Dear Valued Industry Stakeholder,

RE: SOUTH AFRICAN COUNCIL FOR THE PROJECT AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONS (SACPCMP)

We wish to advise that the SACPCMP is one of the six (6) Councils for the Built Environment Professions (CBEPs) that has been established by Acts of Parliament and in the case of the SACPCMP this is through Act No 48 of 2000.

What is synonymous with each of these CBEP’s is that under Section 18 of the Act they prescribe the categories of Registration that reside under the ambit of each of these CBEP’s. Under Section 18(1)(a) of the SACPCMP Act it prescribes the professional categories of registration as being that of a Professional Construction Project Manager (PrCPM) and Professional Construction Manager (PrCM). Section 18(1)(c) of the same Act also gives Council the powers to register Specified Categories it may prescribe from time. Currently the following are the Specified Categories we register persons in:

·         Professional Construction Mentor (PrCMentor)

·         Construction Mentor (CMentor)

·         Professional Construction Health and Safety Agent (PrCHSA)

·         Construction Health and Safety Manager (CHSM)

·         Construction Health and Safety Officer (CHSO)

We would like to provide clarity on the specification of the registered persons to be appointed to provide services within the context of the Built Environment, and the relative merits of specifying professionals registered in the categories of registration that reside within the ambit of this Council. The SACPCMP seeks to rectify the situation whereby clients/construction employers prescribe disciplines and categories of registered persons to undertake work related to the disciplines under the SACPCMP being registered under an incorrect Council who are not the custodian of the profession. We are unsure of whether this is done deliberately or not but irrespective of this we firmly believe that this runs contrary to the spirit and intent of the legislation hence it needs to be corrected.  For example, we have received several queries where positions requiring, for example PrCPM or PrCM or PrCHSA etc, competencies specifically state that the required person must be registered with some other CBEP. We are unsure of why this should be the case and we believe that this should rightfully state that they must be registered with the SACPCMP as the true custodian of the profession whose services are being sought.

While clients and employers are at liberty to prescribe the registration discipline and category for which they will appoint service providers and employ professionals, their preference for that discipline and category should be guided by the competencies and skills of the professional in relation to the needs of the assignment or job. It is therefore prudent to specify disciplines whose services are being sought by prescribing that they be registered with the CBEP who is the custodian of that registration category.

As stated earlier, each of the CBEPs has prescribed categories of registration for its professionals and they therefore set standards to ensure that these professionals meet the competencies required for a particular category.  In the case of categories of registration that reside within the SACPCMP, the SACPCMP ensures that persons registered in any of its registration categories are indeed competent to, amongst others, manage the process of planning, management and supervision of projects within the Built Environment, including the co-ordination, administration and management of resources. The code of conduct protects the public if a registered person is appointed to carry out the above duties and the Council is also obliged to investigate any cases of improper conduct against the registered person when this is reported. 

While registered persons may come from various backgrounds in the built environment, such as Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture and Quantity Surveying, the process of registration with the SACPCMP is specifically designed to ensure that registered persons are competent to manage projects which is done through a rigorous assessment for professional competency.

We would therefore like to advise that any calls for service providers or applications for employment for work that involve the disciplines as outlined above, should call for them to be rightfully so registered with the SACPCMP. To do otherwise or circumvent this, would have the effect of precluding qualified and competent persons from providing such needed services, and might also be deemed as an unfair or anti-competitive practice

Should you have any enquiries over the content of this communication then you should direct your enquiries to [email protected]

Yours faithfully,

Yuven Gounden