27 Mar 2017

Did You Know #DYK: We have Architects on our Directory? (Guided Search)

by Kerrilyn Cochrane | posted in: Did You Know | 0

We have Architects on our Directory? (Guided Search)

The definition of an Architect:

1. A person who engages in the profession of architecture.

2. A person professionally engaged in the design of certain large constructions other than buildings and the like: landscape architect; naval architect.

3. The deviser, maker, or creator of anything: the architects of the Constitution of the United States, Verb (used with object)

4. To plan, organise, or structure as an architect: The house is well architected.

Reference: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/architect

So now that we know what an Architect is/does – let’s find them on Leads 2 Business’ Directory:

There are a few ways of finding Architects on our Directory, namely by keyword, then under Professional Type and also Trades. We are going to go through the different ways:

Firstly, we are going to search by keyword: this search looks in the description & name fields. So any company, division, branch, contact with the word Architect(s) in the name or description field will be found.

On your Dashboard – click on “All” and select Directory – in the Search box type “Architect/s” – click the magnifying glass.

The search results will show all the Architects on our Directory, you may filter your results by using the toolbar on the left of the screen. By clicking on Region, you are able to search for Architect/s in a specific Region, etc. You are able to view the details by clicking either the contact, Branch, Division or Company level.

Secondly, we are able to search for Architects on our Directory by searching with Professional Type (under the toolbar): Looks for all contacts with the contact type of Architect & companies/division/branches with one contact with the architect type.

On the Directory search page, the Toolbar on the left – select Professional Type – Scroll to and then click in the box next to Architects

Once again, to view the details of the Architect – click on the Contact, Branch, Division or Company level.

Then lastly, search for Architect/s by Trades (under Toolbar): This will search Branches with that trade selected as Architect/s. On the Directory search page, the Toolbar on the left – select Trades – scroll to and then click in the box next to “Consulting – Architect”:

You are able to view the details by clicking the contact, Branch, Division or Company level.

And that’s how easy it is.

For any assistance, never fear when L2B is near, we love hearing from you…. so contact us if you get stuck.

If you are interested in becoming one of our subscribers, please visit our website.
To view notes with screenshots on how to use our website, please visit our Wiki site.
To view more articles, please visit our blog.

About Kerrilyn Cochrane

20 Mar 2017

Did You Know #DYK: How to use the calendar

by Sharika Raman | posted in: Did You Know, How To, Recommended Reading | 0

How to use the calendar

In this busy lifestyle, it is so easy to forget appointments, especially when handling various tenders and projects on hand. Thanks to Leads 2 Business we have a solution to help you not miss out on any of your site meetings and appointments that will help you get your foot in the door at the precise time.

You can thank us later!

Thanks to the Calendar feature that syncs your selected reminders to your emails it will make it easier for you to remember the important dates.

How do you utilise this feature you may ask? Easy!!!

Once you have opened up your selected Project or Tender that you are interested in.

You will see the Reminder Icons on your right adjacent to the Assigned Icon

And next to the Site Inspection and Closing Date for Tenders

Click on the Reminder Icon and a pop-up screen will appear as below.

You will then click on “Create reminder” which will take you to the next step which will give you a selection of options.

You then have the option to select the reminder you need and insert a small note if it is a follow-up reminder. The reminder can be sent to your email and your mobile phone (depending on your preferred method of communication). Please note the mobile reminder will only reflect should you have an active mobile number on your profile.

Once you have completed the steps above, click on save changes to save the reminder.

The reminder will then reflect on your calendar.

Please note the time reflected on your reminder is not the time your reminder will be sent to you.

The reminder will be sent to you on the morning of the reminder date so you can plan your day more efficiently.

The website also has a Download ICS function on the calendar that can assist you to synchronise your reminders with your email Calendar, given that your program is compatible, for eg. Outlook.

You can use this in the following steps:

Click on the “Actions” icon on your calendar

Once you click on “Download ICS”, it will give you a range of calendar selection, selection the option you prefer and apply.

So there we have it, now you have no excuses to miss any appointments and get the ball rolling on prospective tenders and projects.

About Sharika Raman

I have worked for Leads 2 Business from January 2015. I started in the Leads 2 Quotes Department for Directory, in January 2020 I was promoted to the Deputy Head of Department for Leads 2 Quotes and in July 2021 I was promoted to the Accounts Department as a Debtors Administrator. I enjoy time with my family creating memories, I like to socialize but also enjoy time to myself so I try to keep a balance by indulging in some quiet time when I can. I see myself as a realist, amazing wife and awesome mom…I am sure my family would agree.

17 Mar 2017

Did You Know #DYK: Market Intelligence

by Lee Finch | posted in: Did You Know, Frequently Asked Questions, Recommended Reading | 0

Market Intelligence

Using Intelligence in your business approach.

Businesses often make the mistake of surveying their marketing landscape and assuming what works now will work in 5 years’ time. Economic fluctuations continuously occur and these will affect spending. An economic downturn means fewer opportunities with the same number of competitors.

Gaining competitive advantage means having clear objectives:

Streamline your approach; know your industry, know your competitors, have solid knowledge of your company’s strengths and points of differentiation.

Be flexible; regularly assess industry movements, use available information and align your strategies to fit current trends.

Plan ahead; determine which areas to focus on and ensure you are prepared to respond to the inevitable challenges.

Tracking trends and fluctuations give you a steady overview of your corporate landscape, utilise the data to allocate necessary time and resources to the areas that will grow your business.

Using our construction leads platform, we’ve given a breakdown of tenders for each of South Africa’s provinces, including the most populated tender types:

About Lee Finch

I started my journey at Leads 2 Business in 2004 as an account executive. In 2006 I moved over to MAPRO (Marketing, Advertising and PRO), and in 2012 I became a Director. It’s exceptionally rewarding being a part of the Leads 2 Business team. I’m incredibly proud of the achievements and business ethos and I’ve always firmly believed we offer a valuable service, fine-tuned to our subscriber needs. I am a Mom of two beautiful children, a lover of human interaction, laughter and light, sprinkled with a generous dose of fun.

6 Mar 2017

Did you Know #DYK: L2B is Mobile friendly

by Carmen Barends | posted in: Did You Know, Frequently Asked Questions | 0

L2B is Mobile friendly

What is mobile friendly?

Have you ever had the experience when you pop onto a website on your mobile (cell phone) or tablet and have to constantly keep scrolling left to right and up and down just to get around? You keep adjusting the fields making them bigger and smaller to type your data in? It can be a real pain. I know, #firstworldproblems right? But it can be truly frustrating for a Client or prospective Client. One that may just end up having them decide it is all too much like hard work and leave your website in search of something simpler. So what is mobile friendly? In layman’s terms, it means that you can view the website on various devices, i.e. cellphone, tablet, laptop, note…. So how do you get the website to do that? This is referred to as Responsive Web Design.

Responsive Design

According to Wikipedia responsive web design can be defined as an approach to web design aimed at allowing desktop web pages to be viewed in response to the size of the screen or web browser one is viewing with.

Just what I said 🙂

But to make it easier for those that are a little more visual…

So what does this mean for you?

Basically, L2B’s development team got together and went through our website page by page, feature by feature and designed our new website to be responsive. What this in essence means is that we made sure that you have access to all your favourite bits as well as the other favourite bits that you couldn’t access on the previous app. We want to make sure that wherever you are (provided your cell network providers are giving you Internet access) and whatever you need to do on our website, you have access to it. That is exactly what our team have done. Now, it doesn’t matter if you have a cellphone or a laptop or a tablet or a Note …. you have us in the palm of your hand helping you keep up with the Industry.

Just in case you want to test it out… why don’t you try our handy help video library and see what you think. You can access it by clicking here – Help Library

Otherwise, call us on 0860 836 337 or mail us on Support@L2B.co.za .

Until then, see you next time 🙂

About Carmen Barends

Social media adventurer for Leads 2 Business, exploring new frontiers and taking new ground. “Not all those who wander are lost.” JRR Tolkien

27 Feb 2017

Did you Know #DYK: 5 Unique ways to approach lead generation

by Eldary Carpenter | posted in: Did You Know | 2

5 Unique ways to approach lead generation

When looking for ways to generate potential leads, being more creative could be very rewarding in generating leads. Here are 5 unique ways to approach lead generation to help you catch the ‘big fish’:

Use words that will capture attention

The ideal advert is short and sweet so it goes without saying that the words you do end up using needs to make the biggest impact possible. Using words such as “Inspired”, “Inimitable”, “Peerless” could capture more attention than simply using the word “Unique”

Use recognisable Tunes or Phrases

When Adelle’s new song titled “Hello” was released, everyone would read anything about this popular song they enjoyed listening to. When there was huge interest flowing in the direction of this song, companies used the opportunity to direct attention to their products and services in a novel and memorable way.

Use pictures and make it easy to read

When using pictures and logo’s, make sure the writing is clear and to the point. People don’t have the time to read an essay when the bottom line could have been summed up in a short sentence. Use slogans or one-word descriptions explaining what your company does. Pictures help your audience remember what you do. Brand your car in a way that cannot be missed.

Give Free Gifts

Everyone loves getting freebies. Instead of only advertising in the paper or on a billboard, consider advertising on promotional t-shirts. Give out fun, practical and meaningful gifts that are branded with your logo and slogan. It is all about generating interest in what your company does.

Publishing Interesting or Engaging polls

People are always looking for new ways to simplify their lives, use that to your advantage by adding an interesting article or advice that your audience would find particularly helpful. For example, when a painting company publishes helpful tips on how to maintain painted surfaces in your home, they would be more inclined in giving the ‘expert’ a call to come and help them with their renovations. Similarly, a plumbing company could give useful tips on how to keep your drains clean and clear using cost-effective methods.

Resource: https://www.awwwards.com/99-creative-logo-designs-for-inspiration.html

www.business.com/sales-and-marketing/5-unique-ways-to-generate-leads-for-your-business/

About Eldary Carpenter

I have been with Leads 2 Business for 5 years and absolutely love working for such a dynamic company. I started off as a Content Researcher in the Tenders Department before being promoted to Customer Relations.

13 Feb 2017

Did You Know #DYK – Painless ways to save more money

by Claire Donaldson | posted in: Did You Know | 2

Painless ways to save more money

Painless ways to save more money

First of all, I don’t think there any painless ways to save money. It is far easier and more fun to spend money. Saving money leans to the more boring and responsible decision making aspects of our lives, and sometimes you just don’t want to be any more responsible than you already are. Even if it’s better for you. In the long run. But you’re not dealing with the “long run” now, are you? Plus “saving more money” implies that you are saving money currently, and have extra money to stash away. Everyone’s financial situation is different. Some are more fraught than others. Maybe you only have to support yourself, and you can be a little bit more reckless since your decisions and choices only affect yourself. Perhaps you have people that are dependent on you, so your decisions have to take others into account as well. There’s only so many that can fit into a fridge box under a bridge (worst case scenario). I do have people dependent on me. So I approach my money from a variety of angles. Do I have all the answers? Hardly, she chuckles while not making eye contact with the credit card bill. Do all the little tricks work all the time? Nope. You see there’s this thing called “life” and it tends to happen at the worst possible time. But if you don’t have a plan or an approach, then there’s no getting anywhere.

Monthly Bills:

Write everything down – Whether you have a little budget you fill in each month or whatever, keep track. Not saying something because “you forgot” or “you didn’t get a bill” (our Municipalities are not the most reliable), is the easiest way to get behind. Writing everything down also allows you to compare month to month, and address any weirdly high bills, and follow up when you haven’t received a bill/ statement.

Annual Bills – Make note of your Annual bills as well. Know when your licences need to be renewed (e.g. TV, car and drivers’) and any other once a year expense (e.g. annual vaccines for the pets). You’ll be able to plan for these expenses and won’t be caught short and avoid any additional costs involved for being late (i.e. fines)

Annual Instalment Increases – Know when your instalments go up. Medical aid, Retirement Annuities, Insurances, Membership fees etc will all have an annual increase of some sort. Make note of when they go up and make note of what the new fees are. Can you ask for a discount or negotiate a different rate? If you aren’t paying attention, you will never know.

Save – Treat your monthly savings as an expense. I don’t care how much you put away each month, put something away. And make sure you can’t touch it easily. A 32-day call account is a good option for this.

Debt:

Are you serious about getting out of or reducing your debt? And I’m not talking about talking about it. Like everything in life, seeing is believing and doing is the hard part. Wishing it away doesn’t work. If you are not serious, then it’s not going to happen. Worrying about money is corrosive. And debt is a hole we dig for ourselves while lamenting and weeping about how deep the hole is we’re currently standing in and still digging. Everyone has debt in some form or another. I was completely debt free for all of a couple of seconds awhile back. Lovely feeling. Short-lived. Working to get back there. If you are not willing to make the hard decisions (read: not fun decisions) then shut up about your debt. And here’s another kick in the guts; it’s your fault you are in debt. (Shock! Horror!) No one else’s fault, but your own. (Disclaimer: In the case of identity theft, it’s not your fault. Bad luck. I hope it works out) So where do you start:

DO NOT make more debt – Simple. Straightforward. Draw a line in the sand, and do not cross it. Debts breed debt. So stop making more. Suffer but do not make any more debt.

Write EVERYTHING down – Do not be conservative or selective. Don’t write down only the big stuff. Write down who you owe, how much you owe and how much you pay them each month. Be ruthless. You can’t begin to start clearing it all if you don’t know the numbers. It can be daunting but suck it up. Make that list, and keep track every month. You want to be able to know at any given point how much you owe who and how much longer it’ll take to pay them off. Plus this will also allow you to see the horror that is “interest”.

Snowball payments – Once you’ve paid off one creditor, add that instalment to the next creditor on the list. You won’t miss the money, as you haven’t had it up to this point to put it to work. This allows you to speed up your repayments. Keep doing this until everything is paid and you are free and clear. Once you’ve paid off accounts, especially clothing accounts, close them. If you got into trouble with them in the first place, then they’re not working for you. Cut up the cards.

Bonus’ and unexpected windfalls – Depending on the sum, depends on what you do with it. If you are drowning in debt, any unexpected windfall triggers the “spend till we drop” knee-jerk reaction. I, however, hate being asked what I did with a large sum of money and not being able to actually pinpoint where it went. It’s different if you can say “Oh it went to the last holiday” or “the house or car”. Having to answer “I don’t know” is quite disheartening, especially if the money could’ve helped you in quite an impressive way and if you’ve just spent 10 minutes bemoaning your own financial status. If your huge wad of cash isn’t big enough to completely wipe out a particular pile of debt, stick it away into a savings account until it is big enough. If it is big enough, pay off the debt. Kill it, kill it dead. This is the boring and responsible decision making part of your life. This is where you choose to be serious or not. Urgh….so not fun.

Know it takes time – Be patient. Persevere. It might seem never-ending, but it will end and you will have reached your goal. And you might get to brag that you are “DEBT FREE”. Not many get to do that.

Saving

Everyone should be saving each month. It doesn’t matter how much you start with, as long as you start. Saving tends to be goal orientated. You’re saving towards something. They say that you need to have an Emergency Fund (3 to 6 months of living expenses), Short Term Goal (annual expenses) Mid-term Goal (holidays etc) and Long-Term Goal (Retirement). To say that this is overwhelming is an understatement.

Emergency Fund is basically in case of retrenchment. Should you get retrenched, you still have bills to pay and you should be able to live off this Fund until you get back on your feet. If you already have retrenchment cover in place; then you’re pretty much covered here. And good for you but a little extra can’t hurt.

Short Term Goal can be a fund for your annual expenses. You know how much your annual expenses will come to, so you save up to cover these. No scratching around for money to renew your Drivers License, as you’ve already saved towards it.

Mid-Term Goal is usually the fun ones. You plan on going on holiday or buying a new car or house. It’s not hard to be motivated to save towards these kinds of goals as they add to life’s little joys and they are something to look forward to.

Long-Term Goal is your plan and saving towards retirement. Unfortunately, you have to think about retirement and plan now. You can either have a Provident Fund, Retirement Fund, Retirement Annuities or a combination as well as a good old-fashioned savings account with awesome interest that you don’t touch for 30 to 40 years. The Grant for Older Persons (previously known as the Old Age Pension) is R1500.00 a month. Can you live on R1500.00 a month now? No? Then you won’t be able to do it when you’re retired either. If you already have a plan in place, then pay attention to it. Know how much it’ll be worth when you retire.

To Start Saving:

Have a Plan – Know how much you need to save each month and how long you need to save to reach your end goal. Do the maths.

Cut back on Expenses – Go through your monthly expenses with a fine tooth comb and see where you can cut back. Do you buy lunch each day, when you can bring lunch to work? Are there cheaper more cost effective options for your monthly shopping? Check your banking fees and cell phone account. Question everything. Are you paying towards a monthly Gym membership but have never gone? Cancel it. Go through your cupboards and use up what you already have so you don’t have to buy more. You will have to sacrifice. Whether you’re saving for an overseas trip or saving to pay off your debt faster; you will have to go without. Accept it now.

Create a No Spend Tracker – If you are serious about cutting down on your daily spending, then keep track. It’s generally the small daily amounts that fly under the radar that add up, so make yourself accountable. How long can you go without spending anything? See example here

Loyalty Rewards – Once these accumulate, these can be quite helpful. Know what loyalty points you earn where, and if you aren’t earning them; sign up.

Join a Savings Club – A Savings Club takes commitment. If you are not serious about paying in each month, then don’t even think about it. These only work when everyone who participates is on the same page and has respect for the process. If you are serious, a Savings Club can be your annual nest egg to be used wisely.

Sales and Specials – Slightly counterproductive in advocating saving of money but taking advantage of specials and sales can be extremely helpful. Stock up on 3 for 2 specials for toiletries and non-perishable items and bulk buy. If you have a nice stockpile built up, who knows how long you can go without having to spend anything again. Obviously, within reason. You’re not a doomsday prepper preparing for the apocalypse. Buy birthday and Christmas presents throughout the year. December and January are traditionally quite lean months for myself, so if I have all my Christmas presents bought before December; this helps a great deal

Add extra to monthly bills – By the end of the year, you would’ve built up a nice credit and can actually skip those bills over either December or January. The extra cash can either carry you through these lean times, help prevent more debtor can go into your savings.

Money matters are something that we have to learn from experience. So set yourself a goal and make smart choices. It won’t be easy or quick, but it will be worth it.

About Claire Donaldson

I started working at Leads 2 Business in February 2005, and have served as Head of Department of Daily Tenders from 2007 until the present. I oversee both the Daily Tenders South Africa and Africa Departments.

6 Feb 2017

Did you Know…? #DYK New Tendering Rules will change the way you do business.

by Gerrit Davids | posted in: Did You Know | 2

New Tendering Rules will change the way you do business.

Tenderers are required to make changes in the way they submit government tenders, especially in relation to sub-contracting.
Bids and tenders submitted without taking the below points into consideration stand to have their tenders deemed ‘unacceptable’ or could face hefty fines!
Gerrit Davids, owner and facilitator of a tender advisory consultancy, walks us through the new Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) Regulations.

The new Regulations from the outset grants an organ of state the authority to stipulate a ‘Preferred Minimum BBBEE Level’ in a tender, which will exclude certain companies with a lower BBBEE Level from submitting bids.

The Regulations will allow the state to include wide-ranging Sub-Contracting stipulations, which could force principle bidders to make use of up to 8 x different types of sub-contractors under the ‘Pre-Qualification Criteria’. Failure to do so will have the bid being declared ‘unacceptable’.

The value of the 80:20 and the 90:10 Preference Point Systems has been increased to below and above R50m respectively. However, it retains the current scoring of points for Price alongside that of BBBEE in tenders.

The new Regulations also place a 25% maximum on Sub-Contracting, which is done in the ordinary course of business with companies that have a lower BBBEE level than that of the principle bidder. Failure to comply with this stipulation will also cause tenders to be disqualified from consideration.

Regulations are introducing a new approach to pricing where a bidder scores the ‘highest points’ in a tender but its price is not market related and (the bidder) refuses to adjust it to be in-line with market related prices. The organ of state will have the right not to award the tender to such a bidder and it may even decide to cancel it.
An additional stipulation to the Regulations makes it obligatory for an organ of state issuing tenders to ‘make available a list’ of potential sub-contractors that qualify under the definition of ‘designated groups’ and such a list must be subject to approval by National Treasury.
The much-debated stipulation of compulsory Sub-Contracting of 30% for all tenders above R30m in value will also be allowed ‘where feasible’ to advance any one or more of the ‘designated groups’ as defined by these new Regulations.

Another key regulation stipulates that sub-contracting, which was not mentioned in the bidder’s tender could only be done with the permission of the organ of state ‘after a tender has been awarded’. A 10% penalty of the total value of the contract may be imposed where the correct sub-contracting procedures were not followed or where information was withheld, a ban on doing business with the state for 10 years could also be imposed by National Treasury under these new Regulations.

Davids says, “The meaning and understanding of the concept of ‘being proactive’ becomes a very relevant application with this new dispensation. Tenderers will be left behind if they do not make the required changes in the way they submit government tenders, especially in relation to sub-contracting”.

The Regulations will come into effect on 1 April 2017 giving tenderers less than 3 months to prepare for its impact.

Should you wish to contact the author:

Gerrit Davids – Lead Advisor at TaranisCo Advisory CC
Tel. 011-026 4891
Cell. +27 (0)82 496 1657
E-mail: advisor@taranis.co.za
Website: www.taranis.co.za

About Gerrit Davids

Gerrit Davids is the Lead Advisor at Taranis Co Advisory with more than 20 years experience in government procurement regulations and having trained more than 2000 people on how to submit compliant tenders.

17 Jan 2017

Did You Know #DYK – A Walk Through Your Advisory Setting

by Sherina Shawe | posted in: Did You Know, General, How To | 1

A Walk Through Your Advisory Setting

Welcome to the 1st edition of a new supplement we are adding to our weekly Blog called “Did You Know”.

We will use this insert to either teach you something new or refresh your memory on something old, but still interesting to know ;).

Today I’m going to give you the ins and outs and lowdowns of your Daily Advisories….. and right now I’m hoping you are not squinting your eyes and asking “What is a Daily Advisory?” lol! but just in case you are….. Lets start from the beginning 😉

Simply put, your Daily advisory is all the leads we send you on a daily bases, according to the filters YOU selected.

So, Did You Know – you can adjust your Daily Advisory whenever you like? well, you can and this is how!

Once logged in – Hover your cursor over your Name, this will bring up a drop down menu as illustrated in the below diagram.

Select Advisory Setting and let us begin:)

There are 7 Consecutive Steps you need to follow.

Step 1 – Email Set Up:

This is the email you have indicated to us as the one you want to receive all Advisories on. The Tick indicates that this email address has been verified, If you did not receive a verification email or if it got lost – you may click on the Action tab and resend the verification email to yourself.

Below that is a list of the advisories you are paying for – you may De-select any of these if you like (This will not alter your current monthly rate)

So why would you want to deselect an advisory? well for instance, if you are subscribed to Private Projects, we give you Daily Tenders for free, however you may decide you are not interested in receiving Government Tenders…. then you would just simply remove the tick next to Industry Advisory 🙂

Step 2 – Categories:

This is where you decide exactly what leads you are wanting to receive.

First lets go though the Tender Categories – you may select as many or as few of these as you like.

*Please be advised that if you opted out of receiving an Industry Advisory in the previous step, you should not have anything selected here.

Project Categories: Often large developments have both a building and infrastructure element and because both of these elements may not interest you, we have given you the power to choose whether you would like to receive updates on both or just one.

Project Status: These are the various stages in which a Project moves through from Conceptual right up until Completion.

Once again, we don’t see why you should receive information that is irrelevant to what you do, so here you get to decide what stages of the Project you would like to receive.

* Please be advised that the last two options will not be available to you, unless you are a Private Projects Subscriber.

OK so lets move on.

Step 3 – Values:

If you have a CIDB Grading you can be quite specific here, however if you are, for example, a Consultant and don’t require a CIDB, you should still select all, as there will be instances where a tender is Turnkey and there may be a CIDB requirement for the contractor all on the same tender.

Just for interest sake I have listed below the industries that may apply for a CIDB grading 🙂

The Project Values refer to the size of the Development, here you may decide which size Projects would be of interest to you .

Step 4 – Industries

Now this is two fold, firstly if you have Tender Categories selected, here you get to be specific about the industries you service.

For instance: If your company was in the security sector and really only supplied and installed security solutions to the Hospitality & Leisure as well as the retail sector, then this is what your advisory would look like:

* Please note that without an industry selected, your selected Category will be deemed null and void.

OK so that covers the use of industries for your Government Tenders, now to explain them in Projects.

Now remember, you would have already selected whether you are interested in the Building or Infrastructure Projects in Step 2 – Categories

So now lets say you selected only Building, you can now use the industries selections to tell us in what industry you would like to receive Building Projects ….. are you still with me?

You would not select anything pertaining to Infrastructure, for example Roads or Water.

Step 5 – Regions:

Regions are subscription dependent, meaning the following:

Daily Tender SA – You may Select as many regions under the South Africa selection.

Daily Tender Africa – You may select any of the Non South African Regions.

Daily Tender SA +Africa – You may select from all the regions available.

Private Projects – You may select from all the regions.

Step 6 – Keywords

This is your fail safe step, this ensures you miss nothing!

First search for your keyword, then Select the keyword and by using the action tab, click on the add Keyword drop down.

And just like that you have added your first keyword.

You can select multiple words and add them to save time:) – You may select up to 80 Keywords.

And here we are at our final step…

Step 7 – Custom

These options are self explanatory, however I do want to clarify the following:

By ticking this option, we will still send you an advisory even if there is a day whereby your filters don’t match anything we have updated or published for that day. If this option is ticked and you DON’T receive an advisory on a particular day – give us a call so we may see what the issue was.

5,6,7. You may select one of these in order to receive a breakdown of all your monitored Projects

8. Automatic Monitoring saves you from having to go through Projects and having to monitor them yourself. By selecting this option, the system will automatically monitor all Projects published that match your filters.

Once you have gone through step 1 to 7 and are happy with your selections please make sure you click on the SAVE tab at the bottom of the page 🙂

And that is our walk through your Advisory Setting :).

Of course if you are still unable to do this yourself, you are always welcome to contact your Account Executive or call Head Office for assistance:).

I hope you found this helpful, if so, please look out for our next edition of DYK 🙂

If you are interested in becoming one of our subscribers, please visit our website.

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

To view more articles, please visit our blog.

About Sherina Shawe

I am a strong believer in "What you put in , is what you will get out" and this drives me every day, whether it's at home with my gorgeous family or at work where I get to fuel my competitive spirit. I love who I am and who I'm becoming. I love where I am , but more importantly where I'm going.... #EternalOptimist #Aspire2Inspire

27 Apr 2016

Is going off the Grid Feasible?

by Claire Donaldson | posted in: Did You Know | 0

Most households have experienced the inconvenience of load shedding or no water or both. This led to people preparing on some scale, particularly in response to load shedding. Whether it was torches, batteries and candles or installing gas appliances or hybrid appliances or installing generators; people reacted to minimise the inconvenience of being without power. Being without water, just meant looking into rainwater harvesting tanks, or boreholes or greywater systems. In the current water shortage, these are not bad ideas. In fact, it’s just common sense. Some households have adopted all of these in a bid to save money and be more environmentally conscious. But is it off-the-grid? The below definition is supplied:

The term off-the-grid (OTG) can refer to living in a self-sufficient manner without reliance on one or more public utilities. Off-the-grid homes are autonomous; they do not rely on municipal water supply, sewer, natural gas, electrical power grid, or similar utility services. A true off-grid house is able to operate completely independently of all traditional public utility services.

So how do these homes generate their power and get their water?

Electrical power: Electrical power can be generated on-site with renewable energy sources such as solar (particularly with photovoltaics), wind, micro-hydro, geothermal; with a generator or Micro combined heat and power with adequate fuel reserves. Such a system is called a stand-alone power system.

Water: On-site water sources can include a well, stream, or lake. Depending on the water source, this may include pumps and/or filtration. Rainwater can also be harvested.

In reading up about off-the-grid homes, it became apparent that there is very much a cost consideration. Those that have gone full “off-the-grid” almost seem to treat it like a challenge.

How far can they remove themselves from the everyday use of public utilities? Obviously, there’s the cost of setting up whichever system you’ve chosen. Then it involves how long until you recoup your costs of the equipment and installation. If you make your money back, and then continue to function without having to fork out for power and water; then you’re golden. But I wondered about the expertise involved. I, myself, have very little knowledge about battery lifespans and generators and ensuring that I don’t blow something up; while connecting all the bits and bobs that are required to power my home. So is it a case of just hiring the correct professional to assess and set you up, while you learn to read battery levels and be aware of where your hot water is currently coming from?

Is that it?

Just becoming conscious of what you require every day for your home, and where it is coming from? Has the convenience of public infrastructure removed us from our individual impact on said infrastructure and the environment? Is that why we get so upset when Eskom turns off the lights? Because now we actually have to consider how dependent we are? But this isn’t true for all. This is very much centred on the urban and suburban communities. We have electricity and water. And we have options should these be temporarily turned off. Are all those shacks out in the stix considered off-the-grid? Where do women walk kilometres to bring backwater? The communities that use the car batteries that you see being pushed in wheelbarrows? Where paraffin and Lion matches, are staples. Are these homes that are not connected to electricity or running water or sewer systems, considered environmentally conscientious and green? No. These homes and people that are doing without. Never mind no access to basic services, the fact that wood and coal are burnt for cooking and warmth doesn’t help the environment or people’s health. Lack of sanitation has a detrimental impact on public health. The Government has a responsibility to get everybody onto the grid, but at the same time is encouraging innovation and environmental thinking to allow people to get off the grid.

The National Infrastructure Plan was adopted in 2012 in a bid to get basic services to those communities that are without. Its aim is to get electricity to the people, and water and sanitation. To improve lives. To ensure safety and healthy living conditions. How does this weigh up with the drive to be greener and environmentally conscious? More connections to the existing infrastructure, weaken it. (Eskom, I’m looking at you). We’ve seen it. The new RDP houses have been built and they all have solar panels and solar water heaters. A bid to meet all requirements halfway. But we’ve also read the articles where they haven’t been installed correctly and are woefully facing the wrong direction. North, the solar panels are apparently supposed to face north. So once again, it’s a balancing act.

Existing infrastructure has to be maintained, it then has to be increased to increase coverage and capacity. But this has a greater impact on resources and the environment; which is so not on in this day and age. So what do you do? Any damn thing you can. If you just want to not be paying huge electricity and water bills, then pay attention to how you are using these services. Because let’s be honest, money is a huge consideration and motivator. Whether you leave buckets out in the rain or install full-on rainwater harvesting tanks; it all adds up. Solar panels, solar water heaters, restricting when your geyser is on and energy saver bulbs (which pretty much are your only option now) are all good habits and options to take on.

Off-the-grid definitely involves research and commitment and money. In some cases, it is very much a necessity and in others, it does seem a bit of a luxury.

Source
Wikipedia
Fin24
IOL
Ellies Renewable
Lotto Star
GovZa
SABC

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About Claire Donaldson

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