The government has taken tough precautions to ensure that every cent of the whopping R8,4-billion released to cities for their 2010 World Cup stadiums is spent judiciously.
On Thursday, Deputy Finance Minister Jabu Moleketi told reporters a special advisory committee had been set up to regulate the building of five new stadiums and the renovation of five existing ones.
"We took a decision that we need to create capacity nationwide as well set up an advisory team to assist with all the procurement processes - from evaluating the tenders to assessing the prices - so we know exactly what we're paying for.
"Also to negotiate consistently with construction companies. If people see they are dealing with weak negotiators, we could end up paying more for the materials of one stadium than for another.
"We can't have a situation where there are different standards of evaluation in our country," Moleketi said shortly after Finance Minister Trevor Manuel's mini-budget policy statement.
The advisory team would be made up of city managers, treasury officials, others from the departments of transport and public works, and the 2010 Local Organising Committee's technical team.
To minimise delays, Moleketi said one construction company would not be allowed to build more than one stadium.
Moleketi said the government had no objections to foreign companies bidding to build World Cup stadiums, but it was hoped that at least six South African companies would get the major contracts.
There would be attractive incentives for construction companies that met deadlines and hefty penalties for those that missed them.
"It's not just about sharing the opportunities, but also minimising the risks. We have South African companies who have other work they're involved with, such as the Gautrain, and we have very strict timelines.
"We must say that these are the incentives if you finish on time and these are the penalties if you don't. The ideal is a situation where there's good competition for tenders.
"Once you have a competitive procurement process, you also ensure you attract the best quality of people to deliver. We have no problem with foreign companies bidding for tenders. The process is fair and open, but we know what we need to do and we must meet Fifa's requirements."
The R8,4-billion for the 2010 stadiums forms part of the R15,1-billion released by Manuel as part of the government's cost of hosting the World Cup.
Moleketi said the Treasury's massive 2010 financial injection showed that "the message is quite clear that the government is determined to make a meaningful and significant contribution to a successful 2010 World Cup".