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Sihle Dlungwana |
More than 60 emerging contractors from East London and Port Elizabeth will get access to skills, jobs and funding over the next two years. The CSIR will project-manage this initiative, which flows from a memorandum of agreement (MoU) signed recently by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) and the departments of Public Works and Housing.
"To assist small emerging construction firms to improve their profitability, sustainability and global competitiveness, we developed the Integrated Emerging Contractor Development Model (IECDM) a few years ago," explains Sihle Dlungwana of CSIR Built Environment. "The MoU now enables us to implement this technology transfer model in the Eastern Cape," he comments.
"The model was piloted successfully in the Eastern Cape in 2004, when 60 construction firms underwent a two-year development programme. While the contractors are working on construction projects, skills development takes place. The IECDM facilitates the selection of suitable construction firms, the implementation of a programme of skills training, mentorship and total quality management," says Dlungwana.
The IECDM ensures that the development process and results are quantifiable. It promotes continuous performance improvement and is supported by strong research activities that ensure it is the best international practice.
"Transfer of knowledge and technology is best achieved through a collaborative effort, such as the one in the Eastern Cape," says Dlungwana. Emerging contractors who participate in the initiative will have preference when tendering for infrastructure projects of the Department of Housing. As a start, more than 1 000 housing units are earmarked for these contractors.
"It is a win-win situation," explains Dlungwana. "Contractors from the Department of Public Work's incubator programme get mentorship and finance, while the Department of Housing gets skilled contractors to do the work." The province is thus developing current and future capacity to implement and maintain its infrastructure projects.
The CSIR's role is to coordinate activities, evaluate the project using tools developed as part of the IECDM, and to report back to the ECDC on progress. "We will furthermore transfer project management skills to the ECDC so that it can ultimately implement the project itself. The CSIR will probably retain the high level monitoring and evaluation part of the project," says Dlungwana.
"We are keen to roll out similar projects throughout the country with local, provincial and national governments as clients. Financing models can be arranged between the client and the Construction, Education and Training Authority (CETA) or financial development institutions in order for small contractors to undergo training and mentoring," comments Dlungwana.
Big companies in the private sector also stand to benefit by using this model, as they can improve their BEE scorecards while bolstering the skills of small contractors who form part of their supply chain.
The overall benefit is that the CSIR model helps to manage risks associated with using small contractors, so that clients can be certain their projects are delivered to the required quality standards and within budget and time schedules.
Enquiries: CSIR Communication |
