Picking The Right Contractor Pre-qualification Program

When you have to hire contractors to work on one of your projects, you should hope that they have completed a rigorous contractor prequalification program. While it might seem like it's difficult to tell how you will navigate through all of the countless contractors that are present on the Kenyan market today, you have to do your best to evaluate each contractor on a case-by-case basis. You might find some of them that seem like they have the right qualifications, but you have a hard time getting along with them. You should focus on having a contractor on your side that you can get along with because you are going to spend so much money on them. You have to trust that their work is going to be of the highest level of quality while they will maintain the loftiest level of integrity.

As an employer who has many contractors on their team, the need for a contractor prequalification program becomes all the more apparent. You have to put the program that you choose through its paces to ensure that it's the best possible thing for your workforce. It's important to revisit this program on a regular basis to guarantee that it's still doing its job. If you have to make little adjustments here and there, you should do so before too much time has passed. The productivity and effectiveness of your program depends on your ability to track its results over an extended period of time. You also need to have the right people in charge of this program to ensure that they are administering your directives in the right way. You must make everyone who's enrolled in these programs feel like they are part of the festivities. 

Contractor prequalification program makes it easier to measure contractor compliance with confidence and take positive action to mitigate risk while managing contractual requirements. This is benefit is far fetch given the amount of cash involved in the construction industry. 

GIBB Africa Construction Industry Jobs Kenya

GIBB Africa Engineering Jobs in Kenya

GIBB Africa Ltd is a Pan African company which specialises in the provision of feasibility studies, design and management services in the fields of structural, electrical, mechanical, water, waste water, irrigation and transport engineering and environmental and social services in Africa with its headquarters based in Nairobi Kenya.

The Company seeks to recruit suitable candidates for the following positions:

Materials / Pavement Engineer

 
Key Responsibilities

• Planning, co-coordinating and monitoring field work for materials and geotechnical investigations for highways, railways and airports projects
• Preparing laboratory testing programmes and ensuring testing is carried out in accordance with the latest Specifications and Manuals
• Carrying out pavement designs as required
• Evaluating and reviewing pavement designs
• Preparing Materials and Pavement Design Reports
• Carrying out technical audits for ongoing design and construction projects

Qualifications and Competencies

• B.Sc Degree (Civil Engineering) and an M.Sc (Pavement and Materials) or equivalent
• Registered with Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) or any other body recognised by EBK.
• At least 10 years of progressive experience in highways railways and airports design with at least 5 years in Materials and Pavement Engineering

Traffic Engineer

 
Key Responsibilities

• Planning and co-ordinating traffic studies for highways projects
• Analysis and reporting of traffic data for input into HDM IV
• Collecting and evaluating historical traffic data
• Preparing Reports on traffic studies

Qualifications and Competencies

• B.Sc Degree (Civil Engineering); M.Sc (Transport Planning or Traffic Engineering) or equivalent.
• Registered with Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) or any other body recognised by EBK.
• At least 10 years of progressive experience in highway design with at least 5 years in Traffic Engineering
• Proficiency in HDM-IV economic model or equivalent traffic analysis and modelling software

Highway Engineer

 
Key Responsibilities

• Design of highways and railways using AutoCAD and other software as necessary
• Assist in co-ordinating activities on construction sites being managed by the Company Production of drawings using design software, AutoCAD and other computer programs as necessary;

Qualifications and Competencies

• B.Sc Degree (Civil / Structural Engineering).
• Registration with Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) or any other body recognised by EBK will be an added advantage.
• At least 7 years post-graduation working experience gained in a busy consultancy environment. Experience in hydrological studies and highway design shall be an added advantage.
• Knowledge of CAD design software for highways and railways, specifically CIVIL 3D and PRO-VI preferred.

Resident Engineer – Highways

 
Key Responsibilities

• In charge of the day-to-day financial, technical and administrative functions of the project supervision team.
• Responsible to the Operations Manager - Contracts and the Project Director for the management of the project.

Qualifications and Key Competencies

• BSc Degree (Civil Engineering); MSc an added advantage.
• Registered with the Engineers’ Registration Board of Kenya (ERB / EBK) or a recognized equivalent professional engineering body.
• At least 15 years of progressive post-qualification experience in highway engineering (planning, design and construction supervision).
• At least 5 years experience as a Resident Engineer on major highway projects.
• Experience on evaluation of contractor’s claims.
• Sound knowledge of Construction Contracts, especially and specifically FIDIC Conditions of Contract;
• Ability to prioritize, plan, program, coordinate, delegate and monitor work programs of project teams comprising engineers and technicians;

Deputy Resident Engineer / Measurement Engineer (Highways)

 
Key Responsibilities

• Deputizing for the Resident Engineer on all technical and administrative matters of the project supervision.
• Responsible to the Resident Engineer for all site measurement works.
• In charge of the survey and inspectorate teams on site.

Qualifications and Key Competencies

• BSc Degree (Civil Engineering) or equivalent; MSc an added advantage.
• Registered with the Engineers’ Registration Board of Kenya (ERB /EBK) or a recognized equivalent professional engineering body.
• At least 10 years of progressive post-qualification experience in highway engineering (planning, design and construction supervision).
• At least 8 years experience as a Measurement Engineer or Resident Engineer on major highway projects.
• Knowledge of Construction Contracts, and specifically FIDIC Conditions of Contract.

Senior Structural Engineer – Buildings

 
Key Responsibilities

• Provision of design and construction supervision inputs in respect of projects being undertaken by the Company
• Production of designs and drawings using design software, AutoCAD and other computer programs as necessary
• Undertaking in-house design reviews and in-house quality assurance processes in respect to projects undertaken

Qualifications and Key Competencies

• B.Sc Degree (Structural Engineering)
• Registered with the Engineers’ Registration Board of Kenya (ERB / EBK) or a recognized equivalent professional engineering body.
• At least 10 years post-registration design and construction supervision experience gained in a busy consultancy and / or contracting environment.

Senior Mechanical Engineer – Building Services

Key Responsibilities

• Preparation, production and review of project or technical reports to Company standards
• Undertaking in-house design reviews and in-house quality assurance processes in respect to projects undertaken
• Liaising with clients and other consultants, where necessary, in the course of project delivery

Qualifications and Key Competencies

• B.Sc Degree (Mechanical Engineering or Building Services Engineering).
• Registration with a well-recognized engineering body will be an added advantage.
• At least 15 years post-registration design and construction supervision experience gained in a busy consultancy and / or contracting environment.
• Demonstrated ability to serve as a technically responsible specialist in the field of mechanical engineering for industrial / commercial building and infrastructure projects.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates should submit their applications by email, post or hand delivery, enclosing copies of academic certificates, copies of reference letters, detailed Curriculum Vitae, their address, telephone and email contact, on or before 05 July 2013. 

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

The applications should be addressed to:

The Human Resources Manager
GIBB Africa Limited
5th Floor, Office of the Deputy President’s Building,
Harambee Avenue
P O Box 30020-00100 Nairobi
or Email: hr@gibbinternational.com

Sample: Construction Industry Contract Form

Before agreeing to construct anything for your client in Kenya, it would be necessary to assign an agreement form aka contract form or just referred to as a "Contract". Below is a sample contract form between two companies. 

CONTRACT  BETWEEN COMPANY A AD COMPANY B

This is a contract entered between A (hereinafter referred to as “the provider) located at ____________

, and B (hereinafter referred to as “the client”) located at ______________, on this date, ___________.

The client herby engages the Provider to provide services as described under “Scope and manner of services.” The provider hereby agrees to provide the client with such services in exchange for consideration as described under “Payment for Services Rendered”

Scope and manner of services

Beginning on upon agreement to this contract, A will provide to B the following services (collectively, the “Services”):   

(list of all services to be offered)

Duties of  the Client

B hereby undertakes and agrees as follows:

(Mention client obligation if any)

Payment for Services Rendered

In exchange for the services B will pay A according to the following schedule:

(talk about things like down payment /deposit, date of payment of the remainder or the whole amount, any penalty arising from delay in payment etc)

e.g

The client shall pay the provider for services rendered according to payment schedule attached, within N calendar days of the date on the provider’s invoice (s). Should the client fail to pay the Provider the full amount specified in any invoice within Q calendar days of the invoice date, a late fee equal  to Ksh. ______ shall be added to the amount due and interest of P% per annum shall accrue from the calendar day following the invoice date.

Termination

a)      This contract will terminate automatically upon the completion by A of the services required by this contract.

b)      If either party shall fail to perform any of its obligations hereunder the other party may terminate this agreement forthwill upon notice to the other party and the other party so terminating the agreement shall be relieved of any of its obligations hereunder, without prejudice to any rights to seek damages or such other right or remedy as it may have at law.

Warranty

A shall provide its services and meet its obligation under this Contract in a timely and workmanlike manner, using knowledge and recommendations for performing the services which meet generally acceptable standards in A’s community and region, and will provide a standard of care equal to or superior to, care used by service providers similar to A on similar projects.

Applicable Law

This contract shall be governed by the laws of contract of the Republic of Kenya and applicable state law.

In witness of their agreement to the terms above, the parties or their authorized agents hereby affix their signatures.

Name of Client or Agent: Company B

By: ______________                   Signature________________                  Date__________

(Designation)                                                                   

Name of Provider or Agent: Company A              

By:_____________                       Signature _______________                   Date___________

(Designation)

Construction Cost Planning and Cost Control

Cost planning and cost control of construction projects is not a new technique, it has been in use for many years.

·         Costing means applying prices to schedules of items of labour and materials in order to obtain an approximation of the cost of a construction project.

·         Cost planning and cost control does not only determine the probable cost of a project but is also to control the design development throughout the project, and to provide the client with value for money.

·         It can also dictate the nature of the most important characteristic of the embryo design, the plan shape, storey height, type of finishes and so on.

·         Time must be spent in the early stages of design sequence for cost planning so that careful cost control by monitoring of variations can be operated during construction stage to the settlement of account to be effective.

Clients’ requirement for an accurate forecast of the overall cost is due to:-

·         Resources such as land and materials becoming scarce and expensive.

·         Modern buildings becoming more complex,

·         Fluctuation in labour and material cost etc.

Cost Analysis

The analysis and presentation of actual costs of a project to facilitate cost planning. It is a systematic breakdown of cost data according to the element for cost so as to facilitate examination. It is a record of how the cost has been distributed over the elements of a project - It includes a brief description of the overall nature of the project and specification notes on the general level of finishes, and so on.

Cost Planning is the method of controlling the cost of a project, within a predetermined sum, during the design process and includes the preparation of the cost plan as well as the subsequent stages of cost checking.

Ø  Cost planning are techniques for arriving at a cost plan or cost limit. It is a statement of the intended cost to spend on each element of a proposed project within a total sum and in relation to a defined standard of quality.

Ø  The allowances set against each element are cost targets.

Cost plan is prepared by finding a cost analysis of a similar project to the one under consideration, and by studying how the cost was allocated in the previous project, in order to prepare an estimate for the proposed scheme. However, the cost information cannot be used directly from the cost analysis, and some degree of modification will have to be made. These modifications are usually for differences in:

·         Price level

·         Quantity

·         Finishes and standards

Cost Control: Cost control is a generic term embracing all methods of controlling the cost of a project throughout its various stages from inception to completion.

§  Process of cost checking the estimated cost of each element against the target set in the cost plan.

§  Cost control is a process to hold expenditure within the budget by monitoring and appraisal of the cost performance (Clark and Lorenzoni, 1997).

Cost control can be divided into two major areas:

§  The control of cost during the design stages, so that the proposals under design fall within the original estimates for the scheme.

§  The control of cost, principally by the contractor, once the work of construction has commenced. This the contractor’s attempt to keep the costs incurred while carrying out the work within the quoted amounts –This is what will be paid to them by the client.

Historical Background of Cost Control and Planning

Cost control is a logical extension of a process which has continued since the days of the eighteenth century measurers employed to measure and value the cost of work after it was both designed and executed. The measurers were involved, after the building was erected, to measure and value and to argue with the client and architect on behalf of groups of tradesmen.

The measurers were later brought together under a main contractor system which became fully operative in the early nineteenth century.  This involved price competition before construction.

The measurers soon realised that a new function was required and that they possessed the necessary skills to undertake it. It was in response to this situation that they developed the skills of pre measuring, of taking off quantities from the drawings before construction started and assembling them in a bill of quantities to provide a rational basis for competition - Hence the development of the quantity surveying profession. Under this system, work was measured and priced before execution, but after design.

The next development was the introduction of approximate estimating techniques which attempted to give a forecast of the probable tender figure. However, the basis of computation of this method left much to be desired. Subsequently, the estimators realized that by the use of cost planning the probable cost could be reasonably accurately determined early in the design process.

Cost planning began to evolve as a process of pre costing, attempting to represent the total picture of anticipated cost in a way which provided a clear statement of the issues by:

§  Isolating the courses of action and their relative costs

§  Providing a guide to decision making.

Over the years, construction projects have become increasingly complex because:

1.       Many specialist skills have become associated with their design

2.      Clients require, and are entitled to expect, positive assurance that their money is being spent wisely and well.

3.      For public sector the nation needs to use national resources to their optimum effectiveness.

Cost Planning and Cost Control in the Construction industry today

The birth of Quantity surveyor profession totally changed the construction cost control process. Currently, the process is almost entirely taken over by quantity surveyors trained in this particular field.

Roles of Quantity Surveyor in construction cost control

The quantity surveyor has a vital role to play as financial adviser to the building industry

1.      Producing economically viable solutions to many kinds of building, engineering and development problems

2.      Preparing budget estimates

3.      Cost planning

4.      Appraisal of alternative cost solutions

5.      Procurement arrangements and tendering procedures

6.      Preparing contract and subcontract documents

7.      Advising on the most satisfactory financial relationships between contractor and client

8.      Price evaluation of building and associated engineering works

9.      Cost checking

10.  Forecasting anticipated final costs

11.  Settlement of contractors’ claims

12.  Cost control

13.  Cost analysis

14.  Life cycle costing and cost benefit studies

Importance of Cost Control

It is vital to operate an effective cost control procedure during the design stage of a project to:

1.      Keep the total cost of the scheme within the client’s budget.

2.      Reduce the amount of unproductive capital or borrowed money as clients don't have sufficient time for the redesign of schemes upon the receipt of excessively high tenders.

Light gauge steel construction

Construction in LGS is quickly gaining popularity in Kenya owing to:
1. Faster speed of erection compared to the conventional construction materials like timber and heavy steel.
2 . Higher level of precision achieved through design software minimizes costs as wastage is greatly minimized. This has made LGS quite affordable.
3. The low weight of the LGS structure warrants it's on roofs and higher floors of multi storey buildings. For instance, hoisting an LGS truss is less cumbersome compared  timber or conventional steel truss of equal strength. The LGS has higher strength to weight ratio and since steel is priced depending on its weight, LGS construction is cheaper.
4. Other advantages of LGS include: environmental friendly method,  aesthetically appealing finish,  require small labour which cab either be semi-skilled or unskilled.
In Kenya, the the key players in this field include: TechnoConstruct, TrussTech, UltraSpan,  steelex, among others.

Construction Project Participants

The construction industry is one large industry which integrates different professional organizations, with varied roles and diverge interests but with one ultimate goal - to build a cheap, strong and aesthetically appealing structure. These diverging interests forge a creative tension that pushes all team members to incorporate the interest of others. All in all, the success of these individuals is motivated solely by their love for built environment. The construction industry can as well be visualized as system with different parts working together to achieve a common goal.

The top management of the owner sets the overall policy and selects the appropriate organization to take charge of a proposed project. Its policy will dictate how the project life cycle is divided among organizations and which professionals should be engaged. Decisions by the top management of the owner will also influence the organization to be adopted for project management. In general, there are many ways to decompose a project into stages. The most typical ways are:

• Sequential processing whereby the project is divided into separate stages and each stage is carried out successively in sequence.
• Parallel processing whereby the project is divided into independent parts such that all stages are carried out simultaneously.
• Staggered processing whereby the stages may be overlapping, such as the use of phased design-construct procedures for fast track operation.

It can be noted that some decompositions may work out better than others, depending on the circumstances.

There are two basic approaches to organize for project implementation, even though many variations may exist as a result of different contractual relationships adopted by the owner and builder. These basic approaches are divided along the following lines:

1. Separation of organizations. Numerous organizations serve as consultants or contractors to the owner, with different organizations handling design and construction functions. Typical examples which involve different degrees of separation are:
• Traditional sequence of design and construction
• Professional construction management
2. Integration of organizations. A single or joint venture consisting of a number of organizations with a single command undertakes both design and construction functions. Two extremes may be cited as examples:
• Owner-builder operation in which all work will be handled in house by force account.
• Turnkey operation in which all work is contracted to a vendor which is responsible for delivering the completed project

The first approach (Separation of Organizations) is commonly applied in Kenya’s construction industry and so I will dwell on it.

In this approach, participants in the construction industry can be grouped in three major groups depending on their functions. These groups include the Owners, Designers and the Contractor.

1 Owners

Owner initiates the project. Their function: financially back the project, otherwise no project.

In all cases, owners are primarily concerned about their needs and their money.

While designers focus on functionality, aesthetics and innovative use of materials, owners are additionally concerned about durability of design, storage and availability of materials, simplicity of operation, and ease of maintenance.

While contractor is concerned with maintaining schedule and budget through efficient methods of assembly and improved management techniques, owners are additionally concerned about a turnover process that ensures complete understanding of all systems in project and a smooth start-up transition.

Owner representation

Because owner can be any individual or organization that takes on a construction project it is difficult to find a common profile.

a)      Facility managers: most common professional owner representative. They are found most often in large organizations and institutions like schools, universities, hospitals. Their job is to understand the goals and objectives of their organization and ensure that facilities are planned to support them.

b)      Outside Consultants: Organizations without large in-house departments often hire consultants.

c)      Building committee: Consists of users, financial backers, and sometimes community residents.

2 Design professionals

Principle designer are Architects and Engineers.

On Building and Residential sector projects: Architect is lead designer, laying out the concept on paper with owner while the Engineer is brought in after basic concept is worked out but before details are developed.

On Infrastructure and Industrial sector projects: the Engineer is lead designer while the Architect is brought in to work on the aesthetics.

Both designers must think mechanically, technically, and creatively, but the architect works in the artistic realm while engineer works in the technical realm.

The Architects include: Draughtsmen, Specification writers, Interior designers, Landscape architects.

The Engineers include: Surveyors, Structural engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Electrical Engineers and Civil Engineers.

Architects

Responsibility is to translate and develop an owner's requirements and graphically represent them, and to choose appropriate systems and materials (need skill and expertise) and formulate a design that is mathematically proportioned and aesthetically pleasing (talent).

Engineers

Engineers work within large Consultancy firms, but most often they are independent consultants.

They have varied responsibilities depending on their discipline, but in all cases they must understand owner’s requirements: budget, operations, durability and Intended use of space.

Civil Engineers: Determine project location on a site by studying the subsurface soil conditions and the topography of the land. Design roads, bridges, tunnels, parking lots, storm water drainage, and sewage treatment plants.

Structural Engineers: Calculate strengths and deflections, foundation sizes, beam thickness, and strength of floor slabs. Ensure that a building can withstand its own weight, the forces of wind, gravity and seismic activity etc.

Surveyors: Setting out of works

Mechanical & Electrical Engineers: Services and other specialised installations.

3 Construction Professionals

Contraction professionals (sometimes just referred to as contractor) are tasked with the responsibility to translate the concept from the drawing on paper to a real structure on the ground. They often do the actual building of the structure in consultation and supervision of the design professionals.

Construction professionals include:

a)      Contractors: Estimators, Schedulers, Purchasing agents

b)      Specialty Contractors

c)      The Trades (steel fixers, cement masons, sheet-metal workers, plasterers, plumbers, pipe-fitters, electricians, bricklayers, glaziers, roofers, carpenters)

d)     Material Suppliers

e)      Equipment suppliers

Contractor: is a general term used to define the professional responsible for all construction activities whether he works as a general contractor, or a construction manager.

Estimators: Work with design drawings and prepare a complete list of job costs.

Scheduler: works between the head office and the site offices. Successful schedulers monitor job progress, coordinate subcontractors, analyze changes and the impact of delays, and solve problems.

Purchasing Agents: buy subcontracts once a job is won. They negotiate to get best price while ensuring that all contract requirements are met.

Specialist contractors:  Generally known as subcontractors and include mechanical, electrical, excavation, and demolition contractors. They are usually hired by and work directly for a general contractor.

Trades: Are the people who actually perform the work in the field. Trades form the core of industry- a constant throughout its history. They include: Ironworkers, Cement masons, Sheet metal workers, Plasterers, Plumbers, Pipe fitters, Electricians, Bricklayers, Glaziers, Roofers and Carpenters

Material suppliers: Materials and building components are manufactured, fabricated, and installed by suppliers

Equipment suppliers: Depending on the project, equipment can play a very big role in construction. Highway jobs, large excavations, bridges, tunnels, and tall buildings all rely heavily on the use of equipment to carry out the work. Suppliers offer it for sale or rent.

Organization of Companies

To manage in-house resources and outsourced specialties, each firm organizes its project teams a little differently.

Common staff positions in design companies: Project manager, Clerk of works, and Supervisor

Common staff positions in construction companies: Construction project manager, Superintendent and Resident engineer.

Design company organization

Project manager: Owner`s primary contact, responsible for scheduling in-house work, and identifying necessary staffing levels for both inhouse personnel and outside consultants. They also help the owner get bids from contractors and negotiate the construction contract.

Clerk of the works: Enforce the terms of contract; interpret the plans and specs.

Supervisor: organizes drawings, manages personnel, communicates with engineers and other consultants, and details schematic designs.

Construction company organization

Construction Project manager: Configure project team, schedule the job, and set up a cost control system. If there are changes, negotiates the cost with various parties.

Superintendent: Interacts with specialty subcontractors, coordinating the flow of workers, supplies, and equipment. Also prioritizes work and negotiates disputes between trades.

Resident engineer: Handle various documents that flow through a field office, follow up an owner requests and communicate with others

Why are Buildings in Kenya collapsing?

Failures of Engineering Structures do no just happen. Often someone is responsible in Kenya; we have recently witnessed buildings collapsing when under construction and even after they have been completed. Less reported are roads that fail prematurely. Structures do not fail due to architectural issues. Almost in all cases, failure occurs due to an engineering and or construction related problems. There are a variety of reasons why engineering structures fail. The principal among them are:

  

These issues as zoning and land use. For instance, Nairobi which City Council does not appear to pay much attention to zoning. It is notable that the council has in the past allowed developers to put up high-rise buildings in areas not designated for such development. In some areas where even a sewer line does not exist, developers have been allowed to put up massive buildings. Building codes get bent at will.

In some cases, developers go to inexperienced Architects and Engineers who have just graduated from university. These young professionals get tempted by seemingly huge amounts of money they suddenly find themselves being exposed to and are therefore willing to bend rules, such as undercutting on scale fees and compromising on accepted building standards; hence the cases of buildings collapsing as they are erected.

Though not proven, some claim that most of the government projects are not scrutinized before being undertaken. Some of the structures are politically approved and constructed without the approval of the council. Hence, the construction of some of these structures in road reserves and way leaves.

Another malpractice involves deliberate compromise on the quality of the structure for financial gains by qualified and practicing professionals. This is so common with some contractors, who deliberately compromise on the directions given by the Architects and the structural engineers, building substandard structures which may not collapsed during erection but are prone to fail easily incase of any unseen environmental calamities such as earthquakes, fire or explosion. A good example of such buildings is the Ufundi house, which collapsed during the 7^th August 1997 bombing of the American Embassy, leaving the Cooperative House standing. This is due to compromise on the supervision by the resident engineer, mostly due to corruption or neglect of duty.

The underpayment of the government employed engineers also contributes very much to the compromise of building standards. These poorly paid professionals are put in charge of multi-million projects and supervising contractors loaded with cash. This leaves them vulnerable to manipulation by the contractors to either approve a ghost job or compromise on the structural strength of some members in exchange for financial ‘compensation’.

Unqualified personnel are put in charge in some construction firms especially those belonging to foreign firms. For, instance a main contractor who is unqualified and depended on his technician for the interpretation of the engineering drawings. In some instances, qualified engineers are forced to report to and take orders from unqualified personnel heading their companies.

Substandard materials in the construction industry are another major problem. Some materials used in the construction industry are naturally occurring with varied properties some of which are difficult to ascertain unless tests are to be carried on each one of them. Substandard masonry blocks results cracking of the walls and hence compromise the structural integrity of the building. Other materials prone to variability in quality are sand, coarse aggregate, timber and steel. Some industries have been found to recycle steel and use them in the manufacture of reinforcement steel. These steel have lower yield strength than the stipulated 460N/mm².

Solutions

The future of the construction industry is bright with legislation already in place to impose heavy penalties on individuals involved in construction malpractices. To undertake any major structural engineering project, the engineer should be registered. Another requirement that in order to register a consulting firm, at least one of the stake holders must be a registered consulting engineer will also streamline the construction industry.

Most government projects are nowadays taken under the design and supervision of private consulting firms who are out to build on their reputation, hence not so vulnerable to manipulation by contractors.

A country run by professionals is the key to even brighter future for the construction industry. This will lead to political decisions being taken with some considerations to ethics and not tribal and corrupt ways. The construction of buildings should be approved by the appropriate authority not politically.