FIDIC Plans for Future

FIDIC (the International Federation of Consulting Engineers) held a very successful annual conference in Denmark in September where participants approved its future strategic directions and discussed a host of business management issues. Canada was especially well represented at the conference this year with a number of key speakers and discussion leaders.

Strategic Review Task Force

The FIDIC Strategic Review Task Force report was a top priority issue at the Annual General Meeting. The Task Force, which was chaired by FIDIC President-Elect, Dr. Jorge Diaz Padilla of Mexico, made several recommendations with respect to FIDIC’s vision, mission and objectives. The review of FIDIC achievements and the analysis of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats led to the following proposals of FIDIC’s Vision and Mission statements:

Vision: “To be the recognized global voice for the consulting engineering industry.”

Mission: “To improve the business climate and promote the interests of consulting engineering firms, globally and locally, consistent with the responsibility to provide quality services for the benefit of society and the environment.”

To place the above definitions in proper perspective, the Task Force agreed that the definition of “consulting engineering” should encompass all professional services (knowledge driven) required for project delivery: planning, financing, design, construction inspection, management, operations and maintenance: i.e. technology-based intellectual services for the built and natural environment.

Strategic objectives

The Task Force also concluded that the five objectives identified in 1998 were still relevant and should be maintained. However, due to strong concerns amongst some Member Associations, it was recommended that “Globalisation be added as an additional Key Objective” to address the relationships and differences between FIDIC Member Associations from developed and developing countries, and also that “Quality should be added as a key objective” to explicitly recognize its paramount importance in all activities related to consulting.

Seven proposed strategic FIDIC objectives were adopted at the Annual General Meeting, and they are:

Representation: represent consulting engineering firms globally.

Image: enhance the image of consulting engineers.

Quality: be the authority on issues relating to business practice.

Business practice: promote the development of a global and viable consulting engineering industry.

Globalization: promote quality.

Integrity: actively promotes conformance to a code of ethics and to business integrity.

Sustainability: promote commitment to sustainable development.

Leading roles for Canadians at conference

The Canadian contingent at the Denmark conference played an important role in the proceedings. Stantec’s President and CEO, Tony Franceschini, was a keynote speaker at the FIDIC Forum and gave a very well received presentation titled: “How to manage growth and profitability at the same time.” John Boyd of Golder Associates, who is also on the FIDIC Executive Committee, gave a workshop on “Project indicators: A new FIDIC Management system for ensuring project sustainability,” (see page 94 of this issue of CCE). John Ritchie of Acres International was a lead speaker at the workshop on benchmarking, while Ben Novak of Stantec chaired the “Young Professionals Management Forum.” Former ACEC Chair and FIDIC President Wayne Bowes served as an advisor to the FIDIC Strategic Review Task Force, and ACEC President Claude Paul Boivin co-chaired the Annual Meeting of the Directors and Secretaries. Alistair Black, of Associated Engineering, oversaw the Executive Committee election, and ACEC Chair Allen Williams, of AD Williams Engineering, represented Canada at the Presidents’ Meeting and at the Annual General Meeting.

For information on the conference presentations, visit www.fidic2004.org

Qubec City to host FIDIC 2008

The FIDIC Executive Committee recommended and the membership approved Qubec City as the venue for the September 2008 FIDIC Annual Conference. ACEC and L’association des ingnieur-conseils du Qubec (AICQ) have agreed to jointly organize this international event that brings together design and construction stakeholders from around the world. This will be a unique opportunity to showcase Canada’s consulting engineering industry. FIDIC President Richard Kell of Australia said that the conference facilities in Qubec City were ideally suited for an international conference and that ACEC had demonstrated its ability to organize dynamic conferences.

Future FIDIC Conferences

Beijing, China: September 4-8, 2005.

Budapest, Hungary: September 17-20, 2006.

Singapore, Asia: September 2007.

Qubec City, Canada: September 2008.