Value engineering creates capacity

from IMIESA February 2021

Best in Road & Bridge Construction

Dr Lucas-Jan Ebels

Division Head: Transportation | Mariswe

Roads and transportation infrastructure are the backbone of socio-economic development. Dr Lucas-Jan Ebels, division head: Transportation, Mariswe, expands on creative engineering solutions that improve the lives of the communities they serve.

The roads market is expected to grow in 2021. How is Mariswe responding to opportunities?

LE South Africa has experienced a decline in gross fixed capital formation since 2015, which has significantly impacted the road industry. Many construction and engineering companies – including Mariswe – have felt the brunt of this. While we do foresee increased opportunities in 2021, the key to turning opportunities into projects lies in budgets and resources available to road authorities and relevant government institutions for project implementation. Mariswe is continuing to engage with road authorities as a long-term partner, while also diversifying into new market segments.

How can Mariswe assist in terms of design innovation?

Mariswe prides itself on seeking out and nurturing young, talented engineering professionals to deliver reliable and innovative design solutions to the highest standards. Through the years, we have improved our CAD design software by using active model design technologies and building information systems.

While road engineering is seemingly a traditional discipline offering decades-old solutions, the advances that have been made are in the detail. For instance, limitations on the use of virgin road building aggregates drive recycling and the application of alternative materials. Good examples are the BSM technologies, warm mix asphalt, and the recycling of concrete and masonry aggregates. Our engineers have extensive knowledge and experience in the design and construction of such innovative technologies.

What’s the strategy for the low-volume roads market?

Low-volume roads make up a significant portion of South Africa’s road network. Because they are generally not flagship or strategic projects, low-volume roads receive lower capital and operational investments than high-volume road infrastructure. However, the lowvolume roads sector receives significant attention from Mariswe – both in South Africa and throughout the continent. Recently, we were involved in the development of a low-volume roads design manual for three West African countries as part the Research for Community Access Partnership.

In the past five years, Mariswe has also managed several output- and performance-based road contracts in African countries. This is a design-build-maintain-transfer contracting method promoted by the World Bank that is ideally suited to the maintenance and asset management of low-volume road networks.

How can Mariswe assist in terms of SMME contractor development?

An innovative approach to construction risk management, which has been successfully utilised by Mariswe for more than 35 years, is our home-grown Integrated Construction Unit or ICU contract. From this, Mariswe also developed an ICU Lite methodology – a contractual framework that removes constraints to the participation of emerging enterprises in mainstream and high-profile capital projects. This is achieved through structured management of the risks of both the client and the emerging contractor. It incorporates mandatory structured training of emerging contractors and their staff to prepare them for future challenges outside the sheltered ICU Lite contracting environment.

Mariswe has implemented successful road construction projects using ICU Lite in the private sector and we see great potential for it in area-wide maintenance contracts for district and municipal road networks. The ICU Lite methodology would facilitate meaningful participation of small and emerging contractors on road construction projects that would otherwise be inaccessible for them.