The study is a qualitative investigation of the implementation of green procurement in the construction sector at Local Government level. The focus is on the Metropolitan Municipalities of EThekwini, Nelson Mandela Bay and City of Cape Town. For the purpose of realising an extended comparative perspective, an additional three smaller municipalities were also reviewed. Green procurement is the tool used by governments to source the supply of products and services that are environmentally friendly to counter the global problem of climate change. The study commences with the exposition of the aspects of green procurement from the basis of the enabling legal framework to the scholarly contribution from which the study can be predicated. It becomes apparent from this review of legislation that there is a scope within the existing body of legislation for the use of green procurement as an environmental tool. Scholarly work addresses adoption of green procurement and considers, inter alia, the Bottom-up Approach, the Top-down Approach, and the Procura + Milestones model. Literature indicates that development has a negative impact on the environment, which includes vegetation loss, illegal dumping, and greenhouse gas emissions. Further, the literature recommends green lifecycle design and production of construction projects to reduce the impact of construction on the environment. A systematic investigation of municipalities by means of interviews with relevant municipal officials involved with the procurement of products and services, infrastructure services and environmental affairs officials made it possible to identify factors that impact on the implementation of green procurement. The investigation finds that the major obstacles to green procurement are socio-economic challenges that confront municipalities, lack of policy, and lack of awareness. Recommendations include the proposal of initiatives that encourage and improve the implementation of green procurement. The study hopes to inspire innovation in the implementation of green procurement in the construction sector.

Considering the vital part which the construction industry plays in the economy of South Africa, as well as the objectives of the reconstruction and development thereof, the failure of contractors, despite all the interventions to identify and eradicate the root of the problem, is a matter of great concern. In November 2000, the Construction Industry Development Board Act (2000) was promulgated which led to the inception of the cidb with a mandate to implement an integrated strategy for the reconstruction, growth and development of the construction industry. The matter of contractor development has been widely studied and investigated since the inception of the cidb in 2000. However, the purpose of this study was to focus on the business problems faced by Grade 5 to 7 CE / GB Potential Emerging Contractors, with regard to construction organisations that make the move from small to medium businesses. The intention was to contribute to the successful transition from small to medium businesses by means of structured initiatives. In order to achieve this, a new business strategy must be adopted. It was therefore necessary to extensively consider the surface and core competencies required for making the transition. Liquidity problems that the transition entails were explored, as well as contractor misconceptions with regard to contractor development. In the course of the study, unethical practices and entitlement issues experienced in the built environment and the effect of this on contractor success were explored. The study aimed to recommend a structured framework for co-ordination between assistance, mentorship, contractor needs, client departments, cidb NCDP best practice guidelines and the most important of all, self-empowerment. This study further endeavoured to find possible solutions regarding the assistance requirements, as well as self-empowering objectives for emerging contractors taking the challenging step from small to medium business and by implication, becoming sustainable contractor enterprises in Grades 6 to 8. Political imperatives need to be weighed against the high unemployment rate. The Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) indicates that there are not enough sustainable contracting opportunities to allocate to Contractor Development Programmes (CDPs). This is aggravated by the tendency that too many hopeful aspirant entrepreneurs, lacking construction surface and core competencies, are seeing the built environment as an easy industry to enter. Just less than 50% of cidb registered contractors exited the register of active contractors during the last ten years ending 2nd quarter 2015. 45% exited during the last five years. This indicates that there is a serious sustainability problem in the built environment. Considering the GFCF contractor opportunities there are too many cidb registered contractors. However, enterprise failure is not only an Emerging Contractor (EC) problem, but occurs across the board. A dangerous notion that the large national construction firms should no longer qualify for public contracts can have disastrous implications for an already embattled industry. Large national firms are the trend setters in the built environment, which coach the much needed construction surface and core competencies. If upgrading is the measure of success the current CDP statistics do not confirm that the strategic objectives of the National Contractor Development Programme (NCDP) are being achieved. All contractors, including black owned contractors, are faring substantially better than their EC counterparts participating in CDPs. Upgrading should carry less weight and sustainability and high performance should become the focus. A serious lack of construction surface and core competencies was identified. If contractor development is the objective the structure of the cidb grading system should be reviewed. It is recommended that the broad CDP hierarchical structure should streamlined and partly privatised to focus on the core strategic objective of contractor development.

The Earth's health is deteriorating and will deteriorate even more rapidly unless people adopt eco-friendly policies. Green building has long been a concept but it has not yet been universally applied in practice. The concept of sustainability emerged in the 1970s and can be associated with the energy crisis and environmental pollution concerns. This research is aimed at investigating whether building “green” is more demanding than non-green buildings in terms of cost and the use of green materials against traditional materials; whether professionals in the construction industry are knowledgeable in terms of green buildings; and lastly, to determine whether green buildings are contributing significantly to the environment. The literature reviewed and results of quantitative research amongst professionals from the Island of Mauritius formed the basis of the study. The study revealed that green building is expensive relative to traditional buildings considering. However, the concepts employed (for example: lower energy use, less waste disposal, lower water usage, and sustainable design) provide green buildings with long term savings. Furthermore, the scarcity of natural materials makes it expensive. The study also showed that contractors and professionals have a preference for traditional materials over green materials thus making them more familiar with traditional materials. Contractors and professionals are believed to understand green materials only on a limited basis. This may be attributed to the specific environmental issues involved; however, the research revealed that the professionals are familiar with the basic concepts of green buildings. Lastly, the research showed that green building is still at its infancy but the benefits of green buildings are understood; resulting in green buildings having a good growth potential. The study should be valuable to construction industry professional and clients.

Botswana was left underdeveloped in 1966 when it gained its independence from Great Britain. However, with the discovery of diamonds in the late 1970s, the economy of the country changed and two decades later the construction industry had experienced phenomenal growth. A growth propelled by the dominance of foreign contractors and the few citizen contractors available at the time resulted in a competitive environment in the industry. However, citizen contractors were unable to compete on the same level with their foreign counterparts, which was attributable to various factors such as a lack of resources and of business and technical experience. Being a major player in the construction industry, and realising the need to equip and encourage its own base of citizen contractors to actively participate in construction activities, the government of Botswana adopted new measures and policies that were meant to address the imbalances in the construction industry much to the advantage of citizen contractors. The rationale behind this study is to investigate the performance of citizen building contractors following the introduction of preferential procurement policies by the government of Botswana. This research study adopted the descriptive and analytical survey method which entailed the use of questionnaires and a review of the related literature for gathering relevant data. The sample strata included building contractors, consultants, and clients in the Botswana construction industry in Gaborone, Francistown, Selebi-phikwe, Maun, Serowe, and Lobatse. The empirical findings revealed that there is indeed a need to review some of the government assistance programs for citizen contractors in order to avoid the abuse of government resources and to further increase the citizen contractor’s knowledge base, skills, resources and capacity through mentorship and workshops. vi It is therefore incumbent upon government to protect those beneficiaries who genuinely require such assistance by critical assessment of the ineffective policies for the benefit of the whole industry

This thesis studies the response of the residential construction industry to the growing market for residential renovation, and its ability and willingness to transfer operations into renovation activities. The industry includes firms specializing in land development, new house-building, speculative and contract renovation projects. The thesis is concerned with the inherent industry constraints in meeting housing demand. The increasing importance of residential renovation relative to new housing construction is examined. A review of the new residential and renovation sectors follows, comparing and contrasting the nature and characteristics of both sectors. It is found that small and medium-sized firms within the new residential construction sector are most able to enter into residential renovation activities. The thesis reveals that the industry has so far shown a small scale response to the potential market for residential renovation, and has been inhibited by a number of barriers to entry. These include rigidities in the institutional approach to the residential renovation construction process. Other barriers arise from the inherent differences between renovation and new construction activities. Proposals are made to facilitate a more effective and efficient renovation construction process. These should induce the industry to be more able and willing to adjust to the increased pace and scale of residential renovation activity expected in the future. In turn, the maintenance and rejuvenation of the existing housing stock will be facilitated in accordance with future housing demand. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Mozambique was a Portuguese province governed in terms of Portuguese legislation and principles. After the Mozambican independence in June 1975, and during the decade thereafter, all Portuguese legislation were re-evaluated and replaced by new legislation based on socialist/communist philosophies, ultimately culminating in a centralised economy, which was governed according to Marxism/Leninism principles. In terms of this maxim, the primary objectives was to favour and protect state owned companies, resulting in the nationalisation of almost all of the private sector, thus eradicating competitiveness among the economic operators, and leaving the country to become one of the poorest in the world. The implemented political philosophy and associated economic principles furthermore impacted so adversely on the economy that critical changes were required to save the economy from collapse. New economic and political reforms and directives were introduced, moving the country from a socialist orientation to an open economy, a process that was implemented with the support of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. This process was highly complex and arduous, culminating in more often than not, failed implementations in the various sectors of the economy. One such sector, the Construction Engineering Industry is faced with collapse as a result of the complexities of the transition process. Against this background, ‘corrective’ economic legislation aimed to restructure the economy, was designed and implemented, only to result in high taxes and duties being paid by private companies. The present decline in foreign direct investment in the Construction Engineering Industry due to the current social and political uncertainty is of particular concern. More specific, the high interest bank rates on loans, the high duty rates for construction materials to be imported, the current judicial system which is viewed as ineffective in solving complex problems involving the industry, unfair labour laws which protect unproductive workers, and the high levels of bureaucracy, are all factors impacting adversely on any management effort to ensure the sustainability and growth of the Construction Engineering Industry in Mozambique. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) was constituted with the aim of creating an integrated and harmonious development strategy for each of its member countries, due to the fact that each country has its own culture, political dispensation, judicial system, labour laws and economic and fiscal structures. As the Construction Engineering Industries within each SADC country, by implication are subjected to differentiated operating environments and unique complexities, the solution as proposed by the SADC has the potential to culminate in a feasible option for the industry as a whole. For the Construction Engineering Industry of Mozambique however, the proposed solution of the SADC would not serve as a viable or feasible solution. This is due to the fact that the Construction Engineering Industry in Mozambique is not stable and close to collapse as a result of the plethora of inhibiting factors adversely impacting the industry. Against this background the research problem for this thesis reads as follow: “The Construction Engineering Industry in Mozambique is operating within the context of an unstructured complex management paradigm, calling for an evolutionary solution to mitigate the complexities and ensure sustainability and growth” The primary objective of this thesis is to establish to what extent an evolutionary systems approach model could facilitate paradigmatic change in the management of construction engineering in Mozambique to ensure its sustainability and growth. This objective will be met through:  An in depth analysis of the complex phenomena pertaining to the construction engineering industry in Mozambique deploying the enquiry capabilities of the Biomatrix Systems Approach.  Benchmarking the operating environments of the Construction Engineering Industries of South Africa and Mozambique.  The formulation of an evolutionary, unique viable approach so structured to address the complexity associated with construction engineering in Mozambique. This evolutionary approach will be fundamentally based on the Systems Approach and associated Viable Systems Model, juxtaposed with this authors’ own contribution, to ultimately facilitate paradigmatic change in the Mozambican Construction Engineering Industry to mitigate the research problem set for this thesis. / Prof. Dr. L. Pretorius Prof. Dr. J.A. Watkins

The growth of New York City between the 1880s and the 1930s produced a remarkable building boom that reshaped the landscape of the city. In these years the city acquired its modern skyline, many of its civic monuments, and much of the housing its residents live in today. The development of new architectural styles, building materials, and construction methods in this period also introduced profound changes in the way buildings were produced. The soaring demand for new construction stimulated the rise of new kinds of architecture, building, and contracting firms, revitalized the building trades, and transformed the city’s building industry. This dissertation explores the building of the city from the perspective of those who were engaged in its production to shed new light on the history of the city. Focusing on the creation of some of the city’s most important buildings, it traces the efforts of architects, builders, and workers to the shape the building process as it became increasingly industrialized. While architects, general contracting companies, and subcontractors exercised growing authority within the building industry, construction ultimately depended upon skilled building craftsmen. Thanks to their collective action, workers successfully fought to maintain the integrity of their trades and exert control over their work. Over time, architects, building employers, and workers established cooperative agreements which helped to stabilize a volatile industry. This study contains five chapters that examine the work of leading New York architects as a window onto the transformation of building practice over half a century. Using the records of architecture firms, building trade publications, and municipal records, it documents the changing character of the building industry in a period of rapid urban growth, technological change, and industrial conflict. By looking at the making of buildings as a form of production, it reframes architectural history around the conflicts that shaped the building process between the late nineteenth century and the Great Depression.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil Engineering, 1980. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Imperfect copy. / Bibliography: leaves 99-100. / by Frederick Elliott Gould. / M.S.

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