DOI shines at 2025 Smart Procurement Conference
The Western Cape Department of Infrastructure (DOI) shone at the 12th Annual Western Cape Procurement Conference 2025 held at Goudini Spa near Rawsonville from 28 to 30 May 2025. Approximately 360 delegates from the public and private sectors attended the event. DOI staff received two awards at the gala dinner held on the evening of the second day. Carmen Hartnick, Colleen Smart and Nicolette Levens of DOI received the Excellence in Data-Driven Decision-Making Award, and DOI’s Pauline van der Merwe received the Integrity in Leadership Award.
The conference was addressed by notable speakers, including Provincial Minister of Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers; Provincial Minister of Finance Diedre Baartman; Head of Provincial Treasury Julinda Gantana; DOI’s Deputy Director-General (DDG) Labeeqah Schuurman; DDG Isaac Smith of the Provincial Treasury; and Cllr Juben Von Willingh, Deputy Executive Mayor of the Breede Valley Local Municipality.
A key theme of the conference was how procurement focused through the DOI’s Western Cape Infrastructure Framework 2050 (WCIF 2050), the Western Cape Infrastructure Strategy, and the Western Cape Infrastructure Implementation Plan can help to generate a sustainable pipeline of infrastructure projects that are made possible by public and private sector sources of finance.
Minister Simmers said in his address, “Over the past six months, we have made significant progress in developing the Western Cape Infrastructure Pipeline. This pipeline is undergoing rigorous project evaluation, refinement, and continuous updating, and currently reflects an estimated value of R119 billion. For the private sector, we have heard your call. We are building a pipeline of projects spanning multiple sectors and timelines allowing line-of-sight, certainty, opportunities to leverage economies of scale and the efficient allocation of resources.”
Other areas of focus were covered in breakout sessions and workshops addressed by leading speakers. Several panel discussions also took place. The public sector procurement track examined different ways of leveraging procurement collaboratively to achieve socially beneficial goals. The corporate sourcing track brought attention to leading-edge insights and technologies from the private sector. The DOI-specific breakout sessions highlighted the potentially life-changing role that infrastructure can make to improving the lives of people in the Western Cape, and the critical role that the private sector can play in scaling up DOI’s interventions.
“At a practical level”, Minister Simmers added in his address, “our Virtual Platform will provide transversal support to provincial departments, municipalities, the private sector and our communities. It will enable online project evaluation scoring and offer investors direct access to detailed project prospectuses. It will facilitate collaborative planning, informed decision-making, and unlock infrastructure investment opportunities”.
The third and final day was an opportunity for suppliers to find out directly from procurement teams what their needs are and how suppliers can be part of creating a positive future for the residents of the Western Cape.
Other officials who received awards were Brandon Gordon of Provincial Treasury (Innovation and Impact in Procurement), Jaco Coetzee of the Department of Health and Wellness (Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing), and Dennis Hendricks of the Overstrand Local Municipality (Overcoming Adversity).