When providing well-crafted technical services, grasping regulatory and community considerations are crucial, as these increasingly affect the result of the engineering solutions on offer, says global consulting engineering company SRK Consulting MD, Andrew Van Zyl.
A common theme in the industry is the rapidly evolving regulations relating to water environment, sustainability and governance factors, including the rapid evolution of voluntary and compulsory reporting requirements and the need for compliance and alignment.
SRK Consulting is frequently involved in helping clients by regularly providing them with updates on these requirements, and by applying the regulations to planned projects.
This invariably means that early involvement of environmental, social and governance (ESG) specialists who can collaborate closely with various stakeholders in the more technical disciplines, to lay the foundation for smooth and predictable permitting, thereby keeping projects on schedule and avoiding fatal flaws.
The company notes that engineering solutions must not only be innovative and effective but also comply with legal requirements that are often complex to manage. There may also be a need for early and ongoing social engagements to ensure the buy-in and involvement of community stakeholders.
SRK Consulting is involved in conceptual, prefeasibility and feasibility studies in Africa.
Apart from its South African work, the company has projects underway in several countries on the continent including Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Namibia, and Zambia.
