Association of Cost Engineers

Summary by Alan Barltrop - President

During the year the Association took part in the programme of work to revise and update the Project Control National Occupational standards. Following on from this the Association set up their own Approved Assessment Centre (TASC) to further the use of the standards and to process candidates through the qualifications programmes leading to the award of the National Vocational Qualifications. My thanks go to all who are engaged in this exciting development.

A series of lunch seminars were held in April to promote the standards and to take the opportunity to gain feedback from industry on their concerns and aspirations for the future of the project controls discipline. This has provided valuable input to the Marketing Committee which was formed in April with the objective of examining how we would like to see the Association develop its services and activities both in the short and long term.

One of the main considerations, highlighted by many organisations at the NVQ launch seminars, will be how we can best develop and utilise the qualifications and services offered by the Association to attract new entrants to the project controls profession and to provide professional recognition for the established practitioner. A significant step in this direction has been achieved this year with the agreement with the Society of Environmental Engineers (SEE), negotiated by our Engineering Committee, to enable suitably qualified members to achieve registration with the Engineering Council.

Recovery of the set-up costs of TASC is proceeding as planned and it is anticipated that the year will end with a balanced budget with the Association finances in good order. The Directors are now considering how we might make provision for expenditure, phased over the next three years, to promote the Association as “the home of the project controls professional”. Efforts have already commenced to promote our Certification programme and to raise the awareness of our membership of the International Cost Engineering Council ICEC. Progress on these initiatives will be reported in the Cost Engineer.

A programme has also been put in place to re-align our UK regions in order to provide support to members who reside in regions that are inactive and likely to remain so for some time. It is hoped that we can build on the successful programmes of events, which are run by our Southern region.

In November I was very pleased to have the opportunity to open the “Cost as a Business Driver” Learning Event, which was organised by our Engineering and Manufacturing Committee at the Heritage Motor Centre, Warwickshire. This was an outstanding example of how the Association is able to provide a mixture of interactive learning opportunities and training sessions.

Regional reports

After a period of inactivity due a number of key members of the previous committee working elsewhere in the UK and Overseas, a re-launch meeting was held in October 2004. The re-launch was very encouraging with 12 members attending.

Attendances at branch meetings since the re-launch have been extremely disappointing, despite some strong publicity and leafleting effort, and good speakers and presentations. A summary of the presentations at the April and May 2005 meetings is included below:

• April 21st - Peter James, Director of Development of Tees Valley Regeneration, gave an excellent update on the current development plans for key sites across the Tees Valley area. These developments will have a major effect on all aspects of the construction industry across the North East of England and impact on those of us who work in this sector of industry. Alan Barltrop, ACostE president, presented an overview of the Association and its current activities on members behalf.
• May 26th - Ralph Wrighston, construction and engineering partner with Newcastle law firm Ward Hadaway, presented an update on recent case law relating to adjudication as it affects the enforceability of an Adjudicator’s Decision. Ralph invited those present to consider whether in the light of such case law there are some instances where it is more appropriate to proceed directly to litigation or arbitration rather than an interim adjudication. Terry Bishop, ACostE vice-president for the regions, presented the associations plans to raise the profile of the regions.

Whilst the whole issue of continuing with regional branch meetings needs to be reviewed by Council, the Committee are currently planning future events from the following shortlist :

• Kildrummy – Surviving the Perfect Storm – arranged for 20 October 2005;
• 2005 AGM – to be arranged for 17 November;
• ECI - Condensed Workshop on Risk Management;
• Project Case Study - Renewable Energy;
• Project Case Study - Underground Caverns;
• Huntsman – Plans for Polyurethane Plant at Wilton;
• Conoco Phillips – Site Visit including Tanker Loading Facility;
• Security Management;
• Watson Burton – Contracts Adjudication;
• Reverse Auctions – and impact on Bidding Processes;
• Trip to Cameron’s Brewery; and
• Wine Tasting Evening.

The Southern Region has been provided with the following programme of events:

Technical meetings have all been held at the Royal Over-Seas League, which provides excellent but expensive facilities in the centre of London. The technical meetings during the winter have not always been well supported, but the summer social events are still popular.

The Region has now expanded to include the previous South West Region, which should give greater publicity to the meetings.

The Project Control National Occupational Standards Launch Seminar for London was held in April at the ROSL at which I was asked to be Chairman. They were very well received and the event provided an excellent opportunity to promote the Association, which had been heavily involved in their development.

Publications

This year has seen the Journal moving from strength to strength under the Editorship of Clive Wellings.

All the usual features have been supplemented by issues dealing with engineering manufacturing (July, 04), education and training (September, 04), and articles such as ‘Are todays’s project cost professionals a bunch of bean counters?’ by James A Bent and ‘Does the discipline of project controls really add value?’ by Debbie Dow (November, 04).

In recent years we have broken with our strict ‘every other month’ rule by having a February edition. This is more convenient from a production point of view and gives everyone time to recover from Christmas and the New Year before plunging into the heavy stuff!

2005 started in February with articles on clean coal technology in China and a paper given at the ICEC Congress in South Africa by Kevan Heathcote on Real-time earned value. March brought us a very interesting article about the London Stock Exchange’s move to new premises in Paternoster Square and May’s issue contained a fascinating article on Heathrow’s huge Terminal 5 project. Capable of handling around 30 million passengers a year, covering 260 hectares of land, with an overall budget of £4.2 billion and with over 60,000 people involved in its building its not surprising it is setting new standards for occupational health and safety – all this and it is on schedule and on budget! July’s edition will be out shortly.

The only slight downside is members reluctance to provide any copy. It has been mentioned many times before but the scarcity of articles can be a problem. It is virtually impossible to sustain even a letters page. It is the Associations own Journal and therefore one would assume that projects members are working on would be of interest to all. Even something amusing on the physical problems of working in the far flung corners of the world wouldn’t go amiss.

Technical Activities

The engineering committee oversees the activities of the Association relating to the Engineering Council and the registration of members as Chartered and Incorporated Engineers.

Two members of the committee also act as Engineering Council Liaison Officers, Roger Batten with the British Computer Society (BCS) and Howard Malleson with the Institute of Acoustics (IOAcoust).

In 2001 the Association’s status was changed from a Nominated Body (Licensed Member) to a Professional Affiliate and since then, although we have retained our existing registrants, we have been unable to register any new candidates as Chartered or Incorporated Engineers. However, the Association has now entered into an agreement with the Society of Environmental Engineers (SEE) to enable suitably qualified members of the ACostE to achieve registration with the Engineering Council through Joint Membership of the SEE. While we were negotiating this agreement our current candidates for registration had to remain on hold but we are now in a position to progress their applications. By changing status we followed the Institute of Quality Assurance to become one of the fourteen Professional Affiliates which include the Association for Project Management.

The formal Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme, primarily directed at registrants but open to all members, has continued to develop and, eventually, is likely to become the norm for all members.

In addition to fully supporting the development and updating of the Level 4 National Vocational Qualification in Project Control the committee still believe this should be accepted as satisfying the requirements for Incorporated Engineer. The Engineering Council’s UK-SPEC (UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence) requires registered engineers to be able to demonstrate the competence to perform professional work to the necessary standards. Competence includes the knowledge, understanding and skills which underpin performance.

To date the Association has received 364 enquiries regarding registration (184 for Chartered Engineer and 184 for Incorporated Engineer). The Engineering Committee has now considered 133 applications and recommended 64 candidates for registration (48 have been registered as CEng and 20 as IEng). In addition there are 8 candidates (7 CEng and 1 IEng) registered at Stage 1, satisfying the academic requirements. Currently 2 candidates are in the process of following the Mature Candidate Route for CEng. Discussions are continuing with the remaining applicants to determine their best way of proceeding. 112 members are registered as Chartered Engineers (CEng), 55 as Incorporated Engineers (IEng) and 6 as Engineering Technicians (EngTech) through our Association and the other engineering institutions.

The Planning Committee has been continuing its aim to increase its profile to a level more compatible with the needs of members. This led to the development of a Planning Committee page in the Association web-site, which introduces the Committee and describes the activities which the Committee is progressing. [Further development is on hold pending the upgrade of the web site itself]

The objectives include promotion of the concept of Planning/Cost Control engagement, and the need for Planning and Cost Engineers to work together and to ensure that the planning process covers all the costs to be incurred. The service also includes providing advice on the structuring of approaches to planning within a business and the extent to which it is required, related to the nature of the business itself.

The recent launch of the new National Occupational Standards for Project Control has triggered a series of activities to encourage companies to take these aboard, and the Committee aims to be instrumental in this process.

Finally, the Committee continues to focus on encouraging Planning Engineers to regard the Association of Cost Engineers as a natural professional home for them, and a source of useful planning information.

The Committee has remained available as required to respond to inquiries from members and to assist with any planning issues. All inquiries will be welcomed and should be addressed through the Association web-site.

Engineering and Manufacturing Committee (EMC) of ACostE is promoting Cost Engineering profession within the manufacturing sector, especially within the aerospace, defence and automotive industries. During 2004/2005, EMC has organised a Learning Event on ‘Cost as a Business Driver’, sponsored members to visit EACE meetings and have established the ‘Nigel Buttrick Award’ to recognise students in cost engineering related areas. The other two major activities during the year are to explore possibilities of starting a certification process for the manufacturing industries and further develop a training provider’s manual in cost engineering. Overall, the year was very successful; we have increased cost engineering interest within member companies. The EMC meetings have now transformed into best practice sharing and networking opportunities.

During the Learning Event in November 2004 the Heritage Motor Centre was transformed into a meeting place for approximately 100 participants from the Cost Engineering Community, including those from industry and academia. Cost Engineering has long been recognised for its full-spectrum potential, and as our understanding evolves, increased technological innovations translate the cost engineering discipline to extended capabilities.

This year’s workshop has established the context of concerted examination of what we – as a cost community – have accomplished, and what we have yet to do to realise the effectiveness of cost as a business driver. The workshop was unique in that it was geared toward diverse cost engineering fields in an effort to promote interdisciplinary research on cost estimation. Of particular concern is the challenge facing cost engineers to understand the wide diversity of length scales ranging from cost estimating to full scale cost management and to question the validity of the theories or models that are known to be valid only in certain length scales in cost engineering domain.

The ACostE workshop is among the several Cost Engineering workshops that take a leading and vital role in disseminating information on cost engineering as a discipline. As a result, it attracted high level presentations in this exciting and comparatively new engineering field. The workshop provided a forum for networking and exchange of information and ideas in virtually all areas of cost engineering. The workshop addressed a broad array of topics such as:

• Estimate Product Variant Management;
• Cost Estimating- comparative study of different cost engineering techniques;
• Software Cost Estimating; and
• Construction Cost Management in Large Organisations.

EMC wanted to develop a Certification process for the member companies and others. Although there is a major interest in Cost Engineering in Industry, and new recruitments are going on, EMC members lost their energy to drive the initiative. Members noted a significant delay in the decision making process. This is an area EMC has decided to stop the support with regret.

EMC is planning next Learning Event on the 2nd of November 2005. Next year the committee would like to work on adding more value to the members.

The main emphasis throughout the year has been the continuing improvement of the web site. The Council sees this as an increasingly important shop window for the Association. Council has decided to undertake a further review of the web site and a number of suppliers have been asked to submit proposals for a refurbishment or replacement, and possibly ongoing maintenance.

One of the problems with regard to the web site is the fact that for every complaint we receive from members, we receive a commendation! This makes it difficult for us to firm up on any view as to how much of our income we should spend on this initiative. However, as the last upgrade was over 2 years ago it seems appropriate that we now take advantage of improvements in available technology.

The committee will continue to monitor feedback regarding the website and will discuss with council any significant changes. In the meantime we will endeavour to ensure that it operates to an acceptable standard within reasonable budgetary constraints.

A continuing problem with the website is that many of the Regions and Committees are failing to populate their own pages, and provide details on local events etc. The website will only be as good as we make it. The IT committee will provide the infrastructure but it is up to all members to provide and refresh the content. All contributions for the website should be sent in electronic format to the Sandbach office. If any member is in doubt as to the suitability of an item they should send it to Chris Day for comment first.

We would welcome all suggestions for improvements and changes to the web site. Please send any comments to myself and Shane Forth, who is the Association Vice Chairman with special responsibility for this issue.

Notwithstanding the above issues, the website usage continues to increase. The average number of people logging on per day was 80 during the first 6 months of this year. This represents a 33% increase over the previous 6 months. On a rolling 12 month basis the number of hits per day is up by 52%.

The IT committee would welcome new members. Council consider this to be a very important area of our activities yet our regular committee membership is now down to 3 people! Please contact me if you feel that you can contribute in any way.

Any comments regarding the website, (good or bad!), or any other IT related aspects of the Association should be sent to chris.day@echarris.com.

Education and training

During the 2003/04 year ProVoc with ECITB had been a key player in persuading QCA (the Qualification and Curriculum Authority) to fund re-accreditation of the Project Control Occupational Standards, the representation being through ECITB (the Engineering and Construction Industries Training Board). By January the project was funded on the basis that it would be project Managed by ECITB, with more Cross-sector involvement to increase the appeal of the qualification/standards. By the beginning of 2004/05 the first Project Management meetings and workshops had been held.

From the start of the 2004/05-year ProVoc membership was actively involved in supporting the ECITB Re accreditation Project Manager in developing the standards and assessment strategies. In the main this was by inputting to the drafts, sitting on the Steering group for the project, and assisting in approving the final submissions, for the standards, assessment strategies, and Qualification framework. By the end of September 05 the bulk of the work was done, and the submission had been made to QCA for the Level 3 and Level 4 standards (prior to this there had only been a level 4 standard, and qualification). By January 05 the Standards for both levels had been approved by QCA. Since then ECITB-awards have been creating the qualification documentation package and ProVoc will continue to support ECITB in this process.

In early 2004/05 VTS (Vocational Training Services) the only Approved Assessment Centre went into receivership. As a consequence ProVoc was actively involved in keeping existing candidates in the system, and looking at other possible suppliers. The future of the national qualification was also an issue pending the reaccredidation of the standard, and made the task more difficult. ProVoc’s conclusion was it would make sense for A Cost E to set up its own assessment Centre (the Institute of Procurement uses the model). This was agreed by the Directors: who funded the set up on a staged basis leading to the formation of the Associations own Assessment Centre TASC, the subject of a separate Annual Report.

Over the last couple of years because of the uncertainty of the National Qualifications future, ProVoc membership has been kept lean: to those who understood the issues associated with reaccredidation, any new members would have had difficulty with the jargon and process. Now we have confidence in the life of the standards, and qualification range ProVoc needs to increase the candidate employer membership, and if possible engage more cross sector involvement. Its main areas of focus for 2005/06 become:

• Supporting the use and implementation of the new Qualification packages and structure by ECITB;
• Maintaining a database of future development requirements of the qualification and standards;
• Reviewing the effectiveness of Assessment delivery and unblocking of issues that may arise; and
• Promoting the qualification profile and uptake within our own and the wider industrial sectors.

ProVoc having created a sound foundation now needs to focus in 2005/06 on increasing the candidate employer membership, to allow us to effectively deliver on the above bullet points.

During the year 2004/5, the Association took part in the programme of work, project managed by the Engineering Construction Industries Training Board (ECITB), to revise and update the Project Control National Occupational Standards. We have seen the revised Project Control standards approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and made available to all practitioners in industry. These standards are now included in the National Framework and form the basis for the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ).

The Association’s Directors and Council have recognised the significant part these standards and qualifications have to play in furthering the development of the profession and in the support that the Association can provide to project control practitioners. Following enquiries from our members, the Directors and Council voted to start up the Association’s own “not for profit” Approved Centre to further the use of the standards and to process candidates through qualification programmes leading to the award of the National Vocational Qualifications.

The Assessment Service Centre (TASC) was developed during the period December 2004 to March 2005. This was followed by the first External Verifiers visit to TASC by the ECITB as the NVQ Awarding Body, at which our certificate of approval was granted. Project Controls qualification programmes and assessment is now available for all practitioners.

Management of TASC is provided by Richard Plumb and Howard Malleson, both of whom have, for many years, been associated with the creation and delivery of Project Control National Vocational Qualifications. Administration is provided by Helen Jackson based in the ACostE offices at Sandbach and all assessment will be carried out by our team of qualified assessors and verifiers based around the country.

The first inductions of new candidates took place in January 2005 with six trialists who are proving the new TASC procedures and systems. Others are following on at various induction workshops to be held throughout the year.

The new standards and resulting qualifications were launched to the industry in April at three seminars organised by the ACostE in Stockton, London and Manchester. TASC provided support to this initiative and was impressed by the positive responses to both the standards and the Association’s initiative in setting up TASC. Interest was particularly high from the nuclear, petrochemical and construction industries.

Our thanks are extended to ACostE Directors and Council for their trust and support for this bold venture and also to ECITB and British Chemical Engineering Contractors Association for assistance in providing opportunities for promotion of the standards, qualifications and TASC.

For further information on TASC and the NVQs in Project Controls please contact Helen at Sandbach.

Association of South African Quantity Surveyors

Black economic empowerment transformation charter of the construction sector

Background

The cornerstone of the Construction Transformation Charter is based on the guiding principles and requirements of the Broad Based Black Economic (BBBEE) Act (53 of 2003) which seeks to encourage more actively the economic empowerment of the black sector of the construction industry into the mainstream of business.

The Construction Transformation Charter contains the following main characteristics:

• It is a charter that seeks transformation of the construction industry;
• It constitutes a framework and establishes the principles upon which BBBEE should be implemented in the sector;
• It establishes targets and qualitative responsibilities in respect of each principle;
• It lays the basis for the development of a Code of Good Practice for the construction sector, as envisioned in the BBBEE Act; and
• It applies to all stakeholders within the sector.

Constituent Interest Groupings

Let it again be emphasised that the Transformation Charter for the Construction Sector is made up of three main interest groupings, namely Government, Labour and Business. Business is in turn comprised of "Construction” and “Built Environment Professionals (BEP)”. It is the intention to encompass all participants in the construction industry, irrespective of race or gender.

Process to Date

The entire process to firstly develop an understanding of the purpose and goal of the Charter, then to draft and prepare the structure and wording of the Charter and finally to negotiate and agree on the targets and weightings of the balanced Scorecard took no less than 18 months to date. Many representatives of the respective interest groups spent a huge amount of time during this process, which was not always easy. Long hours were spent in meetings, debating, seeking common ground between sometimes differing understandings and expectations, drafting and re-drafting, seeking practical and sustainable targets and weightings, etc. for the industry.

The Way Forward

We are pleased to announce that at the last meeting on the Integrated Management Committee (IMC) held on Wednesday 10 August 2005, we reached substantial agreement and consensus on the numbers of the targets and weightings as contained in the balanced Scorecard. That was considered by many to be a major milestone in the process and a major achievement. Except for some minor editorial considerations still to be finalised and confirmed, the Charter is now to all intents and purposes agreed.

It was also agreed that all outstanding issues should be sorted out and confirmed by no later than the end of August 2005 and presented to the Minister of Public Works, Mrs Stella Sigcau, for comment. Thereafter the speed of the process forward will largely be dependent on and determined by the Minister, details of which we will be eagerly awaiting.

Copies of the draft Construction Transformation Charter may be viewed on the website of the Construction Charter Group (CTCG) (www.ctcg.co.za) for the information and comment by all interested parties.

ASAQS signs co-opertaion agreement with the RICS

In a historic move, the South African Council for the Quantity Surveying Profession (SACQSP) and Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS) officially put pen to paper with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in an intimate Signing Ceremony on Wednesday 18 May 2005, to mark closer working relations between the organisations and for the mutual recognition of each others members.

The RICS President, Professor Barry Gilbertson, who is visiting South Africa from the UK and both Presidents, Patrick Waterson (ASAQS) and Lucas Chauke (SACQSP) signed the Agreements which are set to bring greater strength to the Quantity Surveying Profession and enhance the newly established presence of the RICS in South Africa.

The three organisations share a common goal of promoting professionalism and the transfer of experience and knowledge in the fields of quantity surveying, value engineering, procurement and contract administration, dispute resolution and construction in general.

This is an important development for the two South African organisations. As the SACQSP is the statutory body set up in terms of the Quantity Surveying Professions Act (49 of 2002), registration with the SACQSP is obligatory if members wish to practice Quantity Surveying in South Africa. The ASAQS is the voluntary association set up in support of the SACQSP which provides ongoing support in terms of practice matters, etc including a wide range of services to add value to the practicing members. The introduction of the RICS brings an additional and valuable international dimension with wider influence and reach.

The RICS has around 110 000 members spread over 120 countries worldwide, with more than 1 000 members across Africa. It is committed to promoting best practice and high professional educational standards. RICS is becoming increasingly influential around the world as a provider of research and economic analysis and advisor to governments and global organisations. In recognition of the common approach to standards and the rigour if each other’s membership requirements, fully qualified quantity surveyors registered with both the Council and the ASAQS, can now be admitted to full membership of RICS – without further entry requirements.

Similarly, fully qualified Quantity Surveying members of the RICS (FRICS and MRICS) may now be admitted as ‘Professional Members’ of the SACQSP and the ASAQS respectively.

The RICS President, Professor Barry Gilbertson said “The Co-Operation Agreements recognise not only the globalisation of the market for professional advice, but also our common goals of promoting professional values. I look forward to welcoming all new members to RICS South Africa,” he added.

He pointed out that a tangible way of reflecting the mutual respect between the organisations is through opening RICS membership to those who have already attained the high standard required for membership with both the SACQSP and ASAQS.

The President of the SACQSP, Mr Lucas Chauke, applauded the co-operative manner in which the RICS and SACQSP had demonstrated mutual respect for each other and the total acceptance of each other’s registration criteria for membership. By entering into such a Co-Operation Agreement, both organisations had demonstrated their absolute respect and faith in each, an essential ingredient for the future success of such an agreement.

The President of the ASAQS, Mr Patrick Waterson, emphasised that the RICS should not be seen as opposition to the two South African organisations, but rather in a supportive and complimentary role for the benefit of all concerned. The SACQSP and ASAQS will undeniably remain the main focus of registration of the Quantity Surveying profession in South Africa, and the RICS has absolutely no intention of attempting to assume the controlling role in South Africa.

We look forward with great anticipation to the positive spin-offs of the co-operative spirit between the RICS on the one hand and the SACQSP and ASAQS on the other. We wish to thank everyone who assisted to make this achievement possible.

Egon Wortman
ASAQS Executive Director

Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors

AIQS continues to use industry peak body to lobby

The relatively small number of AIQS members (3,528) does not give the Institute very much power when it comes to lobbying Government for policy and procurement changes which will assist our members. However, the AIQS is an active member of a number of industry and professional peak councils which represent over 500,000 members across the country. AIQS Executive members, by actively participating in these peak bodies as officer holders eg Secretary, Treasurer, Committee Chair etc, are able to very strongly represent the QS profession when they meet with Government Ministers and officals as part of the peak body delegations.

In fact this representation is preferable to straight forward representation by the AIQS, as it is seen as having the support of the whole industry or professional organisations. No politician or bureaucrat is going to avoid listening to a representative of 500,000 registered voters.

AIQS establishes Middle East Division

The AIQS has over 100 members in the countries of the Middle East and consequently found increasing pressure from members for a more formal presence in the region to cater for CPD activities and membership administration. This particularly applied to members seeking elevation to Associate (full) membership, having completed their APC work experience requirements.

Following a visit to Dubai in 2004 by then AIQS Vice President and Over Seas Committee Chairman, Rob Little, the AIQS National Council approved the formation of a Division to encompass the Gulf states and other middle eastern countries.

Dr Samaratunga was appointed the AIQS Representative for the Middle East Division. Since the Divisions formation in Late 2004, they have been visited by Pat Copping from the AIQS Over Seas Section Committee, who conducted APC candidate and panel member training for members in Dubai. A social/CPD function was also held in Dubai at this time.

Promotion of QS careers to school students is the answer to shortage

The shortage of experienced and graduate QS is virtually world wide and shortages in Australia can not be fully met by immigration of skilled QS. The only long term strategy that will meet the current and future demand for QS, is to increase the number of school students deciding to enrol in accredited university courses.

Consequently, the AIQS has undertaken a major careers promotion program to convince year 12 students and younger students to consider a career in QS.

Terry L. Sanders
AIQS General Manager

Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (CIQS)

2005/06 CIQS COUNCIL

Number of Members by Category (as of December 31, 2004)

Seminars/Conferences/Congresses held since the last ICEC Region Meeting

• CIQS Annual General Meeting June 19, 2004 Vancouver BC;
• April 22, 2005 – AQSA Annual General Meeting, Delta Edmonton South Hotel. For more information contact aqsa@ciqs.org;
• May 6-7, 2005 – OIQS Annual General Meeting, Niagara College, Welland, ON. For more information visit www.oiqs.org;
• May 14, 2005 – QSSBC Annual General Meeting, Crowne Plaza Georgia Hotel, Vancouver, BC. For more information contact info@qssbc.org;
• May 24, 2005 - Life Cycle Costing Seminar, Calgary Construction Association, Calgary, AB. For more information contact aqsa@ciqs.org;
• May 25, 2005 - Life Cycle Costing Seminar, Edmonton Construction Association, Edmonton, AB. For more information contact aqsa@ciqs.org;
• June 3, 2005 – Life Cycle Costing Seminar, Four Point Sheraton, Halifax, NS. For more information visit www.ciqs.org;
• June 4, 2005 – CIQS 46th Annual General Meeting, Four Points Sheraton, Halifax, NS. For more information www.ciqs.org;
• June 14, 2005 – Life Cycle Costing Seminar, Vancouver, BC. Location to be announced. Contact info@qssbc.org for details; and
• June 20, 2005 – Life Cycle Costing Seminar, OIQS Head Office, 90 Nolan Court, Unit 19, Markham, ON. Contact info@oiqs.org for details.

Potential Future Events Under Consideration

• 2006 Annual General Meeting (location to be determined); and
• 2007 Annual General Meeting, Quebec City.

Any New Initiatives/Innovations?

• New web site launched including an online membership application form;
• Membership database allowing members to update their profile and pay their membership fees online and allow staff to update and access membership information more efficiently;
• New office complete with meeting facilities, library and museum along with a warehouse for inventory and archives;
• New glossy, four colour magazine; and
• Free full time student membership.

Training/Certification Issues?

CPD program in place. Mandatory for 2005.

Any issues where cooperation with other member organizations are on-going or desirable

• Appraisal Institute of Canada (ongoing);
• Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, Canada (ongoing);
• Canadian Construction Association (ongoing);
• Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (ongoing); and
• Pacific Association Of Quantity Surveyors.

Organisation of the Quantity Surveying Division

The Quantity Surveying Division is organized under the umbrella of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors, which has three (3) Division namely:

• Quantity Surveying Division;
• General Practice Division (Valuation); and
• Land Surveying Division.

The Division is semi-autonomous as it has its own Executive and hold monthly Meetings at which decisions, which regulate Quantity Surveying Practice in the country, are made. However, these decisions when made have to be ratified by the Council of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors of which the Division is currently represented by six (6) Members and holds its Senior Vice Presidency.

The current Executive Members of the Division are:

• Mr. K H Osei-Asante (F) - Chairman;
• Mr. D K Kyere (F) - Vice Chairman;
• Mr. Ben B Annan (PA) - Secretary; and
• Mr. J A Koranteng (PA) - Treasurer.

The Executive is assisted by six (6) standing Sub-Committees namely:

1. Education and Membership;
2. Members and Public Affairs;
3. Continuing Professional Development;
4. Research and Development, and
5. Finance.

Education and admission procedures

Entry to the Q. S. Division of the Institution is via three (3) routes:

• University Graduate Route;
• Polytechnic Graduate Route; and
• Matured Candidate Route.

The University Graduate takes structured Examinations after serving Probationership in an approved office for a minimum of two (2) years.

The Polytechnic Graduate initially is admitted as a Technician Member on passing an interview after having served a minimum of a two-year probationership. They may then graduate into the Professional Class, on taking further Examinations of the Division.

The Matured Candidate route relates to candidates with vast experience in Quantity Surveying Practice and of not less then forty-five (45) years hours in their offices and thereafter interviewed.

Notwithstanding routes, the Division grants exemptions, subject to interviews, to Candidates with certain Diplomas i.e. RICS, NIQS etc on the basis of reciprocity.

It is intended that with standardization and harmonization of syllabi, certification and accreditation under ICEC & AAQS umbrella, such exemptions may be extended to other sister Professional Associations and Societies.

Current Membership

The current Membership of the Division stands at:

Fellows	35
Professional Associates	153
Surveying Technicians	52
Total	240

BSc, HND and City & Guild Student Members total 912.

Practising firms

Currently, there are fifty-two (52) Firms practising Quantity Surveying in Ghana and recognized by the Ghana Institution of Surveyors’ Council.

CPD Activities

The Division holds yearly Seminars and Workshops for its Members where topical issues are discussed. The 2004 Seminar and Workshop was on the “Public Procurement Law (Act 663): A Wheel for Transparency Accountability and Fair Competition in the Construction Industry. Four (4) Papers were presented besides the Keynote Address and a Workshop on the “Role of GhIS to ensure the efficient implementation of the Laws on Financial Administration” was held.

The communiqué / recommendations made at the seminar / workshop has been sent to the Public Procurement Board.

The GhIS will host the 2006 FIG Africa Regional Meeting in February, 2006 and it is intended that the ICEC Africa Regional Meeting is held in Accra to reduce costs, using the MOU with the FIG as basis.

In addition to this, Quantity Luncheon Meetings are also organized for Members to discuss topical practice issues and attending other Divisions’ Workshops, Seminars and Luncheon Meetings.

Publications

The Division publishes quarterly News magazines on it activities. Papers presented by its members and other allied professionals are published in them.

Future electronic copies will be made available for publication on ICEC Website with your kind permission.

Other activities

The Division was involved with other stakeholders in the drafting of the Procurement Act for Ghana. It is also holding discussions with the Contractors Associations of Ghana to review the Ghana Government Conditions of Contract, which is widely used and understood in the country.

The Division was involved in the drafting of Survey Council Bill to ensure in the regulation of the practice of Surveying in Ghana.

GhIS AGM & Presidential Ball

The 36th Annual General Meeting (AGM) with a Presidential Lecture and Ball of the Institution took place on 11th and 12th February, 2005 at the Osu Presbyterian Hall and Aviation Social Centre, Accra respectively. The Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology was the Guest of Honour, where Ten (10) Professional Associates and eight (8) Technicians were admitted to the Roll of the Q. S. Division.

Number of Members by Category (as of 1 December 2004)

Seminar/Conferences/Congresses

• CPD one day Seminar - 19 August 2004;
• IQSK Golf Tournament - 17 September 2004;
• 10th Anniversary Dinner Dance - 3 December 2004;
• Various Industrial visits to manufacturing companies;
• Annual General Meeting - 19 May 2005;
• Fund-raising Gold Tournament - 8 July 2005;
• CPD Seminar - 6 October 2005; and
• Luncheons with guest speakers.

Scheduled Future Seminar/Conferences/Congresses

• Annual Dinner Dance - December 2005.

Potential Future Events Under Consideration

• Major conference on Cost Information Data Center

New Initiatives/Innovations

Forecasting on investing in a building to house IQSK Secretariat; and Diversification into income generating activities (self reliance from subscription income).

Important New Publications

• IQSK Quarterly Journal; and
• Cost Handbook – Cost Data Centre.

Issues where cooperation with other member organizations are on-going desirable

• Working towards E. Africa region technical and profession co-operation.

*This report has been extracted from the IQSK Report to the 2005 ICEC Region 3, Annual Meeting.

Current Executive

Number of Members by Category (as of December 31, 2004)

Seminars/Conferences/Congresses held since the last ICEC Region Meeting

• Risk and Uncertainity in Construction Projects; Conducted By Dr. Janaka Ruwanpura
• Usage of Computer softwares in Estimating; conducted by Dr. R. Rameezdeen, with a demonstration of a Estimating software; and
• Top Down Construction” by Dr. Vishwalingam during August 2005, Date and Venue to be notified.

Potential Future Events Under Consideration

• Launching of a IQS.SL Newsletter; and
• Publication of a Construction Cost guide.

New Initiatives/Innovations?

• Establishment of College of Quantity Surveying, a fully owned subsidiary of IQS.SL to conduct Institute’s examinations and certificate level quantity surveying course.

Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS)

NIQS Council Election

The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors 21st Biennial Conference and General Meeting was held at Premier Hotel, Ibadan (the capital of the state of Oyo) from Wednesday 24 November to Saturday 27 November 2004. At this meeting the following were elected / coopted to run the affairs of the Institute for a period of two years:

Number of members by category

This is an increase of about 30.24%.

Seminars/Conferences/Congresses held since the last ICEC Region meeting

Twelve conducted since the last Triennial Conference about various topics -with emphasis on contract administration. For example:

Project Management Association of Iceland (VSF)

Number of Members by Category (as of December 31, 2004)

400, all indivisual members.

Seminars/Conferences/Congresses held since the last ICEC Region Meeting

• Seminar in November 2004: 20 years of Project Management Association of Iceland;
• Seminar in December 2004: Prince2 – General Introduction;
• Seminar in May 2005: Project Management of the Future - Prince2, Programme Management and Risk Management; and
• Seminar in September 2005: Project Management in large Finance Projects.

Members of the executive

Potential Future Events Under Consideration

• Cost Engineering Seminar in November 2005

Training/Certification Issues?

• IPMA Certification Programme is still increasing in popularity; and
• VSF has not considered Certification Programme for Cost Engineering.

Any issues where cooperation with other member organizations are on-going or desirable

VSF is very interested in inviting a well known international speaker on Cost Engineering in Winter 2005-2006 with the possibility of a co-operation with Reykjavik University, School of Business.

Any other items of interest which you wish to report

• VSF is participating in the International Scientific Committee for the 2006 ICEC-IPMA Global Congress on Project Management.

Slovenian Project Management Association (ZPM)

Current List of Executive

Number of Members by Category (as of December 31, 2004)

• Corporate members - 17;
• Individual members - 89; and
• Student members - 21.

Seminars/Conferences/Congresses held since the last ICEC Region Meeting

ZPM forum 2004

ZPM forum 2004, an annual Slovenian conference on project management, took place in the beginning of September 2004 in Nova Gorica. The conference attended 110 participants - project managers, professors, managers, project management trainers, students and others.

In the 2004 Slovenia became an EU member, so the main issue of the conference was the importance of projects and project management as a tool of Slovenian efforts to reach the more developed EU countries economy level.

There were three main streams; the first stream “European development projects” authors presented experience from projects executed in cooperation with other EU companies and from projects that were partly financing by the EU. In the second stream experienced project managers presented successful projects with emphasis on methods, expertness and other factors that contributes to successful project execution. The topic of the third stream was the development of the project management profession.

Plenary speakers were Branko Tomazic, HIT (general president), Robert Zerjal, Iskra Avtoelektrika (RD manager), Dr. Brane Semolic, ZPM president, and Otto Zieglmeier, IPMA vice president.

Two round-table discussions were organized at the conference: the issue of the first one was the regions development (Can Slovenia Develop the Interregional Co-operation on the Global Level), in the second one Slovenian managers presented their successful projects and discussed about their motivation and effective project tools and techniques.

ZPM forum 2005

This year the conference took place in the beginning of June in Otocec, near Novo mesto. The conference attended 120 participants - project managers, professors, managers, project management trainers, students and others.

The main issue of the conference was the importance of project management for the organization growth and development. There were three main streams; in the first stream the participants discussed about the project stakeholders support and about the project value estimation. The topic of the second stream was the cost engineering and the risk management importance for higher project value. In the third stream experienced project managers presented successful projects with emphasis on methods, expertness and other factors that contributes to higher project value.

Plenary speakers were Peter Miklavcic, KRKA (technical director), Stanislav Zorko, NUMIP (general manager), Dr. Brane Semolic, ZPM president, and Otto Zieglmeier, IPMA vice president.