Strategic Plan update

Update on the FIDIC Strategic Plan 2020-2024

In 2020, FIDIC launched its new and improved Strategic Plan following consultation with stakeholders. Whilst this is not the end of the journey for this Strategic Plan, it is however, important to take stock, consider the past few years, ask if the plan is still fit for purpose and consider the trajectory towards the next iteration.

Structure of the plan

The latest Strategic Plan for the first time placed a greater emphasis on FIDIC’s priorities, with goals and outcomes and their effects on industry, member associations and wider industry all being considered.

To do this FIDIC, following consultation, has developed ten headline areas as follows:

1. Service delivery 2. Secretariat and regionalisation 3. Integrity 4. Contracts 5. Credentialing 6. FCCE and China 7. Sustainability 8. Technology 9. Quality 10. CEO Club and advocacy

Within each of these headline areas, FIDIC has defined five key goals, which are then considered against the following benchmarks: • The main actors they affect (FIDIC, the industry and member associations) • FIDIC’s main priorities (if goals do not meet our overarching priorities such activity should be reassessed) • Current performance (provides a view on FIDIC’s current activity) • Timeline and targets (outlines timelines and ambitions over the Strategic Plan)

As well as the main plan being published, FIDIC also produced several appendices which outline FIDIC’s performance against its last strategic plan, financial projections over the plan period and a detailed explanation of how the goals are affected across the various stakeholders, members and FIDIC itself.

Reflections and moving forward

Having recapped the structure of the plan, it is now important to consider the past two years and the developments that have taken place. At its meeting in Singapore earlier this year, the FIDIC board dedicated a day to discuss the strategic plan and FIDIC’s strategic direction. The meeting considered several vital areas, including industry drivers, strategic intent, three-to-five-year aspirations, challenges, opportunities, the next two years and a review of the current plan.

Are we on track?

It was felt that the strategic plan was on track and that many of the items reported in the plan were developing along the envisaged timescales. There was, however, some discussion about how some activity has had to adapt due to the Covid pandemic, for example the experience of two years of online conferences and webinars. As you will see from this year’s annual report, FIDIC continues to achieve its ambitions within the plan, notwithstanding the challenges of Covid.

What have we achieved / improved?

As part of its two-year journey, FIDIC has made significant improvements in the delivery of its output. The webinar series for Covid was a substantive success and the committee webinars continue to be delivered in 2022. As we transition back towards in-person or hybrid conferences, new systems have been put in place to allow for the internal delivery of all FIDIC events in a far more efficient manner, providing a better user experience for members.

Policy and advocacy has seen the establishment of the Global Leadership Forum, communications and marketing continues to reach a wider audience and the link with Infrastructure Global is providing FIDIC and its members with a significantly wider platform. The FIDIC contract suite continues to evolve as new contracts and the FIDIC guide are in development in several task groups and translations continue. FIDIC now has its core offering in four of the five key languages.

Training is also a significant area of improvement where new systems have been put in place allowing FIDIC to help capacity building across the sector using both a mix of online and in-person technologies.

Is the plan still relevant?

Overall the plan was considered to still be relevant and an important document in ensuring FIDIC not only undertakes the activity it said it would, but that it also does not stray into new initiatives which could impact on its core performance or purpose. The plan has been robust and flexible enough to withstand a global pandemic and continue to deliver on the vision that was developed in 2020.

Looking ahead

In 2023/2024, FIDIC will need to begin the process of mind-mapping, developing and setting out the roadmap for the development of the next strategic plan. As with the development of the current plan, it will be important to be as consultative and transparent as possible in its conception and direction.