As a labour-intensive industry, civil engineering has long played a pivotal role in stimulating the growth of small businesses and subcontractors. However, while the sector creates opportunities for emerging contractors, labour compliance can present a significant barrier to entry – particularly where both large and small players do not actively embrace it as a shared responsibility.
According to Bargaining Council for the Civil Engineering Industry (BCCEI) operations manager Lindie Fourie, many emerging contractors lack the systems and administrative capacity required to manage labour compliance effectively and, in addition, may not fully understand the scope of their obligations.
“Owing to their size, they often don’t have dedicated human resources to handle compliance duties. Their focus is on securing work and delivering on site, so administrative requirements can easily become secondary.”
Despite these challenges, labour compliance remains a nonnegotiable pillar of the civil engineering sector, regardless of company size. Importantly, it does not have to be a burden for smaller subcontractors, as structured support mechanisms are already in place.
“The sector is committed to transformation and localisation, so there is no reason for small businesses to be excluded or noncompliant. The BCCEI provides guidance and support and many larger contractors run supplier and enterprise development programmes that assist emerging subcontractors,” Fourie explains.
