Engineering firm shifts focus to local projects - Engineering News , 2005/08/11
The Jeffares & Green Group, multidisciplinary consulting engineering company operating in Africa and other areas of the world, has a renewed focus on projects in South Africa, MD Chris Robinson tells Engineering News.
He is optimistic about the future of consulting engineers locally and says that there is an increase in the amount of work, mainly due to the booming construction industry, which makes it possible for local companies to swing back their focus to South Africa.
"We can work on our own doorstep," Robinson says, adding that the number of projects up for tender is growing.
He highlights the company's involvement in the African Road Renaissance Upgrade Programme (ARRUP) in northern KwaZulu-Natal and the construction and upgrading of the road between the N2 (at Mooiplas) and Kei Mouth, in the Eastern Cape, as some of the most significant local projects it is currently working on.
The R250-million Kei Mouth Road project involves the upgrading to surfaced standard of the existing 42 km road, to a design speed of between 80 km/h and 100 km/h and a surfaced width of 10,8 m.
The project also includes the construction of two bridges and numerous box culverts and cattle creeps.
The ARRUP programme is another important project the company is involved with and was initiated by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport to rehabilitate 502 km of roads throughout the province, to promote and mentor the development of emerging contractors and to improve the socioeconomic conditions of surrounding communities.
Robinson says that the programme has been broken down into 21 contracts in phase one, and into 45 contracts in phase two, to accommodate emerging KwaZulu-Natal contactors.
"To integrate people with little experience into a large contract is a big challenge," he says, adding that the company has to deal with a large number of people from a disadvantaged background entering into mainstream engineering on the project.
The project has a strong focus on the social development of the surrounding community, and contractors will have to leave behind facilities which can be adapted for the long-term benefit of the community.
Robinson says that social and environmental engineering has become a focus area in the engineering profession and that the group has also placed a renewed focus on these business practices.
He reports that a female-dominated team manages the social and environmental divisions in the company.
Jeffares & Green is hoping to start a geotechnical project in the Republic of Congo soon.
"We have a team of women who will, we hope, be going into the rainforests to carry out geotechnical work," Robinson says.
Commenting on another issue, he says that the consulting engineering industry will be influenced by the new procurement legislation, which will require that all projects be procured by way of a tender process from November.
"Tenders will open up a fair basis, but there are some pitfalls," Robinson warns, adding that it could result in tendering being done at cut-throat prices.
He also highlights the country's political history as a potential pitfall and says that emerging consulting engineers do not always have the experience to tender correctly, resulting in risks to themselves and the client.
Over the last few years, Jeffares & Green has transformed itself to become more representative of the demographics of South Africa and Robinson reports that the company has a programme to advance black shareholding in the company.
"We are among the leaders as far as black-economic empowerment is concerned," Robinson claims, adding that 31,5% of the company's shares are owned by black engineers and associated professionals.
[Back]