Construction World September 2018

PROJECTS & CONTRACTS

MORE FREE STATE CLASSROOMS

With the contract awarded in December 2017 and delivery in February 2018, the manufacturing, transportation, joining, installation and utilities connections for the kitchens were done in very tight timelines. “Partnering with the local company helped meet our deadline,” Phatlane says. “They were strategically positioned to conduct site inspections in a timeous and profes- sional manner, and the reports we received from them allowed us to take corrective measures on identified onsite challenges which mitigated any potential delays.” “We have been working with this educa- tion department since 2013 and this is the first time we have been awarded the longer Government Framework Contract with a three year tenure. The fact that Kwikspace, a company outside of the Free State prov- ince, was chosen as part of the selected seven companies is proof of our ability and commitment, to project delivery and educa- tion as a whole,” Phatlane concludes. Kwikspace was recently awarded anoth- er ASIDI-related contract, to manufacture and deliver nine kitchens to various schools around the Free State.  *ASIDI – Accelerated Schools infrastructure Delivery Initiative – is an initiative by the Department of Basic Education that addresses backlogs in the eradication of inappropriate school structures and the provision of basic services to schools. It forms part of the Department’s schooling 2025 plan, aimed at improving learning outcomes and bringing better access to education.

The Department of Education in the Free State recently contracted Kwikspace to aid with a portion of government’s three-year ASIDI* initiative in that province. Under extremely tight deadlines, Kwikspace was only given three months to construct and supply 81 relocatable classrooms and 11 relocatable kitchens to 38 schools across the Free State.

T he project scope included manufac- turing the classrooms and kitchens as double-wide units – the joining and con- necting of two 3,5 metre-wide single units to form one structure – with unit connection carried out on site. Included as standard within each classroom are windows to provide appropriate lighting, mounted chalk and pin boards – one on either end of each About Kwikspace Kwikspace is one of Africa’s largest manufacturers of temporary and permanent modular buildings with an established footprint in 27 African countries across the construction, mining, oil & gas, education, healthcare and community service sectors. Established in 1972, the company employs over 200 permanent employees at its 500 000 m² facility in Klipriver, Gauteng, and its warehouse facilities in Mozambique and Zambia. Boasting the largest modular building rental fleet in South Africa the company also has rental fleets in Lesotho, Mozambique and Zambia.

classroom, and all electrical cabling with accessible plug sockets. The kitchens contain cabling and plug sockets as well as all fittings required to accommodate the collection and disposal of running water and those necessary for hygienic food and drink preparation. Acquiring this project meant that Kwik- space had to comply with various tender requirements, one of which was to empower the potential workforce in the province in which the project took place. “As we are a Gauteng-based company we partnered with a Free State company to conduct site inspections on our behalf,” explains Kgakgamatso Phatlane, Government Sector Manager, Kwikspace. “We also initiated intensive personnel training, which provided our sub-contrac- tors with the necessary skills to conduct site handovers on our behalf.” He points out that, even though outsourcing certain aspects of the contract to local companies was part of the tender requirements, up- skilling and employment creation does form part of Kwikspace’s skills development and empowerment initiatives.”

Windows to provide appropriate lighting, mounted chalk and pin boards, and all electrical cabling with accessible plug sockets are included as standard within each classroom.

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD SEPTEMBER 2018