Gauteng adopts smart measures to fast-track infrastructure projects

Gauteng Infrastructure Development MEC Jacob Mamabolo on Tuesday unveiled the province’s multibillion rand project portfolio to be delivered in the next three years. 

The portfolio is made up of 340 projects valued at about R4.5 billion, with R1.7 billion being allocated for the 2018/19 financial year.  Unveiling the project portfolio, MEC Mamabolo warned that during the delivery of the projects, under-performance and poor quality will not be tolerated. 

MEC Mamabolo said his department will use drones to monitor progress at the various sites of construction. He said the pressures posed by rapid urbanisation and migration have resulted in the escalation of demand for social infrastructure services such as schools, libraries, health facilities and community centres.   

“As the Department of Infrastructure Development, we are proud to say that the last two years have been the most testing as we laboured to explore long-term solutions to resolve construction and implementation challenges. “We have had to roll up our sleeves and put down systems and processes that would prepare us for the future,” MEC Mamabolo said. 

How the pipeline works

The Department of Infrastructure Development (DID) has introduced the most innovative project pipeline portfolio. The pipeline, described as a multi-billion, multi-year infrastructure project portfolio (MMIPP) is planned for implementation over a period of three years. 

The project pipeline will be used to prioritise projects that are ready for implementation. They will be tracked and monitored to improve project management processes, and to speed up delivery to Gauteng communities. 

MEC Mamabolo explained that all the pipeline projects were subject to the Project Readiness Matrix (PRM), an innovative tool designed by the department to assist in the assessment of all the critical and stage specific Infrastructure Delivery Management System (IDMS) requirements, before projects are considered for inclusion in the pipeline. 

“The project pipeline profiles projects according to their various stages of development, enabling the department to better prioritise and manage its portfolio with greater efficiency,” MEC Mamabolo said. 

According to the MEC, all the identified pipeline projects are classified into three categories, with the first, ‘Platinum,’ which lists 63 projects planned for delivery during the current 2018/19 financial year. 

The 63 Platinum Projects are valued at R459 million. They have been vetted against the IDMS guidelines to ensure their delivery period is not delayed or extended. The second category is ‘Silver’ comprises 188 projects, with projects planned for delivery during the 2019/20 financial year. The projects have an estimated allocation of about R966 million. 

Finally, ‘Coal’ consists of 89 projects planned for delivery in the 2021/22 financial year, with an estimated allocation of about R260 million.  MEC Mamabolo said the classification and profiling will greatly enhance transparency and accountability of project performance for management, client departments, other key stakeholders and communities. 

“Most importantly, the monitoring of project performance will further enable the department to proactively manage compliance issues residing in other spheres of government, such as local municipalities,” MEC Mamabolo said.