Project Manager at Aurecon

Job description

As far as projects in the implementation phase is concerned, the role of the M&O team is not to duplicate what any of the Departmental officials, Implementing Agents, Professional Service Providers (PSPs) or Contractors have been tasked to do, but to assess what is being done by these role players, to identify current and potential problems and issues, to mitigate these in the interest of the ultimate success of the project and to follow through and pursue the resolving of issues.

Therefore, for projects under construction the approach will be:

• Follow a “funnel approach”, i.e. work from the general to the specific. Commence by reading and understanding the Project Business Case, the Clinical Brief, the Design Brief and the Project Implementation Plan. Health infrastructure projects are ultimately about the effective delivery of health services and it is therefore essential to understand the rationale behind, and upfront planning for the project before reviewing the project itself.
• Assess bulk services to the project – access road, bulk water supply, energy supply (including back-up energy) and sewerage services. Consider the timing of these services in relation to the targeted completion of the project.
• Review the various contracts that are in place.
• Assess the project in terms of
• Building elements (structural, mechanical, electrical and all general construction related components)
• Health Technology
• Organisational Development and Quality Assurance (when activated).
• In doing so specifically review interfaces between the various elements. Experience has shown that most problems occur at interfaces between disciplines, e.g. interface between the building engineering disciplines as well as between infrastructure, health technology and OD.
• Review the traditional project management areas of time (including the critical path for the project), cost and quality, identify problems and make recommendations. Current problems (issues) should be identified, but even of more importance is to identify future problem areas (risks) and to prevent their occurrence. Do not only assess what is there, but identify what should be there, but is not, i.e. manage by exception.
• Review actual progress against payment and assess whether the two aspects are in-line.
• Review the role performed by the various professionals, the Implementing Agent (IA) and the Provincial Department of Health. Consider communication between these parties and identify whether there are gaps in the process.
• Consider whether value for money is being achieved.
• Consider whether Departmental principles of green buildings are being applied and implemented.
• Review the required Health Technology elements and whether these elements have been integrated into the rest of the project. Also consider the procurement schedule for HT and timing for delivery, installation and commissioning against the other elements of the project.
• Review project related data on the PMIS, highlight problem areas, make recommendations and facilitate updating of information on the PMIS.
• Identify measures to facilitate effective and accurate reporting and communication, both among the stakeholders and within the provinces and at National level and to make recommendations to the relevant governance structures.
• Review whether arrangements for future maintenance of health facilities are in place.
• Assess compliance with requirements of the Auditor General and validate whether there is an audit trail per project.
• Document lessons learnt and make recommendations for the future.
• To do the above for all HFRG funded facilities in a province is a task much larger than what can be achieved by a few individuals. However, all health infrastructure projects have (or should have) a complete professional team, including programme and project managers. Nonetheless, experience has shown that the effectiveness of teams vary from highly effective to poor. The M&O team will thus “manage by exception” by focussing on those areas where the most value can be added applying the Pareto (80/20) principle in order to bring the maximum benefit to the Department and achieve maximum value for money. In this regard excellent communication between all role players is of paramount importance.
• In order to improve future downstream project efficiency and to promote value for money the M&O team will thus review the upstream planning processes in each of the provinces, including:
• The User Asset Management Plan (U-AMP);
• The Infrastructure Programme Implementation Plan (IPIP) and the Infrastructure Programme Management Plan (IPMP) in relation to the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF);
• Check whether the necessary planning milestones are in place and the progress made with matters such as availability of land, site clearance, town planning approvals, bulk services, bulk earthworks etc.;
• Confirm that the PMIS has been updated with planning milestones and projected budgets and that all other essential fields in the PMIS have been completed correctly;
• The efficiency of the Peer Review process;
• The necessary Governance approvals;
• Identify delays in approvals and facilitate unblocking of stumbling blocks and raise issues to PDoH and NDoH;
• The functioning of the Infrastructure Programme Progress Review Meeting (IPPR);
• Adequacy of the project pipeline in relation to future available budgets;
• Challenges hampering the achievement of provincial infrastructure targets and interventions to address these;
• Assess compliance with requirements of the Auditor General and ensure that there is an audit trail per project;
• Document lessons learnt and make recommendations for the future.

"Aurecon is an equal opportunities employer and that preference will be given to individuals from the designated groups and in South Africa