SA Affordable Housing March - April 2019 // Issue: 75 | Page 21

CONTRIBUTORS
2019 trends from a QS perspective
The finance minister has invited the private sector to join
the government’s new body aimed at reducing irregular
and wasteful expenditure.
By Larry Feinberg
T
PRODUCT CHANGES
Self-healing concrete, air-cleaning materials, transparent
wood and graphene are just some of the innovative products
that are rapidly moving from being considered alternative
building materials to more mainstream materials.
While South Africa has not yet adopted many of these
materials, construction professionals should not wait for
someone else to be the first to learn how to work with
these materials.
PROCESS CHANGES
Similarly, new techniques in the construction process like
additive manufacturing – for example the 3D printing of
buildings – also need to be factored into the sustainability
and growth strategies of firms and professionals in the South
African built environment.
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All traditional methodologies
must be reviewed with a focus
on its relevance to the future
of designing, constructing and
maintaining infrastructure
and buildings.
“Those that can adapt
without being forced to do so
will have a distinct advantage
over those that wait until proof
of concept,” warns Feinberg.
he development of a governmental ‘execution unit’ to
address poor infrastructure preparation of projects
could not have come at a better time for quantity
surveyors (QS).
“During 2018 we lobbied for the regulated appointment
of quantity surveyors to infrastructure projects,” says Larry
Feinberg, executive director of the Association of South
African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS).
The impact of this was evident in the mid-term Budget
Policy Statement by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni where
he included quantity surveyors in the execution unit that
will be formed to assist with the problem of poor
infrastructure project preparation.
Minister Tito Mboweni’s says, “Too often‚ government
spends money on infrastructure when it could be better and
more effectively done by the private sector. The
Development Bank of Southern Africa‚ the Government
Technical Advisory Centre and the Presidential Infrastructure
Coordinating Commission will receive R625-million to
strengthen project preparation.
“Government will establish an execution unit made up of
engineers, quantity surveyors, architects and other
professionals to ensure that challenges in the Vaal River
System and with the Giyani Water project are resolved. The
execution unit will also advise government on new
delivery and financing models to provide basic services
to communities.”
The regulated appointment of a registered quantity
surveyor is essential for the reduction of irregular and
wasteful expenditure. This is turn helps to ensure that public
infrastructure spend is applied to the benefit of the greater
South African public.
“While we advocate for this change, quantity surveyors
also have to keep an eye on remaining relevant and offering
valuable services in a changing world,” says Feinberg.
ROLE CHANGES
Changes to existing
methodologies don’t need to
be at the extreme edge of
Larry Feinberg.
technological innovation. Even
experimenting in small ways
with readily available processes – like Building Information
modelling (BIM) – can give construction professionals
an edge.
“By rethinking and redefining their traditional roles,
professionals in the built environment can help create a
secure future for themselves,” says Feinberg. “This security
will be built less on the work they’ve already done, and more
on how relevant they can remain to their clients’ needs.”
A quantity surveyor (QS) is a financial expert trained
specifically in the complexities of construction sector
finance, procurement and contract administration. The QS is
responsible for ensuring that a client receives value for their
money during the viability stage, the construction phase and
the entire lifecycle of the building, road, bridge or dam.
This is done by verifying – at various points during the
planning and construction phase – that the actual
expenditure and project delivery aligns with specified
material, approved budgets, and agreed timelines.
Feinberg says that quantity surveyors would however do
well to think of themselves not just as experts in
procurement, building contracts and cost control enabled by
meticulous measuring and calculations, but also as
governance experts and ethics advisors.
Quantity surveyors are ideal business advisors, even
if the historical foundation of the profession is
‘number crunching’.
“During 2018 the ASAQS has made solid strides towards
enabling QSs to make additional valuable services available
to clients,” says Feinberg. “Courses and standardised
documentation on life cycle costing, value management
towards savings and operational efficiency and advice on
sustainable building practices, methodologies and materials
are just some of the many additions we’ve made to our
stable of Continuing Professional Development offering.”
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