The many ways in which members of the Institute of Plumbing South Africa (IOPSA) have benefitted from their membership.

The Institute of Plumbing South Africa (IOPSA) is often asked: “What value do I as a plumbing company gain from being a member?”

IOPSA engages with members and consumers daily on a variety of topics which in essence add a great deal of value. These include training, technical assistance, pricing guidance, contractual support and dispute resolution. 

You may not believe it but IOPSA also engages in counselling with members who are going through tough times. In many cases a complaint is resolved without the plumber being aware specifically where a consumer is at fault. Providing technical expertise when a problem arises saves the member time and money and educates industry as well as consumers.

Case one

A member was asked to price a high-rise building which entailed new cold water reticulation system, including a break pressure tank and booster pumps. The contractor was not entirely up to speed in terms of how the system operated and was unsure as to how to proceed. 

The company contacted IOPSA, who arranged a site visit and inspection. With no lifts the IOPSA representative walked up 17 flights of stairs to conduct the inspection and provided the member with suggested solutions to the problems he was experiencing. In addition, IOPSA met with the member’s client and carried out further inspections until the project was handed over.

Case two

A supplier and plumbing contractor were involved in a project worth around R650 000. The scope of work was to install over thirty heat pumps at a bed and breakfast.

The project commenced and was problematic in terms of functionality. Numerous attempts were made to resolve the problems experienced on site. The client was receiving complaints from residents and, reaching the end of his tether, he requested that all heat pumps be removed and the installation be returned to the original hot water system. 

Meetings were held between the client and the contractors to resolve the dispute, but no outcome was achieved. It must be noted that there were no payments made and a huge amount of money was outstanding.

As a member, the company requested assistance from IOPSA and a meeting was scheduled with the client in order to resolve the issues.

With the assistance of IOPSA, it was agreed that the project be broken up into sections and that, once these blocks of units were fully functional, payment would be made.

IOPSA then provided a programme with technical support and solutions to the problems. As each section was rectified, tested and deemed fully functional, payment was made.

The project was systematically completed over a period of three months, with regular payments being made on completion in terms of the programme.

This resulted in a happy client and both supplier and plumbing company paid in full.