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in the past, as it has been extremely difficult to for an additional R11 million spread over five years
arrange liaison meetings with these departments. (commencing October 2014).
However the Programme Manager responsible for
The Committee has overseen the important role
cidb Procurement & Compliance has returned from
played by CESA in the ‘alignment of the Construction
her secondment to the NDPW and coupled by the
Charter’ with the new BBBEE Generic Code alluded
recent appointment of the CESA CEO to the Board
to earlier. A morning briefing of members by an expert
of the cidb, it is hoped matters will proceed smoothly
in the field of BBBEE Codes was held as well as two
again, with meetings taking place as scheduled and
follow-up workshops with ten representatives from
consideration given to the following matters requiring
member firms, resulting in a CESA Position Paper for
urgent cidb intervention:
the construction charter alignment process. The CESA
Amended cidb Professional Services Contract representatives actively participated in the formal
(PSC) alignment process for the Established Grouping,
managed by the Construction Sector Charter Council
Approval of the GCC 2014 as well as the JBCC
(CSCC). The outcome of the alignment process will
2014 suite of contract documentation, for inclusion
only be known towards the end of 2014 or early in
in the cidb Standard for Uniformity (SFU).
2015.
Approval of the CESA Model Professional Services
Members of the Committee participated again in
Agreement (2014), Short Form of Agreement
drafting and workshopping the ECSA 2015 Guideline
(2011) and Sub consultancy Agreement (2014)
Fees as required by the Engineering Professions
for inclusion in the cidb SFU
Act (EPA) and Council for the Built Environment.
With regard to the 2014 ECSA Fee Guideline the
Proposed cidb-BEP MoU
Committee oversaw the requests by the Structural
Reinstatement of cidb Method IV – where Quality Engineers as well as the Mechanical & Electrical
is included in the procurement points scoring Engineers for a revision of their fee structures. As
system usual CESA with the assistance of the Committee
and knowledgeable members dealt with numerous
Resurrection of the Procurement Integrity Pact
fee queries on behalf of ECSA.
Delayed Payment by Public Sector Clients
A major development within the sector was the
Work on CESA’s anti-corruption stance continued approval after many years of controversy and delay, of
under the auspices of the Committee. A good working the Identification of Engineering Work (IDoEW) by the
relationship was established with Corruption Watch Council for the Built Environment (CBE). This enabled
(CW), to which most complaints regarding corruption the ECSA application to the Competitions Commission
encountered by member firms were referred. CW for exemption of the IDoEW from the requirements of
is well resourced to deal with these complaints the Competitions Act. In this regard, ECSA had also
and is better able to deal with them than CESA. In previously made application to the exemption of the
the same vein, CESA is a member of, and actively ECSA Fee Guidelines from the requirements of the
participates in the National Business Initiative (NBI) Competitions Act. The Competitions Commission
anti-corruption task team, which is managed by NBI then polled the engineering professionals with the
on behalf of BUSA and is funded through the United assistance of ECSA and CESA for their views on
Nations Global Compact. these two applications. There has been no indication
as to when a ruling can be expected.
Through its previous involvement with a major
An unexpected proposal was promulgated by
forensic auditing firm and its current dealings with
the Department of Public Works during the year,
Corruption Watch and NBI, CESA has with the
advocating that the CBE be disbanded and its
approval of the Committee and the Board, redirected
functions assumed by the Department. Although
the adversarial focus of the CESA War Chest to that
some of the stakeholders supported the proposal,
of a Litigation Fund where the funds are used to
CESA voiced strong objection both in writing and
prevent unfair procurement practices that negatively
at a public meeting, leading to the withdrawal of the
affect the consulting engineering sector. The cost CESA Annual Review 2013 / 2014
proposal by the Department as well as an undertaking
of obtaining interdicts and other legal challenges in
to reconsider the matter.
the case of suspected corruption is too expensive
and beyond the means of CESA. This view has
After the dti’s rejection of CESA’s initial application
been supported by the rejection of CESA’s funding
for the services of the BEPG to be “Designated as
application submitted to the Siemens Integrity Fund
Local” in terms of Section 9 of the PPPFA, a revised
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