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A message from the Chair - Renewal and Relevancy
The biennial ICEC congress last April in Ljubljana, Slovenia, set the stage for renewed commitment to the shared ideals of an evolving organization dedicated to global excellence in quantity surveying, cost and project management.
This first jointly sponsored meeting with IPMA confirmed our mutually shared goals and strengthened our strategic alliance in developing the profession of project management globally through our members worldwide. This integration into a network of international organizations promoting project management is a prime example of cooperation among major world associations in project management, quantity surveying and cost engineering.
Many thanks to our gracious congress hosts, the Slovenian Project Management Association, for their tremendous dedication and energy in organizing this event which attracted attendees from 47 countries. The charm and beauty of Slovenia and its capital of Ljubljana was only surpassed by the warmth and generosity of its people.
New Beginnings
In addition to starting my term of office as Chair of ICEC, this also marks the formal installation of Peter Smith as our new Secretary Treasurer, replacing Ken Humphreys who retired after 30 years of inestimable contributions to ICEC. Peter has assumed his new role with dedicated enthusiasm and I look forward to working with him as we tackle the challenges of meeting the evolving needs of our ICEC membership.
What is the Relevancy of ICEC?
One of the immediate needs is the re-affirmation of the relevancy of ICEC to member societies.
As national societies install their new executives, some may question whether continued support of ICEC is warranted as they may sometimes not be fully aware of the role of ICEC and its active contributions to the knowledge and growth of their profession in the global arena.
At this point I would like to solicit our ICEC delegates and alternate delegates to ensure that their newly installed boards are fully briefed and that this information is also disseminated throughout their general membership on a regular basis.
The importance of continuous communications between the ICEC delegates and their national society cannot be over emphasized. Not only is it critical for our member societies to be aware of ICEC activities but their input and participation is also essential to identifying and meeting their evolving needs at the international level.
Not Your Typical Organizational Structure
Many people think that ICEC mirrors the organizational structure of their member society. However, this is not the case.
ICEC consists of a Council of Delegates nominated by member societies – with one delegate (and one alternate) representing each society. This Council then decides on the constitution of ICEC as well as elects the Officers and ratifies new memberships to ICEC. Elected Officers include the Chair, four Vice-Chairs and the Secretary-Treasurer. Regional Directors for the four geographical regions are appointed.
ICEC has a small budget as it does not want to burden individuals already paying dues to their national societies. Income is generated via a modest annual subscription on a per capita basis that is capped so as not to encumber larger associations. Other fees are generated through endorsing international congresses and regional forums – a key vehicle for promoting dialogue and knowledge exchange.
ICEC’s elected Officers are volunteers who are also practicing professionals that understand the demands and pressures of working in the areas of quantity surveying, cost engineering and project management in both industry and academia. Essentially ICEC relies on the dedication, time and effort not only of its Officers but also member societies, individual members and their employers.
Renewal and Relevancy
Through the efforts and dedication of many individuals and member societies, ICEC has recently attained several long-cherished goals, including global accreditation, standards and procedures, and recognition as an NGO with UN-Habitat as well as Roster Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Over the course of this term, ICEC will be seeking formal input from members to update its strategic plan at various Regional meetings. This will help ensure that ICEC is responsive to our membership needs to properly focus our renewed efforts for both the present and the future.
One of the keys to the future growth of our profession encompasses the challenge of encouraging young people to consider careers in quantity surveying, cost engineering and project management in a world competing for human resources. This is a global issue as confirmed at our meetings in Slovenia. Discussions were initiated with IPMA to share their experience and success with their Young Crew program. Several member societies also shared information about the types of programs they have put in place in their countries to attract and retain young people to our profession.
My immediate predecessor, Professor Basie Verster, listed the following challenges for the incoming administration:
- To continuously strive for increased influence through partnerships with professional organizations in related fields worldwide.
- To influence the world in the fields of Education, Research, and Community Service through knowledge and to remain at the vanguard of new discoveries, growth and service.
By re-affirming ICEC’s relevancy to our members and renewing our strategic direction, we will be better able to deploy our efforts to support the ideals of worldwide cooperation, exchange of knowledge, and leadership in the areas of quantity surveying, cost engineering and project management.
Ginette Basak P Eng
Chair
International Cost Engineering Council
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Implementing earned value management on IT projects
Maja Ferle PMP SRC.SI d.o.o., Slovenia
Ms Ferle received the 2006 Jan Korevaar Award for this paper presented at the 1st ICEC and IPMA Global Congress on Project Management, Ljubjana, Slovenia
 Abstract
Many IT projects may be classified as troubled, meaning that they do not meet schedule, cost or scope constraints. Very often, trouble is not recognized during project execution due to insufficient project management procedures and non-existing control mechanisms. According to PMI, Earned Value Management (EVM) has proven itself to be one of the most effective performance measurement and feedback tools for managing projects. In this paper I discuss monitoring IT project status using EVM thus enabling the project manager to expose potential troubles in the project early during project execution. Addressing issues immediately as they arise gives the project a greater chance of successful completion.
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Development of public private partnerships (PPP) in China
Dr Paul H K Ho
Chairman, Quantity Surveying Division
The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors
Associate Head, Division of Building Science and Technology
City University of Hong Kong
The original version of this article was published in Surveyors Times, Vol. 15, No. 10, October 2006, the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors.
 Introduction
There is no hard and fast definition of public private partnerships (PPPs). One way that PPPs may be defined is as the partnerships between the public sector and the private sector for the purposes of designing, planning, financing, constructing and/or operating projects which would have been regarded traditionally as being within the remit of the public sector. PPPs take many forms. Examples include private finance initiatives, design-construct-maintain, build-own-operate, build-own-operate-transfer, buy-build-operate, sale-leaseback, etc. The spectrum of possible PPPs extends from businesses almost entirely controlled by the private sector at one end, to those almost entirely controlled by the public sector at the other. PPPs have been increasingly used in many countries as an alternative approach for the procurement of public facilities and services. While PPPs are relatively new in China, there is a great potential for their application due to the strong demand for public facilities and services. This paper is to examine the development of PPPs in China.
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Cost engineering for projects (in a worldwide economy)
Dr Kenneth K Humphreys PE CCE
Assistant Secretary
Region 1
International Cost Engineering Council
Dr Humphreys received the 2006 Tony Jarvis Award for this paper which was published in Project Control Professional, vol 44, no 1, February 2006, ACostE. It is based in part upon a paper which was coauthored by Charles P. Woodward (1998 Rotterdam Congress) and a paper he authored in 1996 (Guadalajara Congress).
 Abstract
We can no longer consider anything we do on projects as a purely national thing which is constrained by the borders of our own country and by a single currency. Everything we do must be considered in light of international economics. Project managers must know cost engineering principles and understand the consequences of bad cost management decisions. This paper will discuss the economic factors which project managers should consider when making project decisions so that their companies may obtain maximum benefit from international project activity.
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Real time integrated cost planning and control, Mitigation and resolution of claims
Professor JJP (Basie) Verster
Immediate Past Chair
International Cost Engineering Council
University of the Free State
Bloemfontein, South Africa
Presented at the 1st ICEC and IPMA Global Congress on Project Management, Ljubjana, Slovenia
Abstract
The pro-active and effective management, communication and interpretations of contracts, in respect of differences of opinion and claims, will become more important for developers and facilitators of buildings and property.
The quantity surveyor should understand the challenges and opportunities presented by the needs of clients in relation to facilitating differences between parties and the limitation of claims and their pressure on resources and time.
The focus should be on client satisfaction and a positive experience for all concerned to enable continuous good relationships between the parties involved. This should be done in close partnership with all functionaries, related to the process.
Co-ordinating differences between parties and continuous communication will ensure the limitation of claims and will contribute towards an atmosphere of teamwork with the focus on solutions without disputes.
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Delay and analysis, Isn't it simple?
James G Zack Jr CCM FRICS PMP
President
AACE International
Aliso Viego, California
Presented at the 1st ICEC and IPMA Global Congress on Project Management, Ljubjana, Slovenia
Abstract
The intended purpose of the schedule delay analysis is to determine what happened, what was the impact on schedule, and what was the cause? At the outset delay analysis should determine what events occurred and when. From this preliminary review, delay analysis shoudl then determine with some specificity, what was the outcome in terms of the schedule? That is, was the project delayed and, if so, by how much? Finally, delay analysis should be used to determine who ws responsible (the proximate cause) for the events which resulted in the project delay. From this analysis, legal and contractual conclusions can be reached as to what type(s) of delay occurred and what, if any, damages are owed as a result. Simple? No! Why not? Because there is no industry-wide ageement on what a delay analysis consists of nor on which schedule delay analysis tenchique should be employed. Doea it matter? After all, scheduling is "quasi-scientific" and "objective" (ie fact driven). All analytical techiques should render the same result, shouldn't they?
This paper discusses the status of a Recommended Practice that AACEI has had underdevelopment for nearly two years now - the Recommended Practice on Ferensic Schedule Analysis. The Recomended Practice defines, describes and explins the various forensic schedule analysis techniques employed in the construction industry. The Recommended Practice neither excludes now endorses any the methods discussed. Rather, it classifies and discusses the known methods, offers caveats on the use of each method and discusses best practices and implementation of each technique. The paper summarizes portions of the Recommended Practice and provides a status update on the document.
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