On 29th and 30th October 2024, the National Construction Industry Council (NCIC) gathered industry stakeholders in a series of engagement meetings held in Lilongwe and Salima. The meetings brought together professional boards, implementing agencies, client organizations and project financiers demonstrating NCIC’s commitment to stakeholder focus. NCIC CEO Eng. Gerald Khonje, opened both sessions by highlighting NCIC’s mission to improve infrastructure delivery and quality, laying the groundwork for constructive dialogue on matters concerning the industry.
During the meetings, NCIC presented to its stakeholders construction cost indices, standardized contract documents and Malawi Infrastructure Delivery Management Standards. The Council observed that the construction cost indices are meant to serve as a referral point for price adjustments on cost of inputs in construction projects thereby enabling construction costs to be realistic and well aligned to market conditions. It was further noted that the construction cost indices were created to avoid underestimations and overestimations of prices, ensuring pricing remains transparent and fair. While indicating that the construction cost indices were developed in collaboration with the National Statistical Office, NCIC indicated its continued commitment to updating these indices regularly to enable them to remain responsive to economic changes.
On the Malawi Infrastructure Delivery Management System (IDMS), the Council noted that is a structured framework which is essential in guiding project inception, planning, procurement, delivery, and disposal across public as well as private sector infrastructure projects. It is believed that the IDMS is expected to improve consistency and efficiency across infrastructure projects thereby enabling the country attain quality and resilience of infrastructure.
NCIC also presented to its stakeholders infrastructure technical audits, which it said it is an important tool in helping to identify and address challenges faced in the management of infrastructure projects. Most importantly, the Council noted that the infrastructure technical audits are a most reliable way to document best practices in infrastructure management which can enable stakeholders easily replicate other infrastructure projects. In this regard, the Council urged its stakeholders to consider adopting the infrastructure technical audits.
On their part, the stakeholders expressed satisfaction with the new developments and commended NCIC for being proactive in addressing challenges facing the construction industry in Malawi and for creating an enabling environment for a vibrant infrastructure delivery as well as economic development.