What is "tenderpreneur"

n. (context slang South Africa English) A government official or politician who uses their powers and influence to secure government tenders and contracts.

In South Africa, a tenderpreneur is a person in government who abuses their political power and influence to secure government tenders and contracts. The word tenderpreneur is a portmanteau of " tendering" and " entrepreneur". Some commentators believe that this practice might give rise to a kleptocracy as a deviant mutation of a democracy if left unchecked. In this regard a kleptocracy is defined at the condition arising when a political elite manipulate the three arms of government (legislature, executive and judiciary) with the intention of capturing resources that will enrich that elite, a general phenomenon known as elite capture.

The Star, a South African newspaper describes a tenderpreneur as "someone politically well-connected who has got rich through the government tendering system". In January 2010, South African Communist Party leader Blade Nzimande called for transparency in the awarding of tenders, saying "let's be bold, let's go and promote small entrepreneurs and defeat tenderpreneurs, those who steal."

Mesozi Systems Limited, a Kenyan internet company, decided to reclaim the term and name their cloud based application which automates the tendering and supplier discovery process, Tenderpreneur.net. In an article on their blog, they define tenderpreneur as anyone who represents their deserving business in trying to access business opportunities by expressing interest whenever there is an invitation to tender. They choose to promote a process where the most deserving businesses and entrepreneurs gain access to business opportunities through an accountable and transparent tendering process.