The South African Chapter of the Construction Industry Institute (CII) was launched at the University of Pretoria on 21 May 2015. Local collaboration with this international consortium of more than 140 leading owner, engineering-contractor and supplier firms in the construction industry, based at the University of Texas, Austin, will measurably improve the delivery of capital facilities in South Africa.

The establishment of a South African chapter of this unique organisation is the culmination of discussions over the past few years initiated by Eskom and Dr Giel Bekker, a project management specialist associated with the University of Pretoria’s Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM). By deciding to adopt the University of Pretoria as a South African partner, the CII identified an organisation with a similar learning culture, and a reputation as a research-intensive university that strives for relevance, quality, diversity and sustainability.

In South Africa, and Africa as a whole, the quest to improve project and project management performance on capital projects are strategic focus areas for both the public and private sectors. As a leader in the project management industry, the CII will enable members to benefit from its global, competitive and market advantages through the research-based, member-driven creation of knowledge and best practices.

One of the largest mega infrastructure projects undertaken in South Africa over the last few years has undoubtedly been the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link. It was therefore quite appropriate that Mr Jack van der Merwe, CEO of the Gautrain Management Agency, should endorse the South African Chapter of the CII based at his alma mater, the University of Pretoria.

As guest speaker, he touched on the challenges of rolling out mega infrastructure projects in South Africa. Mega projects such as the Gautrain take more than 14 years to complete and usually have multiple required outcomes to justify the large amounts of money spent on their completion. Van der Merwe stressed the importance of the life cycle cost of a project, and emphasised the fact that there are a number of external factors that impact on the completion of such a project. These include factors such as the global environment, which is characterised by change, complexity and competition; and South Africa’s political imperatives, which are driven, among other things, by the roll-out of the National Development Plan (NDP).

The most significant challenge in South Africa over the next 20 years, according to Van der Merwe, will be to prove that investment in any capital project will succeed in fighting both poverty and unemployment.

By participating in the activities of the CII, South African capital project owners, government agencies, contractors, suppliers and academia can benefit from the opportunities for collaboration that are created to enhance the business effectiveness and sustainability of the capital facility life cycle through CII research, related initiatives and industry alliances. 

Dr Stephen Mulva, Associate Director for Performance Assessment of the CII, expressed his enthusiasm for the launch of the new South African Chapter. He believes that this new chapter will contribute to the CII’s international offering in terms of knowledge management through the participation of executive-level personnel in the CII’s core processes such as research, implementation, education, benchmarking and metrics, breakthrough strategy and globalisation.

Some of the companies that are already benefitting from activities of the CII, such as research, annual conferences, communities of practice and benchmarking, include Sasol, Eskom, Murray and Roberts, Anglo American and Tenova.

For more information on the South African Chapter of the CII, contact Dr Giel Bekker at [email protected].