We actively participated in the Institute for Local Government Management (iLGM) Conference 2023, held in Franschhoek, Western Cape, from 18 – 19 October, hosted by the Institute for Local Government Management of South Africa (iLGM). This year’s theme, “2024 – 30 Years of Democracy: Where are we as Local Government?”, served as a backdrop for critical discussions on the state of local governance.

Our CEO, Chris Campbell, was one of the speakers at the conference discussing detailed insights on the best practice for procurement of professional consulting engineering services. In advocating for resilience and future-proofing infrastructure development, he emphasized the significance of viewing infrastructure investment as a long-term decision spanning 20 to 30 years. 

Additionally, he discussed key points related to the new Public Procurement Bill. His recommendations included enforcing “Total Cost of Ownership” thinking, utilizing private sector expertise when internal capacity is lacking, and prioritising quality consulting engineering advice over the cheapest options. Furthermore, he mentioned the necessity of investing in both initial infrastructure and ongoing maintenance.