Municipalities are often required to report to various Provincial and National Departments, with data drawn from the same database but presented in different formats for various users.

An at-a-glance, visual representation of the way things are – our human brains are wired to respond to quick and easily understood visual inputs. The word “dashboards” has various associations and maybe most foremost among these in most people’s minds, we associate dashboards with vehicles.

CP³ serves as an invaluable tool for municipalities in the identification and mitigation of risks associated with capital investment.

CP³ empowers municipalities to accurately identify areas requiring capital investment through data-driven analysis and spatial targeting.

CP³ provides municipalities with valuable insights into the impact of their capital expenditure decisions.

CP³, through a data-driven and evidence-based approach, empowers municipalities with comprehensive monitoring capabilities, allowing them to track the progress of capital projects in real-time.

CP³ ensures meticulous financial planning that harmonises with available funding sources and affordability constraints.

CP³ provides crucial support to municipalities in aligning their initiatives with Economic, Social, and Governance goals.

CP³ supports municipalities to determine the most effective approach for implementing their initiatives in the most cost-effective and affordable manner.

CP³ empowers planners and officials to delineate precise scopes and targets to achieve better service delivery. This process lays the groundwork for crafting impactful strategies that facilitate seamless implementation, charting the course towards enhanced delivery excellence.

The central repository created by CP3, efficiently houses investment and implementation needs, offering a comprehensive overview for effective decision-making.

CP³ enables municipalities to evaluate parity between the intent of their objectives and their overarching vision. With the help of CP³ , decision-makers can test budget outcomes against their stated vision and IDP objectives.

CP3 Dashboards assist municipalities as a much needed lens in affecting effective spatial transformation. It provides a visual representation and meaningful blends of complex data related to urban development and planning.

CP3 is a powerful tool developed by Novus3 that can assist in spatial transformation in South Africa. CP3, which stands for Collaboration, Planning, Prioritisation and Performance. One of the key strengths of CP3 is its ability to unlock collaboration and enhance efficiency in the decision-making process.

Spatial transformation can be used as a tool to address spatial inequality by promoting more inclusive and sustainable development in urban areas. Spatial inequality is often the result of historical patterns of exclusion and discrimination that have led to unequal access to services and infrastructure in certain neighbourhoods and communities.

Spatial targeting can assist in spatial transformation by directing resources towards specific geographic areas or communities that are in need of investment and support.

Spatial transformation is a critical process in South Africa aimed at promoting more equitable and sustainable development in urban areas. One of the key tools used to achieve this goal is spatial targeting, a budgeting approach that directs resources towards specific geographic areas or communities in order to address spatial inequalities and promote more equitable service delivery.

As a municipal official, you know that managing capital projects can be a complex and time-consuming process. With so many moving parts, it can be challenging to keep track of project progress, financial performance, and resource allocation. CP3 is a cutting-edge tool that makes it easier to manage capital projects effectively.

Budget planning can be a daunting task, especially for municipalities with limited resources and competing priorities. It is crucial to prioritize projects and allocate funds effectively to meet the needs of the community. This is where the CP3 tool comes in.

Prioritisation is a crucial decision-making tool in every aspect of life, whether it’s going on a road trip or running a municipality. In business and local government, the limited resources and mandate make prioritisation an essential process to achieve a common goal. It helps organizations to use their time and resources wisely, and with the right approach, it can make the complex consideration process effortless.

Strategic decision-making is key to achieving long-term goals and success! It’s about making the right choice at the right time with the right tools. For example, imagine you’re running late for a meeting and there’s an accident on your usual route.

As an IDP official, you know how complex the planning and budget process can be. There are numerous projects to consider, community participation to factor in, and lists of tasks emanating from various sources.

Are you familiar with the Local Governmental Accountability Cycle (LGAC) as provided in National Treasury’s Circular? Let’s break it down!

It’s all about planning, strategising, and coordinating effectively while factoring in multiple issues across multiple scales. With multiple projects, activities, and programs, it’s essential to prioritise competing needs from communities and various sectors while keeping in mind the municipality’s ultimate objective.

In order to develop and implement a successful Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for your municipality, there are some key steps to keep in mind. Read more about the key steps.

The purpose of the IDP is to provide a strategic framework for the development of your municipality, and to outline the objectives and strategies for amongst others socio-economic development. However, it’s not just about meeting legal requirements. The IDP must be developed in consultation with the community and all relevant stakeholders, ensuring that it reflects the priorities and needs of the local community.

In our country, there are many government entities with different goals and objectives. But as the sphere of implementation, it’s up to the municipality to coordinate and integrate those goals while promoting social and economic development and putting the needs of the community first within a 5-year term. And how do we do that, you ask? Through the Integrated Development Plan!

As we embark on this journey together, we want to emphasize just how crucial your role is in the success of your municipality. As the official responsible for planning, participation, and strategizing, you are at the forefront of shaping the future of your community.

When it comes to prioritising projects, it’s important to have a clear and structured way of assessing their impact on the community and the environment. That’s why we recommend using a modification of the “PESTLE” method as part of a multi-criteria assessment framework, in conjunction with the CP3 suite.

Spatial targeting is a concept that has gained significant attention in the field of urban planning and development. It refers to the process of prioritizing projects and initiatives based on their location and the needs of the surrounding community. By using location data as input to the overall strategy of the Integrated Development Plan and the Spatial Development Framework (SDF) of a municipality, local governments can ensure that resources are allocated in a way that meets the needs of the community in a strategic and efficient manner.

We applied a multi-criteria assessment framework to assess all capital demand projects against the strategic objectives of the municipality. By doing so, we were able to identify the projects that would have the most significant alignment with the municipality’s strategic objectives. We then compared the results of the prioritisation model to the current funded budget to determine whether funds were being allocated to the priorities of the municipality.

We solved the challenge of identifying the most eligible capital projects for the Integrated Urban Development Grant (USDG) within a metropolitan municipality. Our parameters were to find the top 100 projects that were best aligned to the USDG eligibility model, with the potential to double the impact of the grant within the municipality.

We used CP3’s Prioritisation module to identify projects that best align with a municipality’s climate change response strategy. By applying a data-driven approach to prioritisation, we were able to identify projects that would have the greatest alignment with the strategic vision as well as the investment intent of the C40-programme.

Prioritisation is essential for local governments to allocate their resources and investment capital effectively. With limited funds, it is crucial to prioritise projects that will have the greatest impact on the community. This is where CP3, comes in.

This New Year, we would like to thank our clients for providing us with the opportunity to make a difference in the municipalities we serve.

As year-end approaches, our team at Novus³ would like to extend a warm thank you to our clients, business partners and colleagues for your continued support and collaboration throughout this year.

The Novus³ team “together with our sibling company Munsoft” hosted an interactive Masterclass on “Perfecting your IDP process towards a strategy-led budget” on Friday, 25th of November with municipalities.

Local governments are under constant pressure to find alternative ways to improve the delivery of public services and infrastructure, whilst facing several other administrative challenges

In order to achieve each component of the accountability cycle discussed in the posts before,  local government undergoes complex and time-consuming processes annually.

According to Section 54 of the MFMA, a municipality is required to review and access performance to identify any financial problems that the municipality might face and mitigate related financial risks.

The service delivery and budget implementation plan (SDBIP) sets out monthly or quarterly service delivery and financial targets aligned with the annual targets set in the IDP and budget.

From the Municipal Systems Act No. 32 of 2000, the single most important strategic plan of a municipality, the IDP, must be inclusive of a financial plan which includes budget projections for the next three years.

A Spatial Development Framework is a framework that seeks to guide overall spatial distribution of current and desirable land uses within a municipality, in order to give effect to the vision, goals and objectives of the municipal IDP.

The Integrated development plan (IDP) sets out a municipality’s goals and development plans, which need to be aligned with the municipality’s available resources.

It is important for municipalities to have financial management practises that are sustainable and transparent. One of the key objectives of the Municipal Finance Management Act (2003) (MFMA) is to modernise municipal financial management in South Africa so as to lay a sound financial base for the sustainable delivery of services.

Novus3 will be at the CIGFARO Annual Conference from 11 to 13 October 2022 at the Durban ICC at Stall Number 42.

Novus3 will be at the CIGFARO Annual Conference from 11 to 13 October 2022 at the Durban ICC at Stall Number 42.

Novus3 will be at the CIGFARO Annual Conference from 11 to 13 October 2022 at the Durban ICC at Stall Number 42.

Novus3 will be at the CIGFARO Annual Conference from 11 to 13 October 2022 at the Durban ICC at Stall Number 42.

Novus3 will be at the CIGFARO Annual Conference from 11 to 13 October 2022 at the Durban ICC at Stall Number 42.

Novus3 will be at the CIGFARO Annual Conference from 11 to 13 October 2022 at the Durban ICC at Stall Number 42.

Novus3 will be at the CIGFARO Annual Conference from 11 to 13 October 2022 at the Durban ICC at Stall Number 42.

Throughout the year, we’ve been sharing some of the ways in which Novus³ are providing the means to municipalities to be sustainable and to improve their service delivery and financial performance. We

Stage gate management puts you in control of the various life-cycle phases of a project – from wish-list to implementation. Injecting this process of governance, minimise abortive budgeting and provides assurance that funding will most likely be spent optimally.

CP3 allows you to have sight of project that are executed in within your boundaries, or directly adjacent to you, by national and  provincial government. 

On the 26th of August 2022, Novus³ was invited to participate in the Institute of Municipal Engineering of South Africa’s (IMESA) Northern Provinces Branch seminar and AGM.

Project planning and progress tracking is required for projects that carried sufficient priority and therefore have received their requested funding for the next financial year.

During your budgeting and budget adjustment processes, CP3 ensures the development of equitable budgets that align with your organisation’s specific and unique objectives and requirements.

CP3 optimises funding source allocation to capital projects, within the municipality’s available budget.

When it comes to prioritising, CP3 gets it done efficiently and fairly.

CP3 holds a wealth of information, which you can access at a click of a button. This puts your organisation at an advantage when making strategic decisions and processes.

The Novus3 team is there to provide support and assistance to our users, through different platforms.

When it comes to managing information that relates to user rights, system admin and project information, CP3 does it effortlessly.

Now that we have explored how Novus3 adds value to your municipality and strives toward building a more functional local government, let’s take a deeper look into how we do it.

Using our combination of CP3 and our consultants experiences in municipality processes, we can ensure that you’re enabled to make better strategic decisions with all the data and information at the click of a button.

When a municipality has Novus3 by its side, it will positively impact several processes and outcomes. It means that capital projects will be chosen based on a prioritisation model, ensuring that projects are not implemented on a hap hazard scale but rather through a scientific based approach.

Novus3 was proud to be a key contributor and presenter at the COGTA hosted and SALGA facilitated Intermediate City Municipal Infrastructure Development Seminar held on 24 June 2022 at the University of Cape Town.

Ward councillors are a representative conduit between the communities they represent and the respective municipal council.

According to the Municipal Finance and Management Act, Municipal managers are to act as accounting officers, which simply means, they are responsible for managing the financial administration of the municipality.

Local municipalities in South Africa use “Integrated Development Planning” as a method to plan future development in their respective areas. The IDP approach is an approach to planning that involves the entire municipality and its citizens in finding the best solutions to achieve good long-term development.

The Project Management Office plans, organises and directs the completion of specific projects for the Municipality while ensuring that these projects are on time, on budget and within scope.

The Engineering Services Department is responsible for amongst others the planning, design, implementation, operations and maintenance of all municipal engineering services.

Spatial Planning (spatial targeting) in South Africa is intimately linked to urbanisation and infrastructure development. Spatial planners are responsible, amongst others, for the development of Spatial Development Frameworks; a core component of the Integrated Development Plan, but more so, the spatial representation of how municipalities will guide development, service delivery and economic growth.

Budgets, balancing and working with money isn’t an easy feat, especially in a municipal office. Traditionally, the role of the budget office has been to function as a central command post.

Novus3 is proud to announce that CP3 is mSCOA 6.6.1 compliant and has simplified and integrated complex mSCOA budgeting requirements into the CP3 capturing module. This means that all our clients are mSCOA 6.6.1 compliant in terms of their capital expenditure budgeting process.

Being in the Office of the CFO proves to be one of the most important positions in a Municipality. Holding the position of the CFO means you are responsible for financial planning, cash flow planning, expenditure tracking and ultimately realising the strategic direction of the municipality.

Novus3 adds value to your municipality and strives toward building a more functional local government.

Feel free to engage with us on any of our social media platforms by linking up with us on LinkedIn , twitter  or Facebook .

The core management team of Novus3 has been working as a team for more than a decade, supported by a dynamic group of young professionals. We protectively build on our progressive company culture that embraces the diversity of the country we love.

When it comes to exceptional client services and consultations, don’t take our word for it, hear it from our clients directly. Here is what a Chief director in infrastructure planning said: “The Novus3 team excelled in planning, prioritisation and capital project management as part of the capital budgeting cycle and ten year planning horizon”

When it comes to exceptional client services and consultations, we understand that large organisations, cities and government departments have different requirements that are time-based and contextual to the particular circumstances and responsibilities.

Together with our sibling company Munsoft, we provide a full range of specialised financial services to local government in Southern Africa. This complimentary partnership provides both companies the ability to deliver a wide range of comprehensive solutions to our existing and prospective clients.

The collaborative planning, prioritisation and performance platform (CP3) is our flagship software service. It provides a catch‐net where all of our client’s capital needs are registered, prioritised, budgeted and tracked whilst it gets implemented.