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October 16, 2024The South African government has announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind project preparation bid window aimed at accelerating infrastructure investment. Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson and Acting Head of Infrastructure South Africa (ISA), Mameetse Masemola, unveiled the initiative in Johannesburg on Tuesday. The bid window invites submissions from national and provincial governments, state-owned entities, municipalities, and private sector projects to apply for project preparation support.
“This initiative will enable us to move from talking to building, laying the groundwork for sustainable infrastructure that will drive economic growth and job creation,” said Minister Macpherson, emphasizing its significance for the country’s development.
Addressing Barriers to Infrastructure Investment
A major barrier to infrastructure development has been a lack of sufficient project preparation support. To tackle this, the National Treasury has allocated R179 million to ISA for project preparation, helping ensure projects are “shovel-ready” for efficient implementation.
Masemola noted that the new bid window aims to unlock infrastructure investment potential by offering comprehensive project preparation assistance, including funding structuring, technical and legal support, and compliance studies. The initiative builds on 12 infrastructure programs announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this year at the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium.
Application Details
The bid window is open for projects valued at more than R1 billion, with applications closing on December 6, 2024. Eligible sectors for support include energy, water, transport, and social infrastructure, among others.
For more information, guidelines can be found at InfrastructureSA.