Issue 26: April 2022
Dear colleagues
Welcome to issue number 26 of the FIDIC CEO’s Update, my regular round-up of the latest FIDIC activities, initiatives and events.
Introduction
As we enter the second quarter of the year (how fast does time fly?) our industry and indeed the wider world globally continues to face many challenges. The state of the global economy post-Covid continues to be a concern and the ongoing terrible situation in Ukraine is also fuelling uncertainty that is having an effect on the business and political arena. Rising inflation, the energy crisis, scarcity of resources, supply chain challenges and the ongoing shortage of skills will affect every business sector and the engineering, construction and infrastructure industry will not escape the ramifications of these global events. Of course, historically, our industry has never shirked or shied away from challenges
– solving them is, after all, what we all do as engineers – but there is no doubt that the current issues we face are significant and will take all our ingenuity and skills to address. However, on the basis that ‘every obstacle is an opportunity’, addressing these challenges will enable us as an industry to come together, work in collaboration with each other and develop solutions to benefit not just our own industry but global society itself. That is what FIDIC is all about and the events and initiatives outlined below offer a glimpse of some of the work that we and our members are doing to make the world a better place for the long term.
Latest State of the World report focuses on digital
FIDIC’s latest State of the World Report, Digital disruption and the evolution of the infrastructure sector, the sixth in the series of reports on the key infrastructure issues facing the world, explores the increasing pace of technological change and discusses the role of technology as a potential disrupter to the engineering, construction and infrastructure sector and the potential for this to make companies and the sector as a whole change their business models. The report also makes a series of recommendations to help the sector embrace current and future technological challenges and engage proactively going forward.
Consult Australia celebrates 70th anniversary
Many congratulations to our Australian member association, Consult Australia, on their 70th Anniversary celebrations, which they marked last month with their OneConsult two-day event where they gathered together stakeholders from the Australian industry…Continue Reading
World Bank Global Procurement Summit
I was delighted and honoured to take part in the recent Global Procurement Summit 2022, organised by the All-India Management Association and supported by The World Bank and the Indian Ministry of Finance…Continue Reading
FIDIC sets up new Digital Transformation Committee
Hot on the heels of the launch of our State of the World digital report, we announced the formation of a new FIDIC Digital Transformation Committee. The new committee will monitor and identify changes in digital technology and techniques to help futureproof FIDIC’s products…Continue Reading
New chair for ACE Kenya
Congratulations to the new chairman of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Kenya (ACEK), Patrick S Wambulwa. Patrick, who is also chairman of Nairobi-headquartered Tertiary Consulting Engineers, has over 30 years of experience as a water supply and sanitation engineer…Continue Reading
FIDIC urges support for RedR and ICRC Ukraine appeals
In response to the current situation in Ukraine and to help those in need of help, FIDIC is urging stakeholders, where they are able, to support two important appeals which are attempting to alleviate the growing humanitarian crisis in the country…Continue Reading
Global Leadership Forum update
The latest meeting of the FIDIC Global Leadership Forum (GLF) Advisory Board took place on 5 April 2022. FIDIC president Tony Barry thanked members for their enthusiastic and positive response to the launch of the advisory board. Membership of the GLF…Continue Reading
Three key FIDIC awards now open for entries
Three key FIDIC awards are now open for entries, giving member associations, global infrastructure projects and future leaders the chance to raise profile and gain recognition for excellence. Entries are now invited for the MA Excellence Awards, Project Awards…Continue Reading
Register your interest for FIDIC’s Global Infrastructure Conference 2022
This year’s FIDIC annual Global Infrastructure Conference taking place from 12-13 September in Geneva, Switzerland, has a decidedly forward-looking theme. The event, Building a better tomorrow, by investing today…Continue Reading
Register your interest for Contract Users’ Conferences
Three Official FIDIC International Contract Users’ Regional Conferences are being staged online and delivered in-house by FIDIC in May 2022. These events target the global contract users’ community in each region and offer a unique opportunity to share progress on the application…Continue Reading
Book your place for FIDIC’s upcoming webinars
Two forthcoming events in FIDIC’s 2022 webinar series should be of interest to all those involved in contracts and risk management. Essential requirements for managing contractual risk, a webinar organised by the FIDIC Risk, Liability and Quality Committee on Tuesday 19 April…Continue Reading
