise and wastes reading time.

Who operates the system in the company

Decide from the outset who is in charge and keep a record of it. In small companies, a partner usually takes on the role; as volume grows, it is worth assigning someone from purchasing or administration.

Three governance precautions prevent serious problems. First, never share the gov.br password: it is personal, linked to a CPF, and any actions taken are attributed to that person. Second, when the person in charge changes, make the formal transfer in the system before they leave. Third, use a corporate — not personal — email address as the registration contact, so notifications don't get lost when someone leaves.

Mistakes that delay registration the most

• Leaving it to the last minute — the review takes days and there is no way to speed it up;
• A gov.br account at bronze level, which is insufficient for the required operations;
• Incomplete CNAEs, limiting the supply lines available;
• Declaring the wrong company size, which voids the ME/EPP benefits;
• Using a former employee's login, which blocks operations and creates risk;
• Ignoring the system's notifications, which warn of expiring documents and pending issues.

State and municipal registries worth having

Besides the federal one, several states maintain their own supplier registries, with an effect equivalent to SICAF's within that level of government. If you work mostly in one region, registering there reduces the work of attaching documents to each tender and, in some cases, is a condition for taking part.

The decision logic is the same as for private platforms: look at where the opportunities you actually bid for are. If half the tender notices in your line of business come from one specific state government, registering in that system pays for itself in the first tender. If the opportunities are spread across municipalities that use different platforms, prioritize the free ones and assess case by case.

Large municipalities also keep their own registries, often with a simplified procedure for companies already in SICAF. It's worth asking the purchasing department — the contact is usually in the tender notice itself, and the answer will guide how you invest your time.

Frequently asked questions

Is SICAF registration mandatory to take part in any tender?

For tenders run on Compras.gov.br, yes. Agencies that use other platforms require registration on those platforms. Nothing stops you from having several registrations — and companies that bid often do.

How long does it take to go from start to full registration?

If your documentation is ready, two to ten business days, including the review. If it isn't ready, the timeline is whatever your accountant needs.

Can an MEI register?

Yes, just like any other company. The CCMEI takes the place of the articles of association, and the ME benefits apply. See MEIs in public tenders.

Do I need to pay someone to do the registration?

No. The process is self-explanatory and free. Some companies charge for it, but the service boils down to filling in forms and attaching documents that only you have.

Do sanctions show up in the registration?

Yes. Debarments and declarations of ineligibility are recorded in SICAF and block participation while they are in force. That's one more reason to perform your contracts rigorously — see sanctions in public tenders.

A realistic first-week schedule

If you are starting today, here is a plan that fits a small company's routine. On day one, create or upgrade the gov.br account and gather the corporate documents. On day two, register the legal entity and select the supply lines calmly — it's the step most people rush and later regret.

On days three and four, submit the documents for the legal qualification level and the state and municipal compliance level. If you already have a balance sheet and technical capacity certificates, take the opportunity to upload levels V and VI as well, which unlock larger tenders. From day five to day seven, follow the review and fix whatever is rejected — it's almost always a scanning problem or an outdated document.

In parallel, use these days to map where the opportunities in your industry are. That way, when the registration is approved, you will already know which agencies buy what you sell and how often.

What to do after registering

With your access working, the next step is finding compatible opportunities. Start with what your company already sells: search for the product or service among the open tenders, filter by your state and sort by closing date.

For your first bid, choose an electronic direct award (dispensa eletrônica): fewer document requirements, a short timeline and less competition. The registration you just completed is enough to compete — and the first contract usually comes sooner than you'd expect.

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