FIDIC
Encyclopedia
The acronym FIDIC stands for Fédération Internationale Des Ingénieurs-Conseils, French for the International Federation of Consulting Engineers. The fact that the organisation has a French
title bears testimony to its foundation in 1913 by three countries each wholly or partly francophone
. The founding member countries of the FIDIC were Belgium
, France
and Switzerland
.
, Switzerland, FIDIC aims to represent globally the consulting engineering
industry by promoting the business interests of firms supplying technology-based intellectual services for the built and natural environment. Run mostly by volunteers, FIDIC is well known in the consulting engineering industry for its work in defining Conditions of Contract for the Construction
Industry worldwide.
Companies and organizations belonging to FIDIC national member associations are encouraged to announce themselves as FIDIC members and use the FIDIC logo. The use of the logo
is strictly controlled, and all FIDIC products and services are protected by the FIDIC trademark
.
FIDIC is best known for its range of Standard Conditions of Contract for Construction, Plant and Design-build
, EPC/Turnkey
Projects and Design, build and operate projects. Details are available in the FIDIC Bookshop. FIDIC also publishes the Client/Consultant Model Services Agreement together with the Sub-Consultancy Agreement and the Joint Venture
Agreement. FIDIC publishes the MDB Harmonised Edition of the Construction Contract that is used by Multinational Development Banks including the World Bank
for their projects.
Until 2002, FIDIC was responsible for FIDICdirect, the International Directory of Consulting Engineers. This printed and online directory listed international construction companies including engineers, contractors, architects, surveyors and their professional advisors including banks, lawyers, risk managers and security from the fields of infrastructure, development and environmental projects worldwide. In 2002 this service was transferred to a new website, ICONdirect.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
title bears testimony to its foundation in 1913 by three countries each wholly or partly francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
. The founding member countries of the FIDIC were Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Services
Located at the World Trade Center in GenevaGeneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland, FIDIC aims to represent globally the consulting engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
industry by promoting the business interests of firms supplying technology-based intellectual services for the built and natural environment. Run mostly by volunteers, FIDIC is well known in the consulting engineering industry for its work in defining Conditions of Contract for the Construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
Industry worldwide.
Companies and organizations belonging to FIDIC national member associations are encouraged to announce themselves as FIDIC members and use the FIDIC logo. The use of the logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
is strictly controlled, and all FIDIC products and services are protected by the FIDIC trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
.
History
There were 59 participants at an inaugural meeting during the World Exhibition in Ghent, Belgium, in July 1913, to discuss the possibility of forming a global federation of consulting engineers. Of the participants, 19 were official delegates from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland and the USA, with the remainder coming from Austria/Hungary, Canada, Russia and the UK. The meeting was a success in that it lead to FIDIC's formal constitution on 22 July 1913. Some countries, however, only maintained provisional links during the first few years, so the real founders of FIDIC were Belgium, France and Switzerland. FIDIC lead a difficult life until the late-1940s with a changing number of members, and all members based in Europe. In 1959 they were joined by Australia, Canada, South Africa and USA to make FIDIC truly international. The first member associations from the developing world joined in 1965 (Central Africa, now Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe) and in 1967 (Colombia).Activities
FIDIC organises the World Consulting Engineers Conference, seminars and training courses. The FIDIC training manual Guide to Practice - the business of a professional services firm is well known throughout the profession of consulting engineering. FIDIC also runs a bookshop and publishes international contracts and business practice documents which are used as guides and templates the world over.FIDIC is best known for its range of Standard Conditions of Contract for Construction, Plant and Design-build
Design-Build
Design-build is a project delivery system used in the construction industry. It is a method to deliver a project in which the design and construction services are contracted by a single entity known as the design–builder or design–build contractor...
, EPC/Turnkey
Turnkey
A turn-key or a turn-key project is a type of project that is constructed by a developer and sold or turned over to a buyer in a ready-to-use condition.-Common usage:...
Projects and Design, build and operate projects. Details are available in the FIDIC Bookshop. FIDIC also publishes the Client/Consultant Model Services Agreement together with the Sub-Consultancy Agreement and the Joint Venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
Agreement. FIDIC publishes the MDB Harmonised Edition of the Construction Contract that is used by Multinational Development Banks including the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
for their projects.
Until 2002, FIDIC was responsible for FIDICdirect, the International Directory of Consulting Engineers. This printed and online directory listed international construction companies including engineers, contractors, architects, surveyors and their professional advisors including banks, lawyers, risk managers and security from the fields of infrastructure, development and environmental projects worldwide. In 2002 this service was transferred to a new website, ICONdirect.