Media Release: Procurement process for the construction of Cell 1B of the Regional Landfill Facility to commence soon

For Immediate Release
8 September 2026

Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) is in the process of initiating the Supply Chain Management processes to appoint new consulting engineers for the construction of Cell 1B as part of the Garden Route Regional Landfill Facility of which construction works are underway in Mossel Bay.  Cell 1B will be close to 1,5 times the size of Cell 1A currently being constructed.

Johan Gie, the Project Manager of the Regional Facility, said: “Once the consulting engineers have been appointed, tender documentation will be drafted and advertised for the appointment of a new contractor to construct Cell 1B”. Cell 1B will cover an area of approximately 59 784m² and will provide approximately 902 852m³ of landfill airspace.

“This will create additional airspace for approximately 5 – 6 years, depending on the waste diversion efforts by the participating municipalities” Gie added.

This facility will be utilised for municipal solid waste (black bags) disposed by the participating municipalities. Cells 1A & 1B are both Class B domestic waste cells designed for municipal solid waste disposal. Class B cells can also accommodate the disposal of asbestos.

Why a new tender for 1B is advertised?

Considering the various delays in implementing the project and the imminent closure of the PetroSA landfill site, the GRDM opted to appoint a contractor to complete only Phase 1 of the project, which are is the construction of the minimum infrastructure required to commence with the operations, in order to ensure that waste disposal operations can commence as soon as possible.

Gie further explained: “Considering the performance of the current contractor, it would have been beneficial to expand the contract to include the construction of Cell 1B; however, the Municipal Finance Management Act and Supply Chain Management Regulations do not allow for contract expansions of this nature”.

“The GRDM will therefore proceed with the competitive bidding processes for the appointment of a new consulting engineer and a new contractor for the construction of Cell 1B.”

The procurement process will take the form of a normal tender process whereby specifications will be presented to the Bid Specification Committee for approval prior to advertisement. The submitted tenders then undergo technical evaluation before serving at the Bid Evaluation Committee for further evaluation and recommendation. Thereafter it will serve at the Bid Adjudication Committee for approval thereof.

The tender process for the appointment of a contractor can only commence once the appointment of consulting engineers has been concluded, surveys done, and tender documents drafted. Therefore, Gie further explained that stipulating any dates at this stage would be premature.

Caption: Cell 1B will be close to 1,5 times the size of Cell 1A currently being constructed.

ENDS