FIDIC - Activities
Africa Conference Pushes Sustainable Projects
Final preparations are under way forthis year’s GAMA/FIDIC African
conference, taking place in
Livingstone, Zambia, from 29 April-2
May. This year will focus on theimportant role of consulting
engineers in developing projects forsustainable economic development.

In Africa this also requires attention to the Millennium Development Goals, withcore indicators for the improvement of health, standards of living, economic
development, and education. Details are available on the FIDIC website. FIDIC
will be represented by the FIDIC President Geoff French and MD Enrico Vink, bothof whom will address the conference on the industry and on capacity building.
FIDIC World Consulting Engineering Conference 2012 – Seoul, Korea
Registrations will open shortly for this year’s worldconference in Seoul. This, the 99th international FIDIC
conference for the consulting engineering industry, will
focus on the predominant theme of the emergence ofgreen economic growth (as witnessed in many
countries, including Korea), green technology andgreen procurement.
Through the release of its latest State of the World report, the FIDIC conference
will seek to clarify many of the issues related to sustainable development, as wellas suggest a significant shift in the business models being adopted by consultingengineers in order to conceive, design, and deliver sustainable infrastructure in
the future. Case studies and examples of green policies and green projects will behighlighted to stimulate the debate on future for investments in the builtenvironment. This conference is strongly supported by the Korean Government
which is itself pursuing a Green growth strategy. Some 1000 participants from 75
countries are anticipated. The significant opportunities in the consulting industry,
which will be explored in Seoul, will act as an added incentive for the world’s
leading consulting firms, and a number of their clients and other stakeholder
groups.
More information on the conference website .
Asian Region Focus on Collaboration
The ASPAC/FIDIC/TCDPAP conference took placein Colombo 2-3 March. Some 200 participantsfrom 16 countries in the region sharedexperiences on the transfer of knowledge andtechnology in order to facilitate businessnetworking and opportunities for collaboration on
the significant investments taking place ininfrastructure throughout the region.
A brief overview of the international consulting engineering market highlighted
that development and demand continues to grow in the region, presenting
significant opportunities for both multinational and local consulting firms. Reports
and presentations are available through the conference website. During theconference, FIDIC and ASPAC signed a new sponsor agreement with StrategicPartner BST Global, who are keen to support ASPAC with specific initiatives in theregion.

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topBusiness - Development
Mergers announced with EFCA committees
In order to streamline a number of common objectives, FIDIC and EFCA haveagreed to merge their work on risk & liability issues, as well as on the growing
initiatives connected to sustainability. Combining resources will enable greater
effort to be put into the identification of new and existing risks for the industry –through conditions of contract, and through the need to identify and promote
innovative solutions for global challenges.
Sustainability has been identified as an area with huge potential for the consulting
industry, as well as increased risk in elevating the role of consulting engineers in
the economic, financial and social debates related to green economic
development, green procurement, and climate change. These issues will provide astrong focus for the FIDIC conference in Seoul in September.
In addition to merging the sustainability committees, the work undertaken by
FIDIC on Innovation will become part of the larger group, as will FIDIC’s work on
Climate Change. The valued input of many volunteers is greatly appreciated bythe industry.
Latin American Opportunities Await
This year’s annual Meeting of the Federation of Pan American Consultancies(FEPAC) in Rio de Janeiro on 16/17th April will focus on investment ininfrastructure, including the use of PPPs and concession projects to meet thegrowing demand for new and better infrastructure in Latin America.
FIDIC Vice President Pablo Bueno will be a special guest, attending to encourage
closer collaboration between the regional federation and the internationalfederation. Several associations in the region are looking seriously at a return toFIDIC, whilst FIDIC in turn investigates options for a stronger presence in theregion, particularly to help meet the growing demand for FIDIC training services,in Spanish as well as English.

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FIDIC YPMTP 2012 Programme
Some 60 candidates from 20
countries have registered forthis year’s FIDIC Management
Training Programme for
Young Professionals. The
course takes place on line
over 7 months, culminating inseveral final sessions at theFIDIC World Conference inSeoul.
Focussing on management issues related to the consulting engineering business,the course aims to acquaint these future leaders with core aspects of running aconsulting firm, combining theory with practical case studies, as well as regionalnuances.

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Tripoli, Libya
25-26 May2012FIDIC AsiaPacificContract
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Singapore
20 - 21 June2012

FIDIC Training Resources Boosted
The first FIDIC Trainers Accreditation Assessment was held in London inDecember 2011. A number of candidates successfully completed the rigorouscourse, and were accredited for training either at international, or at nationallevel. Other candidates were invited to participate in a mentoring programme
before accreditation was completed. FIDIC is delighted to strengthen andenlarge its pool of trainers and to offer to members and clients a wider andsustainable support for high quality training.

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topBusiness - Practice & Contracts
MDB Conference Registration Opens
Following the success of the inaugural
FIDIC/Multi-lateral Development Bank
Conference in Brussels in 2011, the second
conference will be expanded this year over twodays on 25/26th June. In addition to addressing
various issues related to projects funded byMulti-lateral Development Banks and the use ofFIDIC contracts, this year will also see
participation from a number of bi-lateral funding
agencies, which have also adopted theHarmonised contract. Valuable contributions arealso being sought from the EuropeanCommission, the contracting sector,
construction worker and labour interests, theOECD, UN and various other internationalorganisations. Key debates will take place on
the use of international best practice on thedelivery and management of development (aidfunded) projects, and the imperatives of social,economic and environmental responsibility insuch development activity. FIDIC acknowledges the strong support from theMDBs, from EFCA, CICA/EIC, BWI, and other partnering organisations.

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More information and registration: http://www1.fidic.org/events/mdb2012
FIDIC / ICC: Revised Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees (URDG)
The ICC has completed the revision of its
Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees(URDG, version 758). The revised rules,
the first in 18 years, have been formallyadopted by the ICC Executive Board.
Comprising 35 articles, the revised URDG
rules set out the liabilities andresponsibilities of the parties at each key
stage of the lifecycle of the guarantee.
The changes include innovative
treatments of payment contingencies andmore precise language for determining
whether a presentation made under a guarantee or counter-guarantee, whether
paper-based or electronic, is a complying presentation. These changes areexpected to curb the rate of rejection of demands and increase the certainty of
the instrument. The new set of rules are destined to apply to hundreds of billionsof dollars of demand guarantees securing monetary and performance obligations
in a wide array of international and domestic contracts.
FIDIC has also officially endorsed URDG 758 under recommendation of itsContracts Committee in March 2012. The ICC form of guarantee is referenced in
FIDIC contracts, which will gradually adopt the revised Rules as they areproduced.

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Contracts
Jamaica,
14-15 May
2012

Practical Useof FIDIC
Contracts
Tripoli, Libya
25-26 May
2012

FIDIC AsiaPacificContract
Users'Conference
Singapore
20 - 21 June2012

Project Sustainability Logbook Published
FIDIC and EFCA support the initiative lead by the French member Association(SYNTEC) to produce the Project Sustainability Logbook (PSL) at the international
level. A Project Sustainability Logbook, or PSL, aims to accompany a built asset,
or a group of built assets, through all stages of its life by means of benchmarksthat are updated regularly. Comprising a collection of tables, the Logbook
represents a method to allow the challenges and objectives of sustainable

CourseSponsordevelopment which are specific to the built asset to be defined and monitored.
The English version will be soon available for distribution on the FIDIC website.
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Industry - Representation
World Bank and IDB Visits Announced

StrategicPartner
On 17th and 18th April respectively, the FIDIC President Geoff French and MD
Enrico Vink will be visiting the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank.
The annual bi-lateral visits are seen as an ideal way to update key priorities forboth sectors, as well as discuss common issues such as procurement policies and EPC/Turnkey
Projects
procedures; the impact of the financial crisis on funding development projects;& FIDIC
dealing with climate change, corruption and sustainability. FIDIC member
Contracts
associations have been invited to contribute to the agenda to ensure the broad
London,UK
ranging discussions also pick up on specific issues in the market place.
25-26 April

European Federation to Celebrate 20th Anniversary
EFCA, the European Federation of Consultancy Associations,will celebrate its 20th anniversary in Lisbon from 24-25th May,
using its recently published “Taking Hold of Our Future” report
to introduce a number of speakers. The conference will look
into various strategies for growing business during challenging
times as well as sharing tips on client satisfaction.
The Report is available from the FIDIC Bookshop .

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Visit to EBRDIn February 2012, a FIDIC delegation led by President Geoff French, held wide
ranging discussions with Bank officials. Bank VP Fisher spoke of the newprogramme for the Bank in the Southern & Eastern Mediterranean region(SEMED), covering Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan. A similar approach will
be adopted to that used in CIS region (Commonwealth of Independent States –former Russian States) where considerable investment has taken place. Given
that more than half the Bank’s activity is non-infrastructure, there are also
opportunities for consultants in the areas of engineering, financial,management and verification advice. The Bank often engages consultants
directly.
EBRD was also involved in developing the Harmonised Request for Proposals
now adopted by other Banks. This will simplify the involvement of consulting
engineers wishing to establish their credentials and submit proposals for MDBfunded projects. Total investment committed in 2011 was up on 2010 to £9billion.

Practical Useof FIDIC
Contracts
Jamaica,
14-15 May
2012

Practical Useof FIDIC
Contracts
Tripoli, Libya
25-26 May
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FIDIC/IBC Users Conference, Singapore
The next FIDIC Asian Users conference will take place in Singapore on 20/21stJune 2012. This is the essential FIDIC event for understanding and successfullyusing the FIDIC suite of contracts and effectively avoiding or resolving disputes– from FIDIC, for FIDIC users. This conference will provide a special focus onregional usage of FIDIC contracts through an authoritative speaker line-up.
More information on the Conference website

FIDIC AsiaPacificContract
Users'Conference
Singapore
20 - 21 June2012

FIDIC Doha Users Conference: Delegates Enjoy the QATAR 2022 FIFAPavilion
Delegates attending the latest FIDIC User's conference in Doha in February2012 had the opportunity to visit the FIFA Pavilion exhibit office for the QATAR
2022 football world cup. Discussions and a multimedia 3D presentation gave an
advance taste of the energy driving the construction industry in the region, andin sporting events in particular. Good forms of contract are once again being

CourseSponsorpromoted as a key element in running successful projects in such a challengingenvironment. As the QATAR 2022 Supreme Committee explained, every projectis designed to meet sustainability goals and they need to be eco-efficient,giving opportunities for consulting engineers to design innovative solutions.

Industry - Image
FIDIC Centenary Awards Announced
As part of the FIDIC centenary celebrations in Barcelona 2013,
FIDIC would like to recognise and applaud the best consulting
engineering achievements of the last 100 years, to help publicise
the work of consulting engineers and the contribution they make tothe way we all live, as well as to celebrate FIDIC’s centenary.
The main ‘headline’ categories of Award will bezzz

major building project of the last 100 years
major civil engineering project of the last 100 years
the leading consulting engineers of the last 100 years

The award nominations will be made by the Member Associations. The projects
nominated should have been designed by a member firm and they will be judged
against a number of criteria including international recognition, technicalexcellence, innovation, how well they have endured and their sustainability.
Entries close by 21 September 2012.
topAnnouncements

News from the Executive
At its meeting in Amman in February 2012, the FIDIC Executive Committee
agreed to:zThe addition of two new Strategic Objectives, acknowledging theimportance of Young Professionals in the future developments of theindustry; and the significance of FIDIC’s acclaimed forms of Contract, which
represent international best practice in over one hundred countries.

zAccelerate the development of FIDIC resources in the main regions of FIDIC
activity: the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Using the growing
demand for FIDIC training as a base, FIDIC aims to strengthen its presencein the regions; lend greater support to its regional groups; and facilitate theenhancement of the industry profile at the grass roots level.

z

Announce that one vacancy on the FIDIC Executive Committee will occur in2012, with nominations sought by May 2012. The Executive Committee
noted that, ideally, the industry would continue to have direct
representation from all regions covered by the membership.

zEnhance communications within the industry through a new Liaison
Programme. Recognising the continued growth of the membership, theFIDIC Executive Committee will also become more actively engaged inassociation liaison, so as to boost two way communications between thefederation and its members.

Whilst in Amman, FIDIC also met
with representatives from theFederation of Arab & African
Consultants, and from the Federationof Islamic Consulting Engineers. Thetalks were very fruitful and resulted
in an agreement for closer
collaboration on training andmembership development.
News from the Member Associations
American Council of Engineering Companies
The Small Business Administration (SBA) in the USA has recently set the newengineering services size standard at $14 million. The standard is based on arolling 3-year average of gross annual revenues and applies to federal work forboth agency small business prime contract goals and subcontract goals for large
prime contractors.
The SBA originally proposed a $19 million standard for engineering companies,
but ACEC, with input from the Small Firm Council, raised numerous concerns
about the negative impact of such high standard. In response to the Council’sefforts, the SBA lowered the standard to $14 million. This will mean that a larger
number of smaller consulting firms will be able to bid for Federal work. (FromACEC Coalitions; March 2012; Vol. 1, Issue 3)
ACEC USA Political Focus
The ACEC, FIDIC’s largest member association, organises two major conferences
per year. The April event provides US firms and state associations a unique
opportunity to meet with their Congressman and officials, and learn more about
the political process, and advocate for the industry.
Annual Convention & Legislative Summit – 15/18th April 2012 in Washington D.C.
For more information please visit ACEC website .
Association of Consulting Engineers Bosnia and Herzegovina (ACE B&H)
The ACE B&H announces the 3rd B&H Congress on Roads, which will be held on
20-21 September in Sarajevo. This event will gather together experts in planningand development of road transportation systems; road management,construction, maintenance and safety; protection of the environment; consultingand financing of road infrastructure; as well as scientists and governmental
representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina and neighbouring countries. Suchevents recognise the significant amount of investment and construction activity inthe Balkan region.
For more information please visit www.uki.ba or email uki@bih.net.ba
Albanian Association of Consulting Engineers (AACE)
The AACE will organise the First Albanian Congress on Roads, which will be also beheld in September, from 27th to 28th, in Tirana. The event represents for theassociation an unique opportunity at international level for the exchange oftechnical and practical experiences of researchers, engineers, manufacturers,operators and infrastructure managers in the road sector of roads.
For more information please visit www.aace.al or contact the Congress
Coordinator at info@aace.al

Consult Australia
The Australian association’s International Symposium will take place in Sydney
19/20 July. A number of well recognised, successful people from different walks oflife will participate in this innovative discussion, entitled Ahead of the Game. The
topics are aimed at stimulating ideas for the positive development of companiesand their special areas of expertise. Business excellence, quality service, andcustomer satisfaction all rank highly in the debate.The Association will alsocelebrate its 60th anniversary during this event.
More information the event website.
Association of Consulting Engineers Canada
ACEC - Infrastructure Success
Consulting engineers in Canada will now have a voice in the federal government’s
creation of a long-term infrastructure plan. An ACEC White Paper prepared by theAssociation of Consulting Engineering Companies (ACEC), Canada, was wellreceived, and the Government is now committed to working with the industry indeveloping its infrastructure plan. The next round of consultations will involve anumber of stakeholders, to develop an infrastructure investment guidelines basedon five themes :zzzzz

Infrastructure and the Economy
Infrastructure and the Environment
Infrastructure and Stronger Communities
Financing Infrastructure
Asset Planning and Sustainability

For more information, please see: Article
Belgian Association of Consulting Engineers (ORI)
ORI Celebrates 20th Anniversary, Sustainably
For its 20th Anniversary event in April, Belgian Association ORI plans to have aguest speaker present the Sustainable City project developed in Sweden by
Architect Stellan Fryxell, in conjunction with Swedish association STD. The
innovative project has been acknowledged by both EFCA and FIDIC as pointing
the way forward in meeting the challenges of urbanisation. The project will also bepresented at the FIDIC conference in Seoul.
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