Fidelis Emuze

Collaborative working in South African construction: contractors’ perspectives

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the level of collaborative working among project partners in South African construction. The construction industry is made up of a plethora of entities trading as consultants, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and manufacturers. The effort and contributions of these entities with the input of clients result in completed projects. However, the performance of the industry has continued to generate more negative, rather than positive, headlines. Typical headlines include defects, rework, delays, injuries and accidents, all of which are mostly blamed on the endemic fragmented nature of the industry. Design/methodology/approach – The assessment was undertaken through a quantitative survey conducted among general contractor (GC) members of the Master Builders South Africa. Findings – Selected findings relative to the research include short-term objectives and price-oriented approach are prevalent in the industry; poor problem-solving mechanisms exist between...

Factors contributing to non-value adding activities in South African construction

Purpose – Non-value adding activities (NVAAs) are considered to be problematic in the management of projects. Reported research findings suggest that these NVAAs consume resources without necessarily adding value to completed tasks. The main aim of the research is to provide insights and plausible explanations concerning how NVAAs can propagate poor performance in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports on a quantitative survey conducted among public sector clients, consulting engineers, and civil engineering contractors in South Africa. Using a framework that was developed from the literature reviewed, the study proposed three conceptual qualitative models that were based on system dynamics. Findings – The study suggests that NVAAs that are prevalent in South African construction can impact project performance negatively in the form of cost and time overruns. It can also be argued that although there is commonality between NVAAs that are identified in South Africa and other countrie...

Modeling a transformational route to infrastructure sustainability in South Africa

Purpose n n n n nThe purpose of this paper is to propose a model for operationalizing the integrated use of lean and sustainability concepts for infrastructure delivery. This model is premised on the need for the attainment of a sustainable built environment through efficient infrastructure delivery. n n n n nDesign/methodology/approach n n n n nA case study research design was used in assessing five purposively selected cases within Gauteng province in South Africa. These facilities attained Green Building Council of South Africa ratings of 5- to 6-star, for the rating of green buildings and available evidence of integration of lean principles at the developmental stage. Questionnaires were administered to project’s role-players and semi-structured interviews were conducted with the users and facility managers, in order to elicit data for the model development. Questionnaire survey was adopted for the model validation. n n n n nFindings n n n n nThe lean-sustainability platform for infrastructure delivery demonstrates features such as resources, drivers, barriers, activities, outputs, the results, and the ultimate impact. The findings give insight into various components of the model. It validates its robustness and highlights leadership among other critical factors necessary for successful operationalization of the lean-sustainability ethos required to transform the delivery of infrastructure. n n n n nPractical implications n n n n nThe developed model provides a transformational route for achieving infrastructure sustainability. The lean-sustainable indicators identified will serve as evaluation tools for assessing lean-sustainability ethos during the delivery phases of infrastructure projects. n n n n nOriginality/value n n n n nThe model provides a new way of thinking about infrastructure project delivery regarding the need to promote sustainability in the built environment.

Promoting sustainable development implementation in higher education: Universities in South Africa

Purpose n n n n nThis study aims to review the zeal exhibited by universities in South Africa towards aligning institutional mandates of teaching, learning, research and community engagement to the sustainable development (SD) agenda. The implementation of the SD agenda across higher education institutions (HEIs) continues to draw attention from the wider society. This is because HEIs are increasingly being looked up to for leadership in this regard. However, although several studies are quick to identify various factors which have driven the adoption of sustainable practices in HEIs, the paucity of studies seeking to identify the drivers for SD implementation remains glaring. This is particularly so in developing countries like South Africa. n n n n nDesign/methodology/approach n n n n nTo confirm the exploratory data from desktop study on public university engagement with sustainability in South Africa, a single case study was conducted in the Central University of Technology (CUT). The single case study design adopted semi-structured interviews and document reviews as data collection techniques. Purposive snowballing sampling technique was strictly adhered to in the selection of interviewees. Interviewees were selected on the basis of their roles in the implementation of the CUT’s sustainability agenda. n n n n nFindings n n n n nData emanating from these interviews were analysed thematically using qualitative content analysis. Although a plethora of drivers were identified, there appeared to be a consensus between most of the interviewees that the quest for cost reduction remained the most significant driver for the viable implementation of the sustainability agenda at CUT. n n n n nResearch limitations/implications n n n n nIt is expected that findings from this study would provide a platform for the development of effective implementation strategies in South African HEIs. Also, the findings contribute to filing the extant gap observed concerning implementation and drivers for engendering SD implementation in HEIs in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region. n n n n nPractical implications n n n n nBy highlighting the drivers for SD implementation, this study contributes to the development of a more receptive social ontology among various stakeholders in an HEI towards the agenda, particularly within the SSA context where there is low level of awareness and buy-in by these stakeholders. n n n n nOriginality/value n n n n nThis study makes an original contribution to the research base of SD in HEIs and implementation.

Financial Provision for Construction Health and Safety (H&S)

The optimum financial resourcing of HS a preliminaries item predominates in terms of the manner which contract documents have facilitated / made financial provision for HS competitive tendering without reference to HS a provisional sum should be provided for H&S in the preliminaries, and contractors generally do not determine the percentage H&S constitutes of tender and project cost. Conclusions include, inter alia, that H&S is marginalised by procurement practices, standard conditions of contract, and the lack of a structured approach to the facilitating of financial provision for H&S. Recommendations include, inter alia, that a detailed H&S section should be included in the Preliminaries section of Bills of Quantities.