Consultants – Why?

on 14/07/2017

A consultant is one who provides expert professional advice based on his sound knowledge and experience of the subject of his domain. One would find consultants in practically every area of human activity: engineering, medicine, surgery, management, HR, law, education, finance, estate, etc.

The significance of consultants of different trades greatly varies; the medical consultants being in the highest demand. And so are their professional fee. There’s quite an interesting anomaly between medical and engineering consultants in the matter of fee. Whereas everyone would like to go to the best doctor one could afford, when it comes to engaging an engineering consultant, one is tempted to go to the one quoting the lowest fee. In view of the huge and long-term repercussions that may accompany low fee propositions, they are void of any logic and call for a just and pragmatic approach.

A consultant brings wealth of valuable professional experience acquired over time from projects of diversified nature undertaken at various places and under different conditions. This coupled with his knowledge of technologies, good practices, standards, innovative products, etc. enable the consultant to provide tremendous value addition on a project.

Universally, the selection of consultants on engineering projects is merit based. This almost equally applies to projects of all types and magnitude. On medium and large size projects, consultant’s selection takes place on the quality of his technical proposal which, inter alia, includes consultant’s competence, past relevant experience, proposed methodology, proposed team, timelines, etc.

At times, the technical proposal alone decides the consultant’s selection. Alternatively, technical and financial proposals are jointly evaluated, generally giving them weightage of 80 and 20% respectively.

All international and national donor agencies which sponsor projects follow and advocate only merit based selection of consultants. The same practice has been adopted locally for public sector projects. To begin with it was Pakistan Engineering Council which did some pioneering work in this regard and then came the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority [PPRA] which quite effectively enforced the merit based selection. There could be some gray areas or loopholes in the enforcement of system, but the overall objective of merit is achieved to a fair degree. Whether merit based selection leads to quality construction and installation is a different matter. One would find glaring signs of corruption and kickbacks on many projects. As one can imagine, no one can indeed stop a political leader to play with the rules of business.

One would generally expect the private sector to be more quality conscious and thus follow the merit based selection of consultants.  Unfortunately, this is not happening as a standard norm.On the contrary, often there’s totally unjust competition in the sense that well qualified and experienced consultants are equated to those who even don’t have the basic eligibility qualifications as prescribed by PEC. This deplorable situation combined with practically non-existing regulatory compliance is amply reflected by the poor construction and installation depicted at many of our buildings and industries.

Consultancy revolves around trust. A consultant is expected to act as a sincere adviser to the client and his engagement must lead to substantial value addition. Apart from his well-defined functions, the consultant must timely intimate the client of the impacts of any of the latter’s revised requirements, changes, etc. At the same time, the consultant must ensure that the proposed designs, products and systems would best cater to the present and projected needs of the client.

As they bring unparalleled value addition to any project, consultants are essential for the long-term techno-economic success of any project. Their selection must be done with utmost care and without falling into the traps of low fee propositions which could have devastating impacts on the health of projects. [The author is Chief Executive, KPA Consulting and could be reached at halid@kpa.com.pk.]

Flying cars finally being produced

on 06/07/2017

While several futuristic projects are underway in different countries, a Dutch design may be the first one sold and soaring into the skies. After years of testing, the PAL-V company aims to pip its competitors to the post. It is poised to start production on what they bill as a world first: a three-wheeled gyrocopter-type vehicle which can carry two people and will be certified for use on the roads and in the skies.“This kind of dream has been around for 100 years now. When the first airplane was invented people already thought ‘How can I make that drivable on the road?”Chief marketing officer Markus Hess told AFP. The PAL-V (Personal Air and Land Vehicle) firm, based in Raamsdonksveer in the Netherlands, is aiming to deliver its first flying car to its first customer by the end of 2018. The lucky owner will need both a driving licence and a pilot’s licence. But with the keys in hand, the owner will be able to drive to an airfield for the short take-off, and after landing elsewhere drive to the destination in a “door-to-door” experience. Different versions of a flying car are being developed in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Japan, China and the United States. However, final assembly on the PAL-V will start in October, with the company seeking to be the first to go into commercial production.The PAL-V uses normal unleaded petrol for its two 100-horsepower engines, and can fly 400 to 500 kilometres (248 to 310 miles) at an altitude of up to 3,500 metres (11,500 feet). On the road it has a top speed of around 170 kilometres an hour. In 2019, the company expects to produce between 50 and 100 vehicles, before ramping up to “quite a few hundred” in 2020. It won’t be cheap. The first edition, the PAL-V Liberty, costs 499,000 euros ($599,000), while the slightly cheaper PAL-V Liberty Sport, to be made next, has a price tag of 299,000 euros. PAL-V was founded in 2007 by Robert Dingemanse and pilot John Bakker.“In the beginning it was, let’s make a gyrocopter drivable,” said Hess. But the company, which has some 40 to 50 employees, realised the weight and length of a gyrocopter’s blades gave the vehicle a high centre of gravity when driving, especially taking corners.They have designed the car so at the flick of a button the blades fold down and gather like a bat’s wings on the top.And they have incorporated into the car a 2005 breakthrough — when the Dutch company Carver invented a tilting system for three-wheelers — to counter the high centre of gravity and make it roadworthy. The company insists the PAL-V is not a helicopter, in which the blades are powered by an engine. It is a gyroplane, in which the blades rotate thanks to airflow. Even if both engines cut out, the blades will still turn, so “even if you go at zero speed it still keeps rotating and you are not going to drop out of the sky,” said Hess.While he refused to divulge how many orders they have, he said the company “was more than satisfied”.Clients put down a non-refundable deposit of 10,000 to 25,000 euros depending on the model. A third option is to put 2,500 euros into an escrow account, which secures them a place in the line.“In some senses we are selling a dream,” Hess said, standing next to the sleek, black first model developed in 2012 which has already put in “substantial hours” of flying and driving time. Parts are on order, with the first already in stock. Once built, the vehicle will have to complete at least 150 flying hours, and undergo extensive tests to receive its certification from the Cologne-based European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Hess defended the hefty price tag. It’s not a lot more than “a super-duper sports car with a few extras,” he said.“Considering the extra certification standards we have to go through for aviation, and that a super-duper sports car can’t even fly, we think it’s actually a bargain.” The PAL-V staff knows many inventors in other countries also developing flying cars, but remain unconcerned by the competition. Hess laughs when asked whether the skies will become too crowded. People at first “cannot even imagine flying cars. Then suddenly when they start imagining it, they see millions of flying cars in the air.That new reality, for the time being, is still a long way off”, he said.

Gorano Water fit for Crops

on 05/07/2017

Sindh Engro Coal Mining Co (SECMC) has claimed its pilot project is growing crops by using saline waste water being dumped into the controversial Gorano reservoir and has been found fit to grow vegetables and pulses. SECMC officials told the press that pilot project executed by Thar Foundation (TF), a subsidiary of SECMC, seedlings of cluster beans, melon, lentil and other local crops were initially grown on a two acre plot in Thar Coal Block-II. Crops were being watered by underground saline water pumped 180 meters from open-pit coal mine, which had up to 5,000ppm TDS level, they claimed. Chando Bheel, one of the two farmers, TF had deputed to take care of the plot, said they had planted seeds of almost all local varieties of vegetables, fruits and pulses on the plot a month ago and were delighted to see that most of the saplings had survived and seedlings of cluster beans, melon and lentil were growing normally. Shamsuddin Shaikh, CEO TF and SECMC, said the water being supplied to the plot was the same as water stored in Gorano reservoir. He said, his company had inked an agreement with a Karachi University Institute, to grow green fodder on the plot on experimental basis. ISHU’s Prof Dr Bilqees Gul said that at the first stage, seedlings that had grown on the plot would be planted at a nursery in ISHU and would later be transplanted to Thar.‘We have made significant progress in research. If implemented, it could contribute significantly to rehabilitating saline land in arid areas like Thar,’ she said.

Surveillance gets low importance

on 05/07/2017

Karachi’s ambitious project to install 10,000 video surveillance cameras here seems to have gone out of government priorities, as it got only Rs11 million for next financial year. However, a major part of a similar project included in ‘Safe City’ program was duly covered on priority. Thousands of high resolution surveillance cameras are to be purchased under ‘Safe City’ project, but it did not reflect in the budget.  Only Rs60m had been allocated for the scheme, approved in October 2016 and is to be completed by 2020, but not a single penny was spent on it in current fiscal year budget. Sindh Police Video System Extension has been given Rs10.9m for next fiscal year. The project is an integral part of the scheme in which 10,000 cameras will be installed at 2,000 locations in Karachi. Sindh CM Syed Murad Ali Shah had approved the project in October 2016 and said the cameras would be installed in three years. Officials said that over 2,000 areas had been identified in terms of criminal activities for installing cameras which would be connected with command and control centre. The government had earlier allocated Rs200m for installing surveillance cameras at places of worship of minority communities in Sindh, and Rs100m had been released during current fiscal. Officials admitted the spending is not more than 11% of released amount. The project was initiated in 2016 after certain places of worship had been vandalised and some received threats.

China should invest in local SMEs: FPCCI

on 05/07/2017

The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has said the government must develop an effective strategy to attract Chinese investment in the SME sector, which offers low cost job creation and rapid poverty reduction.Chinese businessmen can help boost local SMEs through joint ventures in the industrial zones planned along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), it said in a statement. The transfer of technology from Chinese businesses to their Pakistani counterparts can modernise existing SMEs. Atif Ikram said the development of the proposed industrial zones along the trade route will benefit the SME sector, which is the backbone of the economy.Mr. Sheikh said that development of the SME sector is necessary for equitable and inclusive economic growth.`China must support Pakistan in developing its comparatively advantageous industries in the mining, agriculture and manufacturing sectors, he said.