FIDIC

The acronym FIDIC stands for Fdration Internationale Des Ingnieurs-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.

Services Located at the World Trade Center in Geneva, 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.

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, 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.