The Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ICES) commenced in 1969 as the Association of Surveyors in Civil Engineering, and was incorporated in 1972. The ICES exists to encourage and regulate the professional aspirations of quantity surveyors and land surveyors working within the civil engineering sector and to increase the value of their services to the public. These surveyors had developed a distinctive expertise in and understanding of the special surveying requirements of the civil engineering industry which was not recognised at that time by any of the existing professional bodies.

The need for such recognition is clearly manifest in the fact that since its conception the ICES has gone from strength to strength with an ever increasing membership.

In 1992 the ICES became the first Associated Institution of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and formed with them a Joint Engineering Surveying Board (JESB) to provide and disseminate engineering surveying knowledge and expertise within the ICE. This board has since been renamed the Geospatial Engineering Board and a further board has been formed with the ICE - the Joint Commercial Management Board.

ICES prides itself on its achievement as an internationally renowned centre of excellence 'in the art and science of civil engineering surveying to serve the public benefit and satisfy the needs of industry throughout the world'.

The ICES is a full member of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), which expresses, internationally, the consensus views of its members on issues that fall within the field of surveying expertise. This therefore provides an international voice to the surveying profession to influence policies and professional standards, to promote the profession and to encourage research, education and training excellence.

With the changing nature of the industry, new legislation and working practices, and the continuing advances in survey instrumentation, professionals with other specialist skills have become increasingly involved with the various aspects of construction commercial management and with providing, managing and using geospatial data to facilitate construction projects.

As a result the Institution has widened its membership to include professionals of other specialisms which fall naturally within the aegis of its remit. It has formed two Practices Committees to regulate the broadly termed disciplines of Construction Commercial Management and Geospatial Engineering.

More information on these two disciplines is included in the section on civil engineering surveying. top

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