BEE registration / renewal: Can I do this myself?

[TravisZA]

Can I fill in or submit forms online myself or do I have to go through a BEE Accreditation company. I'm not thrilled with the idea that I have to pay someone else to do this for me.

[Dave A]

I'm not thrilled with the idea that I have to pay someone else to do this for me.

On the flip side, the verification agencies are not thrilled with the idea that you don't have to pay someone else to do this for you

Ultimately, it comes down to the need for at least some level of independent third party verification.

[Greig Whitton]

Can I fill in or submit forms online myself or do I have to go through a BEE Accreditation company.

It depends on several factors:

1. Which B-BBEE Codes you use (right now there are two Codes: the "Old" Codes from 2007 and the "New" Codes that were published last year but only become mandatory from May of this year).

2. Your company's annual turnover.

3. Your company's black ownership.

4. The relevance of a high B-BBEE score for your business.

For example, under the "Old" Codes, your business would be deemed to be an Exempt Micro Enterprise (EME) if its annual turnover was under R5 million. Under the "New" Codes, the turnover threshold for EMEs has been increased to R10 million. Regardless of which Codes you use, EMEs can automatically qualify for level 4 B-BBEE status without having to be certified by a verification agency.

If your business is primarily or entirely black-owned, and your turnover doesn't exceed R50 million, then you would definitely want to use the "New" Codes since you would automatically qualify for level 1 or level 2 B-BBEE status (again, without having to be certified by a verification agency). If your business is entirely white-owned, then you would probably want to use the "Old" Codes (while you still can) - unless your turnover is above R5 million but below R10 million (since you would then still qualify as an EME under the "New" Codes).

If your business qualifies as an EME but needs to achieve the highest B-BBEE score possible, then you would probably want to be certified by a verification agency and forego the automatic level 4 status with the intent of achieving a higher rating (unless your business is primarily or entirely black-owned, in which case the automatic level 1 or level 2 status is just about as good as it gets).

If nothing else, hopefully this illustrates how complex the B-BBEE certification process can be (which is one of the reasons why there are independent verification agencies that specialise in this).

[TravisZA]

Thanks very much. We have a couple of companies, some with TO less than R5m and others approaching the R10m mark so we should be able to be classified as EMEs for now

[Greig Whitton]

Thanks very much. We have a couple of companies, some with TO less than R5m and others approaching the R10m mark so we should be able to be classified as EMEs for now

If you go the EME route, just ask your accountant / auditor for a letter verifying your turnover and EME status. They should know what you need (if they don't, find one that does). Technically, a sworn affidavit is all you need in terms of the "New" Codes, but many companies and government departments have yet to familiarise themselves with the "New" Codes so they won't accept sworn affidavits (even though they are legal).

[wynn]

If I am not mistaken FNB (effenbee) sent me an email saying that they will do a verification for clients at a reasonable fee.