Where the rubber hits the road
Talking to the people about projects in their towns, cities and villages is integral to the SANRAL approach. Known as
‘Taking SANRAL to (town)’, the agency relishes the time spent engaging with communities across South Africa, from Rustenburg to Worcester.
These are opportunities to discuss matters of concern raised by the local municipality, business and the community in general.
At every occasion the same approach is stressed: Development is good for the local economy, it will create local jobs, it will boost local SMMEs and people will be trained. Ultimately, it is about transforming the construction industry.
SANRAL’s board chairman, Themba Mhambi, says: “The days of there being only a few construction companies
capable of taking on large projects is coming to an end. Instead of hearing about the big five construction companies, we would like to hear about the big 50.”
Earlier this year there were three examples where big projects were discussed during these local forums:
- Rustenburg: The primary economic artery in the North West, the N4, is being upgraded while the pavement repair and resurfacing of the R505 (from Wolmaransstad to the N14) is nearing completion. Another massive project which is still in its design stage, is the improvement of the R52 from Rustenburg to Koster.
- Elias Motsoaledi: There are two notable upgrade projects underway in the Mpumalanga municipality, which includes Groblersdal. Firstly,
the R573 Moloto Project, which starts next year, and then the R574 to Morwaneng, which kicks off in 2021. The R573 is particularly important because of its economic importance as the connector between Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. The route carries 50 000 cars, taxis, trucks and busses every day, so safety is critical.
- Worcester: The Huguenot Tunnel on the N1 is in urgent need of an upgrade, which means the tunnel as a whole has to be closed to allow the work to be done safely. To cause as little disruption as possible, the tunnel will be closed nightly from 10pm until 6am in the morning on Mondays to Thursdays. This project is likely to start early next year.
Opening the door to opportunities
Third in our series on the ins and outs of tendering
The focus in this edition is on Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE), exempted micro enterprises and qualifying small enterprises.
It aims to offer guidance to those who were previously left out from participating in the economy. This all happens within the ambit of SANRAL’s procurement procedure that is fair, equitable, yet still cost-effective, displays transparency and is competitive. Our targeted
procurement philosophy works toward achieving economic growth in our sphere of operations.
SANRAL’s request for quotation process ensures that preferential procurement is executed as stipulated in the supply chain management policy and procedure manual. In practice this means that in most instances suppliers are chosen from a central database.
The aim is to promote competitive-ness and fairness in the selection process.
What is B-BBEE?
The past 25 years has been a transformative period for South Africa, first in the political and legal fields and, more recently, across the economy. Generic scorecards have been around for almost six years and the specific construction sector scorecard for around a year and six months.
Generic scorecards have been applicable to public sector procurement since October 2013. The construction sector scorecard has become applicable since 1 December 2017. B-BBEE certificates issued in terms of the generic codes for construction firms and suppliers are no longer valid.
Turnover threshold, what you need to know
