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PDG is a public sector consulting firm that supports decision-making in the public interest

Welcome

We are a multi-disciplinary consulting firm that provides research, policy, evaluation, strategy planning and management support to the public sector with the ultimate goal of improving people’s quality of life.

We have successfully completed over 1000 consulting projects since establishment in 1990. PDG’s success is built on the foundation of over thirty years of consulting experience in providing quality advice and support to a wide range of government departments in all three spheres of government and other public sector stakeholders in South Africa and across the Africa continent

What We Offer

PDG’s core value offering is that of a mixture of high-level professional skills and experience that can be applied across a range of government processes and activities across several sectors. These services are organised into six practice areas.

Showcased Projects

Cost Benefit Assessment of Intermodal Container Terminal Location


Cape Town, as a major hub for regional exports, is facing significant challenges in the efficiency and capacity of its
logistics network and infrastructure. The root cause of these challenges can be traced back to the chronic underinvestment in the necessary infrastructure. The port and its surrounding areas are plagued by congestion and land-use conflict, as the demands of residential and industrial development collide with the needs of the port. 
Download Project Profile.

Mid-Term Evaluation of the Municipal Finance Improvement Programme


PDG was appointed by the Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC) of National Treasury to conduct a Mid-Term Evaluation of Phase 3 (2017-2020) of the Municipal Finance Improvement Programme (MFIP). The MFIP places highly skilled technical advisors across the three spheres of government to advance sound municipal financial management.

Download Project Profile.

Assessment of Affordable Housing Potential for Buitengracht Properties


The City of Cape Town is pursuing an innovative approach to land release for development that prioritizes the creation of affordable housing. The city’s ultimate goal is to foster economically vibrant neighbourhoods that promote integration and offer accessible housing options for the working class. To achieve these objectives, the city is evaluating its extensive property portfolio to determine how it can effectively leverage these assets to support its wider social and economic development goals.

Institutionalising planning, monitoring & reporting reforms in metropolitan municipalities


PDG has provided on-going technical assistance to the National Treasury (NT) and the Cities Support Programme (CSP) in the reform of planning, monitoring and reporting arrangements for metropolitan municipalities. The technical assistance builds on the reform work of Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) Circular No. 88 (2017), which was updated in December 2021 for the 2022/23 municipal financial year.
Download Project Profile.

PDG News

NEW PDG CONSULTANT: DANIEL MOODY
PDG is excited to welcome our newest recruit to our organisation. Daniel is a development practitioner, MERL specialist, researcher and environmentalist concentrating on socio-economic, developmental and environmental issues in the Global South. Combining excellent academic credentials with a diversified work portfolio, he seeks to use his skills, knowledge and passion to develop and implement socially-orientated, sustainable and evidence-based solutions to some of Africa’s major developmental challenges.

A hearty welcome from all of us!
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Clients' Experience

“Very good value for money, we got really good expertise, high performance, and they kept the project on track, and focussed on what it need to achieve.”

"There is just something about PDG, like a worldview of how they see things, they have an ability to interpret and respond in term of the need and to respond in an intelligent way".

“I think their great strength is their understanding of municipal and governance systems, how municipalities work. They are very well clued up on tariff setting for water, electricity, rates etc.”

“I like them, I have peace of mind, they are one of those organisations."

“I was a little worried that they might not do the work within the budget that they indicated, but ended up thinking that we overestimated the cost. Definitely value for money.”

“Communication skills are very good and keep you abreast of what’s going on, always interim emails, to give you a sense of what is going on and not waiting for the formal forum.”

“There are limited consultancies understanding fully what had to happen, that understand the whole concept, assessing the worth and using the theory of change and M&E framework, and PDG understand this.”

“PDG comes on as a genuine partner, also willing to listen to the client and build that in. I really liked seeing was that PDG seemed to bring junior people in as capacity building too."

“The same attitude and work ethic comes through in all the projects, the tariff one was very good and the work is on the website for others to use.”

“PDG is a boutique, specially-focussed outfit with a real, obvious passion for working on South African governance issues. I would recommend them for issues pertaining to municipal governance without hesitation.”

“They bring value beyond a particular project and grapple with complex problems. The team was great to work with.”

“Their reputation, which becomes a circular argument, but it enabled us to get municipalities to engage and share information. That was great, they had a lot of relationships or networks established, and people trust PDG.”