23rd FIG General Assembly, Prague 2000
Appendices



APPENDIX TO ITEM 11.10

Report for the 23rd General Assembly

FIG Working Week in Prague, 22-26 May 2000

Ad hoc Commission on Construction Economics and Management

The work of the commission, started at Brighton in 1998, continued through the Sun City Working Week and throughout the subsequent months. The Commission has developed a number of initiatives during the period including the promotion of the association between the member organizations International Cost Engineering Council and FIG. We are seeking to continue the work of the other commissions in housing with the promotion of a joint workshop, hopefully involving Commissions 7, 8, 9 and Ad Hoc, during the Prague 2000 Working Week. The development of this cross commission workshop is intended to form an example of how the differing surveying disciplines can work together to promote the surveying profession as a whole, and it is hoped that the memorandum of understanding between FIG and CIB will enable a relationship between the commissions and CIB to develop at the Working Group Level.

The relationship with the International Cost Engineering Council is considered critical to the development of the Ad Hoc Commission within FIG. This is now a major force representing associations of cost engineers and quantity surveyors on a global scale. The ICEC is organised in four regions, and the ICEC Region II spring meeting has been arranged to coincide with the Prague Working Week. Other forthcoming events under the aegis of the ICEC include the XVII International Cost Engineering Congress in Calgary on 25th to 30th June this year and the ICEC Region IV (Asia Pacific) meeting is to be held in Cairns as part of the Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors Congress from the 7th to the 12th June. The Commission is also pleased that, through association with ICEC, it now has links to new member associations in Canada and the USA.

The Inaugural Meeting of the African Association of Quantity Surveyors was held during the Sun City Working Week. This was attended by most of the delegates to the FIG Ad Hoc Commission, together with additional members of the South African Association of Quantity Surveyors and the Namibian Association. The objectives of the new association were agreed and a steering group established to maintain the momentum gained in Sun City. The Technical Sessions of the Commission were well attended and the general response from the attendees to the work of the Commission was very encouraging. It is hoped that additional interest in the Working Groups will be generated at the Prague Working Week to enable meaningful progress to be made.

The benefits of the association with ICEC have again been demonstrated by the recent nomination by the ICEC of a Director of Standards. It is hoped that the Director will work through Working Group 5 of the Commission to coordinate on standards relating to Cost Engineering with the FIG Task Force on Standards under the leadership of Iain Greenway.

The Commission has also offered to assist the President of the European Group of Surveyors with the preparation of a study into the non-geodetic activities of Surveyors in Europe. This work will be coordinated with the work being undertaken by Working Group 2, the review of construction procurement in Europe, and it is hoped that the study will be presented as part of the Seoul Working Week next year. The Commission is actively seeking additional participation into the Working Groups.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors completed its International Policy review earlier this year. Discussions are planned to determine how the Ad Hoc Commission, the ICEC and the Quantity Surveying Division of the Institution can best cooperate in the future.

The Ad Hoc Commission has developed an interesting programme for the Prague Working Week, with two technical sessions on the Thursday morning, and a cross commission Workshop in the afternoon. The Work Programme of the Commission will be discussed at the full Council Meeting of ICEC in Calgary on June 29th and 30th 2000. It is hoped that the enthusiasm generated in Sun City can be continued through the Working Week in Prague, in Calgary, and into the new millennium.


John A. Collinge
Chair, FIG Ad hoc Commission on Construction Economics and Management

Roger Batten
Vice Chair, FIG Ad hoc Commission on Construction Economics and Management

19  March 2000



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