The Annual Consulting Engineers South Africa’s (CESA) prestigious Engineering Excellence Awards ceremony was held at a gala banquet at the Sandton Sun on 6 August.
With the theme of ‘Engineers Make it Happen’, the awards are a celebration of innovation, quality, outstanding workmanship and professionalism. Sponsored by Glenrand MIB, the association hosts this annual event as a platform to showcase the outstanding achievements of its member organisations.
Awards were handed out for nominations in the following categories: Engineering Excellence for projects both above and below a value of R5 million; Business Excellence; Young Company of the Year; International Business Developer; Visionary Client of the Year; Young Engineer of the Year; Publisher of the Year and, for the first time, Mentor of the Year.
The category of Engineering Excellence with a value greater than R5 million was won by Berg River Consultants Joint Venture – comprising Goba, Knight Piésold and Ninham Shand – for the Berg River Project in Franschhoek with Africon in conjunction with Iliso receiving a commendation for the Fairlands Office Development.
In the category of Engineering Excellence with a value less than R5 million, SSI Engineers and Environmental Consultants won the award for the Environmental Control System for the Biovac Institute in Pinelands, Cape Town. Stemele Bosch Africa received a commendation for the Erosion Protection of the Churchill Pipeline.
Golder Associates Africa won the Business Excellence category with UWP Consulting SA receiving the award for International Business Developer of the Year and Ithembalethu receiving a commendation in the Young Company of the Year category.
In the Visionary Client of the Year category, CESA nominates candidates for the award, who must then consent to their nomination. Nominees in this category can be from the public, parastatal or private sectors, and are judged inter alia on their contribution to sustainable economic job creation in South Africa and or Africa. Creating sustainable development in communities through skills and knowledge transfer is an equally important factor.
The judges also look at the opportunities provided for the growth and expression of professionals, including those from formerly disadvantaged communities. Projects should also have embraced innovative designs that highlight the ability of South Africans in the technological field. The association this year gave recognition, in the category of Visionary Client of the Year, to South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) for its work in financing, improving, managing and maintaining the national road network or ‘economic arteries’ of South Africa.
In order to promote the consulting engineering industry to young professionals, CESA recognises the contribution young engineers make to the industry and to the future of the profession. Naturally the winner must be available to receive the award and attend the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) convention which this year takes place in Quebec, Canada. Furthermore, he or she must be available to serve on the association’s Young Professional’s Forum (YPF) for a 12-month period.
Judges look for outstanding performance in areas like technical achievement on a project; educational achievement; recognition such as awards received; and contributions to sustainable development – such as environmental initiatives, social responsibilities and community involvement. And finally, the winner in this category is required to demonstrate leadership ability, and contribute to the image of their firm and the industry as a whole. This year the Built Environment Professionals Medical Scheme (BEPMEDS) sponsored the Young Engineer of the Year Award, enabling the winner to attend this year’s FIDIC convention. In addition to this, a generous donation was received from Kwezi V3 enabling Kieren Brown, chairperson of the Gauteng South branch of the YPF to also attend the FIDIC convention.
The winner in the category of Young Engineer of the Year was Andries van Wagenigen from Kwezi V3. In addition to a B.Eng (Civil) from Stellenbosch University, he also obtained an MSc.Eng (Civil) Cum Laude (2006) from the same university.
In an effort to promote mentorship of young engineers, the association this year recognised the contribution mentors make to the industry and the future of the profession. The award in the category of Mentor of the Year was made to Loest van Eeden from Africon.
In recognition of the role that the media plays in the industry, 3S Media received the award for Publisher of the Year.
For more information contact CESA, +27 (0)11 463 2022.
| Tel: | +27 11 463 2022 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.cesa.co.za |
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