At GAPE dinner …Minister Benn lectures engineers on efficiency, standards and quality

Written by Leroy Smith

Tuesday, 03 July 2012 22:28

Source - Guyana Chronicle

PUBLIC Works Minister Robeson Benn has said that engineers need to examine ways of becoming more efficient in the job they do and understand that they provide a service.

Minister Robeson Benn

He added that they must be more responsible in their use of materials, handing over projects on time and paying attention to the quality of materials used in getting works done.

Mr. Benn was, at the time, delivering the feature address at the 44th anniversary dinner of the Guyana Association of Professional Engineers (GAPE), last Saturday night, at Duke Lodge, Kingston, Georgetown.

The Minister, who also has responsibility for transport, said that, among several other issues in relation to the engineering sector, should also be of concern to GAPE

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Benn said, over the years, the Administration has been accused of splitting contracts in its distribution for various reasons. But, according to him, the splitting is often done against the backdrop of developing capacity, having variety and ensuring the completion of contracts in record time while ensuring that quality is maintained.

The Minister told the gathering that, while certain contracts are awarded to overseas contractors, Guyana has national contractors and splitting the contracts will enable local people to act as consultants.

In addition there is a general approach of promoting Guyanese contractors in the area of civil works. This assists in increased knowledge and information which adds to the capacity and development of the respective firms and, by extension, the nation.

Benn made reference to other countries in the Region and even the developing world where most of the infrastructure is the work of contractors from within.

MODEL
He said Guyana should take a model from those countries.

Benn maintained that, in cases where overseas contractors are brought in to carry out works, the local industry should be well equipped with the engineering resources and the capacity to provide the support in the form of skills and be able to multi-task.

Scientists should be able to go into the field and determine the resources that are available for the country’s development.

He emphasised that the sector will continue to face challenges but those must not be an excuse for poor, sub-standard and untimely delivery of works.

Benn said the issues have to be addressed if the sector is to be credited with good service and value for money. The associated risks need to be acknowledged as well as the assessment of how long persons are made to wait before projects are completed.

He recalled the time when it was somewhat difficult to respond to the needs of the people in the wanted columns, because of the lack of engineering capacity in every meaning of the word - referring to the necessity for roads, utilities and other infrastructure.

Benn said, ever so often, Guyana is compared with the rest of the world and other countries of the Caribbean and the level of development and infrastructural works. However, he made it clear that while those countries are developing at a faster rate, their size, unlike Guyana, makes it possible for their infrastructure work to seem to be going at faster and widespread speed when, in essence, Guyana has to cover far more land than those countries, especially in the Caribbean, where, in many cases can be covered in its entirety by driving within a couple of hours.

CHALLENGE
The challenge that Guyana has also, is the fact that while the resources are limited and stretched, there is still the demand for works to be carried out in every sector and parts of this country. It is against those backgrounds that engineers are being encouraged to step up to the challenge and equip themselves with all the necessary resources in all the meaning of the word to satisfy and make these demands a reality.

Minister Benn said, at one time in the history of Guyana, so bad was the absence of infrastructure that road networks were not available all across the country creating the linkage that there is today.

He said engineers had to air-dash their land- rovers into hinterland locations whenever they were required to work in those areas.

“In Guyana, when we have overruns, we talk about rains, mud and all of those things but we have to learn to deal with them and we are working with soft sediments and we have to find the ways and materials to work under those conditions.

“We are not yet at the level where we are satisfied with the way we do things. We should never say we are satisfied. We have to recognise that the way that some things are being done needs to be improved. We can research the materials and how to manage people and in time we will become real successful at the job,” he posited.

Benn said, in discussions with representatives of the industry, they claim that they run into delays and problems, but there needs to be more focus on the job they do in all aspects including time and resource management. In addition, there is also the burning need for special focus to be placed on safety of workers at all sites.

SURPRISED
At the individual level, he declared he is, sometimes, surprised at the output of some engineers who would have completed their university training.

He cautioned that each engineer should carry out their tasks with some feeling of pride and satisfaction in their job.

At the moment, the Ministry of Public Works is working to create a synergy to link all engineers. Further, one of the other issues to be addressed and which affects the industry is the Engineering Act, and who will form the Engineering Council as stipulated in the Act.

Benn said there is a suggestion the Council be made up of multi-skilled persons and have separate representation from the association of professional engineers.

It is expected that the association will still be able to have oversight and ability to overview the body whilst, at the same time, represent the cause of the association.
In this regard, the Minister expressed his intention of meeting with GAPE to have this matter addressed even further.

At the Saturday function, too, several persons were awarded for their contributions to the sector.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 03 July 2012 22:42