Associations
NON-MEMBERS CYNICALLY
REGISTERING TO WIN PROJECTS
A problem SARACCA experiences regularly is contractors registering with it to win a tender – often a public tender – and only paying their subs if successful .
Now the Council for the Built Environment ( CBE ) has announced efforts to stop non-registered people from leading infrastructure projects .
Contractor licensing is one of the most important initial steps in becoming a legitimate construction business . An HVAC & R contractor being registered with SARACCA or , say , a plumbing contractor registered with IOPSA , protects the contractor but more importantly lets its customers know that it ’ s a professional business with a certain level of expertise and legitimacy .
In order to bid for some government projects , being a member of an official contractors ’ body can be the difference between winning and losing . SARACCA director Barney Richardson says a certain percentage of members join when they are tendering : if they don ’ t win the tender they often never pay the join up fee , and even if they win often let their membership lapse as soon as the contract is complete .
Now the built environment regulator ( CBE ) has warned that it is illegal for a non-registered person to administer and lead infrastructure projects in South Africa , and further warned that such practices have led to many a government department and state-owned entity incurring financial losses .
The CBE explains that the illegal administration and leading of projects by non-registered people is one of the most significant challenges confronting the built environment .
Candidates often misrepresent their credentials or register with professional bodies but as soon as they are appointed , they discontinue their affiliation and deactivate their memberships , the council notes , adding that the lack of professional affiliation results in huge financial losses for the state when these individuals cannot be held responsible for their professional conduct .
Additionally , the CBE noted that the quality of professional teams has deteriorated over time , resulting in design errors , project
overruns , unjustifiable deviations and poor project scoping .
The CBE , as a statutory body , is actively advocating , together with professional councils and recognised voluntary associations such as SARACCA , for administration and work on infrastructure projects to be the exclusive domain of registered persons .
Catgirlmutant / Unsplash
Being registered with an official trade body gives assurance of the quality of the work .
For example , the CBE is collaborating with the National School of Government to offer a compulsory programme for nonregistered persons to be implemented across all three spheres of government and in the private sector .
This programme will render it illegal for a non-registered person to administer and lead infrastructure projects across the three spheres of government , as well as the private sector . This will be augmented by accompanying legislation through the Built Environment Transformation Charter and Sector Codes , which are currently being developed for public consultation by the sector . RACA
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I May 2023 11