South Africa needs to rethink how it approaches infrastructure delivery if it is to achieve better public value, stronger economic outcomes and more resilient infrastructure, according to Inba Thumbiran, Head of Supply Chain Management at the National Research Foundation of South Africa.

Speaking at the 14th Consulting Engineers South Africa’s (CESA) Young Professionals  Sustainability Imbizo, recently held in Midrand, Thumbiran challenged young professionals and the wider engineering community to move beyond established ways of working.

“The objective is not to buy innovation for its own sake. It is to obtain a better solution than you might have had. We need to start talking about innovation-friendly methods and create space for different solutions,” said Thumbiran.

In her presentation, “Strengthening Engineering Governance for Infrastructure Delivery,” Thumbiran explored the role of the National Research Foundation in supporting research, development and innovation across South Africa’s science and technology system, while highlighting the potential for innovation to improve productivity, economic growth, employment, public services, sustainability and national resilience.

She argued that resource and financial constraints should not become the only lens through which infrastructure decisions are made. “We also need to ask what outcomes can be achieved with the resources available to us,” she said.

Procurement can become a driver of innovation
Thumbiran pointed to the opportunity for government to rethink how it defines what it wants to procure. Rather than specifying a particular solution, she suggested that procurement could focus on the outcome required.

For example, instead of simply procuring a specified water treatment plant, a municipality could procure an outcome: a reliable and affordable way to produce a defined volume and quality of potable water while using less energy over its life cycle.

However, Thumbiran acknowledged that there are significant barriers to innovation-friendly procurement, including bureaucracy and a risk-averse culture.

Innovation procurement, she explained, is not dependent on one legal procedure. It requires leadership, capability, planning, budgeting, procurement and appropriate governance.

She highlighted approaches such as two-stage processes and competitive dialogue as potential mechanisms for engaging with the market and identifying suitable solutions.

The National Research Foundation is also exploring the concept of a competency centre that could provide specialist advice to government, including market engagement models, training, assistance and information sharing.

With policy direction and an emerging legislative mandate to stimulate innovation through strategic procurement, Thumbiran said the next challenge is building the skills, guidance, governance arrangements and project pipeline needed to turn that ambition into action.

“The baton is now with us,” she said, calling on government, the private sector and academia to work together. “We cannot continue doing things in the same way and expect different results.”

Engineers have to be part of the decision-making
Thumbiran’s call for change was reinforced by Noel Dube, Mpumalanga Branch Chair of the CESA Young Professionals Forum and Office Manager at Sky High Consulting Engineers, who examined how procurement decisions can determine the success or failure of infrastructure projects.

“Choosing the lowest tender price does not always mean choosing the best value. If a contractor lacks the capacity to deliver the project, the result can be delays, claims, cost overruns and compromised quality.”

Dube argued that engineers need to be involved much earlier in the project lifecycle, particularly when the scope, specifications and procurement strategy are being developed.

“Between 80% and 90% of an infrastructure project’s performance is determined during the programming stage. That is why engineers need to be involved from the beginning, helping shape the scope, specifications and procurement strategy.”

Transformation must mean access to opportunity
The need for change extends beyond procurement systems, however. For Takalani Netshipale, Future Leaders Ambassador for the Engineering Council of South Africa, transformation within the engineering profession must translate into genuine access to opportunities for young professionals and cannot simply mean having diverse people at graduate level.

“We have many female graduates coming out of universities, but they get lost in the pipeline,” she said, noting that this is one of the factors contributing to the continued low number of registered female engineers.

The profession must ask whether those individuals are given access to the range of experiences required to progress into technical leadership and management.

A professional may have years of experience, she explained, but if they have not been given opportunities in areas such as site supervision, contract administration, client engagement, reporting and project management, their development can remain limited. “Equity is about having diverse access to the different types of work, training and professional development that people need to grow.”

Data must lead to action
Professor Wynand Steyn, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Pretoria, brought another dimension to the discussion by challenging organisations to make better use of the data they already collect.

Using the example of a smartwatch, Steyn illustrated the difference between receiving information once a year and having continuous insight into performance. Engineering organisations may collect extensive information about projects, employees and professional development, but information that is not accessed or acted upon becomes “dark data”.

This could include information about the progress of junior engineers towards professional registration or valuable technical information contained in project reports that is stored but not connected to future decisions.

Innovation must also respond to real infrastructure challenges
The need to create space for better solutions was demonstrated through Zutari Candidate Civil Engineer Zuzile Makhubu’s presentation on stormwater management.

“Stormwater interceptors slow down runoff, allow sediment to settle and remove oil and grease before the water reaches our water bodies. In this way, they help protect water quality and strengthen the resilience of our drainage networks.”

The issue is increasingly important as South Africa experiences rapid urbanisation, areas with limited drainage infrastructure and more frequent extreme rainfall events.

‘You are meant to be in the room’
For Thumbiran, however, innovation ultimately depends on people who are willing to challenge established thinking. “I have learned that leadership spaces can sometimes expect you to conform. But always remember: you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.”

She urged young professionals not to allow others to convince them that they do not belong or that their perspectives have less value. “You are meant to be in the room and you have something valuable to contribute.”

Also speaking during the Imbizo, Federation of African Engineering Organisations President Refilwe Buthelezi agreed, noting that engineering is bigger than any individual project. “We have a responsibility to understand our purpose, recognise the value that we bring and contribute positively, while also creating opportunities for the next generation of engineers.”

The discussions highlighted procurement, engineering judgement, ethics, sustainability, mentorship and leadership as fundamental pillars that must be strengthened to advance the engineering profession and deliver lasting value to society.