AECOM LAUNCHES 34TH AFRICA COST GUIDE
AECOM is launching the 34th edition of its highly anticipated and well respected ‘ Africa Cost Guide : Property & Construction 2023 / 24 ’. “ It is something we are very proud of indeed . The industry at large anticipates the release of this document every year ,” comments Herman Berry , Director , Programme Cost Consultancy ( PCC ), Africa . Described as an institutional tool for the broader built environment , the guide is endorsed and disseminated by key associations such as the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors ( ASAQS ).
In terms of trends highlighted by the latest guide , there is a major discussion in the industry at the moment concerning the role of Building Information Management ( BIM ), reveals Yvonne Bosch , Associate QS at AECOM . “ The main issue is how we integrate different parts of the construction programme into one global system . AECOM prides itself in being able to deliver and work in this new integrated , multidisciplinary fashion driven by rapid advances in technology ,” says Yvonne .
Another strong theme in the guide is the growing importance of ESG goals in the industry . Sustainalytics , a provider of ESG research , ratings and data , has ranked AECOM 12 out of 307 in the industry group for construction and engineering in terms of ESG .
One sector that has struggled since the Covid-19 pandemic has been the commercial office sector . However , the focus of the PCC team in the commercial space has changed from large new office buildings to delivering cost consulting services tailored for a rapidly changing tenant environment . “ There has been such a large number of tenant movements over the last year-and-a-half since the working from home phenomenon began due to the pandemic , specifically in the commercial office market . Even though there is not much growth in that market , there is still an appetite for the type of services that we deliver ,” says Herman .
A change in the industry that Herman is advocating for is a bigger role for the QS to play in the public sector . He points out that the QS is typically excluded from any bids or opportunities in public civil infrastructure investment .“ The engineer is typically responsible for the design , procurement , contract administration and cost management components on civil
Herman Berry , Director , Programme Cost Consultancy ( PCC ), Africa
infrastructure projects . We believe that the QS can contribute more to project rollout and procurement , for example . That is definitely going to be a focus area for AECOM . Moving forward , we are looking at an integrated multidisciplinary service where the cost management aspect supports our engineering offering . Such a development bodes well , specifically on the back of the larger infrastructure projects on our books and in the pipeline ,” says Herman .
CLF LEADS THE WAY WITH COMPREHENSIVE PRODUCT CARBON FOOTPRINT ASSIGNMENT
With CLF ’ s new carbon data service , their customers can now immediately target carbon neutrality or Net-Zero intentions and make informed purchasing decisions that will reduce their carbon footprint and promote sustainability .
Concrete Laser Flooring ( CLF ) proudly announced that they have recently undertaken a comprehensive product carbon footprint assignment , which will form the basis of CLF ’ s new carbon data service .
Greenhouse Gas ( GHG ) emissions from cement and concrete are meaningful and as a supplier to some of South Africa ’ s leading brands , CLF understands the importance of addressing climate change . CLF ’ s environmental offering is anchored by their innovative approach and state-of-the-art equipment , which result in concrete floors that are more durable and less impactful . They are proud to be to playing an industry leadership role in enabling supply chain GHG measurement , reduction , and offsetting opportunities for their customers following an analysis of GHG emissions from their warehouse flooring solutions .
By identifying and measuring the lifecycle impacts of their concrete floor offering , CLF has provided accurate emissions data to educate and inform customers . Customers can now use their carbon data service to understand and contextualise the impacts of purchasing decisions , report on Scope 3 value-chain emissions and immediately target carbon neutrality or Net-Zero intentions .
CLF recently conducted a lifecycle GHG emissions analysis of a customer ’ s
concrete warehouse floor project . The objective was to calculate the emissions of the entire warehouse floor , one cubic metre of the warehouse floor and one square metre of the warehouse floor . The results can be used to perform immediate carbon footprint estimations for future projects prior to project commencement , providing customers with valuable information to make decisions and unlock opportunities for climate leadership . www . concreteflooring . co . za
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