Name of Company: Ernst & Young
Name of Contact Person: Keith Willows
Contact Person's Designation: Director
Email Address: keith.willows@za.ey.com
Tel: +27(0)11 772 3426
Fax: +27(0)11 772 4426
Physical Address: Wanderers Office Park, 52 Corlett Drive, Illovo, Johannesburg
Postal Address: Private Bag x14, Northlands, 2116
Website: www.ey.com/za

Profile of Ernest & Young:

Nature of their Business

Ernst & Young, a global leader in professional services employs 114,000 people in 140 countries. Ernst & Young South Africa is a company comprising over 130 directors and a staff complement of 1900 in offices throughout the country, with many blue chip clients, including parastatals and public sector government departments. The services offered include audit and assurance, corporate finance, tax and transactions, business advisory services, forensic investigations and dispute advisory services, technology security risk services and outsourcing.

Vision and Objectives of Business

Ernst & Young, a global leader in professional services, is committed to restoring the public's trust in professional services firms and in the quality of financial reporting. The company aims to pursue the highest levels of integrity, quality, and professionalism in providing a range of sophisticated services centred on our core competencies of auditing, accounting, tax, and transactions. Ernst & Young South Africa has made significant progress in the area of transformation and is well ahead of both the profession overall and its competitors within the Big Four with 50% of its staff and 31,2% of its ownership being black, as well as 50% of its staff being female. Ernst & Young holds a Double "A" (AA) empowerment rating from EmpowerDEX.

Ernest & Young aims:

• to be the first global South African professional services company that reflects the demographics of our nation in our people and our clients;
• to play an effective role in developing skills and experience, thereby unlocking the human and economic potential of our people and society; and
• to be active in the empowerment of previously disadvantaged individuals to ensure the sustainable growth of Ernst & Young and our country.

Name of Company: SAACE
Tel: +27(0)11 463 2022
Fax: +27(0)11 463 7383
E-mail: general@saace.co.za
Physical Address: St James House, Hampton Park North, 20 Georgian Crescent, Bryanston, Sandton
Postal Address: P.O.Box 68482, Bryanston, 2021, Republic of South Africa
Website: www.saace.co.za

PROFILE OF SAACE

Background

The South African Association of Consulting Engineers (SAACE) was established in 1952, as a voluntary association of independent consulting engineers in private practice. SAACE membership has, over the years, grown from 30 individual members in 1952 to more than 460 firms in over 1038 offices nation wide in 2007, which employ in the region of 15 000 staff.

The SAACE represents, for its members, a body that promotes their joint interests and, because of its standing, provides quality assurance for clients.

• Adherence to quality management systems, and the basic tenets of commercial viability, on which SAACE members' businesses depend, underwrite the quality assurance implicit in membership.
• Member firms are committed to continuous education, and to the upliftment of their staff and the communities they serve. Many firms have empowerment programmes, contribute to bursary schemes and assist professionals and construction companies to grow. A Construction Industry Charter is presently in the process of finalisation.
• Members carry a required level of professional indemnity insurance, which provides clients with financial recourse in the event of non-performance, insufficient design, failure or neglect caused by the engineer.
• Members are required to implement and maintain an ISO based Quality Management System in terms of the SAACE Code of Conduct.

Mission statement

The South African Association of Consulting Engineers is committed to:

• enhancing the professional and business interests of its members
• improving the quality of life for all South Africans by the promotion of engineering excellence
• serving clients with professionalism, integrity and independence of judgement

The SAACE's objectives and major functions

The Association's members commit themselves to the upholding of engineering and professional standards and the maintenance of quality. The Association seeks to promote the interests of its members and their clients by:

• Regular liaison meetings
• Publication of documents relating to the profession
• Advisory notes and case studies to members
• Guidelines to members on professional practice matters
• A quality management programme
• Publication of the Directory of Firms
• Upkeep of a Website about the SAACE, www.saace.co.za.
• Organisation of seminars and workshops through a "School of Consulting Engineering"
• Holding of an Annual Convention and Annual Business Excellence Awards
• Membership of FIDIC (International Federation of Consulting Engineering Associations) and GAMA (The Group of African Member Associations)
• International Business Development
• Advice on contractual and procurement matters

Key Focus Areas

The South African Association of Consulting Engineers has identified the following as key focus areas for the future of the association:

• Build partnerships with government and stakeholders
• Global positioning of membership
• Improve quality and business integrity
• Organisational relevance through continuous re-invention
• Improve business profitability

SAACE Structure

• A well-structured organisation manages the activities of the Association, and annually a President and Council are elected.
• A council and Executive Committee meets regularly to organise and oversee activities.
• Administration is executed by a full time Directorate based in Bryanston comprising 12 full time staff.
• 12 Branches are active in nine provinces throughout South Africa.
• The Directorate has a Quality Management System in place and is ISO9001:2000 certificated.

In addition, the Chief Executive Officer and staff of the Association are available at all times to offer advice to members and client bodies and the Association provides a centre for general information about the profession.

CEO: Graham Pirie; President: Cecil Rose; Deputy President: Felix Fongoqa.