Building capacity to deliver
Building Capacity to Deliver
South Africa’s capacity to deliver quality infrastructure – on time, within budget, safely, and with care for the environment – is central to the country’s growth ambitions. Strengthening this capability is one of the key focus areas of the 2025 National Construction Summit.
Every role-player across the value chain matters: clients, built environment professionals, contractors, regulators, funders, and suppliers. From planning and design through to delivery and maintenance, the effectiveness of each party contributes to the overall success of infrastructure projects.
The Cost of Inefficiency
Inefficiencies and weak performance come at a devastating cost: cancelled or incomplete projects, time and cost overruns, poor-quality infrastructure unfit for purpose, and assets that fail to adapt to climate change. Delivery challenges are often rooted in regulatory complexity, client and contractor capacity gaps, skills shortages, limited technology adoption, poor access to finance, and an industry environment that struggles to sustain businesses.
Positive Steps Forward
Despite these challenges, there are encouraging initiatives underway to build capability and transform industry performance:
- The cidb B.U.I.L.D Programme, which develops contractor delivery capability, supports emerging enterprises, creates skills through experiential work for graduates, strengthens client capacity, and improves access to finance.
- The National Procurement Act, designed to streamline procurement in the public sector and accelerate inclusive, transformative delivery.
- Client capacitation through the Infrastructure Delivery and Management System (IDMS), led by National Treasury in collaboration with the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, and the cidb.
- The cidb’s ongoing client capacitation programme supporting ease of procurement policy implementation and compliance to unlock infrastructure delivery.
- Promotion of technology diffusion, particularly through cidb’s Centres of Excellence with universities, driving digital innovation and modernisation in infrastructure delivery.
Join the 2025 National Construction Summit online – be part of building the solutions, shaping the industry, and strengthening South Africa’s capacity to deliver.
