SACQSP and UCT unite for landmark conference tackling infrastructure challenges

Source: Wikimedia Commons.

“Our partnership with UCT reflects our shared commitment to advancing academic research as a catalyst for innovation, transformation and resilience in South Africa’s built and infrastructure sectors,” says SACQSP president Arthur Quphe.

“Our partnership with UCT reflects our shared commitment to advancing academic research as a catalyst for innovation, transformation and resilience in South Africa’s built and infrastructure sectors,” says SACQSP president Arthur Quphe.

This year’s conference will show how evidence-based research is helping quantity surveyors respond to unprecedented challenges, from digital transformation to sustainability imperatives, while shaping smarter infrastructure and more resilient economies.

Theme reflects reality

Set against the backdrop of South Africa’s deteriorating public infrastructure, growing project inefficiencies, and a deepening socio-economic crisis, the conference theme is Quantity Surveying and the Built Environment: Navigating Disruption, Collaboration and a Sustainable Future.

Western Cape Provincial Minister of Infrastructure MEC Tertius Simmers welcomes the SACQSP and UCT collaboration to advance research that responds directly to the country’s infrastructure and economic challenges.

“Academic insights are key to building smarter, more resilient infrastructure,” says Simmers. “This is especially relevant in the Western Cape where sustainable development and service delivery are top priorities. The conference represents a critical opportunity to align professional innovation with public-sector needs."

Worldwide recognition

The conference is recognised globally as a platform for academics, postgraduate researchers and practitioners across Africa and beyond. It showcases the profession’s growing intellectual capital and promotes the generation of knowledge that can guide infrastructure policy, procurement innovation and professional development.

“This conference is more than an academic exercise,” says Quphe, “it is a strategic intervention to ensure the quantity-surveying profession remains relevant, equipped, aligned to national priorities, and in step with global best practice. Convening top minds from academia and practice enables us to co-develop solutions that directly impact people’s lives."

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UCT’s role

As academic partner, UCT will play a central role in providing academic support and shaping the research agenda, ensuring that the conference reflects both global standards and local relevance.

The partnership strengthens SACQSP’s long-standing commitment to fostering knowledge exchange between academia and industry.

“UCT is proud to collaborate with SACQSP to create a platform that elevates research as a strategic tool for development,” says Professor Manya Mooya, head of UCT’s Construction Economics and Management Department.

“In a country grappling with service-delivery backlogs, skills shortages and infrastructure decay, academic insight can and must inform how we build our future."

The conference programme

Quphe points out that research in quantity surveying is no longer confined to cost management. “It now informs policy, guides investment and shapes inclusive infrastructure planning,” he says.

It makes sense then that this year’s conference will highlight how quantity surveyors are contributing to multidisciplinary solutions that address:

• Infrastructure underperformance and cost overruns,
• Skills gaps in the built environment,
• The integration of sustainable building practices and
• The urgent need for digital transformation in construction.

These topics will be delivered through the presentation of academic papers, keynote addresses by global built environment experts, and panel discussions addressing South Africa’s infrastructure and economic recovery.

The conference will also provide a platform to showcase emerging African quantity-surveying research talent and innovations.