Matipa, WM, Mutale, K, Hanjewele, C and Lungu, A (2011) Examining the “True Cost” of Public Private Partnership Projects to the Public: A Challenge for the African Surveying Profession. In: Proceedings of the Association of African Quantity Surveyors Annual Conference . (Association of African Quantity Surveyors Annual Conference, 14 April 2011 - 15 April 2011, Livingstone, Zambia).

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Abstract

For over 30 years the quantity and valuation surveying professions have been facilitating infrastructure development in Zambia regardless of the economic environment at any particular point in time. Recently, however, there has been a trend where the information about infrastructure development policy has been punctuating daily tabloids without a notable participation of the surveying professionals. A case in point is the reemergence and re-invigoration of the Public Private Partnerships (PPP) for nearly every major project in Zambia over the last 5 years. Anecdotal evidence indicates that while the costs of such projects have been the subject of the built environment and engineering professional discussions, there has been no clear policy evaluation and guidance from the Surveyors Institute of Zambia (SIZ); more so with a clear indication of the true value and cost of such projects to the public coffers over the proposed concession periods. There could be a myriad of reasons for a lack of professional surveyors’ engagement with policy development; but the outright outcome of such a stance by the surveyors could arguably lead to poor utility value though the life cycle of the infrastructure. This paper strives to ignite critical discussions of the role the surveying profession ought to play in the overall infrastructure development within Zambia, and Africa at large; and how professionals could engage policy makers with a view of creating a mutual appreciation of the importance of either profession to the public life without jeopardising the institutional trust between policy makers and surveyors. The paper concludes that unless surveyors can prove their importance to policy makers, development would continue costing the tax payer beyond what they ought to pay for.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Public Private Partnerships, Value, Cost, Policy, Surveyors Institute of Zambia
Subjects:	T Technology > TH Building construction
Divisions:	Civil Engineering & Built Environment
Date Deposited:	29 Mar 2016 12:05
Last Modified:	13 Apr 2022 15:14
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/3347

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