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Overview of the Provincial Revenue and Expenditure (OPRE %u2013 2025/26)2024/25 Infrastructure Performance The Provincial Infrastructure spending as at the end of January 2025 reflected at R7.161 billion (81 per cent) of the infrastructure adjusted budget of R8.841 billion. The underspending is mostly attributable to challenges related to the shortage of portfolio, program, project and contract management skills both as related to planning and implementation capacity, which has led to projects not being completed on time, with the appropriate costs and quality. In seeking to address the recurring infrastructure performance challenges, during the 2024/25 financial year, the strengthening of the 3 streams model allows for infrastructure bottlenecks identified to be progressively escalated through these separate institutional governance structures for Infrastructure i.e. through the Departmental Provincial Steering Committees (PISCs) and thereafter for further intervention and escalation to the Technical Provincial Infrastructure Coordination Council (T-PICC) and Provincial Infrastructure Coordinating Council (PICC) for final resolution. The Provincial IDMS is continuing to be institutionalized in the infrastructure departments and as such the province has promoted the IDMS best practices including those of the Infrastructure Performance Based Infrastructure System (PBIS). As such, the PBIS requirements have been made applicable to all Infrastructure departments in the province for the purposes of best practices (noting that the Division of Revenue Act requires the PBIS infrastructure plans and infrastructure reports be prepared by the Department of Education and Health, to allow for these departments to be eligible for the receipt of infrastructure incentive funds). To further support the institutionalization of the IDMS, The EC IDMS Protocol 2024 was approved by the Eastern Cape Executive Council on 25th of September 2024. In respect of the integration of plans, the infrastructure planning process continued to be premised on a regionalized approach in the Eastern Cape, which cuts across the various spheres of government. The regional approach (District Development Model with the leadership of COGTA) has already been customized into the Provincial Infrastructure Delivery Management System (IDMS). Further, the IDMS processes require that for the planning of projects, there must be sufficient lead time to cater for comprehensive upfront planning requirements as well as for design and tendering. Provincial experience has reflected that insufficient time linked to the planning stage results in inefficiencies later in the infrastructure value chain. Hence the province is focusing on ensuring that project selection incorporates the requirements of the IDMS Portfolio Management Requirements, the Provincial Treasury project planning checklist as well as the requirements of the NT Infrastructure Planning and Appraisal Guideline which seeks to assist public sector officials with the actual methodology of preparing and appraising infrastructure investment projects. However, it is also noted that the province needs to be supported going forward in these integral skills and capabilities to ensure shovel ready projects, including those related to the determination of social impact, ensuring environmental sustainability, economic impact and financial modelling. For the purpose on monitoring project performance in line with the allocated funds, the Infrastructure Reporting Model (IRM) web-based system will continue to be strengthened and utilized as an enabler for infrastructure delivery. Currently the PT undertakes a technical analysis of the infrastructure model monthly, and this analysis is shared with departments and the provincial infrastructure governance structures so that bottlenecks in planning and delivery can be timeously deal with. The use of the IRM will further assist with integration as it will be utilized 82