Civil Engineering December 2022 | Vol 30 No 11

Civil Engineering December 2022 31 FOCUS ON SA I CE NE TWORK I NG A s the voice of the civil engineering profession in South Africa, SAICE has a responsibility not only to represent the interests of every one of its approximately 15 500 members, but also to promote the value that civil engi- neering adds to the economy through the building and maintenance of infrastruc- ture, thereby improving the daily lives of communities and individual citizens. To deliver on its mandate, SAICE continually liaises, networks and affili- ates with many groupings across a broad engineering and related playing field. The reasons that such extensive interaction is so valuable can be summarised as: Q Q An understanding of the role of the civil engineering profession promotes informed decision-making at all levels of interaction. Q Q The knowledge and insight gained through interaction encourage ap- propriate membership groupings and eventual professional registration for individuals. This has long-term positive effects for the engineering profession in particular, and for the country and its citizens in general. Q Q Meaningful interaction results in the integration of effort and the alignment of objectives, both of which in turn broaden the skills and knowledge base, thereby facilitating capacity building, again with obvious benefits to the country as a whole. Q Q Interaction on an international level exposes the Institution to global thinking, while at the same time offering SAICE the opportunity to contribute to the global debate. It also ensures that our members are enabled to practise engineering across a wide front, thereby gaining valuable experience that can be ploughed back into our own country and continent. We should not underestimate that our African experience furnishes us with extremely valuable knowledge that we can share with and contribute towards other African countries as well as developing nations elsewhere in the world. The value of our contribution, however, goes beyond developing countries and is also appreciated in developed countries with similar problems and challenges. For the benefit of our members, we have compiled a list of the bodies with which SAICE liaises, and which have an impor- tant bearing on the built environment, as a quick reference tool. As time goes by more bodies and affiliations may be added, and we invite readers to let us know of relevant bodies that we might have overlooked. The bodies that SAICE networks with can be grouped into: Q Q Statutory bodies and associated struc- tures (see page 33) Q Q Discipline-specific bodies (see page 41) Q Q International bodies (see page 54) Q Q Tertiary institutions (see page 58) There are overlaps in this method of grouping, but for the sake of clarity the various bodies will be discussed under these headings. This set of articles attempts to describe and illustrate the scope of SAICE’s network. We have gone to great lengths to ensure that the information presented here is as accurate as possible. However, should any inaccu- racies have slipped through, we apologise for those.  Quick finder Bodies discussed in networking articles Page ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers 55 ASOCSA Association of Schools of Construction of Southern Africa 51 ASPASA Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa 46 BCCEI Bargaining Council for the Civil Engineering Industry 40 BEPEC Built Environment Professions Export Council 39 CBE Council for the Built Environment 33 CCSA Cement & Concrete SA 46 CESA Consulting Engineers South Africa 43 CETA Construction Education and Training Authority 35 CIB International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction 57 CIDB Construction Industry Development Board 35 CIOB Chartered Institute of Building 57 CMA Concrete Manufacturers Association 45 Bodies discussed in networking articles Page AfDB African Development Bank 39 Agrément SA Agrément South Africa 38 ASAQS Association of South African Quantity Surveyors 52 1 – The world according to SAI CE Introduction