• Represent the ASPAC region, and be a voice for its respective Member Associations;

• Continue efforts to raise the status and visibility of consulting engineers;

• Enhance our joint efforts on vital issues ranging from sustainability to safety and integrity management system, including the very significant issue of Quality-Based Selection (QBS).

Since 1996, Association of Japanese Consulting Engineers (AJCE) and the Association of Consulting Engineers Australia (ACEC) started exchanging young professionals, and the Association of Consulting Engineers New Zealand (ACENZ) joined the programme in 2000. The exchange programme for the young professionals will be introduced in the FIDIC 2001 Conference in Montreux. It is my hope that this initiative in ASPAC region could be extended to all of the member associations in FIDIC.

I would like to introduce a topic to draw an idea that ASPAC MAs could work together for our business possibilities and promotion of sustainability as well. On 7-8 June 2001, the international organization Global Environment Facility (GEF) established at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 for financing and executing global environmental projects, and invited the private sector from all over the world. GEF requested us to positively participate and support their projects, many of which are located in the ASPAC region. It would be a challenging opportunity for the concerned MAs to work together for these potential projects that can benefit not only our industry but also enhance sustainable development.

It is a privilege and a honor to represent your interests and concerns as a chairman of ASPAC region. I ask your support and would welcome your advice.

My greetings to all ASPAC members. The past few months have been very busy for the FIDIC Secretariat, EC and the Committees. Major activities have included:

• Development of the Integrity Management System (anti-corruption).

• Meeting with International Lending Agencies (including World Bank and ADB) in Washington. Discussion points included Capacity Building and Price in the Selection of Consultants.

• Guide for ISO 9001:2000 has been completed for issue at Montreux.

• The new Dredgers Contract has been published.

• Business Practices Committee has established Task Forces on Selection, Construction Quality (chaired by Mr Hirotani), Government as an Informed Buyer, and PFI. MAs are asked to respond to the Construction Quality Survey by 17 August.

• Sustainability Concepts have been progressed

• FIDIC-Tsinghua-CNAEC Management Centre has been inaugurated at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. This is a very exciting venture which will eventually benefit the entire ASPAC region. Details of these activities are included in the FIDIC Reports 01/01 and 02/00

FIDIC is facing a major change in that our much respected MD, Marshall Gysi, is retiring after 15 years. I am sure ASPAC joins with me in wishing Marshall and Marie-Claude well in retirement. Our new MD will be Mr Daniel Ivarsson.

The EC has continued to discuss the proposal of extra delegates at GAMs for those MAs with larger memberships, and it seems the majority of membership is in favour. The EC has therefore recommended the Extra Delegate Proposal to the 2001 GAM.

I am pleased to note that two very worthy candidates have been nominated to the EC from ASPAC MAs: Yumio Iishi from Japan and Mahendra Raj from India. There are 3 vacancies, and I trust that all MAs will exercise their right to vote.

Finally, the FIDIC 2001 Conference in Montreux from 2 to 5 September, with the theme "Partners in Sustainability", is shaping up to be a great event which I recommend to all our members. I look forward to seeing you there.

FIDIC's Executive Committee visited the ADB (Asian Development Bank) on 26 April 2001. President Wayne Bowes, Executive Committee members Eigil S. Pedersen and Richard Kell,  Marshall Gysi and the chairman of ASPAC, Dr. Yumio Ishii, discussed the following items with the executive staff of ADB:

• Explaining the importance of "Business Integrity", FIDIC proposed to deal with "Business Integrity".
• FIDIC reported that FTC (FIDIC-Tsing Hua University-CNAEC) Training Centre was inaugurated at Tsinghua University and the international engineering course was started in cooperation with China.
• FIDIC explained the importance of "Sustainability".
• FIDIC proposed to keep the method which consultant is selected by QBS, and to appeal to persons concerned.

Concerning with Item 4, as ADB already adopted QBS, they understood the contents of QBS proposed by FIDIC and promised to explain to the World Bank the present policy of ADB, FIDIC on QBS even though it would seem to be not easy to persuade World Bank.

FIDIC, CNAEC (FIDIC's Member Association in China) and Tsinghua University have jointly set up a training centre for project and programme management for graduate engineers. The inauguration ceremony and the first Advisory Board meeting were held on 30 April at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. Attendance at the ceremony included Wayne Bowes, the President of FIDIC, Eigil Steen Pedersen, the incoming President of FIDIC, She Jianming, the President of CNAEC, and Dr.Yumio Ishii, the Chairman of ASPAC. Mr. She chairs the Advisory Board and the members of the board consist of the representatives of FIDIC, the professors of Tsinghua University and the representatives of the relevant Chinese government sectors. The training centre will organise an introductory workshop in October 2001 and will provide a Masters-level (2 years) training course from the winter of 2001. The detailed programme of the course is currently being reviewed by the Advisory Board and the sponsor organisations, and will be officially announced shortly.

Two members from ASPAC, John Padget Elsden who is a member of ACEHK and  Toshihiko Omoto who is a member of AJCE, were appointed to the FIDIC President's List of Approved Adjudicators by the FIDIC Executive Committee. Their curriculum vitae information is available at the following address:

http://www.fidic.org/resources/adjudication/adjudicators.html

The ASPAC Chairman is cannouncing the ASPAC General Meeting for 9:00 am to 11:00 am on 2 September in Montreux, Switzerland during FIDIC2 001 annual conference. This meeting would practically be a first launch for a new ASPAC framework after Dick Kell, President-Elect of FIDIC from ACEA, handed over the baton of chairmanship to Dr. Yumio Ishii of AJCE who was President last year. There is expected to be a wide range of discussions to enhance the regional activities of the consulting engineering industry through the cooperation among ASPAC countries. The tentative agenda is as follows:

Tentative Agenda of ASPAC 2001

• Opening Address by Chairman, Dr.ISHII,Yumio
• Address by Mr. Dick Kell, Executive Committee of FIDIC
• Operational Rules of ASPAC
• Election of Executive Committee Members of ASPAC
• ASPAC activities
  • ASPAC News
  • ASPAC Seminar
  • Business Promotion with Cooperation among MAs
  • Information Exchange
• Discussion on FIDIC activities such as ;
  • Weighted Voting
  • FIDIC Young Engineers Forum
  • FTC (FIDIC-Tsinghua Univ.-CNAEC) Training Centre
  • BIMS (Business Integrity Management System)
  • QBS (Quality Based Selection)

• Closing Remarks

Breakfast meeting or luncheon meeting will be held if further discussions need to go on.

Any comments are appreciated by posting them with the Secretariat (e-mail: info@ajce.or.jp, fax: +81-3-3839-8472). All delegates are kindly asked to attend both FIDIC 2001 and ASPAC 2001 in Montreux, Switzerland.

Invitation to attend the Young Engineers Roundtable at FIDIC 2001 Montreux

One of the Business Practice Roundtables scheduled on 4 September (Tuesday; 14:00-17:00) during the FIDIC 2001 Conference in Montreux, Switzerland, is the "Young Engineers Roundtable". This Young Engineers Roundtable will signal the start of the FIDIC Young Forum, which was first proposed in the General Roundtable Session for Young Engineers at the FIDIC 2000 Conference in Hawaii.

There is a serious concern that young members of consulting associations are not very actively participating in activities of their own associations nor FIDIC. Promotion of young engineers' participation in the activities of consulting engineers through creation of opportunities for exchanging opinions, concerns and visions, and eventual vitalization of the whole FIDIC, are now vital issues.

For the above, a General Roundtable Session for Young Engineers was held in the FIDIC 2000 Conference in Hawaii and valuable discussions on topics including human resources development and training were successfully carried out. During the session, the establishment of a "FIDIC Young Forum", a forum via e-mail and bulletin boards, was proposed for exchanges among young engineers. Rafik Meghji, a member of the Executive Committee of FIDIC, announced the start of the Young Forum under his responsibility at the General Assembly Meeting.

The Association of Japanese Consulting Engineers (AJCE) will play a major role in the Young Engineers Roundtable in FIDIC 2001. Your attendance and active participation are welcome.

Business Integrity Management System (BIMS) for Consulting Firms

The FIDIC Integrity Management Task Force has been very active since 1995 in conferring with International Financing Institutions and other related organization as well as developing tools and guidelines of a BIMS for consulting firms. The latest draft of the Guideline is available for downloading from the FIDIC homepage and it is well worth reading. The final draft is planned at this year's FIDIC Conference. The excerpt below, from the latest draft, explains the contents of the system:

"A BIMS is a set of interrelated elements designed for the consulting firm to be managed by integrity principles. It is what the consulting firm does to insure that its workflow is corruption free".

The components of a firm's BIMS include: the code of conduct and the integrity policy, the adequate organizational structure, the specifications of responsibilities and training programs, the corruption free procedures in all substantial processes of the firm, the resources, the manuals, forms, check-lists and records that facilitate integrity management of the firm.

The components and its interactions constitute a practical system of prevention, detection and sanction of corrupt practices.

Full information is kept on the Business Integrity Management clearing house website at www.integritymanagement.com

Young Professionals Exchange Programme between AJCE and ACEA/ACENZ

History

After signing the Memorandum of Understanding between ACEA Association of Consulting Engineers, Australia and AJCE (Association of Japanese Consulting Engineers) in October 1995, the exchange programme of young professionals from both countries started in 1996. In the first three years, both Associations exchanged their young engineers every year, then it was modified to alternative year (every two years) in 1999 when New Zealand (ACENZ) joined the Programme.

The exchange program focuses on learning the difference in culture and business practice and promoting business opportunities.

Exchange Programme 2000

A so-called "Young Summit" was held in Tokyo as the focus point of AJCE and ACEA/ACENZ Exchange Programme in 2000. This challenging attempt was initiated in the light of drastically changing consulting engineers' business environment today. In the course of discussions, positive and flexible opinions were expressed. All the participants from AJCE, ACEA and ACENZ committed to convey their experience to their peer professionals. Continuation of the Exchange Program will nurture and create Young Professionals who can be potential ambassadors in ASPAC region as well as FIDIC member associations.

Prospects in the Future

To strengthen and expand the activities of young professionals initiated by AJCE, ACEA and ACENZ, formation of the Young Professionals International Group would be a viable body to take positive action for the future of consulting engineers. This idea will be introduced in the Business Practice Roundtables - Young Engineers, FIDIC 2001 Conference in Switzerland. We expect that the participation of young professionals would vitalize the activities of consulting engineers in the FIDIC family.

If you wish to have further information about past activities, please refer to the back numbers of the AJCE Newsletter available from the AJCE).