Blog

Dear Members, 

Recent engagements at the FIDIC Africa Conference in Accra, Ghana during April, once again highlighted the critical role of consulting engineers in driving sustainable infrastructure development across our continent. Held under the theme of  “Future Ready Infrastructure: Advancing Africa Through Innovation and Sustainability”, the way in which innovation, sustainability, quality delivery, and fair procurement will be implemented resonated strongly with delegates. FIDIC’s consistent message was clear: we need procurement approaches that select the best-qualified professionals and deliver long-term value, not merely the lowest initial price. 

This international consensus stands in stark contrast to the direction we are heading domestically. Engineers were once the go-to profession during the Industrial Revolution and when health, social and economic conditions of growing populations became intolerable. We solved complex challenges through skill, creativity, and professionalism. Today, that proud legacy is under threat. We find ourselves increasingly relegated to bidding for work at the lowest possible cost, simply to remain commercially viable. 

What has changed? Decades of procurement policies that favour tick-box compliance and lowest price over competence and quality have eroded the profession. The National Treasury’s proposed preferential procurement system exemplifies this problem. Its complexity and opacity could effectively exclude a large number of established firms from government contracts. Instead of enabling quality and transformation, it is likely to intensify unhealthy competition on price among a shrinking pool of participants, further undermining the sustainability of experienced practices and the quality of infrastructure delivered. 

This is not sustainable for South Africa. If we continue on this path, we risk running out of the very expertise we need to plan, design, and deliver the infrastructure essential for economic growth and service delivery. 

I strongly urge every member to diligently review the draft regulations, submit detailed and constructive criticisms, and lodge formal comments. As we have emphasised at our recent Branch functions, strength lies in numbers – the more constructive input received, the greater the likelihood of meaningful change.  

At a national level, the solution requires a fundamental reset: procurement processes that properly balance transformation goals with quality, proven capability, fair risk allocation, and predictable cash flow. We must restore engineers to their rightful place, not as commodities, but as strategic partners in nation-building. 

CESA will continue to advocate vigorously on your behalf, but real change demands collective action from all of us. 

Regards,  
Chris Campbell  
CEO, Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA)