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Arup appointed watchdog to Gautrain

Posted On Wednesday, 14 February 2007 02:00 Published by eProp Commercial Property News
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Transport civil engineering com-pany Arup SA has been awarded a R150m contract to monitor work on the Gautrain project.

Infrastructure IndustryTransport civil engineering com-pany Arup SA has been awarded a R150m contract to monitor work on the Gautrain project for the next five years, which includes ensuring that preferred bidder Bombela completes the R25bn project in time.

Arup project director Ric Snowden said yesterday that the company had been appointed independent certifier of the Gautrain project. It would be responsible for certifying the completion of more than 1000 milestones stipulated in the contract between Bombela and the Gauteng government.  A typical example of this would be ensuring that the company placed the order for railway tracks at the required time.  It would also be responsible for monitoring construction and review of designs, and certifying that operating commencement dates for the two phases of the project had been achieved.

“Once they believe this milestone is reached, Bombela will submit the relevant documentation to Arup as the independent certifier. Arup then checks this and decides whether the milestone has been met.”  If it is satisfied it issues a certificate on final completion. Without this, Bombela cannot be paid.

Arup staff include a quantity surveyor joint venture, headed by David Langdon, with Crane and LDM Consultancy assisting them, an architectural sub-consultant, ADA, and a mechanical and electrical joint venture between Spoormaker and DTM.

The Gautrain rail link will connect Johannesburg, Pretoria, Sandton and OR Tambo International Airport.

“Bombela has two main handover dates: after 54 months the service from Sandton to OR Tambo must be running and after 66 months the full service between Park Station in Johannesburg and Pretoria must be operational. Arup’s appointment is for the full 66- month development period,” said Snowden.

He said the certifier had to be independent, so Arup could not have any other conflicting role in the project.  “The biggest challenge that Arup expects to be faced with over the duration of the contract is to remain independent and to listen carefully to the opinions of both parties.”

Snowden described the appointment as the most significant of a certifier on a public-private partnership project in the country. “It is Arup’s vision that this unique and challenging project will result in more of the country’s youth considering a career in civil engineering.”

Arup has been in SA for 55 years. It is part of the UK-based Arup Group, which designed and was project manager of a significant portion of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. Snowden said Arup had been rated within the top three rail consultants for the past 10 years.

 

Last modified on Sunday, 03 November 2013 11:54

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