OVERVIEW OF THE SACPCMP

The South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP) derives its mandate from Section 22 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The relevant section dealing with freedom of trade, occupation and profession, states that “every citizen has a right to choose their trade, occupation and profession freely. The practice of a trade, occupation or profession may be regulated by law.”

The SACPCMP was established to regulate and promote specific Built Environment Management Professions and is a juristic person established by the Project and Construction Management Professions Act (Act No.48 of 2000) “to provide for the registration of professionals, candidates and specified categories in the project and construction management professions; to provide for the regulation of the relationship between the South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions and the Council for the Built Environment; and to provide for matters connected therewith”.

The Council is further tasked with the protection of public interest, which is achieved by ensuring suitably qualified and registered professionals in specific Built Environment Management Professions in South Africa through promoting and enforcing high standards of professional ethics and conduct within the Built Environment.

The Minister of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) is the Executive Authority of all the councils within the Built Environment including the SACPCMP.

The Built Environment refers to the functional area within which Registered Persons practise and includes all structures that are planned and/or erected above or underground, as well as the land utilised for the purpose and supporting infrastructure. The Council for the Built Environment (CBE) and the SACPCMP Acts enjoin the entities to work in concert in respect of the SACPCMP’s 13 mandates (administrative functions), alongside the eight mandates of the CBE for a sustainable Built Environment.

THE SACPCMP OPERATES IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT ALONGSIDE FIVE COUNCILS

  • SACAP: The South African Council for the Architectural Profession

  • ECSA: The Engineering Council of South Africa

  • SACLAP: The South African Council for the Landscape Architectural Profession

  • SACQSP: The South African Council for the Quantity Surveying Profession

  • SACPVP: The South African Council for the Property Valuers Profession

SACPCMP STATUTORY MANDATES

The SACPCMP fulfils its statutory mandate by:

  1. Identification of Work

The identified scope of work for each category of registration is seen as a component of a framework for such regulation. In the context of this process, scope means “the range of work performed by a registered person in terms of a specific piece of legislation other than the legislation that created the councils for the professions, or the statutory duties which may be performed by a registered person”.

  1. Guideline Professional Fees

The SACPCMP determines guideline professional fees for the purpose of guidance required to promote market efficiency and redress consumers’ information deficit relative to the professional’s knowledge and expertise. Such guideline professional fees serve as an instrument to address market failures.

  1. Continuous Professional Development

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is mandated for all of the SACPCMP’s registered professionals enhance and maintain professional competency of registered professionals to ensure that the technical knowledge base is improved in an orderly fashion and on a continuous basis. The principles that govern CPD and the Council’s CPD Policy are:

  1. Recognition of the continued need for regulation of the construction industry to protect public interests
  2. Promotion of professionalism, trust and confidence within the Professions
  3. Support for broader national development priorities
  4. Stimulation of competition and an enabling environment
  5. Recognition of commonalities within the Professions.
  1. Accreditation of Built Environment Programmes

The SACPCMP have inter alia the statutory mandate to accredit learning programs at educational institutions to quality assure qualifications that are developed for the professions it regulates.

  1. Code of Conduct for the Professions

The SACPCMP exercises oversight over the professional conduct of registered persons, to ensure the protection of the public at large, those who use the services of registered persons, and the quality of work in the industry provided by registered persons.

  1. Professional Registration

The SACPCMP registers applicants in appropriate categories of registration, which it regulates through a registration policy, to ensure that only competent persons, with the relevant underlying qualifications are registered.

  1. Recognition of Voluntary Associations

The SACPCMP provides Voluntary Associations recognition, and partners with them in advancing mutual interests.

  1. Recognition of New Professions

The role of these professionals is influenced by constant changes in the built environment, in turn influenced by social, technological, economic, legislative and environmental changes in society. As a result of the changes in the built environment, there are new knowledge areas, competencies and practices required of built environment professionals which may eventually lead to different roles for existing professions.

In addition, new professions may also arise in response to these changes and to occupy the gaps in the existing array of professions’ knowledge. Thus, the SACPCMP recognises new or emerging professions in the South African built environment that may fall under its ambit.

  1. International Agreements

Through this mandate the SACPCMP establishes mechanisms for registered persons to gain recognition of their qualifications and professional status in other countries. This enhances Registered Persons’ access to local and global markets, which may be achieved.

  1. Recognition of Prior Learning

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in the Built Environment (BE) requires an assessment process that appraises an individual’s non-formal and informal knowledge and proficiency, to determine the extent to which that individual has achieved required learning outcomes, competency results, or task-specific standards. Many South Africans do not possess formal qualifications yet are competent at performing their jobs. The aim of RPL is to facilitate recognition of qualification-eligibility and classification of occupation-specific standards in order to implement sound governance and transformation within the BE professions.

  1. Standard Generating

Through SACPCMP subject matter experts are brought together in Standards Generating Bodies (SGBs), that are responsible for generating unit standards within the quality assurance process and parameters defined by National Standards Bodies (NSBs). These SGB under the oversight of NSBs develop registered statements of desired education and training outcomes and their associated assessment criteria. In other words, agreed repositories of knowledge about good practice or competence and criteria for assessing such competence, for each profession under the SACPCM’s ambit.

  1. Appeals and Tribunals

The SACPCMP provides its applicants, registered persons and the public an avenue to settle grievances and positions itself as a court of first instance in cases concerning its professionals. Policies on Tribunals and Appeals are aligned for conformance to the Professional Acts, the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (No. 3 of 2000), any other relevant Act, and the Constitution of South Africa. Mechanisms are used to that classify the severity of the alleged offence and impose appropriate measures.  The policies and processes on tribunals and appeals to professionals and the public in an easily accessible format.

  1. Competency Standards for Registrations

The aim of Competency Standards for Professionals is to help determine the competency of professionals, whether for registration or other purposes such as continuing professional development. The role of a framework for Competency Standards for Professionals is to ensure that the standards are clearly and unequivocally spelt out and that Competency Standards are therefore easily understood. Competency standards are benchmarked to professions in other countries, but also require defined to meet South Africa’s unique situation. These competencies are used to assess professional knowledge, skills and attitudes in the context of the performance of professional work.

VISION, MISSION & VALUES

Vision

To be a progessive regulatory body for the Built Environment Management Professions.

Mission

To create an enabling environment for the promotion, growth and transformation of Built Environment Management Professions through advocacy, research and best practice

Values

•  Accountability
•  Integrity
•  Innovation
•  Transparency
•  Inclusiveness

SACPCMP VALUE PROPOSITION

Our Value Proposition describes the benefits customers can expect from our products and services.

VALUE PROPOSITION TO THE PUBLIC

  • We provide the public with confidence that persons registered with us have the necessary level of professional expertise to render applicable services.
  • We provide students with the assurance that accredited institutions offer qualifications that will sufficiently equip the students to enter their chosen professions within the Built Environment.
  • We provide the public with guidelines for scope of service and recommended professional fees for services rendered by persons registered with us.
  • We facilitate cross-country recognition of qualifications and registrations.
  • We provide a dispute resolution mechanism to address non-commercial and contractual disputes between registered persons and members of the public.

VALUE PROPOSITION TO INDUSTRY

  • Professionals registered with the SACPCMP are recognised as being capable of rendering applicable services at the necessary level of expertise. This enhances their access to local and global markets.
  • We provide an avenue/channel for unregistered persons to become registered professionals.
  • We facilitate the development of a human resource pool of registered persons in the sector, available for recruitment by service providers.
  • We give Voluntary Associations (VAs) recognition and partner with them in advancing mutual interests.
  • We provide through leadership for development of people and knowledge in our sector.

VALUE PROPOSITION TO GOVERNMENT 

  • We fulfill our mandates in terms of the Act.
  • We facilitate the development of a skills pipeline necessary to meet the infrastructure developmental needs of South Africa for professions under our jurisdiction.
  • We provide support and/or advise to Government and SOEs relevant to planning and accessing services provided by professionals under our jurisdiction.