IEE POWER DIVISION: CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS

The consulting engineer: a catalyst for progress

M.W. Kennedy, BSc, PhD, FEng, FIEE

Indexing terms: Reviews of progress, Engineering and society, Engineering administration and management

Abstract: The paper describes the original raisond'etre of consulting engineers, their activities andthe part played by them in the early years of theelectricity supply industry in the UK. It thentraces the work of consultants in the large pro-jects, mainly overseas, during the 1960s and 1970s.More recently the prolonged worldwide recession,the desire for more involvement of the client'sengineering personnel and the need for their train-ing have brought about widespread changes inthinking, collaboration and areas of activity of theconsultant. These changes are reflected in projectfunding by the major world lending agencies.Increasing levels of bilateral lending and disburse-ment of grants by Western Governments as avehicle for overseas aid and .the simultaneoussupport of indigenous industry is now also appar-ent. With increasing competition for fewer largeprojects overseas, the development of 'UKLimited' with shareholders in the financial andindustrial sectors, and UK central Government, isa desirable objective. The recent replacement ofthe engineering 'mega projects' by smaller ones,often involving widespread plant refurbishment,now characterise the current activities of consult-ing engineers. An increase in the amount of UKbased work is also apparent as UK Governmentpolicy dictates the increased use of private sectorconsultants. Much of this is now in the electricaland mechanical building services area in which theconsulting profession in the UK (and the IEE)have a considerable stake. The need to involveconsulting engineers in research and developmentin their home country is justified and the paperends with some comments on the present trends inselecting consultants mainly on the basis of feecompetition.

1 Introduction

Over the past 20 years or so, three distinguished repre-sentatives of the British consulting engineering professionhave occupied the Chair of the Power Division of theIEE. Like me, they have all been involved principally inthe realisation of systems designed to generate, transmit,

Paper 4868C (M3, M4) delivered before the IEE Power Division on the22nd October 1986Dr. Kennedy is a Partner and Chief Electrical Engineer of Merz andMcLellan, Amberley, Killingworth, Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 ORS,United Kingdom

distribute and utilise electricity. You will hardly find itsurprising that I have studied their inaugural addresseswith interest; not only to seek inspiration and avoid pla-giarism as far as possible, but to observe the changes inthe consulting engineers' environment over this period,particularly during the present decade.

Since the Power Division of the IEE was last chairedby a practising consulting engineer, the profession (orshould it be called an industry), and the engineering com-munity it serves, have both faced change of a kind andmagnitude not perceived or expected in the expansiveyears of the 1960s and 1970s. Moreover, as ProfessorLawrenson reminded us in his inaugural address beforethe Power Division last year [1], the whole nature ofwhat comprises 'power engineering' requires re-examination. This re-assessment alone affects the think-ing, spheres of activity and modus operandi of consultingengineers along with the remainder of the electricalengineering industry.

Previous consulting engineers who have been Chair-men of the Power Division have reminded us of the earlyhistory and achievements of notable consulting engineerswho practised principally in the field of electricity supplyin the industry's formative years. In their addresses theydescribed the activities of the men who founded the elec-tromechanical engineering branch of the consulting engi-neer's profession in the UK and then went on to describethe activities of the firms they founded. My predecessorswere proud to describe the consultant's part in the devel-opment of electricity supply systems in the UK andthroughout the world and their involvement in the 'megaprojects' that characterised the 1960s and 1970s. Over thepast five years or so changes have occurred which havecombined to reverse previously established trends anddemand a fundamental rethink of ideas and attitudes.

2 A glimpse at history

In any field of human endeavour it is generally thoughtunhealthy to dwell upon past achievements. It is never-theless necessary to appreciate the historical setting of theconsulting engineer's activities so as to understand thepresent and to prepare for the future.

The need for the skills and experience of consultingengineers in its essence stems from man's uncertainty, hisfear of the unknown and the unfamiliar, his need for re-assurance and his desire to be protected from folly andunnecessary risk. The need is also sustained by the moreprosaic attitude that it is preferable to employ people todo a job you might do yourself but which others mightdo better or cheaper. All this presumes, of course, thatthere exist individuals or groups whose reputation, expe-rience and integrity so equip them to fulfil the servicedesired. One of the earliest recorded cases where the ser-

IEE PROCEEDINGS, Vol. 134, Pt. C, No. 2, MARCH 1987 97

vices of a consulting engineer were obviously required isto be found in the Book of Joshua and concerns thestructural security of the walls of Jericho.

More recently, in the 18th century, once engineeringhad become a recognisable discipline, if not a profession,it was common for investors and speculators, as well asthose entering upon schemes for a common good, to seeka basic plan or a second opinion from esteemed membersof the community, usually people having a smattering ofscientific knowledge and whose judgement was known tobe sound. The building of bridges and lighthouses, wherepublic safety as well as money was at risk, marked thebeginning of the activities of the consulting engineers'profession. It is in connection with such civil engineeringprojects that the profession had its origins and in thisdiscipline the consultant has always played a special role,largely because of the problems of dealing with an intrac-table material such as earth or rock and the reluctance ofothers to take responsibility for safety and good design.

With the advent and widespread development of thepublic supply of electricity in the last two decades of the19th century, the need to provide advice and engineeringservices to the many and disparate electricity supplyundertakings on the one hand and constrain the manu-facturers of electrical equipment who saw prospects ofquick and large profits, on the other, gave thefirst opportunity for independent consulting engineers tofirst make their special contribution.

Men like Alexander Kennedy and Charles Merz devel-oped reputations for the design and realisation of coher-ent and practical power stations and high-voltagesystems. The hallmark of these men and of their inspiredteams was one of making practical, reliable and economicdesigns.

Neither Kennedy nor Merz appeared to have com-pleted his formal academic course and both no doubtwould have failed to convince today's IEE MembershipCommittees of their suitability to become corporatemembers of a senior engineering institution.

The reputation and experience of these practical men,built up over the last years of the 19th century and thefirst quarter of this century, both at home and abroad,led, among many other achievements, to their beingappointed members of the Weir Committee responsiblefor the conception and establishment of the British gridsystem introduced in the mid-1920s to interconnect themajor generating and load centres and designed tooperate at a voltage of 132 kV. This system at oncebrought increased efficiency of operation of the nation'spower supply system and improved security of supply toconsumers. Over the next 40 years or so work on powerstations and transmission systems in the UK formed thespringboard from which private consulting firms spreadtheir influence throughout the world and also formedpart of the then readily accepted British involvement inoverseas power utilities and other industries.

In the 35 years that followed the Second World Warthe scope of activity and size of project that consultingengineers undertook overseas grew steadily. There was,however, a corresponding diminution in the demand fortheir services at home. Fig. 1 shows the growth in capitalvalue of work undertaken by British consulting engineersin all disciplines over the past 19 years. Fig. 2 shows howpower stations engineered by British consultants havegrown in size over the 45 years up to 1980; Fig. 3 showshow the voltage of transmission systems similarlyentrusted to these firms has also progressed. The capitalcost of these projects was often an order of magnitude

larger, in terms of GNP per capita for the countries con-cerned, than any similar project constructed in the devel-oped world over the same period.

50

40

30

20

10

1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985year

Fig. 1 Total capital value of overseas work handled by British consul-tants

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year1970 1980

Fig. 2 Growth of power station capacity engineered by British consul-tants

in UKoverseas

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

1920 1930 1940 1950year

1960 1970 1980

Fig. 3 Growth of power system voltages handled by British consultants

in UKoverseas

The engineers' responsibilities and duties were, overmany years, developed and became well understoodwithin the 'eternal triangle' formed by the contractor,who carried out the detailed design of each item of plantand equipment and who constructed it, the user whoemployed the consultant, and the consultant himself. Theprincipal stages of the design and construction of a largepower project are indicated in the familiar bar chart formin Fig. 4.

As compared with three-quarters of a century earlier,when the development of electricity supply systems wasin its infancy, advancement of the relevant engineeringtechniques had by now stabilised but the need for skilled

98 IEE PROCEEDINGS, Vol. 134, Pt. C, No. 2, MARCH 1987

activityyearmonth

feasibility study

project report

plant specification and biddocument preparation

tender period

bid evaluation/contractaward

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and experienced project management had become crucialin achieving completion of large multidiscipline andmulticontract projects on time and within budget. Theconsultant must conceive, design and direct a project,perhaps costing several hundred million pounds, to aprogramme which allows for unforeseen contingenciesbut must meet a sharply and sometimes erraticallychanging demand for electricity, estimated for manyyears before being needed. Consultants, contractors andusers from different countries having different languages,cultures and priorities can cause difficulties whichcombine with extremely difficult site access and financialcircumstances. These are only some of the widely varyingproblems consultants' project management and designteams are called upon to face.

3 The present

3.1 Recent phenomenaThe majority of British consulting engineers' work load isstill derived from overseas, perhaps 70% of their totalrevenue is thus earned. The prolonged worldwide recess-ion has, however, changed the nature of their business inrecent years. This recession is manifested, inter alia, in itsserious effect on the economy of third world countriesand their ability to pay for imported goods and servicesleading to mounting overseas debts. It has in many coun-tries led to a slowing down or halting, and in some casesreversal, of the growth in demand for electricity. Morerecently still, the slump in world oil prices has forced oilproducing countries to cut back investment programmessharply. Over the past ten years these countries had pro-vided much of the volume of work handled by consul-tants.

The continued national emancipation of third worldcountries together with their requirements to conserveforeign exchange has led naturally to an increased desireto involve their indigenous engineers in every stage ofwork undertaken by overseas consultants. The concept of'technology transfer' is now a basic requirement in almostevery project undertaken. International lending agenciesnow give the highest priority to this method of achievingobjectives and look to consulting engineers in the west toplay a leading role in it.

The high-technology so-called 'cathedrals in the

desert' of the recent past no longer characterise thelending programmes of international lending agencies.An altogether more prosaic attitude now prevails and theold fashioned idea of 'make do and mend', is now awidely accepted philosophy. The need for the refur-bishment of old or poorly maintained plant andequipment now takes priority and at present in manycases represents the best return on capital invested.

In the UK, present Government policy has increasedthe demand for private sector consulting engineers' ser-vices in Government projects despite the almost totalabsence of demand for their services in the UK electricitysupply industry. As already mentioned, it was in this areathat consultants originally established their reputationsand developed their expertise but, in recent years,depressed demand and self-sufficient engineeringresources in the UK have combined not only to remove asubstantial proportion of consulting firms' traditionalwork load, but also deny the consultant direct experienceof modern British engineering practice as applied in theUK.

3.2 Project fundingThe rapid rate of development of infrastructure of thirdworld countries in the post-war years depended to a con-siderable extent upon the supply of cheap and reliableelectricity. This was made possible mainly by the provi-sion of appropriate funds from either internationallending agencies, such as the World Bank, the AsianDevelopment Bank, one of the other regional develop-ment banks, or through the provision of aid in the formof loans or grants from industrialised donor countries. Inthe case of international lending agencies, competitivetendering for both consulting engineering services and forthe manufacture and supply of equipment has resulted inbenefits to both lenders and borrowers. In the case ofbilateral aid, selection of consultants and equipment sup-pliers from the donor country are obvious advantages tothose who now face competition at an unprecedentedlevel and where central governments no doubt recognisethe strategic need to preserve centres of engineering skilland manufacturing capability.

In 1978 funds lent for energy projects by the AsianDevelopment Bank alone exceeded those provided forthe same purpose by the UK Overseas Development

IEE PROCEEDINGS, Vol. 134, Pt. C, No. 2, MARCH 1987 99

Administration (ODA) in its aid programme by a factor ofabove 7:1, illustrating the small proportion of totalinternational business guaranteed to British consultantsat that time. The number of large internationally financedprojects then being undertaken was, however, consider-ably greater than at present, with the result that thevolume of business undertaken by British consultantswas considerable. Government financial support in oneform or another, not only from the UK but from allother western governments, has increased sharply inrecent years as the number of new and justifiable largeprojects has declined and international competition cor-respondingly increased. For example, by 1985 AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB) lending for energy projectshad fallen slightly by comparison with 1978 but ODAfunding had risen dramatically and by 1985 theADB/ODA lending ratio had fallen to about 1.2 :1.

The supply of electricity is, of course, only one of thesectors involving the activities of consulting engineersand one of a small number which is dominated by electri-cal and mechanical engineering. The remainder arelargely led by branches of the civil engineering discipline.These include airports, petroleum and gas, desalination,drainage and sewerage, harbours, docks and sea defences,irrigation, land planning and development, railways,roads and bridges, and water and agriculture. It is inter-esting to note how the emphasis in allocation of interna-tional funds placed upon these different sectors haschanged over recent years as the perception of the needsof the development of third world countries' infrastruc-tures have also changed. Fig. 5 indicates the sectoral allo-

multisector0.77.

agriculture andagro-industry30.57.

socialinfrastructure16.37.

transport andcommunications13.57.

industryand nonfuelmineralsK7.

Fig. 5 Asian Development Bank loan approvals by sector: 1968-1985

cation of funds by the Asian Development Bankexpressed as percentages over the period 1968-1985. Itwill be seen that 25% of these funds have been allocatedto energy projects over this period but by 1985 the per-centage had fallen to 13% of the total. Statistics issued bythe World Bank confirm this trend. The ratio of fundslent for energy and agriculture/water projects haschanged over recent years as shown in Table 1.

3.3 Curren t trendsAs already indicated, during the 1980s the trends ofseveral previous decades in the development of electricitysupply throughout the world have changed. It is now rea-

lised that refurbishment of existing generation, transmis-sion and distribution facilities represents a sound return

Table 1 : Changes in ratio of funds lent

Ratio of funding:Year Energy/agriculture and water

1969 2:11979 1:21985 1:1.5

on investment of new capital in so many cases. Moreover,the problems of utilities having to repay and service debtsis seriously exacerbated by the fact that revenue isreduced by excessive system losses which can amount to30% or more of the energy generated. This has led to thedemand by lending agencies for the introduction of strin-gent loss reduction programmes coupled with a realisticapproach to tariffs free from political restraints.

The solution of these problems has frequently calledfor fundamental changes in management structure andtraining within the utility concerned. Asset valuation isfrequently now a prerequisite to the identification of arecovery programme for the utility and in solving theseproblems the consulting engineer has a vital role to play.

Crucial to the changes described is the need for train-ing of the client's staff, particularly in the operation andmaintenance of existing systems, plant and equipment.This has been generally lacking in the past and has led topoor utilisation of the capital invested in large projectsand in these matters the consulting engineer in the mid-1980s is required to play a vital part.

Although it was virtually unheard of until recently fora consulting engineer not to be entrusted with fullresponsibility for the conceptual design, preparation ofspecification, tender adjudication, contract adminis-tration, supervision of construction and commissioning ofa whole project, the provision of 'partial engineering ser-vices' has now become a characteristic of modern times.It is now quite common, where a client believes and canconvince his lending agency that he has adequate capa-bilities, at least in some areas, to call for the balance onlyof the required skills from consulting firms. In othercases, the client may deliberately divide a project byawarding the first few phases of it to one firm of consul-tants and the remainder to another with the possibility ofa third firm being brought in to audit the activities of theothers. Although there are sometimes good reasons forthese practices, some of which have arisen because ofshortcomings of some consultants themselves, this 'com-mittee' approach has its inevitable drawbacks and thedisadvantages of divided responsibilities are clear.

4 UK Limited

For many years technology transfer has been inherentthrough the association of expatriate firms of consultingengineers with indigenous local firms who have usuallyprovided civil engineering services and through the infor-mal secondment of client's engineers to consulting firmstogether with the admirable CBI scholarship scheme.More recently, however, the strong belief that power gen-eration and transmission facilities were being incorrectlyoperated and poorly maintained, has led to a substantialincrease in the need to provide formal training in thesesubjects together with on-the-job training in a wide rangeof disciplines for engineers from overseas utilities.

This need to provide training experience across abroad spectrum affords an ideal opportunity for consult-

100 IEE PROCEEDINGS, Vol. 134, Pt. C, No. 2, MARCH 1987

ing engineers in the private sector to combine with thenationalised electricity supply industry to meet today'schanging needs in overseas markets. There is much talkabout a 'UK Limited' approach. Collaboration of thiskind is undoubtedly one manifestation of UK Limited;there is of course no single definition of it.

UK Limited finds practical expression whenever andwherever different sectors of British industry combine tomeet the demands placed upon them by the overseasmarket. UK Limited may be seen as another eternal tri-angle where the three sides are represented by the electri-cal manufacturing industry, the electricity supplyindustry and the consulting engineering industry. Thecombined influence, experience and know-how of thesethree sectors in the design, supply, construction, commis-sioning, operation and maintenance of plant andequipment and systems has enormous potential and maybetter meet present day demands. Examples of the suc-cessful application of this triangle are few so far but therealisation that it is a suitable vehicle for government aidto developing countries is leading to a welcome increasein this form of collaboration. Even this combination maynot, however, be enough to meet present demands com-pletely. The triangle may be developed into a polygonwith the involvement of the Government, financialinstitutions and the insurance industry, for example, com-bining to identify and offer a completely justified andfinanced project package in today's economic and poli-tical environment.

It is an observation that other technologicallyadvanced countries seem to be at a more advanced stageof development of this approach to marketing theirnation's skills and experience than we in the UK findourselves at the present. Perhaps our sense of history andtradition in the different sectors of our industry and anacute awareness of lines of demarcation between them ismore restrictive in the UK than in the countries withwhich we must compete.

With increasing worldwide competition and the con-traction of the UK heavy electrical engineering industry,shortfalls in manpower and experience are inevitable.Moreover, the ability of the UK's tertiary educationsystem to supply the manpower needs of this industry isdiminished each year. It is not surprising, therefore, thatmanufacturing industry's attempts to compete withreduced resources at their disposal leads to consultingengineers supplementing the manpower needs of even thelargest engineering conglomerates. The idea is not newand is now widely accepted as not infringing any of therules of the Association of Consulting Engineers thatgovern the conduct of members. In today's economicclimate, few companies can afford to employ on theirstaff all the resources necessary for successful identifica-tion or completion of diverse projects, particularly in thecase of turnkey projects. Requirements often includeequipment for services which fall outside the traditionalsphere of activity and yet demonstration of these facilitiesis frequently essential to secure the contract. Consultingengineers can and do therefore provide a vital supportsystem supplementing manufacturing industry's resourcesflexibly and economically to ensure a total project capa-bility. In many cases budgets and programmes can onlybe met by collaboration of this kind.

In many large projects collaboration only betweenconsultants can be regarded as part of UK Limited. It issometimes necessary for groups or consortia of consul-tants to be formed, each firm bringing a different special-isation and experience so that all the required disciplines

IEE PROCEEDINGS, Vol. 134, Pi. C, No. 2, MARCH 1987

necessary to undertake the project can be made available.A good example of where this is being successfullyapplied is in the case of a metro rail system for a MiddleEastern capital. In this case two electrical and mechanicalconsulting engineering firms are combining resourceswith eight other firms who together provide all the neces-sary resources to form a consortium for the generaldesign of that project. The consulting wings of BritishRail and London Regional Transport also contributetheir operating and maintenance skills and experience asassociate members of the consortium.

It is not uncommon today to find that half the work-load of an electrical and mechanical consulting firm iscarried out in conjunction with other specialist firms, notonly in complementary engineering disciplines but also inarchitecture, town and country planning, management,financial and other specialisations.

As a direct result of the shortage of specialised andskilled manpower in the fields of electrical and mechani-cal engineering, large public, and private organisationshave 'borrowed' staff from consulting firms to workwithin their own organisations and away from the homeoffice base of the consultant. Although this is intended tomeet the specific needs of the client in the engineering ofhis specific project, thus eliminating the need on theirpart to find and retain permanent staff it also has theadvantage to him of introducing to his organisation per-sonnel with different and wide experience. The specificprocedural approach to engineering which characteriseseach particular large organisation has undeniable advan-tages but the innovative thinking of consultants''implants' must be to the benefit of all concerned.

5 Activities at home

Present UK Government policy dictates that organis-ations directly responsible to central Government, e.g.the Property Services Agency (PSA) and Ministry ofDefence, should assign an increased amount of work toprivate sector consultants thus limiting the staffing levelswithin Government agencies themselves.

The PSA recently announced that it now places 70%of its design and construction supervision work withprivate sector consultants. Although the majority of thiswork is in civil and building disciplines including electri-cal and mechanical building services, there is also a sig-nificant requirement in many of the larger projects forservices to be provided by those whose reputations havebeen made in the electricity supply and allied industries.These opportunities include, for example, the refur-bishment of existing electricity supply systems in RoyalNaval and Royal Air Force bases and the provision ofcomplete new ship and submarine refitting facilities.

Other nationalised industries, for example the waterindustry, have also decided to employ the services of con-sulting engineers on a wider scale. The need to limit theirown staff requirements for the execution of not only newprojects but substantial programmes of refurbishmenthas led to new opportunities for consultants. Theseopportunities have been widened in the past few years bythe desire and requirement to improve the surveillanceand control of networks so as to improve economy andreliability of supply of the commodity. The advent of newgenerations of microprocessors and powerful computershas led to a sharp rise in the amount of work undertakenby consultants not only in the traditional areas of elec-tricity supply but also, particularly in the UK, in water,sewage and gas. The opportunities now presenting them-

101

selves in other process industries are also recognised asconsulting firms now expand their interests in theautomation and control fields.

6 A miscellany of importance

6.1 Building servicesThrough the publication of 15 editions of the WiringRegulations, which set standards for electrical wiring inbuildings, the IEE has played its part since 1882. Otherservices in buildings and compounds including heating,ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, fire detection andprotection, telecommunications, surveillance systems andenergy management are increasing in complexity and thePower Division is responsible to the IEE for the stimu-lation and maintenance of interest in this rapidlydeveloping area.

It should not be forgotten that the majority of UKbased work handled by UK mechanical and electricalconsulting firms is of the building services type.

1986 is Energy Efficiency Year which has givenimpetus to the implementation of energy conservationprogrammes throughout government agencies andprivate industry. The role played by consultants in theidentification of unnecessary use of energy in plants andbuildings of all descriptions and the application of appro-priate remedies is helping to lower the nation's energybill.

6.2 Research, development and the consultingengineer

The record shows that, for consulting engineers' ideas tofind practical implementation, they have always main-tained a keen interest in promoting research and develop-ment in their own and related spheres of interest thoughthey themselves may have few, if any, facilities with whichto carry out the required research and developmentwork. The need for involvement of consultants inresearch and development in their home countries is noless important today than in the past, not only because itaffords the consultants an opportunity to apply the fruitsof the research in their own projects but also because theexperience and broad knowledge of application, whichcan be provided by consultants, is vital if wayward effortand expense is not to penalise the development and henceimpair the likely economic benefits and programme ofexecution. This is particularly true in the research anddevelopment which surrounds alternative energy sources,for example tidal and wave power, where huge levels ofpower generation and required investment involvingmultidisciplinary design requirements and environmentalimpact exist.

6.3 Fee competitionAll the developments so far described, both at home andabroad, are now set against the requirement in mostcases for 'fee competition'. This inevitably sharpens thewits and ingenuity of competing firms of consultants. Feecompetition is to the apparent advantage of clients butcan, and sometimes does, lead to reduced levels of designand management activity, project surveillance and siteconstruction supervision.

The trend towards the selection of consultants largelyon the basis of financial proposals and away from theirselection on the basis of suitability and experience,although not universally practised, is causing greatconcern not only within the consulting profession. Themethod of selection of consultants on the basis of techni-

cal and financial proposals which may be evaluatedseparately and sequentially, probably gives the best com-promise, particularly when it is remembered that the costof engineering services may be no more than 2% of thecapital cost of the project itself and where professionalexcellence is of paramount importance in the design andmanagement of the project.

The presence of fee competition has undoubtedly ledto improvements in efficiency in the operation of consult-ing engineering practices with the introduction, forexample, of computer aided design and quality assuredmanagement systems leading to the elimination of ineffi-cient manpower usage. Nevertheless, recent dramaticrises in the cost of professional indemnity insurancepremiums serve as a reminder to clients and consultantsalike of the dangers that can be produced by extreme feecompetition.

7 Some concluding remarks

The consulting engineer is proud of his past achievementsand traditions and of the prestigious position he holds inthe industry he serves, but this is not enough to ensurehis development in the future nor even his survival.

Engineers of any kind do not stand apart from the restof mankind and their calling is to contribute to thecommon good. Engineers in general and consulting engi-neers in particular have, however, a specific responsibilityto discharge. They must constantly ask themselves deepand searching questions. In their engineering designs, isthe best the enemy of the good? Is it wise to attempt toproduce a completely risk-free system? How do theylearn from their mistakes and how do they apply thelessons learned from previous experience? How do theyavoid the willingness to overcomplicate and spoil robustand simple systems by introducing unnecessary complex-ities? How best can a project be designed on the basis ofsparse, inaccurate and sometimes conflicting data andhow is the technological gap bridged between those expe-rienced engineers based in industrialised countries whoconceive designs and build systems, and those mainlyinexperienced engineers in developing countries havingcompletely different cultural backgrounds but who mustoperate and maintain them?

To these largely technical questions must be addedothers, less amenable to the analytical methods thatunderlie the engineer's profession and discipline. Theseinclude subjects for which there may not yet be provisionin the curricula at either undergraduate or postgraduatelevel and where experience may be the only realisticteacher and include the political and economic uncer-tainty wherever consulting engineering assignments areobtained.

It would be naive to imply that engineering is the soleconsideration of the consulting engineer. It is particularlytrue at the conceptual stage of any project that the con-sulting engineer rubs shoulders with a much widercommunity including politicians and financiers who fre-quently regard engineering as an inconvenient dis-traction. In 1906, the then 32 year old Charles Merz,having spent many months promoting the technical andeconomic merits of interconnecting London's many elec-tricity supply systems, sought a meeting with LloydGeorge, the President of the Board of Trade. Merz'sdiary records, 'I began to talk about the merits of ourscheme from a technical standpoint but I was inter-rupted ; "My dear young friend," said Lloyd George, "this

102 IEE PROCEEDINGS, Vol. 134, Pt. C, No. 2, MARCH 1987

is not a question of engineering but a question of poli-tics." ' Little has changed in the 80 years since.

Perhaps the greatest problem of all relates to that ofcommunication between people, not only between thoseof different nationalities and cultures but also betweenpeople having different backgrounds, training and disci-plines.

Western industrialised society has much to be proudof in its achievements in the rest of the world but alsosomething to answer for in its desire sometimes to graftinappropriate ideas, techniques and methods onto othercultures which have quite different environments, tradi-tions and social customs, historical backgrounds andreligious ethics. Progress can be made on recognisingthe advantages of implementing intermediate technologyand the appropriateness of modestly proportionedschemes which can be simply and easily operated andextended at a future date when funds may permit. All thischallenges the consulting engineer to understand theclient's position and learn about his aspirations, experi-ence and traditions, his own rate of development andexpectations of the future.

If consulting engineers are to meet the needs of thefuture and provide the essential catalyst to achievementand progress, their activities must continue to diversify.And yet if the consulting engineer, just as any other engi-neer, is to retain his own true and unique identity he willbe constantly thrown back onto the elements of his edu-cation, training, tradition and experience which the IEEhas constantly upheld.

Those who prophesy the future frequently demon-strate the common human traits of foolishness and inac-

curacy. I would wish to avoid such prognoses. Enough tosay that the changes, vagaries and challenges that havefaced consulting engineers over the past 100 years ormore have, as far as I can see, largely been met suc-cessfully. On the basis that the kind of people who havebeen attracted to the consulting engineers' professionover the past century will continue to be attracted; I haveevery reason to be optimistic about the future. Further-more, and perhaps more important, the enormous contri-bution that has been made to the common good byconsulting engineers in the past will, I am certain, con-tinue to be made in the future.

8 Acknowledgments

The views I have expressed in this paper are my own andI take full responsibility for them. I have, however, beenproud to have been a member of the engineering com-munity for 35 years and I should like to thank all thosemembers of it, both in this country and abroad and ofmany other professions, who have helped me form theviews that have been expressed in this paper. I shouldalso like to pay tribute to all those who have participatedwith me in my personal experiences and achievements,such as they have been, and I express my gratitude tothem for their comradeship, advice and unendingpatience.

9 Reference

1 LAWRENSON, P.J.: 'Ivory tower power', IEE Proc. B Electr. PowerAppi, 1986,133, (1), pp. 1-6

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