Recently in Kazakhstan a program for accelerated industrial-innovative development was adopted (AIID). The Map of industrialization for 2010-2014 alone comprises 236 projects worth KZT 7, 2 trillion. In the first half of the current year 72 objects – modern businesses drastically modernizing the country’s economy were commissioned. The RSE “State expertise” sets up all Kazakhstan’s construction projects in life. Its general director Birlik Yerejepov today made a talk on their achievements and goals.

The experts are dealing with the objects of high technological complicity. And how is security provided for important buildings and constructions at the project’s stage?

-Unfortunately design system, which had been formed for years, is gradually worsening and low quality of design documentation is among main challenges. Not infrequently to-date small and insignificant design organizations (without corresponding experience and material base) win renders on design and engineering survey works for technically and technologically complicated objects. In such cases companies- winners have to involve sub-contractors, and designers’ responsibility reduces; or our experts have to reconsider and correct the project. In fact they have to train designers apart from mistakes’ correction.

In this situation the Agency for construction and housing and utilities (ACHU) initiates reconsideration of licensing for design organizations and designers. The idea of the offered novelties is specialization of design organizations first of all; another requirement is sufficiency of their potential and resources depending on scale and levels of object’s complicity. I.e. the question is companies’ ranging on categories.

Such approach is suggested to be applied to construction companies too.

In one of your interviews you mentioned “black lists” and licenses’ withdrawal. How many companies were disqualified?

We work with a register submitting information on problem design organizations to the ACHU per quarterly. Due to department’s establishment demands to the subjects involved in architectural and construction activity was stiffened as well as the ules for licensing and qualification requirements. In this direction we are working jointly with oblast, Astana and Almaty administrations.

Oddly enough, but the above measures did not stop unfair designers: they have an opportunity to get a license in other region applying to neighboring ACHU. The matter is that design organizations have the right for activity on all territory of the country. This market is saturated with thousands of companies of motley qualification potential, but there are few professional structures - a dozen at maximum, among them. As we see related services can hardly fulfill the state control over the licensors. That’s why it’s expedient to return a vertical licensing system in the branch with the republican mechanism of control.

As far as I know Russia refused from licensing system in construction. Self-regulatory organizations uniting businesses on branch principle now are authorized with access to design, construction and repair works. Is our north neighbor’s experience applicable in Kazakhstan?

In our country professional unions are not empowered with control functions; consequently this variant is inadmissible in Kazakhstan. Passing to self-regulation we should take into account the branch’s specifics.

Licensing’s cancellation in design, construction and construction materials’ manufacturing raised heated debates in Minsk at XXIX meeting of CIS Intergovernmental council on construction activity. Generally speaking professional communities have unambiguous opinions on this topic.

Such problematic issue as stiffening of customer’s responsibility, budget programs’ administrators first of all, for quality and observance of normative norms for design works was also debated. Has anything changed?

In the first half of the year we’ve considered 3 934 document packages for the objects funded from the state investments that makes up 80,3% of the total number. With regard to priorities the state expertise paid special attention to the state and branch programs.

Analysis shows: in competition conditions the state organizations envisage only a year for the object’s design, after which its construction is to be launched, while the soviet norms gave 48 months - 4 years to prepare design documentation for industrial giant.

We refused from gigantomania of the soviet times of course, but nevertheless to-date we construct big complexes and other social-cultural objects requiring a special approach.

It’s a paradox, but low quality of design is laid from the very beginning – at the stage of planning, funding and state procurements. Then, at the stage of implementation they do not observe normative terms and construction technologies. For instance they use other materials than those envisaged by the project. To-date in keeping with the Administrative code maximum penalty for low quality is fines, which are insignificant for big companies.

But there is a hope that the Construction code will discipline the slackers. By the way what about this codification law?

To date the ACHU is involved in drastic reformation of the acting base and its structure. Gradually they refuse from SniPs- construction norms and regulations and the Construction code with technical regulations is to replace them. In near future we are to harmonize legislative requirements in construction area with Russia and Belarus – our partners in the Customs union.

Now the Agency also studies American and European standards to adapt Kazakhstan’s norms to the world normatives.

Tatiana Brown

Photo: Igor Burgandinov