Education

Architect

A registered architect is a person who has obtained a relevant architectural degree form an approved institution completed the in-training period and has passed the assessment of professional competence.
The main duties of a registered architect are to advise the client from inception stage to completion stage on the feasibility, design, planning and development of a construction project.
An architect has professional liability and is responsible to convert the functional/space requirement of a client into a suitable building design and prepare presentations, design drawings, documentation required for the submission to the local and or statuary authorities and technical documentation required for the execution of a project.
All designs of construction projects with an area exceeding 500 square meters are reserved for an architect.

Architect Technologist

The architectural technologist, has either a B Arch or higher degree.
This person is responsible for the technical aspect of a project through the production of technical drawings required for submission to the local or statuary authorities and for construction on site.
This persons design limitations is limited to a design of a construction project not exceeding 500 square meters in building area.

Architectural Draughtsperson

The architectural draughts person does not require any tertiary education and their main duties include assisting the architect and the architectural technologists in the production of technical documentation.

Quantity Surveyor

Is a person who has a tertiary education with a Bachelor degree or higher, this person has passed the NCAQS assessment of professional competence after the required in-training period has been completed ;
and has the mandate to prepare estimates in order to establish budgets and or financial feasibilities for construction projects;
has the mandate to administer and procure construction budgets by producing tender documentation including bills of quantities, etc.
This person has professional liability and is responsible for certifying interim payment valuations for work-in-progress on a construction site, to be certified by the principal agent; Reporting and monitoring on construction project costs by means of cash flows and financial reports and by measuring site instructions and variation orders; And finalising a construction project by agreeing construction costs with the main contractor to arrive at the final cost of a construction project.

Quantity Surveyor Technologist

Is a person who has a tertiary education with a BTech degree. This person is qualified to procure tender prices by means of building up construction rates for tender purposes, measuring on site with regard to actual building work done for purposes of valuation for interim payment and final account values This person can be registered as a quantity surveyor in training under the full time supervision of a quantity surveyor and can after having completed the in-training period be registered as a quantity surveyor after passing the assessment of professional competence.

Minimum gazetted fee scale for architects and quantity surveyors IS NOT IN CONTRADICTION WITH THE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT ACT

LEGAL OPINION from senior counsel regarding architects and quantity surveyors tendering on fees:

NOTICE TO ALL REGISTERED MEMBERS OF THE NAMIBIA COUNCIL FOR ARCHITECTS AND QUANTITY SURVEYOR: NOTICE NO. 1/2020 Date: 14.02.2020

THE NCAQS obtained a legal opinion from Senior Counsel regarding the legality of members negotiating/tendering their professional fees on public tenders issued by public entities.

No Architect or Quantity Surveyor is entitled to bid below the minimum gazetted fee scale.  Doing so is in conflict of the minimum fee scale (as gazetted in Government Gazette No.1968 of 1998) for professional services rendered for architect and quantity surveying services.

All members are advised not to participate in the request to negotiate/tender on professional fees below the prescribed minimum fee scale.

Herewith please find a short summary of the legal opinion:

3.1[PAR 54]

The remuneration and conditions of work of the two professions are clearly regulated by the Architects and Quantity Surveyors' Act and the Regulations issued under that Act (constituting other law).


3.2[PAR 55]

In the circumstances such provisions as may have been existing in terms of such Act, insofar as they relate to the remuneration and other conditions of work of the two professions, have survived the Public Procurement Act and remain enforceable.


3.3[PAR 57]

It follows from the above that the questions posed earlier herein fall to be answered in Consultant's favour, insofar as those procedures, practices or directives may relate to the conditions of work previously legislated (and still existing) in terms of the Architects and Quantity Surveyors' Act. In short, the Public Procurement Act did not change the minimum fees and reserved work requirements which apply to the two professions.