GhIE denies claims of shoddy work by its members

The Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE) has refuted claims of shoddy service rendered by Ghanaian engineering practitioners working in Ghana.

It said the perception among the public was that the poor infrastructure in the country was due to the failure of engineering practitioners to perform their duties effectively.

It added that the perception followed recent public criticisms, especially by the Senior Minister, the Minister of Works and Housing and the Minister of Roads and Highways, about the work of Ghanaian engineers.

In a position paper which formed the basis of the press statement and which was signed by the President of the GhIE, Ing. (Mrs) Carlien Bou-Chedid, the institution listed some key challenges impacting engineering practitioners in the country.

It said political and social interference from some key stakeholders in all stages of the project cycle, inadequate project planning, the inadequate use of the appropriate technical personnel during the procurement process, the processes for certifying payments that relegated the role of the engineer to the background and the delayed payments for services rendered that affected the quality of contracts were some of the challenges.

Challenges

On project conception and planning, the GhIE said the designs of some infrastructural interventions were conceived and developed with minimal technical input. Costing was also undertaken without all the relevant technical considerations.

It said standard designs were adopted without due consideration being given to site-specific conditions, with poor and ineffective planning usually leading to unanticipated costs/variation orders and delayed payments.

On procurement, the GhIE said: “The procurement process is fraught with many challenges. Attempts are made to procure engineering works and services without the required technical expertise.”

It explained that the Scope of Works may be developed without the requisite technical input or deliberately crafted to favour a predetermined outcome, with the consequences of an inappropriate Scope of Works often including unanticipated costs/variations and/or shoddy works.

Additionally, even where the Terms of Reference are clear, the composition of the evaluation team may be such that the team does not have the capacity to determine which firms are suitable.

“There are also social and political pressures to select firms which may not have the necessary capability to undertake the assignments under consideration. Furthermore, there are cases where contracts are sole-sourced on an inappropriate basis. These contracts are undertaken by firms which do not have the required expertise or which undertake the work at highly inflated charges,” it added in the statement.

The GhIE said when it came to project implementation, consultants and contractors were selected without due process, making it difficult for engineers to plan their technical supervision since those selected had a “godfather”.

“Technical decisions may be sidestepped. Approvals may be provided by people who do not have the technical capability to determine if the appropriate specifications and technical requirements have been met. The role of engineers in certifying payments to consultants and contractors may be relegated to the background,” it added.

The statement further said when it came to the payment for engineering services, services were sometimes certified and approved by administrative personnel rather than engineers, with construction industry players being frustrated during project implementation by delayed payments.

“This impacts on the quality of work when work has to stop at an intermediate stage. Any attempt to trigger delayed payment clauses in contracts can lead to a consultant being unofficially blacklisted and no longer appearing on any shortlists for services. Contract durations are also unduly extended due to the delays in honouring payment certificates,” it said.

The GhIE and unethical practices and corruption

It said while the GhIE recognised that some engineers might have acted unprofessionally and unethically, the GhIE was confident that the vast majority of its members were professional and dedicated.

It maintained that much of the development in the country could not have been undertaken without Ghanaian engineering practitioners.

“They have contributed significantly to the infrastructure development of Ghana as evidenced by the roads, bridges, buildings, water and electricity infrastructure across the length and breadth of the country,” it said.

Recommendation

The GhIE recommended support to the industry in order to unleash the full potential of Ghanaian engineering practitioners and uplift the value of our infrastructure.

“Ghanaian engineering practitioners must be motivated and given their due respect,” the institution said.

It further recommended that in accordance with the Engineering Council Act, the government, corporate bodies and the general public must only engage engineering practitioners that are registered to practise in Ghana, to undertake any form of engineering activity in the country.

The statement urged its members to uphold the ethics of the profession irrespective of any pressures from stakeholders to act in an unethical manner.

“The GhIE, in accordance with its constitution and code of ethics, will take steps to discipline any errant behaviour among its members and calls on members of the GhIE and the general public to cooperate by reporting any member found to have misconducted themselves to the Executive Director of the GhIE for the necessary action to be taken,” it said.

The GhIE recommended that the certification for engineering works must only be done by appropriately registered engineering practitioners who had the capacity to do so and also for the government to accord the same treatment tgiven to the foreign consultants and contractors to the locals in the payment of fees.