Critical Success Factors for the survival of small, medium and micro enterprise construction companies in the South Africa construction industry

Abstract: The objective of this study is to investigate the critical success factors necessary for the survival of SMME construction firms in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. A literature survey was carried out. The data for this paper was collected from both primary and secondary sources. The primary data was acquired through the administration of structured questionnaires. The questionnaire was distributed to construction SME firms in the Gauteng Province construction industry. The questionnaire was designed based on information emanating from an extant review of literature. Out of the 140 distributed questionnaires, 120 were received back which represented 86% response rate. Findings derived from the study indicated that producing quality work, good cash flow management, good contractual understanding, having a business plan, effective communication channel in the firm, maintaining good relationships with clients, proper record keeping, sensible operating costs, recruiting qualified staff and availability of effective marketing strategies were perceived as the main critical success factors required by SMMEs in the Gauteng Province for their survival in the construction industry. The findings emanating from this paper will form a basis for future research on construction SMMES in South Africa