We have had record attendance at our last two meetings. The presentation on the biofuels industry generated a lot of audience participation for Andrew Makenete, president of SA Biofuels Association (SABA). The May meeting saw Bill Steenberg from Fluor presenting his 'Achieving technical bid compliance'. Again more than 45 members were in attendance.
Bill walked us through the technical bid procedure and also had an example of a real life technical evaluation. The members had an opportunity to see the RFQ, bidders' responses and format, Bill's technical evaluation procedure and eventually the recommendation made to commercial on the best candidate. It was most interesting to see the actual work that goes into the technical bid evaluation. For those of you who think that EPCs (engineering, procurement and construction companies) just glance at the tender documents submitted and then choose a vendor, you do not know how wrong you are.
I could easily compare the work that is done at this stage to more or less the same work the vendor puts into compiling his tender. It is taken extremely seriously by the evaluating engineers and they analyse every point in detail. Bill gave us some key points to consider when compiling tenders. Here are some for your information:
* Read every document, assume nothing.
* Clearly mention all deviations from specification.
* You are responsible for your sub-contractors, if they mess up, you are responsible. Make sure they comply with the specification.
* Try to supply everything the EPC has requested from you.
To follow up on this great talk, we are planning Part 2, which is the commercial part. Our plans are to have this presentation in July 2007. So keep watching your SAIMC mail for the invitation.
In light of our commitment to change the JHB SAIMC, we are doing our first 'away' presentation on 13 June 18h00 for 18h30 at the Wits University CM1 auditorium. Our main speaker on the night will be James Portman from Laser Measurement and he will present 'Multidimensional measurement using lasers'. Come and join us at this away venue for something different. Directions will be mailed to those on our mailing list. Should you require any further details, please drop me a mail.
I would like to congratulate the Johannesburg committee on the great work they are doing! Please remember our golf day 29 June 2007 at Kempton Park Golf Club.
International robotics conference streams live to Africa
SAIMC
The SAIMC hosted five live-stream viewing events across South Africa for the IEEE International Conference of Robotics and Automation in Vienna, bringing global robotics research and technology directly to local industry and academia.
Read more...From the office of the CEO: Introduction to GRIP SAIMC
SAIMC
Industry has long been concerned about graduates who have no understanding of the modern equipment they will face in industry. This has triggered an investigation into the possibility of creating a facility whereby graduates register with the SAIMC and rotate through all the vendors to obtain experience on modern equipment.
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Durban Branch hosted a technology meeting featuring a presentation by Abacus Automation on the practical role of AI in industrial automation, drawing considerable interest from attendees.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
Instrotech recently hosted a technical presentation on load cell technology and applications at the SAIMC Johannesburg Technology Evening, presented by Trevor Salzwedel. The session covered load cell fundamentals, selection and installation, mechanical considerations and calibration methods.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg Golf Day SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Johannesburg Golf Day on 22 May 2026 brought together 16 four-balls for a day of golf, networking and fundraising, with generous support from sponsors across the instrumentation and control sector.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The Johannesburg Branch had the privilege of being hosted by Phoenix Contact for our technology event in May. Shamil Surbun, BU manager for Automation, presented a CPD-accredited session on ‘From Sensor to Cloud: How SPE and APL Are Transforming Industrial Connectivity’.
Read more...From the office of the CEO: Power Hour goes national SAIMC
SAIMC
South Africa’s automation, control, mechatronics and computer engineering community is changing fast, and the SAIMC is changing with it. I am excited to announce a new national initiative that will reshape how we deliver technical knowledge, strengthen branch identity and bring our community together like never before.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version