Message from QSD Chairman (June 2014)

Cooperative Agreement between AACE International and the HKIS

I am pleased to report that the Cooperative Agreement between AACE International and the HKIS was signed on 9 June 2014 during the Opening Ceremony of the 18th Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors (PAQS) Congress 2014 held at the Langham Place Hotel, Mongkok, Hong Kong.

The execution of the Agreement concludes a five-year period of drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and approval of the same by the Councils of AACE International and the HKIS. The Agreement shall be valid for three years commencing on 9 June 2014. A copy of the Agreement has been uploaded to the HKIS website for your reference. My sincere thanks go to Sr TT Cheung, Sr Thomas Ho, and Council Members of the QSD for their help in finalising the Agreement.

 

Meeting with the Beijing Engineering Cost Association 北京市建設工程造價管理協會

After attending the PAQS Congress, a delegation comprising six members of the Beijing Engineering Cost Association (BECA) visited the Institute on 11 June 2014. The delegation was led by the Secretary General, Mr Tang Shi-hai (唐世海先生), and the Deputy Secretary General, Ms Liu Wei (劉維女士).

 

Sr Thomas Ho, the Hon Secretary of the Institute, and I took the time to meet with our guests. The following issues related to the Institute were discussed:

  • The routes to qualify as Professional and Associate members
  • Continuing Professional Development organised by the Institute in respect  of the mode of delivery, contents, and speakers
  • The Code of Conduct and disciplinary action against defaulting members
  • The role of the Institute on the polices making of the Government
  • Fee scale
  • Compilation of construction cost information and the tender price index

 

It was a fruitful exchange with the Association.

 

The 18th Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors (PAQS) Congress 2014, Hong Kong

Introduction

The Institute was honoured to host the 18th PAQS Congress 2014 in Hong Kong. Members may remember the last time we hosted the Congress was in 2001. We waited 13 years to bring the PAQS flag back to Hong Kong as a symbol of the host country/region for the Congress. It was held from 7-10 June 2014 at the Langham Place Hotel in Mongkok, while the Young QS Group programme was held from 6-7 June 2014 at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

 

Organising Committee

The Organising Committee (OC) was formed in 2012 after the 16th PAQS Congress 2012 in Brunei. The Chairman of the OC was Sr Francis Leung, the Past President of the Institute. The OC had two heavyweight Honorary Advisors on board, namely Sr TT Cheung, Past President of the Institute and Past Chairman of the PAQS, and Sr Prof Anita Liu, an eminent academic from the University of Hong Kong and Past Chairperson of the QSD Council. Other members of the OC included Sr Antony Man, Sr Daniel Ho, Sr Honby Chan, Sr Jesse Wong, Sr Joe Wu, Sr Joseph Chong, Sr KC Tang, Sr Dr Ken Hui, Sr Dr Mei-yung Leung, Sr Dr Paul Ho, Sr Paul KL Wong, Sr Raymond Kam, Sr Dr Sandy Tang, Sr Sunny Choi, Sr Thomas Ho, Sr Prof Thomas Ng and Sr Tzena Wong.

 

The OC worked in close collaboration with the Event Organising Company, so as to conduct the event seamlessly.

 

Theme, Papers, and Delegates

The theme of the Congress was: “Think outside the Box - Meet New Challenges”.

The call for paper submissions was commenced at the beginning of the 4th Quarter of 2013. The following statistical information was given by the Papers Review Sub-Committee:

  • Total number of abstracts received – over 90
  • Total number of papers submitted – over 60
  • Total number of papers accepted and presented – 44
  • Total number of keynote speeches – 4
  • Total number of guest speeches – 2

The OC divided the papers into different categories according to each paper’s theme:

  • China Market (papers presented in Chinese)
  • Contract Practice
  • Construction Management
  • Education and Professional Development
  • Building Information Modeling (BIM)
  • Planning and Development
  • Management & Industrial Practice
  • Green & Sustainability
  • Cost Planning & Estimating

Based on the themes of the papers accepted, the Congress was conducted with two plenary sessions and 12 parallel sessions for delegates to join the presentations by various speakers.

The number of delegates who actually attended the Congress was 438 from 20 countries and regions. A breakdown of their geographical origins is set out below:

  • Total number of overseas delegates – 144
  • Total number of delegates from the Mainland – 168
  • Total number of delegates from Hong Kong – 126

Board Meeting

The Board Meeting was held on 8 June 2014 (Sunday) in the Shanghai Room of the Langham Place Hotel. The Institute’s representatives who attended this meeting included:

  • Sr Simon Kwok - President of the Institute
  • Sr TT Cheung - Past President & Convenor, Council of Advisors of the PAQS
  • Sr Francis Leung - Past President & 2nd Vice Chairman of the PAQS
  • Sr Prof Anita Liu - Secretary of the Accreditation & Education Committee of the PAQS
  • Sr KL Wong - Vice Chairman of the QSD Council
  • Sr Joseph Chong - Chairman of the Young QS Group of the PAQS
  • Myself - Chairman of the QSD Council

 

Other QSD Council Members who also hold official posts in the PAQS and were in attendance of the Board Meeting included:

  • Sr Daniel Ho - Secretary of the Sustainability Committee
  • Sr Dr Ellen Lau - Secretary of the Research Committee
  • Sr Raymond Kam - Member of the Accreditation and Education Committee
  • Sr KC Tang - Member of the BIM Committee

 

The whole day meeting covered reports from the Chairperson, Madam Xu Huiqin (徐惠琴女士), Officers, Committees, and Chief Representatives of every member

country/region. Other reports included the KL Pact Progress Report and ICEC Region 4 Report.

 

I had the pleasure to represent the Institute by reporting some of its major activities, including briefly commenting on the state of Hong Kong’s construction industry since the last Board Meeting in Xian, Mainland China.

 

To keep members updated on what the PAQS Board discussed and resolved, I have the pleasure to highlight some of the salient issues for information:

  • The Master of Science degree course in Construction Project Management (Major in Quantity Surveying) offered by the University of Hong King was accredited by the Education Committee of the PAQS. The Board endorsed the recommendation of the Education Committee. Another surveying course offered by Taylor’s University, Malaysia was also endorsed by the Board. 
  • Approval in principle was given by the Board to study and review the “International Construction Measurement Standards (ICMS)” by each member country / region. The establishment of the ICMS has the support of the United Nations Global Compact. Member countries / region were requested by the Board to report its finding to the PAQS Secretariat as soon as possible.
  •  The 2014 PAQS Medal Award, which acknowledges the substantial contributions of an individual on the advanement and development of the quantity surveying profession internationally, went to Dato’ Seri Sr Hj. Md. Isahak, Md. Yusuf of the Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (RISM) and Prof Chitra Weddikkara of the Institute of Quantity Surveyors Sri Lanka (IQSSL). 
  • The 2014 PAQS Service Excellence Award, which acknowledges the individual who has provided long and outstanding services to the PAQS, went to Mr Khoo Sze Boon of the Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers (SISV). 
  • The PAQS-Iwata Travelling Scholarship Award went to Mr Ang Yu-qian from the SISV. The PAQS-Iwata Foundation shall bear the cost of the winner’s flight ticket to attend the Congress, while the host association (i.e., the HKIS) shall waive the Congress registration fee and arrange for free accommodation during the ongress. This is a very meaningful competition. We encourage more HKIS members to submit papers to the OC of the PAQS Congress 2015 in Yokohama, Japan for a chance to win.
  • The BIM Committee recommended that the conference be held by another member country which should preferably be organised by the 1st Quarter of 2015 following the successful completion of conferences in Singapore (2012) and Hong Kong (2013). 
  • The Chairman of the OC for the 19th PAQS Congress 2015 in Yokohama, Japan, Mr Takayoshi Sato of the Building Surveyor’s Institute of Japan, presented a video to promote the forthcoming Congress to all Board members. Promotional flyers were also distributed to all members who attended the Board Meeting for their reference. 
  • Promotional materials for the 20th PAQS Congress 2016 in Christchurch, New Zealand was also delivered by representatives of the New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NZIQS). 
  • The 21st & 22nd PAQS Congress in 2017 and 2018 will be held in Vancouver, Canada and Sydney, Australia, respectively.

 

Committee Meetings

Three Committee Meetings, namely Education Committee, Research Committee and BIM Committee, were held in the afternoon of 7 June 2014 at the Institute’s Head Office. I had the honour of representing the President to deliver the Opening Remarks to the delegates who attended the meetings. The Hon Secretary cum Treasurer of the OC of the PAQS Congress 2014 gave all the delegates a tour of the offices, including the SLC. After the meetings, the Institute hosted a dinner for all the attendees. To show our hospitality as the host, the Institute also organised a scenic night tour to The Peak complete with a short stroll along the Harbourfront. All events were well-received by the attendees.

 

Young QS Group

The Young QS Group held its programme successfully from 6-7 June 2014 with approximately 50 young members from 11 member countries/regions joining the events. Apart from meeting at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, technical visits to the MTRC’s Control Centre, Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, Wetland Park, and Ping Shan Heritage Trail were also organised to give our guests a glimpse of modern and traditional Hong Kong.

 

Opening Ceremony

The Guest of Honour at the PAQS Congress 2014 was Mr Paul MP Chan, the Secretary for Development of the HKSAR Government. Before the official opening of the Congress, our representatives, including Sr Simon Kwok, Sr TT Cheung, Sr Francis Leung, and I, accompanied Mr Chan to meet with the chief delegate of each member country. Mr Chan extended his full support to the Institute for organising an international congress of this nature.

 

The opening ceremony was officiated by Mr Chan, Madam Xu Huiqin (徐惠琴女士 - 亞太區工料測量師協會會長), and Sr Simon Kwok. First, our President delivered his opening speech followed by Mr Chan's and Madam Xu’s speeches.  After the three dotted the eyes of the lion to “awaken” it, the Congress was declared open.

 

The Memorandum of Cooperation between the PAQS and the ICEC was signed by Madam Xu Huiqin (徐惠琴女士) and Dr Alexia Nalewaik for the purpose of mutual cooperation in the quantity surveying/cost engineering profession in the future. The two organisations will seek more opportunities to cooperate and promote the quantity surveying/cost engineering profession throughout the world.

 

Technical Visits

In order to share and showcase our experiences and advancement in cutting edge construction technology to overseas delegates, the following technical visits were conducted with fully enrolled delegates joining the events :-

  • MTR Station Development
  • Wanchai Heritage Trail Walk
  • Public Housing Development
  • Innovation Tower, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University
  • Zero Carbon Building

 

The technical visits were well received by the overseas delegates.

 

Closing Ceremony

The closing ceremony was held on 10 June 2014. The

following awards were presented:

 

  • PAQS Medal Award – Dato’ Seri Sr Hj. Md. Isahak, Md. Yusuf of the Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (RISM) and Prof. Chitra Weddikkara of the Institute of Quantity Surveyors Sri Lanka (IQSSL)
  •  PAQS Service Excellence Award – Mr Khoo Sze Boon, SISV, Singapore
  • Best BIM Paper – Sr Sunny SL Choi, Hong Kong/Mr Toshihiro Takahashi, Japan/Messrs Lam-tatt Soon, Yau-min Yong, Boon-tik Leong and May-chuan Theong, Malaysia
  • Best Paper Award (Academic) – Ms Florence YY Ling, Singapore
  • Best Paper Award (Postgraduate Student) – Jing Yu Yu, Hong Kong
  • PAQS – Iwata Travelling Scholarship Award – Mr Ang Yuqian, Singapore

 

The last event of the closing ceremony was the handover ceremony. The PAQS flag was officially handed over to the Building Surveyor’s Institute of Japan, which will host the 19th PAQS Congress 2015 in Yokohama, Japan.

 

Gala Dinner

The Gala Dinner was hosted by a professional master of ceremony. Before the performance by professional and member countries / region, trophies for the PAQS Golf Tournament was presented to the following winners :-

  • Australia (Country Award)
  • Mr Silas Loh, Singapore (Individual Award)

All the delegates who joined the Gala Dinner had a wonderful and memorable time enjoying the excellent programme organized by the OC.

 

Conclusions

My sincere thanks go to the Organising Committee of the Institute under the chairmanship of Sr Francis Leung and other members who were actively involved in organising the event. I would like to express my gratitude to CECA for its unfailing support to this event. Lastly, I deeply appreciate the support given by 42 sponsors, 21 supporting organisations, speakers, and helpers. Without the concerted efforts of the OC, the event organising company, and all the stakeholders, this year’s Congress would not have been so successful.