Lessons from the Venezuela Earthquake: What it Portends for the Quality of the Built Environment, and the Importance of Regulated Engineering Practice

By Eng. Vaughn I. Lezama, B.Sc., FAPETT, M.ASCE, R.Eng. Registrar, Board of Engineering of Trinidad and Tobago (BOETT) CEO and Principal Engineer, Consulting Engineers Associates 2005 Ltd (CEAL) Introduction On 24 June 2026, northern Venezuela experienced one of the...

Engineering Consultancy Services Procurement under the T&T Revitalization Programme: The Antithesis of Engineering Capacity Building

A Missed Opportunity for Engineering Capacity Development By Eng. Vaughn I. Lezama, B.Sc., FAPETT, M.ASCE, R.Eng.Registrar, Board of Engineering of Trinidad and Tobago (BOETT)CEO and Principal Engineer, Consulting Engineers Associates 2005 Ltd (CEAL) 1. Introduction...

Does the Design-Build Project Procurement Method Facilitate the Building of Engineering Capacity in Trinidad and Tobago?

By Eng. Vaughn I. Lezama, B.Sc., FAPETT, M.ASCE, R.Eng. Registrar, Board of Engineering of Trinidad and Tobago (BOETT) CEO and Principal Engineer, Consulting Engineers Associates 2005 Ltd (CEAL) Introduction: Engineering Capacity as a Foundation for Development...

Bridging The Gap: Asset Management as The Key To Resilient Public Infrastructure

By Eng. Vaughn I. Lezama, B.Sc., FAPETT, M.ASCE, R.Eng. Registrar, Board of Engineering of Trinidad and Tobago (BOETT) CEO and Principal Engineer, Consulting Engineers Associates 2005 Ltd (CEAL) In today’s rapidly evolving world, buildings and infrastructure form the...

A NEW LEVEL OF EGREGIOUS PAYMENT TERMS IN STATE CONTRACTS When the Contractor or Consultant Is Expected to Finance the State’s Funding Risk

By Eng. Vaughn I. Lezama, B.Sc., FAPETT, M.ASCE, R.Eng.Registrar, Board of Engineering of Trinidad and Tobago (BOETT)CEO and Principal Engineer, Consulting Engineers Associates 2005 Ltd (CEAL) Introduction I have previously written about the increasing imbalance and...

A National Agenda for Earthquake Resilience in Trinidad and Tobago

By Eng. Vaughn I. Lezama, B.Sc., FAPETT, M.ASCE, R.Eng. Registrar, Board of Engineering of Trinidad and Tobago (BOETT) CEO and Principal Engineer, Consulting Engineers Associates 2005 Ltd (CEAL) “Earthquake resilience is not achieved after disasters occur—it is...