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Projekbestuurs Maatskappye en Hul Projekte

Om voort te gaan op die tema van hierdie maande se ‘blogs’ van Projekbestuur, laat ek jou inlig oor ‘n paar projekbestuurs maatskappye en waarmee hulle besig was of is. Die beskrywings van die maatskappy se doelwitte, prestasies en etos is uittreksels van elke individuele maatskappy se webwerf.

 

SIP Project Managers

http://www.sippm.co.za/

SIP Projekbestuurders is in 1978 gestig met hulle eerste projek wat die Sun City-hotel was. SIP was in die voorpunt van die oprigting van projekbestuur as ‘n professie in Suid-Afrika, en daarna is dit gegrond op hulle ervaring om te verseker wat die beroep was. Geformaliseer en verantwoordbaar deur die oprigting van die Vereniging van Konstruksie Projek bestuurders (ACPM), wat die enigste erkende vrywillige vereniging van professionele bouprojek bestuurders in Suid-Afrika is. Oor die afgelope paar jaar het konstruksie projekte al hoe meer kompleks geword, uitgebrei oor meer komplekse tegnologie, sowel as die sosio-ekonomiese en omgewings impak wat projekbestuurders dus nodig het om projekte van bevrugting tot en met voltooiing en bedryf te hanteer. Met 34 jaar ondervinding en ‘n portefeulje van hoëprofiel projekte het SIP hoogs gesogte geword en het suksesvolle en konsekwent hoë kwaliteit projekte gelewer.

Projekte beskibaar op L2B webwerf:
The Strand Hotel, Swakopmund, Namibia (PPA4443) (Complete)
102 Rivonia Road, Gauteng (PPA10169) (Complete)
Fourways Mall Expansion, Gauteng (PPA4220) (Underway)
Embassy Towers, Gauteng (PPA14796) (Underway)
Pearls of Umhlanga, Kwazulu-Natal (PPA1988) (Underway)
ETV Building, Western Cape (PPA18429) (Design)

Turner & Townsend (Pty) Ltd

http://www.turnerandtownsend.com/

Vir meer as 70 jaar het ons bygedra om transformasie programme oor die eiendomsbedryf, infrastruktuur en natuurlike hulpbronne te lewer. Wat ‘n verskil maak in mense se lewens en ‘n opbrengs op belegging vir ons kliënte en hul beleggers te verseker. In daardie tyd het die landskap vir kapitaal projekte voortdurend ontwikkel, en ons was gedurig n sprong voor die res, met duidelike denke en streng prosesse. Waar ander ingewikkeldheid sien, is ons een stap vorentoe. Met ons beproefde metodologieë, diepte van ondervinding en data en insigte, vind ons ‘n pad om die ambisieuse doelwitte wat ons kliënte gestel het, te bereik. Ons het ook ons ambisieuse doelwitte gestel en ‘n werklike globale onderneming opgebou. Omskep hoe ons dinge doen om te verseker dat al die kennis en innovasie wat ons genereer, deur ons globale spanne gedeel word. In ‘n ewigdurende verandering wêreld, as die kliënt se uitdagings skuif en druk om opbrengs op beleggings-aandrywing ooit hoër te lewer, sal ons steeds nuwe maniere vind om ‘n verskil te maak. Dit is nie net ‘n uitkoms waarvoor ons streef nie – dit is een wat ons bestuur, en gee ons ons unieke perspektief op die wêreld.

Projekte beskibaar op L2B webwerf:
ABSA Capital, Kwazulu-Natal (PPA3707) (Complete)
103 Melrose Office, Gauteng (PPA20031) (Underway)
Radisson Blu Safari Resort, Mpumalanga (PPA6769) (Tender)
Bellville Medical Centre, Western Cape (PPA17994) (Underway)
Chevron Head Office, Western Cape (PPA9462) (Complete)

Focus Pm & QS

http://focuspm.co.za/

FOCUS is ‘n professionele konstruksie projekbestuurs- en bourekenaar maatskappy wat ‘n bedryfs-voetspoor in Suid-Afrika en geselekteerde plekke buite die grense van Suid-Afrika in die res van die vasteland en die Middeooste dek. Alhoewel ‘n jong en dinamiese firma, is dit een wat sentraal staan in sy kern, ‘n kultuur van onwrikbare professionaliteit en uitnemendheid. Dit het die maatskappy verskans tot ‘n posisie waar dit vertrou kan word om hoë waarde en komplekse projekte in beide die privaat en openbare sektore te lewer. Die maatskappy is verantwoordelik vir die bestuur van belangrike ikoniese projekte in die eiendomsbedryf. FOCUS is ‘n meerderheids belanghebbende bemagtigings maatskappy wat die gees van Suid-Afrika uitbeeld. Ons SEB-beginsels is in die stof van die maatskappy geïntegreer en is op alle vlakke sigbaar.

Projekte beskibaar op L2B webwerf:
Eastgate Offices Redevelopment, Gauteng (PPA16871) (Complete)
Workshop Updated, Kwazulu-Natal (PPA16063) (Complete)
Mpumalanga High Court, Mpumalanga (PPA10459) (Complete)
Park Square, Kwazulu-Natal (PPA18759) (Underway)

MDSA Project and Construction Management (Pty) Ltd

http://mdsapm.co.za/

Met meer as 15 jaar ondervinding is MDSA Projek- en Konstruksie bestuur (Edms) ‘n dinamiese maatskappy wat spesialiseer in ‘n volledige reeks Projek bestuur, Konstruksie bestuur, Huurder koördinasie en Kliënt verteenwoordiging in industriële, kommersiële, kantoor- en kleinhandel-georiënteerde projekte, beide in Suid-Afrika en in die buiteland. Ons dienste behels programmering, kontrak dokumentasie, sertifisering, toesig oor die terrein, koördinering van alle direkte kontrakte en die ooreenkoms van finale koste met kontrakteurs. Ons verbind tot uitstekende diens deur te fokus op kwaliteit, tyd en koste, aangesien ons daarna streef om die kliënt se vereistes met doeltreffendheid en wêreldklas diens te bestuur deur middel van ‘n proaktiewe, praktiese benadering. Ons glo dat ons sukses gebaseer is op ons vermoë om vooruit te beplan deur potensiële probleme te voorkom, eerder as om in krisis bestuur vasgevang te word. Ons sien ons maatskappy as deel van die oplossing en voeg waarde toe tydens die ontwerp- en bou proses. Ons glo MDSA is die ideale maatskappy om saam te werk aangesien ons ‘n verskil maak deur die ekstra myl te gaan.

Projekte beskibaar op L2B webwerf:
Greenacres Shopping Expansion, Eastern Cape (PPA10729) (Underway)
Woolworths Distribution Centre, Western Cape (PPA18975) (Underway)
Lynnridge Mall Expansion, Gauteng (PPA17029) (Complete)
Zimbali Suites, Kwazulu-Natal (PPA14478) (Complete)
Whale Coast Village Mall, Western Cape (PPA17913) (Underway)

 

Orion Projects

http://www.orion001.co.za

Ons is trots op ons integriteit, en glo dit is die sleutel tot ons sukses. Ons is pioniers van nuwe tegnieke en praktyke wat help om die standaarde vas te stel waardeur ons bedryf beoordeel word. Ons besigheidswaardes is gebaseer op die volgende etiek: Integriteit in woord en daad, respek vir mense, kliënt tevredenheid, sosiale verantwoordelikheid, individuele ontwikkeling en persoonlike groei, kwaliteit van diens, spanwerk, goeie kommunikasie, innovasie en kreatiwiteit, professionaliteit, besigheidsetiek, deursigtigheid in finansiële sake, vertroulikheid van inligting, om konflik van belange te vermy. Ons doelwit is om klein, medium en mikro-ondernemings (KMMO’s) te vestig, te ontwikkel en te ondersteun wat voorheen benadeelde (Swart, Asiatiese en Kleurling) segmente van die bevolking as lewensvatbare verskaffers tot die mark is. Alhoewel dit ‘n besigheidsinisiatief is, gegrond op gesonde sakebeginsels, skep dit werksgeleenthede en ondersteun die Heropbou en Ontwikkelingsprogram (HOP).

Projekte beskibaar op L2B webwerf:
Sasol Secunda Mall, Mpumalanga (PPA9597) (Complete)
Glen Shopping Mall, Food Court, Gauteng (PPA20026) (Underway)
Mall of the North, Limpopo (PPA4945) (Complete)
1 Protea Place, Gauteng (PPA6612) (Complete)
Discovery Health, Gauteng (PPA911) (Complete)

 

Profica Project Managers

http://profica.com/
PROFICA – (PROF)ESSIONAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT AFR(ICA)

Profica is ‘n toonaangewende konstruksie- en eiendomsoplossings-maatskappy wat kundige ontwikkelings-, projek- en konstruksie bestuurs-dienste aan hoëprofiel kliënte lewer. Ons bedryf oor baie sektore op die vasteland van Afrika en het ‘n indrukwekkende rekord vir globale kundigheid, plaaslike kennis en diens uitnemendheid opgebou. Met die fokus op professionele konstruksie projek bestuur, is Profica ‘n bekroonde span wat betroubaarheid aan ons kliënte bied. Profica bied selfstandige konsultasie oplossings vir die eiendoms- en konstruksie bedrywe en is ‘n professionele konstruksie projek-bestuurs maatskappy gefokus op kliëntediens en waarde-skepping. Profica het ‘n span professionele geakkrediteerde en hoogs geskoolde professionele konstruksie-projekbestuurders en eiendomsontwikkelings bestuurders met kantore in Suider-Afrika, Oos- en Wes-Afrika gevestig, met permanente personeel op die grond regdeur Afrika suid van die Sahara. Profica se projekbestuurders het komplekse en hoëprofiel projekte oor baie sektore en oor Afrika en die wêreld gelewer, van planne deur ontwerp en konstruksie tot suksesvolle voltooiing. 2015 was Profica se tiende bestaansjaar in die verskaffing van wêreldklasdienste aan ons kliënte.

Projekte beskibaar op L2B webwerf:
Southgate Mall Refurb, Gauteng (PPA19891) (Underway)
Chatsworth Centre Upgrade, Kwazulu-Natal (PPA19602) (Underway)
Capital on the Park, Gauteng (PPA14832) (Complete)
Gugulethu Square Mall, Western Cape (PPA6604) (Complete)
Forest Hill Regional Mall, Gauteng (PPA10063) (Complete)

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To view more articles, please visit our blog.

Contact links for workman’s compensation

Following on from the last article which details:

1. What the Workman Compensation Fund is,
2. When you can claim and
3. The different names they are known by.

 

I want to address the next step, as injuries do happen! How do you go about contacting Workman’s Compensation?

Firstly, to confirm, here are the two scenarios where submitting a claim would be viable:

1. An employee has met with an accident for which medical treatment is required, or in the event of their death, which has arisen out of, or during the course of employment.
2. An employee has reported a personal injury to their employer, and in giving the report they allege that the injury arose in or out of their course of employment.

 

As we all may have experienced at some point in time, dealing with the Government departments can be a tedious exercise, so I am optimistic the information below will make your lives a little easier.

 

While conducting my research, I established that the number (or any of their related numbers listed) for the Compensation Funds Call centre number are currently out of order. With telephonic support ruled out as an option, we are left to follow the guidelines laid out on their website which state that a claim is to be attended to as follows:

A W.C.I.2 Form would need to be completed and submitted to them within 7 days of the incident:

The form is made up of Part A and B which are identical. Part B is to be detached and handed to the Medical practitioner.

The completed form along with the First Medical Report (W.CI.4) and a certified copy of the employee’s ID is to be sent to the following address by post:

The Compensation Commissioner

Compensation House

P.O. Box 955

Pretoria

0001

Their contact details are listed as follows:

Call Centre: 0860 105 350

Email: cf-info@labour.gov.za

Website: http://www.labour.gov.za

The Compensation Office should respond with a (W.CI.55), stating a claim number and this number must be used for all further correspondence.

 

Given that our postal system is not always the most reliable and that we have an online alternative at our disposal, I would highly recommend using the online platform offered by the Compensation Fund as it provides the most efficient and reliable means of getting the documents delivered to them.

 

The system was introduced in 2014 and is known as Umehluko ICM, and in order to submit a claim, you will be required to register with the Department of Labour Online Platform, if you are not already registered, please visit https://cfonline.labour.gov.za to go through the registration process. Thereafter they will email you a Username and Password for subsequent access.

 

Equipped with your username and password detail, login and select the “Capture” tab, select “Claim” and follow the prompts on the website. The added bonus of this approach is you are able to follow the progress of the claim online.

This is a far easier option than posting the claim to them and then attempting to follow the progress telephonically – especially with their phone lines being out of order!

 

Further research revealed that there are companies in South Africa that offer both Employees and Employers their services to submit and follow the claim on their behalf for a nominal fee. Should one not have the resources, patience or the time to submit and follow up on their claims, this appears to be a marvellous option! One of the companies that I came across was Workers Compensation Assistance website http://www.wcawca.co.za and Tel: 0861 922 463, you will be happy to know that they answer their calls!

 

Here’s to hoping that your injuries on duty are far and few between, and if they have happened, I trust that this article assists you in making a successful claim.

 

Stay Safe!

 

Sources:

https://cfonline.labour.gov.za

http://www.labour.gov.za

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Who is Managing a Project? General Project Manager Duties

I believe that a Project Manager is a key member of the Professional Team. They are responsible for the delivery of a project, reaching and achieving set goals and targets correctly and safely.

From the research that I have done, I have come to the conclusion that Project Managers have a lot of responsibility, not to mention stress, as they are responsible for the successful planning, execution, monitoring, control and closure of a project.

 

Project Manager’s possible duties include:

 

1. Planning

To plan the successful delivery of a project. They would need to plan, design, analyse, evaluate the goals and objectives to determine how to deliver a project effectively and efficiently. They need to know all the projects details and requirements.

To plan tight time schedules and strict budgets that must be adhered to.

To plan visits or set up meetings with existing, new and potential clients to ensure these relationships are beneficial as well as well-maintained throughout the project process or contract.

Another requirement is Resource & Construction Strategy Planning.

 

 

Source

 

Source

 

2. Managing and Communicating

Managing their team and day to day activities. This includes ensuring the right material arrives on site before required, to be prepared as well as relaying the work activities, objectives and ethics to their colleagues. They need to relay the objectives of the project, scope of works and job role i.e. what is expected of them. General Management skills.

When delays or problems are encountered – which we know happens – then it is up to the Project Manager to be ready to lead the way and make the necessary decisions to get the project back on track and moving forward again. They need to manage a set of service deliveries that needs to be achieved on time and on schedule.

Project Managers should also be able to resolved conflict, whether this be onsite between the service teams, with other entities or the public. They need to show initiative and overcome any obstacles by finding a suitable way to adapt to certain situations to provide successful solutions with a successful outcome.

They should be able to command authority naturally while looking after their team, encouraging and supporting them. Be the team and project leader, keeping communication lines open whilst ensuring the team engage in project work.

Monitoring project progress and performance

Source

 

3. Reporting, Recording and Liaising

Reporting on the progress of the project to various management members and client advising them how far along the project is, if this is progressing well and as planned. They need to inform them if deadlines are being met (or not) and if the program is still on track. Project Managers need to report any delays or extension of time or any project hiccups. Meeting checkpoints and financial reporting is imperative. This report is not once off, it is constant feedback to keep the client up to date with the current status of the project.

They need to define milestones and produce reports to the team. This is done at agreed intervals to inform the service team of where they are currently and what actions need to be taken, again keeping communication open.

Source

 

4. Co-ordinating

Co-ordinating the team which includes staff training and support

Source

 

5. Financing

Setting up the budgets, estimates, costs and construction timetable and developing a budget for the client.

Don’t be this guy:

Source

6. Staffing

Sometimes, however not in all cases, it is the duty of the Project Manager to appoint sub contractors and contractors for the project. The Project Manager is accountable for the team he chooses and could be asked to motivate why he chose a particular company or professional.

They need to select and put together the best team for the job, this not only includes selecting a tea, but also training the team towards the companies core values.

Source

 

Source

 

7. Compliance

Ensuring that the project complies with the building codes, regularity or legal requirements.

Deliverables should be tested at each milestones to ensure that they are correct and meet the requirements

Quality control

Source

 

I hope this has given you more insight into the Project Manager’s possible duties, responsibilities, role in the project and what their workload is like.

 

Sources:

https://www.villanovau.com/resources/project-management/project-management-tips/#.WS0p6zclGG9

http://99u.com/articles/6946/top-10-characteristics-of-great-project-managers

https://resources.workable.com/construction-project-manager-job-description

http://www.sprojm.org.sg/about-roles

http://www.aproplan.com/blog/news/10-key-responsibilities-of-a-construction-project-manager

http://work.chron.com/duties-responsibilities-construction-project-manager-12731.html

https://jobs.telegraph.co.uk/article/construction-project-manager-job-description/

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To view notes with screenshots on how to use our website, please visit our Wiki site.
To view more articles, please visit our blog.

How to search for trending civil tenders?

If something is “Trending”, it means that it is popular. It is otherwise defined by Oxford Dictionaries as a “general direction in which something is developing or changing”.

 

On the Leads 2 Business system, trending tenders fall within our Reporting feature, and are those tenders that have been viewed the most and/or monitored by the most clients – they have become topics of interest. They are popular.

In this post, we are referring specifically to trending civil tenders.

 

To locate the data on trending tenders, you need to navigate to Reporting:

 

Have a look at the menu on the left-hand side of your screen (while logged in to your profile), and find the “Reporting”.

 

Expand the Reporting menu, and then the Trending sub-menu. You should see an option to view Most Monitored and an option to view Most Viewed tenders. I have highlighted both of these options in the image below. Select the option that you would like to view.

When you click on one of the options, you will see that you land on the Search Results page.

As we are searching for trending civil tenders, the first thing that I would suggest that you do, using the search criteria menu on the left-hand side of your screen, is de-select both Tenders and Projects (the system has automatically selected both) from the Category option (the first option on the search criteria menu).

Expand the Tenders sub-menu (still under the Category option), and only select Infrastructure (civil construction tenders are categorised under the Infrastructure industry).

 

Once you have performed the above changes, your selected search criteria should resemble the images below (the second image is just to show that if you scroll down on the Tenders sub-menu, Infrastructure can be seen, and it has been selected):

Should you wish to, you can narrow the results down even further, by selecting specific Regions, CIDB Gradings, etc.)

 

We also have another wonderful feature on our website, which allows you to view the number of trending tenders on our database in graph form. The data that is depicted on the graph is dependent on the criteria you select.

 

Please navigate to Trending, under the Reporting sub-menu again. This time, click on Market Intelligence > Tenders.

 

You should now find yourself on this page:

The data can be manipulated using the blue All Industries drop-down menu; the green All CIDB Gradings drop-down menu; and the purple All Regions drop-down menu. From each of these options, you can choose a specific industry, CIDB grading, and/or region, or you can leave the options as default “All …”. You can select the Date Range for the data, by using the grey calendar bar at the top right-hand corner above the graph (the options are This Year; One Year Back; Three Years Back; Five Years Back; Ten Years Back; and Custom Range).

 

As an example, let’s say that we would like to see the data for trending civil tenders in KwaZulu-Natal, with no specific CIDB Grading, published in our database between 01 January 2017 to 30 April 2017:

 

We would select Infrastructure from the All Industries drop-down menu. The CIDB drop-down will be left unchanged, and we would select KwaZulu-Natal from the All Regions drop-down menu. The results can be seen in the image below.

I do hope that I have taught you something new about the way in which you can view information on our website and that you can utilise this information to enhance the way in which you carry out your business tasks.

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The difference between various road surfaces

Asphalt, Gravel, Concrete and Pavers, but many countries use certain material depending on the area conditions and climate, despite concrete roads having some major advantages. Concrete and Asphalt are more commonly used. Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of the different road paving surfaces in this article.

 

Asphalt:

One of the most popular types of construction ever since its inception in the early 1920’s is asphalt paving. In this construction technique, a layer of asphalt is laid on top of an equally thick gravel base. Advantages of this form of road construction are that the pavement proves relatively easy to repair and maintain as well. However, asphalts is known to be significantly less durable and stronger than most other choices and isn’t the best for the environment either. Polypropylene and polyester geosynthetics have also been used for this purpose and in some northern countries, a layer of polystyrene boards have been used to delay and minimise frost penetration into the subgrade.

Depending on the temperature at which it is applied, asphalt is categorised as hot mix, warm mix, or cold mix. Hot mix asphalt is applied at temperatures over 300 °F (150°C) with a free-floating screed. Warm mix asphalt at temperatures of 200-250 °F (95-120°C), resulting in reduced energy usage and emissions of volatile organic compounds. Cold mix asphalt is often used on lower volume rural roads, where hot mix asphalt would cool too much on the long trip from the asphalt plant to the construction site.

An asphalt concrete surface will generally be constructed for high-volume primary highways having an average annual daily traffic load greater than 1200 vehicles per day. Advantages of asphalt roadways include relatively low noise and relatively low cost compared with other paving methods. Disadvantages are less tensile strength than concrete, the tendency to become slick and soft on hot weather and a certain amount of hydrocarbon pollution to soil and groundwater or waterways.

In 1960’s, rubberized asphalt was used for the first time, mixing crumb rubber from used tires, with asphalt. While a potential use for tires that would otherwise fill landfills and present a fire hazard, rubberized asphalt has shown a greater incidence of wear in freeze-thaw cycles in temperate due to non-homogeneous expansion and contraction with non-rubber components. Also, application of rubberized asphalt is more temperature-sensitive and in many locations can only be applied at certain times of the year. Study results of the long-term acoustic benefits of rubberized asphalt are inconclusive. The initial application of rubberized asphalt may provide 3-5 decibels (dB) reduction in tire-pavement source noise emissions; however, this translates to only 1-3 decibels (dB) in total noise level reduction (due to the other components of traffic noise). Compared to traditional passive attenuating measures (e.g. noise walls and earth berms), rubberized asphalt provides shorter-lasting and lesser acoustic benefits at a typically much greater expense.

 

Concrete:

 

Concrete is another popular choice for roadways, though it is typically only used for local roads and not other types of construction. Concrete surfaces (specifically, Portland cement concrete) are a created mix of Portland cement, coarse aggregate, sand and water. In virtually all modern mixes there will also be various admixtures added to increase workability, reduce the required amount of water, mitigate harmful chemical reactions and for other beneficial purposes. In many cases, there will also be Portland cement substitutes added, such as fly ash. This can reduce the cost of the concrete and improve its physical properties.

The material is applied in the freshly mixed slurry and worked mechanically to compact the interior and force some of the cement slurries to the surface to produce a smoother, denser surface free from honeycombing. The water allows the mix to combine molecularly in a chemical reaction called hydration.

There are three major types of concrete road surfaces – jointed plain (JPCP), jointed reinforced (JRCP) and continuously reinforced (CRCP). The distinguishing feature between the three being the joint system that is used to help prevent cracks from forming. Jointed plain concrete pavements contain joints to control the location of all the expected shrinkage cracks. The concrete cracks at the joints and not elsewhere in the slabs. Jointed plain pavements do not contain any steel reinforcement. However, there may be smooth steel bars at transverse joints and deformed steel bars at longitudinal joints. The spacing between transverse joints is typically about 15 feet (4.6m) for slab 7 to 12 inches (180 to 300mm) thick. Jointed reinforced concrete pavements contain steel mesh reinforcement (sometimes called distributed steel). In jointed reinforced concrete pavements, designers increase the joint spacing purposely and include reinforcing steel to hold together intermediate cracks in each slab.

The original pavement was laid in the 1950’s and has been significantly altered since.

Something to know about:

• Durability and maintenance free life: Concrete roads have a long service life of forty years, whereas asphalt roads last for ten years. Moreover, during this service life concrete road do not require frequent repair or patching work like asphalt roads.

• Vehicle consumes less fuel when running over a concrete road, consumes 15-20% less fuel than that on asphalt roads. This is because of the fact that a concrete road does not get deflected under the wheels of loaded trucks.
• Resistant to automobile fuel spillage and extreme weather: Unlike asphalt roads, concrete roads do not get damaged by the leaking oils from the vehicles or by the extreme weather conditions like excess rain or extreme heat.
• Greener process: Asphalt (bitumen) produces lots of highly polluting gases at the time of melting it for paving. Also, less fuel consumption by the vehicle running on a concrete road means less pollution.
• Saving of natural resources: Asphalt (bitumen) is produced from imported petroleum, the reserve of which is becoming reduced drastically. On the other hand, concrete (cement) is produced from abundantly available limestone.

 

Pavers:

A paver is a paving stone, tile, brick or brick-like piece of concrete commonly used as exterior flooring. In a factory, concrete pavers are made by pouring a mixture of concrete and some type of colouring agent into a mould of some shape and allowing to set. They are applied by pouring a standard concrete foundation, spreading sand on top, and then laying the pavers in the desired pattern. No actual adhesive or retaining method is used other than the weight of the paver itself except edging. Pavers can be used to make roads, driveways, patios, walkways and other outdoor platforms.

 

Gravel:

A gravel road is a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed. They are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of South Africa. In New-Zealand and other Commonwealth countries, they may be known as ‘metal roads‘. They may be referred to as ‘dirt roads’ in common speech, but that term is used more for unimproved roads with no surface material added. If well constructed and maintained, a gravel road is an all-weather road.

 

Sources:

https://globalroadcom/road-construction

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_surface

https://pixabay.com/en/road-asphalt-freeway-route-travel-691127/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hex_pavers_sliding_to_Hudson_W60_jeh.jpg

https://pixabay.com/en/photos/gravel%20road/

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To view notes with screenshots on how to use our website, please visit our Wiki site.
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15 Ways to be More Successful at Tendering

1. Register on the applicable Supplier Database. Currently, that means being registered on the CSD (Centralised Supplier Database) https://secure.csd.gov.za/. If you are not registered, you can not tender. Period. Plus you also have to be registered on individual Municipality Supplier Databases. Keep on top of these registrations, and save yourself the last minute hassle. Being registered on these Supplier Databases, also puts you in the position to be approached directly to quote.
2. Maintain your CIDB, NHBRC and Professional Membership Registrations If these apply, do not let them lapse in any way.
3. Be in the Know. Leads 2 Business has got you covered in this department since we publish tender notices and project information for the building and construction industry, as well as related industries.
4. Be quick off the mark The quicker you make a decision on a tender notice, the quicker you can move on or start working on it.
5. Note the Dates on a Tender Notice. Set reminders for site meeting dates, for document collection cut-off dates (if applicable) and the closing date. Don’t leave anything to the last moment.
6. Attend the Site Meeting. If compulsory, this is not negotiable. If just strongly recommended, attending the meeting allows you to ask questions and get information that might not be in the tender documents, and therefore gives you an edge when filling out your tender document.
7. Pay attention to tender criteria and requirements If you do not comply with the specific requirements, you are wasting your time.
8. Read the entire Tender Document. If there are any discrepancies or you have any questions, talk to the applicable contact people to gain clarity.
9. Complete the entire Tender Document and attach supporting documents These are BEE certificates, Tax clearance certificates etc. Make sure all the supporting documents are the latest copies and everything is signed and initialled accordingly. Don’t use a pencil or forget to carry your total.
10. Closing Date. Do not be late with your submission. This is non-negotiable. Be 100% sure of where you have to submit your tender document.
11. Price Competitively. Do not focus on just “getting the contract”. Focus on “getting the work done”. If you undercut your prices, your company will suffer. And it is glaringly obvious when looking at all the submitted prices, and the lowest price is as depressingly unrealistic as the highest price.
12. Follow up on the receipt of your Tender Documents Attend the opening of the tenders or follow up with the applicable contact people.
13. Keep a copy of your submitted tender document. Not only can this be good for comparison purposes for later tenders, but if you win the contract; you need to know what you quoted.
14. Stay informed about the Adjudication and Evaluation process Don’t submit and forget about your tender. Please don’t move your company premises, and forget about the tender. Follow up and keep informed of the process.
15. Follow through Tendering is neither an easy nor cheap process, so maintain your presence and relationships and follow through with the contracts to the best of your company’s ability. Let your work speak for itself.

http://www.news24.com/Archives/City-Press/10-tips-to-get-a-government-tender-20150429

Women in architecture

Women in architecture have been documented for many centuries, as professional (or amateur) practitioners, educators and clients.

In 1980 M. Rosaria Piomelli, born in Italy, became the first woman to hold a deanship of any school of architecture in the United States, as Dean of the City College of New York School of Architecture.

Recent studies also show that from the 1980s, women, as housewives and consumers, were instrumental in bringing new approaches to design, especially interiors, achieving a shift from architecture to space.

A study on experience in Canada highlights the widespread contributions women have made in recent years, developing innovative approaches to practice and design.

Marion Mahony Griffin (February 14, 1871 – August 10, 1961) became the world’s first woman to be officially licensed as an architect:

Signe Hornborg: Signelinna (1892) in Pori, Finland, possibly the first building designed by a credentialed female architect:

Julia Morgan (January 20, 1872 – February 2, 1957) was the first woman to study architecture at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the first woman to work as a professional architect in California:

Several women architects have had considerable success in recent years, gaining wide recognition for their achievements:

Here are just a few examples of women who have excelled in their profession:

 

Zaha Hadid was born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1950,  and in 2004, she became the first woman to win a Pritzker Architecture Prize:

Kazuyo Sejima is a leading exponent of contemporary architecture. In 1981, she has designed some of the most innovative works of architecture built recently around the world. A list of notable projects include the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, the Serpentine Pavilion in London, and the Christian Dior Building in Omotesando:

Jeanne Gang is principal and founder of Studio Gang Architects, a 36-person architecture firm in Chicago, that has been recognized for its innovation and leadership in design. Ms. Gang’s work represents a diverse range of building typologies, from large-scale undertakings such as the 82-story Aqua Tower in downtown Chicago, which reconsiders the tall building as a site-specific structure, to the SOS Community Center on Chicago’s South Side, which visibly engages with the distinct material properties of concrete. In all of her projects, Ms. Gang explores new creative territory in materials, technology, and sustainability, and her work with Studio Gang has received national and international awards and recognition:

Recent statistics

Europe:

In a survey conducted by the Architects’ Council of Europe in 33 countries, found that there were 524,000 architects, of whom 31% were women. However, the proportions differed widely from country to country. The countries with the highest proportion of female architects were Greece (57%), Croatia (56%), Bulgaria (50%), Slovenia (50%) and Sweden (49%) while those with the lowest were Slovakia (15%), Austria (16%), the Netherlands (19%), Germany (21%) and Belgium (24%). Over 200,000 of Europe’s architects are in Italy or Germany where the proportions of women are 30% and 21% respectively.

 

Australia:

A study conducted in Australia in 2002 indicated that women comprise 43% of architecture students while their representation in the profession varied from 11.6% in Queensland to 18.2% in Victoria. More recent Australian data, collected and analyzed as part of the Equity and Diversity in the Australian Architecture Profession research project, shows that whatever measure used women continue to disappear from the profession. Women have comprised over 40% of Australian architecture graduates for over two decades, but are only 20% of registered architects in Australia.

 

United Kingdom:

A United Kingdom survey in 2000 stated that 13% of practising students were women although women comprised 38% of students and 22% of teaching staff. Data from the Fees Bureau in November 2010 showed, however, that only 19% of professional architects were women, a drop of 5% since 2008.

 

United States:

In the United States, the National Architectural Accrediting Board reported in 2009 that 41% of architecture graduates were women while the AIA National Associates Committee Report from 2004 gives the percentage of licensed female architects as 20%. In 2003, an AIA Women in Architecture study found that women accounted for 27% of staff in U.S. architecture firms.

 

Progress since 2000

Several women architects have had considerable success in recent years, gaining wide recognition for their achievements

In 2004, the Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid became the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Prize. Among her many projects, special mention was made of the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati and the BMW Central Building in Leipzig. When awarding the prize, the chairman of the jury, spoke of her “unswerving commitment to modernism” explaining how she had moved away from existing typology, from high-tech, shifting the geometry of buildings.” Since 2004, she has completed many other notable works including the Guangzhou Opera House in Guangzhou, China, and the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

In 2010, another woman became a Pritzker Prize winner, Kazuyo Sejima from Japan, in partnership with Ryue Nishizawa. Lord Palumbo, the jury chairman, spoke of their architecture “that is simultaneously delicate and powerful, precise and fluid, ingenious but not overly or overtly clever; for the creation of buildings that successfully interact with their contexts and the activities they contain, creating a sense of fullness and experiential richness.” Special consideration had been given to the Glass Center at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa in Ishikawa, Japan.

In 2007 Anna Heringer (born 1977, Germany) won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for her METI Handmade School built with bamboo and other local materials in Rudrapur, Bangladesh. An example of sustainable architecture, the project was praised not only for its simple, humane approach and beauty but also for the level of cooperation achieved between architects, craftsmen, clients and users. Several RIBA European Awards have been won in recent years by the Danish firm Lundgaard & Tranberg where Lene Tranberg (born 1956) has been a key architect. Projects have included the Royal Danish Playhouse (2008) and Tietgenkollegiet (2005).

In 2010, Sheila Sri Prakash was the first Indian Architect invited to serve on the World Economic Forum‘s Design Innovation Council, where she created the Reciprocal Design Index as a design tool for Holistically Sustainable Development. She is the first woman in India to have established her in own firm. In 1992, she was a pioneer of environmentally sustainable architecture and had designed a home with recycled material

In 2013 Julia Morgan became the first woman to receive the AIA Gold Medal, which she received posthumously. In 2014 the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre, designed by Zaha Hadid, won the Design Museum Design of the Year Award, making her the first woman to win the top prize in that competition. In 2015 Hadid became the first woman to be awarded the RIBA Gold Medal in her own right.

In 2014 Parlour: women, equity, architecture published the Parlour Guides to Equitable Practice, which provide a practical resource for moving toward a more equitable profession, with a focus on gender equity.

 

Woman in architecture have made widespread significant contributions in recent years.

Women’s significant and growing presence in the profession has attracted more attention over the years with their innovative approaches to practice and design.

 

Source: Wikipedia

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SASSDS Life Cycle Costing App

SASSDA (Southern African Stainless Steel Development Association ) has a Life Cycle Costing App which can be downloaded free from the Google Playstore or the Apple App Store.

This useful app can be used by engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, end-users, specifiers and even members of the public, to determine the costs of using stainless steel in projects compared to alternatives based on realistic estimates of the total costs of products or structures across their full-service lives. The app requires minimal entry of key top-line data, before calculating a breakdown of the relevant costs and presenting the results in a convenient email format.

According to their website, http://sassda.co.za:

Stainless steels have traditionally been specified in applications where the primary requirement is corrosion resistance. However, since their invention over 100 years ago, stainless steels (of which there are more than 200 different types) have also been recognised for other attributes such as durability, versatility, quality, sustainability, hygiene, aesthetic appeal and, with the advent of Life Cycle Costing (LCC), economy!

LCC is a technique developed for identifying and quantifying all costs, initial and ongoing, associated with a project or installation over a given period. It uses the standard accounting principle of discounted cash flow, so that total costs incurred during a life cycle period are reduced to present day values. This allows a realistic comparison to be made of the available options. As far as material selection is concerned, LCC enables potential long-term benefits to be assessed against short-term expediency. Materials costs are assessed with their related implications, such as initial outlay, maintenance and its frequency, downtime effects and production losses, repair and replacement costs, and other operationally related costs such as manpower and energy consumption.

The total LCC can be broken down into components:

LCC      =          Acquisition Cost
+          Fabrication and Installation Cost
+          Maintenance Costs (periodic)
+          Replacement Costs (periodic)
+          Cost of Lost Production (periodic)
–           Residual (Scrap) Value.

Each of these terms must be known if a realistic result is to be calculated. The environment and scope of usage are, therefore, crucial in determining the LCC benefits when choosing materials.

A full Life Cycle Cost analysis thus enables the materials specifier to consider the implications of future cost in terms of both actual monetary value and inconvenience of future maintenance and replacements.

Stainless steels are 100% recyclable without any loss in quality no matter how many times the process is repeated. When products reach the end of their useful lives, over 80% of the stainless steel is collected and recycled. Stainless steels are durable and have low maintenance costs due to their corrosion resistance. There is no coating or painting requirement and normal maintenance would simply be occasional cleaning.
Stainless steel may not always be the cheapest candidate material for an application when considering upfront costs. However, its durability and ease of maintenance compensate for the sometimes higher initial purchasing costs and it is often the least expensive choice in a Life Cycle Cost comparison.

With the development of its own Life Cycle Costing programme in the 1990s, the Southern African Stainless Steel Development Association (SASSDA) was able to determine the costs of using stainless steel in projects compared to alternatives based on realistic estimates of the total costs of products or structures across their full-service lives.

Full details and links to download the App can be obtained on the SASSDA website at http://sassda.co.za/life-cycle-costing-campaign and for a full explanation of how Life Cycle Costing works, you can also view their latest SASSDA YouTube channel video.

Information sourced from http://sassda.co.za

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