CIQS Congress 2019 recap

60 years strong

By Alexandra Parliament, CIQS PR & Marketing Consultant

Quebec City was the stunning backdrop for the 2019 CIQS Congress. It is one of North America’s oldest settlements and the oldest French-speaking city. Dating back to 1608, Old Quebec is a fortified city with stone buildings and narrow cobblestone streets lined with bistros, sidewalk cafes and quaint boutiques; and it has been deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It offers incredible views of Saint Lawrence River and thanks to some clear days, Congress delegates were able to see as far as the Laurentians from its famed Terrasse Dufferin. The city truly is a bit of old Europe right here at home.

With 60 delegates and 90 guests in total, of which 15% were under 40, Congress 2019 was a tremendous success. This was a special Congress not only as it celebrated the CIQS’s 60th anniversary, but also because it was held under our umbrella as one unified organization for the first time since all regions ratified their votes to become chapters managed by National. This new organizational structure enables CIQS to keep the pulse of the local grassroots while sharing a strong branding identity across the country and offering a more solid connection on a national platform for members from every region.

The 2018-2019 Board of Directors met for a day and a half to identify and discuss current industry and organizational issues including those items that formed part of the 2019-2022 Strategic Planning session, which was summarized in the Summer 2019 Edition of the Construction Economist.

The CIQS chair, David Dooks, reviewed the outcome of this brainstorming session during his Strategic Plan 2019-2022 presentation on Saturday morning. The ‘Big Picture’ sections identified by this three-year plan will all be implemented with the best interest of the organization and all its shareholders in mind. These four areas of focus were the CIQS Community Engagement Initiative, Education, the Identifying and Resolving Resource Deficiencies at the CIQS, and the Stakeholders Engagement Plan.

All four of the ‘Big Picture’ areas match up with the Mission and Vision developed during the Strategic Planning session.

MISSION

To promote the professional status and gainful employment of Institute members by maintaining high standards of competence and ethics, furthering their education, and encouraging the interchange of knowledge and fellowship with other industry professionals.

VISION

• Brand Awareness • Community • Optimize Value • Interdisciplinary Partnerships • Go-To Provider • Elevate Academic Standards Next step is for National staff to write an operational plan that outlines the processes required to accomplish the objectives set forth in the Strategic Plan.

AGM

The Annual General Meeting is a mandatory yearly meeting of CIQS members and shareholders where they are presented with an annual report of information about the previous year’s successes and the organization’s performance. This year’s Annual

General Meeting focused on the specific business aspects of the organization, such as the 2018-2019 audited financial statements and items up for a vote. An annual meeting package was distributed to all members prior to the meeting to allow sufficient time to review the material before voting in person or by proxy. Members with voting rights were asked to vote on the selection of auditors and the Slate of Directors as presented.

It is our pleasure to present this year’s Board of Directors as ratified at the AGM in Quebec City.

Executive Committee

• David Dooks, PQS(F) – Chair • Erin Brownlow, PQS –

Vice Chair/Treasurer • Sheila Lennon, CAE –

Executive Director

Directors

• Arif Ghaffur, PQS(F) • Wendy Hobbs, PQS(F) • Indu Elapatha, PQS • Jerry Crawford, PQS • Roger Ward, PQS(F) • Tammy Stockley, PQS • Wassim Sultani, ECA

Program overview

We kicked off Congress 2019 with a Welcome Reception held on the 23rd floor of Hilton Quebec, which offered stunning sunset views of the city. This event presented conference delegates with the chance to greet old friends and make new ones over a drink and delectable hors d’oeuvres in a social setting, prior to getting absorbed in the educational and business sessions of the conference. The Poutine station was to die for! To liven things up a bit, a local magician was invited to entertain our guests with some slight of hand illusions, which had many of us scratching our heads. All in all, it was the

The Canadian Association of Consulting Quantity Surveyors congratulates the CIQS on its 60 YEARS of leadership of the profession

www.cacqs.ca

“Live as you were to die tomorrow; Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Ghandi

perfect introduction to our 60th Anniversary Celebration-themed conference.

This year’s Congress program shifted more towards an education-focused event, interspersed with networking opportunities where delegates could connect or reconnect with professionals from various areas of the industry and the country. With members required to acquire 50 Continuing Professional Development points annually to maintain their CIQS designations, there is no better way to earn CPD points than at Congress where you can combine important networking with learning!

The 2019 Technical Sessions and Panel Discussions explored emerging industry practices, technology and soft skills that can be used in day-to-day operations. The Technical Program was planned in such a way that delegates were able to interact with the speakers and other industry professionals in an environment conducive to asking questions, sharing best practices and business anecdotes, while connecting with mentors and growing one’s network. Translators were brought in for the majority of the conference to allow our Frenchspeaking shareholders and speakers to participate in our educational and business sessions in their language of choice.

The networking events include refreshment breaks, a welcome reception, the Chair’s reception and dinner, a networking lunch as well as the AGM and farewell breakfasts.

Technical Session One

Prompt Payment & Adjudication: Sweeping Reforms Gather Momentum

Speaker: Antoine Aurelis is a Director at Lakeland Consulting, a provider of Commercial Management Expertise with over 25 years of international experience during the pre-contract and delivery phases of complex projects in the public/private sectors. In his role, he has provided advisory services on high profile projects across Canada.

Antoine’s presentation discussed prompt payment reforms across Canada and offered background information into how the reform process began, current practices and incoming reforms. The presentation also delved into the global perspective on prompt payment and interim dispute resolution, how prompt payment will affect the construction industry, as well as the fundamentals of statutory adjudication and its potential challenges. Technical Session Two

Analytical Approach to Problem Solving

Speaker: Michael Zegarelli is a Director with BTY Group and has ten years of industry experience, of which he spent over seven years working with Public Private Partnership projects in Canada, US, and Europe. During this time,

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Michael discussed the use of optimal methodologies in the analysis, processing and interpretation of information for the purpose of problem solving. He showed how it can be applied to both workplace and everyday situational tasks and how you can mitigate risks without falling victim to cognitive biases.

Technical Session Three

International Construction Measurements Standards (ICMS) – 2nd Edition

Speaker: Roy Howes is Fluor’s Minerals & Metals (M&M) Functional Estimating Lead and Project Controls and Estimating Department Manager in Vancouver, where he ensures consistency and quality in all capital cost estimates produced, benchmarking and working on developing Fluor’s global mining capabilities from a project controls and estimating perspective.

Roy took us down a historical road to highlight why ICMS was adopted and how it has evolved into the standard we know today prior to explaining ICMS in the context of construction costs, problems we encounter when dealing with international construction costs, and the aims and benefits of using ICMS 1st vs 2nd editions. This presentation offered a better understanding of how adopting the ICMS standard benefits professional consultants in the construction industry globally. Technical Session Four

Promoting Collective Intelligence by Developing People (French presentation)

Speaker: Catherine Privé is President and CEO of Alia Consulting and has been a partner for over 20 years. She is a social psychologist specialized in organizational analysis and development. As president, she works to broaden the company’s profile and visibility by presenting at conferences, writing articles, executing policy mandates, sitting on various

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin

boards of directors, taking part in professional association activities, and conducting interviews.

Catherine shared best practices when developing and motivating staff. Her presentation focused on strategies that will help leaders develop the collective intelligence within their teams as a way to leverage their talent and make staff feel more efficient and valued in the workplace.

Technical Session Five

Earned Value Management: If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it

Speaker: Alain Gregoire, P.Eng, ing, PMP is the Vice President Eastern Canada at Colliers Project Leaders and is a fully bilingual professional who draws upon more than 25 years of project management and municipal engineering experience in delivering major infrastructure projects for public and private sector clients. He has accumulated a wealth of experience on various transportation, transit, water and wastewater projects.

Earned Value Management (EVM) delivers objective, quantitative, consistent performance metrics and strengthened oversight. Alain’s presentation reviewed how EVM has the potential to identify and deliver exactly what clients need as well as why EVM is unique as it measures actual work accomplished (earned) compared to the planned budget.

Panel discussion

The sixth and final technical session of the day was an interactive panel discussion focused on emerging technologies, specifically Data, Data Standards, and Analytics to Improve Cost Estimation – Role of ICMS. The panel highlighted how organizations can enhance the overall estimation process and its accuracy by using historical cost data and analytics. The panel discussed the role of standards such as the International Construction Measurement Standards (ICMS) in the enhancement process. They also debated issues related to harnessing the power of cost data that sits idly in an organization’s estimating system, cost management and procurement systems.

Moderator: Anil Sawhney – Director of the Infrastructure Sector at RICS

Panellists:

Susan Neil, PQS(F), MRICS – Executive Vice President at Hanscomb

Scott Wilkinson, MRICS, PMP, PQS – Director at BTY Group

Glenn Hultzer, B.SC (QS), MRICS – Partner at A.W. Hooker

Roy Howes, PQS(F) – Director Estimating at Fluor, Mining & Metals (M&M)

Chair’s Reception and Dinner and CIQS 60th Anniversary Celebration

It was our true pleasure to welcome over 70 guests to this year’s Chair’s Reception and Dinner at Hilton Quebec. It was an evening of good friends, great food and wonderful entertainment where we had a blast from the past as we received a visit from famous founders who offered us an interactive and hilarious lesson in the history of Quebec City.

Lois Metcalfe Fellowship Awards

This year’s Lois Metcalfe Fellowship Awards were presented during Congress 2019 to the following worthy recipients: • Michael Gabert, PQS(F) • Sudhir Jha, CEC(F) • Arif Ghaffur, PQS(F)

Gordon Pattison Award of Merit

This is awarded to a CIQS member for outstanding service to the CIQS that has helped build our organization into the successful Institute it is today. It was David Dook’s great pleasure to present the 2019 Gordon Pattison Award of Merit to Roger Ward, PQS(F). As an award recipient, Mr. Ward has joined a very long list of prominent CIQS members which dates back all the way to 1975 when Gordon Pattison and Frank Helyar received the first awards under this category.

Clive Evans Living Golf Tournament

A small group of members spent Saturday afternoon on the links fighting for the top prize at this year’s Clive Evans Living Golf Tournament. The awards were presented during the Chair’s Dinner.

Congratulations to our 2019 Award Winners!

Thank you to our generous sponsors of this year’s Congress.

Their support made it possible for us to bring those special extras such as the branded lanyards, Congress-specific hotel keys, the YQS on-site program, the Chair’s Dinner entertainment, incredible dessert, printed onsite program, and the delectable refreshment breaks.

Chair’s Dinner Sponsor

Altus Group Limited is a leading provider of software, data solutions, and independent advisory services to the global commercial real estate industry. Their businesses, Altus Analytics and Altus Expert Services, reflect decades of experience, a range of expertise, and technology-enabled capabilities. Their solutions empower clients to analyze, gain insight and recognize value on their real estate investments. Headquartered in Canada, they have approximately 2,500 employees around the world, with operations in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Their clients include some of the world’s largest commercial real estate

industry participants. Altus Group pays a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share and their shares are traded on TSX under the symbol AIF.

Hotel Key & YQS Program Sponsor

As a privately owned independent consultancy, the strength of BTY’s expertise and multi-perspective insight is critical to why owners, investors, developers, and builders trust their professionals to always work toward the greater good of the project. Over the past four decades, they have built a growthfocused business that routinely invests in continuous learning and development and technological innovation to provide solutions best suited for each project and its environment. They are a company of professionals who are fluent in multiple languages and multiple technical disciplines related to real estate and infrastructure development globally.

Lanyard Sponsor

Technical Session

Onsite Program Refreshment Breaks

Looking for a way to become more involved with your organization but don’t have the time to volunteer? Consider a Congress sponsorship! Email marketing@ciqs.org to get your company added to the sponsorship distribution list to ensure you do not miss out on the Congress 2020 sponsorship opportunities which will be made available later this fall.

YQS Bursary Program

The David Lai YQS Congress Bursary Program offers Associates, CEC and PQS members – under 40 years of age in good standing with the CIQS – the opportunity to attend Congress, all expenses paid. Six packages are available each year, one from every chapter. This program is a great opportunity for our younger members to attend Congress and increase their network, while the CIQS gains a new avenue to attract and mentor the next generation of quantity surveyors.

This year’s YQS Bursary Recipients are: • Gabriel Esu, PQS – British Columbia

Chapter • Sami Moufti, PQS – Prairies and NWT

Chapter • Daniel Josiah, PQS – Ontario Chapter • Elodie Brugnone, Associate – Quebec

Chapter • Alexander Ing, Associate –

Newfoundland & Labrador

YQS Bursary recipients were invited to a Meet & Greet on the first day of Congress along with all other ‘under 40’ delegates as an ice breaker for them to get to know one another in a more intimate setting than the official Welcome Reception.

We also organized a special outing to the Stadacone Distillery as part of the YQS Program where they went behind the scenes to learn how their spirits are made. First, however, they had to participate in a flash puzzle game where they were whisked aboard an ocean-going vessel back in the early days of global exploration. Their captain suddenly became gravely ill and the ship’s supplies started to run dry. It then became the shipmates’ (our YQS’s) responsibility to find a solution to get them back to terra firma in order to save the ship and the captain.

Land Ho!

Finally, we wish to extend our thanks to the Congress Committee that worked diligently throughout the year to plan such a successful, educational and inspirational event.

• Amanda White, PQS – Technical

Session Chair • Wassim Sultani, ECA, ing, M.Ing, PMP – Quebec Representative • Sheila Lennon, CAE –

Executive Director • Patrice Beaulieu, Web Administrator • Alexandra Parliament, PR/Marketing

We hope to see you all at Congress 2020 in Winnipeg, MB on July 9-12!

CIQS 2019 Congress, Quebec City

It was indeed a pleasure to attend the CIQS 2019 congress being held in beautiful Quebec City – my first visit and a truly memorable one. My participation started with the Young

Quantity Surveyors meet and greet on the evening of Thursday, July 25th where I met the other bursary recipients and Young Quantity Surveyors. Following the meet and greet was the welcome reception where I met many delegates from across Canada. It was great to meet the organizers of this event including members of the CIQS Board who had traveled in from different locations to attend the event and participate in board meetings.

The following day (Friday), I attended all-day technical sessions led by experts on broad range of subjects, including topical aspects such as prompt payment, international construction measurement standards, followed by moderated panel discussions, where key experts evoking much intellectual exchange. All in all, these sessions provided insightful knowledge with active participation from an engaged audience. Presentations were in English or French, with a way of interpretation.

The key highlights of the technical sessions included: • The evolution and importance of prompt payment and the impact on the construction industry. • The significance of analytical approaches to problem-solving contrasted with cognitive biases. • Ongoing developments in international construction measurement standards. “In addition to meeting new people, I was fortunate to learn many new technical aspects as I continue my journey as a professional Quantity Surveyor.”

• Nurturing and leveraging talent within teams to realise untapped productivity. • Importance of tracking project performance by using earned value management. Following the technical sessions, there was an evening social activity for Young Quantity Surveyors held at the Stadaconé Distillery. This was an excellent opportunity for attendees to get to know each other in a relaxed and fun environment. We were given a tour of the distillery, specialising in gin; with a unique aspect as they have incorporated an escape room activity within the tour. It was also great having Sheila Lennon, CIQS Executive Director, and David Dooks, the CIQS Chair, participate in what was a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Saturday started with breakfast and the Annual General Meeting which preceded the Strategic Plan Session. These morning sessions were well attended as the CIQS Board and Executive Director provided an update on governance aspects to reflect some recent changes at the CIQS and the formation of a forwardlooking strategic plan. The afternoon was clear for delegates to spend time as they wished with there being an opportunity for golfers to participate in the Clive Evans Living Golfing Tournament. The evening was taken up by the Chair’s Reception and Dinner at which lighthearted entertainment linked Quebec culture and history together.

In summary, attending the CIQS 2019 Congress in Quebec City was a positive sharing and learning experience. In addition to meeting new people, I was fortunate to learn many new technical aspects as I continue my journey as a professional Quantity Surveyor. I would like to thank the CIQS for providing me this opportunity and a happy 60th anniversary. This is an exciting time for construction economists in Canada as the CIQS goes from strength to strength.

About the author

Daniel Josiah, BSc (Hons), PgDip, PQS, MRICS, ACIArb, GSC, is Director of Commercial & Contracts with Lakeland Consulting Inc., where he provides services to a wide range of clients in the private and public sectors on pre-contract, delivery, and contract closeouts. Daniel is also a 2019 YQS Bursary Recipient.

Rapport Congrès 2019

Le Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, ou Institut Canadien des Économistes en construction, organise chaque année un congrès afin de rassembler ses délégués. 2019 est une année particulière puisque le CIQS fête ses 60 ans. Chaque année, le programme de bourse David Lai Young Quantity Surveyor permet à un membre YQS (associé, ECC ou ECA), de chaque région et âgé de moins de 40 ans, de remporter un forfait pour participer au congrès tous frais payés.

Actuellement estimatrice en architecture junior chez MACOGEP, je suis en parallèle des cours en ligne sur les contrats et le code du bâtiment au Canada, en vue d’obtenir la certification ÉCC (Économiste en Construction Certifié). Grâce à cette bourse, j’ai pu participer au congrès de cette année à Québec, une occasion en or pour moi d’élargir mon réseau de connaissances dans le domaine de l’économie de la construction.

Tout le monde a été très accueillant dès mon arrivée lors de la « rencontre du groupe YQS », malgré les différentes langues parlées. Nous avons tout de suite commencé à partager sur nos carrières et entreprises respectives, à se poser des questions sur les projets en cours, nos tâches et responsabilités. Puis nous avons discuté à propos de nos régions et villes de provenance, ainsi que de nos origines. Étant française beaucoup de questions m’ont été posée sur les différences entre les modes de construction et d’estimation selon nos deux pays. Ce fut une occasion fantastique de faire la connaissance de membres de chaque région du Canada, mais également de Mexico et des Bahamas.

L’organisation autour des YQS était vraiment appréciée, puisqu’elle nous a permis de nous retrouver pour faire collectivement des activités amusantes, comme la visite d’une distillerie, avec une dégustation à la fin et un « escape game ». Ceci nous a permis de rire ensemble, de nous retrouver dans un cadre différent et de créer des liens. Le groupe YQS continue d’interagir ensemble grâce à l’application Whatsapp.

Les séances techniques ont été très enrichissantes et instructives, les idées qui ont été énoncées me serviront tout au long de ma carrière. Le secteur de la construction étant en perpétuel changement, nous avons besoin de séances informatives comme celles-ci afin de partager avec nos pairs, les nouvelles technologies, les nouveaux processus ou encore comment favoriser l’intelligence collective.

Ce fut une fin de semaine formidable de part ses séances techniques de qualité et magnifique grâce à la diversité des membres y participant. Un tel réseautage au sein de notre industrie, ne serait pas faisable sans notre association professionnelle commune qu’est l’Institut Canadien des Économistes de la Construction (CIQS).

L’expérience a été enrichissante et pleine de rencontres, merci encore à la bourse David Lai YQS qui m’a permis d’y prendre part. J’espère pouvoir participer au congrès l’année prochaine à Winnipeg.

A propos de l'auteur

Elodie Brugnone a étudié l'économie de la construction en France et travaillé pour une société de gestion de projets pendant trois ans. Elle a ensuite choisie d'élargir ses horizons en voyageant à travers l'Asie, l'Australie et la Nouvelle-Zélande pour une période de cinq ans. Elodie habite à Montréal depuis janvier 2018. Elle a travaillé pour une entreprise de maçonnerie en tant qu'estimatrice de projet durant une année, pour ensuite devenir estimatrice en architecture chez MACOGEP, et ce, depuis janvier 2019. Aujourd'hui, Elodie continue sa progression au sein de l'entreprise MACOGEP tout en étudiant afin d'obtenir la certification ECC dans un premier temps, puis la certification ÉCA dans une second temps.

De gauche à droite: Juan Carlos Castanon, Mexico; Aniqua Strachan, Bahamas; Gabriel Esu, Vancouver; Elodie Brugnone, Montréal.

Happy 60th Anniversary CIQS!

Andrew Heal J.D., LL.M. Partner Certified Specialist Construction Law Catherine DiMarco LL.B. Partner Certified Specialist Construction Law Damon Stoddard LL.B., LL.M. Partner

www.healandco.com

Phone: 416.583.5900 Toll Free: 1.877.978.6566