Construction company Liviero Civils has been awarded a contract for the completion of the roads and parking areas at the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg, the venue of the FIFA World Cup 2010 opening ceremony and first and final matches.

The contract follows a successful earthworks contract that the company secured at the same venue. The completion of the new contract, in October 2009, will bring this stadium rebuild to a close.

The R48-million contract was awarded to Liviero by the Grinaker LTA and Interbeton Soccer City Joint Venture.

Grinaker-LTA/Interbeton Soccer City JV project director Mike Moody says that that the Liviero team has shown an ability to produce quality work under pressure. “We had no hesitation in awarding them this contract, which will require strong leadership and professional vigilance,” says Moody.

Liviero civil contracts director Charles Wright says that an important aspect of this contract is to provide as many jobs as possible. “There will be no machinery involved in the manufacture of the blocks and, given the volume of blocks to be made, it is clear that there will be a significant number of jobs generated.”

The blocks will be supplied by Ecco-Euro, which will have to produce 20 000 m² or 1 000 000 paving blocks each month.

The labour agreements go beyond the manufacture of the pavers and include the sub-contractor responsible for the laying of the paving. “Our agreement with him is that he must ensure that 60% of his labour is local, drawn from the surrounding areas,” says Wright.

The contract consists of 140 000 m² of paving, requiring that 6-million blocks will have to be made by hand and more than ten 35-t truck deliveries will be required on a daily basis. Wright says that the main challenge of this job is to ensure the smooth running of the production process.

“The logistics of this exercise are relatively challenging and one of our main responsibilities will be to ensure that the operation runs like clockwork, while maintaining the highest quality levels.”

Wright says that the manufacturing process has been thoroughly checked by all parties concerned. The paving is South African Bureau of Standards approved.”

Although Liviero Civils has a satisfactory order book, Liviero Civils MD Stuart Knight says that the company’s future growth has been carefully planned. “We are working to our strategic growth plan. We value our image created through our focus on delivering quality work on time. We aspire to be a contractor of choice.”

Liviero Civils is currently focused on increasing its footprint in Gauteng, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

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