Discipline ensures success

I suggested in my recent letter that the Treasury needs to rethink its approach to government projects (Plan big projects properly, February 9). Clearly this is not an easy task, but one that requires discipline at all stages:

The requirements specification should be very detailed. I suspect that many of the current ones are purely based on the responses to requests for proposals, and are not fully worked through or detailed enough.

Planning for a proposed project must ensure that each phase is identified and properly costed, and have time estimates done. The scale of each phase must be such that the phase can be properly managed and monitored, and problems identified early on.

Care must be taken to avoid “scope creep”. Many contractors have made fortunes through variation orders, hard rock provisions and the like. If the principal does not do its preparation properly, creep occurs and attracts penalties.

Deviations from cost and time must be identified early, reported on and detailed plans prepared to minimise the damage.

One of the lessons from Medupi in particular is that the construction workers work for the contractors and not the principal. I understand that one of the reasons for the delays was that Eskom kept interfering with the contractors and insisting on conditions of service in line with their own, causing great frustration among the site management, many of whom left.

Henry Watermeyer

Lyndhurst