September 2023: Revival of the trilateral meetings between Multilateral Development Banks – FIDIC – CICA/EIC
At the initiative of CICA, trilateral meetings between Multilateral Development Banks, FIDIC, and CICA/EIC were organized in Asia in September 2023, during the FIDIC Conference in Singapore on 10-12 September and the MDBs Heads of Procurement Meeting in Manila on 13-15 September. The President of CICA, Philippe Dessoy, and the Chairman of the MDBs working group, Richard Touroude, expressed the views of the contractors at the HoPs. They discussed the following topics: how to deal with the inflation and increased costs of construction projects, sustainable infrastructure and rated criteria in MDBs Procurement, and the use of FIDIC contracts in MDBs-funded projects and the harmonization of the “Conditions of Particular Application”.
Philippe Dessoy, CICA President, FIDIC Global Infrastructure Conference, Singapore 2023
10-13 October 2023: CICA in Marrakesh
The CICA President and Director-General were in Marrakesh at the invitation of the Emerging Market Forum (EMF). The EMF Forum took place on the margins of the World Bank & IMF annual meetings. The World Bank’s new vision was endorsed: “Ending poverty on a livable planet.” The World Bank aims to be better (more efficient – creation of a new Vice Presidency on Digitization) and bigger (increase in capital). CICA took the opportunity to meet with the President and Vice-President of the Fédération Nationale du Bâtiment et des Travaux Publics du Maroc (FNBTP). Since January 2024, the FNBTP has been a member of CICA.
Fanny Dastugue, CICA Director General, and Philippe Dessoy, CICA President, Emerging Markets Forum, Marrakesh, 2023
October 2023: CICA at the Abu Dhabi PPP Forum by WAPPP
CICA President, Philippe Dessoy, was in Abu Dhabi for the PPP Forum, organized by the World Association of PPP Units and Professionals (WAPPP), in the margins of the UNCTAD World Investment Forum. The PPP community gathered for two days, providing an opportunity for the CICA President to share key messages from the construction sector:
- Contractors are keen to de-risk their projects.
- Contractors need well-prepared projects that are bankable.
- The cost of preparing PPP offers is usually very high, limiting competition; therefore, clients should compensate unsuccessful contractors.
- Contractors and investors prefer developing PPP projects in countries with stable exchange rates.
Philippe Dessoy, CICA President, PPP Forum, WAPPP, Abu Dhabi, 2023.
November 2023: CICA’s Annual Mission to Washington DC
A CICA delegation, led by CICA President, Philippe Dessoy, and FIIC President, Ivan Szcech, met with: World Bank Procurement, Transport, Infrastructure & PPIAF, MIGA, International Finance Corporation, Inter-American Development Bank, US Chamber of Commerce.
The main outputs were the creation of a joint working group between the World Bank Procurement Team and CICA/EIC (European International Contractors) to discuss the implementation of the rated criteria in WB-financed projects; the confirmed interest of the Inter-American Development Bank to have regular meetings with CICA; the confirmed interest of the IFC to work with CICA on the coordination for the alignment of the sector with the requirements of the Paris Agreement.
CICA Mission to the World Bank, the Interamerican Development Bank, and the International Finance Corporation, 2023.
Since November 2023: A strong collaboration with CoST, the initiative for Transparency in Infrastructure
CICA and CoST published a joint Position Paper which was presented in Washington and titled “Tackling Inefficiency, Mismanagement and Corruption in Infrastructure Investment”. Later, CoST invited CICA to be part of the knowledge partners session at the OECD Global Anticorruption and Integrity Forum on 27 March.
Main messages:
- Experienced contractors bid less and less for major MDBs-financed projects;
- More risk-averse behavior of the contractors and a reputational risk for the company;
- Tendances to apply a low-cost selection in procurement processes;
- Lack of reciprocity in the procedures of the MDBs in terms of bribery;
- Need for good preparation of the projects, digital collaborative technologies and strengthening capacities;
- Need to extend the harmonization of MDBs policies on good governance and anti-corruption to include as much focus on passive corruption as there is on active corruption:
- Positive feedback was received during the session, in particular from AsDB.
Link: CICACoST-V1-1.pdf
CICA Mission to the World Bank, the Interamerican Development Bank, and the International Finance Corporation, 2023.
November 2023: CICA and IFAWPCA signed a Memorandum of Understanding
The Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal (FCAN) hosted the 46th IFAWPCA convention on “Partnering in Sustainable Infrastructure”.
Invited to join for this 4-day event, Philippe Dessoy, CICA President, stated that "Climate change will have profound impacts on a broad spectrum of infrastructure systems (water supply, energy, sanitation and drainage, transport and telecommunication), services (including health care and emergency services), the built environment and ecosystem services. Because of the threat posed by climate change, infrastructure must not only meet the need of economic growth, but of sustainable economic growth. The infrastructure must be resilient to the effects of climate change and must minimally emit GHGs".
Sustainable infrastructure and, in particular, the resilience of infrastructure to climate change and natural disasters are of strong interest to CICA and IFAWPCA. This convention was the opportunity to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between CICA and IFAWPCA.
CICA and IFAWPCA – signature of Memorandum of Understanding, Nepal, 2023.
December 2023: CICA – FIEC – EIC Joint Conference
On 7th December in Paris, FIEC, EIC and CICA organised a Joint Conference on "Sustainable finance for Quality Infrastructure and Housing”. Moderated by Valérie David, Director of the Sustainable Transition at the FNTP, the first session was dedicated to the European taxonomy and its impact on the construction sector. Important testimonies were shared by SEOPAN (Spain) and ICOP (Italy) on its application.
The European Commission, the European Parliament and the French Banking Federation also presented interesting views on the topics. The second session focused on the alignment of Multilateral Development Banks to the Paris Agreement goals and its impact on the construction sector. The OECD, the EBRD and the AFD shared their Banks' respective progress on this issue, and the measures put in place to improve their alignment.
The discussion ended with a presentation by IFC (International Finance Corporation) on the EDGE certification and the Building Resilience Index, tools that contribute to the sustainable financing of infrastructure and buildings. Philip Crampton, FIEC President, Frank Kehlenbach, EIC Director and Philippe Dessoy, CICA President, had the honour to open, introduce and close the seminar.
CICA – FIEC – EIC Joint Conference “Sustainable finance for Quality Infrastructure and Housing”, Paris, 2023.
February 2024:
CICA and the GIH - Global Infrastructure Hub’s annual webinar
CICA had the pleasure to welcome the Global Infrastructure Hub, to present their latest Infrastructure Monitor Report 2023.
Key take-aways?
➡ A significant recovery in private investments in infrastructure projects in 2022, surpassing pre-COVID-19 levels with a 29% increase in transactions and a 41% rise in value compared to the five-year average, was reported. The resurgence was attributed to recovery trends, growth in energy transmission, digital infrastructure, and large airport transactions. However, 2023 experienced a decline in capital raised, indicating dynamic shifts influenced by economic conditions.
➡ Disparities in private investment across low-middle-high income countries continued, with high-income countries attracting most of the global private infrastructure investment. Investment was particularly strong in North America and Western Europe, driven by sectors like transport, with notable projects in the U.S. and Canada. This increase was supported by policy measures such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in the U.S.
➡ Investments in renewables, particularly solar energy, showed strong momentum towards cleaner energy in 2022/2023. The growth in sectors outside of traditional renewables, such as energy transmission and battery storage projects, indicates a diversification in green investments.
CICA and Global Infrastructure Hub, “Infrastructure Monitor 2023” webinar, 2024.
7-8th March: CICA was at the Buildings and Climate Global Forum
The Buildings and Climate Global Forum, co-organised by France and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with the support of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, took place on 7-8 March 2024 in Paris.
The Forum gathered for the first time ministers and high-level representatives of key organisations, to initiate a new impetus in international collaboration for building decarbonisation and resilience after the Conference of the Parties (COP) 28.
Over 1200 participants were expected. Many sessions on key topics, CEO and ministerial roundtables, plenary meetings, solution exhibitions, and pitches provided the opportunity to exchange, network and work together. Governments were invited to endorse a common declaration outlining common principles and cooperation framework for global efforts to achieve decarbonisation and climate change resilience in the buildings sector.
All stakeholders of the buildings sector were invited to disclose specific engagements to support the Forum’s ambition. The Forum concluded with the adoption by representatives of 70 countries of the Declaration de Chaillot, a foundational document for international cooperation that will enable progress towards a rapid, fair, and effective transition of the sector.
Buildings and Climate Global Forum, Paris, 2024.
April 2024: CICA was in Washington DC for its Spring General Assembly
CICA's yearly mission to Washington DC was between 29th April and 2nd May 2nd. Meetings with the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank Transport Practice, the World Bank Infrastructure Global Practice, the Global Infrastructure Facility and the Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility were organised. 15 members participated, from Latin America, North Africa, and Europe. Procurement policies and implementation of rated criteria, ESG safeguards, integrity etc. were on the agendas.
On 1st May, CICA organised a Joint Workshop with the Dispute Resolution Board Foundation, in the margins of their International Conference: the opportunity to learn more about Dispute Board usage and share the contractors' views about it.
CICA’s General Assembly & Mission to Washington, 2024.
June 2024: CICA joined the NEC Annual Conference in London
The opening words were given by Dr. Janet Young, Director General of the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) who highlighted the collaborative and innovative aspects of the NEC contracts. Attending the conference was an opportunity for CICA to learn more about the NEC 4 Suite of Contracts and hear about the journeys of public authorities who decided to use NEC for their projects like in Peru, in Hong Kong etc. The Building and Construction Authority of Singapore also presented their pipeline of projects that may be executed with a NEC contract.
In addition to the plenary sessions, workshops were organised: CICA Director General Fanny Dastugue and Multilateral Development Banks Working Group Chairman Richard Touroude participated in the one on Early Contractors Involvement (ECI), which is an innovative and appreciated feature of the NEC contracts. ECI can be a way of de-risking complex infrastructure projects and CICA encourages the use of ECI contracts for such projects.
To know:
CICA and NEC will launch their webinar series by the end of September 2024. An opportunity to learn more about NEC contracts, via 4 webinars, until December 2024. The first episode will introduce the NEC Suite of Contracts. Follow CICA’s platform not to miss any news.
Fanny Dastugue, CICA Director General, NEC Annual Conference, London, 2024.
July 2024: First episode of CICA and DRBF – Dispute Resolution Board Foundation webinar series
CICA and DRBF, Dispute Board Resolution Foundation, quick off their webinar series on Dispute Boards (DB) on 24th July, 2024, with the "Concept and Construction Sector Insights in Dispute Board Practice". The DB is a board of impartial and experienced professionals formed at the beginning of the project to follow the progress of the construction, encourage dispute avoidance and assist in the resolution of the dispute for the duration of the project.
This webinar was an opportunity to hear about the Employer, the Contractor and the Engineer point of views, when it comes to DB usage. Enhanced trust, value for money along the project life-cycle, and parity between the parties were among the benefits mentioned.
CICA and DRBF (Dispute Resolution Board Foundation)’s webinar series,
“Concept and Construction Sector Insights in Dispute Board Practice", 2024.
September 2024: CICA’s Mission to the African Development Bank and side events
From 17th to 20th September, CICA had the opportunity to meet with the African Development Bank Procurement, Integrity and Transport departments. CICA participated in the African Transport Forum, organised by the AFDB Transport division. On the third and final day of the Forum, CICA hosted a side event with EIC and DRBF, on “Collaborative approach for Sustainable Transport Projects in Africa”.
The central theme of the workshop will be how to procure and execute sustainable transport projects in Africa with a multi-stakeholder’s perspective. Its aim is to promote a new procurement approach for more efficiency in terms of Value for Money and time to deliver resilient infrastructure, considering the whole life cycle of the projects and implementing mechanisms to avoid disputes.