The emphasis on price in the procurement of professional engineering services could compromise quality, says SA Association of Consulting Engineers president Peter Silbernagl.

This follows the collapse of Brooklyn Mall's roof the second mall roof to do so in Pretoria in five months. About 50 people were injured at Kolonnade Shopping Centre in December.

These incidents and Pretoria city council's disclosure that 15 buildings within its jurisdiction have been occupied without clearance certificates have triggered concern about compliance with building safety regulations.

'Recent high profile failures have put the construction industry and the consulting engineering profession in the spotlight,' says Silbernagl. 'This requires top-level attention.'

The association's executive director, Graham Pirie, says it is difficult to pinpoint the reason for the failures as they could have crept in at any point along the supply chain construction, material, design or product. Pirie says a key problem consulting engineers face is clients procuring professional services on the basis of price. Some are reluctant to pay for adequate project supervision, and this has exacerbated the problem.

Silbernagl says emphasis on price rather than quality 'can stifle innovation and compromise the ability of the team to deliver quality solutions'. Less than 2% of the total cost of any project is related to professional input, yet some clients still focus on this aspect, he says.

Increasing numbers of consulting engineers have emigrated or abandoned the profession. 'We are also battling to attract new recruits at universities, as they are opting for other careers with higher earning potential,' says Pirie.