Addressing real needs and creating viable solutions to serve it Inframid was established in 1994 to provide program and project management services within its fields of electrical engineering expertise.

Inframid provides specialist Electrical Energy Efficiency Consulting and Program Management services. It offers holistic planning and specialist multi-disciplinary support to ensure that clients achieve the highest level of energy efficiency and return on investment (ROI). Inframid basis its proposed solutions on comprehensive feasibility studies, assisting organisations with energy efficiency and independency investments, through implementing a beneficial combination of electrical power supply and load systems.

PrEng, B Eng (Elec)(Cum Laude)

Nick Oosthuizen serves as Managing Director at Inframid. He assists organisations with strategic electrical energy efficiency solutions, including feasibility studies thereof in various verticals. Nick established Inframid in 1994 to provide program and project management services in combination with his engineering expertise.

Nick’s career as professional and certificated electrical engineer endorsed him to oversee and manage large scale public engineering infrastructure development programmes, while addressing the real needs of developing communities in a sustainable and bankable way - making the difference.

During his 39 years’ experience, Nick successfully executed many programmes in various engineering sectors, namely telecommunications, security, water supply, public works, housing, energy efficiency and renewable energy programs.

A few examples of the above mentioned development programmes are:

• The establishment of mCel, the Mozambican cellular service.
• Brescia House School Electrical Energy Efficiency Program.
• Eskom's Security Recovery Program as Portfolio Manager.
• Marist Brothers Linmeyer renewable energy program, Phase 1.
• Instilling an integrated project team approach in the development programmes of Public Works.
• Research and implementation of renewable energy systems for schools.
• The Maputo - Beira submarine cable.

Appreciating that his past and future successes depend on addressing the real needs of stakeholders, Nick is committed to the highest level of service engaging clients as partners. By using this approach, he creates enabling environments by providing:

• Programme definitions that satisfy community and business needs;
• Proof of feasibility;
• Funding structures; and
• Managing the planning, procurement, implementation, and close-out to flawless execution.

After graduating with distinction and accruing 15 years experience with Telkom’s predecessor, he entered consulting with the vision to provide design and management services to Southern African public infrastructure development organisations. With this in mind Nick established Inframid in 1994.

Nick’s thinking is strongly influenced by his faith, business partners, academic exposure, international business leaders, and having clients with a high value for integrity.

His career highlights include:

• Implementing a number of the development programmes with considerable time and cost savings, providing opportunities for increased technical performance, thus accelerating the programmes.
• Changing the national Departments of Development Aid and Public Works’ procurement systems from compartmentalised projects to systems of comprehensive contracts through a process of an integrated project team approach.
• Fulfilling the challenge in South Africa, Mozambique and Congo Brazzaville to turn public telecom networks into financially feasible enterprises and transforming parts thereof into community businesses.
• A personal milestone was when the young managers in the Telecomunicações de Moçambique (TDM) team were promoted to director positions after the successful implementation of mCel.

Nick has always been eager to transfer his knowledge and share experiences. To demonstrate this, he lectured Engineering Management to final year engineering students and authored the Plan Your Dream Home series.

Being passionate about community development he assisted the joint communities of Tembisa and Kempton Park (KEMPBISA) with the preparation of a business and project definition for a community based project to care for terminally ill people. Nick further served as an active leader in the community encouraging cohesiveness.

• The control systems for water schemes and various smart homes with fully integrated energy efficiency, automation and electrical designs.
• Marist Brothers Linmeyer renewable energy program, Phase 1.
• Brescia House School Energy Efficiency Program.
• Power supply, emergency power and un-interruptible power supply (UPS) systems for the establishment of mCel, the Mozambican cellular service.
• Development on a national level of specialised power supply, power generation and building electrical systems for the SA and Swaziland telecommunications.
• Detail planning and implementation of electricity supply, distribution systems and emergency power supplies for educational, legislative and health installations for the former Department of Development Aid.
• Power supply systems for the Verdrag Dam and Kangwane water supply, purification and distribution plants.
• Power supply, emergency power and un-interruptible power supply systems for the Bop National Telecom Development Programme Phase 6 for 22 telephone exchanges.

Including switching centre buildings, transmission networks, cable networks, civil works, user connections, base stations, building works and commercialisation of the service.

• Establishment of mCel, the Mozambican cellular service, including preliminary business planning, procurement of partners and vendors, and the setting up of the joint venture company and coordination of the project implementation for Telecomunicações de Moçambique (TDM).
• Assistance to Vodacom International with the business planning and successful application for a GSM cellular licence in Mozambique.
• Assistance to a South African black empowerment consortium with the preparation of an application for a 19% equity stake in the Second National Telecom Operator in South Africa.
• Technical and financial monitoring of the Bop National Telecom Development Program Phase 5 for 12'000 fixed lines, covering 11 towns (exchange areas) for the Development Bank of Southern Africa.
• Management support to Telecomunicações de Moçambique ( TDM) for the pre-feasibility, detail planning and mobilisation of joint DBSA and KFW funding for the submarine cable project between Maputo and Beira (±1000km).
• Technical and financial monitoring of the implementation of the new transmission link and power supply system project between Maputo and South Africa for the Development Bank of Southern Africa and TDM.
• Project and financial management of the Bop National Telecom Development Programme Phase 6 for 32'000 fixed lines, covering 22 towns (exchange areas).
• Project proposal and feasibility study for the Bop National Telecom Development Programme Phase 7, covering 13 towns (exchange areas).
• The planning and implementation of rural telecommunications development projects in Kudumane (Northern Cape) serving 32 villages. This included the involvement of rural communities at all levels (political and tribal) in defining the projects. One of the first in SA to implement the containerised telephone bureau & post office system, creating sustainable telecommunications in rural areas.
• Mobilisation of project funding and planning of a rural telecommunications development programme for Telecomunicações de Moçambique (TDM).
• Mobilisation of project funding and export coordination contracts from RSA for telecom deployment in the Democratic Republic of Congo for SAIT Radio-Holland.
• Management support with the export of SDH microwave cross-border radio equipment for Siemens Limited.
• The provision of main events civil and telecom facilities integrated into medium-term planning of the Sun City and Lost City telecommunications facilities.

Detail planning, procurement and implementation of pumping and control systems

• Kangwane water supply, purification and distribution plants.
• Verdrag Dam water conservation, purification and distribution plants.

Of industrial, commercial, sports, health and residential nature

• Specialised telephone exchange buildings for the Bop National Telecom Development Programme Phase 6 for 22 telephone exchanges.
• Planning and implementation of electricity supply and distribution systems for educational, legislative and health installations for the former SA Department of Development Aid.
• Development on a national level of electrical transmission, specialised power supply, power generation and building electrical systems for the Department of Posts and Telecommunications (Now Telkom SA).
• Strategic planning, project evaluation and bridging management of the Palace of the Lost City electrical and communications contracts for General Electric Company SA.
• Building intelligence (automation) and energy management systems for offices and smart homes.
• Planning and implementation of specialised accommodation and power supply facilities for Telkom, Bop and Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications.
• Detail planning and implementation of electricity supply and distribution systems for Police and Defence installations for the SA National Department of Public Works.
• The restructuring of the electrical and mechanical engineering functions to integrate with other disciplines in the former South African Department of Development Aid. Done with the emphasis on coordinated needs analysis, project definition, design, procurement and project implementation.
• The promotion and implementation of mechanisms for an integrated project team approach in the development programmes of the SA National Department of Public Works.
• Township & public resort development.
• Planning and funding of the township Equestria Extension 60, a 62 unit residential development in Pretoria East.
• Planning and acquiring higher order property use rights for a recreation and holiday resort in the Barberton district on the South African farm Dycedale.
• Planning, acquiring property rights and the implementation of a conference centre on Portion 66 of the farm Doornkloof in Centurion.

Portfolio management by Nick of the conceptual and business planning for the Eskom Security Recovery Programme.