ICEC: 1971 - 2011 Forty Years of International Cooperation By Dr. Kenneth K. Humphreys, DIF

Tentative Beginnings, 1971

The story of the development of the International Cost Engineering Council started in 1971 at the AACE International 15th Annual Meeting in Montreal.

This was not the first time AACE had shown interest in international activity although it was the first AACE annual meeting to be held outside the United States. In 1958, only two years after its formation, AACE had established a Section in the United Kingdom. In turn, this Section had transformed itself in 1961 into the U.K. Association of Cost Engineers (ACostE). By 1971 there were two other established cost engineering societies, the Dutch association (DACE), founded in 1953, and the Mexican Society (SMIEFC), founded in 1965.

AACE took the opportunity to promote cost engineering internationally and declare the 1971 AACE Annual Meeting, because of its location in Canada, the 1st International Cost Engineering Symposium. They invited the three other societies to submit papers and be responsible for one complete track of papers at the meeting.

The delegation from the United Kingdom, consisting of their president, Don White, and vice presidents, Peter Gardner and Chris Walker, met with the AACE Board which explained its wish to spread the influence of cost engineering internationally. ACostE endorsed this view and suggested that they plan to hold a future international meeting in London. Because they agreed that it would take three years starting from scratch to organize such an event, they chose October 1974 as their target date. AACE agreed to make available its experience in organizing such events, and their new executive director, Ken Humphreys, assumed this support role.

The discussion led to a further suggestion that this initiative might develop into a coordinating committee to promote international activity and development.

Formative Years, 1972-1975

In 1972 the scene of activity transferred to Mexico City where SMIEFC sponsored a symposium at which several international papers were presented. The organizing committee named this meeting the 2nd International Cost Engineering Congress. One year later AACE Executive Director Kenneth Humphreys commented that the new international network was already producing benefits for AACE members, including free exchange of cost engineering information between AACE, ACostE and SMIEFC through joint meetings and agreements permitting reprinting of significant articles from each other's publications.

Another benefit was that AACE members, while on temporary assignment in the U.K. or Mexico, were granted temporary membership in the ACostE or SMIEFC, and vice versa.

These early benefits grew as the ICEC structure developed and enlarged its size.

Over the next few years, as a by-product of the contacts devoted to the upcoming London international meeting, the outline of a plan for an international umbrella organization slowly took shape. Prior to the London congress, Peter Olhrichs and Jan Korevaar of the Dutch association, Henry Thorne of AACE, and Emilio Zorilla Vasquez of SMIEFC joined in informal discussions. They produced a position paper, a tentative organizational structure, and an invitation to a more formal meeting during the London congress, all of which were circulated to the four existing cost engineering societies--AACE, ACostE, DACE, and SMIEFC. The invitation was issued formally in the name of ACostE by Chris Walker, who was by that time its president, and accepted by all four societies.

At that meeting and a subsequent meeting held in Utrecht, Netherlands in 1975 during a DACE symposium, it was agreed that:

• a coordinating organization be established;
• its name be The International Cost Engineering Council (ICEC);
• six key objectives of ICEC (see below) become the basis of its operations;
• a constitution be drafted for approval of the four societies;
• the 1976 20th AACE Annual Meeting in Boston be designated the 4th International Cost Engineering Congress;
• if agreed by all four societies, ICEC be established formally at a meeting in Boston in 1976 during the Congress;
• an ad hoc committee consisting of one member of each society be set up to implement these resolutions; and

Six key objectives were approved:

• to encourage, promote, and advance the science and art of cost engineering and project management for the public good;
• to coordinate and sponsor international cost engineering and project management congresses (on a worldwide scale);
• to coordinate and sponsor international cost engineering and project management symposia (on a continental scale);
• to encourage cost engineers and project managers in countries where no formal association or organization exists to join together to form a group with objectives compatible with those of ICEC and its members;
• to participate in international events related to the practice of cost engineering and project management sponsored by governmental and private organizations, national or international, whether members of ICEC or not, provided that these events are in keeping with the objectives of ICEC; and
• to further the study of cost engineering and project management problems of worldwide or multinational character.

The ad hoc committee developed the initial constitution, circulated it to the four societies and obtained the approval of their respective boards. The main features of it were:

• agreement with the six objectives;
• no resolution would be binding until approved by the boards of the constituting member societies;
• funding would be by a capitation fee on member societies;
• international congresses would be held regularly (every 2 years);
• an informal copyright on the title International Cost Engineering Congress;
• the positions of the officers should rotate around the member societies; and
• each delegate, nominated by each society, would have one vote per society.

The constituting meeting was formally called for Sunday, 18th July, 1976 at the 4th International Cost Engineering Congress to be held in Boston, U.S.A.

Early Operations, 1976-1979

When the constituting meeting opened in Boston, all the founding societies sent representatives.

The resolutions from the founding societies were read and the International Cost Engineering Council was deemed to be in existence. The new council:

• accepted the initial constitution;
• nominated DACE as host of the 5th International Congress in Utrecht, Netherlands in October 1978;
• set a goal of sponsoring a congress every two years (even years) on alternating sides of the Atlantic, and a symposium (smaller regional meeting) in intervening odd years;
• appointed a committee to consider publications information exchange and the possibility of common educational policies;
• accepted AACE's offer to handle duties of the secretariat;
• appointed the following officers and delegates to carry out the initial operation of Council:

Chris Walker Ken Humphreys Henry Thorne John Herbert A. H. Navarro P. J. Ohlrichs

Chairman Secretary and Treasurer AACE Delegate ACostE Delegate SMIEFC Delegate DACE Delegate

Chairman Walker affirmed ICEC's role as a "coordinator, catalyst and agent of the parent Associations...[creating] a more direct flow of information [to] establish cost engineering worldwide."

Delegates and Officers were asked to propose programs of work that the Council could undertake, promote, or facilitate, bearing in mind that the budget of the Council covered little more than occasional mailings and communication needs of the officers. Initial suggestions included pooling international labor cost statistics, exchanging society publications, defining engineering terms, and developing international educational programs. In various ways, all of these possibilities have been addressed by individual ICEC societies and by ICEC itself over the years.

Even at this early stage, it was not only the four founding societies who showed interest in developing international ties. For example, at the Mexico City meeting of 1977, UPADI, a Latin American confederation of engineering societies, requested technical papers for its upcoming meeting. Six countries in Central and South America had cost engineering societies, and seven others were in the planning stage. FEPIEC, representing these countries, joined ICEC in 1977. By contrast, the European societies decided not to create a regional umbrella organization at this stage

Eighteen representatives from twelve countries attended the full Council meeting in October 1978 in Utrecht. At this meeting CEPA (India) and NACPE (Norway) were accepted as full members, and several other countries indicated that they were in the process of submitting applications.

In order to provide continuity at this early stage in the life of the Council, Peter Olhrichs proposed that Chris Walker continue as chairman for another two years.

Expansion and Development, 1980-1986

A full meeting of the Council was next held in October 1980 in Mexico City at the 6th International Cost Engineering Congress. Antonio Cortina of SMIEFC took office as ICEC's second chairman.

Council approved broad standards for international recognition of certification programs, an action that set the stage for ICEC's continuing support of technical education and peer recognition. Council also confirmed ICEC Standards for International Congresses.

Several clarifying amendments to the newly drafted and approved Constitution and By Laws were directed to the member societies for approval by mail.

PTY (Finland), AETECI (Spain), and AICE (Italy) joined ICEC at this meeting. Note was made of cost societies in Australia, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Korea, and Tanzania.

In 1981 the Council met in Toronto at the 25th AACE Annual Meeting. The next full meeting of Council was held in 1982 in London during the 7th International Cost Engineering Congress. Ray Letchford (ACostE) was chosen to lead ICEC for the next two years.

1984 saw the Council meeting in Montreal at the 8th Congress. Henry Thorne was chosen as the next ICEC Chairman and SPMS (Sweden) and DPMS (Denmark) both were approved for membership.

During his two years as chairman, Henry Thorne embarked on a world tour and visited each of the member societies. His goals included surveying member societies' current activities, increased standardization of cost engineering terms and procedures, the development of an international educational program, and the creation of global computer linkages.

The 1st European Cost Engineering Forum was held in Oslo in September 1985. That same year, AACE-Canada became an ICEC member.

Although new societies were joining ICEC at a steady rate, a few discontinued their participation. Spanish representation ended in 1985 when its society, AETECI, was disbanded

The 1986 meeting was held in conjunction with the Ninth International Congress in Oslo. At this meeting a protocol of cooperation was signed by Henry Thorne, outgoing ICEC chairman, and Eric Gabriel, president of INTERNET (now IPMA), a European-based project management organization. This agreement is indicative of ICEC's continuing efforts to link up with other organizations to build a worldwide network of cost-oriented groups.

Eilif Holen (NACPE) became the new chairman. He summarized the benefits of professional interaction in speaking to a meeting of AICE members:

The 2nd European Cost Engineering Forum in Enschede, Netherlands in 1987 gave Council an opportunity for an informal meeting.

Council welcomed CEASA (representing ten Southern African countries) as a new member at 1988 during the 10th International Congress and the 32nd AACE Annual Meeting in New York, and Frank Blok (DACE) took over the role of chairman. CEASA is now known as the Southern African Project Control Institute (SAPCI).

ICEC's effect on attendance at national meetings that were also international congresses was pronounced: At the New York congress attendees from 19 different countries presented technical papers, and delegates came from 29 nations. It was evident that ICEC's growing number of contacts around the world benefited individual cost societies' ability to publicize their meetings.

Development Accelerates in Europe – 1987-1991

European societies were by this time finding great advantage in ICEC's growing network of cost societies. In the run up to the 11th Congress AFITEP called two informal meetings of the European societies, both in Paris in 1989, the second being at the 4th European Cost Engineering Forum. (The 3rd European Cost Engineering Forum had been held in London in 1988.) A further informal European meeting was held in Wassenaar, Netherlands later that year.

Societies were also finding new contacts within their individual countries. For example, NACPE, the original Norwegian cost engineering society, became a part of NFP, the Norwegian project management society. In the United Kingdom, ACostE worked with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors to publish Standard Method of Measurement for Industrial Engineering Construction. ICEC's Scandinavian countries set up cooperative technical activities with NORDNET, a regional project management organization.

The 1990 full Council meeting held in Paris at the 11th International Congress drew attendees from 30 countries. Don Parkinson (ACostE) was elected chairman. He continued his efforts to develop an international cost model and to urge preservation of the "historic benefits of cost engineering."

At this meeting, the membership of CEPA (India) was revoked because of non-participation over a four-year period.

In the interval between the 1990 and 1992 formal meetings, seven informal meetings were held at different locations around the world -- Boston, Wassenaar, Paris, Trondheim, Seattle, Milan, and Johannesburg. Although decisions were reserved for full Council meetings or a mail ballot procedure, these smaller get-togethers were important, too, giving members additional face-to-face contact time and a relaxed atmosphere for creative planning.

Expansion into Regions – 1992-1993

Council convened in Orlando, Florida, USA in 1992 at the 12th International Congress and the 36th AACE Annual Meeting. In keeping with the increasingly global interest in cost engineering, this meeting was also called the 1st World Congress on Project Management and Cost Engineering.

During this meeting the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS) was admitted to membership. The entrance of ASAQS marked a new ICEC policy, allowing more than one member society from a nation to have ICEC membership

Membership of the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS) had been approved by mail ballot after the 1990 meeting.

In memory of Jan Korevaar, the former DACE executive director who had served as Assistant Secretary for ICEC, the Council created an outstanding paper award in his name. The award is presented to the author of the outstanding paper, as chosen by the delegates, at all ICEC Congresses. The first award went to A. Larry Aaron of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, for his paper, Steps to Sponsoring Successful Seminars and Symposiums.

The new chairman, James Bent, proposed that Council create three geographic regions around the world to facilitate communications and the conduct of regional forums and symposia. Amendments to the Constitution and By Laws permitting the new regional structure and regional officers were approved soon after.

Over the next ten months, Region 2 held two formal meetings, one in London and the other in Paris. Region 3 also held two formal meetings, one in Singapore and one in Johannesburg.

With the advent of the regional system, the officers considered that the two-year period between full Council meetings was no longer tenable. Therefore, the first formal interim Council meeting was held in 1993 in Milan at the 6th European Cost Engineering Forum. Subsequently, regional meetings expanded their original agenda of strictly regional matters to the more general concerns of ICEC as a whole. The officers have concluded that the regional interim meeting format has made the two-year period between full Council meetings workable.

Several administrative moves were accomplished. Ken Humphreys, who had formerly handled ICEC matters through the AACE office where he was executive director, retired. He agreed to continue the service by operating out of his new personal address in North Carolina.

It was unanimously agreed that ICEC would continue its policy of not accepting individual members. In this way ICEC would avoid any possible conflict with its member societies in terms of membership. The revised Constitution stated the premise as:

At this meeting the Danish cost society, which had reconstituted its organization as FDP, and GTE/MKK (Hungary) were admitted as members.

Meetings of the newly formed regional groups dominated the calendar in the next two years. Region 1 met in Dearborn, U.S.A.; Region 2 met in Milan; and Region 3, meeting in Midrand, South Africa.

Region 2 held a second meeting late in 1993 in Maastricht, Netherlands, at which time they planned for a protocol of cooperation among the European members of the Council. The draft protocol was proposed at an April 1994 meeting in Paris and accepted for translation into the individual national languages and signing at the upcoming 13th International Cost Engineering Congress.

Because of distances and meeting difficulties, James Bent realigned Region I to include the Pacific Rim countries and Region III to include only the African countries only, the intention being to create a fourth region for the Pacific Rim once the number of member societies there increased.

Global Expansion, 1994-1996

At the next full meeting of Council held in London in October 1994 at the 13th International Congress, the Council welcomed VSF (Iceland) as its newest member society.

In taking over the role of chairman Gilles Caupin (AFITEP) emphasized cooperative efforts with IPMA (International Project Management Association, formerly known as INTERNET), especially on

certification issues. A revised protocol between ICEC and IPMA was approved and signed by Jamie Bent on behalf of ICEC and Klaus Pannenbacker on behalf of IPMA. Although an earlier plan to share publication responsibilities for a technical journal had not materialized, the impetus for continued cooperation was reaffirmed by the protocol.

The Constitution and By-Laws were amended to permit the number of regions to be changed as necessary and to make the position of Technical Vice Chairman elective rather than appointive.

At the 13th International Cost Engineering Congress which immediately followed the meeting of Council, Bernard A. Pietlock of Elkton, Maryland, USA, was selected to receive the second Jan Korevaar Award for the paper Developing Location Factors using a Factoring Method.

Subsequent to the Congress, PROMAT, the Korean Institute of Project Management, became a member of the Council. Unfortunately, after a few years PROMAT resigned as an ICEC member presumably due to lack of ICEC activity in the Asia-Pacific region, something which was destined to change significantly in only a few more years as noted below.

By October of 1994 six member societies had ICEC-accredited certification programs: AACE, ACostE, AFITEP, AICE, CEASA, NFP, SMIEFC. In addition, DACE had established an academic degree program in cost engineering, and ACostE had successfully established a route to Chartered Engineer status through its affiliation to the Engineering Council of the United Kingdom.

In May 1995 AIQS hosted a regional symposium at Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia at which time plans were developed for the creation of a fourth ICEC region to serve the Asia-Pacific nations. Dennis Lenard, with the support of AIQS, agreed to coordinate the development of the new region and to encourage other cost societies in the region to participate in ICEC.

Council met in Guadalajara, Mexico at the 14th International Congress in 1996 where two new member societies--NZIQS (New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors) and BSI (Building Surveyors Institute) of Japan--were welcomed. At the same meeting, because of financial restraints and communications difficulties, FEPIEC changed its status from membership to a "coordinating relationship," although it remained active in the Pan-American sphere.

The new Region IV's leaders quickly developed plans for a Pacific Rim symposium in Hong Kong in May 1996. The symposium was held in conjunction with a meeting of the Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors whose membership included AIQS, BSI, HKIS (Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors), SISV (Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers) and ISM (Institution of Surveyors, Malaysia). Subsequent to the symposium HKIS submitted its ICEC membership application, and both SISV and ISM indicated they were also considering membership. In addition, immediately following the symposium, an ICEC/PAQS delegation traveled to Shanghai, China and met with Chinese officials who were in the process of forming a construction cost management society.

The other rapidly expanding area was eastern Europe. With the change from government-run industrial systems to more privatized systems has come a new appreciation of the role of cost engineering. As Council guest Andrew Gale remarked during a Region II meeting in Budapest (October 1995), estimating, tendering and bidding, cost and project controls during construction, and even the term cost engineering, were all new concepts in eastern Europe. Meetings between ICEC delegations and nationals have taken place in Budapest, Hungary; St. Petersburg, Russia; Omsk, Siberia; and Vilnius, Lithuania.

Later Years, 1997- Present

The growth and expansion of ICEC has continued. Kenneth Humphreys continued to serve as the ICEC Secretary-Treasurer and to provide secretarial services until 2006 when he handed over the reins to Dr. Peter Smith at the 2006 Congress in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Two years earlier the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors agreed to take over the secretariat of ICEC and Ken Humphreys worked with AIQS and Peter Smith for a two-year period to insure a smooth handover at Ljubljana. He continued to assist Peter Smith and the Council in various supporting roles until 2011, finishing out 40 years of active participation in ICEC affairs.

Since 1996 ICEC has been privileged to have a number of distinguished professionals serve as Chairman; These are:

• Roger Batten, ACostE, United Kingdom
• Allen Hamilton, AACE, United States
• Dennis Lenard, AIQS, Australia
• Steven Boeschoten, DACE, The Netherlands
• JJP (Basie) Verster, ASAQS, South Africa
• Ginette Basak, AACE and AACE-Canada, Canada
• Peter Cox, AIQS, Australia
• Murtala Oladapo, NIQS, Nigeria

International Congresses have been held in:

• Guadalajara, Mexico - 1996;
• Rotterdam, The Netherlands - 1998;
• Calgary, Alberta, Canada - 2000;
• Melbourne, Australia - 2002;
• Cape Town, South Africa – 2004
• Ljubljana, Slovenia - 2006.
• Toronto, Ontario, Canada – 2008
• Singapore – 2010

Since 1997, a great many additional associations and institutes have become ICEC members including:

Region 1 – The Americas

• Grupo OFC Guia Referencial de Costos (GOGRC - Venezuela);
• Instituto Brasileiro de Engenharia de Custos (IBEC – Brazil);
• Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (CIQS) – Member 2000-2008;

Region 2 – Europe and Near East

• Asociación Española de Ingeniería de Proyectos (AEIPRO – Spain) – Member 2003-2006;
• Cyprus Association of Professional Quantity Surveyors;
• Hungarian Cost Engineering Club;
• Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (UK);
• Projekt Management Austria;
• Project Management Greece;
• Romanian Association of Cost Engineering;
• Russian Association of Cost Engineers – Member for a few years
• Swedish Project Management Society – Member 1984-2008;
• Project Management Association of Slovakia;
• Czech Association of Project Management;
• Slovenian Project Management Association (PM);

Region 3 - Africa

• QS Division, Ghana Institution of Surveyors;
• Institute of Namibian Quantity Surveyors;
• Institute of Quantity Surveyors of Kenya:
• Mauritius Association of Quantity Surveyors;
• Nigerian Institute of Appraisers and Cost Engineers;
• Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors;
• Project Management South Africa

Region 4 – Asia-Pacific

• Australian Cost Engineering Society
• Building Surveyor’s Institute of Japan
• China Engineering Cost Association
• Fiji Institute of Quantity Surveyors
• Institute of Project Managers Sri Lanka
• Institute of Quantity Surveyors Sri Lanka
• Institution of Surveyors, Malaysia
• Japan Society of Cost and Project Engineers
• Project Management Associates – India
• QS Division, Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers

With but a few exceptions as noted above, all of these associations and institutes have remained as active ICEC members.

The Future

At the present time, ICEC represents, through its member associations and institutes and their branches, over 70 countries spanning the globe and more than 100,000 cost engineering, project management and quantity surveying professionals. ICEC has matured as a global force in the cost management profession and works closely with other organizations of similar interests including the Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors (PAQS), the International Project Management Association (IPMA), the Africa Association of Quantity Surveyors (AAQS) and other regional organizations including NORDNET (Nordic countries) and SENET (South Eastern European countries). The future is bright for ICEC and the cost management profession.