PPC Specialist

SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF CIBIL ENGINEERING (SAICE)

Wednesday, 8 June 2022

Workshop 3, Workshop Area 1

An overview of PPP by Engineers for Engineers

11:00 – 12:45

After graduating from UCT with a degree in Civil Engineering John worked for a consulting engineering practice where he was involved in all aspects of the design and implementation of a range of civil engineering infrastructure projects notable being the Voelvlei pipeline to Melkbostrand, the Elsies River sewage pump station and Blaauberg Road development.  

He joined BP in where he held the position of Regional Engineering Manager responsible for all maintenance, refurbishment and capital projects for all BP and Trek oil installations in the Southern Region. In this role John managed a staff of 20 supervisors, artisans and labourers and a number of contractors on framework contracts who maintained, retail forecourt equipment, LPG fuel installations, HFF fuel installations and fuel depot storage infrastructure. He was responsible for setting and managing maintenance and capital budgets and ensuring that the planning, execution and administration of all activities was in compliance with the BP business, engineering, safety and security systems, conditions and procedures. He was appointed the Certificated Engineer for the Joint Bunkers operation in Cape Town and was the regional safety officer and regional security officer. He was a trained petroleum fire-fighter and led the regional fire proto team. 

When transferred to Johannesburg he was the northern Regional Storage and Handling Manager responsible for the operations at all inland fuel depots with a staff of 400, which included neighbouring states. 

In 1986 John became the business unit manager for BP Solar reporting to an executive board member which was the photovoltaics and renewable energy business of BP that operated globally with production facilities in England, Spain and Australia. John’s area of operation was Sub-Saharan Africa and included both custom design PV energy solutions and consumer market products. Operating with a small sales staff he set up and managed a dealer network that covered the region. He was responsible for developing the Telelite home lighting system, Solarspring a single panel borehole pump and aviation refuelling using solar power. 

In 1990 John joined the reimaging team as Programme Manager which developed the designs to meet the international requirements, established and managed the operational and maintenance budget and executed the reimaging of 750 retail forecourts to the new BP image on time, within budget and to international quality specifications. John was responsible to ensure that the stringent BP safety and image standards were observed by the contractors operating across the country. 

He moved to Brilliant Signs where he was General Manager Johannesburg and thereafter joined Flik Pest Control as General Manager Johannesburg providing pest control and bird management services in the greater Johannesburg region where he was responsible for marketing, operations and the financial viability of the region. He was responsible for the safe handling and application of pesticides with the operations and products licensed by the Department of Agriculture. 

In 1995 he joined Turner and Townsend and was involved in the management and advising on a variety of infrastructure development and management projects including PPPs in a range of sectors. He has provided transaction advisory services to the Public Sector from feasibility through to the management of operations including estimating costs, drafting specifications and negotiating contracts; managed bids and provided PPP advisory to the Private Sector; acted as Lender’s Technical Advisor; acted as the Independent Certifier and provided performance monitoring services as an Independent Monitor for the Public Sector and the Private Sector. All PPP advisory work has to be compliant with the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act 1 of 1999) (PFMA) and in particular Regulation 16 of the PFMA which governs PPPs as detailed in the PPP manual. John developed the FM/PPP business Unit of Turner & Townsend Africa representing the business as director on the management board. He is the global Community of Practice Lead for Turner & Townsend and a member of the PPP global Community of Practice. 

In 2013 John retired from Turner & Townsend and joined J Maynard in the IPP office managing the Cogeneration