You may assume demolition is simply blowing things up. Some involve explosions but it is however way more technical than that. There are various demolition techniques that are considered as ‘demolition’.
It must be noted that before any demolition takes place the following practices need to be completed according to The Constructor
1. Surveying
2. Removal of hazardous materials
3. Preparation of plan
4. Safety measures
Taking the above into account the following (according to Civil Engineering News) are selected.
1. Non Engineering Demolition also known as Manual.
a) Refering to tools such as Sledge Hammers, Jack Hammers and Drillers which are used by workers.
Jackhammer Technique
2. Engineering Demolition which is split into 3 categories.
a) Mechanical Method:
Wrecking Ball (think Miley Cyrus but without the theatrics)
Pusher Arm technique (a specialised hydraulic arm used for smaller buildings)
Thermic Lance Technique (using flaming temperatures of 2500 0C to melt reinforcement)
Non-Explosive (drilling and filling with expanding slurry)
Concrete Sawing
Deliberate Collapse (significant structural items are removed)
Pressure Jetting (thanks to H20)
b) Implosion: Inward disintegration using explosives
c) Deconstruction: Non-structural and structural
Wrecking Ball Technique
Demolition encompasses many techniques and is often used in conjunction with new construction or renovation.
In conclusion, I’ll take inspiration from Rumi, ‘In this life many demolitions are actually renovations.’
The question I get asked the most being a Projects researcher is… ‘What are Projects all about?‘.
It is early days in 2018 and my understanding levels are still rebooting after the holidays. I thought I would try and provide an explanation that may be a little tongue in cheek and also help people remember easily what Projects are all about. So, in my analogy, I decided to do a comparison between Projects and Fishing (in my head this means only fly fishing, but you can use most fishing for this analogy).
Projects vs Fishing
What happens in a Project? Well, we follow the full life cycle of the Project (think of it like your life, from birth until your eventual end). Now a Project can be broken into a few defining stages, which is how we put our information into groups to make it easier to follow, understand and find your best area of benefit from a business perspective. So without further adieu, here are the various stages broken down for your ease of reference.
Conceptual
Projects
This consists of the appointing of the Client or Developer, Feasibility study, acquiring of funding and Request for Proposals (RFP).
Fishing
Your mind starts hatching a plan for getting away and going fishing. You are looking at your bank balance and wondering if this is a feasible decision.
Here the basic design is conceived along with the geotechnical study, EIA process, Town Planning and appointment of Professionals who will carry out these and other duties.
Fishing
You begin to look at the calendar and note when the public holidays are, what the weather is expected to be at the time (we all know how that effects fishing), the distance needed to travel and the people that will be involved in this trip.
The detailed design is completed and the Bill of Quantities prepared.
Fishing
You search fishing forums and websites, as well as Trip Advisor, Lodges and Google reviews for the best places to visit that, will supply your (fly) fishing needs.
The Project is sent to an Invited list of Bidders to Tender or goes out to Open Tender and once the Bids are received, negotiations with Contractors proceed.
Fishing
You make a decision on where you are going to fish and stay; book and pay. You alight in your chariot with all the correct tackle and head to your destination.
The Main Contractor is Awarded and applies for permits to begin on site.
Fishing
The weather is perfect, the fishing permit is in hand and as your line sinks into the watery depths, you feel a definite tug as you hook what feels like a bus of a fish.
The project is either classified as Complete, Cancelled or is Postponed.
Fishing
You successfully land the fish, or you lose the fish. The line wraps around either a tree, gets stuck in the weed or the hook breaks and the fish lives to fight another day.
And there you have it! Projects explained in a fresh and easy way. Parcels of information that help your business get a foot in the door at the right time. If you want to find out which stages are the best for what you do, take a look at ‘At which point in the Project Life Cycle can your Business find Value‘.
If you want to take a look at the other services we provide, you can take a look at ‘Snoop our Services‘.
How many fish are you planning to catch this year? Which of those fish will keep your Business in the black? Maybe taking a look at our Project service will help your Business and get you out fishing more often. If you are interested, pop me a comment on the Blog with your mail address or mail me at CarmenB@L2B.co.za and I will be sure to be in contact with you.
Social Media adventurer exploring new frontiers and learning how to survive. Tongue in cheek and mischief are the order of any good day topped with a sprinkling of laughter.
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 asan 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 🙂
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.
Social Media adventurer exploring new frontiers and learning how to survive. Tongue in cheek and mischief are the order of any good day topped with a sprinkling of laughter.
When I do training with any new L2B staff member, it involves the talk through of how we publish tender notices on the L2B website. What goes where, why this format is used etc. The spiel for Site Inspections is as follows “The site inspection date is the most important date on a tender notice. If a subscriber misses the site inspection they can’t tender and we’ve right royally screwed up”.Okay, maybe that last part doesn’t get said aloud. A lot. But it’s the truth. The ability to tender hinges on attendance to a compulsory site insection or site meeting, briefing session or clarification session or information meeting. It goes by many names, but it means the same thing when “compulsory” is used. Hell, even when a tender advert mentions “non-compulsory”; the level of importance doesn’t diminish. These meetings are scheduled for a reason. They are there to offer clarity, and give opportunities for questions to be asked, extensions to be requested, to scope out who else is at the meeting (alot of side eye going on) and to let potential tenderers experience and witness any challenges there might be involved in the contract. These meetings can be quite simple and straightforward with just a few companies, and other times you can have meetings with hundreds of companies being represented. We see some of these site attendance registers, and wonder how these meetings are handled due to sheer number of participants.
Technically, there’s supposed be to a certain amount of time between the first publication of the tender advert and the site meeting, and then again between the site meeting and the closing date. Technically. This doesn’t always happen. There could be a variety of reasons. Very few of them can stand the light of day. But it is a reality that needs to be taken into consideration. Time is of the essence, as they say. Go through your Advisory emails each day, so there’s no surprises concerning missed site meetings. Set reminders for yourself, and Monitor the tender notice to be updated should any of the information change.
Be aware when the tender documents are available, in relation to the site meeting. Sometimes there isn’t a problem, and the tender documents are available right up until the closing date. Other times, this is a huge consideration. If there’s a cut-off date for documents, know that this date will be adhered to and inevitably means that ‘no-chancers’ will be entertained.
Always question any discrepancies in the site inspection. Always question any discrepancy in the tender notice. Period. Whether it’s a contradiction between the advert and the documents, or two different adverts for the same tender, anything. The earlier we can establish what the correct information is, the better off everyone is. Sometimes the problem is glaringly obvious and we get on the phone and sort it out as soon as possible and don’t need to be prompted by our subscribers. Other times, it isn’t obvious.
Should you be attending the meeting and need help with directions, if you need our assistance, please try and ask before the day of the meeting. The stress levels go way up when I’m trying to track down a Municipality staff member who’s half way to the middle of nowhere to get directions to said middle of nowhere site meeting venue. The panic is real, folks. We know the importance of these meetings and how attendance and non-attendance affects our subscribers.
Any and all dates on a tender notice carry weight, and must be taken seriously. If there’s any doubt or confusion, feel free to contact us so that we might assist. Get yourself to those meetings, as they are an excellent way to network, experience the competition and represent your company to Municipalities, Government Departments and Consultants.
“Eight percent of success is showing up” – Woody Allen
“The world is run by those that show up ” Robert Johnson
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.
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.
Tracking Tender Opportunities that will derail your competitors
Like most things in life, knowing is half the battle. If you don’t know about a potential tender or opportunity, your option to take advantage and pursue it has been removed. To ensure that you’re always in the know, at least with Leads 2 Business, your Advisory Settings need to be set up to meet your needs. Leads 2 Business hinges on two parts; the daily Advisory email and the website (www.L2B.co.za).
The Advisory email is sent out each afternoon and delivers that days’ information straight to you. The email is based on the your Advisory Settings, so it stands to reason if the Advisory Setting isn’t set up satisfactorily then the Advisory email isn’t going to meet the your needs. Our subscribers have two complaints concerning the information we provide; there’s too much and there’s too little. Understandably this is a very precarious line to walk. Too little runs the risk of missing pertinent information; and too much means an information overload. I tend to favour ‘too much”. Better I decide what’s best for me rather than have someone or something else do it for me. But that’s just me. To reach a happy medium, is a combination of training (given by L2B staff), communication on the part of our subscribers (telling us what you want/ need & expect) and working through what you receive each day. You have full access to alter and update your Advisory Settings at any time, so if your company has expanded or diversified in some way; it follows that your Advisory Settings need to be updated to meet the new changes. The Advisory is sent out each day. This is extremely important because time is money. The earlier you are aware of a potential tender notice or new project; the more time you have to prepare for it.
The Leads 2 Business website is where you work through the information you’ve received. The most important aspect would be the ability to Search. The Search is now a global search, meaning one search field searches through our entire database (Private Projects, Daily Tenders, Directory and News). From this you can filter down further and get more specific. Why search when you receive the Advisory email? It’s a good safety net. It allows for the Advisory email to be super specific (so you aren’t scrolling for days), and the searches to be very general. Reaching that happy medium spoken of above. You even have the ability to “Dismiss” a tender from your search result should it not be what you are looking for, and never have to see it again. My advice when searching? Always ensure you’ve got “Newest” selected. L2B has been around for awhile, and information is our business, and we have a lot of it. “Newest” ensure the most recent results appear first.
Once you’ve found a tender you are interested in, whether tendering directly or subcontracting, you have the ability to Monitor the tender notice. Once you’ve Monitored a tender notice, you will receive updates on that particular tender notice, should there be any. Examples of these updates are addendums: changes to site inspections and closing dates. When documents are attached (for example: Site Inspection and Bidders Lists), you will be notified. These are helpful for pricing and subbies. Then you’ll be notified in the change of Status of the tender notice. Has it been cancelled or has it been retendered prompting you to go to the new tender notice. Has it been awarded, and you now have the awarded companies details. You can Monitor a tender yourself, or assign one of your Monitors (a colleague perhaps) to monitor a tender. The Monitors you add to your Profile will have access to those tender notices you assign to them. This allows you to assign potential opportunities to your colleagues and reps, and they will have all the necessary information at their disposal.
The various features available on the individual tender notices, are as follows:
Email the Researcher that created the tender notice for assistance.
Set reminders on Site Inspection dates and Closing Date
Request Site Attendance Registers & Bidders Lists – If there are Documents already attached, they are available to the right of the tender notice.
Request BoQ (Bill of Quantity) – If there is a BoQ already attached, it is available to the right of the tender notice.
Make your Own Notes
Download the Tender Notice
What’s the point of all of these features? To work the information. There are a variety of companies out there can benefit at a variety of stages in the procurement process. Consultants are required very early on, and sometimes through out the process. Contractors are interested in the tender stage and subcontractors and vendors can benefit from putting forward their company details even after completion.
What you put in, is what you get out. To be competitive is to be in the know. That involves being pro-active in all things. Leads 2 Business is a tool that can be hugely beneficial when used correctly. Talk to us. Training is free and there are various avenues to contact us. Email directly off of the tender notices and projects; LiveHelp allows you to chat to a L2B researcher directly; call us or submit Feedback. Suggestions are always welcome. The more we learn about the companies that subscribe to us, the more we understand how the information we provide is used. We work and learn together to keep on the right track.
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.
Have you ever received one of these and wondered why?
The reason you have received an RfQ email is because you are listed on our Directory as a Vendor. We have Buyers (main contractors) who subscribe to our Leads 2 Quotes platform who use our Directory to select Vendors to send RfQ’s to.
Basically these Buyers send us BoQ’s for each relevant contract. We (L2Q Bills staff) process these BoQ’s by formatting them and splitting each item into the relevant trades (which may sound simple but can often take many hours to decipher). The Buyers, using our Directory, select a trade and region and a list of the relevant Vendors under that Trade and Serviceable Region appear, they select who they want to send to and click ‘Send RfQ’. You (the Vendor) will then receive an RfQ email (as above).
You have received this email, now what?
Firstly you need to check if the RfQ you have received is relevant to what your company does. If not, you will need to click on the “Update my Trade Profile”.
If the items are of relevance and you would like to price you can click on “Intend to Price”. If the items are of relevance but you are unable to quote for that time period (see respond by date/start date) you can click on “Decline to Price”. This will indicate to us (L2B) and the Buyer (who’s details are listed on the top right hand corner of the email) whether you will or won’t be pricing.
You’ve decided to Price the RfQ, where to next?
You will need to go ahead and work out the relevant rates required. Remember to take note of the Buyers T’s & C’s as some of these may specify whether VAT should be exclusive or inclusive and whether delivery or labour should be included. If you require Drawings in order to price you can click on the “Drawings” link in order to view or download the drawings. If there are no drawings on that link you will need to contact the Buyer. It is vital to note that we only have the information that the Buyers have provided. Any additional information required that is not available online, will have to be requested directly from the Buyer by the Vendor.
In order to use any of the L2B online features you will need your Vendor login details (Registration is Free). If you cannot remember these or have never registered as a Vendor you are welcome to contact us, via email, telephonically or via our Live Help option in order to request assistance.
Once you have all your relevant rates you can then go ahead and choose how you would like to respond to the RfQ. You could choose Fax, Email or Online Pricing, please note that Online Pricing is the quickest and easiest.
You’ve (wisely) chosen to use Online Pricing, where do you start?
You can use Online Pricing by clicking on the “Price Online Now” link which will take you to the L2B website where you will log in using your Vendor login details.
Once logged in you select the Vendor Home page on the Home drop-down. Your Active RfQ’s will now be displayed where you can click on “Submit Price” next to the relevant contract number and you will be redirected to enter your T’s & C’s, after submitting, the “Pricing” page will be displayed where you can simply enter your rates for each item which are automatically multiplied by the quantity to give a total and a grand total in red at the bottom. You are also able to interact with the other tabs as their relevance requires. Once you are happy with everything you can click on “Submit Prices”, ticking the “Send a copy to my email” box if you would like to keep a copy of the pricing you have submitted.
What do you do once you’ve submitted your prices?
Once the contract is awarded you will receive a notification via email. If the Buyer who sent you the original RfQ is awarded the contract you can now follow up with them regarding the prices you previously submitted to see if they will require your services and how competitive your prices were. If the contract is awarded to a different contractor you can still contact them and offer to send them your prices (you should have a copy if you selected to send a copy to your email) or by logging into your L2Q Vendor Profile and clicking on the relevant “Download Sent Bill” icon.
Receiving and responding to RfQ’s has never been easier with Leads 2 Business Online Pricing.
Want to know more about being a Vendor/Buyer, our Platinum Directory Listing (PDL), Leads 2 Quotes (L2Q) or any of the other Services we offer? Contact me on SashaA@L2B.co.za
The difference between public tenders and private tenders is that public tenders are advertised in the public domain and are open to the public, and private tenders aren’t.
Can I go home now?
No.
Right….
The first problem is the terminology. Public vs open, private vs closed etc. I tend to favour “Public” and “Invited” when describing the difference between these two types of tenders. “Private” can be misconstrued. When someone asks me after a “private” tender, my first question is; are they looking for tenders from Private entities (which could be public or invited) or do they mean “invited” tenders? Private entities make use of publicly advertised tenders as well. Not a lot to be perfectly honest, but it is a way for them to freshen up their supply chain. So for the sake of clarity, I’m going to stick to “Public” and “Invited”.
Public tenders are predominately Government. That is literally the entire point of Government Procurement. The Government is spending the “People’s money”, so it better be out in the public domain where everyone and their uncle can have their say. [tweetthis]The five pillars are: Value for Money, Open and Effective Competition, Ethics and Fair Dealing, Accountability and Reporting, and Equity.[/tweetthis] “Open and Effective Competition” is represented by the public aspect of advertising your tender notices. These tender notices are advertised in newspapers (not for very much longer, apparently), eTenders, Government Tender Bulletin, Provincial Tender Bulletins, Government websites, Provincial websites, Municipal websites and Notice Boards. The information is out there to be found. If you can find it, then you can participate. Anyone can rock up to a site meeting or a tender closing; no one can stop you. However, the award is very much dependent on how you fulfill the specific criteria required. Anyone can play the game, but only the professional and serious have an actual shot at winning. Plus, generally fly-by-nights and chancers are not appreciated or tolerated. So don’t be one of these. Just don’t.
Public tender notices can be advertised by private entities/ companies as well. It isn’t very common, like I said; but it does happen. Most private entities have their own Supply Chain Management Department and processes. This department handles the supply chain process for that company. Does the company need a cleaning company or a new security company? Does the furniture need replacing? Are they considering building a new headquarters? These are the same types of questions that Government has to deal with, but it’s not out there for all to see. The private entities will usually utilise their tried and tested methods that they’ve been using for years. This rarely involves advertising to the public. The most common tool I’ve come across, is the Supply Chain Database. Private companies would have their own database that they maintain. They approach those companies listed, as they would already have a history with that company so there’s a certain sense of trust and expectation of product or service. Private entities, just like Government, do not want to be wasting their time and money on chancers. How do you get listed on a private entity’s database? Ask! Do you have a Supplier Database? Yes, awesome. Who do I send my company details to? What’s the procedure? You will never learn, if you don’t ask.
Unlike public tenders, invited tenders are generally only heard about after the fact. You tend to hear about them from your mates’ brother’s sister-in-law who overhead it at a bar brawl. Like bread crumbs scattered in the wind, and you have to chase them back to the source. Invited tenders are held very close to the chest. This, unfortunately, gives them a bit of a shady reputation. Not necessarily the case, since companies nowadays have time considerations and budgets that don’t really allow for un-invited delays and inclusions. The sad fact is, if you weren’t invited; then be prepared to be bounced from the party.
Government utilises invited tenders as well. Which is a neverending source for debate and scandalous speculation. When it’s all on the up and up, simply time and money are against going out to public tender. For example: an Emergency. When an actual emergency occurs, say a natural disaster, nobody is going to tolerate the Government or a Municipality going out to public tender. Why? It takes too long. So tenders are invited. Where would the contractors be sourced from, you ask? The applicable Supplier Database. Verbal quotes, or more likely written quotes are called for. In emergencies, the aim is to fix the problem as quickly and efficiently as possible to prevent further issues. Bear in mind, that all decisions related to this situation would have to be recorded. All decisions concerning Supply Chain Management, have to be recorded. Otherwise, a certain word starts surfacing“misappropriation”.
It’s also interesting to note, that “lack of planning” does not constitute an emergency. If suddenly a pen cannot be found in your Municipality for love nor money, then this is not an emergency but terrible terrible planning. It’s pencils for you, until the tender can be awarded.
Invited tenders can be the chosen form of procurement when specialty works or products are required. Supply Chain Departments are supposed to have an idea of who can do what for them. It they know that there’s stacks of suppliers of a certain product, then it’ll be open competitive bidding for them. But if they know there’s only two companies that can supply a certain product, it’s not viable to go out to public tender. Both companies are invited to tender, and one is awarded. There’s cases where there’s only one supplier/ contractor. That guy gets asked to price. It’s too costly and too time consuming to go out to public tender, when you already know who your suppliers could be. This actually implies that there’s a bit of common sense being utlilised in the Government. Someone actually hoped to save money and time, by not relying on mindless bureaucracy. Treasury Regulation 16A6.4 comes into play, but it has to be recorded and reported. Everything has to be recorded and reported.
Invited tenders can also be the result of other supply chain processes: Panels, Pre-Qualifications and Expression of Interests (EOI). These are the most common. Think of it as a gathering of potential suppliers/ contractors. They are assessed and then invited to tender. Generally, the pre-qualification/ EOI are out in the public domain. But the invited tenders will be behind the scenes. I tend to see these for long term projects, where a certain aim is hoping to be achieved. The idea being that if the Government wants to refurbish an entire Province’s schools (for example), then going out to tender for each individual school is just nuts. Get a group of potential pre-qualified contractors together in one go, and then divvy the jobs out as budgets and time allows.
When hoping to do business, hedge your bets.
If you want to work with a private company, talk to them. If you want to continue working with the Government, talk to them as well. Whether it’s public tender notices or invited, information is key.
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.
The first instinct when faced with the task of describing “A Day in the Life of a Researcher” is to list the various tasks and duties that have to be done throughout the day, and the week, the month and the year. The fact that the light slowly drains from my brother’s eyes when I waffle about my day, is a clear indication that this might not be the best approach. It’s not that he doesn’t care about what I do (I pay his bills, so he has a vested interest), it’s that the “how” has no context for someone on the outside. The usual follow up question is “It got done, right?” is a clear indication that the “how” is not as important as the end result.
“Researcher Sympathy” only comes from other researchers. Like “Accountant Sympathy” only comes from those who inhabit the daunting world of debits and credits. How long can you feign interest in that?
No one on the “outside” really cares how many phone calls you made, or how many people you had to speak to and introduce yourself to and state your purpose to and how far you had to stretch the definition of “polite and professional” for the information that is our bread and butter. If you aren’t in the trenches with us, then you can’t really understand the perseverance required sometimes. And if you’ve been nodding your head knowingly through that last sentence, then I hate to break it to you; but you are a Researcher. How many times today have you spelt “L-E-A-D-S, like leading someone”?
I reread my blog article “Understanding Awards” from 29 October 2014 for some sort of inspiration, and I’m happy to announce, nothing has changed. The same challenges and concerns, the same misapprehension and suspicion we faced back then is alive and well today. So how do I convey the energy spent and the time taken, without boring the life out of you or utilising the “humblebrag”.
[tweetthis]Our business is information. Fast and accurate information. [/tweetthis]This information takes the form of leads or doorways of opportunity, as you will. We present it, and our subscribers run with it.
Think of our day like a race.
There’s a starting point and an end (metaphorical because, especially on a Friday, it definitely feels like it will never end). And all along the way there’s certain checkpoints that have be reached and ticked off the list. Tender notices are meant to have a certain regularity to them. The Government Tender Bulletin is published each Friday, for example. If we don’t reach these checkpoints, we have to go in search of them or keep coming back until we can tick them off the list.
Think of it like an Easter egg hunt, where someone is constantly hiding Easter eggs.
Doesn’t tell you how many eggs there are but assures you that they are in fact out there. And sometimes hides the eggs in the same place that you’ve already searched over and over again at irregular intervals. And your phone won’t stop ringing while you are searching for these eggs, and some of the eggs are cracked. And then there’s Scam eggs. And you get the picture.
This race (I’m mixing my metaphors) is not a straight line, but a circle. It just starts again. And on the information ride, there’s nowhere to get off. These checkpoints can represent anything really. They are the newspapers we buy (maybe not for much longer according to National Treasury) and the websites we check. They’re the telephone calls and emails needing to be answered. They are our current subscribers and potential subscribers. They are the tender awards and award follow ups. Illusive site registers, bidder’s list, bills of quantity and tender documents.
It’s a bizarre balance between maintaining routine and consistency and then trying to adapt to the unexpected. Anything can throw a spanner in the works, from Municipal strikes to newspaper delivery to a slow internet connection. The balance between expectation and reality. It’s only experience and willingness that has taught us how to deal with these bumps in the road. The metaphorical duck on water comes to mind.Except the duck has developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and an unhealthy obsession with internet speed.
The long and the short of it is, that we deliver.
You don’t have to worry about the “how” because we’ve got that covered.
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.
I have enjoyed music all my life. There is no doubt that it plays an integral part of who I am. I enjoy anything from classical to rock to indie to reggae to alternative. In my choice alone, some would consider me a little unconventional. But that isn’t where it ends. I enjoy (exceptional) tattoos and consider it wearable art. Perhaps a little nonconformist I hear you say? Not to mention I like the idea of eco houses, container housing and other non standard building methods. Just because it is different, it doesn’t mean it is wrong. In fact, sometimes different can be exceptionally right.
I think most South Africans have gotten a good few picnic dinners with candles of late. Some relish the opportunity to ‘unplug’ from life and make the most of quality time with loved ones, while others lament lost time and money and the effect it is having on the economy. I am fairly certain that Companies retailing solar panels, solar geysers and lights as well as generators thank Eskom profusely for their increase in revenue. Flipping a switch to only find yourself still standing in the dark, in winter especially, definitely brings you to looking at alternative methods of getting things done and wondering how long we, as a nation, can continue on this (dark) road.
We all know that our amazing nation has an abundance of natural resources. So why not utilise them? Enter the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (try say that fast five times over) aka REIPPP. Say what? Well, the IPP procurement programme has been designed to contribute towards the target of 3725 Megawatts and socio economic and environmentally sustainable growth as well as to stimulate the renewable industry in South Africa.
The qualifying technologies in this programme are:
onshore wind
concentrated solar thermal
solar photovoltaic
biomass solid
biogas
landfill gas
small hydro
According to The Guardian ‘South Africa has been quietly creating one of the world’s most progressive alternative energy plans. Solar, biomass and wind energy systems are popping up all over the country and feeding clean energy into the strained electrical grid’. It seems that South Africa is taking revolutionary leaps forward in implementing clean energy solutions, but it also has the general view that it should be closely monitored.
The REIPP have recently added to their renewable projects currently underway in South Africa. Some of these include:
Wind
Construction of the 140MW Roggeveld Wind Farm. The wind farm will be situated on farms surrounding Sutherland, in the Northern Cape. This forms part of the Window 4 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement REIPPP programme.
Construction of the 117MW Golden Valley Wind Farm located outside Cookhouse, in the Eastern Cape Province. This forms part of the Window 4 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) programme.
Construction of the Riverbank Wind Energy Facility: Phase 1 entails the construction and operation of a wind energy facility and associated infrastructure. This is also known as the Wesley-Ciskei (33 MW) which forms part of the Window 4 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement REIPPP programme.
Biomass
Construction of a 25M biomass-to-power plant, known as Ngodwana Biomass Power Project, located at Sappi’s Ngodwana mill, outside Nelspruit in the Mpumalanga Province. This forms part of the Window 4 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement REIPPP programme.
Solar Photovoltaic
Construction of the 40MW Aggeneys Solar Photovoltaic (PV) energy facility located outside Aggeneys, in the Northern Cape Province. This forms part of the Window 4 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) programme.
Construction of the 75MW Konkoonsies 2 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) energy facility located near Upington, in the Northern Cape Province. This forms part of the Window 4 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) programme.
Construction of the 75MW Dyason’s Klip 1 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) energy facility located near Upington, in the Northern Cape Province. This forms part of the Window 4 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) programme.
Construction of the 75MW Dyason’s Klip 2 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) energy facility near Upington, in the Northern Cape Province. This forms part of the Window 4 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) programme.
Construction of the 75 MW Droogfontein 2 solar photovoltaic (PV) plant and all associated infrastructure on the Farm Droogfontein, in Kimberley, Northern Cape Province. This forms part of the Window 4 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) programme.
Construction of the 82.5MW Pulida solar photovoltaic park. The planned capacity will be 82.5 MWp DC – 75 mw ac and will be located on remainder portion of farm Klipdrift 20, Letsemeng local municipality, Xhariep district municipality, Free State province. This forms part of the REIPPP – Window 3 Projects.
Construction of the 75MW Sirus Solar Photovoltaic (PV) energy facility. The facility will be situated approximately 20km southwest of Upington, in the Northern Cape. This forms part of the Window 4 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) programme.
Hydro
Construction of the 5MW Kruisvallei Hydo located near Bethlehem, in the Free State Province. This forms part of the Window 4 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) programme.
I have heard the expression that ‘it’s never too late’ to start something. In the case of Eskom, I am sure some feel like they may be testing the boundaries of this expression. The point though, is that something is being done. Something quite revolutionary at that! So I for one, want to keep an eye on the array of projects to keep up to date with South Africa’s progressive steps toward creating clean energy for our overworked grid. I also think that it is maybe time that I start figuring out how to be part of doing something idiosyncratic in my nation instead of being part of the problem. #Justsaying
Social Media adventurer exploring new frontiers and learning how to survive. Tongue in cheek and mischief are the order of any good day topped with a sprinkling of laughter.
It’s usually hard to stay focused the last week before our Annual Golf Day. There is so much to organise for the actual day to make sure our Subscribers have an absolutely amazing experience. It makes it kind of tough to focus on doing your everyday tasks as well. But we are fortunate in that we have a team that is dedicated to the cause and always seem to pull the proverbial rabbit (or backhoe) out of a hat. Along with the amazing staff at Randpark Golf Club, we are going to make this year extra special because it is the 10th Golf Day held by Leads 2 Business (which in anyone’s books means celebration time). Meaning it’s a sentimental occasion and those at L2B will add extra ‘oomph’ to make sure that this is a day that our subscribers won’t easily forget.
The day commences with our subscribers being greeted with goodie bags by our lovely staff and registering to start their golf day. Then, as they step out they may happen upon the Audi Q5 (that we have sponsored) hoisted into the air with a crane sponsored by Eqstra. This acrobatic feat is in fact the prize for the person who can achieve a Hole in One on the 15th. That is quite something #JustSaying. Our Sponsors have gone out of their way planning their stands on both Tee and Green to keep the subscribers well hydrated (and highly entertained) along the course. You can see from some of the photos of the stands by sponsors in previous years what we mean. This year’s supporters also got additional branding by having their logos displayed as proud sponsors on an insert in Engineering News supplied by Leads 2 Business. To make sure you and your Company get extra brand coverage, we also encourage our subscribers to log onto social media and post pictures of their day. Tag us on Twitter at @L2Bcoza or the hashtag #L2BGolf or find Leads 2 Business on Facebook. Watch out for those selfies 🙂
In the evening, once our intrepid golfers have driven, chipped and putted to their hearts content, there is an amazing dinner and prize giving hosted by Emcee Dave Usendorff who is a fellow PGA Professional, Operations Director at The Els Club Copperleaf, Supersport Presenter and absolute golf nut!! (his words, not mine). You can check him out on Twitter as well at @DaveUsendorff.
After the festivities of the day and the evening our valued subscribers head off for the weekend with an armload of goodies and grins on their faces and (hopefully) many good memories. On this note though, over the years we have picked up a few golf tips and thought we would mention them to maybe assist in the smooth running of your game.
Tip 1: No matter how bad your last shot was, the worst is yet to come. This law does not expire on the 18th hole, since it has the supernatural tendency to extend over the course of a tournament, a summer and, eventually, a lifetime.
Tip 2: Your best round of golf will be followed almost immediately by your worst round ever. The probability of the latter increases with the number of people you tell about the former.
Tip 3: Brand new golf balls are water-magnetic. Though this cannot be proven in the lab, it is a known fact that the more expensive the golf ball, the greater its attraction to water.
Tip 4: Golf balls never bounce off trees back into play. If one does, the tree is breaking a law of the universe and should be cut down.
Tip 5: No matter what causes a golfer to muff a shot, all his playing partners must solemnly chant, “You looked up,” or invoke the wrath of the universe.
Tip 6: The higher a golfer’s handicap, the more qualified he deems himself as an instructor.
Tip 7: Every par-three hole in the world has a secret desire to humiliate golfers. The shorter the hole, the greater its desire.
Tip 8: Topping a 3-iron is the most painful torture known to man.
Tip 9: Kikuyu grass eats golf balls.
Tip 10: Sand is alive. If it isn’t, how do you explain the way it works against you?
Social Media adventurer exploring new frontiers and learning how to survive. Tongue in cheek and mischief are the order of any good day topped with a sprinkling of laughter.
