- Title
- The impact of discounting fees by civil engineering consultants
- Creator
- Siqiti, Khulile
- Subject
- Consulting engineers
- Subject
- Consultants Civil engineering
- Subject
- Project management
- Date Issued
- 2020
- Date
- 2020
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Masters
- Type
- MSc
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/47246
- Identifier
- vital:39836
- Description
- The study provides insight into the views and perceptions of consulting engineers on the discounting of professional fees. The purpose of the research was to determine the impact of discounting professional fees in the civil engineering profession and ultimately potential ways in which the civil engineering profession could improve business sustainability. The study included a review of literature, which was utilised to develop a questionnaire. A total of 26 practicing consulting engineers, who are members of Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA), and represented small, medium and large consulting engineering firms, participated in the questionnaire survey. The questionnaire investigates the respondents’ perceptions on the impact of discounting professional fees in the civil engineering profession and the amount of discount offered as well as the reasons for discounting fees. The results show that the practice of discounting professional fees is widespread, affecting small, medium and large consulting firms. The results also indicate that prevailing market conditions in civil engineering profession are the primary reasons why consulting engineers offer discounts on fees. Respondents agreed that projects are awarded to the lowest bidder during tender process. Respondents also agreed that experienced engineers are allocated less time on projects to manage project costs. The findings suggest that discounting of professional fees is a great concern that needs to be addressed in order to attain profession business sustainability. It is suggested that the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) should regulate the fee structures and ensure that all professionals, whether employed in the public or private sector, understand the basic finances on running a professional consultancy to deliver a service.
- Format
- xi, 112leaves
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Technology
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
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Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
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View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Siqiti, K 215376056 Treatise April 2020.pdf | 1 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |