Blog

Role of Industry and Academia

"If all these stakeholders work together in a collaborative ecosystem, the adoption of IC will ensure a more productive environment and produce a skilled labor force that will sustain the future [...]

Blog

New and Multi-disciplinary Specialisations in IC

The key issue is a lack of a formal career path in IC. Construction is set up to recruit and train and get people qualified into very rigid roles. We need [...]

Blog

New Industrialised Construction Related Roles

[...]

Blog

New Teams within Industrialised Construction

[...]

Blog

Future IC Teams, Roles and Skills

Future IC Teams, Roles and Skills: construction companies are creating new teams and functional roles. [...]

Blog

White Paper – Key findings and insights

IC is a chance to bring a positive shift and competitive edge for the companies that adopt it. Reducing construction costs and rework and making construction processes safer were the mostly [...]

Blog

Why is the industry looking to industrialized construction?

[...]

Blog

Megatrends in Construction – The White Paper

[...]

Blog

Construction must change

"The synthesis of off-site fabrication, additive manufacturing, robotics, artificial intelligence and the internet of things produce a perfect storm for a fragmented, information-intensive industry like construction. To harness and adapt [...]

Blog

Future of Work in Construction – Brought to you by RICS and Autodesk

“Trends such as adopting design-to-make production processes alongside digital technologies, within industrialized construction can bring much needed certainty of cost, schedule, and scope to the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) [...]

Blog

Construction Responde to COVID-19

We are, world over, in the midst of a massive change with the construction industry not being spared. All NEC users are trying to understand how they will continue under [...]

Blog

Covid 19 and NEC contracts in South Africa

At times like these, affected organisations look to their contracts of supply for what happens next as well as any relief that may be available to them in terms of [...]

Blog

NEC documentation needs getting the scope right

Assumption is made that many of the core clauses in NEC contracts have been dealt with the relevant matters in the contract data. This is frequently the case when referring [...]

3 Comments

Blog

Procurement Practices Solutions

We are proud to have both Andrew Baird on our executive team. Andrew formed part of the original drafting team of the NEC system as noted in each NEC document, [...]

Blog

Procurement Processes in a Collaborative Framework

Collaborative procurement processes are recommended by the The UK Government Construction Strategy Committee. They recommend that public projects adopt, design and build private finance initiative or prime-type contract procurement [...]

3 Comments

Blog

Construction Costs and Time Comparisons

The potential for construction costs savings in both time and cost through design partnering is well illustrated by a comparison between the construction of two identical chemical plants in Japan [...]

Blog

Contract strategies – the design hiatus

Traditionally there is a hiatus in the contract strategies, when the design professionals package up drawings and specifications and ‘fail safe’ clauses for passing to contractors to develop their price [...]

Blog

Contract documentation

In the final analysis everything is executed through a contractual framework – contract documentation. No matter how good all the other practices are, the process can go off-track if the [...]

Blog

Best practices for clients – The catalyst for a culture change and cost savings

There are certain best practices which a client can introduce, most of them based on practicality and good management practice. Management, first and foremost An intelligent customer who considers his [...]

Blog

Changing client culture

Changing client culture involves the client becoming a leader and not a dictator or a passive bystander.  “Example is not the main thing in influencing others.  It is the only [...]

Blog

Clients in the construction industry are inadequately informed

Many clients are either ill advised, think they know the answers, or don’t know what they don’t know (very common).  However, implementation begins with clients.  Clients are at the core [...]

Blog

Client Behaviour in the construction industry

Client Behavior As with any transaction there is generally a process of negotiation and ultimately a meeting of the minds (consensus ad idem). The outcome of the transaction is often [...]

Blog

Collaborative Contracting using the NEC system of standard form contracts

Collaborative Contracting using the NEC system of standard form contracts Understanding Clients Objectives It is common knowledge that in any procurement process, particularly of major assets with a considerable life [...]

Blog

Change starts with Clients

Background. 1)  With low growth levels the engineering and construction sectors are experiencing tough times and order backlogs are reducing.  Add to this the generally poor performance demonstrated on major [...]

Blog

Collaborative Contractual Frameworks

With rising energy demand and widespread desire to access more power, Africa’s energy and natural resource sectors are set for significant growth, whilst undergoing rapid clean energy innovation. Collaborative contractual frameworks provide the best solution [...]

Blog

‘Dysfunctional’ EPC contracts are a threat to the infrastructure boom.

According to an article written by Oliver Probert for Rail Express, published July 10, 2019  – ‘Dysfunctional’ EPC contracts are a threat to the infrastructure boom. The old school engineering, procurement and [...]

Blog

Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase 11

ECS Associates is proud to be supporting Mkhulu EDP in implementation of the construction of a 132kV power line in Lesotho as part of Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase II [...]

Blog

Collaborative “One Team” Approach

Across Sub-Saharan Africa we have a team of infrastructure and energy professionals specialising in project management, contract and commercial management, claims management, project controls, risk management and health, safety and [...]

Blog

Experience Counts

With a dedicated and multi-disciplined team we are able to advise clients, throughout the region, continuously through the life cycles of Energy and Infrastructure Projects. We have hand-on core capabilities in Water, Oil [...]

Blog

Dealing with contract disputes

Irrespective of the best contract documentation, the nature of engineering and construction projects is such that changes, delays and unforeseen events are inevitable. Dealing with these changes in a proper [...]

Blog

Formal partnership deal with SAICE to deliver NEC Accredited Project Management

The NEC Project Management Accredited Programme throughout Sub-Saharan Africa is to be delivered by ECS Associates . It is pleased to announce that it has concluded a formal partnership deal [...]

4 Comments

Blog

ECS Associates sign a 1 year strategic consultancy contract with PWC

A strategic consultancy contract has been signed between ECS Associates and PWC. ECS Associates will be supporting PWC on thier Capital Project advisory and specialist consultancy services. The agreement covers [...]

Blog

ECS Associates assists CCQ International

Project management and contract management services by ECS Associates have been retained by CCQ International to provide for their demining works at the new Sasol gas wells in Temane and [...]

1 Comment

Blog

Aecom Training on the NEC Suite of Contracts

ECS Associates (Pty) Ltd recently provided training to Aecom www.aecom.com) on the NEC suite of contracts, including the new NEC 4 contract which has been recently introduced into the country.Stefan [...]

Blog

Accredited NEC Project Manager Course

ECS Associates recently won the privilege to deliver Accredited NEC Project Manager courses in South Africa. This is the widely acclaimed as the gold standard for NEC Project Management and [...]

Blog

NEC4 – Training and Documents

NEC NEC3 has been transformative on the South African Construction industry. The adoption of NEC3 contracts put collaboration and collective risk sharing as the foundation for modern  procurement. These high [...]

Blog

Mozambique LNG

Mozambique LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) development was recently approved.  It is a huge game-changer for the local Engineering and Construction industry in Mozambique. In terms of capital value the development [...]