The Civil Engineering Contractor April 2018 | Page 39

21 900 engineering professionals from
previously disadvantaged communities,
remembering that, for many years, these
technical professions were never careers
that were known, encouraged, or spoken
about in South African society.”
He added, “It is important to understand
the background behind this low statistic
and not assume that it is something that
can be quickly manipulated to make it
appear to match the demographics of
our country.”
Pather noted the “need to create as
many
engineering
professionals
and entrepreneurs from previously
disadvantaged backgrounds as possible.
We must challenge ourselves to constantly
question what success looks like and what
is acceptable — this way we will push
ourselves to greater heights to allow South
Africa to prosper and not only focus on
compliance,” he stressed.
He stated that the rollout of the Standard
for Infrastructure Procurement and
Delivery Management (SIPDM) across all
spheres in government was a positive
intervention, with CESA collaborating
with National Treasury in the rollout and
training for this procurement system.
CESA is, however, concerned that since
the announcement and implementation
of this procurement system, throughout
government there is no Infrastructure
Directorate at National Treasury taking
ownership and accountability for the
implementation and monitoring of
compliance with this standard.
Pather said, “It is a fallacy that increased
spending on infrastructure will address our
current industry issues. Spending correctly
and in the correct areas that will afford us
these benefits is more important.”
The SIPDM programme was designed
to migrate the emphasis away from
administration and to focus on governance
and leadership to ensure that infrastructure
in government is driven with the correct
knowledge and competence. CESA is a
partner to National Treasury through a
MOU that allows access to CESA members
across the country, to ensure that all state
organisations have the required capacity
and skills to be compliant with SIPDM
and also to ensure that non-compliance is
addressed in a positive manner for future
relations.
With reference to the industry regulatory
body, the Engineering Council of South
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Newly elected CESA president, Neresh Pather, delivers his vision for 2018.
Africa (ECSA), Pather stated that the
current impasse between ECSA and the
Voluntary Associations is unhealthy for
the industry. He commented that the view
that either ECSA or the VAs can serve
the industry in isolation is ludicrous and
needs urgent attention from the various
ministries in government, especially, the
Department of Public Works.
Mentioning the new Construction
Sector Scorecard, Pather says that setting
transformation goals and objectives for
the industry is the right thing to do
and should not simply be viewed as a
compliance issue. CESA, through its
membership, seeks to set the correct
value system within the industry by
which all companies should abide.
CESA’s key industry initiatives
CESA, together with its member
companies, stakeholders, and clients, is
hoping to shape the industry positively
with the following key initiatives during
the coming year:
• Development of an industry-
related bursary programme —
CESA is collaborating with SAICA
to replicate the Thuthuka Bursary
Programme for engineers.
• Promotion of the Business of
Consulting Engineering (BCE)
Programme — a successful
management
development
programme targeting engineering
practitioners in the consulting
engineering environment.
•
Administration of quality standards
— CESA membership requires
that companies either be formally
accredited with an ISO 9001 quality
certification or adopt at least a basic
format of a quality standard.
• Accrediting training programmes
that are recognised for CPD
purposes for all industry-related
professions, allowing companies
to optimise spending on training
using in-house developed training
programmes for a broader
spectrum of their professional staff.
• Continued collaboration with
other Voluntary Associations such
as SAICE, SAIEE, and SAIMechE.
• Issuing of a Practice Note on
consulting engineering fees to
assist both consultant and client
to understand the complexity of
fee calculations and why various
considerations are important for a
sustainable industry.
Pather reiterated that CESA is optimistic
that the work done to date in the rollout
of SIPDM and the partnership with
National Treasury is further accelerated to
create a paradigm shift for infrastructure
in South Africa. CESA represents close
to 540 member firms employing over
21 000 people. Through its focus on
quality and the credibility it has created
with various client organisations, it
represents the hallmark of competence,
integrity, and quality in the consulting
engineering industry. nn
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