20 Jul 2016

Do Private Tenders exist….

by | posted in: Construction Chat, Construction Events, General, Uncategorized | 0

blog

Pfft….everything exists…you just need to know where to look!

There is going to be a 30 000m² mall situated on the N3 / London road interchange within Alexandra township, Gauteng. The mall includes 5 entrances, extensive taxi rank facilities, ample parking, two flood-lit mini soccer courts surrounding a 250 seater feature restaurant plus a children’s play area within the food court. And contractors are sitting around scratching their heads wondering “how did I miss this tender”??

Quite simple really. Firstly you have to be invited to tender for it. It is not a Government funded project. It is being done by a Private Developer who already has contractors in mind that will be invited to submit prices. So, yes, Private Tenders do exist. They are just known in construction circles as “Invited Tenders”.

So…. how can you get invited to tender on this mall? You would have to approach the developer or the professional team involved and sell your company to them. But firstly you have to find out who is developing the mall? Who is the architect? Who is the consultant and quantity surveyor…not to mention you have to find the contact details for them too…phew…that is quite a lot of work just to be invited to tender.

At Leads 2 Business we make this easier for the contractor. We source all this information for them. We source these private leads from conceptual stage to procedural stage, where the feasibility and EIA consultant are appointed to ascertain whether the project would be feasible and to ensure environmental authorisation is applied for and received. Yes, yes, we source this information too. Then, once all this is approved the architects are appointed to design the mall. They and the developer put their heads together to see which construction companies they should send the invited tender to. Here you put your foot in the door, a spanner in the works and say hey…what about me…this goes for the vendors too. You can say to the architects and quantity surveyors, well we have this amazing roofing, flooring, walling, windows etc and get your products listed on that BoQ.

It all boils down to … Sell your business. We can only provide the Leads but it is up to you to be “Invited to Tender”.

So to recap…do Private Tenders exist? Yes they do, but do not expect them to come knocking on your door. Go out and find them.

About Melanie Miles

One girl who would rather wear boots than high heels...

9 Sep 2015

Developing Africa … is Africa the new China?

by | posted in: Construction Chat, General | 0

When I first stepped into the Private Projects Department, I had a vague idea of what to expect from Africa.

Developments like:

Hope City in Ghana

 

Hope City
Hope City

 

Desert Rose International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Namibia (it’s just a desert there, right?)

 

Desert Rose Namibia
Desert Rose Namibia

 

Mall de Mozambique

 

Mall of Mozambique
Mall of Mozambique

 

and a whole brand New City to be built in Egypt (another desert??)

 

New City Egypt
New City Egypt

 

These are some of the developments that spring to mind…developments that take your breath away…but how on earth are these small, money-hungry countries going to fund, let alone develop these ambitious projects? Projects so ambitious they raise eyebrows…well, mine mostly.

For example.  Zimbabwe wanting to build a Disney Land at Victoria Falls…a pipe dream at the moment, but what a dream!! Just to keep tourists there longer than a day or two.

Disneyland
Disneyland

 

African Development Bank is one way, but most of the investments are coming from China.

The Chinese footprint in Africa has been cemented. In the last decade, investment in Africa by the world’s second-largest economy has surged to $2.9 billion from $75 million, and with it, China’s influence can be seen everywhere.

The next question… who is going to build these huge developments?

China of course.! If a Chinese company has invested in a Project, you can be sure that they will be building it too. Build, Own, Operate. But there are benefits, the Chinese do subcontract some of the work to the locals.

Swaziland, however, in an effort to ensure that their local contractors still have work and can tender for contracts, have implemented the rule that any projects less than E120 million cannot be awarded to foreign companies.

So, what has this have to do with developing Africa? Just feeding Africa does not solve anything. Providing them with employment that doesn’t warrant anything more than maybe digging a hole in the ground, painting a room, something that doesn’t require much skill, but providing these people with employment, a sense of self, educating them. Providing them with purpose. A trade. Hope. To me, that is really developing Africa.

When I used to imagine Africa, I used to think of trees, rivers, wildlife, war, jungles and deep dark Africa … nothing much could be happening there right?

How wrong was I !?!

 

Sources
Financial Gazette
Ghana Gist
Mc Cormick
ABS
Namibian Sun

About Melanie Miles

One girl who would rather wear boots than high heels...

1 … 3 4 5 6