Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) will be hosting its annual Infrastructure Indaba, a tripartite alliance between the 3Cs (Consulting Engineers, Contractors and Clients), all working together to improve the quality of services, the industry has to offer.

The CESA Infrastructure Indaba, aims to stimulate debate on key industry issues and will be based on the theme: “Working towards improved delivery of infrastructure and engineering services.”

A concerted and united effort is needed from the 3Cs if we are serious about providing infrastructure that enables service delivery, culminating in the improvement of the living conditions of our people, CESA said. It is well known that increasing expenditure on the provision of infrastructure is a proven method of growing the economy of a country.

Consulting engineers provide the essential services required for infrastructure planning and development that are fundamental to maintaining and improving the quality of life for modern society. It is imperative for consulting engineers to be able to establish strategic partnerships with government and contractors in order to complement the required technical capacity on which the successful implementation of these programmes depend.

The concentration of engineering skills in the private sector has created an imbalance between the public and private sectors. This has resulted in a reduced capacity and capability in the public sector to effectively plan, implement and manage infrastructure development projects.

CESA said this has contributed in blocking project pipelines as witnessed in the continued underspending of the infrastructure budget. The role of the consulting engineer as a trusted partner to government is crucial in bridging the gap in skills shortages in government, while lasting long term solutions to the problem are being worked out through broader mentorship interventions between both entities.

Topics to be covered at the Indaba include:

• Mapping a Sustainable Path for Consulting Engineers Amid Growing Economic Challenges;
• State of the African Construction and Infrastructure Sector /Economic situation;
• Engineering Skills and Infrastructure Development as a critical driver to economic growth;
• Transformation in the Construction Sector;
• Diversity in the Consulting Engineering Workspace;
• Business Practices to Achieving Equity and Efficiency in the South African Economy and
• Trends in the political landscape.
• Procurement of engineering services (Compliance, Value for Money & Development of SMEs). The event will be held on November 7 & 8, 2016 at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani Hotel, in Durban. The Standard rate is R 6,325.00 (Excl. VAT), Young Professional rate is R 4,226.00 (Excl. VAT) and delegates qualify for 2 CPD points. For more information, click here: http://cesa.co.za/indaba/Contact details:
  Dennis Ndaba
  CESA Strategic Communicator
  011 463 2022 or 0785323100
  dennis@cesa.co.za