Contractor development – the future of construction

Participants in the current Department of Transport and Public Works Contractor Development Programme (CDP) foundation phase training for Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Grade 2 emerging contractors have already completed two of the three phases of the training. The current iteration of the ten-week foundation phase training began in November 2020 in Cape Town.

Contractors who successfully complete this ten-week structured training may qualify to participate in the advanced training programme during which time they will also receive on-site mentoring from more experienced Grade 3 to
Grade 5 contractors. They may go on to qualify for customised training. With this training and mentoring, participating emerging contractors can look forward to possibly qualifying for a higher CIDB rating.

Having a higher CIDB rating means being able to tender for more complex and potentially more lucrative construction contracts.

The three structured phases of CDP training: foundation phase, advanced training and mentoring, and customised training, form part of the Department’s wider Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). By supporting the development of emerging contractors through the transfer of engineering industry skills as well as business enhancement, the CDP aims to enable emerging contractors to compete effectively and independently in the open market.

The CDP especially targets women and young people with Grade 1 to 5 CIDB ratings, and seeks to spread the benefit across all regions of the Western Cape, with due regard to expected levels of construction and maintenance activity in local areas. Accordingly, the current group of CDP participants is drawn from all six districts of the province – the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, and the Cape Winelands, Central Karoo, Garden Route, Overberg and West Coast districts.

Supporting emerging contractors also has a broader job creation benefit. People who live in areas where construction and maintenance projects are underway receive preference for the short-term job opportunities that are created through departmental contracts.