We reflect on the good friends we have made, and the good friends we have lost, wondering how we could have approached situations differently.

As an Association we set out at the beginning of the year to ensure that the Educational and Training requirements of our members are adequately supported, and as such, the Edutech wing was put in place. It so ably provided many a CPD functions throughout the Provinces. We are indeed grateful to the Edutech Committee. Our great appreciation and well wishes go to Mr. Boshoff whose efforts saw Edutech kick-off to a recognized division of the ASAQS Office. The ASAQS will greatly miss him as he has left to take up assignment elsewhere in Africa!

A successful conference was held in Pretoria this year as a joint initiative with the South African Council for the Quantity Surveying Profession. This indicated an enhanced working relationship between the Voluntary Association and Statutory Council. The healthy relationship can only be positive for the Profession in general and the ASAQS in particular!

The Board’s efforts at recruiting for a Marketing Manager; deserves mention, whilst this task remains to be completed, we believe 2015 will bear fruit to the efforts spent thus far.

The Construction Sector Charter Council (CSCC) has been hard at work to produce sector specific codes! Special Mention of appreciation should go to our Executive Director and the Immediate Past President who have championed the ASAQS contributions to CSCC. Whilst the process continues, the efforts to date are highly commendable.

We are most grateful of Mr. Chris de Wet who served on Exco and the Board till recently; his contribution was a huge value to the profession.

I would further like to thank the Executive Director and his dedicated team for the excellent work in attending to the various requests from members and the public, and in supporting the ASAQS Board and its Chapters.

To all our members that have taken the time to attend to any initiative of the Board or Chapters – we are most grateful. Such attendance remains the greatest acknowledgment of the efforts of these committee members who give their time for free.

Of course, there might have been deviant instances where some member expectations were not met; we hope we can all work towards improving such, for better positive results in the New Year!

As we face 2015, I would like to wish you a well-deserved rest and I hope that you will be able to recharge for a better 2015.

I also like to wish a Merry Christmas to our Christian Members and friends and a safe and joyful festive season to all.

On behalf of Exco and the ASAQS Board, I wish you well, and look forward to a 2015 that will enhance the QS Profession through improved Technical Support, Visibility of the Profession and Membership, and the Discipline and Professionalism of our members.

Thank you,

O Dhliwayo 

Dear members, 

May I start this “end of year” message by asking you a number of important questions to consider or  re-consider? Why is the ASAQS here and why do we exist? What is it that drives our board and association and why do we need your support by way of subscription fees? Why do you, a member of our association need the ASAQS? These are all obviously important questions and the answers to them can be found when we begin to understand the many things that the ASAQS does do and perform on behalf of our profession.

So what have we done for you (our member) and by virtue of this, our profession over the last 12 months? 

ADVOCACY 

The ASAQS has a strong voice within the built environment and actively represents our profession on numerous important committees and government bodies. The ASAQS also advocates for the QS profession by replying to “calls for comment” on construction sector policies put out for public discussion and comment by various government agencies. We also advocate and represent our profession with the

·         CIDB (Construction Industry Development Board),

·         DPW (Department of Public Works)

·         CBE (Council for the Built Environment)

·         NHBRC (National Home Builders Registration Council)

·         CSCC (Construction Sector Charter Council)

We continuously lobby with government departments on behalf of our membership, writing to ministers and civil servants - albeit sometimes more successfully than other times. We continue to raise matters of concern with these various government agencies. Whilst we raise many red flags and lodge complaints, we also ensure that we are able to offer solutions to the self-same matters of concern that we raise.

The association plays an active role on the board and technical committee of the JBCC and PROCSA. We have ASAQS board members looking after the interests of the profession by serving on the GBC (Green Building Council), (ICEC) International Cost Engineering Council, RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) and MBA (Master Builder Association). We represent the interests of the QS profession on the BEP grouping (Built Environment Professions Grouping) comprised of senior executives from the other professions within the construction sector. This forum allows the professions to wherever possible take a unified approach when seeking to comment on proposed policy and engage with various government agencies. 

We are fully aware of how important it is to actively promote QS’ing not only as a career choice for young students, but also promote the tangible value that a QS brings to a project. We are fully aware of the need to carry a strong message to all government departments to insist that the services of a QS are used in every project over a certain value. The ASAQS has actively sought the talents of a competent marketing manager who is able to advise the board on how best to market the profession, and in so doing market the abilities and involvement of quantity surveyors on every major project in the private or public sector. The committee conducted two rounds of interviews during the latter part of 2014,  but were ultimately unsuccessful in the recruitment of a marketing manager. However – the ASAQS is set on recruiting the right person for this job and will continue with sourcing and placing a suitable candidate in the new year. 

But marketing our profession definitely does NOT end there…

Each and every one of us need to market ourselves. As obvious as it sounds, you would not believe the amount of complaints that I receive regarding the below par services that are “charged for” by professional QS’s. Surely it is time for us as a profession to understand that the days of producing a BOQ and holding out our hands for payment are long gone? As professional quantity surveyors we need to realise that the way in which this profession has done business in the past is changing. As important as bills of quantity and estimates are, it should not define us as a profession. We need to be actively creating far more commercial opportunity for ourselves and more importantly value for our clients. As you all know, project management, feasibility studies and acting as principle agents are just a few of the additional services that every professional QS should be actively promoting to every client on every project.

Is it overly dramatic to say that the very reputation of our profession is at the heart of this matter?

TECHNICAL 

The ASAQS has recognised for a long time the need to deliver additional technical services for our profession. In January this year an EduTech director was employed to manage the entire EduTech portfolio. Mr Nellis Boshoff was appointed as the EduTech Director in to order manage this division of the ASAQS - with the aim being to provide all manner of technical support services to our members or the public. EduTech would also be responsible for accrediting supplier CPD as well as providing and delivering bespoke CPD courses to all chapters of the ASAQS nationwide. The CPD provided by EduTech is offered at a very fair cost. 

Furthermore, Edutech is able to assist the public and our members with bringing complaints to the SACQSP specifically in instances where the complainant wishes to remain anonymous. These complaints could be related to breaches in ethics, conduct or the QS Act. 

EduTech is also responsible for ensuring that all documentation that is currently used by the profession on a regular basis is updated and remains relevant.

CSCC ( Construction Sector Charter Council)

A large amount of resources and energy has gone into representing the ASAQS on negotiations for a construction sector BBBEE scorecard. These negotiations are held by the CSCC  who is mandated by the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) to engaging with all stakeholders within our sector with a view to agreeing on a progressive scorecard that promotes transformation within the construction sector. More information regarding where these negotiations are currently holding will be made available to all members within the next few days.

So in my view and in reply to my own opening question – “What does the ASAQS do?” I believe can be answered as follows :-  

We exist to serve the interests of our members and our profession, ensuring that our profession remains vibrant, dynamic, adaptable and responsive to an ever changing commercial environment. We exist to actively promote quantity surveying in all spheres of the construction sector and diligently represent the commercial interests of our profession.

All that the ASAQS does can only continue to be done through your generous and loyal support - and it is for this reason that I would like to thank you all individually as well as collectively on behalf of all of our members and firms.

May I take this opportunity to wish all of our members a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. May the new year bring only joy, happiness and abundant health to you and all your loved ones.

Sincerely,

Larry Feinberg
Executive Director – The Association of SA Quantity Surveyors 

2014/12/05

In 1988, five Port Elizabethans agreed that as a much-needed, voluntary, non-profit service to the South African construction industry, they would design a building contract which ensured that building contractors and their clients had a mutually fair, complete, workable set of conditions on which to base their contractual arrangements.

The five authors of the proposed Agreement were John Bowles, Michael Raaff, James Blackburn, Prof Gaye Le Roux and Michael St Leger Searle. 

They decided to produce a uniquely formatted document, combining an original copy (client’s copy) with a duplicate copy (for the Contractor), each in an extended single-sheet, which meant that the complete, undivided text of the Agreement would always be in full view of anyone perusing the contract, thereby diminishing the risk of oversight of any of the clauses.

In 1989, the First Edition of the innovative Agreement, titled Everyman’s Building Contract, generally known as Everyman’s was published by QS Publications in Port Elizabeth.

The authors’ expectations had been that the document would be most popular for minor works, but they soon discovered that the majority was used on medium-sized projects throughout South Africa.

When stocks ran out, the document was not reprinted.

Over the years, frequent requests for copies clearly indicated that while Everyman’s was needed by contractors and their clients, if it were to play its original role as a mutually fair, complete and workable set of conditions of contract supporting the interests of both parties engaged in construction processes, the contents had to be refined, updated and aligned with developments in the construction industry.

During 2013, in searching for a new home for Everyman’s, the original authors approached the Department of Quantity Surveying at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University with the suggestion that their existing authorship rights would be ceded to the Department, on condition that Everyman’s would be used in a teaching / learning environment and that the Department would take over Everyman’s by updating the document in perpetuity and distribute at a non-profit price to contractors, co-contractors, clients, property owners  and developers.  

In gifting Everyman’s to the NMMU Department of Quantity Surveying, the five authors believe that apart from its importance in

·  further education and training,

·  tertiary education, and

·   usage by role players and stakeholders in the formal sector of the South African construction industry,

the continuously updated Agreement will  fulfil a vital role in educating and  supporting

·         small and emerging building contractors, 
·         co-contractors, and
·         clients,

in understanding  their contractual  obligations and the need for compliance.

“Everyman’s” will be available from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Department of Quantity Surveying, ASAQS and other association branch offices.

The recommended selling price is R 100,00 (excl VAT). For more information, contact Louise Engelbrecht, (041) 504 2669 or email: louise.engelbrecht@nmmu.ac.za

Event Name:                           Contract Comparisons: JBCC: NEC: FIDIC: GCC

Nature of the CPD Event:        Academic lecture

Introduction

While South African construction professionals may, in the past, have “got by” with a knowledge of our local construction contracts such a knowledge is no longer sufficient. The construction arena is becoming more global as professionals look beyond our borders for work and as increasing numbers of employers use international forms of contract such as FIDIC and NEC/ECC. In this one day seminar we examine the key differences between the standard construction contracts currently in use and compare the approaches taken by these contracts to important issues. Advice on fitting the contract to the project will be given and the advantages and disadvantages of the various forms of contract discussed.

The contracts to be compared in this one day seminar are the following:

1.   The New Engineering Contract

The NEC/ECC contract is a contemporary contract which makes a clear break with traditional contracting and rather introduces innovative contractual tools aimed at sound project management and fair allocation of risk. While the benefits of working with the NEC/ECC contracts are great many find it a difficult contract to get used to, given the new approach to key issues and the language used in the contract. For this reason it is vital that anyone thinking of using the contract has had some training on its terms, its philosophy and its approach to the allocation of risk.

Some of the topics to be discussed in relation to the NEC/ECC contract are the following:

§  Pricing variations;

§  The role of the employer’s agent;

§  The adjudicator;

§  The NEC approach to subcontractors.

2.   The FIDIC Suite of Contracts

The FIDIC contracts, published in 1999 are rapidly gaining wide acceptance internationally due, in part to the fact that the World Bank has committed itself to use these contracts. With the 1999 contracts FIDIC has introduced a Construction Contract suitable for use in building works and a Small Works Contract. The contracts have also contributed a focused Design & Build/ Turnkey contract.

While the FIDIC contracts undoubtedly hold many advantages over the previous suite of FIDIC contracts they have been criticized, in particular for the manner in which they allocate risk. Contractors, in particular, have raised concerns about the risk allocation.

Some of the topics to be discussed in relation to the new FIDIC suite are the following:

§  Taking-Over and Completion under the FIDIC contracts;

§  The Dispute Adjudication Board;

§  The FIDIC approach to subcontractors;

§  Value engineering.

3.   The JBCC Contract

While many engineering contracts are being let under international forms of contract the Building industry has been slower to move to the international contracts and many building (and even some engineering) projects are currently being let under the JBCC contract, both in South Africa and in neighbouring states.

Time will therefore be devoted to a consideration of this contract insofar as it differs from the FIDIC and NEC/ECC contracts.

Some of the issues to be considered here include the following:

§   The traditional design under which the architect designs the works;

§   Dispute resolution under JBCC;

§   The use of nominated and selected subcontractors.

4.   The GCC Contract

The GCC 2010 contract was released in July 2010. We touch on some relevant issues including:

§  The role of the Agent

§  Subcontractors

Relevant training and information will be conveyed by way of case studies, practical examples and hands on exercises. Delegates will be given the opportunity to work with the standard contracts, to analyze key clauses and to discuss problem areas.

Some of the areas where the contracts will be compared include the following:

§  The approach to variations and instructions;

§  The role of the employer’s agent;

§  The approach to disputes

Presenter’s Name: Ivor Evans

Presenter’s Qualifications: B.Sc. Eng (Civil) degree in 1956 and an MBA in 1986

Experience:

Ivor Evans graduated from Wits University with a B.Sc. Eng (Civil) degree in 1956 and an MBA in 1986. His career began as a Junior Engineer with the South African Railways, followed by a period with contractors on infrastructure construction before a spell working overseas.  After post graduate studies in Switzerland and the United Kingdom he joined a firm of consulting engineers in Johannesburg in 1964 and remained in the consulting field until retirement from his firm in 2001.

He presently consults for BCA in the fields of contract documentation, contract administration and project management, and to other organizations and ECSA in areas of quality management, the statutory identification of engineering work, procurement policies and dispute resolution.  He is also a Fellow of the Association of Arbitrators (Southern Africa) and practices as a mediator and arbitrator

Date of Actual Event:         12 November 2014

Closing Date to Register:   04 November 2014

Registration:                       08h00 AM

Event Starts:                       08h30 AM
Event End:                          16h45 PM
 
Venue Name: Midrand Conference Centre

Venue Address: 
Tuscana Lapa (Entrance 2) 

661 Pendulum Road

Halfway House, Ext 12

Midrand

Awarded CPD Hours: 7hrs, Category 1

Event registration fees:

Member:              R 1 750.00 (including vat)

Non-Member:      R1 950.00 (including vat)

Please note:

Payment cut-off date - 04 November 2014

Click to Register

 
Nellis Boshoff
Edutech Director - ASAQS
Association of South African Quantity Surveyors
(W) -  011 - 315 - 4140
(F)  -   011 - 315 - 3785
web - www.asaqs.co.za

Presenters:
(a) Alec Galanakis: Saint-Gobain PAM Inland Commercial Manager and National Key Account Manager, specializing in municipal products.  SABS TC member for TC 138 Water and Sanitation – Equipment and Systems, member on a number of Standing Committees on SABS, presenter at 2013 IMESA, Municipal Benchmarking Initiative – topic theft and vandalism of government infrastructure.
(b) Lefentse Masemola: Saint-Gobain PAM Soil and Drain Manager, specialist in cast iron pipe drainage systems.

10h00 – 11H30 (Book your seat on-line) Click to Register 10h00-11h30

The presentation will be on acoustic solutions for open plan offices, some of the point we will focus on are as follows:

Introduction to the ECOPHON Group

Research outcomes for sound in offices

Basic acoustics

Effective office acoustic design

Pricing of acoustic material

Presenter:

Greg Mocker: Greg has been in the building industry for 10 years and experience ranges from architectural specifications, contracts and technical representative to area sales manager.

Greg's duties range from calling on all key architects and interiors designers in Gauteng and assisting with acoustic solutions for offices, education and healthcare premises, he also assist with technical and installation guidance/ training for installers and main contractors.

12h00 – 13h30 (Book your seat on-line) Click to Register 12h00 - 13h30

This session is about gypsum plasterboard presented by Saint-Gobain:

The objective of the presentation is to learn about different performance plasterboards that help specifiers provide solutions for a variety of building requirements. The presenter will explain how these unique plasterboard properties contribute to unique system performance and project challenges.

Different types of boards
Uses of plasterboard/use limitations
Water damage to plasterboard
Benefits of plasterboard ceilings/ walls
Services offered by drywall companies
WinQS library file

Presenter:
Mark Samuel Gathercole: Mark has 21 years of experience working in the building industry, starting with Pilkington tiles, manufacturers of glazed ceramic tiles and represented them in sales, on/off site technical support. Mark subsequently joined Tylon tile adhesives in October 2001 and represented them on sales, on/off site technical support.

Saint- Gobain Weber acquired Tylon in October 2006 and mark continued as regional sales manager in the Cape and progressed as product manager for Weber Tylon and then transferred to Key accounts manager for Weber Tylon. Mark ended his career at Weber Tylon as technical support specialist.

In 2012 Mark was transferred to Saint-Gobain Gyproc sales team as part of the commercial team specifications department and have trained internally and complete a Technical Competency Measurement test once a year ensuring technical ability competency.

Mark’s portfolio includes calling on principle quantity surveyors practices in Johannesburg and Pretoria as well as main contractors. His main role is to advise customers of product specifications ensuring continuity of the specification via BOQ’s to the subcontractor. In addition to product knowledge sharing with his customers he also advise on technical details of products and industry norms for correct installation of gypsum dry walling and ceiling systems and offer product training to customers.

14h00 – 15H30 (Book your seat on-line) Click to Register 14h00 - 15h30
This session is about waterproofing presented by Penetron and will cover:
Introduction to waterproofing
Range of products, applications and example projects
Cost comparisons/coverage discussions
Specification wording exercise
Problem identification exercises/case studies
Questions and Answers

Presenter:
Cassandra van der Merwe, B.Eng (Civil); Candidate Engineer
Cassandra is part of the Southern African Technical Support Management team at Penetron South Africa (Pty) Ltd and is based in Gauteng. She is involved in the specification of the Penetron suite of products, assists with the design integration of Penteron treated concrete structures and provides onsite technical support.

Cassandra received her BEng (Civil) degree from the University of Pretoria (First Class Pass) in 2010 and registered as a Candidate Engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) as well as SAICE in 2011. She achieved Golden Key International Honour Society membership status in 2009.

During her employ at Aurecon she worked in the Structural and Bridge departments and participated in the Mentees Programme. Additional training included reinforced concrete design to SANS 10100 (Gregg Parrott), the principles of concrete bridge design, maintenance and repair of concrete structures designed for low maintenance and advanced training in the design of liquid retaining structures.

• Establish a clear policy and mandate for the CBE as the representative body for the BEP Councils (BEPCs) addressing issues such as governance, integration between BEPCs, liaison with Government, conflict resolution etc.
• Establish a BEP liaison structure where DPW liaises solely with the CBE as the representative body of the BEPCs, where after the CBE will further communicate/ discuss with its constituent BEPCs.
• Limit the role of DPW to that of oversight of the CBE and linking it with the Government of the day.
• Make professional registration compulsory in the Built Environment and effectively enforce Identification of Work.
• Create an Ombudsperson/body funded by Government, possibly within the CBE, for the BEPCs (similar to the Public Protector), tasked with overseeing its own investigations and mandated to raise matters within the ambit of our judicial system and hope that consideration be given to combining this role with the CBE.

The ASAQS has also assured the Honourable Minister and the Chief Director of Construction Policy Development that the Association is at their disposal should they wish to consult with them on any of our aforementioned comments directly.

Click here to read the full submission by the ASAQS

Click here to access the background information and submit a comment of your own

Competition Commission of SA

Enforcement and Exemptions Division,

Private Bag X23,

Lynnwood Ridge, 0040

Tel: (012)394 5165  / (012)394 3403

Email:  MbongiseniN@compcom.co.za  or  Tlabom@compcom.co.za   

Kind regards,

New tier of Council registration

With advent of the promulgation of the identification of work expected later this year, the quantity surveying profession need to recognise alternative tiers of registration for persons working in the QS field other than as a PrQS. The Council has commenced investigation into the possibility of recognising persons who specialise in the contractor perspective of quantity surveying, plus the “back-room” technical support surveyor. Each new tier requires to be fully described, with levels of competencies set, routes to registration prescribed and any other specific limitation in the market that they may offer their services.

This will be work-shopped over the next 2 – 3 months and anyone wishing to add input, should contact the Registrar.