The Western Cape Department of Human Settlements has committed an amount of R176 103 622 to Small Medium and Micro Enterprises, with women representation. A reply to a parliamentary question further revealed that of the 26 contractors that were appointed by the Department, 15 are women contractors. The Department of Human Settlements in the Western Cape has delivered 18 806 housing opportunities during the 2014/15 financial year. The delivery of which was facilitated by the utilisation of SMMDepartment of Human SettlementsE’s to streamline the projects within the People’s Housing Process (PHP). To achieve this, a database was established to register SMME’s, by which to allocate projects to register SMME’s. Contractors that are awarded projects have to be compliant with the departmental requirements.
As such, contractors must:
- be registered with the National Home Builders Registration Council,
- have a minimum Construction Industry Development Board rating of Grade 2,
- be registered on the departmental database for contractors,
- be registered on the provincial procurement database, and
- have a valid SARS certificate.
SMME’s are assisted by lessening the financial requirements that they must meet, such as surety and bank guarantees. The Department, in turn, manages risk by making payments to SMME’s only upon completion of work. Officials in the Department also assist SMME’s in the claim processes as well as progress reporting on the status of their projects.
The Department of Human Settlements in the Western Cape continues to utilise SMME’s so as to further its capacity to deliver housing opportunities to the people of the Western Cape.
