Proposed council of professionals in construction ‘to raise standards’   |25 July 2022

The meeting with stakeholders in full swing

• Mixed reactions from professionals

A proposed bill to set up a Council of Registered Professionals in Construction has been met with divided views.

While some professionals commend the proposal, others say a lot of work needs to be done in the sector before the law can be introduced.

The proposed bill was presented to licensed agents, namely architects, engineers, and draughtsman, by the Seychelles Planning Authority, the Seychelles Infrastructure Agency, and the Office of the Attorney General at a meeting at the SITE auditorium in Mont Fleuri last week.

A large crowd attended the three-hour meeting, which was aimed at getting their views and make necessary amendments before the document is approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, and subsequently the National Assembly.

The chief executive of the Seychelles Planning Authority, Angela Servina, explained that among its aims, the council will maintain a register of persons and businesses that can provide architectural, engineering, quantity and building surveying services as well as other related services in Seychelles and regulate their qualifications and practice.

This means it will have the mandate to assess the qualifications and experience of an applicant for registration, place them in their proper categories or classes as well as conduct examination or interview, to assess their professional ability. This will also apply to foreign agents.

It will also impose disciplinary measures and penalties on those found guilty of negligence or other malpractices.

Ms Servina said the plan has been under discussion for over a year now and they have come up with a document based on best practices from several Commonwealth and regional countries.

She said the law hopes to raise the standards of the services being offered in the sector.

“The majority of countries have a council for professionals in the sector and we believe it will benefit the sector by raising the standard, the level of service as well as regulate their work,” she said.

The council being proposed will serve a three-year mandate and will comprise four registered professionals as members, elected by their peers, or appointed by the minister and a representative of the Planning Authority.

Under the proposed bill, a person who will be able to register as a construction professional are architects, engineers and building surveyors.

The proposed bill has been met with mixed views.

For Joe Pool from well-established Joe Pool Associates, it was long overdue. Mr Pool was the president of a similar institution back in 1985, called the Institution of Engineers of Seychelles, which was later nullified. 

He told Seychelles NATION that the institution was a legal instrument for government and back then it would advise the government on any project it planned to undertake.

Mr Pool welcomed the new move which he said would raise the standards.

“It is long overdue, but it has got to be something that is professionally done. For the youngsters coming up in the profession, they need to have a guidance, they need to have a framework. Because if you are building a house, you hope that the people who have at least given you the advice, know what they are talking about and you are getting what you are paying for,” said Mr Pool.

For his part, Patrick Amade, a registered civil engineer since 1986, has also welcomed the proposed bill, which he said was needed to raise the standards. However, he said it is a huge task and should involve a lot of discussions and planning before the country gets a bill that appeals to most professionals in the sector.

“The council is a good idea if they want to raise the standard in the sector, because to be honest sometimes what we witness on the field is mind-blowing. You have very bad plans approved by the Planning Authority and when you start the project, you see masons or contractors changing the plan because it has been drawn the wrong way and yet it was approved by a competent authority in the first place.  We really need to do a lot of work before this law is enacted,” said Mr Amade.

Several concerns were raised at the meeting including the number of members who will sit on the council, which agents felt should be more, and the seats should be occupied by experienced and mature persons in the field.

However, one pertinent issue concerned draughtsmen who are presently submitting their own plans to the Planning Authority, but who under the proposed bill, will have to go through an architect.

Those who intervened argued they are being marginalised and would be at a disadvantage since architects would not necessarily work in their favour.

Jonathan Monthy, a draughtsman for the past 30 years, expressed his disappointment to Seychelles NATION, calling it a gross injustice. Presently a draughtsman submits plans for smaller projects, with a specified number of square metres.

“It does not make sense that I must now go through an architect to get my plans approved, after practising for so many years. I would suggest they keep it as it is where we can submit plans up to a certain number of square metres, in that way we all benefit and we can all make a living,” he argued.

Mr Monthy also added that going through an architect would also inflate the price of the project. “We do small extensions to houses and other smaller projects and charge a reasonable fee and now if I go through an architect, I will have to pay the person to submit the plan on my behalf and we know that they are not necessarily cheap. These extra fees will have to be passed on to the clients,” added Mr Monthy.

The Planning Authority has reassured the draughtsman that the bill was not to penalise them but rather to ensure they raise the level of standards.

According to Ms Servina presently 95 percent of issues with submissions were from draughtsmen who were not delivering at the required level.

She called on them to see this as a step in the right direction.

“They would either be working with an architect who is already qualified and experienced or they can be registered, but this would depend on their level of experience and the number of years they have been practising. They will have to do some exams, interviews, a series of procedure to ensure they reach the level. One thing that is important is that the council itself will determine if they have reached the level or not,” explained Ms Servina.

The Planning Authority said the meeting was fruitful and the contributions will be considered to embellish this proposed bill before it is presented to the other parties for approval and enactment.

Although it has not set a timeframe for its enactment, it hopes to have the law in place as soon as possible.

Ms Servina is appealing to the professionals to see the bill in a positive light.

“We are among the last countries to introduce a council, so see it as a way of changing the way we are doing things. Because when we receive plans that are of high standards, it will mean less time for it to be approved by the authority and it will also build up your reputation and subsequently help the country as part of ease of doing business,” concluded Ms Servina.

Meanwhile, the Planning Authority said once the proposed ‘Council of Registered Professionals in Construction’ has been enacted, it will work on a separate one for contractors.

Patsy Canaya