Engineers Against Poverty

EAP has been working in partnership with the Institution of Civil Engineers to demonstrate how procurement can be used to increase local content (i.e. the proportion of goods, services and labour sourced locally) in public sector infrastructure projects. Together they conducted extensive research that culminated in the publication of a report.

A range of international agencies have made use of the knowledge contained in the report including the African Development Bank, OECD and the European Commission. In 2009–10 they will be developing systems to measure the impact of the improvements that we have been advocating.

EAP is part of the International Secretariat of the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST) that is tackling the problem of corruption in the construction sector head on. Launched by DFID in 2008 and coordinated by PricewaterhouseCoopers, CoST is developing systems and procedures to enable the public disclosure of material project information. Improving transparency in this way will make it possible for decision-makers to be held accountable. It will also help to reduce corruption and boost growth and development.

Seven pilot countries - Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, Ethiopia, Philippines, Vietnam and the UK [2] – are participating in the pilot phase. EAP is providing policy and technical advice to CoST and helping to ensure that a pro-poor perspective is integrated into decision making.

EAP has been working with the Institution of Engineers Tanzania to train a team of 35 Tanzanian men and women to international standards in construction health and safety and training delivery. They are also working with them to develop a training programme that is specific to the Tanzanian context and which when finished, will be recognised as a new national standard. The Tanzanian trainers will be running courses with government, industry and trade unions throughout the country in 2009.

EAP have recently published innovative practical guidance to industry on maximising local benefits of Oil Gas & Mining projects, including an analysis of the opportunities for engineering services contractors to deliver local content (in partnership with the Overseas Development Institute) and a briefing note funded by the International Finance Corporation. They have also jointly released a guidance note with International Alert on conflict sensitive business practice for engineering contractors, particularly those working in the extractive industries.

EAP has been working with the Institute of Education (IoE) to explore the extent to which global issues are incorporated into the engineering curricula of UK universities. Their joint report captures the learning from a series of high-level roundtable meetings held in UK universities. It also makes a series of practical recommendations aimed at enabling UK universities to build on past success, overcome barriers and integrate the ‘global dimension’ into teaching.

They are now working in partnership with the Engineering Subject Centre, Engineering Council UK and the Institute of Education to provide practical support to 7 UK-based universities. Over the next three years they will participate in a programme of high quality professional development and curriculum review support.