African Excellence Awards 2022 17 Best Project & Contract Management Company – Seychelles Family business, Blackburn Consulting (Pty) Limited (BCPL), is based in Beau Vallon, on Mahe in Seychelles. For over 30 years, the company has been managing projects and offering a range of property-related services across the three main islands of the archipelago – Mahe, Praslin, and La Digue. We speak to BCPL’s principal director, Daniel Blackburn, to find out more about the company’s services. Back in 1991, RICS accredited chartered surveyor, Daniel Blackburn, founded DBR Blackburn Consulting Services. After working on a large number of public contracts in healthcare and education, as well as consulting on some major private contracts, Daniel took the decision to extend the business to include his family. And, in 2006, Blackburn Consulting (Pty) Limited (BCPL) was born. Today, BCPL provides a full range of consulting services including architecture, quantity surveying, project/contract management, and property valuation services. The company’s clients include financial institutions, telecommunication companies, public enterprises, mortgage companies, and private individuals. Architectural services are end-to-end with BCPL supporting its clients from inception through to the successful completion of the project. Daniel tells us, “Feasibility, outline proposals, scheme design, detail design, and production information are all taken care of. We peg out the footprint of the buildings, fill in the required forms and submit them to the Planning Authority for approval. In our role as project managers, we are there until the end of the defect liability period to make sure everything runs smoothly.” Often, BCPL’s quantity surveying service goes hand in hand with its architectural offering. Daniel explains, “We provide an estimated cost based on the preliminary drawings. This enables clients to quickly understand whether the proposed project is within their budget. Later we revisit the cost estimate based on the final drawings to account for any changes.” Many of the larger construction projects such as public service projects are awarded by tender. Daniel explains that this can be a challenge, “It doesn’t matter how professional or experienced you are, everyone has to compete against each other. More often than not, the lowest-priced tender will win the contract. Unfortunately, that doesn’t encourage those of us in private enterprise to engage with learning organisations and help out young graduates.” But there is hope on the horizon. Daniel is encouraged by the newly introduced guidelines for timesheet recording and performance appraisal. Combined with the appropriate training, he believes these tools will enable employees to become more self-reliant and empowered to make decisions. He says, “This will lead to greater work satisfaction which naturally enhances the quality of services and brings a reduction in supervision and operational costs. It’s exciting that we will be able to deliver more value to our customers.” An MA and MBA graduate of Salford University in the UK, Daniel is the only Seychellois to hold chartered status across four faculties: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (UK), Fellow Chartered Building Engineers at the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (UK), Fellow Chartered Construction Manager at the Chartered Institute of Building (UK), and Member of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK). This gives the BCPL a clear advantage over its competitors. Looking to the future, the company is planning to set up a branch office in Victoria, Mahe, as well as expanding its offerings to include legal consultancy services. We are excited to see where it goes next. Contact: Daniel B R Blackburn Company: Blackburn Consulting Pty Limited
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