Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille has requested that the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) resubmit a report containing industry views on issues faced by the industry and recommendations on how to solve these issues by the first week of March.

The Minister said she would reconvene with the 35 members of the CIDB in 2020 to provide time for stakeholders to provide tangible solutions to industry issues, as well as recommendations related to who should be implementing solutions.

The CIDB compiled a report on stakeholder grievances and views about the construction industry, which was to be presented at a National Stakeholder Forum last month, but the Minister said she could not implement the problem-solving initiative on her own and did not review the report further.

The issues identified in the CIDB report included the administrative burden associated with tendering, the lack of contractor development, delayed payments, conflicting roles of the CIDB and the National Treasury in construction procurement and the exploitation of subcontractors.

The report, in its current state, did provide recommendations on some industry problems, but the Minister highlighted that stakeholders should suggest who was qualified to address the problem and further elaborate on how to go about executing the solution.

De Lille stated that, for the construction industry to transform, there needed to be clear implementation plans and clear action – not just complaints that were discussed year after year.

“When the stakeholders meet with the CIDB and you bring to them your concerns and problems that you have, it must be clearly articulated who must implement [solutions], otherwise problems will be repeated for the next five years.”

Meanwhile, the Minister said she was in the process of amending the CIDB Act, with the main focus on the grading of construction companies. She explained that the construction companies in the lower grades – one to five – were complaining about downgrades if they were not awarded a tender or a job in a certain timeframe.