It is clear that Clients require more than simply project delivery. As Schoombie Hartmann KZN, we pride ourselves in our individual identification with each Client. We select people who will take full ownership of a project and we aim to become the Client’s lead advisor.
Project Goals
Cooperative Project Team Working
We recognise that each member of a team adds value to a project in a variety of ways. Our role is to encourage the creation of value. We do this by establishing a creative team environment in which each member has respect and commitment and also clearly knows his or her responsibility.
We develop a project specific Procedures Manual to clarify how the team will fit together. This, linked with the project controls on cost, quality and programme, provides a good foundation for team work to take place.
On Time Stages and Completion
Creating meaningful stages in a project is essential, particularly for the management of the design process. It is essential that designers work in recognisable stages which culminate in a team report for client approval. Only in this way is the team working together in the full knowledge that they have client agreement.
We would establish those milestones in the project programme together with a set of deliverables and ensure that short term targets are identified and met in order to achieve the overall goal.
Economic Construction Costs
Achieving best value in relation to construction costs entails controlling the design so that it is easily built and controlling the procurement so that the most suitable contractors are used.
Designing for production is a philosophy. It requires real effort and team cooperation. The designers should be advised by the cost and construction team on which design solution to be adopted. This equates to technology groups working interactively to obtain the best joint solution. It necessitates the early involvement of skilled construction teams.
Procuring construction services requires intimate market knowledge to get the best deal. Additionally, it is important to procure in a holistic way – the construction contracts should be complete and should not be allowed to change and vary. The contractors need to be encouraged to take real responsibility for their works and their interface with others.
Quality Achievements
Quality standards are one of the first issues to be agreed with the Client. These will be benchmarked and costed by the quantity surveyor. The standards will be addressed at “day one” in the Client Brief and developed during the design process as well as the construction process.
Quality must be proved and the role of sampling, testing and mock ups must be developed and budgeted for. We should aim to test the materials and construction techniques well in advance to the production starting on site.
Economic Occupation Costs
The decisions made on material selection and construction techniques effect the long term costs of running the facility. Similarly, the method of contracting and the responsibilities of the contractors impact upon the running costs.
On all our major projects we have applied research to life cycle costings to enable properly informed decisions to be made. This will lead to energy saving devices which will reduce occupancy/operational costs.
Comprehensive End User Satisfaction
We create end user satisfaction by involving the users from ‘day one’ – we do not like them to simply be at the receiving end of the chain. The involvement of user groups is fundamentally important to obtaining a facility that operates satisfactorily for the occupiers.
Schoombie Hartmann Group Organisation
Within Schoombie Hartmann we have staff with a wide-ranging background of professional qualifications, skills and experience available to the team dedicated to any particular commission.
We currently have staff that originally trained and qualified as the following professionals:
• Quantity Surveyors / Cost Managers
• Project Managers
• Property Development
• Construction Manager
• Planners/Programmers
• Building Surveyors
Sound inter-office communication and a dedicated national and international approach coupled with the wide geographical spread of our offices means that clients, both international and local, benefit from our diversified experience and swift application of relevant resources fulfilling the most demanding client requirements.
Human Resource Programme and Affirmative Action
Schoombie Hartmann Quantity Surveyors are firmly committed to a process of implementing dynamic affirmative action and a policy of human resources development within the organisation. The process has been in practice since 1984 and has steadily gained momentum over the years.
The company is entirely non-racial and has a proud record of excellent labour relations, reinforced by a fine spirit of loyalty among all members of staff. This policy furthermore ensures the development and training of all staff members, irrespective of race, creed or gender, with special emphasis on previously marginalized individuals.
Essentially, our programme is divided into three elements. These include; our bursary programme, in-house training and a process of mentorship.
Through the above process, it is our intention and aim to make the ownership, management and staffing of Schoombie Hartmann Quantity Surveyors representative of the population of South Africa as a whole within the shortest practical time scale.
Over the past 25 years, we are confident that we have made great strides in this regard and intend doing everything possible to accelerate the process.
All employees of Schoombie Hartmann are on defined career paths. We nurture these
employees through a process of in-house training in order to ensure that they develop into competent quantity surveyors and a human resource asset to the nation.
In addition, the experience, training and expertise of our principals are utilised to ensure the total development of black personnel through a process of mentorship. We believe that this mentor-protégé relationship has the potential to unlock comprehensive career development opportunities for our staff members.
Schoombie Hartmann will continue to pursue the career development of previously disadvantaged persons, since we believe that the business sector has an unquestionable obligation to develop all levels of human resources and to optimise potential to its own and the County’s advantage.
Since 1984 Schoombie Hartmann has invested in excess of R2 500 000.00 on bursaries and in-house training to secure equal opportunities for previously disadvantaged individuals.
About Us
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Our Services
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Our Work
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Our Team
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