May 20-21, 2019: CICA held its Spring General Assembly & Side events in Seoul at the invitation of the Construction Association of Korea (CAK)
CICA Spring General Assembly was held on May 21, 2019 at Doosan headquarters at the kind invitation of Tae Won Park, Doosan Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Overseas Committee at CAK. Philippe Dessoy (Belgium), EIC President and General manager of BESIX was elected as CICA Vice President. To be noticed also the participation as observers of Mr. Matthew Tee, Past President of the International Federation of Asian and Western Pacific Contractors’ Associations (IFAWPCA), and of Mr. Kenneth Loo, President of the Singapore Contractors Association Ltd. (SCAL).

CICA organized a conference on Construction 4.0 and Beyond. Speakers from the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, from the Construction & Economy Research Institute of Korea, but also the Chief Digital Officer of the Doosan Group, the Creative Director of Quantum Global Solutions and Past President of FIEC Jean-Louis Marchand discussed how to increase the productivity of the construction industry and how to include the societal dimension. Combined with the visit of the impressive Samsung Smart Home and of a Doosan complex, it was an inspiring demonstration of Korea’s construction sector capacities of innovation and creativity. B to B meetings were also organized with Korean companies and institutions.

Learn more: http://www.cica.net/cica-general-assembly-seminar-seoul-may-20-21-2019/

October 6-10, 2019: CICA participated in the 26th World Road Congress in Abu Dhabi
Michel Démarre, Chairman of the CICA working group on Well-Prepared Projects organized and moderated a session on “Promoting a culture of transparency and integrity in transport administrations” at the 26th World Road Congress in Abu Dhabi. The World Road Association (PIARC) decided to set up a task force on Well-Prepared Projects for the next 2 years. It is assumed that the newly established PIARC Task Force 1.1 on Well-Prepared Projects, which started the works in the first quarter of 2020, is also an opportunity for PIARC to reach out to external organizations on topics related to good governance.

Learn more: http://www.cica.net/cica-intervention-at-the-26th-world-road-congress-promoting-a-culture-of-transparency-and-integrity-in-transport-administrations/

December 12-13, 2019: CICA held its General Assembly & Side Events in Paris
The Autumn General Assembly welcomed a new member: the Israeli Builders Association (IBA). It is also to be highlighted that the CICA position paper on Construction 4.0 was released. Read the document: http://www.cica.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Construction-4.0-Final-Position-Paper.pdf

In the margins of the General Assembly, CICA organized a conference on Construction Disputes Resolution. High level representatives from the Dispute Resolution Board Foundation (DRBF) were invited to clarify the role of the Dispute Avoidance and Adjudication Boards as descibed in the new FIDIC contracts. Two speakers from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) presented the ICC arbitration possibilities. The question of the financing of arbitration was also addressed by Pinsent Masons and Augusta Ventures’representatives, with a focus on third-parties funding.

Learn more and access the presentations: http://www.cica.net/cica-general-assembly-seminar-in-paris-december-12-13-2019/

December 2019: CICA published a study on: « Why do we need to rethink the methods for socio-economic assessment of infrastructure projects? A survey of the academic literature and business implications » by Jeanne Amar, PhD
The CICA working group on Long Term Financing of Infrastructure under the Chairmanship of Roger Fiszelson supported the development of the study, with the financial support from FNTP, on the new methods for socio-economic assessment of infrastructure projects. This study is part of a complete programme to be developed by CICA.

Read the study and learn more: http://www.cica.net/study-why-should-we-rethink-the-socio-economic-assessment-methods-for-infrastructure-projects/

February 12, 2020: CICA was invited to take part in the Multilateral Development Banks’ Heads of Procurement meeting
CICA has been following up the next steps following the non-renewal of the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs)’ license with FIDIC for the use of the Pink Book, Construction Harmonized Contract. In the post-Pink Book era, MDBs’Heads of Procurement (HoP) are sharing some common views, in particular on the need to reinforce Social and Environmental requirements, in a broad sense including also Gender, Health and Safety issues. However, there is no such harmonization in terms of procurement documents (as it was the case with the Pink Book). This may increase the confusion for the Contractors, and CICA will also continue to discuss bilaterally with each Bank the procurement procedures in details.

CICA has regular contacts with the World Bank’s Chief Procurement Officer Enzo de Laurentiis, in particular about the World Bank’s new clauses on Gender Based Violence and the use of Dispute Boards.

With regard to other MDBs activities, CICA participated in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s Annual Meeting in Luxembourg on July 12-13. Learn more: http://www.cica.net/asian-infrastructure-investment-bank-aiib-2019-annual-meeting-luxembourg-july-12-13-2019-2/

The African Development Bank invited CICA to attend African Public Procurement Network – Innovative Approaches to Public Procurement on November 13-17 in Dakar. Learn more: http://www.cica.net/african-public-procurement-network-innovative-approaches-to-public-procurement-dakar/

February 26, 2020: CICA participated in “Construction 4.0 by Contech” inTel Aviv
Cecilia Cavedo, Manager Development & Integration, Argentine Chamber of Construction and Fanny Dastugue, Director General of CICA, represented CICA in the event. Representatives of the Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing highlighted the very substantive impact of construction on any economy and its role in the sustainability and quality of life of citizens. Taking construction from a highly conservative to a data and technology driven industry, Contech is seen as the next growth engine of the Israeli economy. Digitization for decarbonization but also for optimization of time, reduced costs and increased safety in construction: these are the different goals of technological unicorns which took part in the Demo Session.

Learn more: http://www.cica.net/construction-4-0-by-contech-in-tel-aviv-on-february-26-2020/

March-April 2020:
CICA is following closely the day to day evolution of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the construction sector worldwide.

Learn more: http://www.cica.net/cica-covid-19-overview/